Senate votes to kill off ethanol tax credit

The Hill: The Senate voted 73-27 Thursday to kill a major tax break that benefits the ethanol industry, handing a political win to a bipartisan group of lawmakers that call the incentive needless and expensive.

 [...]

Thirty-three Republicans and 38 Democrats supported the measure along with both of the chamber's Independents, who caucus with Democrats.

Fourteen Republicans and 13 Democrats voted against it. [MORE]

Isn't it amazing how financial desperation brings about such clarity? I have been hearing about ethanol since I was a little boy in grade school and it has never become a widely acceptable fuel in this country. It should have been abundantly clear decades ago that despite billion wasted on this fuel, it was going no where. Politicians were basically using this credit to buy votes and nothing else.

Yes, America needs alternative fuels, but we should trust in the free market to find it for us rather than attempt to pick winners and losers.

Via: Memeorandum
Via: The Hill

Good riddance to bad rubbish: John Ensign will resign at end of term

Las Vegas Sun: Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., announced today that he will retire at the end of his term and not seek re-election in 2012.

"This campaign would be exceptionally ugly," he said this afternoon at a news conference in Las Vegas. "I just came to the conclusion I couldn't put my family through it."

More likely, Ensign realized what most in Washington and Nevada already knew: that his chances for re-election were nearly non-existent.

Once considered a hot political commodity, Ensign fell from grace in 2009 when he announced he had an affair with his best friend's wife. His parents paid the couple, who both worked for Ensign, nearly $100,000 after the affair was discovered, and Ensign helped the woman's husband, Doug Hampton, find a job. [MORE]

Yes, his reason is complete BS. If this guy was remotely concerned about putting his family through the ringer, he never would have cheated with his wife's best friend. No doubt he realized he had a snowball's chance in hell of winning, so he is packing it in.

Ensign's resignation should improve an already rosy picture for Republicans to take back the Senate in 2012.

Via: Memeorandum
Via: Las Vegas Sun
Via: The Hill

Some folks just don’t get it. Jim Inhofe won’t swear off earmarks

Politico: Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe is going down swinging, insisting he’ll still send earmarks to his state even though his fellow Senate Republicans are poised to adopt a two-year ban on pet projects.

“I'm going to look out for my state of Oklahoma,” Inhofe told POLITICO. “Obviously, that's what the Constitution says I’m going to do, and I'm going to do it. Let's keep in mind this is over. I'll be the last conservative standing.” [MORE]

Could someone please explain to Mr. Inhofe that with a $3.8 trillion budget where $1.4 trillion must be borrowed, there simply isn’t any bacon to bring back to your state.  I have to blame Mitch McConnell for this one.  Simply put, McConnell just does not have the cajones to keep Republican senators in line.  How I wish Jim DeMint would have taken over.  DeMint would not be afraid of punishing wayward Republicans who refuse to get the message that there is no business as usual.

Perhaps Tea Partiers in Oklahoma can sent a clear message to Inhofe that they disapprove of his stance.  Kind of like how Ben Nelson got slammed for the same thinking when he cut the Cornhusker Kickback deal.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Politico

It is beginning to look a lot like Murkowski

The counting of the Alaska write in ballots is underway and thus far it looks like Lisa Murkowski’s lead will hold. I have to say Joe Miller’s attempts to cut down that vote are not looking very positive to me.  Challenging slight misspellings or other picayune mistakes doesn’t really fit the whole Tea Party feel to me.

I think the big question now is just how much of team player will Lisa Murkowski be when she wins.  If the story below is any indication, I think Republicans should not count on too much support from Murkowski.

The Hill:  If Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is interested in apologizing to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), he'll have to make the first move, Murkowski said Friday. 

The Alaska senator, who appears poised to win reelection as a write-in GOP candidate for Senate, suggested she's not eager to reach out to DeMint, who backed her challenger Joe Miller in the Alaska Senate race. 

DeMint, who has said he and Murkowski might have "some making up to do" if she wins reelection, would have to act first. 

"He has suggested that he's got some making up to do," Murkowski told CNN's "John King, USA" in an interview to air this evening. "I'll let him make that first move."

