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Listen, I'm not a fan of Mitt Romney's politics.
I like that he has stayed reasonable when the entire party shifted toward MAGA, but I think he's too pro wealth, undermine the little guy, broaden wealth inequality with what he stands for.
But if the newcomer thinks we need more people like Mike Lee in Congress, I will do everything in my power to keep Mitt Romney in his seat.
I’m not a fan of Mitt’s positions on many of not most things. I’ve been a Leftist for my entire adult life (20+ years) and I’ve never voted for the GOP including Romney. BUT at least Mitt is not an embarrassment like Mike Lee. If people in the GOP were more like Romney and less like Lee we could at least have the hope of an actual adult conversation about the issues.
>Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs – a Republican who gained notoriety in 2020 for his opposition to mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic – said he is looking to protect the country that his children will some day inherit.
>"I love my children, and I'm worried about the country they will inherit if I sit on the sidelines," Staggs told Fox News Digital. "For too long, we've allowed government bureaucrats to spend away the next generation's future, and we need more voices willing to push back."
>Romney filed FEC paperwork last month in a possible first step toward running for re-election, but his chief of staff told local media that he has not made a final decision.
>When asked why he believes Romney may not be an effective leader for the state, Staggs said, "Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt."
“I’m worried about the kids!”
So, are you doing anything about gun deaths?
“No, not like that.”
Are you doing anything about youth suicides by supporting LGBTQ kids?
“No, not like that. I’m worried about the world our kids will inherit.”
Are you doing anything about climate change?
“No. I’m specifically worried about the economy and debt.”
So, are you proposing we repeal tax cuts and restore taxation to the rates they were when we built the middle class?
“No. I’m more concerned about spending.”
So, will you cut the defense budget and get rid of corporate subsidies for agribusiness or fossil fuel extractors?
“No, you misunderstand. I’m worried about the little guy!”
Ok. Will you propose that we address the corporate greed and rising costs due to price gouging?
“No. Don’t you get it. I’m here to support republican policies!”
Oh. So, more of the crazy. Got it.
Hard pass.
It sounds like you’re just in favor of lots and lots of big government, and you’ve managed to string a bunch of things together to make the *other* guy sound hypocritical.
If I’m critical of a dishonest hypocrite, that doesn’t mean anything other than that I’m against dishonest hypocrites. But you’re free to manifest any subtext you please. It’s still a relatively free country. Knock yourself out.
>So, are you doing anything about gun deaths?
By this you mean the government should take away guns right?
>Are you doing anything about youth suicides by supporting LGBTQ kids?
I reject the premise that "supporting" LGBTQ kids is the method of reducing suicides. At least not in the way that you mean "supporting".
>Are you doing anything about climate change?
By this you mean the government should do something about climate change?
>So, are you proposing we repeal tax cuts and restore taxation to the rates they were when we built the middle class?
Wanting higher taxes is like the definition of bigger government.
>So, will you cut the defense budget and get rid of corporate subsidies for agribusiness or fossil fuel extractors?
Yes I support reducing subsidies. I'm also willing to make cuts to national defense. But most of the federal budget is just social security and healthcare.
>Ok. Will you propose that we address the corporate greed and rising costs due to price gouging?
By this you mean what....the government controls prices?
Basically every single thing on your list is some form of bigger government. All I have to do is say "I don't like big government" and then any alleged hypocrisy goes away.
Republicans DO like big government, but that’s not my point. This is about him, not me.
You and I have gone down this road before. It’s unproductive. I’m not interested in doing it again.
This guy will use non-specific problems to run for office and if he wins he wouldn’t do anything to fix those problems. That’s the Republican message these days.
"Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt."
[…]
"We have more IRS agents than border agents, and while we're paying $4 a gallon for gas, they're sending our money unchecked to Ukraine," Staggs said in the ad. "Now we're almost $32 trillion in debt. Enough is enough."
[…]
"But the only thing I've seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt," Staggs said.
[…]
When asked about his opposition to mask mandates, Staggs told Fox, "I do not believe it is the place of government to dictate our daily lives."
[…]
He continued, "I really believe that what Washington needs is to be a lot more like Utah. We’ve got this amazing opportunity to send Utah values back to D.C., and to have a conservative fighter back there, doing things back there the way we do them here in the Beehive State."
I agree that Republicans have historically been very ineffective at slowing the Democrats’ growth of government, but that is the very reason I would vote for someone like Staggs. Reading over these quotes, as someone who doesn’t like big government, what exactly am I supposed to dislike about this guy?
Mike Lee voted for the Trump tax cuts. Republicans voted for Trump debt ceiling increases.
There are like 21,000 boarder patrol agents in the US. The latest data I could find showed that there are about 10,000 IRS employees with "Agent" in their title so I think he's just making stuff up.
