No, it's not a joke, it's the list of frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination. With the 2012 Presidential elections less than one year away, political posturing and sound-bites are once again the focal point of the public discourse.
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry recently gave a speech where he seemed to be completely hammered and what seemed to get lost within the coverage of this hilarious-yet-shameful moment in American politics was Rick Perry's fiscal policy and the unveiling of his tax plan.
An instant smash-hit on Youtube and a trending topic on Twitter, Perry's speech centered around his highlighting of his "bold, innovative, job-creating" tax plan. A smash-hit not for his "revolutionary" take on the American tax system, but more-so because of the curiosity of determining exactly how drunk was he.
For the most part, Perry's tax plan contains the single biggest requirement that needs to be met in order to be labeled a Republican now-a-days - lower taxes for the rich.
That being the centerpiece of his "revolutionary" tax plan.
A plan that he was able to fit onto an index card.
An index card...
The kind we use to write down our grocery shopping-list.
Seriously?
Lowering taxes on the rich during the George W. Bush administration didn't lead to job creation and didn't "stimulate economic growth", something Perry promises his plan would do.
How?
The idea of lowering taxes on the rich in order to stimulate the economy is a notion that should be scoffed at. With companies recording record profits, and paying record-low taxes, the idea that somehow federal taxes are handicapping corporations is ridiculous.
Perry boasted about his plan being able to fit onto an index card. Mocked Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's "59-point tax plan" for being too arduous a read and Herman Cain's difficult to understand "9-9-9" plan.
A candidate running for President of the United States, leader of the free world, essentially bragging about being simple-minded when it comes to the restructuring of the largest economy in the history of the universe is an enviable ability to display an unrivaled level of ineptitude - and smile about it.
Perry's display of elementary economics, while it's reminiscent of Mitt Romney's infamous "corporations are people too" gaffe, is probably the least significant issue affecting the three leaders in the race for the Republican nomination.
Breaking News!:
Mitt Romney is a Mormon.
Is America ready to elect a President that's of a religious denomination that doesn't believe in Jesus, the Jesus that 75% of Americans believe in ?
No way, Jose - pun intended, considering that another issue bubbling under the surface of Romney's campaign is his hiring of illegal workers that he dismissed only because he was "running for governor for God's sake!" - his words not mine.
Romney's inability to rise in the presidential polls is largely attributed to his religious beliefs and his flip-flops on abortion rights and the fact that his universal healthcare plan in Massachusetts was an outline the White House followed when creating what Republicans have dubbed "Obamacare".
Herman Cain?
Besides his, at this point, infamous "9-9-9" plan being discovered to be a regressive tax code that would increase taxes on the poor as well as add a new national sales tax on top of the already existing sales tax that states have, four women have come forward and accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment.
Do I even need to get into what that says about the Republican party, considering that after these allegations were made his poll numbers actually went UP ?
These ideas of tax the rich less and sexual harassment being overlooked during the search for a Republican nominee might work out okay for the party, but when it comes to the general election, the majority of the American electorate will not be okay with voting for someone that wants to cut GE's taxes while keeping their taxes the same and they won't vote for someone accused of sexual harassment not one, not two, not three but four times - for now.
Mr. President, get ready for four more years - Yes you can.
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