Murkowski's terse response underscores the relationship she might end up having with DeMint, whose Senate Conservatives Fund backed Republican candidate Miller against Murkowski in the general election. Miller, like several other candidates DeMint had backed this cycle, beat incumbent or establishment GOP candidates in primary battles this year. 

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Alaska Daily News

Via: Slate

Via: The Hill

Republicans try to woo Democrat Joe Manchin

Senate Republicans are already working on conservative Democrat Joe Manchin, trying to get him to cross the aisle to become a Republican.   Senate Republicans are offering all kinds of goodies including passing a very expensive piece of pork.

Fox News: Republicans are making some big promises to try to lure West Virginia Senator-elect Joe Manchin to cross the aisle.

Aside from his pick of committee assignments (likely the Energy and Natural Resources Committee), Manchin might get support for one of his pet projects – a plant to convert coal to diesel fuel that has stalled under Democratic leadership in Washington.

It’s one of Manchin’s pet projects and could mean big money for the state’s coal producers.

“Republicans believe in an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy,” one top Senate aide told Power Play. “And coal-to-diesel could certainly be part of that.”

Manchin’s switch could mean Republican support for not just $1 billion in seed money for the project but also a deal, much sought in coal country, to require the armed forces to use converted coal for fuel.

Republicans believe Manchin is particularly susceptible to the overture because he is up for reelection in 2012 and will have to be on the ticket with President Obama, who is direly unpopular in West Virginia. Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Independent Joe Lieberman are the other two prime targets of Republican advances.                                                                

I think this is really unnecessary. Manchin is an interim Senator. He has to run again in 2012. This guy had to run like a Republican on steroids just to get elected this time, I don’t think he is about to become Harry Reids’s new pet any soon.  In most instances he will most likely be voting along with the Republicans just so he can stay in office.  So why go crazy just to add another RINO ranks?

Maneuvers like this by Senate Republicans leads me to believe that they may not have gotten the message that the old ways of doing business is really going out of vogue.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Fox News 

Chris Christie: Delaware “missed opportunity” for the Senate

Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the Senate race in Delaware was "a missed opportunity" for his fellow Republicans to pick up the seat long held by Democrat Joe Biden.

Tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell won the GOP nomination in an upset over moderate Rep. Mike Castle. But she lost the general election Tuesday to Democrat Chris Coons.

Christie says he was proud to have endorsed Castle.

O'Donnell ran a nontraditional campaign that opened with a TV ad saying "I'm not a witch." National Republicans had hoped the race would help them win the majority in the Senate.

Christie told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "I think Delaware was a missed opportunity to have a really good U.S. senator." 

I am going to have to disagree with my governor on this one.   First, Christine O’Donnell was a weak candidate.  Sorry to say it but it is true.  As a Tea Party candidate, the left, the GOP establishment and the media was going to play pile on.  We saw it time and time again throughout this election.  So, when Christine O’Donnell’s turn for the assault came along, she should have been prepared. She simply could not handle the onslaught.

That being said, Mike Castle was the wrong man for the times.  From now to 2012 Republicans are going to have to face some very tough votes in order to bring spending and the deficit under control.  In order to pull that off, every Republican and a few Democrats will be needed in the Senate.  Time and time again, we have seen liberal Republicans like Mike Castle, foil GOP plans by failing to live up to conservative principles.  Both Republicans and the nation cannot afford such fickleness now.

So while Chris Christie may believe that it is important to have another R on the team, the reality is that the quality of the R’s in the senate matter more. 

Perhaps a strong willed man like Chris Christie could keep wayward senate Republicans in check; but I have little faith in Mitch McConnell doing so.

You can see the full video of Chris Christie on Meet the Press at The Right Scoop.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Associated Press

Via: The Right Scoop

2012: Shellacking 2.0?

You say you laughed your ass off at Democrat losses on Tuesday and wish you could do it all over again?  Well, you may very well get your wish in 2012.

The Hill: For the first time in two cycles, Democrats will have more seats up for grabs than the Republicans, and the party could see its shrunken majority erased altogether.

