current events

[wombat_socho]

So Speaker Pelosi wants to dump more billions into the rotting zombies that used to be Chrysler, Ford and GM. I'm not going to waste a lot of time detailing all the excellent reasons why this idea sucks; Megan McArdle has done all the heavy lifting so I don't have to. In this post, she discusses the sick corporate cultures of the Big Three; dissection of the "Millions of people will become unemployed!" argument happens here; the responsibility of the UAW and management for this mess; why the automakers really need to go bankrupt and start over. Elsewhere, Philip Chaston points out the wonderful results of the UK bailing out British Leyland back in the 1960s. Finally, Larry Kudlow quotes Mark Perry on the truly immense difference between the compensation packages at Chrysler/Ford/GM and that other great American auto maker, Toyota, to say nothing of the average comp package costs in the rest of the manufacturing sector.

I don't know about you, but I've never made $73.20/hour in pay and benefits in my life, and I resent the notion that I'm going to be taxed to subsidize people who are. Piss on that noise. Turn them loose to earn $48/hour, or not. That's the way capitalism is supposed to work.


While the Nuge's call to arms against the RINOs (or, as Ace prefers to call them, Liberal Republicans) is somewhat amusing, as a matter of national party policy the notion is DOA.

The simple facts of the matter are that while the GOP definitely has to have the social conservatives on board (as Crazy Uncle John learned this year), we also need fiscal conservatives to win at the national level. And not all fiscal conservatives are social conservatives; a lot of them are more libertarian, or are swingin' authoritarians like Rudy Giuliani. Things being what they are, those are the kind of Republicans who tend to win in places like New England. So while David Brooks and Peggy Noonan may be annoying to those of us not living in the Boswash Metropolis, it's going to be people like them who'll be needed to run and win in most of those blue districts north of the Potomac. The most we can reasonably require of folks like this is to act like Federalists and not vote for funding to socially liberal projects and causes, just as we should require social conservatives to abstain from porking it up on behalf of socially conservative projects and causes. All of the social issues need to be driven back down to the state level, because tactically (and morally) it's a losing proposition to try and force a particular social solution on all fifty states. The argument for the GOP at the national level has to be fiscal responsibility, growing the economy through tax & regulatory reductions, and a strong national defense. Arguments over prayer in schools, abortion, adoption, and other social issues need to be handled by the several states as God and the Founders clearly intended.

The other McCain is right. We need to chill out, work on the fundamentals of organizing so we don't get whipped on the ground again, wait for the Donks to fuck up (because the party in power always does, and they'll have no excuses this time) and in the meantime, not go around purging people from the party. Well, maybe David Brooks. ;)

Also, this is absolutely fuckin' right. Governor Palin will be able to campaign and win as a hired gun coming in to clean up the Washington mess in a way that Senator Palin never could, and besides, if you think the state's senior Senator is going to kiss and make up, you need your head examined. I'm sure Lisa isn't going to forgive the Sarahcuda any time in this lifetime for taking Daddy's scalp.