Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General When Campaigns Are Won And Lost

Certain little things stand out that people and opponents grab onto. They become the turning point. Some fond memories.

My first was looking into the face of Richard Nixon in the debates of 1960. He looked like a hit man compared to JFK.

That great commercial with the little girl picking daises as the bomb goes off. Slam dunk for LBJ.

"Its the economy stupid." Say good night, Bush!

''There you go again." Imperial looking RR dismisses Carter to the scrap heap.

Dukakis in that tank. His numbers tanked after that.

Now comes Romney. This one can be added to the list. That one little video will sink him and alter history. Could he have won without it? IMO a long shot but his own mouth sealed the deal.

Add a few more.

I was pro-choice before I had an epiphany (conveniently after being elected governor), and changed my mind.

I liked Obama Care, before I disliked Obama Care, but all that was before I liked parts of Obama Care, and Obama Care is based on Romney Care, which I liked a LOT, until I didn't like it because Obama's name was attached to it.

I'm against bailing out anyone with net worth under $10 Million, unless they're a banker, or me.

In Mass, he was for graduated taxes. Now, he's against tax cuts for anyone except for bankers, hedge fund managers, investment banks, or Goldman Sachs. Rich people shouldn't pay taxes at all. It keeps them from making jobs, as we've seen since 2002. Ever since those tax cuts went into effect, the rich have been creating jobs right, left and center.

I'm against helping out that 47 percent ("poor people"), with food. Poor people shouldn't need food. It only encourages them. Of course, Romney used those same deductions in the past to whittle his tax bill from 40% to 10%.

A bad candidate is a bad candidate.
Would Kerry have won without the Swiftboating?
Would McCain have won without Palin?

Would Bush have won without the Supremes?

Before we start thinking about who or what we vote for should we not check out all the options? I did not want a redistribution of wealth to be anywhere near our elections. I was very naive and believed that all Americans had an equal chance to make our own wealth and choose how we spend or save it. In those days anyone who took what they did not earn and spend it or invest it would be punished as a thief. Any one who takes the wealth of others was a common criminal. Suddenly it became known that the government would take or use property they did not buy. Rand wrote about this problem when one man changed the design of a development and tried to sell it as something other than what the owner wanted. We have seen our own American government take property they did not own and sell it off even when it meant destroying adjoining property. Dodger Stadium was built on land they did not own and dislodge many Los Angelenos from their homes. Suddenly there was a new addition to these land thefts in allowing the property to be used for the benefit of others. That makes it dandy and legal regardless of the ethics involved.

This kind of legal theft sounds very much like the actions of Bain Capital when destroying one Corporation for the benefit of another Corporation. It often makes it questionable when many jobs and investments are lost. It tends to remove the benefit of ownership even after many years of property taxes have been paid. It has become the way many property transactions have been finalized over the years. The Santa Monica Mountains have seen many land owners lose property that had been in the family for generations. William Randolph Hearst bought a huge chunk of the Coast of California that he wanted a place to store and show off his art collection. He and his mother visited Italy, France and Spain before WW2 and began to buy up Renaissance Art from many of the old land owners and once WW2 started up they contacted Hearst managers and offered a lot of the relics so they could arm their armies and feed them. Hearst bought a lot of this stuff and built a small bay in the village of San Simeon to have the relics stored. He even offered the art back to the nations involved should they want them back. The Hearst Corporation built "Hearst Castle" and after his death donated the entire castle to the State of California. This was one of the most valuable gifts ever donated to the state. The trees were saved and even a school was built on the cove for the children of the workmen. Around the area of San Simeon and Cambria there are many families who built and maintained the property. There are many new residents who will claim that Hearst stole all the art but Hearst kept all the receipts of his purchases but one cannot stop the hatred that often follows enormous wealth.

We are seeing this hatred surrounding Gov. Romney. I certainly do not hate him, but I do challenge whether is is the man for the White House. My mother dated Randolph Hearst and I partied with another grandson. It went with the territory. George Hearst lived on the ranch part of the property and his wife wrote a fabulous book on the horses of San Simeon and I sold copies of her book in my store in Cambria. We all loved her and she shopped in our village as it was good for business. The Hearst family took very good care of their property keeping the value of our own property secure. This probably makes no sense to anyone around here as many do not feel the responsibility of tending to the property where we live. My grandparents bought property from the Spanish Land Grants listed originally by Governor Pico who was the first Gov. of California. To see some of that land bulldozed flat brings tears to the eyes of many of my relatives.

Today there is no respect for the land and consequently no respect for the laws of California. It is difficult to try to make sense of how any place of beauty still remains. I no longer care about who wins or loses any more. I will try to protect the freedoms of my two daughters and granddaughter when it comes to the laws involved in their own families and bodies. I do not want Romney or Ryan to tell my girls what they cannot do when it comes to their family choices.