Veteran listeners, such this writer, of the Rush Limbaugh radio talk show, are very familiar with the program's Operation Chaos--an attempt to keep the primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama going clear through the Democratic convention in Denver in August.
Rush doesn't really care which one is nominated, he just wants to keep the party from uniting around one candidate until the last possible moment. This has included asking Republicans to vote in the Democratic primaries in Texas and Ohio, which they could do without re-registering, and now, re-registering in Pennsylvania as Democrats, to vote in the April 22 primary there.
The number of Republicans who voted in the Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas exceeded Hillary's victory margin in both states. It is certainly plausible that Operation Chaos led to Hillary's narrow wins. Ohio election officials tried to get a Democratic prosecutor to indict Rush for disrupting the primary, but ultimately backed off, as no lawbreaking was involved.
So far 122,000 Republicans have re-registered as Democrats in Pennsylvania. This is far greater movement in the registration figures than any ever seen in the state, so undoubtedly Operation Chaos is playing a part.
What Rush is counting on, and I'm believing he will not be disappointed, is that Hillary and Bill play for the jugular. Even if they lose the nomination, Obama will be so wounded it will ease John McCain's path to a November victory. The Clintons will turn every possible screw, and call in every favor, with the Superdelegates and any shaky Obama delegates, to get Hillary the nomination.
If they were here, you could ask Vince Foster and Ron Brown if I'm right. They may yet speak from the grave.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
WalMart outshines feds in Katrina relief
Led by labor unions blasting WalMart because it is assiduously non-union, there is a constant drumbeat of criticism of the nation's largest retailer. It's wages are too low, health insurance not generous enough and its presence in a town drives out local retailers who can't compete.
If you actually believe this union-generated drivel, why is it that WalMart remains the nation's number one retailer? Why do they have no trouble hiring all the employees they need? Except for union bastions like Chicago, why are communities standing in line to try to get WalMart to move in or expand?
Now comes a new paper by Steven Horowitz, an Austrian-school economist at St. Lawrence University in New York, documenting that in the first hours after Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, while FEMA fumbled about, doing as much to prevent supplies from reaching Louisiana and Mississippi as to facilitate it, WalMart performed feats of heroism. WalMart trucks were preloaded with supplies at regional depots and were first on the scene wherever refugees were being gathered by government. The company gave out multi-millions in bottled water, sanitary supplies, food, clothing and building materials--impeded only by FEMA and federal officials who wouldn't let their trucks through.
At individual stores, employees performed individual acts of courage, such as the one in Kenner, LA who rammed a fork lift through a brick wall to the medical supplies and gave them to doctors and nurses who were assisting the injured. Others broke open windows and doors to let refugees in to get what they needed at no charge. The president of Jefferson Parish told Meet the Press that "if the government had responded like WalMart responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis."
Other companies like Lowe's and Home Depot performed similarly, handing out millions of dollars worth of inventory for free. The strongest initial response came from the Southern Baptist Convention, who opened churchs and campgrounds to serve thousands of refugees with a place to stay and eat. This all happened while FEMA and state and local government were trying to decide what to do.
Private companies have a huge incentive to respond to social needs. Combined with their local knowledge and employees who are already on the ground, its only natural that their response would trump that of government every time.
What do the liberals have to say about that?
If you actually believe this union-generated drivel, why is it that WalMart remains the nation's number one retailer? Why do they have no trouble hiring all the employees they need? Except for union bastions like Chicago, why are communities standing in line to try to get WalMart to move in or expand?
Now comes a new paper by Steven Horowitz, an Austrian-school economist at St. Lawrence University in New York, documenting that in the first hours after Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, while FEMA fumbled about, doing as much to prevent supplies from reaching Louisiana and Mississippi as to facilitate it, WalMart performed feats of heroism. WalMart trucks were preloaded with supplies at regional depots and were first on the scene wherever refugees were being gathered by government. The company gave out multi-millions in bottled water, sanitary supplies, food, clothing and building materials--impeded only by FEMA and federal officials who wouldn't let their trucks through.
At individual stores, employees performed individual acts of courage, such as the one in Kenner, LA who rammed a fork lift through a brick wall to the medical supplies and gave them to doctors and nurses who were assisting the injured. Others broke open windows and doors to let refugees in to get what they needed at no charge. The president of Jefferson Parish told Meet the Press that "if the government had responded like WalMart responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis."
Other companies like Lowe's and Home Depot performed similarly, handing out millions of dollars worth of inventory for free. The strongest initial response came from the Southern Baptist Convention, who opened churchs and campgrounds to serve thousands of refugees with a place to stay and eat. This all happened while FEMA and state and local government were trying to decide what to do.
Private companies have a huge incentive to respond to social needs. Combined with their local knowledge and employees who are already on the ground, its only natural that their response would trump that of government every time.
What do the liberals have to say about that?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Obama's pastor's little shack
That great apostle of black nationalism and the poor, downtodden, inner-city black folks, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Barack and Michelle Obama's pastor for the last 20 years), is building a little retirement shack.
Nope, it's not in the Chicago inner-city where his parishoners live and his former church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is. It's in the wealthy, lilly-white suburbs, on a site he purchased for $345,000. With the little 10,000 square foot shack he's throwing up on that humble piece of dirt, the whole project is costing $1.6 million.
In classic "do as I say, not as I do" fashion, Wright is moving into the lap of luxury, while preaching to his parishoners to not aspire to the middle class, but to take joy in being humble and poor.
It's an example he may have picked up from his most famous parishoners, Barack and Michelle. While Barack seems to have set the world record for sleeping in church, Michelle heard and has feasted on every word Rev. Wright preached. She has been heard repeatedly on the campaign trail, telling young black women to work in public service jobs, and not corrupt corporate America.
She has regaled us with how tough life was for she and Barack to keep up with student loan payments on public servant's humble salaries. Barack's 8 years in the Illinois State Senate and four years in the U.S. Senate may not have been too lucrative, but the $1.6 million in royalty payments for his two best-selling books presumably bailed out their finances. That, and oh, his wife's humble $345,000 a year job in PR for the Chicago public hospital.
Each Obama has two degrees from expensive, exclusivie Ivy League universities. As their own $1.2 million shack--obtained in conjunction with Chicago slumlord and influence peddler Tony Rezko's help--shows, you can live a life of privilege and entitlement, while still preaching about the poor and enslaved.
Obviously, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has taken the Obama's sterling example to heart.
Nope, it's not in the Chicago inner-city where his parishoners live and his former church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is. It's in the wealthy, lilly-white suburbs, on a site he purchased for $345,000. With the little 10,000 square foot shack he's throwing up on that humble piece of dirt, the whole project is costing $1.6 million.
In classic "do as I say, not as I do" fashion, Wright is moving into the lap of luxury, while preaching to his parishoners to not aspire to the middle class, but to take joy in being humble and poor.
It's an example he may have picked up from his most famous parishoners, Barack and Michelle. While Barack seems to have set the world record for sleeping in church, Michelle heard and has feasted on every word Rev. Wright preached. She has been heard repeatedly on the campaign trail, telling young black women to work in public service jobs, and not corrupt corporate America.
She has regaled us with how tough life was for she and Barack to keep up with student loan payments on public servant's humble salaries. Barack's 8 years in the Illinois State Senate and four years in the U.S. Senate may not have been too lucrative, but the $1.6 million in royalty payments for his two best-selling books presumably bailed out their finances. That, and oh, his wife's humble $345,000 a year job in PR for the Chicago public hospital.
Each Obama has two degrees from expensive, exclusivie Ivy League universities. As their own $1.2 million shack--obtained in conjunction with Chicago slumlord and influence peddler Tony Rezko's help--shows, you can live a life of privilege and entitlement, while still preaching about the poor and enslaved.
Obviously, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has taken the Obama's sterling example to heart.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Liberal big government 'solutions'
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama hit the ground today with their answers to America's economic woes. While they differed minutely, both proposed expensive, big government solutions with heavy-handed regulations on business.
Obama would also double the capital gains tax. This is a sure-fire job killer and insures further slowdown in business and job creating activity. If there was any doubt that Obama was any more than just another garden-variety liberal, this proposal alone all doubt. Many have ignored the ratings by the non-partisan Capitol Hill Journal that Obama is the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, based on voting record, but doubling the capital gains tax is hardly a conservative or even moderate proposal. It is war on business and the engine of the free enterprise system.
Hillary's plan focuses on the old liberal bromide of federal job training programs and extension of unemployment benefits.These spend lots of money, with few benefits in return. The focus should be on job creation, through tax cuts to stimulate the economy, and the job training will come, as businesses are forced to hire new workers.
Both blasted John McCain for his failure to call for expansive federal spending and new programs like they have. McCain reiterated the need for tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
This will make for a lively and exciting fall debate, before the presidential election. It is much bigger than just a few policy disagreements among candidates. It speaks a lot more to vision for our country's future, support for the free enterprise system and the role of the federal government in the economy.
Obama would also double the capital gains tax. This is a sure-fire job killer and insures further slowdown in business and job creating activity. If there was any doubt that Obama was any more than just another garden-variety liberal, this proposal alone all doubt. Many have ignored the ratings by the non-partisan Capitol Hill Journal that Obama is the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, based on voting record, but doubling the capital gains tax is hardly a conservative or even moderate proposal. It is war on business and the engine of the free enterprise system.
Hillary's plan focuses on the old liberal bromide of federal job training programs and extension of unemployment benefits.These spend lots of money, with few benefits in return. The focus should be on job creation, through tax cuts to stimulate the economy, and the job training will come, as businesses are forced to hire new workers.
Both blasted John McCain for his failure to call for expansive federal spending and new programs like they have. McCain reiterated the need for tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
This will make for a lively and exciting fall debate, before the presidential election. It is much bigger than just a few policy disagreements among candidates. It speaks a lot more to vision for our country's future, support for the free enterprise system and the role of the federal government in the economy.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Hillary's Tonya Harding strategy
We all remember at the Olympic Ice Skating trials a few years ago, Tonya Harding's thug boyfriend arranged to injure her main opponent's knee to the point that she had to drop out. All were convicted of conspiracy and Harding's career was over.
