Speaker of the House John Boehner sat down with George Stephanopoulos fill-in Jake Tapper Sunday on This Week and was asked to weigh in on a variety of topics ranging from the resignation of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to the GOP field and the Keystone Pipeline.  It would be more than dishonest to say that anything game-changing or even newsworthy came out of the interview, but he is the Speaker of the House, so here you go.   Knock yourself out…

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker says he knows State of the Union Addresses are typically happy-talk-poll-tested statements; but he hopes tonight’s presidential address is not that or simply another “campaign message.”  Instead, Senator Corker hopes the president will “take the opportunity to address the really big issues that our country is facing” because he says the “greatness of our nation is dissipating” as we continue to put off the big decisions until after the next election.

Fair enough.

For what it’s worth, I truly believe that Senator Corker really hopes he’ll see and hear President Obama call for those things this evening.  Truth be told, I have a “really hope” of my own.  I “really hope” the president uses this opportunity to announce that he won’t seek re-election because he wants to spend his last year in office really addressing the “big issues” that threaten our country.  That said, I think we’re both going to be rather disappointed later on this evening.

There’s just no part of me that believes said president A) believes our country’s greatness is dissipating because if he did, he wouldn’t continue contributing to it with his policies; or B) would be willing to use this Address as an opportunity to sincerely discuss the “big issues” threatening our country’s well-being; or C) would ever dream of using this Address as anything but a platform for launching his re-election campaign and firing the first shot of his blame Republicans so no one looks at my record candidacy.

Either way, I applaud Senator Corker for his optimism.  At times I’ve been somewhat critical of the senator from my home state of Tennessee, but I’ve never doubted even for a moment that he sincerely believes the problems in Washington can be corrected with the right people and the right message.  Doing what I do here, it’s easy to grow very cynical of the people and the process.  I can’t help but imagine how maddening it must be on the “inside.”  For that, and for his unwavering commitment to serving as a symbol that “change” in Washington is still within the realm of possibility, I commend the distinguished Senator from Tennessee; but “hope” and “Obama” are just two words I really struggle to string together in a sentence.

Here’s a brief and somewhat paraphrased summary of the rest of his pre-address address.

1) “The tax code has $1.2 trillion dollar in exemptions; credits.  If we could do away with those “tax expenditures, we could lower everybody’s marginal rate.”  - He believes that could be the catalyst that could make the economy “take off.”

2.)  He then says (1) must be combined with “longer term entitlement reform.”  ”I don’t know of anybody here that doesn’t want to see Social Security and Medicare solvent for the long haul, but all of us know reforms have to begin or that’s not going to be the case.”

3.)  Link to overall longer term deficit reduction.

Conclusion:  ”I really do believe that if the president would take the opportunity to address the big issues of our country – not these little window dressing items that sound great but really don’t affect anything – if he would do that, I really do believe our country would be on our way from where we are today where the greatness of our country is dissipating as we put these items off until after the next election.”  I hope for the good of our country, the president will address the big items we need to address.”

If only we had the president he “hopes” we have.

Keep the faith Senator Corker… Someone has to.

As you all know, beloved President Obama is set to deliver his State of the Union Address this evening and share with the world his plan for 2012 – also known as his re-election platform; his plan to blame a “Republican Congress” for all that ails the economy this country; and his strategy for continuing this great nation on a path toward total economic destruction.  What you might not know is that today also marks a very important anniversary, of sorts.  Today, January 24, 2012, is the 1000th day the government of this great nation will operate without a federal budget.

Operating under a series of continuing resolutions, our Legislative Branch has spent 1000 days doing the people’s business while running the world’s largest economy without one of the most basic foundations of an actual business model – a budget (as the Constitution requires).  But never fear… I’m absolutely certain President Obama will use the bully pulpit of the State of the Union Address to once again proudly and defiantly announce his intention to work with both Houses to pass a budget “immediately” – just like he did last year.  Just in case you forgot, that budget proposal went down 97-0 in the Senate.  Not even one democrat was willing to own the president’s proposal.  But like I said, never fear.  I’m sure an election year will make the effort far less riddled with obstacles than it was 365 or 1000 days ago.

