By FITSNews || Literally hundreds of Republican politicians in South Carolina will tell you they’re “pro-business” or that they support “lower taxes and less government,” but you can count on one hand the number of elected officials who actually vote that way.
Alright, maybe not on one hand … but it’s pretty close. In fact, with only one member of South Carolina’s Congressional delegation (Sen. Jim DeMint) and only fifteen out of 170 state lawmakers consistently “walking the walk” when it comes to their votes on behalf of the taxpayers, you can see pretty quickly what we’re talking about.
One of the few true fiscal conservatives is Mick Mulvaney, who is currently running against fourteen-term incumbent Rep. John Spratt (Nancy Pelosi’s budget chairman) for South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District seat.
Obviously, we are strongly (and unapologetically) supporting Mulvaney in that race, in no small part because Spratt has gone from a middle-of-the-road “centrist” to a rubber stamp for the socialist agenda of President Barack Obama.
But we’re also supporting Mulvaney because of quotes like the one below, which he gave in an interview with RedState.com.
Here’s what Mulvaney said:
In just a generation Washington has gone from ‘Ask not what your country can do for you …’ to ‘We will guarantee your GM warranty.’
That, in a nutshell is “it.”
It’s precisely what’s wrong with this country today – in one nifty sentence.
A half century ago, the liberal standard-bearer in American politics – President John F. Kennedy – was pushing income tax cuts and a trip to the moon. And in assuming office, he reminded us that America was not built by people sitting on their asses waiting for the next government handout, but by people standing up and building something with their own two hands.
Today?
We have no liberal standard-bearer, we have a socialist standard-bearer – one who is pushing massive tax hikes to pay for skyrocketing deficits and unprecedented government intrusions into the free market. Oh, and a retreat from the moon.
Heck, just a decade-and-a-half ago, the nation’s liberal standard-bearer – President Bill Clinton- was pushing a welfare reform bill that incentivized states according to the number of people they subtracted from, not added to, the welfare rolls.
Of course Obama undid all of that a year ago in passing his so-called “stimulus,” which reversed fourteen years of reform by re-instituting the “bounty system” of paying states to put people on welfare.
“Ask not …” right?
It’s not just America’s limited government tradition Obama is trampling on … it’s the great “liberal” tradition of Kennedy and Clinton, too.
And it’s why this country is heading toward Roman Empire status faster than you can say “hope and change …”
WEB EXTRA
Mulvaney Red State Interview
By sclawboy March 9, 2010 at 11:34 am
Funny, I thought you liked Mulvaney because he was sucking your dick.
By fitsnews March 9, 2010 at 11:46 am
SCLawboy-
And that, obviously.
-FITS
By countryboy March 9, 2010 at 11:55 am
Good article from Red State. Thanks.
By Sammie Graham March 9, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Mark Sanford and Mick Mulvaney are twin do alikes. Everyone knows
what Sanford is, we just need the press to dig in on Mulvaney.
Citizens and representatives at the state house are not the ones
putting the positive spin on this previously unknown, the press and
money are from outside of South Carolina. After the primary in June
the battle will begin. Election evening in November, the news will
be John Spratt reelected to Congress by a wide margin.
By OhNoNotAgain March 9, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I’ve asked and seen an allusion to something Mulvaney has actually “done.”
But I’ve yet to see details.
It’s easy to talk the talk. What’s the point if you can’t get people to vote your way and accomplish something?
By Ynotfirst March 9, 2010 at 12:26 pm
isn’t this man connected to Sanfraud Sic?
By Matt March 9, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I like Mick Mulvaney too. And Nikki Haley. Is there some sort of friction going on between these two? I heard Haley was on WORD radio in Greenville last week someone called in and started talking about how Mulvaney was attacking her for being disingenuous on the whole roll-call voting issue and suggesting Haley was not being truthful. Just seemed weird since they are running for different offices and currently serve in different bodies.
By CNSYD March 9, 2010 at 1:08 pm
FITS you were fooled by Sanfraud, shame on him. Now you are fooled by Mulvaney, shame on you.