That seems to be Hillary's strategy in winning the Democratic nomination, now that mathematically, she can't overtake Obama for committed convention delegates. She can at least weaken Obama to the point that the party elders conclude that he can't win and they turn to Hillary.
The risk is that the Democratic nomination won't be worth having, as Hillary and Obama will each be so bloodied that McCain is a cinch to win the election.
Hillary herself is badly in the glue for her lie about her 1996 trip to Bosnia. The story has developed legs, with the Big 3 networks running footage from their archives of the actual trip, to disprove HIllary's whopper about dodging sniper fire so bad that they had to call off the opening ceremonies. Actually, the footage shows school children welcoming Hillary with bands in the background and no one worried about sniper fire.
When combined with Obama's ongoing problems with his pastor, black supremicist Rev. Jeremiah Wright, you have two candidates dropping like a rock in the polls against McCain. The GOP is gleeful, and knowledgeable Democrats are glum.
That seems to be Hillary's strategy in winning the Democratic nomination, now that mathematically, she can't overtake Obama for committed convention delegates. She can at least weaken Obama to the point that the party elders conclude that he can't win and they turn to Hillary.
The risk is that the Democratic nomination won't be worth having, as Hillary and Obama will each be so bloodied that McCain is a cinch to win the election.
Hillary herself is badly in the glue for her lie about her 1996 trip to Bosnia. The story has developed legs, with the Big 3 networks running footage from their archives of the actual trip, to disprove HIllary's whopper about dodging sniper fire so bad that they had to call off the opening ceremonies. Actually, the footage shows school children welcoming Hillary with bands in the background and no one worried about sniper fire.
When combined with Obama's ongoing problems with his pastor, black supremicist Rev. Jeremiah Wright, you have two candidates dropping like a rock in the polls against McCain. The GOP is gleeful, and knowledgeable Democrats are glum.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Media slow to pick up Hillary lie
Over a week ago, it was heavily out on the web, and particularly on conservative talk radio nationwide. Hillary Clinton, on at least four different occasions, regaled audiences with the harrowing tale of her trip to Bosnia, dodging sniper fire and having to cancel the planned outdoor festivities to welcome her to the country.
The only problem: it was a lie. Media photos and video footage, as well as her recently released White House papers, show Hillary and her daughter Chelsey standing at plane side in Bosnia, listening politely as little schoolchildren sang and presented them with gifts. Clearly there was no sniper fire and the welcoming ceremonies were definitely held, outdoors at plane side with no interruption.
Strangely, it took until today for the mass media to pick up the story, with CBS finally running extensive footage from its archives of the event itself in 1996, and then of Hillary regaling audiences in the last week with the breathless details of her scary mission to Bosnia. This finally forced Hillary to acknowledge that she had "miss-spoken" and her memory had failed her on all the details of her Bosnia trip 12 years ago.
It reminds me of the old story of the preacher, sitting at home with his family at Sunday dinner after church, when his little son pipes up and says "Daddy, was that the truth or were you just preachin'?"
Rush Limbaugh, currently running Operation Chaos on his daily radio program to get Republicans in Pennsylvania, as he had previously in Texas and Ohio, to re-register as Democrats so they can vote for Hillary in the primary on April 22, to keep the Democratic presidential race interesting clear up until the convention in August in Denver. He was asked if it had shaken his faith in Hillary, and if he was still urging his listeners to vote for her in the Pennsylvania primary. He said "why would a Clinton acting totally in the character we've come to expect, dissuade me now? Hillary tellling another lie? What's different or unexpected about that?
Most likely the mass media, so heavily in Obama's corner, had to get his problems with his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, out of the news, and a new Clinton scandal was the perfect way to do that.
Not only Hillary, but the mass media too, are acting totally in character. What else would you expect?
The only problem: it was a lie. Media photos and video footage, as well as her recently released White House papers, show Hillary and her daughter Chelsey standing at plane side in Bosnia, listening politely as little schoolchildren sang and presented them with gifts. Clearly there was no sniper fire and the welcoming ceremonies were definitely held, outdoors at plane side with no interruption.
Strangely, it took until today for the mass media to pick up the story, with CBS finally running extensive footage from its archives of the event itself in 1996, and then of Hillary regaling audiences in the last week with the breathless details of her scary mission to Bosnia. This finally forced Hillary to acknowledge that she had "miss-spoken" and her memory had failed her on all the details of her Bosnia trip 12 years ago.
It reminds me of the old story of the preacher, sitting at home with his family at Sunday dinner after church, when his little son pipes up and says "Daddy, was that the truth or were you just preachin'?"
Rush Limbaugh, currently running Operation Chaos on his daily radio program to get Republicans in Pennsylvania, as he had previously in Texas and Ohio, to re-register as Democrats so they can vote for Hillary in the primary on April 22, to keep the Democratic presidential race interesting clear up until the convention in August in Denver. He was asked if it had shaken his faith in Hillary, and if he was still urging his listeners to vote for her in the Pennsylvania primary. He said "why would a Clinton acting totally in the character we've come to expect, dissuade me now? Hillary tellling another lie? What's different or unexpected about that?
Most likely the mass media, so heavily in Obama's corner, had to get his problems with his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, out of the news, and a new Clinton scandal was the perfect way to do that.
Not only Hillary, but the mass media too, are acting totally in character. What else would you expect?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Global warming evidence poorer each day
Evidence continues to mountain that global warming is a hoax.
Former vice president Al Gore, the lead apostle on the global warming bandwagon, has always refused to debate the issue. He will only accept speaking engagements before friendly audiences, with no naysayers present. Don't interrupt my parade with the facts.
The latest evidence is a five year measuring of the water temperature on the ocean floor. Devices are lowered to the floor to record the temperature in 30-days cycles, and then pulled up to retrieve the data. It conclusively shows that the temperature has dropped minutely on the ocean floor, not grown higher.
This means the cornerstone premise of global warming has been disproven. Warming ocean temperatures that would melt glaciers and raise water levels is one of the key outcomes to global warming. It disproves the whole theory if this isn't happening, and scientists have proven that it's not. The scientists doing the measurements cannot believe their own data, but are at least honest enough to report it.
That's why the global warming folks refuse to consider contrary evidence. They simply say "it's a scientific consensus that . . ." Since when is science determined by consensus? The very definition of science is that it's proveable, x's and o's precise. Period.
Another year or two like this, and the global warming conspirators are going to look ridiculous, if they don't already.
Global warming is a Robin Hood scheme to take from the haves (read United States) and give it to the havenots. Global warming is all about socialist income redistribution and not about science. The facts are continuing to bear this out.
Former vice president Al Gore, the lead apostle on the global warming bandwagon, has always refused to debate the issue. He will only accept speaking engagements before friendly audiences, with no naysayers present. Don't interrupt my parade with the facts.
The latest evidence is a five year measuring of the water temperature on the ocean floor. Devices are lowered to the floor to record the temperature in 30-days cycles, and then pulled up to retrieve the data. It conclusively shows that the temperature has dropped minutely on the ocean floor, not grown higher.
This means the cornerstone premise of global warming has been disproven. Warming ocean temperatures that would melt glaciers and raise water levels is one of the key outcomes to global warming. It disproves the whole theory if this isn't happening, and scientists have proven that it's not. The scientists doing the measurements cannot believe their own data, but are at least honest enough to report it.
That's why the global warming folks refuse to consider contrary evidence. They simply say "it's a scientific consensus that . . ." Since when is science determined by consensus? The very definition of science is that it's proveable, x's and o's precise. Period.
Another year or two like this, and the global warming conspirators are going to look ridiculous, if they don't already.
Global warming is a Robin Hood scheme to take from the haves (read United States) and give it to the havenots. Global warming is all about socialist income redistribution and not about science. The facts are continuing to bear this out.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter a badly-needed campaign breather
Easter Sunday is thankfully one of the few days of the year when politics comes to a virtual standstill. God and family are honored instead, rebuilding the roots and ties that made this country great.
The politicians appreciate a day off, and certainly we consumers of political news appreciate a similar respite.
Here's hoping you and yours gather for church services and then for a big meal and celebration. I honor my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ on this most holy of days, in humble gratitude for Him taking my place on the cross, and then today rising again, to sit at the right hand of the Father, interceding for me. Hallelujah!
Happy Easter!
The politicians appreciate a day off, and certainly we consumers of political news appreciate a similar respite.
Here's hoping you and yours gather for church services and then for a big meal and celebration. I honor my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ on this most holy of days, in humble gratitude for Him taking my place on the cross, and then today rising again, to sit at the right hand of the Father, interceding for me. Hallelujah!
Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
McCain Iraq trip a big mistake
The presumed GOP presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, is on a world tour, centered on Iraq, with two of his closest Senate colleagues, Independent Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham. There are a lot of reasons why it was a poor time to take the trip.
In the first place, McCain will get the 33% of Americans who strongly support the war, without ever showing up there. All the trip does is call attention to what we already know--McCain's stout support of the war. Another 20% or so of Americans tolerate the war, or don't make their voting decision based on the war, and it is undoubtedly not helpful to McCain to remind them of his stance. It causes needless controversy with the anti-war crowd, who are quiet at the moment and don't need the reminder of a McCain trip to fire them back up.
McCain's choice of travel companions is not the best either. These two senators are died-in-the-wool McCain supporters and cronies already. The trip would have had a much less ideological a cast and a more objective look if a couple of Democrats or Republican war critics had been included in the traveling party.
McCain is already the acknowledged expert among the remaining presidential candidates on foreign policy. A rookie like Obama might benefit from a world trip, but McCain can only make gaffes and call attention to better-forgotton issues by conducting a world tour at this time. There really is no way to burnish his already impeccable credentials--the risk and potential downside of the trip is much greater than any benefit.