Since it’s been 1000 days and I can barely wrap my brain around how long ago that was (April 29, 2009), I’ll turn you over to the folks at Heritage who have compiled a list of facts about the budget, or lack thereof, just for a sense of perspective…

• The last time the Senate passed a budget was on April 29, 2009.
• Since that date, the federal government has spent $9.4 trillion, adding $4.1 trillion in debt.
• As of January 20, the outstanding public debt stands at $15,240,174,635,409.
• Interest payments on the debt are now more than $200 billion per year.
• President Obama proposed a FY2012 budget last year, and the Senate voted it down 97–0. (And that budget was no prize—according to the Congressional Budget Office, that proposal never had an annual deficit of less than $748 billion, would double the national debt in 10 years and would see annual interest payments approach $1 trillion per year.)
• The Senate rejected House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R–WI) budget by 57–40 in May 2011, with no Democrats voting for it.
• In FY2011, Washington spent $3.6 trillion. Compare that to the last time the budget was balanced in 2001, when Washington spent $1.8 trillion ($2.1 trillion when you adjust for inflation).
• Entitlement spending will more than double by 2050. That includes spending on Medicare, Medicaid and the Obamacare subsidy program, and Social Security. Total spending on federal health care programs will triple.
• By 2050, the national debt is set to hit 344 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
• Taxes paid per household have risen dramatically, hitting $18,400 in 2010 (compared with $11,295 in 1965). If the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire and more middle-class Americans are required to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT), taxes will reach unprecedented levels.
• Federal spending per household is skyrocketing. Since 1965, spending per household has grown by nearly 162 percent, from $11,431 in 1965 to $29,401 in 2010. From 2010 to 2021, it is projected to rise to $35,773, a 22 percent increase.

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“Since that date, the federal government has spent $9.4 trillion, adding $4.1 trillion in debt.”   That’s really the only one I need.  $9.4 trillion / $4.1 trillion in debt – without a budget.  Unfrigginbelievable!!

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More from GOP.gov - 1,000 Days and Counting Since the Senate Passed a Budget

In light of the fact that President Obama is set to deliver a State of the Union Address tonight that most believe will focus on continuing the progressive narrative and 2012 re-election slogan that “rich people don’t pay their fair share of taxes”; I thought it was a wonderful moment to share a few words about a book I’ve just finished reading that explores this “have-nots versus haves” mindset from a rather unique perspective.

In A Nation of Moochers: America’s Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing (St. Martin’s Press), author Charles J. Sykes asks the threshold question “Have we reached the tipping point where more Americans depend on the efforts of others than on their own?  Are we becoming a nation of moochers?”

To answer that question, Sykes explores the current political and cultural environment – everything from Wall Street bailouts and entitlement programs to government-run health care and corporate tax exemptions.  The book, while an urgent plea for a return to personal responsibility and self-determination, is anything but a work that completely dismisses the need for “compassion” and a safety net for those less fortunate.  It simply suggests that any effort to address those concerns should be based on “needs” rather than “wants.”  The author aptly states that “some” may very well find themselves in “need” of assistance; but things like government-paid-for electric vehicles are anything but “needs.”

The highlight of the book for me was a very simply stated but absolutely brilliant “Abbreviated History of Mooching.”  Therein, the author describes the devolution of personal property that has resulted and continues to be threatened at the hands of government and those who aim to take from the haves and redistribute to the have-nots.  Using the story of the “farmer” who harvests his crop to feed his family and sells the excess at market – thereby further contributing to society through commerce, the author explains how the strategies of moochers have evolved over time – ever increasing their grip on a share of the farmer’s property.  Detailing the encroachments of the “early moocher”, the “feudal moocher”, and the “modern moocher”, the author charts a sobering path to a day when the “farmer” simply disappears and gives up on his labor; rather than watching the fruit of said labor be taken away and distributed between his neighbors and the government that purports to serve him.

As most of you probably know, I don’t endorse or even review very many books.  There is just so little time and usually by the time I get around to reading them, a review is anything but timely or appropriate.  A Nation of Moochers finds itself in that rare class for a number of reasons but none more influential than the fact that it was written in both an academic and comfortingly conversational tone.  Accordingly, it is a fantastic read for the political scholar in search of a new perspective on the age-old problem of socio-economic leveling; or the causal reader frustrated with the entitlement culture in this country and fed up with working to earn an honest living while “moochers” sit idly by and collect government handouts on their dime – or dollar.

