Why Gingrich is Bad (and Romney is Awesome): A Politico Megathread Spectacular

[Politico]

Or will we be left to wonder if he inherited his mother's manic depression? Will we be left to wonder if mental illness was the reason why he was declared exempt from the draft? To this day, Gingrich has not clarified why he was declared exempt from the draft. Why? Why did he not follow in his father's footsteps by serving in the military like he claims he wish he had?

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newt/vanityfair1.html

Sooner or later, Gingrich needs to prove that he did not inherit his mother's manic depression. The nation cannot have a sick president who cannot handle the stressful demands of the job.

It must be particularly painful to see your favored candidate lose to a person whom you believe is a nutter.

Strom Thurmond Country going to Gingrich is really not much of a surprise to me.

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Of course not. If Gingrich has no health problems, he should have no problem releasing his medical records to show he does not have a history of bipolar disorder.

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And Adolf Hitler.

A history of mental illness is now an "attribute" we should look for in our next president? I knew some Republicans were crazy, but I did not think they were crazy enough to believe somebody with mental illness can win the presidency, let alone function properly in the role of the president for four years...

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Now do you realize how inane your argument is?

Have you ever had to associate with people who have bipolar disorder? I do not want that type of person in the Oval Office for obvious reasons.

I see you have chosen to combine the ad hominem fallacy with the ad Hitler fallacy.

Again, Churchill suffered from manic depression. You don't dispute that fact. Again, Churchill was able to govern effectively in a time of crisis in spite of suffering from manic depression. You don't dispute that fact either. Instead, you give some ad hominem tripe about how, "Now do you realize how inane your argument is?"

Do you?

Bob, Montana is my favorite state, but you are way off base here. Churchill and Hitler both had bipolar disorder. Do you really want to roll the dice on somebody like that? You want to talk about erratic, look no further than Gingrich. Myself, I would rather have a healthy president

[Politico]

Has any major presidential nominee of the past thirty years not released their medical records?

Bill Clinton.

And now we know why some candidates do not release their medical records. That is all I am going to say about that.

I fully expect the nominee to release their medical records, and I will not support a nominee who does not. It is absolutely critical that the nation know the health of the candidates, in these trying times more than ever.

[Politico]

Has Romney (or any other candidate, for that matter) released their medical records?

None of the candidates have released their medical records yet. It usually does not happen until after the nomination is clinched. The only person in the past thirty years who has broken this is Bill Clinton, who we now know has some pretty serious health issues (good thing he was elected in his mid 40s, not late 60s). In my opinion, it would be wise for Romney to disclose the medical records shortly after Romney releases his tax records. Or even do it right now, saying he is being open and has nothing to hide. Let somebody else turn it into pressure upon Gingrich to do the same. I am willing to bet that Gingrich has health problems. Gingrich deserves this after his anti-business plays over tax records the past few days.

The wealth of a candidate does not matter (Washington is the richest president ever, much richer than Romney), but one look at Obama now versus four years ago should make it quite clear to everybody that the health of a candidate matters now more than ever. It is a stressful job and thank goodness Obama and George W. Bush were as healthy as one can be when they entered the White House. You have to consider all that has happened over the past ten years (i.e., 9/11, financial meltdown,etc.). We obviously cannot have somebody in the White House who cannot handle the most demanding job on the planet.

[Politico]

Well, Hitler attempt to violently overthrow the German government. That was his track record. Churchill did no such thing. If you don't mind ignoring critical distinctions such as that, I would note that both Hitler and Romney are White males. Do you really want to roll the dice on somebody like that?

Utter rubbish. Hitler being a white male had nothing to do with his erratic behavior. Did Hitler's manic depression (bipolar disorder) have something to do with his erratic behavior? ABSOLUTELY!

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Yes, and obviously there is no shame in being overweight. Nobody is saying that. However, when you are 69 years of age and significantly overweight, being president is probably not a good idea. Take a look at a healthy Obama four years ago versus today. It is a stressful job. Can somebody without optimal health really handle the job? I do not think so. I certainly do not want to find out.

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There is no shame in having manic depression (bipolar disorder), but I am sorry: It does disqualify you from being President of the United States of America. Stating this should not alienate millions of people who suffer, or have family members who suffer, from bipolar disorder. If anything, these people, more than anybody else, can attest to the fact that somebody with bipolar disorder should not become POTUS.

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It's going to get ugly. After Gingrich's anti-business rhetoric, practically aligning himself with Occupy Wall Street, he deserves what is coming to him.

[Politico]

I've thought about it, and I think if you take away the applause Gingrich gets from sideshow debates, not real debates like the one last night, Gingrich is pretty much the Republican version of Chris Dodd: An angry, old, fat has-been with lackluster ethics/morals.

We are electing the next president, not seeing who can do the best impersonation of Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity.

[Politico]

Which individuals have led the Republican Party in the past and yet were forced to resign their position as de facto leader of the party? I can only think of two: Nixon and Gingrich. But I can only think back about forty years. What about before 1969? Are there any $1.6 million historians around to enlighten us?