About the best thing you can say is that McCain has been gone while Obama was digging himself into a bigger hole over his relationship with his 20-year pastor, the Black liberation theologist, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This has garnered the McCain trip much less publicity than it would normally command, which probably isn't bad.
In the first place, McCain will get the 33% of Americans who strongly support the war, without ever showing up there. All the trip does is call attention to what we already know--McCain's stout support of the war. Another 20% or so of Americans tolerate the war, or don't make their voting decision based on the war, and it is undoubtedly not helpful to McCain to remind them of his stance. It causes needless controversy with the anti-war crowd, who are quiet at the moment and don't need the reminder of a McCain trip to fire them back up.
McCain's choice of travel companions is not the best either. These two senators are died-in-the-wool McCain supporters and cronies already. The trip would have had a much less ideological a cast and a more objective look if a couple of Democrats or Republican war critics had been included in the traveling party.
McCain is already the acknowledged expert among the remaining presidential candidates on foreign policy. A rookie like Obama might benefit from a world trip, but McCain can only make gaffes and call attention to better-forgotton issues by conducting a world tour at this time. There really is no way to burnish his already impeccable credentials--the risk and potential downside of the trip is much greater than any benefit.
About the best thing you can say is that McCain has been gone while Obama was digging himself into a bigger hole over his relationship with his 20-year pastor, the Black liberation theologist, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This has garnered the McCain trip much less publicity than it would normally command, which probably isn't bad.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Pictures worth a thousand words
Last week Hillary Clinton regaled a Pennsylvania audience with her trip to Bosnia as First Lady, and how they had to cancel the welcoming ceremonies because they all had to run for cover due to sniper fire.
Well, it was a lie. News photos have surfaced of the occasion, showing Hillary and Chelsey standing as a 9-year-old Bosnian girl read a poem she had written for the occasion. They were all standing peacefully, at ease, with a band and flags draping the glorious scene at plane side.
The Clintons have gloried in pulling out all the stops, using every media contact they ever had to run audio and video of Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, spewing forth black nationalist, anti-Jew, anti-White, pro-Arab hate as he preaches. Lone behold, a photo has surfaced of the National Prayer Breakfast in 1996 at the White House, with Wright embracing President Bill Clinton. It was the place that Bill solemnly confessed that he had sinned, having the affair with Monica Lewinsky. The White House schedule for that day, released in the recent sheaf of papers from the Clinton Library and the National Archives, shows that not only Bill, but Hillary and Vice President Al Gore were in attendance at the breakfast.
Politicians are notorious for embellishing the truth, forgetting it completely when its most convenient or telling out and out whoppers. None of this should be surprising. Anyone whose career has advanced far enough to run for President, has enough skeletons in the closet that a few are bound to fall out now and then.
What a tangled web we weave . . .
Well, it was a lie. News photos have surfaced of the occasion, showing Hillary and Chelsey standing as a 9-year-old Bosnian girl read a poem she had written for the occasion. They were all standing peacefully, at ease, with a band and flags draping the glorious scene at plane side.
The Clintons have gloried in pulling out all the stops, using every media contact they ever had to run audio and video of Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, spewing forth black nationalist, anti-Jew, anti-White, pro-Arab hate as he preaches. Lone behold, a photo has surfaced of the National Prayer Breakfast in 1996 at the White House, with Wright embracing President Bill Clinton. It was the place that Bill solemnly confessed that he had sinned, having the affair with Monica Lewinsky. The White House schedule for that day, released in the recent sheaf of papers from the Clinton Library and the National Archives, shows that not only Bill, but Hillary and Vice President Al Gore were in attendance at the breakfast.
Politicians are notorious for embellishing the truth, forgetting it completely when its most convenient or telling out and out whoppers. None of this should be surprising. Anyone whose career has advanced far enough to run for President, has enough skeletons in the closet that a few are bound to fall out now and then.
What a tangled web we weave . . .
Thursday, March 20, 2008
GOP: Hillary or Obama weaker?
The ground is shifting among political professionals on the GOP side. The orthodoxy has been that Hillary Clinton would be the easier candidate to beat in November. After all, her negatives in most polls approach 50%, and with all the baggage from her husband Bubba, she would be easier to run against. That's why conservative talk radio stars like Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham have been pushing Republicans in cross-over primary states to vote for Hillary, since the GOP race has been decided for quite a while.
This has made sense, to date, to keep her in the race and disrupt the Democratic nominating process to the maximum extent possible. With good luck, delegates will arrive in Denver in August not knowing who the nominee will be, and there will be bloody backroom shenanigans that cause an impaled, wounded candidate to be nominated, representing an irretrievably divided party entering the fall election.
Now the conventional wisdom has changed. With the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for the last 20 years, drawing fire for his racist, anti-American, anti-Israel, pro-Arab views, the thinking is that Obama would be an even weaker candidate come November than Hillary. However brilliantly crafted Obama's big address on race in Philadelphia was this week, it has injected race as an issue squarely into the middle of the campaign, probably to his detriment.
With all the juicy audio and video footage of Wright, shouting venom at the top of his lungs, available to Republicans this fall, many are licking their lips, salivating at the prospect of running against Obama. The next JFK has suddenly been brought down a few notches, to the level of just one more vote-grubbing politician.
Is this fun to watch, or what?
This has made sense, to date, to keep her in the race and disrupt the Democratic nominating process to the maximum extent possible. With good luck, delegates will arrive in Denver in August not knowing who the nominee will be, and there will be bloody backroom shenanigans that cause an impaled, wounded candidate to be nominated, representing an irretrievably divided party entering the fall election.
Now the conventional wisdom has changed. With the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for the last 20 years, drawing fire for his racist, anti-American, anti-Israel, pro-Arab views, the thinking is that Obama would be an even weaker candidate come November than Hillary. However brilliantly crafted Obama's big address on race in Philadelphia was this week, it has injected race as an issue squarely into the middle of the campaign, probably to his detriment.
With all the juicy audio and video footage of Wright, shouting venom at the top of his lungs, available to Republicans this fall, many are licking their lips, salivating at the prospect of running against Obama. The next JFK has suddenly been brought down a few notches, to the level of just one more vote-grubbing politician.
Is this fun to watch, or what?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
5th anniversry of Iraq war
The radical left in America, certainly including Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, seized on today's 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq to call for surrender and immediate pullout, blasting President Bush and John McCain for supporting it.
The one truth that cannot be ignored, and they have no answer for, is that America has had no terrorist attacks or incidents on its soil since 9/11. Period. End of debate.
It is true that the Bush administration was not prepared for either how quickly it would topple Saddahm Hussein or for keeping the peace in Iraq afterward. Mistakes were made, but rather than cut tail and run, Bush has stuck it out. With the surge strategy, the war is being won. It is messy and far from complete, but it has largely removed Iraq as a major presidential campaign issue.
The anti-war types are whistling past the grave, so to speak, as the debate has largely passed them by.
Obama is using the war today to try and deflect public and media attention away from his embarassing pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and his 20 years as a parishoner of the Trinity Church of Christ. This is the first crisis of his campaign, and a big one at that. Public war rage has so subsided that it doesn't appear to be covering up his Wright problem, no matter how hard Obama tries.
As one wag put, Obama has put a whole new spin on the old "sleeping in church" story.
The one truth that cannot be ignored, and they have no answer for, is that America has had no terrorist attacks or incidents on its soil since 9/11. Period. End of debate.
It is true that the Bush administration was not prepared for either how quickly it would topple Saddahm Hussein or for keeping the peace in Iraq afterward. Mistakes were made, but rather than cut tail and run, Bush has stuck it out. With the surge strategy, the war is being won. It is messy and far from complete, but it has largely removed Iraq as a major presidential campaign issue.
The anti-war types are whistling past the grave, so to speak, as the debate has largely passed them by.
Obama is using the war today to try and deflect public and media attention away from his embarassing pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and his 20 years as a parishoner of the Trinity Church of Christ. This is the first crisis of his campaign, and a big one at that. Public war rage has so subsided that it doesn't appear to be covering up his Wright problem, no matter how hard Obama tries.
As one wag put, Obama has put a whole new spin on the old "sleeping in church" story.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Obama disses own grannie
Barack Obama's underwhelming major address on race, and more particularly, to deflect the criticism of his pastor's racist, anti-American comments in his sermons, rather amazingly dissed his own grandmother.
After refusing to throw Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus, which some interpreted as a sign of character, Obama said his white grandmother, still alive in Hawaii, made racist comments that made him cringe. Obama did express his total disagreement with what Wright said (although somehow he sat in Trinity Church of Christ for 20 years without leaving) in his many sermons that are readily available on audio and video across the web.
Obama also fanned the racial fires in his speech, over-dramatizing the hatred and divisions whites and blacks in America have. You'd have sworn we had Iraq-style armed warfare in the streets, if the tensions between blacks and whites were as vicious as he characterized them. Somehow, miracle of miracles, we have avoided that fate in the U.S.
What was most disturbing, however, was calling out his grandmother, who raised him most of his life. His black father abandoned the family when Barack was 2 years old, and his mother was in and out of his life continuously. His white grandparents were the constant that raised him through to adulthood.
In a brilliant piece in today's Wall Street Journal, Shelby Steele, a black intellectual at a think tank, says there are two ways for blacks to function in America: one is the confrontational pusher like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, the other is to be the bargainer, like Obama, who works overtime to put whites at ease.
Steele quite correctly concludes that "nothing could be more dangerous to his aspirations than the revelation that he sat Sunday after Sunday in an Afrocentric, black nationalist church."
Thus Obama's Philadelphia speech today, to hide that fact.
After refusing to throw Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus, which some interpreted as a sign of character, Obama said his white grandmother, still alive in Hawaii, made racist comments that made him cringe. Obama did express his total disagreement with what Wright said (although somehow he sat in Trinity Church of Christ for 20 years without leaving) in his many sermons that are readily available on audio and video across the web.
