A Revolution is Coming. And the Guillotines are Being Sharpened.
Jan. 26, 2016 12:00pm
John Linder served in Congress for 18 years from Georgia. He and his wife, Lynne, have retired to a farm in Northeast Mississippi.
Next week Iowa gets down to the business of selecting a president. This election portends a revolution and we are about to find out which kind.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) will defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses and has a big lead in New Hampshire, which follows Iowa by eight days.
Sanders has made no secret of his desire to ignite a revolution. He speaks about it often and leaves no doubt that he plans a bigger and more activist government.
Shutterstock
Sanders’ revolution will be a peaceful one. He just wants to tax and spend us into socialism and has laid out $18 trillion in new spending programs.
He hasn’t ignored how to pay for it either. He has proposed $19.6 trillion in new taxes and has said that a top tax rate of 90 percent is a reasonable target.
Clinton’s taxing and spending proposals are more modest, but as Sanders shows more strength in the polls Clinton finds more constituencies to pander to.
She uses Sanders’ embrace of socialism as an opportunity to scare voters away from him, but her unfamiliarity with truth and trust is a huge negative.
If she can stay out of jail I still see her as the likely winner of the nomination because I don’t know where Sanders finds his votes after New Hampshire. But Sanders’ success has driven Clinton so far to the left that there will be little difference between them at the end.
The revolution they seek is a steady and persistent drift from a constitutional republic toward a social democracy such as Sweden. Sweden’s advantage is that she is not expected to lead in international crises.
Paris, San Bernardino and the Islamic State tell me that we will not be afforded that comfort.
The Republican side has the most experienced and talented collection of candidates seeking the nomination in my lifetime.
Nine of the candidates are or were governors and five served in the United States Senate, but from the beginning the Republican voters were looking for something else.
Three accomplished, but politically inexperienced Americans, captured the imagination of the media and the electorate.
Dr. Ben Carson is a brilliant and kind man who was a renowned neurosurgeon. He led for a period of time, but collapsed following some negative publicity about his grasp of foreign affairs.
The 80-year-old former CIA operative who originated the stories was hardly the “top advisor” that was claimed, but the damage was done.
Carly Fiorina has been spectacular in debates. She has a remarkably nuanced and informed understanding of issues, both foreign and domestic, but she seems to disappear between debates.
And then there is Donald Trump, a larger than life character who is famous for being famous. If he wins in Iowa, with huge leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, I don’t see how he can be stopped.
Some question whether Trump voters will actually turn out on a cold night in Iowa to participate in the caucuses. These people stood in line for hours in the cold to catch a glimpse of Trump in a crowded stadium. They will get out and cast their votes.
Trump is leading because he has tapped into the anger of the disaffected base of a disjointed party whose leadership has failed them.
America faces many problems. While others are rolling out 12-point plans Trump simply says that he’ll fix them.
Americans are not looking for 12-point plans. They are looking for a strong leader.
Some very successful and informed people, whom I hold in high regard, are adamant Trump supporters.
They have been let down so regularly and so painfully by the Republican leadership that they don’t see anything worth keeping.
An example: The IRS selectively audited us, harassed us and gave our private tax information to our political opponents to help re-elect the president and then destroyed evidence of it and lied to Congress about it.
None of that could have been done without the knowledge and approval of the White House. And what did the Republican leadership do about it? Not a damn thing!
(Forgive me, but a hearing is not a sufficient response.)
Donald Trump isn’t talking about a revolution, but his supporters are and they are not thinking about Sweden. They are thinking about France and the French Revolution and the only argument among them is over who will superintend the guillotine.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/a-revolution-is-coming-and-the-guillotines-are-being-sharpened/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Firewire%20Morning%20Edition%20Recurring%20v2%202016-01-27&utm_term=Firewire_Morning_Test
Jan. 26, 2016 12:00pm
John Linder
John Linder served in Congress for 18 years from Georgia. He and his wife, Lynne, have retired to a farm in Northeast Mississippi.
