State Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) – one of the most influential fiscal conservatives in early-voting South Carolina – is echoing Tea Party concerns regarding the conservative credentials of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Davis made his comments after posting an article to his Facebook page written by Bretton Woods economist Paul Hoffmeister.
Hoffmeister’s article – published by Forbes – is highly critical of Romney, opining that his failure to expand his base of support within the Republican party is due to the fact that he isn’t really a Republican, at least not insofar as his economic views are concerned.
“Mitt Romney has been unable to win more than 25 percent of the Republican vote for the party’s presidential nomination for more than a year. This is because the former Massachusetts governor is not a pro-growth Republican.” Hoffmeister writes. “Instead, his economic platform reflects a man who is devoutly Keynesian, and who, as president, would not be able to reinvigorate the U.S. economy.”
The piece goes on to bash Romney’s multifaceted economic plan, saying that it “will scarcely benefit middle and lower income Americans, effectively delivering four more years of the current economic stagnation.”
Ouch. Gotta hate that kind of critique … and comparison.
Of course more relevant to Romney’s electoral aspirations is Davis’ take on the piece – which he blasted out to his 5,000 Facebook friends.
“This piece raises, once again, doubts I have long held regarding Romney’s view of the proper role of the state in the economy,” Davis wrote. “He supported interventionist policies in lending, TARP and ethanol subsidies, and he seems to support currency manipulation instead of sound money. Do we really know what we would get with a President Romney?”
Davis hasn’t endorsed any of the Republican presidential contenders, but his commentary on the 2012 GOP nominating fight is widely followed – and not just by South Carolinians. Last year, The Politico named him one of its “50 politicos to watch,” while a CNN story referenced him as a “rising star.”
This website has made no secret of its disdain for Romney – specifically calling him out over his support for socialized medicine and tax hikes.
We’re glad to see that others feel the same way …
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By dwb619 January 3, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Wait a minute! Didn’t NIMRATA, the queen of the South Carolina TEA Party endorse Romney? Isn’t the Queen also hoping for the VP on Romneys ticket?
Aah, the TEA Party, how’s it working for ya now?
By Crooner January 3, 2012 at 5:31 pm
I thought his plan was to lower job-killing taxes and get rid of job-killing regulations, just like the rest of those clowns.
By ceilidh10 January 4, 2012 at 1:26 pm
taxes and regulations do not kill jobs–a GOP myth.
what is killing jobs right now is lack of end-user buyers of products. if there is no market for your goods, why hire?
as for taxes, Obama got us 2 more months of tax relief, something the GOP fought.
By Bogart January 3, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Nikki Haley was also named a politico to watch and a rising star. So what does that tell you?
By palmetto populist January 3, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Ah, Tom Davis. Remember when Markie Sanford — in the midst of a State of the State address — mentioned a fishing trip with his good friend Tom Davis, and then stared into the ceiling for an ungodly length of time as SC watched with mounting — ummm — embarassment?
What is it about Tom Davis and you, Will? The very mention of his name takes you to your knees. You accuse so many others of the very act of political fellatio that you demonstrate so well.
Wait, is it his ads on your website?
Is it that Tom Davis the lawyer drew up your business papers?
If Tom Davis farts, will your cheeks blow outwards?
By Islander January 3, 2012 at 8:19 pm
No, that was Chip Campsen. Try to keep up.
By palmetto populist January 3, 2012 at 5:46 pm
And WAIT!
Name ONE, ONE Republican who has captured more than 25% on any poll this year!
A gaggle of dwarves who give short people a bad name.
By BigT January 3, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Until all you A-Holes Start Blistering Obama…STFU….
Davis is like all RINOs, system-riders and Jokes….You know how to kick the $#!^ out of any and all Republicans…and the media drone (like FITS) goes giddy for you…
But you’re scared to death to breathe a word of truth about the Failure-in-Cheif, because the media forbids it…
Romney is NOT the one destroying our Nation…
Get your head out your @## and put your Eyes on the Prize…
By Adam Smith January 3, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Sorry, Will, but Keynesian economics (stimulative spending in downturns) are appropriate and helped us get out of the Great Depression. Untimely cutbacks in Federal spending brought about the 1937 recession, which lasted just about 12 months.
It was due to insufficient Federal stimulus spending that the 2007-08 recession was the longest since the Great Depression.
But due to the Federal government’s inability to balance the budget during recent expansionary periods (remember Johnson’s guns-and-butter and George W’s war-on-two-fronts?) — with the exception of Clinton’s last year in office — and build up cash and gold reserves, the Federal government has now run into a serious, unsustainable debt quagmire.