Obama also fanned the racial fires in his speech, over-dramatizing the hatred and divisions whites and blacks in America have. You'd have sworn we had Iraq-style armed warfare in the streets, if the tensions between blacks and whites were as vicious as he characterized them. Somehow, miracle of miracles, we have avoided that fate in the U.S.
What was most disturbing, however, was calling out his grandmother, who raised him most of his life. His black father abandoned the family when Barack was 2 years old, and his mother was in and out of his life continuously. His white grandparents were the constant that raised him through to adulthood.
In a brilliant piece in today's Wall Street Journal, Shelby Steele, a black intellectual at a think tank, says there are two ways for blacks to function in America: one is the confrontational pusher like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, the other is to be the bargainer, like Obama, who works overtime to put whites at ease.
Steele quite correctly concludes that "nothing could be more dangerous to his aspirations than the revelation that he sat Sunday after Sunday in an Afrocentric, black nationalist church."
Thus Obama's Philadelphia speech today, to hide that fact.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Obama-minister story has legs
To the surprise of the mass media, the story of the radical, racist, anti-America views of Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, has developed legs and continues to be a hot topic on TV and radio talk shows. This cannot be helpful to Obama's tight race with Hillary Clinton.
In fact, it is probably being fed behind the scenes by veteran Clinton operatives through their connections to media stars. They don't call CNN the Clinton News Network for nothing.
The other thing keeping the story alive is Obama's incredible, pallid response. He sounds like Bubba talking about Monica (it depends on what the meaning of is, is). Claiming that he was not in service on the Sundays Wright preached his most controversial stemwinders, the tapes of which continue to play all hours of the day and night in the media and on the internet, is not credible. With 20 years of membership in the church, with his wedding there and his daughter's baptisms there, he has enough friends who would have been there to alert him if he was missing. Obama's other line, that he wasn't aware until presidential campaign time of Wright's controversial views, doesn't hold water either.
Obama, in trying to deflect rumors that he was raised a Muslim and attended a Muslim school in Indonesia as a small boy, has given several tender interviews early in his campaign about how he found Jesus, praying with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, at his church in Chicago. He also quotes a version in his book The Audacity of Hope, the title of which was authored by Wright.
This is all leading up to Obama's big speech tomorrow in Philadelphia on religion in America. Like Romney's big breakthrough speech at the George Bush Center in Houston on his Mormon religion, Obama is seeking to escape the glare of media scrutiny for his minister's beliefs. Romney probably didn't escape, as evangelicals still considered Mormonism a cult, and it will be interesting to see if Obama is more successful.
In fact, it is probably being fed behind the scenes by veteran Clinton operatives through their connections to media stars. They don't call CNN the Clinton News Network for nothing.
The other thing keeping the story alive is Obama's incredible, pallid response. He sounds like Bubba talking about Monica (it depends on what the meaning of is, is). Claiming that he was not in service on the Sundays Wright preached his most controversial stemwinders, the tapes of which continue to play all hours of the day and night in the media and on the internet, is not credible. With 20 years of membership in the church, with his wedding there and his daughter's baptisms there, he has enough friends who would have been there to alert him if he was missing. Obama's other line, that he wasn't aware until presidential campaign time of Wright's controversial views, doesn't hold water either.
Obama, in trying to deflect rumors that he was raised a Muslim and attended a Muslim school in Indonesia as a small boy, has given several tender interviews early in his campaign about how he found Jesus, praying with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, at his church in Chicago. He also quotes a version in his book The Audacity of Hope, the title of which was authored by Wright.
This is all leading up to Obama's big speech tomorrow in Philadelphia on religion in America. Like Romney's big breakthrough speech at the George Bush Center in Houston on his Mormon religion, Obama is seeking to escape the glare of media scrutiny for his minister's beliefs. Romney probably didn't escape, as evangelicals still considered Mormonism a cult, and it will be interesting to see if Obama is more successful.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Nailin' down the base
The Republicans I talk to are resigned to having to hold their nose and vote for John McCain for President, but that's a long way from the kind of genuine enthusiasm he's going to need in his base corps of supporters to win.
McCain is largely the beneficiary of a shattered field, with Romney and Huckabee splitting the conservative vote, and Giuliani doing such a poor job of campaigning that McCain was able to hold the center-left well enough to win a plurality of the votes in key primaries. After a performance like this, he needs to consolidate the party behind him, and thus far, has shown little progress or interest in doing so.
The best bets are conservative votes on a few hot-button social issues on the Senate floor, which Democrats will probably not even allow to come to a vote, or naming a bonafide conservative candidate for vice president on his ticket.
McCain is showing no signs of doing anything soon on either front, spending time in Europe to build foreign policy credentials that he already has, and going to big dollar fundraising events around the U.S. This is a necessity, but McCain gains little or nothing from the foreign travels that a lesser-experienced candidate might benefit from.
We can only hope McCain, and particularly his handlers on the campaign team, shape up the base, before it's too late. Actual enthusiasim is a lot better than resignation in building a functioning campaign organization from your party.
McCain is largely the beneficiary of a shattered field, with Romney and Huckabee splitting the conservative vote, and Giuliani doing such a poor job of campaigning that McCain was able to hold the center-left well enough to win a plurality of the votes in key primaries. After a performance like this, he needs to consolidate the party behind him, and thus far, has shown little progress or interest in doing so.
The best bets are conservative votes on a few hot-button social issues on the Senate floor, which Democrats will probably not even allow to come to a vote, or naming a bonafide conservative candidate for vice president on his ticket.
McCain is showing no signs of doing anything soon on either front, spending time in Europe to build foreign policy credentials that he already has, and going to big dollar fundraising events around the U.S. This is a necessity, but McCain gains little or nothing from the foreign travels that a lesser-experienced candidate might benefit from.
We can only hope McCain, and particularly his handlers on the campaign team, shape up the base, before it's too late. Actual enthusiasim is a lot better than resignation in building a functioning campaign organization from your party.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Spitzer lives by sword, dies by sword
The question has been repeatedly asked, and most probably by resigned New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer himself, why he was forced to resign, while men like Bill Clinton and Louisiana Sen. David Vitter were able to weather the storm. Afterall, each had similar sexual indiscretions.
The answer lies in the reservoir of good will a politician has built up, or in Spitzer's case, the lack thereof.
Bill Clinton, until erupting in Hillary;s campaign, was the aw shucks, good ol' boy from Arkansas. He always had the impish "boys will be boys" grin, and was well-known for his sexual pecadillos while Governor of Arkansas, what Hillary has always called Bimbo Eruptions. (You have to assume that Bill's quadruple heart backpass surgery has affected his libido. Why else hasn't there been strange comings and goings recorded by the press, from the mansion in Chapaqua, N.Y.?)
Similarly, Sen. Vitter was well-liked in Louisiana, a state with a much more tolerant, relaxed view of sexual dalliances, taught by a long line of Louisiana politicians, such as former Gov. Huey Long.
But Eliot Spitzer was entirely a different matter. As attorney general of New York, he was pushy, arrogant and entrapped Wall Street tycoons largely to build his political resume. He never hesitated to force the action, and push the envelope. Consequently, fellow pols respected him, feared him or merely tolerated him. This kind of a friendless, power-built position deserts fast, when the least little thing goes wrong. And Spitzer's transgressions were far from a little thing.
Too many people were thrilled to see Spitzer get what was coming to him. There was almost joyous dancing in the streets on Wall Street and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, as the news of Spitzer's plight spread.
The ex-Governor learned the truth of the old saw "live by the sword, and you die by the sword."
The answer lies in the reservoir of good will a politician has built up, or in Spitzer's case, the lack thereof.
Bill Clinton, until erupting in Hillary;s campaign, was the aw shucks, good ol' boy from Arkansas. He always had the impish "boys will be boys" grin, and was well-known for his sexual pecadillos while Governor of Arkansas, what Hillary has always called Bimbo Eruptions. (You have to assume that Bill's quadruple heart backpass surgery has affected his libido. Why else hasn't there been strange comings and goings recorded by the press, from the mansion in Chapaqua, N.Y.?)
Similarly, Sen. Vitter was well-liked in Louisiana, a state with a much more tolerant, relaxed view of sexual dalliances, taught by a long line of Louisiana politicians, such as former Gov. Huey Long.
But Eliot Spitzer was entirely a different matter. As attorney general of New York, he was pushy, arrogant and entrapped Wall Street tycoons largely to build his political resume. He never hesitated to force the action, and push the envelope. Consequently, fellow pols respected him, feared him or merely tolerated him. This kind of a friendless, power-built position deserts fast, when the least little thing goes wrong. And Spitzer's transgressions were far from a little thing.
Too many people were thrilled to see Spitzer get what was coming to him. There was almost joyous dancing in the streets on Wall Street and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, as the news of Spitzer's plight spread.
The ex-Governor learned the truth of the old saw "live by the sword, and you die by the sword."
Friday, March 14, 2008
Obama's pastoral problem
It never ceases to amaze me how the national media ignore news that interferes with their preconceived notions, until it becomes so prominent that the public knows it without them. Then, and only then, do they pounce on it with both feet, like they've just discovered the holy grail.
So it is with today's sudden media explosion about Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This United Church of Christ clergyman has been Obama's pastor for the past 20 years. He performed Obama's wedding to Michelle. He baptized both of Obama's daughters. Prior to becoming a presidential candidate, he would brag about how Wright was his main spiritual advisor, and accompany him quite publicly to many different events. Wright has been a member, until recently, of Obama's campaign team and a trusted advisor.
These facts are not in dispute. Wright is not some left-handed thread who just rode into Obama's campaign on a load of pumpkins. He is a close friend.
What has set Obama tap dancing away from Wright is that the blogosphere got a hold of tapes of some of Wright's Sunday sermons, dating back to the 1990s. They are explosive, as this shouting, stomping pulpiteer spews forth his hatred for white people, jews, the white rich and his fondness for African despots, Arabs and anyone who blames America for all the world's, and particularly the Black's, problems.
