Pete Spiliakos

Obama’s Solyndra debacle was crony capitalism that cost the federal government $500 million.  Freddie Mac was crony capitalism that cost the federal government $72 billion and counting.   Gingrich got paid over a million dollars to be a shill for Freddie Mac and recommend the . . . . Continue Reading »

1.  On Jon Huntsman:  If Ramesh Ponnuru is right and that Huntsman’s tax plan adds up to a tax increase on middle-class families with children then I think his candidacy is fatally flawed.  I just don’t see how you sell middle-class tax increase + high earner tax cut . . . . Continue Reading »

1.  Unlike Peter, I don’t think that Gingrich’s flip-flops and sell outs have been fully priced in by Republican primary voters.  Don’t get me wrong.  Many voters are very sympathetic to Gingrich and like what he has said (and especially his style) in debates.  . . . . Continue Reading »

I’m wondering if the Republican field is actually a lot more open than most people think.  I don’t think Gingrich’s numbers last and he has very large numbers.  Gingrich is, at the moment, pulling from both those Republicans who value authenticity and those who value . . . . Continue Reading »

Gingrich is polling at 50% in Florida.  He is more than doubling Romney’s support in the Rasmussen poll. Peter asks below if there is enough time to stop Gingrich.  If we were talking on Christmas Day, I’d say no.  But it is December 1st and I’ll be very, very . . . . Continue Reading »

For this ad. I’m tired.  Maybe some thoughts on Cain, Gingrich and Romney tomorrow. . . . . Continue Reading »

Gingrich is surging in the polls and, with Cain’s new issue and possible withdrawal,, Gingrich stands to gain even more in the short-term, but I still don’t expect it to last.  The problem of stopping Gingrich is insistent, but it is insistent for the right-of-Romney candidates not . . . . Continue Reading »

I think the answer is very, very, likely yes and before the Iowa Caucuses (not that he’ll drop out, just that he will have substantially lower support than now.)  There was this time during the Cain boom when he had just spent the section of a debate dealing with criticism of 9-9-9 by . . . . Continue Reading »

Carl asked that I give Romney’s economic plan the same treatment I gave Gingrich.  Okay.  Here is a quick summary of what I think: 1.  Romney’s 59 point plan isn’t that bad or good. It doesn’t include huge new programs or include tax cuts that will blow a hole . . . . Continue Reading »

I was reading Ross Douthat this week and this observation struck me with some force, He wrote, “Policy innovation always creates losers as well as winners and earns adversaries as well as supporters. But policy innovation in an age of austerity tends to be politically perilous, because the . . . . Continue Reading »