Beginning of the End For Newt?

No one was really surprised when Mitt Romney overwhelmingly defeated former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich in Florida.  More people were surprised when Newt took South Carolina so strongly, but that's another topic altogether.  What is truly amazing is the ability of Newt Gringrich to resurrect himself every few years just to get some face-time in the media.

And he's done a fine job as a Presidential contender.

Newt Gingrich will go down in history as one of the most notorious Speakers of the House of Representatives this country has ever known, but yet, he has managed to position himself as the "Not Mitt" candidate.  The fact that someone with Newt's record and rhetoric can skyrocket as a candidate for President is a telling indictment of the Grand Old Party and it shows how the conservative base is so disappointed with the likes of Mitt Romney, that they’ll support just about anyone at this point.

Gingrich deserves credit where credit is due, mind you, but he can often be very, very frightening and if you think that Mitt was tough on him, imagine the beating he would take at the hands of President Obama.

This defeat in Florida marks what could be the beginning of the end for the former Speaker of the House, and to that I bid him farewell. Yet, while it may be the end of his runs for political office, we'll no doubt see him as a hired gun for Fox News at some point.  Sure, the race isn't over yet, but if you're like me, you probably wish it was.

David

Garth's Victory

Last week, I wrote about the bizarre situation between Garth Brooks and Integris Hospital, describing his donation to the hospital with the understanding that the hospital would name a wing after his deceased mother.  It was a truly tragic story, but it has come to an end, for now, and the outcome should be pleasing to all us.

When Garth Brooks won this victory, we all won.

In this country, our founding fathers intended each and every citizen to have access to the court system for the redress of wrongs.  For a moment, forget the fact that Garth Brooks is, well, Garth Brooks and look beyond just the favorable judgment on his behalf.  This sets a precedent wherein when a major corporation simply doesn't do what it's supposed to do and has agreed to do, they can be punished. 

While it is true that there are plenty of frivolous lawsuits out there, Brooks' victory sends a very strong message to us all and with the countless problems with the court system, every now and again it proves that ours is the best justice system in the world.

Brooks was angry, even though he won and we can empathize with him.  He lost his mother to cancer and wanted Colleen Brooks' name on the women's center.  He said to the crowd after his victory, "One day Mom's name is going to go on the women's center right there where the hospital is, but that hospital won't be owned by Integris when it happens, I can tell you that. That's my dream."  Can we really blame him for his anger?

Brooks had originally donated $500,000, but was awarded $1 million.  We can't put a price tag on the value of this victory.

David

Brooks v Integris

They (whomever "they" are) often say that there is no such thing as bad press, but for Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital, that just may not be the case. Particularly when taking on one of Oklahoma's favorite sons, Garth Brooks.

In a Tulsa World story, Brooks has filed suit over a dispute concerning a $500,000 donation from Brooks in exchange for the hospital's commitment to name a building after his deceased mother, Colleen Brooks. She died of cancer in 1999, and nearly ten years later, Garth donated money to have a building named after her in his hometown of Yukon.

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In my estimation, Brooks wouldn't have given the money (as made obvious by his lawsuit) unless there was an agreement that the hospital would name that building after his mother. Integris’ conduct is even more disconcerting considering that hospital officials spent two years seeking out the donation and then refused to return the money once they made the determination not to name the building after his mother. My heart truly goes out to Brooks. First, he loses his mother to cancer, and then has to face this kind of double-dealing. There is nothing right about it, in my opinion.

We live in an incredibly litigious culture right now, but this is one case where I believe a lawsuit will provide Brooks with the vindication in court I believe he deserves.

David

Ballot Access Denied

In Virginia, only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are on the presidential ballot, seeing former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich being left out in the cold along with Governor Rick Perry and the rest of the GOP field. The GOP of Virginia claim that the former Speaker failed to turn in the required 10,000 signatures in order to appear on the ballot.

This begs two questions, really: First, is access to the ballot in Virginia just too difficult? Or, secondly, have the candidates simply failed to put forth credible organizational skills to ensure they get on the ballot?

Rick Perry's communications director has said, "Virginia ballot access rules are among the most onerous and are particularly problematic in a multi-candidate election," which can be loosely translated to mean, "there are too many candidates in this competition for support, and they beat us." What was Perry's response? To file suit. Remember, this is one of the candidates who has campaigned on tough tort laws to restrict frivolous lawsuits.

Newt Gingrich has vowed to wage a write-in campaign, however, they aren't allowed in Virginia. So, he filed suit as well.

In my estimation, the ballot access in Virginia is tough, yet the candidates for president knew this - or should have known this - long ago and it's part of the price to pay when running for public office. Although the Perry suit should determine whether portions of the ballot access rules are unconstitutional, filing suit should not be the preferred response of candidates when something does not go their way due to the flaws of their own campaigns.

