Newt Gingrich - The Candidate I Did Not Want to Like

Abigail and Dolley readers some of ya'll might remember a few weeks ago, I wrote about dating the GOP candidates.  I concluded the blog with the statement that I was not even considering Newt Gingrich because he felt like an ex boyfriend and I was not going back.  Well, keeping with that theme let's just say that Newt showed up at my door this weekend with flowers, candy, and a bad ass old sports car that I certainly would look good driving around in.

He smiled his big ole smile and sweet talked me into taking a ride with him.  I had forgotten how much fun he could be and most of all I forgotten how darn smart he was and I do so love a smart man.  The more we cruised around, the more I remembered our first romance.  I remembered the balanced budgets, I remembered the reforms, I remembered all the great times... then he started telling me how he had changed since we broke up.  He told me of his plans for our future and the thing about Newt is, I believe him.  Not only do I believe his intentions, but I believe in his ability to get the job done.

We spent a lot of time together this weekend.  He wooed me with talk of judicial reform, lean six sigma, training and governmental transformation, repealing Obamacare and Dodd/Frank, and the appropriate executive orders... that new 21st Century contract with America, well that will get this Tea Party Girls heart thumping.  Stay tuned.

Manufacturing in America

Abigail and Dolley readers I have had a wonderful opportunity in my new position to sit and visit with business people from across the spectrum.  While confined to a geographic region, these business folks hail from companies large and small and cover the gambit of industries represented in the Southern USA.  I thought I would share some of the insights I have gathered on these conversations.

"We are doing very well but we are just waiting to see what this economy will bring..." - this is the overwhelming sentiment among business people.  Company health is solid, there is plenty of cash in the bank, and they have fundamentally changed the way they do business.  Risk and capitol investment are on hold, expansion is not in the cards right now, and even if they wanted to the banks are not lending.

"American manufacturing is returning.  Companies that had previously moved production to China are reopening factories in the USA.  We shipped an order to a factory in Mississippi that has not made this product in over a decade."  This my friends is good news.  The cost of fuel and labor has made the Chinese goods much less attractive.  If you factor in the absolute corruption in the communist run country you get a picture of a collapsing model.  I have written about the labor market in China before (Chinese Manufacturing) and how American workers and firms have a huge intrinsic advantage.

"We are always hiring at the plant but it's hard, dirty work and nobody wants to do it for $10/hour."  Hmmm, this one surprised me.  I guess when you get down to it, unemployment pays about the same wage and a lot of folks figure they are better off waiting for a higher paying job.  The thing about that is the benefits that this company pays equal about $8/hour and unemployment doesn't give you that.  Imagine though, if the income tax rate for corporations was cut to 9% what could happen to wages in this plant.

"Lead times on finished products have gone through the roof and retailers are still making Christmas purchases."  This plays into the first point but is quite telling.  Christmas purchases are usually completed and shipping commences in July - October.  Here we are in mid October and they are STILL buying.  For the first time in a decade, we did not have a peak season surcharge out of Asia.  This is a significant and fundamental change in the business cycle.  Folks are not producing on anticipated demand, they are producing by the order.

The companies that have survived this Great Recession have hunkered down, changed their behavior, mitigated risk, and saved their money.  The weak, inefficient, and poorly run enterprises have been weeded out.  Many misplaced workers are busting with ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in America, just cash starved and waiting for a break.  A repeal of the stifling regulatory climate, tax system overhaul, and new leadership is all that is missing.  November 2012 can't get here fast enough.  When this thing turns and it WILL turn we are going to see an explosion.  I guess I picked a good time to go back into sales...

Dating the Candidates

Abigail and Dolley readers it came to me today that I am dating the candidates running for the GOP nomination and they are trying to date me.  I represent the Southern Evangelical Conservative Woman voter.  I am also a Tea Party Girl who happens to be a darn good business woman.  All that said, I am going to be one of the toughest people around to get to walk down the aisle with you oh GOP hopeful.  You see, I am coming out of several years of a bad relationship and I don't trust the GOP in general.

My first date was with Ron Paul.  Many of my Tea Party friends said he was the one for me.  It was still very early in the process and I really liked what I was hearing.  We met at a bar and talked all night.  We had so much in common!  I loved his stance on fiscal issues, taxation, the constitution, and limitations of the federal government.  It was a wonderful night!  We agreed to meet again and he showed up the next day wearing a tin foil hat and talking about fences to keep Americans IN and that it was okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.  I smiled sweetly, plead a headache, and haven't returned his text messages since.  All his friends keep trying to convince me there is nothing wrong with the tin foil hat but ummm, nope.

My next date was with Michelle Bachmann.  Definitely a Tea Party favorite a real patriot and a strong woman.  I like that.  She won my support when she ask Tim Geithner, aka Ernie the Elf, and Ben Bernake, aka the Godfather, where in the Constitution they found the authority for Tarp and the actions of the Federal Reserve.  She organized the Tea Party Caucus in the House, spoke and organized many grassroots rallies and was a light in the darkness of the 111th Congress.  I was excited about our date!  Now, I know this is petty, but hey, I'm a girl and I can be.  Her accent just grates on my nerves... that was the first thing.  Then throughout the date she kept saying embarrassing things to the waiter like happy Birthday Elvis.  She also failed to properly defend the subject of submission to your husband, which could have been an excellent bully pulpit moment.  She seemed to me as if she had prerecorded answers to all my questions and we just failed to connect.  She's still a facebook friend but I don't think I will be going on that next date.

My next date was Rick Perry.  What a man!  I love his Texas swagger and indeed he is a fine looking fellow.  His record in Texas is stellar and I have a fondness for a strong cowboy.  He threw his hat in the ring and I turned my head.  All of my Ron Paul friends started having a duck about this guy - calling him names and painting him in a horrible light.  It felt like Sarah Palin all over, like my friends were liberals on a smear campaign.  It was a bit disconcerting.  I read a couple of sound articles about various things that folks were saying and I had to admit that while it was not completely settled in my Tea Party heart I have run enough businesses to recognize that as a leader you sometimes have to make decisions that are not popular.  You have to do what you think is right and stand my your decisions.  I also realize that I have changed over the course of the last 10 years.   The country has changed!  What it meant to be a conservative in 2001 is vastly different in 2011.  If I can change well then so can a candidate.  So me and Rick we went on a couple dates.  I liked him, I liked his style, I liked his record, but ole Rick and I we've got to part ways.  I stood up for him on the Gardisil issue.  I stood up for him on the NAFTA super highway.  I even played the devil's advocate for him on the illegal immigration tuition issue but at the end of the day my friends convinced me that it is indefensible given my core values and beliefs and I've got to side with my friends.  I still like you Rick, but we can't date anymore.  Keep doing a good job in Texas and I'll call you sometime.

On to my newest man, Herman Cain.  Oh, Herman is a charming man.  He's simply delightful; smart, articulate, and with a great sense of humor.  His background appeals to the American Spirit in me - a self made man from humble beginnings.  He talks straight and he's got a plan that I can really get behind.  The more I watch, the more I like.  We had pizza and a beer this weekend and I am excited about this weekend when we are supposed to go to a show.  I'm doing my research on him but the more I see the more I like.

Let me briefly say that John Huntsman or Mitt Romney will never be in the running.  Huntsman because he is a douche who keeps talking about America being broken at her core and Mitt because he is a country club Republican who makes me want to vomit.  Newt and Santorum,  well they feel like that old boyfriend and I'm not going back there.

But hey, I'm not engaged to anybody at this point and honestly, I think I would vote for the Cookie Monster over Barack Obama....  so woo on you GOP candidates, woo on.

9/11 - Ten Years Later

Abigail and Dolley readers I still cry about 9/11.  Not just on the anniversary either.  I suppose not many people do that anymore.  The odd thing about that is, I don't cry easy or often.  I was traveling yesterday, alone in the car for 8 hours.  I turned on XM Radio and listened to the coverage and of course, I cried.  I make myself do it every year; I relive that day.  I take myself back and I force myself to remember, to feel, and to cheer for the heroes.

For me, United Flight 93, the plane that the passengers took down in Shanksville PA has the most profound effect on me.  This is not to minimize all of the other dramas and stories that took place that fateful day, no they are equally note worthy but Flight 93 has always touched me deeply.  In contrast to the first three planes, the passengers on UA 93 knew what was going on.  They had been delayed on the ground, they were missing a 4th highjacker, and the Lord had assembled an unbelievable cast of characters for His work that day.

UA 93 represents the valor of our country rising from their seats and saying, "No More!"  The bravery and the determination of those passengers embodies the American Spirit at its best.  The movie that chronicles the events of the day is a must see for every American.

What is the Tea Party?

Abigail and Dolley readers the debt debate recently has been a wonderful opportunity for the left and the liberal media to point the finger at the Tea Party as being the problem.  This is true insanity and I am saddened to see recent polling that 50% of Americans now have an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party.  The liberal Congressional Black Caucus is a major player in this strategy and many fear their lies and rhetoric will begin to incite riots.  I am having a fb discussion with someone regarding this and I would like to share with you my response to the assertion that the Tea Party was an extreme movement:

I have been involved with the Tea Party since the very beginning and I will absolutely assure you that it was never and has never been about skin color. It has always been about the scope, size, and intrusion of the Federal Government. The people that consider themselves part of the Tea Party are a huge cross section of Americans. We believe that there is TRILLIONS of dollars in waste in the Federal government and that must be addressed. We believe that business and free enterprise are over regulated, stymieing the American ingenuity and growth. We believe that private enterprise, charity, and individuals can do EVERYTHING better than the federal government. Nowhere in these beliefs is there a vein of "terrorism" or "racism". The return of the 10th amendment is not some sort of sick twisted way of instituting racism, it is a call for the Federal government to operate within the bounds of the Constitution. Furthermore, from a historical perspective the states that would have in the past used the 10th amendment to propagate racism were controlled by the Dems. The Tea Party does not identify with those positions nor would we have been on that side of history. The Dems and the progressive own that dubious distinction, history bears that out quite effectively. You state above that the rhetoric from the Tea Party is angry, threatening, and dehumanizing can you please provide an example? I know I can site dozens of examples where the left has used violent rhetoric against this movement.