Ryan Wants America to be More Like Europe

As argued in an article in The Economist, Paul Ryan’s proposal to fund programs like Medicaid by a system of block grants to states would have the effect, over time, of reducing federal support for these programs compared to the present system.  States hit hard by the recession would have difficulty making up the difference and would likely respond by increased taxes, budget cuts or cutting back on the number of Medicaid recipients.  This closely mimics the situation in Europe where austerity measures have further weakened the economies of countries that were already in trouble and threaten the European economy as a whole.  The present role of the federal government in transferring funds from richer to poorer regions in the US helps to smooth out these regional differences.  The Ryan budget would do the opposite and, in effect, Europeanize our economy.    

The Ryan budget plan

Is thought to be American

But its effects will shore up

Trends that make us Europe. 

It's Over for Newt

Newt Gingrich announced that he was suspending his campaign, but did not fully endorse Mitt Romney’s candidacy for President.  He said instead that he considered Mitt Romney ”conservative enough” compared to Barack Obama, whom he called the “most radical, leftist President in American history.”  That’s a relatively low hurdle since American history doesn’t have a strong record of leftist Presidents.  In any event, Mitt Romney issued a statement in which he praised Newt’s  “…creativity and intellectual vitality to American political life. During the course of this campaign, Newt demonstrated both eloquence and fearlessness in advancing conservative ideas….Ann and I are proud to call Newt and Callista friends and we look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead as we fight to restore America’s promise.”   All this was too much for Fox commentator Shepard Smith, who said, “Politics is weird.  And creepy.  And now, I know, lacks even the loosest attachment to anything like reality. “  Right on, Shep.

Newt has finally called it quits -

His campaign lost out to Mitt’s.

Although he didn’t offer to endorse

He said that Mitt would be, of course,

Conservative enough for Newt

Compared to our President’s repute 

As radical, leftist President

With no historical precedent.

Mitt responded gracefully

If not exactly truthfully.

He said that he and Newt were friends

And’d work with him for common ends.

A guy on Fox went kind of freaky

And said that politics were “creepy”

And had no relation he could see

To anything like reality.

Mitt the Decider

Perhaps the Obama campaign is guilty of a cheap shot in questioning whether Mitt Romney would have decided to give the order to go after Osama bin Laden, but in Romney’s response, he makes it seem like the decision was a no-branier.  Romney said that “Of course” he would have ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden and added, gratuitously and distastefully,“Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order.”  Later he added that “any thinking American would have ordered exactly the same thing.” He seems not to realize that many of Obama's advisors, including Vice-President Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, advised against the raid because of the risks involved and the uncertainty as to whether bin Laden was actually present at the site in Abbottabad.  Gates later said "I've worked for a lot of these guys and this is one of the most courageous calls -- decisions -- that I think I've ever seen a president make." 

So, cheap or not, it is reasonable to question whether Romney would have made the same decision – it certainly was not an obvious choice, as Mitt seems to think. 

Of course, Mitt says that he would give

The go-ahead to kill Osama

There’s no one who’d pass up that chance

They’d do just like Obama.

Of course, now that all is clear,

It’s clear just what to do

But when the fog of war’s severe

Decisions might fall through.

Of course, if Mitt’d been President

He’d have attacked Grenada

But he’d have nixed the Bay of Pigs

That plan would come to nada.

Of course, if he’d been Marshall

He’d have come up with the plan

To save all Europe from the aftermath

Of war’s relentless span.

Of course, if he’d been Chamberlain

He’d never leave the Czechs

Alone to face Herr Hilter’s wrath.

He’d fix the past’s defects.

Of course, if he’d been Wilson

He’d have told them at Versailles

“You’ve got to ease up on the Krauts,

The price is much too high.”

Of course, if he’d been Lincoln

He would have freed the slaves

And stayed away from theaters

No matter what the raves.

Of course, if he’d been Bonaparte

He’d never march on Russia

He’d happily stay close to home

And be content with Prussia.

Of course, we could go on and on

About what Mitt would then envision

If he’d known all the facts before

He came to a decision.

Of course, it’s not at all like that

One’s often unaware

Of what the situation is

And there’s no time to spare.

Of course, that’s when it takes real guts

When facts aren’t clear and one perforce

Must grasp the fleeting moment to

Decide…and pray, of course. 

The Gay Guy's Gone

Mitt’s new foreign policy advisor, Richard Grenell,  resigned shortly after being signed on, because of relentless pressure from right wingers about his homosexuality.  Mitt made no attempt to rescue Grenell’s appointment. 

Now Mitt got a new guy to play

Foreign policy advisor today

Though he was just hired

He quickly was fired

It turned out the new guy was gay.

Chris Christie: Never, Never, Maybe

Chris Christie, Republican governor of New Jersey and outspoken darling of the Republican party, has always and forever maintained he has no interest in the Vice-Presidential slot.  Now, however, he says that Romney “might be able to convince me” to be Mitt’s Veep. 

To be sung to the tune of "Never Will I Marry"

Never, never will I carry

Water for the President

Born to be the top canary

Wide my pants, firm my intent

Never, never, never will I relent

Not for me Vice-President.

But if Mitt should ask

I’d think of the task

And maybe he’d be

Convincing toward me

Born to be the top canary

But let’s rethink my intent

Maybe, maybe, maybe I’d be very

Good as the Vice-President.

May Day

The first of May and Spring arrives on time,

Puts down its suitcase and prepares to stay,

For there’s a lot of work to do this day

To take advantage of the warming clime

And spring incarcerated leaves from buds

And costume scraggly trees in green array

And winnow gaudy blooms from bulbs and shrubs -

For this we celebrate the first of May.

Sore Losers

It’s remarkable that the candidates defeated by Mitt Romney in the primaries, Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, have thus far resisted endorsing Romney for President;  Jon Huntsman is the exception. 

Michelle and Newt and Rick

Conceded that they were licked

Mitt Romney was the one

Who beat them all and won.

The losers though are coarse

Because they won’t endorse

The winner of the fray –

At least they won’t today.

They’ll probably come around -

Resentment will die down -

They’ll bite their lip and say

“We’re for Romney all the way!”