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About the author:  Charles J. Sykes is a radio talk show host at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; a columnist who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today and the CNI Newspaper chain; and a senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.  He is the author of five previous books: A Nation of Victims, Dumbing Down Our Kids, Profscam, The End of Privacy, and 50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School.

You can read more about Mr. Sykes here at his blog; or here for info on his radio program..

His two latest posts…

Big Labor’s Revenge Binge

Stop Bankrupting America

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A Nation of Moochers: America’s Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing can be purchased here… or here…

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum says front-runner Mitt Romney’s role in Massachusetts health care is a problem for the former Governor and the Party as we move to choose a candidate to oppose President Obama in 2012.  His argument?

“The idea that you have created a marketplace… is just like what President Obama is trying to put in place here.   You are arguing for a plan, your defending a plan, that is not top-down.  It is not a free market health care system… It was the basis for Obama Care.  You do not draw a distinction for us that is going to be effective for us just because it was the state level and not the federal level.”

Fair or foul?  I’d venture to guess that most of you probably agree with Senator Santorum – at least in part – here.  Even if you’re a Romney supporter, I’m fairly certain you’ve at some point along the way entertained the thought that the Obama team will do everything in its power to link Romney to the bastardized creation and it probably scared the hell out of you.  I know it’s among my greatest fears when I think ahead to what a Romney v. Obama contest could ultimately look like.

The way I see it.  Romney Care all but takes hammering Obama Care off the table for no less than 50% of potential voters.  I’ll let you guess the half that will still see a distinction between the two.

That said, it seems to me that folks supporting Romney have already factored that shortfall into their calculus for choosing a candidate from the current field.  Much like Newt supporters have weighed and measured the impact of the Former Speaker’s baggage, Romney supporters have clearly made the decision that even with Romney Care, Romney’s still their guy.

Do I think Santorum scored points with this back-and-forth?  Absolutely.  The only problem is that it’s my belief that said points were probably only scored with deeply conservative voters who weren’t going to vote for Romney in the first place.  Santorum’s fight’s with Newt.

Senate Majority Leader popped by to see his old pal David Gregory Sunday on Meet the Press and decided to use the opportunity to clear up a few things.  First, the Tea Party is fading and losing influence as the “economy improves.”  That was two – just in case you missed one.  The Tea Party is losing its significance and the economy is getting better.

But wait, it gets better.  Harry Reid also says that Republicans have engaged in what he refers to as “Obstructionism on steroids.”  You see, it’s their fault that this Congress is destined to go down as one of the most incompetent in history.  It has absolutely nothing to do with his leadership of the Senate, of course.

So, yes… those muscle-bound Republicans have obstructed his party’s initiatives and have made their primary objective – making President Obama a one-term president.  Remember that line?  Like anyone could ever forget it.  It’s been and will continue to be the go-to line of Re-Elect Obama aka Blame Republicans for My Suckiness 2012.

Here’s the video with the rest of it.  Watch at your own risk.  I assume no responsibility for the sadness that will no doubt overcome you when you realize this is the man that successfully managed to help outwit Republican leadership to bring us ObamaCare.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It’s been a while, so I figured there was no time like the present to share a few links from the best and the brightest of the right-wing universe.  Quite a few new first timers here as well.  One point worth noting on the Republican primary front…  Pretty broad range of support for most of the candidates still remaining in the field.  While I don’t think I’ve included anyone swapping spit with Jon Huntsman, I’m fairly certain the rest of the field has at least one supporter among this distinguished group of right wing patriots.

THE OTHER MCCAIN:

• Governor Zombie Stumbles Relentlessly Toward Humiliation in South Carolina UPDATE: Rush Limbaugh Compares Perry ‘Vulture’ Attack to Fidel Castro
• Rick Santorum Adds Staff, Offices, Money and Key Endorsement in South Carolina
• Rick Santorum Distances Himself From Newt’s Lefty ‘Hit Job’ on Mitt Romney
• Rick Perry Has Replaced Jon Huntsman in the Coveted ‘Gov. Asterisk’ Position

CONSERVATIVE HIDEOUT 2.0:

• The Demographics Still Hold: More Americans are Conservative, but why is the Left so Successful?
• Mental Disorder Reaches Epidemic Status
• The Paulbot Creed

I OWN THE WORLD:

• Traitor-in-Cheif
• Mercedes Bends
• State Sponsored Religion
• The Foremost Constitutional Experts in the World Get Quizzed

ADRIENNE’S CORNER:

• Rick Santorum defies Catholic teaching?…
• Michelle Obama thinks we’re stupid…

JUST A CONSERVATIVE GIRL:

• Tebowing Shot of the Day
• Bob McDonnell’s State of the Commonwealth Address
• What Jay-Z Really Thinks of the 99%

INSTAPUNDIT:

• Pissing on the Taliban

LEFT COAST REBEL:

• Why Are There No ‘True’ Hamiltonian/Federalists Any Longer?
• Romney’s Bain Helped Obama With Auto Bailout
• (VIDEO) Senator Jim DeMint Speaks Truth to Power on the Daily Show

THE WYBLOG:

• Packaging inspector fired for telling co-workers to inspect her package
• Mercedes Benz is now courting the communist mass-murderer luxury vehicle market
• Monday Moonshine, the Chris Christie Schools an Occupod edition

ACE OF SPADES:

• Perry Passes Santorum In South Carolina; Newt Still Leads The Anti-Romneys By A Wide Margin
• Fortune Mostly Clears Romney From Charges Alleged in Newt’s PAC’s Vulture Attack
• Desperate Candidate Makes Left-Wing Attack on Romney’s Position on Corporations

THE LONELY CONSERVATIVE:

• Hey Remember When Obama Called Raising the Debt Ceiling ‘Unpatriotic?’ No, Here’s a Reminder
• Gas Prices Going Up
• Conservatives Outnumber Moderates and Liberals
• Obama the Vulture Socialist

DON SURBER:

• Cartoon of the day
• Mittacular lead in Florida

WEASEL ZIPPERS:

• Obama: “I Want My Daughters Treated The Same Way As My Sons”. . . Wait, He Has Sons?…
• South Carolina DNC Chair Claims GOP Racist For Holding Debate On MLK Day, Demands Romney Condemn It…

REAGANITE REPUBLICAN:

• A Romney Nomination Means Independent Runs from BOTH Trump and Ron Paul? 
• You Bet Your Sweet Bippy!!!
• Gingrich-Palin 2012: Is ‘Cuda Preparing to Endorse Newt . . . On Way To the VP Slot?

LIBERTARIAN PATRIOT:

• TLP Quik Hits: Rand Paul Returns $500K To Treasury
• TLP Quik Hits: Homeland Security Watches Twitter, Social Media

THE LAUGHING CONSERVATIVE:

• Barack Obama’s Diary
• Test: Should you vote for Obama?
• $106,000 bus stop shelter — and you’re paying

THE WASHINGTON REBEL:

• The Best Defense is a Good Offense

THE WHITED SEPULCHRE:

• John Galt has left California

MICHELLE MALKIN:

• Obama’s “Razist” Lobbyist Moves Up
• Al Gore: If Global Warming isn’t a Campaign Issue, Civilization is at Risk

PIRATES COVE:

MOTOR CITY TIMES:

• Even China is losing Manufacturing Jobs
• World Economic Forum cite “Severe income inequality” as largest global risk

POLITICAL REALITIES:

• Debbie Wasserman-Schultz On The Lack Of Civility In Congress
• Dog Eat Dog – The GOP Primaries
• Why I Want Romney to Win the Republican Nomination
• Why I Prefer Gary Johnson to Ron Paul

PROOF POSITIVE:

• Debbie Does Daggers

WINTERY KNIGHT:

• Should we legalize drugs and prostitution like Ron Paul wants?

THIS AIN’T HELL (BUT YOU CAN SEE IT FROM HERE):

• Coast Guard to protect grain shipment from Occu-spazes
• Invoking Che to sell cars?

RED STATE:

• Can a Nonexistent Congress Issue $1.2 Trillion in Debt?

STRIDENT CONSERVATIVE:

• Mitt, We Have A Problem

THE CLASSIC LIBERAL BLOG:

• Rick Santorum’s Conservative Delusions
• Did Ron Paul Win Iowa?

