Caffeinated Thoughts

Mitt Romney’s Proposed Executive Order on Obamacare
Wise 2012 Iowa Caucus Candidates Get Homeschooling Families On Their Side
Haley Barbour’s Social Conservative Problem in Iowa

Mitt Romney’s Proposed Executive Order on Obamacare

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 02:30 AM PDT

Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) said that on day one he would issue an executive order that would pave the way for Obamacare waivers for every state.

The executive order would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services and all relevant federal officials to return the maximum possible authority to the states to innovate and design health-care solutions that work best for them.

As I have stated time and again, a one-size-fits-all national plan that raises taxes is simply not the answer. Under our federalist system, the states are "laboratories of democracy." They should be free to experiment.

This coming from the guy who implemented RomneyCare in his home state seems strange. Regardless I'm not a fan of executive orders anyway. It seems to me that he'd be usurping Congressional authority. Again, I'd like to see a quick remedy to this, but I don't trust the source of the idea and I question its constitutionality.

Thoughts?

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Wise 2012 Iowa Caucus Candidates Get Homeschooling Families On Their Side

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 10:00 PM PDT

The Sioux City Journal ran an AP article citing the growing evangelical clout that will shape this upcoming caucus.

I'm not sure I would call it growing… I think better organized would be a better way to describe what is going on in evangelical circles. I think it has always ben present, but it hasn't always been galvanized. Much to the chagrin of the moderate wing of the Iowa GOP, evangelicals and other social conservatives will drive the debate. Social issues can not be ignored in Iowa, period. It doesn't mean fiscal policy isn't important, but we expect issues like abortion and marriage to be on the candidates' minds and on their issues page. We also expect them to act when given the opportunity.

There is one group within the evangelical subculture, however, that the article eluded to but didn't say a whole lot. I find the neglect interesting as this group will be vital for not only making inroads within the evangelical community, but they are also an incredible resource for volunteer help.

Homeschoolers.

Ask Mike Huckabee, he'll tell you. Having volunteered for his campaign back in 2008 and visiting his headquarters a number of times he had at his disposal something you didn't see in other campaign headquarters. Lots of homeschooling families… entire families working the phones, stuffing envelopes, going door to door.. during the day.

That was huge. Homeschooling families are not only knowledgeable about the issues they also work. They see the opportunity to get involved in the political process as part of the civics education curriculum, and we have plenty of field trip opportunities in Iowa. My children have had the chance to see former President George W. Bush twice, they saw former Vice President Dick Cheney, Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin and they are richer (and better informed of the process) for it. Candidates who reach out to this growing group early are incredibly wise. Will they coalesce around a candidate like they did Mike Huckabee in 2008? I don't know.

But candidates such as Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty who met with homeschooling leaders in Iowa in small group sessions were wise to reach out. Better yet speak at their events as Herman Cain, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann are doing today at the NICHE (Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators) Homeschool Day at the Capitol. Very smart and a missed opportunity for those who are not there.

Those who win over the homeschooolers have a leg up come Caucus night.

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Haley Barbour’s Social Conservative Problem in Iowa

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 07:06 AM PDT

Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post this last night shared a summary of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour that encapsulates his potential image problem going into the 2012 race should he decide to run:

Probably not high on your list would be: 1) a former lobbyist who made millions carrying water for tobacco companies, the oil industry and foreign governments; 2) the governor of a state ranked at or near the bottom in pretty much every measure of its residents' well-being; and 3) a beefy southerner who kept a confederate flag autographed by Jefferson Davis in his office and who has a Delta drawl as thick as Karo syrup.

Ouch. Obviously as the former chair of the RNC and as chairman of the Republican Governors Association he, as Tumulty notes, is extremely well connected and brings a ton of fundraising experience. Last week he entered Iowa with a splash focusing on jobs and the economy. He was asked about his prolife bonafides to which he replied:

My first year as Governor, we had a pro-life package of six pro-life bills. The Democratic legislature passed all six of them, and the American United for Life named me their "Man of the Year," and the state of Mississippi is the safest state in the nation for an unborn child. I'm very proud of that, and I'm willing to put up my social conservative bona fides against anybody.

But what have you done for us lately? Iowans are also going to want to know what he will do as President and what his focus will be since he has seemed to shy away from social issues. He is also the guy who back in 2009 at an Iowa GOP fundraiser also encouraged party-line voting which didn't sit well with many Republican activists. He also echoed Mitch Daniels by discouraging the GOP from talking about social issues last fall. If Iowans don't remember they are going to be reminded about this as the Caucus season progresses and candidates are vetted.

So Governor Barbour will have more to overcome than just his personal history and background if he is to be successful in Iowa.

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