Several of the senators up for reelection came in on the 2006 Democratic wave, when the party picked up six GOP seats and won control of the chamber.

Sens. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) defeated GOP incumbents that year but will have to win reelection in 2012.

And two senators who won special elections Tuesday, Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), will face voters again in two years.

That could change in two years, when Democrats have 21 seats up for grabs, compared to only 10 for Republicans. Also up for reelection are Sens. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.), the two Independents who caucus with Democrats — meaning the party has a total of 23 seats to defend. [MORE]

Unlike on Tuesday, Republicans will need less than ten seats to grab control of the Senate.  This is of course, if the Republicans don’t completely blow it between now and then.  

Given Obama speech yesterday,  it looks like Obama and the Democrats are setting themselves up nicely for Shellacking 2.0.  Plus, there are still a few more senators who need to pay for foisting ObamaCare down our throats.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Right Scoop

Via: The Hill 

Joe Manchin wins

Republican dreams of winning the Senate are pretty much up in smokes with Manchin win and O’Donnell and Mahon losses.  What is interesting is that Joe Manchin won by running like a stone cold Republican. Just look at this ad, does this look like an Obama Democrat?  If this is the only way for Democrats to win in this new political climate, then I would have to say the age of Obama is dead.

Going forward, I will be watching Manchin to see if he will keep with his conservative message or if he will just be another Democrat in the machine.

Some thoughts on Christine O’Donnell

Last Tuesday, US Senate candidate from Delaware, Christine O’Donnell delivered one of the biggest upsets of the year. No sooner did she do this, all hell broke loose.  Vicious attacks have been flying at her nonstop. 

While we would have expected such attacks from the left and their complicit media buddies, it is very revealing to see the attacks that are coming from the GOP establishment.

Never before have I witnessed such blatant examples of Sore Losers. Her defeated Republican opponent Mike Castle leads the pack.  His refusal to endorse O’Donnell was just the first example of bad form.  Castle continued to flash his Sore Loser credentials by blaming Sean Hannity and other conservative talk radio hosts. Give me a break! His vote for Cap and Trade probably had more to do with his defeat than anything else.

Right on the heels of Sore Loser Castle is Karl Rove.  Has this guy no shame? One of the very reasons why Republicans were shown the door in 2006 and 2008 was because of the very brand of conservatism Rove championed in the Bush administration.  So for Rove to carry on the way he did on Hannity over O’Donnell’s victory was just shameless.

Memo to Rove: Your political instincts are yesterday’s news.  A new political narrative is being written as we speak. The old playbook no longer applies. The days of stacking the House and Senate with anyone so long as they have a R after their name (quantity vs. quality) is over.  The people have spoken (repeatedly).

Finally on the Republican side is Charles Krauthammer. I am quite dismayed by his comments on O’Donnell. Krauthammer is one of the people whose opinion I seek out.  However, Krauthammer has been showing an elitist streak that I find less than appealing. I first noticed it with his opinions on Sarah Palin and now with Christine O’Donnell. Does O’Donnell have a steep climb to win in Delaware, yes she does, but to dismiss O’Donnell the way Krauthammer did is just so short sighted.

Regarding O’Donnell herself, I don’t believe she is the strongest candidate the Tea Party could have backed. That being said she has two big things working in her favor.  First, she is not the establishment. This is important because the establishment (both on the left and the right) has failed the nation.  Ten percent unemployment, sky high record deficits and no respect for the will of the people all add up to the establishment being an undisputed failure. Christine O’Donnell, despite her witchcraft comment, and other past comments, has something the establishment doesn’t have … clean hands. O’Donnell had nothing to do with the unemployment rate, nothing to do with these crazy deficits and nothing to do with the tone deafness in Washington. Add to her favor the fact that she is willing to stand against all of those things and her candidacy no longer looks so kooky.

The other thing working in O’Donnell’s favor is the fact that she is a woman battling against many foes.  In American culture there is always something unpleasant about ganging up on a woman. Right now Christine O’Donnell finds herself fending off attacks from both the right and the left. Worse yet, those attacks often seem so over the top. It is almost like she is being held up to a much higher standard.  Where was all these criticism about nuttiness when Al Franken ran for the Senate? I think if the left, the media and the GOP establishment continue in their fever pitch to discredit O’Donnell, they will turn her 15 point deficit in the polls to a 15 point lead, because Americans love to root for underdogs.