Next week Iowa gets down to the business of selecting a president. This election portends a revolution and we are about to find out which kind.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) will defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses and has a big lead in New Hampshire, which follows Iowa by eight days.
Sanders has made no secret of his desire to ignite a revolution. He speaks about it often and leaves no doubt that he plans a bigger and more activist government.
Shutterstock
Sanders’ revolution will be a peaceful one. He just wants to tax and spend us into socialism and has laid out $18 trillion in new spending programs.
He hasn’t ignored how to pay for it either. He has proposed $19.6 trillion in new taxes and has said that a top tax rate of 90 percent is a reasonable target.
Clinton’s taxing and spending proposals are more modest, but as Sanders shows more strength in the polls Clinton finds more constituencies to pander to.
She uses Sanders’ embrace of socialism as an opportunity to scare voters away from him, but her unfamiliarity with truth and trust is a huge negative.
If she can stay out of jail I still see her as the likely winner of the nomination because I don’t know where Sanders finds his votes after New Hampshire. But Sanders’ success has driven Clinton so far to the left that there will be little difference between them at the end.
The revolution they seek is a steady and persistent drift from a constitutional republic toward a social democracy such as Sweden. Sweden’s advantage is that she is not expected to lead in international crises.
Paris, San Bernardino and the Islamic State tell me that we will not be afforded that comfort.
The Republican side has the most experienced and talented collection of candidates seeking the nomination in my lifetime.
Nine of the candidates are or were governors and five served in the United States Senate, but from the beginning the Republican voters were looking for something else.
Three accomplished, but politically inexperienced Americans, captured the imagination of the media and the electorate.
Dr. Ben Carson is a brilliant and kind man who was a renowned neurosurgeon. He led for a period of time, but collapsed following some negative publicity about his grasp of foreign affairs.
The 80-year-old former CIA operative who originated the stories was hardly the “top advisor” that was claimed, but the damage was done.
Carly Fiorina has been spectacular in debates. She has a remarkably nuanced and informed understanding of issues, both foreign and domestic, but she seems to disappear between debates.
And then there is Donald Trump, a larger than life character who is famous for being famous. If he wins in Iowa, with huge leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, I don’t see how he can be stopped.
Some question whether Trump voters will actually turn out on a cold night in Iowa to participate in the caucuses. These people stood in line for hours in the cold to catch a glimpse of Trump in a crowded stadium. They will get out and cast their votes.
Trump is leading because he has tapped into the anger of the disaffected base of a disjointed party whose leadership has failed them.
America faces many problems. While others are rolling out 12-point plans Trump simply says that he’ll fix them.
Americans are not looking for 12-point plans. They are looking for a strong leader.
Some very successful and informed people, whom I hold in high regard, are adamant Trump supporters.
They have been let down so regularly and so painfully by the Republican leadership that they don’t see anything worth keeping.
An example: The IRS selectively audited us, harassed us and gave our private tax information to our political opponents to help re-elect the president and then destroyed evidence of it and lied to Congress about it.
None of that could have been done without the knowledge and approval of the White House. And what did the Republican leadership do about it? Not a damn thing!
(Forgive me, but a hearing is not a sufficient response.)
Donald Trump isn’t talking about a revolution, but his supporters are and they are not thinking about Sweden. They are thinking about France and the French Revolution and the only argument among them is over who will superintend the guillotine.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/a-revolution-is-coming-and-the-guillotines-are-being-sharpened/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Firewire%20Morning%20Edition%20Recurring%20v2%202016-01-27&utm_term=Firewire_Morning_Test
Today at 7:04 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/16/24 IQD Update - Iraq Dinar - America - Activate - Massive Economic Deals -
Today at 7:02 am by Rocky
» utube MM&c 4/19/24 Iraqi Dinar - Private Sector - Economic Stability - Financial Reform - Al Sudan
Today at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Iraq officially signs the “Singapore” agreement to resolve trade disputes
Today at 6:59 am by Rocky
» Parliament Finance advises raising exchange rates again... What about oil revenues?