By Reailty based conservative March 9, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Say what you want about the politics, FITS does have a sense of humor. “And that, obviously.” classic.
By CNSYD March 9, 2010 at 2:06 pm
OhNoNotAgain, you have also given a perfect description of DeMint.
By Daylight Again March 9, 2010 at 3:27 pm
CSNY&Dummy:
Help us remember, was it you that has been extolling the virtue of defaulting on our international debt in order to “teach the world a lesson” about who won the last war.
Yep, it was. (In case you forgot).
I’m not saying you are an idiot. I just thought we would let folks decide for themselves as you call down the folks like DeMint and Mulvaney who can actually find their rear ends with both hands.
By AppleMan March 9, 2010 at 5:30 pm
I keep reading comments that Mulvaney is a “Sanfraud” be-alike, and Sammie Graham says that a little digging is all that’s required to expose…what? That Mulvaney is a “fraud” as well? That he’s not really conservative? Maybe he’s not the…servicer… that FITS says he is? That he’s got a mistress? I really don’t understand the guilt-by-association theme.
By CNSYD March 9, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Daylight Again, in your wing nut thinking you THOUGHT I was extolling the virtue of defaulting on our international debt to “teach the world a lesson” about who won the last war. Well once again you are wrong. Your use of quotes implies that I used a certain phrase. I didn’t, you made that part up. I never extolled defaulting. I merely said that IF we did, then those holding the paper could deduct it from what we spent saving their asses from (fill in the blank)Soviets, Japanese, etc. Get your story straight dumbass. DeMint and Mulvaney are pimples on the ass of progress.
By Daylight Again March 9, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Hey, Crosby Stills Nash Young and Dummy:
Does this sound familiar?
” IRT the debt. If we end up stiffing China I would not lose a minute’s sleep over it. Did we FORCE them to buy our paper? Let them pay the bill for the US saving their ass in WWII, then we can talk. Same goes for any other country. There are only two types of countries in the world. Those whose ass we beat and those whose ass we saved.”
Your words.
Eat it.
By baker March 10, 2010 at 12:49 am
I like Mick Mulvaney, too. He’s a great guy. And he is a smart person.
But I must say, I disagree with the premise here. Rather than Barack Obama, it was George W. Bush who failed to inspire Americans to “do for your country.” After 9-11, Bush could have asked people to do anything he wanted, and Americans would have responded — certainly for a period of time. Real sacrifice was possible. A real shift in the way we viewed commitment to the nation and each other was possible. But how did Bush want Americans to “do for your country”? By going shopping. By supporting tax breaks for super-wealthy. We were told by Bush and Dick Cheney that we could have it all: Tax breaks for the rich, wars in the Middle East, we’d be greeted as liberators, everything would be just dandy, war would be cheap and clean, on and on.
And this failure to be serious about commitment and sacrifice and “doing for your country,” of course, has a lot to do with the sorry state of affairs we’re dealing with now. Oh, I know. I know. It’s not cool for Obama supporters to blame current realities on the 8-year reign of George W. Bush (and, for most of those years, the GOP-dominated legislative branch). But, cool or not, it’s true.
Obama clearly is liberal, and he clearly wants to use government in some big ways to accomplish things he believes are important. It’s fine to disagree with his agenda and his philosophy. But this claim that Obama’s mostly about “putting people on welfare” is just nonsense.
Key points:
1. The stimulus and bailout and the rest may not have been perfectly executed. Far from it. I would guess Obama would agree. But it was a legitimate plan of action to boost the economy and keep our financial system from crumbling. Now, I’m not knowledgeable enough to know how well it “worked” or didn’t. And, fact is, there is probably no way in the world for supporters or critics to irrefutably prove whether these efforts have been effective or not, or to what extent. We may never be able to know for sure. But many bright and darn well-educated economists have said that, yes, the stimulus and the bailouts have helped keep things from getting as bad as they likely would have otherwise. Again, distaste for it all is reasonable — but the idea that it’s a mere welfare plan is dishonest and silly.
2. And, anyway, who has been put on welfare? Who in SC? Yes, there are unemployment benefits to consider. Maybe some call that welfare. And, yes, there are a whole bunch of state employees who might have lost their jobs if not for the stimulus. But, um, that’s not welfare. That’s about people who want to WORK.
I know the beef Will Folks and some others have with government inefficiency and with “educrats” and the like, and some of their gripes are legitimate. Fine. But that’s a long ways away from welfare. Whether or not school districts are top-heavy on the administrative side, we’re still talking about teachers (and other state employees) who wanted to keep their JOBS. And, by the way, if you know anything about teaching public school — the hard work involved, the mediocre pay, the challenges in reaching struggling students — we’re really talking about a bunch of people (the good teachers, at least) who may have very well been inspired by John F. Kennedy’s words, “Ask not…..”
3. A word about healthcare, since that’s such a controversial topic….Here again, reasonable people can disagree about the right approach. But as someone recently laid off from a job — and no stimulus “welfare” for me!! — I can tell you that the cost of decent health insurance ain’t no joke. Pre-existing conditions: “Ever had a cold?” “Ever cut your knee and had to have stitches?” OK, I’m exaggerating……but only a little. Seriously.
In any case, Mick Mulvaney is running a political race and is of course trying to put forth a cogent and memorable message. The JFK “Ask not….” line was catchy and will make people think. Again, I just disagree with the premise.
If Mick wins, I trust that he will try to be a problem-solver, someone who will look for practical solutions for real problems. I surely hope that he won’t follow the rigidly ideological and intellectually lightweight path of guys like Jim Demint and Mark Sanford. Mick is too intelligent for that.
By cmitchz March 10, 2010 at 1:22 am
Jabba the Spratt is roadkill in 2010.
By CNSYD March 10, 2010 at 3:44 am
Daylight Again, please tell me where in there I “extolled” anything. I merely postulated an outcome in the unlikely event we defaulted. And where is the lesson teaching that you imply I said? Perhaps you need to read what is there vs what you allege to be there. BTW I stand by exactly what I said.
By fastmouth March 10, 2010 at 6:32 am
Lawboy and FITS, can we try to keep the crudeness out of the debate. Good political debate is one thing, but crudeness in my opinion should be left out.
By fitsnews March 10, 2010 at 6:48 am
Baker-
In re: the moronisitude of George W. Bush.
http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/01/30/a-note-to-our-democratic-commenters/
-FITS
By baker March 10, 2010 at 7:55 am
Will — I never accused you of being a George W. Bush apologist. But, still, I think the emphasis on Barack Obama as the counter example of “Ask not….” is misplaced.
By sclawboy March 10, 2010 at 9:33 am
Fastmouth,
Politics and dick-sucking go way back. It’s no big deal.
By BIN News Editorial Staff March 10, 2010 at 10:44 pm
sclawboy is wrong.
All sic(k) willie sucks is tricky mickie’s checkbook.
He did the same to sanfraud’s checkbook; until it went dry.
Our Funding Editor says it’s hard to get the taste out of your mouth.
One of sic(k) willie’s problems is he’ll suck any checkbook he can.
But, our Funding Editor does think they would make a cute couple.
By ceilidh10 June 1, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Tax cuts and less government only help the rich folks, the old line Republicans.
Trickle down doesn’t work. How many tax dollars does the average business owner put into an account to hire new people or increase wages. No– he is keeping that money for his next SUV or Hummer or his mistress–maybe??.
What does this guy or any GOPer running for office in 2010 plan to do to help Average Joe. I thought Average Joe was in charge. No he isn’t. The GOP is making sure his wages stay low, that he has no unions, and that he gets little or no health care. He is on his own, which is the definition of “own-ership society.” What a pity. Then Andre Bauer calls people on welfare “stray animals.”
Spratt has a great history of helping his constituents and the average Joe up in the York area, Give me proven helpfulness spanning the years and proven leadership over a long period of time over some “ideas” driven idealogue conservative. Give me Spratt.