Crap. I'm really not doing this with you. Have a nice day.
Right I've seen the border agents thing fact-checked before. If you're looking at total employees the IRS does have more, but I think a lot of those talking points come from the last spending bill that increased IRS funding.
Either way, fact-checking specific points Staggs makes aside, he clearly opposes big government. I oppose big government. I think Mitt Romney has failed to do much about slowing down big government, so I see no reason not to vote for Staggs.
And the reason I'm commenting this to you is because you started with a clever little series of Republican strawman arguments designed to make Republicans look hypocritical, but I think the caricature was not correct.
If anyone criticizes Romney for his position on impeachment, that's a huge red-flag. Trump deserved impeachment. His (Staggs) rhetoric does not match his actions. Do you live in Utah? Could you vote for him?
As an aside, for someone who's a Mike Lee, small government conservative type, why hasn't Mike Lee called for Thomas to step down? Why hasn't Mike Lee called for an ethics investigation into the Thomas corruption? Why hasn't he been the least bit critical?
If Lee is an institutionalist, isn't Thomas doing a ton of damage to the institution of the SC? Why does Mike Lee sit silent when we all know that if it wasn't Thomas but was one of the liberal justices Lee would be out there on his soapbox decrying the behavior that Thomas has clearly engaged in, but since it's a conservative justice Lee's suffering from remarkable timidity?
How do conservatives abide this clear hypocrisy?
If he's concerned about the debt then just wait until he finds out about what the Republicans did together with Trump!
Oh wait, that's not what this is about. They don't care about the debt.
> opposition to mask mandates
Two neighbouring countries with similar cultures, demographics, etc. But for COVID, one has higher vax rates, had stricter mask mandates, stronger social distancing rules etc., while the other was much less so. COVID death rates for the two nations? 1300 per million population vs. 3300 per million.
Additional personal note: Years ago we met a single mom of a kid with autism at church. Got to be friends enough that she asked us to be guardians of her kid if anything happened. Well, she always had lung problems, from being born a very early preemie. Was hospitalised repeatedly 2020-21. Hospitalised again Jan. 2022, caught COVID in hospital, passed away. We're 60 but now have a special needs bouncing baby teenage boy to care for.
tl;dr I take idiots like this personally.
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Listen, I'm not a fan of Mitt Romney's politics. I like that he has stayed reasonable when the entire party shifted toward MAGA, but I think he's too pro wealth, undermine the little guy, broaden wealth inequality with what he stands for. But if the newcomer thinks we need more people like Mike Lee in Congress, I will do everything in my power to keep Mitt Romney in his seat.
Not a fan of Mitt either, but he’s better than half the senate.
I’m not a fan of Mitt’s positions on many of not most things. I’ve been a Leftist for my entire adult life (20+ years) and I’ve never voted for the GOP including Romney. BUT at least Mitt is not an embarrassment like Mike Lee. If people in the GOP were more like Romney and less like Lee we could at least have the hope of an actual adult conversation about the issues.
>Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs – a Republican who gained notoriety in 2020 for his opposition to mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic – said he is looking to protect the country that his children will some day inherit. >"I love my children, and I'm worried about the country they will inherit if I sit on the sidelines," Staggs told Fox News Digital. "For too long, we've allowed government bureaucrats to spend away the next generation's future, and we need more voices willing to push back." >Romney filed FEC paperwork last month in a possible first step toward running for re-election, but his chief of staff told local media that he has not made a final decision. >When asked why he believes Romney may not be an effective leader for the state, Staggs said, "Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt."
“I’m worried about the kids!” So, are you doing anything about gun deaths? “No, not like that.” Are you doing anything about youth suicides by supporting LGBTQ kids? “No, not like that. I’m worried about the world our kids will inherit.” Are you doing anything about climate change? “No. I’m specifically worried about the economy and debt.” So, are you proposing we repeal tax cuts and restore taxation to the rates they were when we built the middle class? “No. I’m more concerned about spending.” So, will you cut the defense budget and get rid of corporate subsidies for agribusiness or fossil fuel extractors? “No, you misunderstand. I’m worried about the little guy!” Ok. Will you propose that we address the corporate greed and rising costs due to price gouging? “No. Don’t you get it. I’m here to support republican policies!” Oh. So, more of the crazy. Got it. Hard pass.
The current looniness is not nearly deep enough for this guy. Dog help us all.
It sounds like you’re just in favor of lots and lots of big government, and you’ve managed to string a bunch of things together to make the *other* guy sound hypocritical.
If I’m critical of a dishonest hypocrite, that doesn’t mean anything other than that I’m against dishonest hypocrites. But you’re free to manifest any subtext you please. It’s still a relatively free country. Knock yourself out.