Let's face it, if you attend the same church for 20 years and become friendly with the Pastor, you must substantially agree with his views or at least, not strenuously object to them--or you'd have found yourself another church, right? Not Obama. He must have the world's worst church attendance record, as he claims to have been missing on the Sundays when a controversial sermon was preached. Or he makes first amendment arguments about Wright's right to say what he says, even if Obama personally disagrees with it.
This is all well and good, except that this is the first major crisis of Obama's campaign. A lot of very decent liberal Americans who were fired up about Obama's claims about hope and dreams, are now seriously questioning their support, based on the hatred and bile they have heard flowing out of the mouth of Obama's Pastor.
Even the rumors that Obama vigorously denies about his Muslim roots, find a measure of validation in Wright's sermons and actions. Wright is a close friend of Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan, and made a special award to him in front of the whole church. Wright also travelled with Farrakhan to Libya to honor Muslim despot Moamar Khadafi.
Obama is back pedaling as fast as he can on the national television news shows. Somewhere, hidden away in a luxury hotel suite on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton must be enjoying this tremendously. Even if somehow Obama muddles through to the Democratic presidential nomination, you'll be seeing and hearing a lot of tape of one Rev. Jeremiah Wright this fall--Obama's Pastor.
So it is with today's sudden media explosion about Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This United Church of Christ clergyman has been Obama's pastor for the past 20 years. He performed Obama's wedding to Michelle. He baptized both of Obama's daughters. Prior to becoming a presidential candidate, he would brag about how Wright was his main spiritual advisor, and accompany him quite publicly to many different events. Wright has been a member, until recently, of Obama's campaign team and a trusted advisor.
These facts are not in dispute. Wright is not some left-handed thread who just rode into Obama's campaign on a load of pumpkins. He is a close friend.
What has set Obama tap dancing away from Wright is that the blogosphere got a hold of tapes of some of Wright's Sunday sermons, dating back to the 1990s. They are explosive, as this shouting, stomping pulpiteer spews forth his hatred for white people, jews, the white rich and his fondness for African despots, Arabs and anyone who blames America for all the world's, and particularly the Black's, problems.
Let's face it, if you attend the same church for 20 years and become friendly with the Pastor, you must substantially agree with his views or at least, not strenuously object to them--or you'd have found yourself another church, right? Not Obama. He must have the world's worst church attendance record, as he claims to have been missing on the Sundays when a controversial sermon was preached. Or he makes first amendment arguments about Wright's right to say what he says, even if Obama personally disagrees with it.
This is all well and good, except that this is the first major crisis of Obama's campaign. A lot of very decent liberal Americans who were fired up about Obama's claims about hope and dreams, are now seriously questioning their support, based on the hatred and bile they have heard flowing out of the mouth of Obama's Pastor.
Even the rumors that Obama vigorously denies about his Muslim roots, find a measure of validation in Wright's sermons and actions. Wright is a close friend of Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan, and made a special award to him in front of the whole church. Wright also travelled with Farrakhan to Libya to honor Muslim despot Moamar Khadafi.
Obama is back pedaling as fast as he can on the national television news shows. Somewhere, hidden away in a luxury hotel suite on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton must be enjoying this tremendously. Even if somehow Obama muddles through to the Democratic presidential nomination, you'll be seeing and hearing a lot of tape of one Rev. Jeremiah Wright this fall--Obama's Pastor.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
McCain quiet period not so bad
The liberal media, crying crockadile tears that GOP presidential nominee John McCain is being overshadowed in press coverage by the Hillary-Obama conflagration, really doesn't have the candidate's best interests at heart.
As McCain is about to find out, his buddies in the leftist press corps are only his buddies when he's not running against one of their real favorites, like Obama. The tears they are crying for McCain now over his lack of media attention are fake. They really don't care.
In reality, a quiet time for the McCain campaign is not such a bad thing, as what will help him the most right now is to keep the Democrats' cat fight stoked up and firing on all cylinders. This allows for a relatively anonymous shake-down cruise for the McCain campaign team as it expands for November, and funds to be raised out of the media glare.
If the McCainites play it right, they can have their act fully together, and be ready to fire at the conclusion of the Democratic national convention in Denver next August, while the Democrats take several weeks to bind up their wounds and pull the party together and up to speed, to full campaign mode.
A 72-year-old candidate needs some time to recharge and collect this thoughts, before the rigors of what will be an extremely arduous fall campaign. He needs to ignore the press cries. They're trying to goad him into something dramatic for press coverage, that ultimately would be detrimental.
This is one time McCain needs to ignore his supposed friends in the media.
As McCain is about to find out, his buddies in the leftist press corps are only his buddies when he's not running against one of their real favorites, like Obama. The tears they are crying for McCain now over his lack of media attention are fake. They really don't care.
In reality, a quiet time for the McCain campaign is not such a bad thing, as what will help him the most right now is to keep the Democrats' cat fight stoked up and firing on all cylinders. This allows for a relatively anonymous shake-down cruise for the McCain campaign team as it expands for November, and funds to be raised out of the media glare.
If the McCainites play it right, they can have their act fully together, and be ready to fire at the conclusion of the Democratic national convention in Denver next August, while the Democrats take several weeks to bind up their wounds and pull the party together and up to speed, to full campaign mode.
A 72-year-old candidate needs some time to recharge and collect this thoughts, before the rigors of what will be an extremely arduous fall campaign. He needs to ignore the press cries. They're trying to goad him into something dramatic for press coverage, that ultimately would be detrimental.
This is one time McCain needs to ignore his supposed friends in the media.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Geraldine Ferraro's first prescient thought
Henry Clay once famously said "I'd rather be right than President." Walter Mondale was just a couple of decades ahead of his time when he named lightweight New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate in 1984. They went on to lose 49 states to Ronald Reagan as he was re-elected to his second term as President.
The depth and quality showed, as Geraldine Ferraro largely dropped out of sight these last 24 years. Her husband was tried and convicted on real estate fraud charges in New York and spent a few nights in the Crossbars Hotel. Ferraro was passed over for a cabinet post or other significant position in the eight years of the Bill Clinton administration.
She has suddenly resurfaced, campaigning as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in California. She opined, in the course of her campaigning, that if Barack Obama was white, with his lack of experience, he would not be seriously considered for the presidency. As the national media picked up on it, Ferraro has been roundly blasted as a racist and hatemonger.
It's reminiscent of when George Lodge was running against Ted Kennedy for his first term in the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, while his brother JFK was president. Lodge said "If your name was Edward Moore (his middle name), your candidacy would be a joke." While roundly criticized at the time, as Teddy was elected handily at the age of 28 to replace his brother in the Senate (where he still serves today), it was true then, just as Ferraro's Obama remark is true today.
America has put such a premium on political correctness--particularly on racial matters--that even a genuine liberal like Geraldine Ferraro cannot dare speak the truth.
The depth and quality showed, as Geraldine Ferraro largely dropped out of sight these last 24 years. Her husband was tried and convicted on real estate fraud charges in New York and spent a few nights in the Crossbars Hotel. Ferraro was passed over for a cabinet post or other significant position in the eight years of the Bill Clinton administration.
She has suddenly resurfaced, campaigning as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in California. She opined, in the course of her campaigning, that if Barack Obama was white, with his lack of experience, he would not be seriously considered for the presidency. As the national media picked up on it, Ferraro has been roundly blasted as a racist and hatemonger.
It's reminiscent of when George Lodge was running against Ted Kennedy for his first term in the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, while his brother JFK was president. Lodge said "If your name was Edward Moore (his middle name), your candidacy would be a joke." While roundly criticized at the time, as Teddy was elected handily at the age of 28 to replace his brother in the Senate (where he still serves today), it was true then, just as Ferraro's Obama remark is true today.
America has put such a premium on political correctness--particularly on racial matters--that even a genuine liberal like Geraldine Ferraro cannot dare speak the truth.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Grossly exaggerated Hillary experience claims
The focus of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has been to stress her experience and readiness for the job.
The foreign policy coups she claims were just tourist visits that First Ladies frequently make. She did no heavy lifting, brought no peace to war-torn countries or brought warring nations together. Her trips to Northern Ireland, Rwanda and other places had her far removed from the action. While she was sipping tea and watching children's groups sing and dance, professional diplomats from the state department were behind the scenes, doing the actual work and bringing the actual results.
Hillary did take a much more engaged role in domestic policy as first lady, but it's hard to pinpoint any actual sucessess that were the result of her effort. The most famous disaster was her leadership in health care reform. Her grossly complicated socialist single payer plan was quickly shot down by both Congress and private insurers. It probably lead to the Republicans seizing control of both houses of Congress in the second half of hubby Bill's first term.
Most of Hillary's real experience has been her six years as a U.S. Senator from New York. It is hard to point to any significant legislation she crafted or sponsored that was enacted into law, but by all counts she did take seriously the role of congenial colleague, attending committee sessions and asking pertinent questions that showed she had studied her lessons. She was also a decent representative of her adopted state of New York, seeing that her staff did all the constituent work and bringing home the pork barrel spending expected of a big state liberal senator.
Obama has only done four years of senatorial bloviating, so in that sense he probably has less experience than Clinton. Chances are his eight years in the Illinois State Senate, despite 103 "present" votes where he didn't take a stand on controversial issues that might make him unpopular, do trump Hillary's 12 years as First Lady of Arkansas and eight years as First Lady of the United States.
Compared to McCain's 22 years in the U.S. Senate and four in the U.S. House, plus POW, Naval Academy and distinguished Navy career, neither Obama or Clinton stack up very well, experience-wise. You can bet the McCain strategists are sketching out the television spots right now, making that point.