In the end, I think if O’Donnell takes Palin’s advice and concentrates on communicating to the people of Delaware rather than the national media, she might be able to raise herself in the polls.  Senate races are local races. In the end it is only the people of Delaware who will decide her fate and should they elect her, they will be the only people she has to answer to.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: NPR

Via: News Reel Blog

Via: Michelle Malkin

Via: The Right Scoop

Via: Breitbart TV

Via: Fox News

Via: Delaware Tomorrow

Via: Politico

Via: Politico

Via: The Hill

Video: Alvin Greene’s campaign video

The New York Times: Alvin Greene, the Democratic candidate for Senate in South Carolina, who emerged at a public campaign event for the first time last weekend, is now out with his first campaign video. The video, called, “Alvin Green Is On the Scene,” is a 3-minute hip-hop mix, featuring extensive footage of LeBron James — perhaps an allusion to how Mr. Greene intends to make the Nov. 2 election a slam dunk. 

With lyrics like this: 

Well, Greene’s a new face in politics,

And he don’t show porno to college chicks.

But he’s got some ideas that’ll fix the state,

So open up your minds and stop the hate. 

I am completely at a loss for words.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The New York Times

Rand Paul may not support Mitch McConnell for Minority Floor Leader

Ever wonder what an outsider’s voice might bring to the GOP in Washington?  Here is an example: 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Front-runner Rand Paul said in a U.S. Senate debate Monday night that he may not support Kentucky's other senator, Mitch McConnell, for minority floor leader if he's elected.

"I'd have to know who the opponent is and make a decision at that time," Paul said in a sometimes testy televised debate, the final face off in what has become an increasing acrimonious race to replace Sen. Jim Bunning.

His chief Republican opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, said he "proudly" would vote for McConnell. McConnell endorsed Grayson in the May 18 primary. South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who endorsed Paul, has been mentioned as a potential McConnell opponent for minority leader, though DeMint has said he has no such intention.

Paul is considered an outsider to the Republican political establishment, which has supported Grayson. Paul, a Bowling Green eye surgeon, is leading in the polls. 

I agree with Rand Paul on this one. We should not automatically vote for McConnell without seeing who else might want the job. Quite frankly, I find McConnell to be a wee bit wishy washy and a good example of yesterday’s Republican.

I don’t see McConnell as fully understanding the gravity of America’s current situation. I think he still believes he is dealing with the Democrats of yesterday. I would like to see someone with a lot more bite and firmer principles, someone like Jim DeMint.

DeMint: "I feel a sense of urgency that some of my colleagues don't," he said in an interview. "The Republican Party, at least a segment of it within Washington, has increasingly joined the big-government, big-spending, earmarking ranks." 

See what I mean? Even on the House side, I would like to see someone else other than John Boenher. While more aggressive than McConnell, Boenher too seems a bit dated.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Associated Press

Via: The Washington Post

Senate has to send health care bill fixes back to the House

Score a minor victory for the Republicans. While you were sleeping, Republicans were able to find two provisions in the reconciliation bill that violate budget rules. 

From Fox News: WASHINGTON - A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the bill making changes in President Barack Obama's newly enacted health care overhaul will have to go back to the House for final congressional approval, something top Democrats were trying to avoid.

Spokesman Jim Manley said Republicans consulting with the Senate parliamentarian had found "two minor provisions" that violate budget rules. The two provisions, dealing with Pell grants for low-income college students, will have to be removed from the bill.