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is in the process of recovery and has taken its leading position that attracts work
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji: Iraq is prepared to deal with all circumstances and seeks partnership with the United Stat
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Sudanese from Michigan: The government represents all components and is keen to take care of the aff
Today at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Democratic Party: The "new generation" is the most corrupt and has dozens of cases in court
Today at 6:47 am by Rocky
» What is the benefit of Iraq establishing a petrochemical plant in Egypt?!.. An oil expert explains
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A judicial delegation participates in the Permanent International Forum for Commercial Courts in Qat
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government follows a balanced policy that makes Iraq a station for security
Today at 6:42 am by Rocky
» Deduction of 160 million dinars from the salaries of MPs absent from Parliament sessions
Today at 6:40 am by Rocky
» Central Bank: Washington praised Iraq's measures to resolve 80% of the financial transfer file
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Voices of Resilience: Al-Sudani’s frankness embarrasses the White House
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Alaq confirms the formation of a committee between Baghdad and Washington regarding sanctions on
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Former MP: The Democrat will not hand over power after the regional elections
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Document/allocation of 20% of the lands of Al-Jawahiri Complex to employees of the Ministry of Defen
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington was a protocol and missed the two most important files
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Security: The National Security Service law will be voted on by Parliament soon
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Reconstruction and Housing: Zarbatieh residential project completed by 82%
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani reveals an intention to establish Al-Faw refinery with a capacity of 300 thousand barrels
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Government readiness to move the Doura refinery to an alternative location.. What are the conditions
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington.. Implications and results
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Association of Iraqi Private Banks: The suspension of some electronic payment services yesterday was
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary memorandum.. Two solutions were before the Federal Court instead of removing the compo
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Blue fuel... Iraqi steps towards inexhaustible wealth for a century
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» For fear of being "upset"... MPs "evade" signing to host Al-Sudani in Parliament
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s statement to convert 40% of Iraq’s exports into derivatives.. What does it have to do wi
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» An Iraqi-American partnership to benefit from oil field gas
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce announces the distribution of the first payments of farmers’ dues for the 2
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Sudanese to members of the Iraqi community in the American city of Houston: Iraq has regained its he
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Romanski announces loans worth $50 million to support the Iraqi private sector
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We plan to invest production capacities for export
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» “Something happened” in Iran and no one is talking about Iraq and Syria. This is what we have so far
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani asks the American Baker Institute for assistance in preparing studies related to the oil m
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» The Interior Ministry denies the occurrence of explosions inside Iraqi territory and diagnoses “the
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Tensions between Najaf and Baghdad over the airport... the rule of law over “military force” and the
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani from Washington: We agreed with Abu Dhabi on joint management of Al-Faw Port
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» "Al-Party" talks about the region's elections and reveals the reason for refusing to pay salaries di
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Russia's oil is taking more of the Middle East's shares in the Indian market.. How much has Iraq los
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Early next month.. Traffic confirms that the electronic payment system is working only
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» The Service Council accuses state departments of refraining from disbursing bonuses because of the m
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Electricity: The Baghdad street lighting campaign will be completed before the middle of this year
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Oil poses two conditions for moving the Doura refinery to an alternative location
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» The Foreign Minister reveals the truth about his resignation and the reason for his departure to Erb
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Progress: Al-Halbousi’s acquittal has become conclusive, and his return to the presidency of Parliam
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Disagreements strike Al-Maliki's coalition over choosing the governor of Diyala
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» The Union accuses Türkiye of exploiting the political situation for a ground incursion into Iraq
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» The Democratic Party: Barzani is eagerly awaiting the results of Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Frame: Al-Halbousi in the news and his return has become a pipe dream