I wish that meaningful tax reform was part of the “presidential discussion.” It has been studied to death since George H.W. Bush with no action because of special interests feeding both parties.
Nobody is talking about changing our society from “consumption” to “saving” and “investing”; meanwhile the sacred cows like home acquisition and equity mortgage deduction (up to TWO personal residences), the $500,000 capital gain exclusion (for married filing jointly) every two years, and tricks like expensing stock options (like Time-Warner’s Mel Karmazin last week for $165 million) keep corporations and partnerships from paying their fair share.
Who gets it between the eyes?
Middle-class taxpayers, as always.
By Torch January 3, 2012 at 9:13 pm
I’m voting for you.
By vicupstate January 4, 2012 at 8:30 am
I’m voting for you too.
By RealStatesmanNot January 4, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Me three!
By Really? January 4, 2012 at 12:58 pm
“Sorry, Will, but Keynesian economics (stimulative spending in downturns) are appropriate and helped us get out of the Great Depression. Untimely cutbacks in Federal spending brought about the 1937 recession, which lasted just about 12 months.”
Pure bullshit.
We emerged when the war ended, not in 38′. It was a combination of being the only major industrialized economy left standing and massive cutbacks in gov’t war/MIC spending that brought us out fully AFTER the war.
You’re just regurgitating the talking points.
By oh please January 3, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Big T there is nothing BIG about you. You have a small penis!
By BigT January 3, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Then why do all of you idiots walk around w/ tears, and on your tip toes, after I ream you out???
By Old Bike Dude January 3, 2012 at 8:55 pm
sTfu
By Ken E. January 3, 2012 at 11:06 pm
The tears are from laughter, BigT.
By BradWarthenSucks Sucks January 3, 2012 at 6:48 pm
McConnell, Leatherman, and Land are leading SC senators. Mr Davis is not quite yet in the big leagues.
By ouch January 3, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Ouch. Please, please, burn that image out of my mind…
By Milton Friedman January 3, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Adam:
Where does the Government get its money to spend?
A Government that spends money that it doesn’t have does not “stimulate” the economy. This is Big Government’s BIG LIE, and has been for years, under both D’s and R’s.
At best, government spending is a wash – for every dollar spent, a dollar has to be taxed or borrowed – in other words, removed from the economy, then put back in somewhere else. At worst, it is a loss, as the Government is not a wise investor, but spends money in a highly inefficent and far less productive manner than the private sector, where investment is motivated by the need for profit.
Borrowing money to spend but pay back later doesn’t stimulate anything – it is reflected in less available private capital, higher interest rates, and more debt.
Even the Republicans can’t help but buy into this fallacy — all of them talking about “job creation” as if it was a legitimate role of Government to “create” jobs, by taxing or borrowing, and then spending.
The only way the Government can “create jobs” is to leave the money where it is.
The Government can, however, promote “job creation” by less spending, lower taxes, less regulation, more competition, less articial manipulation of the economy, and by predictable and enforcable rule of law.
The money the Government spends on “job creation” has to come from funds that would otherwise be spent or invested by the private sector. To the extent possible, the Government should get OUT of the way of the private sector. If parts of the private sector fail due to unwise investments or labor costs that can’t compete, let them fail. They should fail. They need to fail. Let the most efficient provider of goods and services provide them.
Thus far, sadly, only Ron Paul, an unelectable odd ball, gets this part right.
By Adam Smith January 3, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Milton,
Federal spending occurs two ways: (1) legislatively-approved budgets (which originate in the House Ways & Means Committee) and (2) daily increases and decreases to the overnight money supply by the Fed (FOMC – Federal Open Market Committee) and the Treasury by buying and selling treasury bills (90 day) notes (1-5 yrs.), and bonds (5 – 30 years).
Item (1) is the lion’s share of deficit spending, and you can send thank-you notes to your profligate congressmen for that.
Item (2) is small-time fine-tuning to enable our financial system to operate day-to-day without financial shocks to the FX (foreign exchange market), and to provide “Fed Window” overnight draws by out-of-control and undercapitalized commercial and investment banks.
None of the candidates knows the foibles and soft underbellies of the CFTC, the SEC and PCAOB like Mitt Romney, whose backers are largely investment banks looking for protection and cover against the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act.
Remember Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman under W? How about Larry Summers and Robert Rubin under Clinton? All retired now serving on boards of the investment banks, clipping coupons, writing books, on the lecture circuit.
