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Pete Spiliakos is a columnist for First Things.

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Wednesday Thoughts Part 2

From First Thoughts

Mitch Daniels gave a very good response to Obama yesterday.  He took the right angles.  There was cutting government by reducing spending on the wealthy rather than raising taxes to fund an unsustainably large state.  He smartly argue that that Republicans were the party of both . . . . Continue Reading »

Wednesday Thoughts Part 1

From First Thoughts

I stick by my contention that Gingrich lost the Monday debate.  Alongside my impressions, I see that: 1.  Gingrich is talking like a loser.  I’ve seen him talk about the debate by a) Whining that the media didn’t let the crowd applaud.  I guess he isn’t such a . . . . Continue Reading »

Debate Thoughts

From First Thoughts

1.  Gingrich looked like just another guy up there and he came out the loser in his exchanges with Romney.  Part of it was Gingrich trying to get into above-it-all frontrunner mode.  A bigger part is that what you saw yesterday is what he is usually like when people really go at . . . . Continue Reading »

Stranglehold

From First Thoughts

During the debate yesterday (more on that soon) they showed the Volkswagen ad where they play Ted Nugent’s ‘Stranglehold’ in the background.  I didn’t even know the name of the song until a couple of months ago.  I just knew it as Kevin Von Erich’s . . . . Continue Reading »

Everybody Calm Down And Despair

From First Thoughts

1. Great.  We get another installment of the Bataan Debate March tonight.  The good news is it won’t be on ABC.  I couldn’t stand watching George Stephanopoulos ask more questions about contraception or listening to any of Diane Sawyer’s “I was talking to . . . . Continue Reading »

That’s Why He Gets Paid To Write

From First Thoughts

Mark Steyn on Romney’s lousy stump speech (I’ve been trying to find the right words for a while - it turns out Steyn had them), and the Romney team’s incompetence at rapid-response.  I think Romney will adjust fast enough, well enough to beat Gingrich, but there is . . . . Continue Reading »

Romney’s Speech

From First Thoughts

The anti-Obama parts of Romney’s stump speech still stink.  The anti-Gingrich parts are somewhat better, but not focused enough.  The line isn’t that Gingrich is anti-free enterprise.  The line is that he is a crony capitalist and Romney is running against . . . . Continue Reading »

Some Saturday Night Thoughts

From First Thoughts

1.  I’m back home. 2.  For those who doubt those who doubt the sincerity of Gingrich’s indignation, let’s look at what Gingrich said at the debate and after.   He said that he was “appalled” that moderator King made the ex-wife story the first question . . . . Continue Reading »

Quick Thoughts

From First Thoughts

I’m out of town the next couple of days, so I’m getting it out now.  More considered opinions later. 1.  Are the moderators insane?  Do they even think of how to get revealing responses out of Gingrich?  Second debate in a row when they set up Gingrich with a . . . . Continue Reading »

Santorum vs. Gingrich

From First Thoughts

Santorum:  I beat Gingrich in Iowa and New Hampshire.  Newt is grandiose and unstable. Gingrich:  You know all that stuff from the last thirty two years you liked.  That was me.  Also Kemp and Reagan some. Santourm:  I helped break the House of Reps. bank . . . . Continue Reading »