Showing posts with label New Hampshire primary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Hampshire primary. Show all posts

Monday, January 09, 2012

The Granite State


Arnie Arnesen, a failed political hack from the Granite State, New Hampshire, (see: Wikipedia Entry) was just on talk radio here in Boston this morning ... and she said that, if students in New Hampshire weren't on their winter break, Ron Paul would do much better in tomorrow's Republican primary.  I found this a curious statement, so I went to Google and only found Colby-Sawyer to be a New Hampshire college that might still be on winter break.  There could be a few others, but the scheduling information on many of the other New Hampshire colleges is a little sparse on the Internet.

But this brings me back to that old bone I like to chew on ... why do students, who don't really live where they go to college, get to cast their ballots there (see: Representation without Taxation)?  They don't pay taxes there ... even the colleges they attend do not pay taxes there.  (And, besides I strongly suspect that many of them also absentee-vote in their home-town elections.)  Doesn't this liberal push-through rule amount to representation without taxation?  I truly believe that it does.  If these students actually live year-round in or around their college town and pay taxes there, then I have no problem with their also voting there.  But, if not, then they should only be allowed to cast absentee ballots in their real home towns.  Or maybe we should hold national elections in mid-summer?

I realize that I am a hard-hearted martinet ... but big-D democracy does require a little big-D discipline.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Eeny, Meeny, Miny ...

A commenter on my previous blog suggests that Rick Santorum might make an interesting choice for Vice President once Mitt Romney locks up the Republican nomination for President ... possibly after the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday.  I have previously suggested that Marco Rubio might be the best choice for Veep ... while others have championed Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey.  As a consequence I think it might be worthwhile to investigate the pluses and minuses of each of these possibilities:

Rick Santorum -- Pluses: could solidify the Republican base for the ticket by attracting Evangelicals and social conservatives; appeals to Reagan Democrats with his blue-collar family background; Senate experience; might secure Pennsylvania's electoral votes.  Minuses: his stances on abortions, contraceptives, and gay marriages; no management experience; his last large election loss

Marco Rubio -- Pluses: could appeal to Hispanics due to his heritage; probably would secure Florida's electoral votes; is a tried and true conservative; Senate experience; his physical appearance.  Minuses: might not appeal to Mexican-Americans; still a bit of a political neophyte; no management experience

Chris Christie -- Pluses: knows how to reach across party lines to achieve consensus; strong management experience; avid fiscal conservative; combative style; might bring New Jersey's electoral votes into the Republican column; appeals to independents.  Minuses: his physical appearance; not a social conservative

Moe -- Plus: would be better than Biden