QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:40 A.M. ET:  We don't normally quote Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post, an alleged conservative who often has very un-conservative things to say.  But she has a very solid point in her column today that may well explain the popularity of Rick Perry:

GOP pop quiz: With whom would you rather roll your dice — a Harvard lawyer who wants government to bankroll jobs through higher taxes? Or a Texas A&M grad/Air Force pilot who has successfully run one of the largest states in the country?

Distilled, this is really a brains-vs.-gut question — erudite theorist vs. plain-spoken doer — not that the two need be mutually exclusive. Would it be too much to ask that a well-read mind come packaged in a human vessel that also has had some experience in the trenches of ordinary life?

It is noteworthy that Democrats tend to think that government can solve most problems, while Republicans prefer the thought that individuals unencumbered by meddlesome government do the better job. Extrapolating, then, “smart” folks would rather rely on bureaucrats, while “stupid” people prefer to rely on themselves. Again, might some combination of the two — smart government that incentivizes self-reliance — work best of all?

And...

... anyone who thinks Republicans are stupid is missing the point. What those dummies Bush and Perry have in common, other than having been Texas governors, pilots and cheerleaders (what is it with Texas?), is that they’re not stupid at all.

COMMENT:  That is correct.  I'd also point out that, at one time, the Dems were regarded as the "stupid" party, the party of immigrants and bigots.  The Republicans considered themselves lofty and above us all.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was considered such an intellectual lightweight that some referred to him as "featherduster."

Today the Dems parade their Ivy League degrees – Barack and Michelle each has two of them – and they often leave it at that.  Clearly, Obama is in over his head and lacks the practical experience, and practical wisdom, that successful presidents must have.

At the same time, Republicans must be careful not to come off as narrow-minded mediocrities.  As Lincoln and Reagan showed us, you can be smart and practical at the same time.

September 17, 2011