The foreign policy coups she claims were just tourist visits that First Ladies frequently make. She did no heavy lifting, brought no peace to war-torn countries or brought warring nations together. Her trips to Northern Ireland, Rwanda and other places had her far removed from the action. While she was sipping tea and watching children's groups sing and dance, professional diplomats from the state department were behind the scenes, doing the actual work and bringing the actual results.
Hillary did take a much more engaged role in domestic policy as first lady, but it's hard to pinpoint any actual sucessess that were the result of her effort. The most famous disaster was her leadership in health care reform. Her grossly complicated socialist single payer plan was quickly shot down by both Congress and private insurers. It probably lead to the Republicans seizing control of both houses of Congress in the second half of hubby Bill's first term.
Most of Hillary's real experience has been her six years as a U.S. Senator from New York. It is hard to point to any significant legislation she crafted or sponsored that was enacted into law, but by all counts she did take seriously the role of congenial colleague, attending committee sessions and asking pertinent questions that showed she had studied her lessons. She was also a decent representative of her adopted state of New York, seeing that her staff did all the constituent work and bringing home the pork barrel spending expected of a big state liberal senator.
Obama has only done four years of senatorial bloviating, so in that sense he probably has less experience than Clinton. Chances are his eight years in the Illinois State Senate, despite 103 "present" votes where he didn't take a stand on controversial issues that might make him unpopular, do trump Hillary's 12 years as First Lady of Arkansas and eight years as First Lady of the United States.
Compared to McCain's 22 years in the U.S. Senate and four in the U.S. House, plus POW, Naval Academy and distinguished Navy career, neither Obama or Clinton stack up very well, experience-wise. You can bet the McCain strategists are sketching out the television spots right now, making that point.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Spitzer ignores Harry Truman's advice
New York's Democratic Governor, Eliot Spitzer, noted as a crime-busting U.S. Attorney , then New York Attorney General and elected Governor with 67% of the vote--has fessed up to patronizing a prostitution ring in Washington D.C. Known as Client #9, he came up on federal wiretaps and could no longer hide the scandal. It is still pending at this writing, whether he resigns or not, but several New York media outlets are predicting he will.
His dutiful wife, mother of his three teenaged daughters, appeared at his side at his press conference, in which he discussed few details. Sen. David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, has had similar troubles, but has remained in office. Probably New Orleans didn't earn it's nickname "The Big Easy," for nothing. It remains to be seen how "easy" New York is.
The salty former President, Harry Truman, a scion of a Tammany Hall-style political machine in Kansas City had an earthy piece of advice to explain why he rose up out of the machine to become Mayor of Kansas City and then U.S. Senator from Missouri, before FDR made him vice president: "You have to learn when to keep your pants zipped."
(Another favorite Truman story was when the President and Mrs. Truman were escorting a group through the White House Rose Garden, and the guests were marvelling at the beautiful roses. Truman said it was because the gardeners used "good manure." One of the guests whispered to Mrs. Truman that he should say "fertilizer." Bess Truman answered "That's not bad--It's taken me 50 years to get him to say manure.")
Eliot Spitzer should have studied his Democratic history, and taken Harry Truman's sage advice.
His dutiful wife, mother of his three teenaged daughters, appeared at his side at his press conference, in which he discussed few details. Sen. David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, has had similar troubles, but has remained in office. Probably New Orleans didn't earn it's nickname "The Big Easy," for nothing. It remains to be seen how "easy" New York is.
The salty former President, Harry Truman, a scion of a Tammany Hall-style political machine in Kansas City had an earthy piece of advice to explain why he rose up out of the machine to become Mayor of Kansas City and then U.S. Senator from Missouri, before FDR made him vice president: "You have to learn when to keep your pants zipped."
(Another favorite Truman story was when the President and Mrs. Truman were escorting a group through the White House Rose Garden, and the guests were marvelling at the beautiful roses. Truman said it was because the gardeners used "good manure." One of the guests whispered to Mrs. Truman that he should say "fertilizer." Bess Truman answered "That's not bad--It's taken me 50 years to get him to say manure.")
Eliot Spitzer should have studied his Democratic history, and taken Harry Truman's sage advice.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Projecting Dem landslide on thin evidence
They had a special election in a single suburban Chicago congressional district last Saturday to pick a successor to former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who resigned in mid-term.
It was a battle of dueling millionaires, running expensive, largely self-funded campaigns. The Democrats settled on a candidate early, one with roots and standing in the district. The GOP had a nasty primary, in which Hastert backed his chief of staff, who lost the primary. The winner, perennnial GOP loser Jim Oberweis, was largely on his own with Hastert sitting on his hands. Oberweis has lost numerous campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senator in Illinois, but keeps pouring his millions into campaigns anyway.
Hastert is the real villain here. His pallid leadership in the House had no small part in the GOP losing control in the 2006 midterm elections. He should have taken it like a man and served out the full term his district re-elected him to. Quitting in midterm was unnecessary and left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. He compounded this by trying to impose his successor on the GOP in the district, playing "my way or the highway." This left the GOP going into a low turnout special election with one hand tied behind it's back.
It was nearly a foredrawn conclusion that the Democrat would win. He was well-known and liked in the district and had a united party behind him. He had millions of his own to match the GOP millionaire's spending dollar-for-dollar. Hastert was a grandfatherly, well-liked high school wrestling coach who had held the marginal GOP seat for many years, masking the fact that it was a swing district, at best. Only his active campaigning could have saved the seat for the GOP.
None of these facts swayed the national media, however. Today they are broadcasting to the world that this is the harbinger of massive GOP congressional losses in 2008, and that the party is about to go the way of the Whigs. All this drawn from a single Saturday election, the only one being held anywhere in the U.S., with a wounded, weak GOP candidate fighting not only the Democrat but also part of his own party.
This election was not a harbinger of anything. It was an isolated, low turnout fluke from which its impossible to project much of anything. No Republican should get their dauber down, but just follow the lesson of how not to conduct an election, and see the necessity to show loyalty, respect and honor to the voters who elected you.
It was a battle of dueling millionaires, running expensive, largely self-funded campaigns. The Democrats settled on a candidate early, one with roots and standing in the district. The GOP had a nasty primary, in which Hastert backed his chief of staff, who lost the primary. The winner, perennnial GOP loser Jim Oberweis, was largely on his own with Hastert sitting on his hands. Oberweis has lost numerous campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senator in Illinois, but keeps pouring his millions into campaigns anyway.
Hastert is the real villain here. His pallid leadership in the House had no small part in the GOP losing control in the 2006 midterm elections. He should have taken it like a man and served out the full term his district re-elected him to. Quitting in midterm was unnecessary and left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. He compounded this by trying to impose his successor on the GOP in the district, playing "my way or the highway." This left the GOP going into a low turnout special election with one hand tied behind it's back.
It was nearly a foredrawn conclusion that the Democrat would win. He was well-known and liked in the district and had a united party behind him. He had millions of his own to match the GOP millionaire's spending dollar-for-dollar. Hastert was a grandfatherly, well-liked high school wrestling coach who had held the marginal GOP seat for many years, masking the fact that it was a swing district, at best. Only his active campaigning could have saved the seat for the GOP.
None of these facts swayed the national media, however. Today they are broadcasting to the world that this is the harbinger of massive GOP congressional losses in 2008, and that the party is about to go the way of the Whigs. All this drawn from a single Saturday election, the only one being held anywhere in the U.S., with a wounded, weak GOP candidate fighting not only the Democrat but also part of his own party.
This election was not a harbinger of anything. It was an isolated, low turnout fluke from which its impossible to project much of anything. No Republican should get their dauber down, but just follow the lesson of how not to conduct an election, and see the necessity to show loyalty, respect and honor to the voters who elected you.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Wyoming caucuses: media overkill
Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses today, about 61% to 39%. That sounds like it was a landslide, but the "popular vote" doesn't mean anything. All that counts is that the delegate split is 7-5 in Obama's favor.
That's right, for all the media hype and overkill over Wyoming, with Obama and the whole Clinton family descending on the state in the last three days, Obama gained two measly votes at the national convention in Denver. We don't know much it cost to fly Obama and the Clintons clear west to Wyoming, and then around the state, along with their taxpayer-paid Secret Service contingents and miscellaneous hangers-on, but how ever many dollars that was, it got Obama a two-vote gain.
Since its the Democrats we're talking about, this is to say nothing of the carbon footprint the campaigns left behind. Those jets belching all that CO2 and other pollutants, all the ground vehicles and police cars--the environmental costs are staggering. Even if you believe global warming is a hoax as I do (the evidence is building as we speak that the earth is about to enter a period of global cooling), the clean if wind-blown air of Wyoming took a big hit.
Even if you don't get sick from the carbon footprint left behind, any reasonably objective observer would get sick just from the national news media declaring that the Obama Momentum is back--based on the two votes he added to his lead. Their embarassment from last week's Saturday Night Live skits taking the national media to task for their fawning, uncritical coverage of Obama must already have worn off, based on how they overplayed the Wyoming results.
That's right, for all the media hype and overkill over Wyoming, with Obama and the whole Clinton family descending on the state in the last three days, Obama gained two measly votes at the national convention in Denver. We don't know much it cost to fly Obama and the Clintons clear west to Wyoming, and then around the state, along with their taxpayer-paid Secret Service contingents and miscellaneous hangers-on, but how ever many dollars that was, it got Obama a two-vote gain.
Since its the Democrats we're talking about, this is to say nothing of the carbon footprint the campaigns left behind. Those jets belching all that CO2 and other pollutants, all the ground vehicles and police cars--the environmental costs are staggering. Even if you believe global warming is a hoax as I do (the evidence is building as we speak that the earth is about to enter a period of global cooling), the clean if wind-blown air of Wyoming took a big hit.
