So, as I said earlier, I'm pretty new to the world of politics, and, as such, I am looking for some perspective on the primaries. Is the Republican's Party's current situation of lacking a clear frontrunner at this point the usual situation or is support more fragmented than normal?
Also, I'd seen talk earlier that it would be suicide for the Democratic Party if someone tried to run against Obama for the nomination. While I'm sure you guys are in the right on this, I'd like some clarification. I understand why if someone like Palin ran third party in the race, it'd hurt the Republicans, but I don't understand why an actual primary race would hurt the Dems when they're still left with one candidate at the end for the presidential race. Wouldn't you essentially have the same base of support come election day regardless of whether Obama faced opposition beforehand or not? Would the primary really sour Dems who would have voted for Obama had they not had a new candidate to rally behind for the primary to the point where they just wouldn't vote for him when their candidate fell? (or vice versa if Obama should lose the nom)
Jason's Ultimatum said:
How much cuts in spending needs to happen if tax rates remain as they are in order for revenue to be neutral? Bear in mind unemployment is shitty, so I'd assume you'd have to factor in the number of jobs in the country, right?
My understanding of the matter is that each cut in spending is effectively going to cut down on consumer spending, which will, in turn, cut down on GDP and taxation, leading to an increase in the deficit. So, it seems to me like the whole idea of spending cuts, in this current environment, is pretty counterproductive. (I will point out that the majority of my reading on this matter comes from Krugman, so take my opinion as you will knowing that.)