Oh for the days of Paul Volker, whose “Volker Rules” are just now being published, putting teeth into Dodd-Frank.
Expect the Republicans to attempt repeal of Dodd-Frank, called “excessive regulation.”
Back to the wild and wooly days of Countrywide Financial, Leaman Brothers, AIG and subprime lending — just the ticket for real economic growth.
Right?
Your fried,
Adam
By Really? January 4, 2012 at 1:21 pm
Actually, gov’t spending can “goose” the economy…but in doing so creates the “bubbles” (or “malinvestment”) and further distorts capital bases/allocation so that the actual fundamentals never really improve when looking in totality.
It’s why Japan has had 20+ years of no growth but ever increasing debt to gdp.
So depending on your time frame Keynesian economics can make things look good(short term, even if “short” is 40 years)…but the long term consequences of money printing are always bad….
The dustbin of history has lots of failed empires in it that all ended with inflation and overextension.
By Old Bike Dude January 3, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Time for Sen Davis to man up against Haley. She kills the Jasper Port and he huffs and puffs but never whispers her name. She endorses Romney and Tom huffs and puffs but never utters her name. Time to call a spade a spade Sen Davis. Call the Guv out for the fraud she is and your stock soars. Otherwise you’re just dancing a jig while she whistles the tune. It very well could be your moment. C’mon man! Step up or miss the boat.
By South of Broad Street January 3, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Davis recently published an oped in the Post & Courier blistering Haley on what she did to the Jasper port. No punches were pulled.
By Old Bike Dude January 3, 2012 at 8:54 pm
I stand corrected. Still wish he would take a larger presence.
By Skidmarks January 4, 2012 at 10:57 am
Errr…I semm to remember that he called Nimrata his friend.
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 3, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Tommie Tom and Markie Mark.
Political m@r@nS separated at birth.
Both favorites of the Teabuggers and sic(k) willie.
Two reasons to ignore them both.
Only Tommie Tom is positioned to do more damage to SC than Markie Mark and Trikki Nikki combined.
Our Funding Editor’s gardener, Juan-Bubba-Sebastian-Clyde D’Folks says that Tommie Tom sure does have a “purty mouth.”
Not sure what he means, but it can’t be dirty.
By Daisey January 3, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Davis who?
By hhuuhh?? January 3, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Tom Davis has shown very poor judgement in his last 2 choices for governor of this state.
Why does anyone with half a brain give a rip about a politician with no better sense than the average SCGOP voter? Good grief!
By Cancerman January 4, 2012 at 7:36 am
Its the human Toad.
By jeffy01 January 4, 2012 at 8:37 am
“Leading SC Senator”. What does he lead? Never heard of him
By johnb January 4, 2012 at 9:15 am
Davis will get the rep. gov nom. instead of Trikki Nikki in 2014.
You can take that to the bank.
Tikki Nikki will pull a Sarah Pallin. (drop out due to family concerns) or she will pull a John Edwards (realize she has lost her support in her own state so go National where the press will give her a free pass)
By Skidmarks January 4, 2012 at 11:18 am
You’re right. Nimmy will milk her current job until she’s milked all she can. She will then go national so she can tap into the Indian dough.
She might already be tapped out. She only got $40k from Romney. And remember that she cancelled her trip to the sub-continent this fall.
By ceilidh10 January 4, 2012 at 1:28 pm
I am voting for the man who killed Osama bin Laden, and got rid of Qaddafi.
By Jan January 4, 2012 at 3:53 pm
“Davis hasn’t endorsed any of the Republican presidential contenders.”
Why not? Is he afraid to pick a loser, or does he think they are all bad? Either way if he has not endorsed or said he is unwilling to support the Republican tickit this year he is no leader.
By cash January 4, 2012 at 4:36 pm
We need to send a very loud and clear message that we are sick and tired of politicians ignoring the will of the people and shredding the Constitution. The Rs are so afraid of Obama winning, they are willing to vote for Romney no matter what. As John Adams knew, we need “to be a government of laws and not of men”. Is Mitt Romney a natural born citizen? His father, George Romney, was born in Mexico.
By Tom Tudo January 13, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Dr. Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one Congressman to comment that “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another Congresswoman added that “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”
By James Parker January 15, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Actually, he endorsed Ron Paul today…woot!
By RageFury January 17, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Sen. Tom Davis has a tad bit more than 5000 fans now.
By the way, as at least one other has mentioned, he has endorsed Ron Paul. Ron Paul, the only real fiscal conservative running…