RightWave

This shocking headline and opening courtesy of the venerable Associated Press:

McCain, Obama offer different visions on taxes
Make more than $250,000 a year? Watch out. Barack Obama wants to raise your income taxes. Social Security taxes, too.

Run a corporation? Lucky you. John McCain wants to cut your business taxes.

Those positions illustrate pieces of two vastly different approaches to the economy, an issue at the forefront of voters’ minds given that the country is teetering on the brink of - if not already in - a recession as gas prices soar and layoffs rise amid a credit crisis and a housing slump.

Obama, the Democrat, seemingly has a traditional liberal outlook of taxing the rich more while having the government help people of more modest means through tax breaks. McCain, the Republican, advocates a classic conservative vision of cutting taxes - many geared toward businesses - to promote competition within a free-market system.

I mean, wow.  Really.  Republicans and Democrats disagree on taxes?   I’m shocked.  Although, I guess, to be fair, this was in question in this election cycle. 

However, this is illustrative of one important point.  Senator McCain should keep this as the story.  He should stop talking about global warming or whatever other “straight talk” he’d like to provide us for the day.  He should keep talking about tax cuts and spending restraint.  He should talk about the expansive growth of government and how to stop it.  At least, I suppose, if he’d like conservatives to get at all excited about him this year.  Guess we’ll see…

Senator McCain, please don’t select Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as your runing mate.  Please.

Yes, he’s a good man.

Yes, he’s a good, solid, consistent conservative.

Yes, he’s young, enthusiastic and good natured.

Yes, he’s often brilliant and a great thinker (and doer).

Yes, he’s an ethnic minority.

And, yes, he’s the future of the Republican Party.

Which is exactly why you should leave him be.  Don’t ask him to be your running mate. 

And, Governor Jindal, if you’re offered the post, please do the unthinkable.  Politely decline.

There is much work to do in Louisiana.  Work that must be done, and work that requires a strong, smart, right-minded, determined leader to accomplish great things and make bold decisions.  Not only that, but Louisiana today offers an unparalleled opportunity to enact sweeping free-market reforms: school choice, legal reform, ethics, fundamental tax and spending reforms.  The list goes on and on.  Governor Jindal can do those things.  He’s already started.

He can be a hero to both the people of Louisiana and the conservative movement at large.  He can demonstrate his can-do spirit and tout it around the country to conservatives who are downtrodden by decades of frustration and disappointment by their elected officials.  He can inspire a new generation of “policy wonks,” immigrants, young people and regular joes to engage in the process and maybe even run for office.

No, he’s not the most polished politician, but that’s part of his charm.  

He has a future to build and a legacy to leave. 

He can’t do it, however, if he’s snatched up by and caught up in a national race in the first year of his governorship.  And, make no mistake, this will be the nastiest election we’ve seen yet.  Despite the rhetoric of hope and change, I believe this will be an ugly year for American politics.  Perhaps some if it’s deserved, by the way, but it’s not the way any of the players will want to be remembered.

So, I ask.  I plead.  Let him be a good Governor.  Let him build his profile (did you see him on Leno a couple of weeks ago?). Let him develop his own narrative and his own personality.  Let him be the leader he can be.

Now, I’m sure we free-marketers will find something we don’t like or a place to disagree every once and a while.  It happens with every political leader, but his promise is strong and his potential great.  Let’s nuture it, develop it, support it.

Rush Limbaugh says he’s the next Ronald Reagan.  I’m not so sure about that from a political perspective.  Certainly, though, its achievable from the view of real policy accomplishments and sparking another conservative revolution.  Perhaps, even more importantly, righting the ship of the Republican party. 

We conservatives seem to find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory all too often.  We move to fast, get too excited too soon.  Let’s not do it again.

Let’s look to the future, friends. 

So, Senator McCain, be bold in your choice.  Look outside the political field.  Choose a strong conservative and a good man or woman to run along side you (perhaps even influence you!).  But, I implore you, leave Governor Jindal be. 

Give him the real opportunity to lead the nation one day - in the future.

When John McCain came on the screen on Saturday Night Live this weekend, I got nervous (be honest, didn’t you?). 

But, I was pleasantly surprised that he was (finally) off his global warming soapbox, at least for a little bit.  SNL would have been a natural place for him to peddle his bill of goods and play to the liberal-skewed staff and audience.  But, alas, Senator McCain talked about…EARMARKS!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!

Now, I realize this doesn’t mean that he won’t push forward on his cap and trade scheme (did someone say “$1.3 billion tax increase?”  Oh.)  But, at least he’s back to his core competency - stopping the runaway growth of government.  I’m happy to have him talk about that all the time and stop talking about all his other nonsense.

 Anyway, in case you missed it, here’s clip:

UPDATE - Kathryn Jean Lopez over at the Corner has a different clip posted from the SNL appearance.  And, her post reminds me of something my mother said to me the other day.  “Would Ronald Reagan have done something like this?” …meaning is this really becoming of a Presidential candidate?  Probably not, but who knows?  President Reagan was an actor after all, and pretty darn funny.  But, he had class.  Does anyone anymore? 

From “Yeas and Nays:”

 McCain planning climate change tour

Guys, we’ve got to stop this.  Any suggestions how?

He’s supposed to be the REPUBLICAN candidate, right?  What ever happened to limited government, less reguation, lower taxes, etc.  Why can’t he be as good on all these other issues as he is on spending and pork-barrel earmarks? 

Grr.

We may all need a shot by the time this election’s over!

 Obama denounces big corporate pay packages

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama denounced huge pay packages for U.S. corporate chiefs on Friday in a drive to convert middle-class anger about the U.S. economy into votes. 

“Some CEOs make more in one day than their workers make in one year,” Obama said, jockeying for position against rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in Indiana, which votes on May 6.

…

Clinton and Republican presidential candidate John McCain also have criticized big payouts for chief executive officers who benefit hugely even when their companies are struggling.

“We’ve seen what happens when CEOs are paid for doing a job no matter how bad a job they’re doing,” Obama said. “We can’t afford to postpone reform any longer.”

I’m not sure where in the Constitution it says that the United States Government should regulate pay for anyone other than employees of the government.  Last time I checked, it’s the job of the shareholders and boards of corporations to make hiring, firing and compensation decisions.  This is nothing more than ugly class warfare rhetoric from the Left (though, sadly, it seems Senator McCain has co-opted it as well), and it’s disgraceful.

I was lucky enough to be at the Media Research Center’s 2008 Gala and Dishonors Awards last night, they showed this GREAT video.

Tired of hearing Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, et al., talk about change?  Well, at least we can laugh at them!