Even if you don't get sick from the carbon footprint left behind, any reasonably objective observer would get sick just from the national news media declaring that the Obama Momentum is back--based on the two votes he added to his lead. Their embarassment from last week's Saturday Night Live skits taking the national media to task for their fawning, uncritical coverage of Obama must already have worn off, based on how they overplayed the Wyoming results.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wonderful Wyoming
Wyoming is a great state. Being the northern neighbor of my native Colorado, I've been there a lot, and go there several times a year for many different reasons. The southern end is windswept prairie largely, some less charitably would say bleak. The northern end, particularly the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, the mountainous areas around Sheridan and Buffalo and down to the center of the near Lander, are much more picturesque
Possessing two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative, and three electoral votes, it is largely overlooked in national politics, and would have no fame at all except that it is the home of Vice President Dick Cheney. It is mostly a Republican state, and those few Democrats elected to office, such as the current Governor, are very conservative. He is uncommitted in the presidential race.
But, lo and behold, it does get 12 precious delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August, and in a nearly deadlocked presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Wyoming has suddenly taken on the importance of New York or California. Needless to say, the politicians have descended on the state like flies to honey.
Bill Clinton was there yesterday, as was Chelsey later in the day. Today, both Obama and Hillary have been in the state. Former Gov. Mike Sullivan, a major Democratic power in the state, and his organization are backing Hillary. Obama wisely had his rally at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, which is where Bill and Chelsey went yesterday. While knowing little of Wyoming Democratic politics, I would assume Hillary would have something of a corner on the market.
Tomorrow are the caucuses to select the 12 Democratic delegates. I would beseech all good Democratic Wyomingites--both of you--to vote for Hillary and keep the suspense going all the way to Denver. That's what we good Republican backers of John McCain want from you.
Possessing two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative, and three electoral votes, it is largely overlooked in national politics, and would have no fame at all except that it is the home of Vice President Dick Cheney. It is mostly a Republican state, and those few Democrats elected to office, such as the current Governor, are very conservative. He is uncommitted in the presidential race.
But, lo and behold, it does get 12 precious delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August, and in a nearly deadlocked presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Wyoming has suddenly taken on the importance of New York or California. Needless to say, the politicians have descended on the state like flies to honey.
Bill Clinton was there yesterday, as was Chelsey later in the day. Today, both Obama and Hillary have been in the state. Former Gov. Mike Sullivan, a major Democratic power in the state, and his organization are backing Hillary. Obama wisely had his rally at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, which is where Bill and Chelsey went yesterday. While knowing little of Wyoming Democratic politics, I would assume Hillary would have something of a corner on the market.
Tomorrow are the caucuses to select the 12 Democratic delegates. I would beseech all good Democratic Wyomingites--both of you--to vote for Hillary and keep the suspense going all the way to Denver. That's what we good Republican backers of John McCain want from you.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Obama a national security risk?
Barack Obama is a master of oratorial tricks to fire up a crowd. He came to the forefront at the Democratic national convention four years ago as the keynote speaker, using his platform presence and flourishes to push himself to the front of the stage. He is only four years removed from being an Illinois State Senator, afterall, using his oratory to force his way ahead of Senate graybeards like Teddy Kennedy, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and John Kerry, to a commanding lead for the Democratic presidential nomination.
When you squeeze the juice out of the thin gruel of his standard stump speech, you get change and hope. Hope and change. And that's about all you get.
The president, as the nation's number one elected official and commander in chief, is privy to the most sensitive intelligence the country possesses, as produced by the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, the military and pentagon. The civil service workers and leaders of these agencies must pass the most rigorous of security checks and clearances, and few are allowed access to the complete gamut of intelligence, that the President and his senior staff are.
This is a scary thought, where Barack Obama is concerned, because his background and political connections might well disqualify him for the most sensitive national security clearances, if he were a private citizen seeking to work for a federal agency. As president, such rigor is bypassed.
Obama's friendships with Syrian national Tony Rezko, currently on trial in Chicago for fraud and political payoffs, and Louis Farrakhan, a race-baiting Muslim who especially hates Jews, by themselves would raise eyebrows. Obama's Church of Christ pastor in Chicago, and a Farrakhan intimate, has many eyebrow-raising, radical terrorist connections.
Obama's stated naivete in dealing with terrorist regimes like North Korea and Iran, saying that as president he would just fly over and talk to them without any preconditions or advance groundwork laying, certainly gives chills to veteran military and diplomatic officials contemplating such a spector.
The resurrected Clinton campaign, after winning three of last week's four Democratic primaries, will get down and dirty in order claw past Obama for the nomination. They can also be counted on to expose a lot of Obama's foreign policy foibles and weaknesses, sparing John McCain and the GOP the task.
In what looks increasingly like a brokered Democratic convention, as neither candidate enters it with the 2,050 votes they need in hand for the nomination, a lot of this will come out on its own, so Republicans can simply quote what the Clintons have already said.
It looks like fun, unless Obama would accidently wind up getting elected. That wouldn't be so fun. It would be scary.
When you squeeze the juice out of the thin gruel of his standard stump speech, you get change and hope. Hope and change. And that's about all you get.
The president, as the nation's number one elected official and commander in chief, is privy to the most sensitive intelligence the country possesses, as produced by the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, the military and pentagon. The civil service workers and leaders of these agencies must pass the most rigorous of security checks and clearances, and few are allowed access to the complete gamut of intelligence, that the President and his senior staff are.
This is a scary thought, where Barack Obama is concerned, because his background and political connections might well disqualify him for the most sensitive national security clearances, if he were a private citizen seeking to work for a federal agency. As president, such rigor is bypassed.
Obama's friendships with Syrian national Tony Rezko, currently on trial in Chicago for fraud and political payoffs, and Louis Farrakhan, a race-baiting Muslim who especially hates Jews, by themselves would raise eyebrows. Obama's Church of Christ pastor in Chicago, and a Farrakhan intimate, has many eyebrow-raising, radical terrorist connections.
Obama's stated naivete in dealing with terrorist regimes like North Korea and Iran, saying that as president he would just fly over and talk to them without any preconditions or advance groundwork laying, certainly gives chills to veteran military and diplomatic officials contemplating such a spector.
The resurrected Clinton campaign, after winning three of last week's four Democratic primaries, will get down and dirty in order claw past Obama for the nomination. They can also be counted on to expose a lot of Obama's foreign policy foibles and weaknesses, sparing John McCain and the GOP the task.
In what looks increasingly like a brokered Democratic convention, as neither candidate enters it with the 2,050 votes they need in hand for the nomination, a lot of this will come out on its own, so Republicans can simply quote what the Clintons have already said.
It looks like fun, unless Obama would accidently wind up getting elected. That wouldn't be so fun. It would be scary.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Obama and Hillary's revenge?
Two demographic trends could converge, to create a very bright outlook for John McCain in the 2008 election. This is particularly true if, as Hillary hinted in her Ohio speech, she and Obama wind up on the same ticket.
One is that McCain's age might turn out to be a real advantage. 2008 could be the last gasp push of the baby boomers and elderly to vote in major numbers, as the last big opportunity to maintain control, before Obama's generation takes over. McCain's war record in Vietnam and hard line anti-terrorism views will contrast so sharply with Obama and Hillary that the seniors and baby boomers will create a monolithic block of voters for McCain that will be hard to stop.
Secondly, left out of all the calculations in Hillary and Obama's campaigns are the 40 and over white males. This heavily blue collar group are the working men of the American economy, and have not bought in to the idea of either a black or a female president. If they are paired on the Democratic ticket, this is a real danger. Either one might be able to select a traditional white male vice presidential candidate and at least split this block. Together they won't.
McCain, with his war record and blunt talking image, could have tailor-made appeal to 40 and over white males. When this group is combined with the oldsters mentioned above, a relative landslide could be in the making.
Youthful new voters have turned out in droves so far this year at caucuses and primary elections for Obama. They don't traditionally show up and vote at this early stage in their lives. The disappointment of Obama winding up number two or not on the ticket at all, could keep them home in November, and increase the clout of the oldsters and blue collar men.
We conservatives can only fervently hope Obama and Hillary don't figure this out too soon.
One is that McCain's age might turn out to be a real advantage. 2008 could be the last gasp push of the baby boomers and elderly to vote in major numbers, as the last big opportunity to maintain control, before Obama's generation takes over. McCain's war record in Vietnam and hard line anti-terrorism views will contrast so sharply with Obama and Hillary that the seniors and baby boomers will create a monolithic block of voters for McCain that will be hard to stop.
Secondly, left out of all the calculations in Hillary and Obama's campaigns are the 40 and over white males. This heavily blue collar group are the working men of the American economy, and have not bought in to the idea of either a black or a female president. If they are paired on the Democratic ticket, this is a real danger. Either one might be able to select a traditional white male vice presidential candidate and at least split this block. Together they won't.
McCain, with his war record and blunt talking image, could have tailor-made appeal to 40 and over white males. When this group is combined with the oldsters mentioned above, a relative landslide could be in the making.
Youthful new voters have turned out in droves so far this year at caucuses and primary elections for Obama. They don't traditionally show up and vote at this early stage in their lives. The disappointment of Obama winding up number two or not on the ticket at all, could keep them home in November, and increase the clout of the oldsters and blue collar men.
We conservatives can only fervently hope Obama and Hillary don't figure this out too soon.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Obama jaugernaut starting to crack?
Mini Super Tuesday, or whatever its called, came up snake eyes for Barack Obama. Not only did Hillary Clinton win decisively in Ohio and Rhode Island, and at this writing, remains slightly ahead in Texas--but Obama's charmed life with the press went south.
Most probably a Saturday Night Live skit last week showing the press bowing and scraping before Obama, catering to his every whim and fawning over him like the second coming of Jesus, snapped them to attention. Grossly embarassed, as they should have been a long time ago, beat reporters went after Barack at a press conference today like dogs after raw meat.
After tough questions about his slimy partner and fundraiser Tony Resko, who is on trial for fraud as we speak in Chicago, his Communist-party-affiliated advisor, his endorsement by Louis Farakhan and his lies about NAFTA and Canadian trade, an angry Obama abruptly ended the press conference and stalked off. When combined with a day of very mixed primary results, at best, the bloom may be off the Obama rose.
The press is even finally calling to account his sharp-tongued wife Michelle, who has said enough outrageoous things on the campaign trail that if she hadn't been Mrs. Barack Obama, she'd have been crucified. A child of privilege with the finest Ivy League education, cushy high level jobs with big salaries and few duties--Michelle shows an alarming lack of gratitude or touch for the daily trials of the common man.
Conservatives can cheer for the results of Mini Super Tuesday, which pretty well guarantee a bare-knuckled brawl for the Democratic presidential nomination clear through to the Denver convention in August. John McCain should be smiling.
Most probably a Saturday Night Live skit last week showing the press bowing and scraping before Obama, catering to his every whim and fawning over him like the second coming of Jesus, snapped them to attention. Grossly embarassed, as they should have been a long time ago, beat reporters went after Barack at a press conference today like dogs after raw meat.
After tough questions about his slimy partner and fundraiser Tony Resko, who is on trial for fraud as we speak in Chicago, his Communist-party-affiliated advisor, his endorsement by Louis Farakhan and his lies about NAFTA and Canadian trade, an angry Obama abruptly ended the press conference and stalked off. When combined with a day of very mixed primary results, at best, the bloom may be off the Obama rose.
The press is even finally calling to account his sharp-tongued wife Michelle, who has said enough outrageoous things on the campaign trail that if she hadn't been Mrs. Barack Obama, she'd have been crucified. A child of privilege with the finest Ivy League education, cushy high level jobs with big salaries and few duties--Michelle shows an alarming lack of gratitude or touch for the daily trials of the common man.
Conservatives can cheer for the results of Mini Super Tuesday, which pretty well guarantee a bare-knuckled brawl for the Democratic presidential nomination clear through to the Denver convention in August. John McCain should be smiling.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Let's all vote for Hillary Tuesday
That's right. For all you Texas readers, of whom there's quite a few, the greatest good that you could perform tomorrow is to vote in the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton.
There is nothing of great import on the GOP primary ballot. McCain is going to win going away. Even if Mike Huckabee won the Texas primary, which the polls show is highly unlikely, he is not going to win the nomination. The greatest single good that could be done for McCain is to keep the Democratic nomination in limbo clear through the August national convention in Denver. We need to keep Hillary at it, with victories in Texas and Ohio, as well as the lesser states of Delaware and Rhode Island.
I heard a couple of early voters in the Texas primary on Rush Limbaugh, who became physically ill while requesting a Democratic ballot. One's hand shook so violently at marking Hillary's name, she could barely do it. Oh the sacrifices we make for the good of the cause.
The national press is finally starting to critically report on Obama, which was bound to happen. But the biggest single way to slow his momentum is to keep Hillary in the race. She can road test all the strategems Republicans need for the fall, and the longer she stays in, the more she will expose for our later use.
I know it's tough, but sometimes you have to take one for the good of the team.
There is nothing of great import on the GOP primary ballot. McCain is going to win going away. Even if Mike Huckabee won the Texas primary, which the polls show is highly unlikely, he is not going to win the nomination. The greatest single good that could be done for McCain is to keep the Democratic nomination in limbo clear through the August national convention in Denver. We need to keep Hillary at it, with victories in Texas and Ohio, as well as the lesser states of Delaware and Rhode Island.
I heard a couple of early voters in the Texas primary on Rush Limbaugh, who became physically ill while requesting a Democratic ballot. One's hand shook so violently at marking Hillary's name, she could barely do it. Oh the sacrifices we make for the good of the cause.
The national press is finally starting to critically report on Obama, which was bound to happen. But the biggest single way to slow his momentum is to keep Hillary in the race. She can road test all the strategems Republicans need for the fall, and the longer she stays in, the more she will expose for our later use.
I know it's tough, but sometimes you have to take one for the good of the team.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
As bad as McCain is . . .
John McCain was my absolute last choice for the Republican presidential nomination. I do not trust him. He is too much of a maverick for me.
McCain is too cozy with the liberal national news media, he cozies up too readily with the most extreme liberal elements of the Democratic Party such as Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold to sponsor socialistic legislation, and changes his mind on the drop of a dime, such as he's done on interrigation of international terrorists. He is not a reliable conservative.
All that said, he is still far preferable to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama for president. I'll hold my nose to vote for him, but he is the least odious of the major candidates who have a chance to win.
McCain is pro-military, hard core on the Iraq war and defeating muslim terrorism. Certainly McCain's economic policies, while not as conservative as I would like, are light years ahead of Clinton or Obama. While he has the un-nerving proclivity for compromise, McCain would still appoint better judges and Supreme Court justices than Clinton or Obama and staff his cabinet with a few conservatives, here and there.
If McCain were headed for a crushing defeat anyway, it might be worth laying back and letting the GOP be cleansed of the last vestiges of liberalism. However, the polls show him running within the margin of error or leading both Clinton and Obama. Unless the national media turn on him completely between now and November, a distinct possibility by the way--McCain has a real chance to win, and conservatives will only shoot themselves in the foot by wasting their vote on a dubious third party candidate or not voting for president at all.
McCain is too cozy with the liberal national news media, he cozies up too readily with the most extreme liberal elements of the Democratic Party such as Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold to sponsor socialistic legislation, and changes his mind on the drop of a dime, such as he's done on interrigation of international terrorists. He is not a reliable conservative.
All that said, he is still far preferable to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama for president. I'll hold my nose to vote for him, but he is the least odious of the major candidates who have a chance to win.
McCain is pro-military, hard core on the Iraq war and defeating muslim terrorism. Certainly McCain's economic policies, while not as conservative as I would like, are light years ahead of Clinton or Obama. While he has the un-nerving proclivity for compromise, McCain would still appoint better judges and Supreme Court justices than Clinton or Obama and staff his cabinet with a few conservatives, here and there.
If McCain were headed for a crushing defeat anyway, it might be worth laying back and letting the GOP be cleansed of the last vestiges of liberalism. However, the polls show him running within the margin of error or leading both Clinton and Obama. Unless the national media turn on him completely between now and November, a distinct possibility by the way--McCain has a real chance to win, and conservatives will only shoot themselves in the foot by wasting their vote on a dubious third party candidate or not voting for president at all.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Weak GOP Congressional leadership
It was bad enough that Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the 2004 election. This was needless, a case of weak congressional leadership and even weaker campaign leadership.
House speaker Dennis Hastert, a colorless backbencher until elevated to speaker as a third-choice selection (Newt Gingrich forced to resign, then his replacement Louisiana Rep. Bob Livingston was forced to resign), lent very little leadership to the House. The liberals correctly saw that the most effective leader in the House who could really get things done was Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. That meant forcing him out at all costs, which they did. His replacement, Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, was another undistinguished backbencher.
New York Rep. Tom Reynolds and Virginia Rep. Tom Davis were weak chairmen of the House GOP Campaign Committee. Subsequent audits have shown how they misappropriated funds and in 2004 didn't raise enough funds for Republican incumbents and challengers. The other major job of the committee, recruiting strong candidates in open seats, was badly mishandled, so the GOP went into the campaign lacking both funds and strong candidates.
The story in the Senate wasn't much better. After forcing out Majority Leader Trent Lott over speaking favorably at Sen. Strom Thurmond's funeral, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee became Majority Leader. He was flat out unable to pull it together. He managed to turn a legitimate shot at the GOP presidential nomination into a non-starter, all because of his weak performance as Majority Leader.
North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole was a bust at chairman of the GOP Senate Campaign Committee. She raised less money and recruited weaker candidates than the GOP had seen in many elections. That's why we lost the Senate.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current Senate minority leader, is an improvement, but the word "minority" says it all. The same can be said of House minority leader John Boehner. He's paddling upstream as fast as he can, but the minority in the House doesn't even have the threat of a filibuster like they have in the Senate, so is almost an afterthought,
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are among the weakest and most ineffectual holders of those jobs in recent recall. The lions of yesteryear like Sam Rayburn or Lyndon Johnson must be laughing from their graves at how far the Democratic congressional leadership has fallen.
What an opportunity for the GOP, if we just had the leaders to take advantage of it.
House speaker Dennis Hastert, a colorless backbencher until elevated to speaker as a third-choice selection (Newt Gingrich forced to resign, then his replacement Louisiana Rep. Bob Livingston was forced to resign), lent very little leadership to the House. The liberals correctly saw that the most effective leader in the House who could really get things done was Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. That meant forcing him out at all costs, which they did. His replacement, Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, was another undistinguished backbencher.
New York Rep. Tom Reynolds and Virginia Rep. Tom Davis were weak chairmen of the House GOP Campaign Committee. Subsequent audits have shown how they misappropriated funds and in 2004 didn't raise enough funds for Republican incumbents and challengers. The other major job of the committee, recruiting strong candidates in open seats, was badly mishandled, so the GOP went into the campaign lacking both funds and strong candidates.
The story in the Senate wasn't much better. After forcing out Majority Leader Trent Lott over speaking favorably at Sen. Strom Thurmond's funeral, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee became Majority Leader. He was flat out unable to pull it together. He managed to turn a legitimate shot at the GOP presidential nomination into a non-starter, all because of his weak performance as Majority Leader.
North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole was a bust at chairman of the GOP Senate Campaign Committee. She raised less money and recruited weaker candidates than the GOP had seen in many elections. That's why we lost the Senate.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current Senate minority leader, is an improvement, but the word "minority" says it all. The same can be said of House minority leader John Boehner. He's paddling upstream as fast as he can, but the minority in the House doesn't even have the threat of a filibuster like they have in the Senate, so is almost an afterthought,
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are among the weakest and most ineffectual holders of those jobs in recent recall. The lions of yesteryear like Sam Rayburn or Lyndon Johnson must be laughing from their graves at how far the Democratic congressional leadership has fallen.
What an opportunity for the GOP, if we just had the leaders to take advantage of it.
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