We must remember that this is not a race for class president, but rather President of the United States and it is one where leadership is critically important, and organizational skills are paramount.

While the two major candidates who made the ballot in Virginia, Romney and Paul, have shown leadership and the skill set necessary to put people in place to ensure ballot access for their candidacy, I'm not sure that either candidate is really the answer we need right now in the GOP.

Virginia is a "swing state" where we will see the most proverbial bloodshed in the race for president, and while most of us in Oklahoma aren't too concerned about Virginia, it should at the very least give us pause.

David

Comic Relief - Sad, But True

Taxpayers across this nation are fed up with the antics of government and the frustration isn't just with the federal government, but with municipalities, counties, and even state governments. Emblematic of this frustration is a case from our nation's capitol, where a woman is being fined thousands of dollars for...wait for it...not recycling her cat litter.

No, this isn't a segment from a sitcom, but rather a harsh reality that government sometimes lacks common sense.

Patricia White claims to have been fined eight times for throwing homemade cat litter into her trash, totaling a whopping $2,000. She contacted her local public works department and sure enough, the inspector admitted going through her trash to find violations.

Set aside the arguments over the efficacy of recycling for a moment, and just consider the fact that a government employee is sifting through trash to find violations in order to generate revenue for the District of Columbia. It's absolutely amazing and frankly, rather comical that our government has become a caricature of itself.

This next election cycle, my hope is that every single voter takes a few moments to look at the candidates very closely and determine whether or not they are right for the job.

It's clear that in Washington, D.C., we have significant problems.

David

Not An Endorsement For President

The Republican Presidential race has become a caricature of itself and at the end of the day, it is the nation as a whole who stands to lose, not just one political party. We have seen the ebb and flow of public opinion rising and falling with reports of scandal and intrigue, yet we see little in terms of wholesale solutions from front-runner candidates. And the truly sad thing is that the most qualified candidate for President is at the bottom of the polls.

That man is Jon Huntsman.

Huntsman has been consistent, offering up solutions that make sense and aren't simply Tea Party talking points. His position on immigration is realistic, taking into account logistics and the cost of simply "shipping immigrants back to Mexico." He has an understanding of foreign policy that is heretofore unsurpassed - being an ambassador to China isn't a bad thing at all. On national security, he has a sensible approach and is saying out loud what most of us are thinking - that our men and women of the Armed Forces should be proud of their accomplishments thus far, yet we need to rethink our global commitments.

But he isn't foaming at the mouth during speeches, nor is he claiming that he was virtually alone in winning the cold war - and that doesn't help his polling numbers.

Some ask whether Huntsman is "conservative enough." Well, being the governor of Utah alone should stand in stark contrast to someone who has occupied K Street for decades and made millions of dollars as a result of influence-peddling. RedState published this statement about Huntsman:

“His record as a Governor is more conservative than Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney combined. He is more pro-life than either of them. He is more economically wedded to the free market than either of them. He has better foreign policy experience than either of them. Huntsman should be a conservative hero in this race.”

If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what will convince the Republican Party.

The rhetoric has reached epic proportions in this election cycle and it began back when the Republicans took contol of the House of Representatives - that the goal was to defeat Obama at any cost and unfortunately, my Republican Party is laser-focused on that issue and somehow, it translates to support for the loudest, bombastic candidates available, rather than getting behind a candidate who can defeat Obama, but do so in a manner that provides solutions to our problems as a nation.

National politics, in many ways, is no different from local politics wherein we often elect individuals who are morbidly under-qualified but look pretty at press conferences or ribbon-cuttings. We can do better, we deserve better and the GOP needs to take another look at Jon Huntsman.

David

Perhaps the Sky Isn't Falling

There has been so much negative talk about our economy, it's surprising that anyone would have ventured out over the weekend, but apparently, America is much more resilient than the Eeyore's of the media. According to the Associated Press, the number of shoppers over the weekend hit record levels and for many retailers, it's make-or-break time.

Personally, I'm not surprised one bit. I know that times are tough but lest we forget what the holiday shopping season truly is about - friends, family and sharing faith with one another. We do so by purchasing gift items for one another, sharing a little piece of ourselves during this time of year and the Looby family is no different. Regardless of what the mainstream media believes about how "bad" things are, the holiday season always brings out the best in most of us.

The stock market has reacted favorably as well, seeing strong gains across the board and this amid the turmoil in the Middle East, the disruptions of the Occupiers, and in parts of the country, inclement weather.

How good was the weekend? Well, 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites which is up from 212 million last year. The average holiday shopper spent $398.62 over the weekend and that seems about right...I think that's what we spent on Thanksgiving dinner alone.

You see, the sky isn't falling after all and I believe very strongly that the economy will pick up and this holiday season is just the beginning.

David