Once those provisions are deleted and the Senate passes the measure, the House will have to approve the legislation before sending it to Obama for his signature. Manley said he was confident the House would do so with no problems 

While this sounds good, it isn’t going to cause a ruckus amongst House Democrats.  What would be needed to sink this bill is something that the Democrats would split over.  What this does do though, is it adds to the growing impression that ObamaCare is hot mess of legislative unknowns. It has only been two days since ObamaCare was signed into law and we have found that children with pre-existing conditions are not really covered yet and that states already have an opt-out option (sort of) and now this.  The GOP would do well to keep finding these types of nuggets that add to the public’s distrust of the massive bill. Such feelings will only aid in the call to repeal ObamaCare.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Fox News

Parliamentarian rules against Republicans on reconciliation fixes bill

From The Hill: Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin ruled against Senate Republicans Monday night, setting aside the first of many expected procedural objections from the GOP.

The parliamentarian ruled that changes to a proposed excise tax on high-cost plans would not violate the 1974 Budget Act by changing contributions to the Social Security trust fund.[MORE]

I never really thought this was such a great idea for Republicans. So long as Joe Biden can overrule the parliamentarian, this strategy was a very weak one. Having the parliamentarian rule against them isn’t that much different than a Biden overrule. The effect is the same, reconciliation moves forward.

I think Republicans would have better spent their time trying to pick off enough Democrats to make sure they stay under 50.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill

Is the Senate deliberately trying to keep employees from visiting the Drudge Report?

Matt Drudge has an interesting story up to day on the Drudge Report. Basically it says that Senate employees were warned to avoid the Drudge Report because of possible viruses. 

From Fox News: The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, the chamber's official gatekeeper, said the Drudge Report, a  news aggregator, and whitepages.com, a telephone directory site, "are responsible for the many viruses popping up throughout the Senate," according to an e-mail from the Environment and Public Works Committee obtained by FoxNews.com.

Another e-mail from a separate office warned that staffers who had visited the Drudge Report or White Pages had experienced viruses on their PCs.

"Please avoid using these sites until the Senate resolves this issue," the e-mail read. "The Senate has been swamped the last couples (sic) days with this issue." [MORE]

The Drudge Report sees something else going on., they believe it is politics and the politics of health care to be exact.

From The Drudge Report: Just as the healthcare drama in the capitol reaches a grand finale, congressional officials are warning employees to avoid the DRUDGE REPORT! 

The Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works issued an urgent email late Monday claiming the DRUDGE REPORT is 'responsible for the many viruses popping up throughout the Senate.' 

The committee ordered hill staff: 'Try to avoid' the DRUDGE REPORT 'for now'. 

On Monday DRUDGE served over 29 million pages with NOT ONE email complaint received about 'pop ups', or the site serving 'viruses'. 

The site was seen 149,967 times since March 1st from users at senate.gov and 244,347 times at house.gov. [10,825 visits from the White House, eop.gov] 

The Systems Administrator may want to continue taking her antibiotic until the prescription runs out. 

Developing... 

With traffic like the Drudge Report has, it does seem pretty darn impossible that no one else is experiencing virus problems. Heck, I must visit the site at lease 4-5 times a day and never a pop up, a warning or anything else.

There is always the possibility that our illustrious government has hired the biggest nincompoops in the IT business, but political games seem much more likely here.

By the way, did you notice the number of visits from the White House? Seems like they have big Drudge fans over there. The House and Senate numbers are pretty noteworthy too.

While not at the levels of the Drudge Report, Another Black Conservative has a few daily readers from both the House and the Senate. I don’t have any White House visitors yet, but hey you never know …

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Fox News

Via: The Drudge Report

Something smells like poop on a Christmas Tree: Senate passes Health Care Bill

As expected the Harry Reid kept his crew of crooks together long enough to push out the Senate Health Care Bill.  It passed 60-39 (Senator Jim Bunning R-Ky was absent). How everyone seems to be trying to use the words "Historic" and "Landmark" to cover up the stench of the bad bill that just passed. We will be hearing those two words a lot, don't fall for it.  The Hindenburg was historic and Pearl Harbor was a landmark event, neither had happy endings.


Other words also being applied today to describe the passing of this senate bill, is stink or stench. Both word are far better describers of the senate bill in both the way it gained consensus and in the actual legislative language. 


In typical Washington fashion, such a flaming turd of a bill was deliver just in time for Christmas. 


From The Hill:

The Senate approved sweeping healthcare reform legislation by the narrowest of partisan margins early Christmas Eve morning, placing President Barack Obama closer than ever to signing a longtime Democratic priority into law.