THE BLAZE:

• OOPS: MSNBC RE-RECORDS AUDIO AFTER MATTHEWS CLAIMS OBAMA ADDED ONLY ‘13’ FEDERAL JOBS

THE DAILY CALLER:

• Charlotte stadium likely hosting Obama acceptance speech built with all nonunion labor

THE JAWA REPORT:

• Saudi Arabia Lashes Man 75 Times for Blasphemy

RIGHT WING NEWS:

• The Bailout King Of American Politics

PATTERICO’S PONTIFICATIONS:

• The Improbable Gingrich Scenario

AMERICAN GLOB:

• When Will #Occupy Wall Street Qualify As Domestic Terrorism?
• Democrats Still Falsely Blaming The Tea Party For Tucson Shooting

CONSERVATIVE COMMUNE:

• Iran, Straits Of Hormuz And “Armageddon”
• Pissgateaquiddick 

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS:

• Buffett: bluffs and buffoonery

YID WITH LID:

• NYT Columnist Tom Friedman’s Simplistic View of The Middle East

VERUM SERUM:

IMAO:

JAMMIE WEARING FOOLS:

• Heroes of the 99% Rumored to Be Looking at $28 Million Connecticut Mansion
• Classy: Charles Barkley Calls Tim Tebow A “National Nightmare”…

FIRE ANDREA MITCHELL:

• Shocker! (Not) Jeb Bush to endorse Mitt Romney before the Florida primary
• Obama asks for another $1.2 trillion debt limit increase – how soon before Weeper Boehner caves?

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS:

• PROFILES IN LEFTIST PRINCIPLES: PISSING ON DEAD TALIBAN JIHADIST ENEMIES IS BAD, BUT CRAPPING ON COP CARS IS GOOD
• BAIN VERSUS OBAMA & GM – OR: WHO WOULD YOU TRUST WITH YOUR LIFE SAVINGS, MITT OR BARACK?

ALTHOUSE:

• The left blogosphere freaks out over its own inability to distinguish between hard to believe and falsifiable.

LEGAL INSURRECTION:

• To the victor of South Carolina goes …
• Consistency in the defense of liberty is no vice

FRUGAL CAFE:

• Bed, Bath & Beyond Stores Yank Radioactive Metal Tissue Holders Containing Cobalt-60
• Shaky Hopenchange: Hostess Brands Files for Bankruptcy, Jobless Claims Jump, December Holiday Retail Sales Missed the Mark

FULL METAL PATRIOT:

• Kid Pan Alley admits to indoctrinating children with song praising the #Occupy movement

GATEWAY PUNDIT:

• Al Gore Said North Polar Cap Would Be Melted This Year… Guess Not, Huh?
• #Occupy Criminal Movement Becomes Latest Terrorist Wing of Democrat Party Replacing KKK

GAY PATRIOT:

• Gallup: conservatism remains dominant American ideology
• “I’d like to see a Republican Party that embraces a lot of the libertarian ideas.”

HOTAIR:

• Rush audio: Anger — not altruism — motivates Obama
• Gingrich: Gee, maybe my super-PAC should get its facts straight

PJ TATTLER:

• Karl Rove’s Column in the WSJ on Romney’s “History Making” Victories

DA TECH GUY:

• The most important video shot during the New Hampshire Primary…

PROTEIN WISDOM:

• The state of things: GOP presidential nominee edition

THE GRANITE GROK:

• Project Veritas Video: What Manchester And Nashua Officials Say

RECOVERING LIBERAL:

• Grow Cojornes GOP.You Wanted A Fighter,Newt Fights & You Run Away Cowering

MAGGIE’S NOTEBOOK:

• How Cains 9-9-9 Fixes the Ron Paul Problem – almost
• Oklahoma Sharia Law: Appeals Court Upholds Block of Oklahoma Shariah – International Law

THE CAMP OF SAINTS:

• Santorum Defends Mitt’s Work At Bain / Mitt Does Not Defend Mitt’s Work At Bain
• Gunning For Allen West

TRUTH BEFORE DISHONOR:

• Hugo Chavez oops Obama Makes Alleged Recess Appointments

In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin said Governor Mitt Romney should release his tax returns and provide “proof” of reported “job creation” while the Republican presidential candidate was working with Bain Capital.

