Hugo Chavez-Romney Playing the High Gas Prices Card

       This Republican primary has seen GOP candidates deny every position they've ever held to win the nomination. Part of the problem is that the current GOP orthodoxy is so Far Right that no Republican really passes it. Gingrich and Romney both used to support "ObamaCare" Romney of course passed it in Massachusetts. Indeed the plan was originally drafted by the Heritage Foundation-who remembers that now?

     Rick Santorum in his time many times committed the horrible sin of "earmarks." So none of these candidates even measure up to their own orthodoxy-this is how far Right this ideology keeps moving.

     The other day Santorum declared he doesn't care what happens to the unemployment rate-doesn't matter. This from a party whose plan was to run against Obama on the economy and unemployment rate. Still, Santorum could claim that this is conservative orthodoxy which says that the President can't do anything about the unemployment rate-then why attack Obama about it? I know, supposedly Republicans think they can improve the "business environment"-but even if you buy this then it's not true to say that the President can do nothing about the unemployment rate.

    Now Romney is attacking the President about rising gas prices. We've got Satnorum saying the government can do nothing about the unemployment rate. We've got Romney saying the government has so much power it can set oil prices at will-just call him Hugo Romney

    So Romney is going to go so far as to even give up on the GOP orthodoxy about the market always knowing best. Romney is now stuck admitting the economy is coming back-he uncharitably adds that it "always comes back" so of course Obama gets no credit for it-but now it's all about high gasoline prices. That's the failure of Obama's "economic stewardship."

   Ok, if the economy always comes back regardless of what economic policies the President pursues, isn't he actually undercutting the whole basis of his candidacy-that he will "manage" the US economy like a good "CEO?" If the economy always comes back then we don't really care what type of "manager" a candidate is. Have no doubt about it, you've heard of a rebel without a cause, the GOP has candidates without an issue.