The 60-39 tally split directly along partisan lines, with Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) absent, underscoring not only the great divide between Democrats and Republicans but also the deftness with which Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) at long last united his fractious conference by offering key compromises to centrists but keeping liberals in the fold.

Via: Memeorandum
Via: The Hill

Senator Giuliani?

The New York Daily News is reporting that there is a good chance that former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani may seek Hillary Clinton’s old NY Senate seat in 2010 now that he had decided against running for New York’s Governor.

From the New York Daily News: 

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided against running for governor, but is strongly considering running for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News.

The Republican heavyweight was considered the GOP's best shot at reclaiming the governor's mansion. The only declared candidate on the Republican side is little-known former Long Island Rep. Rick Lazio.

 One source said Giuliani is prepared to run for U.S. Senate against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand next year to fill out the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton's term. 

In a match up with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rudy comes out on top by a whopping 14 points with about a third of Democrats saying they would vote for him.

I don’t know about this. Rudy is a RINO and the winds are changing against them.  However in a very blue state like New York that may not make a difference.

I wanted to vote for Rudy in the ’08 primaries, he was my second choice behind Fred Thompson. While Rudy was a RINO then too, I know he is a fiscal conservative and a strong chief executive.  I lived in NYC during his days as mayor and the turn around was stunning.

Today, I am not so sure I could support him. America is going to be on the brink in 2010. Can we afford to take a chance? What if he abandons his fiscal conservatism at the worst possible time?  If this was still ’08 and the Dems had not brought America to the brink of disaster I would feel very comfortable taking the chance, today not so much. The big question is will most New York conservatives feel the same way I do next year? Time will tell.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: New York Daily News

Senator Mitt Romney?

US News has an interesting article by Peter Roff on the possibility of Mitt Romney running for Ted Kennedy’s vacant senate seat. Personally, I like the idea a whole lot better than Romney for President in 2012.

While many in the media and the GOP leadership seems to be working overtime to sell us on Romney for 2012, in reality there are a few pitfalls for a second Romney presidential run.

First there is the GOP base. After enduring RINO McCain, confused Congressional Republicans and out of the closet Socialist Democrats, the conservative GOP base is in no mood to be trifled with. In 2012 the GOP conservative base will be looking for someone who lives and breathes conservative principles plus has a very health respect for the Constitution. Mitt Romney may have a little trouble fitting this mold with a past of Pro-Choice, Pro-gun control and RomneyCare. Should Romney run for the senate, these issues would be less important to the very left leaning Massachusetts electorate. Once elected, Romney could then go about creating a solid conservative record to run on in 2016 or beyond.

Another big issue for Romney making a presidential run in 2012 will be RomneyCare. ObamaCare is stinking up the joint with much of America. How would America feel about voting for someone who actually passed legislation similar to ObamaCare? As a senator, Romney could say he has seen the error of his ways on Health Care and go about promoting more conservative and acceptable reforms like tort reform or removing interstate restrictions.

Right now, Romney is also the only big name Republican 2012 hopeful without a platform. Jindal has his governorship; Huckabee has his show, and Palin blowing up Facebook. If Romney wants to stay in the game until 2012 he needs a platform to promote his ideas and policies. As a senator he could do just that, even promote his own legislation.

Finally there is the issue of Obama 2009 vs. Obama 2012. Right now, Romney holds up well against Obama in polling. However, three and a half years is a lifetime in politics. Today the main thing sinking Obama is that he is pursuing some crazy Cloward and Piven type strategy because of his ideology. But the White House changes people. Should Obama love being president more than being a leftwing ideologue he need only go about significantly reducing our debt and really creating jobs. Would Romney still be that appealing against a more fiscally responsible Obama? As a senator, Romney would be able to stay in the public eye for six years, plenty of time to stay relevant in the event (God forbid) Obama is not beatable in 2012.

It is no secret that Romney covets the Big Chair, but in his case, maybe a brief respite in a senate seat might go a long way in making his dream come true.

Via: US News

Via: Memeorandum