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary request to capitalize on Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad to end the water crisis
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani urges the US corporation Honeywell to help finish the Basra refinery
Yesterday at 2:48 pm by Rocky
» Al-Sudani Meets with Representatives of Western Media Outlets in Washington
Yesterday at 2:46 pm by Rocky
» Chairman of the Investment Authority signs the United Nations Convention on International Mediation
Yesterday at 2:44 pm by Rocky
» PM: We will sign a contract to establish the Al-Faw refinery with a Chinese company
Yesterday at 2:42 pm by Rocky
» PM arrives in Houston as part of his visit to USA
Yesterday at 2:41 pm by Rocky
» Militia Man & Crew 4/18/24 Bush signed it and all presidents implemented it. Iraq’s funds have been
Yesterday at 1:46 pm by Rocky
» Iraq is close to launching the electronic signature
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky
» The Basra government discusses with an international oil company the implementation of social benefi
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister confirms to an American company: Gas projects in Iraq are a priority for the gove
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Planning discusses with the World Bank mechanisms for scheduling external loans
Yesterday at 7:09 am by Rocky
» Oil sets the twenty-seventh of this month as the date for opening contracts for the fifth complement
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» “Electronic begging”...professionalism and fabrication of stories” generates millions of dinars dail
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani calls on the American company Hanwell to contribute to the completion of the Basra refiner
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» An American company expresses its willingness to establish LED lighting production lines in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:02 am by Rocky
» Including Iraq.. Iran announces the possibility of exporting 300 megawatts of “renewable electricity
Yesterday at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Political forces present two options to find an alternative to Al-Halbousi
Yesterday at 6:58 am by Rocky
» Parliament is awaiting the arrival of the budget schedules and the government is studying higher spe
Yesterday at 6:56 am by Rocky
» The International Monetary Fund adjusts its expectations for the development of the world’s economie
Yesterday at 6:54 am by Rocky
» A representative talks about the difficulty of finalizing the file of “electing the Speaker of Parli
Yesterday at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Work on preparing a law for diplomatic passports
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» A female representative accuses the Ministry of Immigration of corruption
Yesterday at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Minister: Solving the Kurdistan salaries problem is the beginning of addressing other disputes betwe
Yesterday at 6:45 am by Rocky
» About 270 million dollars were sold by the Central Bank of Iraq in the currency auction
Yesterday at 6:42 am by Rocky
» The volume of trade exchange between Jordan and Iraq will exceed 800 million dinars in 2023
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Iraq signs memorandums of understanding with American companies in the fields of electricity, oil an
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» The American company that manufactures the F16 expresses its readiness to implement the terms of con
Yesterday at 5:30 am by Rocky
» The volume of expected Qatari investments for the Iraq Fund for Development exceeds $3.5 billion
Yesterday at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Decrease in dollar prices in Baghdad and Erbil
Yesterday at 5:27 am by Rocky
» The President of the Region brings together the Kurdish parties to resolve the election file
Yesterday at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives in Washington the Chairman of JPMorgan
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Transport is starting to transform its ports into smart ones
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Sudanese reveals the volume of exchange with America
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» "Al-Eqtisad News" publishes the memorandums of understanding signed between the Iraqi delegation and
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani urges an American company to contribute to establishing a chemical materials factory
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» Iraq stresses the importance of Lockheed Martin's commitment to opening military aircraft maintenanc
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Iraq is on the verge of a “water disaster” by 2035
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Great satisfaction and optimism with the results of Sudanese’s visit to Washington
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Transport is beginning to adopt a plan to transform its ports into smart ones
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Completed 8,000 loan transactions at the Housing Bank
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We plan to invest production capacities for export
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Transformation and partnership...a new horizon in Iraqi-American relations
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» What is new in the economic dimension of the Washington visit?
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Two letters to the future
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» National interests first
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Iraqi-American rapprochement...a national necessity
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington and the course of Iraqi-American relations
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Sudanese carries security, economic and development files to Washington
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky