Senator McCain called for the end of the debates as they are hurting the candidates and the Republican brand. Later in the program, Joe Scarborough concurred noting that all this in-fighting is damaging the Republican Party citing Sarah Palin comparing the Republican establishment to Stalin. Chuck Todd said, that they've made Gingrich not only unelectable but unacceptable. They Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said she hadn't seen it this bad in quite some time, but at least they don't have a song like the one they had for Van Buren. [That's what we love about Mrs. Goodwin, it's not that when she tells these things, she makes you feel like you were there, but that she was there.]
With that in mind, here we sit with the Florida primary two days away and it's Romney up significantly over Newt Gingrich. During the joint interview with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), surrogate for Mr. Romney and former Senator Fred Thompson representing Newt Gingrich. Even though Mr. Thompson was there to speak on his reasons for endorsing Newt Gingrich, something he said struck us that speaks to the heart of why Mr. Gingrich's viability as the nominee is problematic at the least. Mr. Thompson said that all these 'establishment' Republicans coming out against Mr. Gingrich are just trying to settle some political scores. And that's the problem, margin is calling now because Mr. Gingrich has been exceptional in alienating his fellow Republicans as Speaker of the House. Every politician does it to someone else at some time, but Mr. Gingrich it seems he does not do one of the fundamental pillars of politics and that is to make friends. His enemies are many, and on the program they pointed out a recent damaging quote from Senator Bob Dole, who stopped the Government shutdown in 1995 that Mr. Gingrich created.
Senator McCain, for his part, described the explosion in earmarking that as Speaker, Mr. Gingrich ushered in to being. By extension, Mr. McCain, showing some of his former Maverick ways, said that the Citizens United ruling showed a naivete on the part of the Supreme court (a prominent Republican calling out ideologically Republican Supreme Court judges). The Romney campaign combined with its advocating Super PACs are outspending the Gingrich campaign 5 to 1 in Florida, nearly 20 million dollars in total. Regardless, because of all of the different political pockets that is Florida, it is a Romney state as Mr. Scarborough declared, and he would certainly know. Romney will get the certain win in Florida, but as everyone on the program agreed with was that the Republican primary campaign will go on for a while to the summer. By the end of March, the Republicans will have a nominee, most probably Mr. Romney, and remember Mr. Gingrich isn't even on the Virginia ballot.
The battle between the 'establishment' and the Tea Party, as David Axelrod noted, could go on for a while and all of that obviously benefits the President. Mr. Gregory described the President's State of the Union address as the campaign kick-off speech. He's correct, but that shouldn't be what the address is used for and if indeed that is now what it is then they should go back to the written address, just put it online, we'll get to it.
Mr. Axelrod continued to make the case that the President laid out in that speech, which is not the deficit and debt, but the way in which we cut and pay it down. So yes, the President wants to change the tax code where the wealthiest pay more taxes. When the President says that he wants to make things more fair, give everyone a fair shake as Mr. Axelrod termed it, that would mean raising the capital gains tax, which is essentially money making money on investments, not wage earning like with most Americans. It's an effective argument because of the large numbers shown to the public, and case number one is Mitt Romney who made over $40 million dollars in the last two years and paid 13.9% in taxes. He didn't break the rules, as Mr. Axelrod noted, but that they should be more fair. [The inherent problem aside that dissertations are written on what 'fairness' means in America.] Mr. Axelrod, however, was wrong that the policies of the last decade were the cause of income decline amongst the middle class. It's actually the policies of the past thirty years.
Republicans such as Mr. Scarborough and Senator McCain say that the President should have listened to the Simpson-Bowles commission and taken up its recommendations. Here is where fairness should come into play, politically it's called compromise, and among the commission's recommendations were tax increases, which Republican lawmakers were contending. However, as the President and Mr. Axelrod are saying, manufacturing is returning to the United States, but we haven't gotten their candid explanation as to why. Is it because of the lack of unions in right-to-work states and low taxes? But then again why would they ever make the case for the Republicans. They certainly aren't making for themselves.
Roundtable: MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, & NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd.
The Jan Brewer Finger Point: The visual which is all over the internet and also discussed on today's program is beneficial to no one - it's the conclusion that no one in the media is coming to. The finger point occurred on the tarmac because President Obama voiced his exception to a passage in Governor Brewer's book, which described their meeting in a poor light after she had said publicly that the meeting went very well. It was petty on the part of the President and poorly judged not recognizing that Mrs. Brewer is a panderer to her base. However, for Governor Brewer's part, to point your finger at the President, otherwise known as the most powerful man in the world, is disrespecting the Office that Mr. Obama holds. And to later say that she felt threatened was disrespectful to the individual that holds it.
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