I’m fairly certain you can file this one away with the pile of requests Governor Romney considers “never going to happen in a million years.”  On both fronts, that is.

First the latter…  ”Job creation” at an enterprise like Bain is a subjective calculation any way you spin it.  We’re not talking about a mom and pop / brick and mortar operation.  We’re talking about an entity that invested money in failing or troubled companies.  Whether said company turned things around or continued to fail may or may not have been a direct result of anything Bain had a hand in.  Yes, it’s probably also somewhat ambitious to claim that 100k jobs were created; but can a governor really take credit for creating a million jobs either.  More importantly, could he provide “proof” either?

As to the tax returns…  He already said back in December that he has no plans to release them – “Never say never, but I don’t intend to do so.”  I don’t think Sarah Palin’s opinion on the matter is going to change that.  Moreover, I know it’s common practice for presidential candidates to do this sort of thing; even though it’s one I’ve never really understood.  In what other walk of life would that sort of demand be answered with a voluntary response?  If I were Mitt, and I thought it was all but a certainty that I was going to claim the nomination; I’d wait until the general election to release any such information – and then only do it as part of a bargained for exchange in return for the person or persons asking for it doing a full and thorough search of President Obama’s background before the presidency.  How that man went largely un-vetted is a testament to how one-sided that election coverage was and how malicious this one most certainly will be.

I’m fairly certain you can file this one away with the pile of requests Governor Romney considers “never going to happen in a million years.”  On both fronts, that is.

First the latter…  ”Job creation” at an enterprise like Bain is a subjective calculation any way you spin it.  We’re not talking about a mom and pop / brick and mortar operation.  We’re talking about an entity that invested money in failing or troubled companies.  Whether said company turned things around or continued to fail may or may not have been a direct result of anything Bain had a hand in.  Yes, it’s probably also somewhat ambitious to claim that 100k jobs were created; but can a governor really take credit for creating a million jobs either.  More importantly, could he provide “proof” either?

As to the tax returns…  I know it’s common practice for presidential candidates to do this sort of thing; even though it’s one I’ve never really understood.  In what other walk of life would that sort of demand be answered with a voluntary response?  If I were Mitt, and I thought it was all but a certainty that I was going to claim the nomination; I’d wait until the general election to release any such information – and then only do it as part of a bargained for exchange in return for the person or persons asking for it doing a full and thorough search of President Obama’s background before the presidency.  How that man went largely un-vetted is a testament to how one-sided that election coverage was and how malicious this one most certainly will be.

There may be something wrong with me, but I get a kick out of seeing lists like this.  Remember a few weeks ago when everyone was fired up about how wealthy our elected representatives are/were collectively?  Well, this is a list of the 25 men and women that served as a drag on those figures… sort of.  Let’s just be real about it.  None of them are starving.  As soon as you crack the top 20 here, you start talking about figures in the $80k+ range – not exactly “poor” by any measure.

And even the “poorest” among them got a pretty hefty raise once they took office.  Still, for others, it was more than a minor pay cut.

Watch the full slideshow here…

Check out how the “other half” is living here…

A few notables…

14.  Rep. Kristi Lynn Noem (R-SD) - $111,996 in 2010

13.  Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) - $120,001 in 2010.

8.  Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) - $167,497 in 2010.

3.  Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) - $2,500,488 in 2010.

2.  Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN) - $3,302,503 in 2010.

1.  Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) - $4,732,002 in 2010.

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You think they regret not making this a top ten poorest congressmen list?  Last I checked $4.7 million was a truckload of loot…

Ronald Reagan economist and father of The Laugher Curve Art Laffer has decided to endorse Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and will officially endorse the GOP hopeful Thursday in Iowa.  The supply-side guru had previously supported Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan; so the Gingrich camp is no doubt hoping this endorsement will lead to a decidedly different result than that which befell Mr. Cain.

From Newt’s website…

Laffer told National Review;

“It’s nothing against the other candidates,” Laffer said. “But Newt’s plan is right, and therefore endorsing him is the right thing to do.”

Laffer is concerned with the fact that Mitt Romney has no tax-reform plan, and he worries that Romney doesn’t believe in the incentive model of economic growth. “He’s a good man,” Laffer said. “And he would make a good president. But he needs a bold tax plan.”