1969-1974: President Richard Nixon (RESIGNED)
1974-1977: President Gerald Ford
1977-1980: Minority Leader John Jacob Rhodes
1980-1981: President-elect Ronald Reagan
1981-1989: President Ronald Reagan
1989-1993: President George H.W. Bush
1993-1995: Minority Leader Robert H. Michel
1995-1999: Speaker Newt Gingrich (RESIGNED)
1999-2000: Speaker Dennis Hastert
2000-2001: President-elect George W. Bush
2001-2009: President George W. Bush
2009-2011: Minority Leader John Boehner
2011-2012: Speaker John Boehner

[Politico]

Tom DeLay was pretty powerful. So was Karl Rove.

Yeah, but they were not THE leader of the party at anytime.

[Politico]

...which is more than every socialist on this board will pay in taxes over their entire life. That $6.2 million has probably fed 500 Americans via food stamps, alone. I'd like to see anybody on here feed 500 Americans for an entire year.

On top of the $6.2 million, he contributed over $7.0 million to helpful charities. That's about 30% of his income to charities/government, which is probably more than the vast majority of people on here.

Romney paid what he owed, and not a dollar more or a day later. Anybody who says they would do otherwise is a liar or a buffoon.

[Politico]

Absolute dollars is different than percents. What is your view on taxing income Politico?

A. Progressive income tax system, same rate for earned/unearned income
B. Progressive income tax system, lower rate for unearned (current system)
C. Progressive income tax system, unearned is untaxed
D. Flat income tax, same rate for earned/unearned income
E. Flat income tax, lower rate for unearned
F. Flat income tax, unearned is untaxed
G. There should be no income tax

One, capital gains are not "unearned." "Unearned income" is called welfare. And there is no shame in reaching out for help if one really needs the help. Charities should be the first line of defense with government the last resort. I am not Atilla the Hun, and neither is Romney.

For the record, I am in favor of minimal changes to the current rates. I am in favor of eliminating the capital gains tax for those who earn under $200,000 a year. It would also be wise to look into cutting corporate tax rates if doing so would make American companies more competitive in the global economy. Of course, streamlining the tax code would save everybody a lot of time and resources.

History has demonstrated that the best way to lower deficits is through prudent spending cuts during upturns in the business cycle.

[Politico]

fed 500 Americans via food stamps, alone. I'd like to see anybody on here feed 500 Americans for an entire year.

So taxes are a good thing?

Nobody likes paying taxes, even those who benefit from public services, but they're like death: you cannot avoid them.

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Romney paid what he owed, and not a dollar more or a day later. Anybody who says they would do otherwise is a liar or a buffoon.

[Politico]

fed 500 Americans via food stamps, alone. I'd like to see anybody on here feed 500 Americans for an entire year.

So taxes are a good thing?

Nobody likes paying taxes, even those who benefit from public services, but they're like death: you cannot avoid them.

That's not an answer.

How about this: Collecting some taxes is a necessary thing. Courts, national defense, highways, policemen/firemen, etc. need to be paid via taxation, obviously. Collecting too many taxes, specifically to fund things the government has no business being involved in, is a bad thing.

[Politico]

Could you provide examples of "no business being involved in?" About $1 trillion's worth if you can.

We were not running $1 trillion deficits twenty five years ago after the stock crash of 1987, when tax rates were lower than they are today, so obviously there is a spending problem. We are clearly spending more than we need to on areas where the government should be involved (e.g., national defense and Medicaid). Giving out $500 million loans to politically-connected fly-by-night operations is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows what the next administration will uncover?

[Politico]

The reason we have deficits today is because people like Romney, who likely isn't even in the top 100,000 richest Americans paid only half the income tax they did 25 years ago.

[Politico]

 If Romney wins Florida, and I would bet on it at this point, I think it's safe to say that the threat of Gingrich winning the nomination is finally over. If possible, I would like to see this thread locked immediately after Romney is declared the winner of Florida.

The nation has averted a crisis, and we did it without the nuclear option.

[Politico]

If Romney wins Florida, and I would bet on it at this point, I think it's safe to say that the threat of Gingrich winning the nomination is finally over.

Didn't Gingrich win South Carolina after losing in Iowa and New Hampshire?

Romney has already collapsed as the frontrunner in favor of Gingrich twice. If Romney regains the lead again, who is to say that he is incapable of folding to Gingrich a third time, fourth, or fifth time?

Where is another comeback going to occur? Gingrich's home state of Georgia is the closest state to much of Florida. If Gingrich cannot win Florida, and could not even place in the top three in New Hampshire and Iowa, then where can Gingrich win besides South Carolina and Georgia? Mississippi and Alabama are not going to change the race, if that is what you are banking on. Furthermore, after a few more wins under his belt, Romney will be the presumptive nominee and decline to participate in the final scheduled debates (February 22, March 1, March 5 and March 19). As a result, CNN, NBC and PBS will almost surely cancel these scheduled debates.

[Politico]

Why have we let go of this? Politico is running rampant over the forum.

We all know why Gingrich is bad. That's the purpose of this thread.

Why Santorum is not the best option is the purpose of the thread "Santorum: Prince of Pork..."