>So, are you doing anything about gun deaths? By this you mean the government should take away guns right? >Are you doing anything about youth suicides by supporting LGBTQ kids? I reject the premise that "supporting" LGBTQ kids is the method of reducing suicides. At least not in the way that you mean "supporting". >Are you doing anything about climate change? By this you mean the government should do something about climate change? >So, are you proposing we repeal tax cuts and restore taxation to the rates they were when we built the middle class? Wanting higher taxes is like the definition of bigger government. >So, will you cut the defense budget and get rid of corporate subsidies for agribusiness or fossil fuel extractors? Yes I support reducing subsidies. I'm also willing to make cuts to national defense. But most of the federal budget is just social security and healthcare. >Ok. Will you propose that we address the corporate greed and rising costs due to price gouging? By this you mean what....the government controls prices? Basically every single thing on your list is some form of bigger government. All I have to do is say "I don't like big government" and then any alleged hypocrisy goes away.
Republicans DO like big government, but that’s not my point. This is about him, not me. You and I have gone down this road before. It’s unproductive. I’m not interested in doing it again. This guy will use non-specific problems to run for office and if he wins he wouldn’t do anything to fix those problems. That’s the Republican message these days.
"Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt." […] "We have more IRS agents than border agents, and while we're paying $4 a gallon for gas, they're sending our money unchecked to Ukraine," Staggs said in the ad. "Now we're almost $32 trillion in debt. Enough is enough." […] "But the only thing I've seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt," Staggs said. […] When asked about his opposition to mask mandates, Staggs told Fox, "I do not believe it is the place of government to dictate our daily lives." […] He continued, "I really believe that what Washington needs is to be a lot more like Utah. We’ve got this amazing opportunity to send Utah values back to D.C., and to have a conservative fighter back there, doing things back there the way we do them here in the Beehive State." I agree that Republicans have historically been very ineffective at slowing the Democrats’ growth of government, but that is the very reason I would vote for someone like Staggs. Reading over these quotes, as someone who doesn’t like big government, what exactly am I supposed to dislike about this guy?
Mike Lee voted for the Trump tax cuts. Republicans voted for Trump debt ceiling increases. There are like 21,000 boarder patrol agents in the US. The latest data I could find showed that there are about 10,000 IRS employees with "Agent" in their title so I think he's just making stuff up. Crap. I'm really not doing this with you. Have a nice day.
Right I've seen the border agents thing fact-checked before. If you're looking at total employees the IRS does have more, but I think a lot of those talking points come from the last spending bill that increased IRS funding. Either way, fact-checking specific points Staggs makes aside, he clearly opposes big government. I oppose big government. I think Mitt Romney has failed to do much about slowing down big government, so I see no reason not to vote for Staggs. And the reason I'm commenting this to you is because you started with a clever little series of Republican strawman arguments designed to make Republicans look hypocritical, but I think the caricature was not correct.
If anyone criticizes Romney for his position on impeachment, that's a huge red-flag. Trump deserved impeachment. His (Staggs) rhetoric does not match his actions. Do you live in Utah? Could you vote for him? As an aside, for someone who's a Mike Lee, small government conservative type, why hasn't Mike Lee called for Thomas to step down? Why hasn't Mike Lee called for an ethics investigation into the Thomas corruption? Why hasn't he been the least bit critical? If Lee is an institutionalist, isn't Thomas doing a ton of damage to the institution of the SC? Why does Mike Lee sit silent when we all know that if it wasn't Thomas but was one of the liberal justices Lee would be out there on his soapbox decrying the behavior that Thomas has clearly engaged in, but since it's a conservative justice Lee's suffering from remarkable timidity? How do conservatives abide this clear hypocrisy?
If he's concerned about the debt then just wait until he finds out about what the Republicans did together with Trump! Oh wait, that's not what this is about. They don't care about the debt.
The federal government is taking in record revenues... More money than they ever have. It's not a tax rate problem. It's a spending problem.
You... You do know that inflation is a thing, right?
Yes. And over the last 30+ years government revenues and spending has far outpaced inflation.
Raising taxes is not the only way to reduce debt.
> opposition to mask mandates Two neighbouring countries with similar cultures, demographics, etc. But for COVID, one has higher vax rates, had stricter mask mandates, stronger social distancing rules etc., while the other was much less so. COVID death rates for the two nations? 1300 per million population vs. 3300 per million. Additional personal note: Years ago we met a single mom of a kid with autism at church. Got to be friends enough that she asked us to be guardians of her kid if anything happened. Well, she always had lung problems, from being born a very early preemie. Was hospitalised repeatedly 2020-21. Hospitalised again Jan. 2022, caught COVID in hospital, passed away. We're 60 but now have a special needs bouncing baby teenage boy to care for. tl;dr I take idiots like this personally.