Via Yglesias: Mitt Romney shows a modicum of reason when discussing the cost of higher education and immediately gets pounced on by a goon at Cato. What did Mitt say to warrant the ire of the wingnuts?
“I like the idea of linking the level of support that we’re able to provide to young people going to college to the contributions they’re going to make to our society,” Romney told more than 200 people at an event at a Davenport hotel, one of three stops in the state Wednesday.
College costs need to be lowered for everyone. But creating extra-incentives for, say, some of out best physics students to enter teaching by offering loan forgiveness if they teach high school physics is an idea worth considering. You would think a party ostensibly obsessed with maintaining America’s competitiveness would be interested in encouraging higher education. Instead, we find Republicans laughing at students who ask about college costs. Later at the same Romney event:
Asked by an audience member why young people aren’t more engaged in the political process, Romney said they don’t feel the same sense of urgency about issues facing the country.
“Maybe it’s partly our fault, those of us that are running for office,” Romney said. “We don’t spend more time on campus and we probably should spend some more time with students and say, ‘Guys get involved, get educated.’”
What, there aren’t many young people at GOP rallies? I wonder why.
The Politico is reporting that Sam Brownback is expected to end his bid for the Republican nomination for President tomorrow. Brownback never recovered from finishing third, behind fellow social conservative Mike Huckabee, in the Iowa Straw Poll in August. Brownback’s withdrawal from the field helps consolidate Huckabee’s position as the leading social conservative amongst the Republican field.
Brownback’s withdrawal leaves several key Iowa Republican activists up for grabs. Chuck Hurley, one of Iowa’s leading social conservatives, was a Brownback backer and will be courted by Presidential candidates seeking support amongst caucusgoers from the religious right. Another major Brownback supporter was convenience store millionaire Don Lamberti. Lamberti’s son, former Republican State Senator and Congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti, is a leading John McCain supporter. Given their family relationship, not to mention the close ties between McCain and Brownback, it’s quite possible that Lamberti will switch his support to McCain.
Brownback joins Tommy Thompson as the second Republican candidate to drop out directly or indirectly because of the straw poll. (Jim Gilmore also had a short-lived and rather pathetic bid for the Presidency but dropped out to focus his energies on trying to lose a U.S. Senate seat to former Democratic candidate Mark Warner). The Straw Poll will have once again have significantly winnowed the Republican field, depriving Republican caucusgoers of choices in order so that the Republican Party of Iowa can make a few extra bucks.
