Regardless what you think of John McCain or his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate--the one thing that cannot be denied is that the stars are aligning right for the ticket at this moment in time.
Nobody wants to see a Hurricane Katrina repeat in New Orleans with Hurricane Gustav, but this just in: due to the impending possible disaster, and its attendant heavy responsibilities, President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will be unable to attend the Republican National Convention this week in Minneapolis. (Wink, Wink. Nod. Nod.)
Now the liberal press will have to use four-year-old pictures of Bush and McCain bear-hugging, as the Prez is just too busy to go to Minneapolis. And Cheney can't be there either, gol darn it! And just when the liberals really wanted to get Bush's imprimateur all over the McCain campaign. Tough luck.
It even looks like McCain might have to do his acceptance speech by video from the Gulf Coast, due to the disaster. That means he's only leaving behind his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, to fire up the troops there on the ground in Minneapolis. Oh, the crushing weight of the call of duty, the sacrifices that must be made to put America first . . .
Not to be too cold and cynical, of course. But while the liberal media is doing its best to downplay it, the conservative GOP base has not been this fired up since the first Reagan campaign. As one old warrior told me, who has not been active in many years: "Stand back son, I'm lacin' up my cleats!"
If poor little Sarah Palin is there all alone in Minneapolis, to hold the hands of the 10,000 ecstatic Republican activists who are assembling as we speak . . .boy, that'll be a real downer.
Even more, looking around the television and Sunday papers, has anybody seen anything of Barack Obama or Joe Biden lately?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Obama-Biden second fiddle again
For the second day in a row, Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden's bus tour of the rust belt has played second fiddle in the media to John McCain and his new running mate Sarah Palin's tour of Pennsylvania.
While I personally think Palin will acquit herself well as a campaigner and debater, the jury is still out, but her star quality and the power of the unexpected has she and McCain in the lead position of the news for the second day in a row.
This is bound to blunt the post-convention bounce in the polls Obama would normally get. In fact, the early polls have him up only 4-8 points, much less than normal and not the cushion a winning Democrat takes into the fall. As it stands right now, the GOP will have a much more joyous, colorful convention than it would have been without Palin, and McCain's the one who could get the big post-convention bounce.
Assuming Palin doesn't stub her toe on the national stage, an unknown at this point, and fades into relative obscurity as vice presidential candiates usually do, McCain would be looking good come November.
Obama, and particularly his surrogates. will haul out the heavy inexperience timber from now until the election, but whether it sticks depends largely on how well Palin plays her role. Without any major miscues on her part, Obama has no room to talk about experience, and it will fade into oblivion as an issue.
In any case, what was shaping up as a dull, boring campaign has been supercharged with Sarah Palin thrown into the mix, and it should be an exciting fall.
While I personally think Palin will acquit herself well as a campaigner and debater, the jury is still out, but her star quality and the power of the unexpected has she and McCain in the lead position of the news for the second day in a row.
This is bound to blunt the post-convention bounce in the polls Obama would normally get. In fact, the early polls have him up only 4-8 points, much less than normal and not the cushion a winning Democrat takes into the fall. As it stands right now, the GOP will have a much more joyous, colorful convention than it would have been without Palin, and McCain's the one who could get the big post-convention bounce.
Assuming Palin doesn't stub her toe on the national stage, an unknown at this point, and fades into relative obscurity as vice presidential candiates usually do, McCain would be looking good come November.
Obama, and particularly his surrogates. will haul out the heavy inexperience timber from now until the election, but whether it sticks depends largely on how well Palin plays her role. Without any major miscues on her part, Obama has no room to talk about experience, and it will fade into oblivion as an issue.
In any case, what was shaping up as a dull, boring campaign has been supercharged with Sarah Palin thrown into the mix, and it should be an exciting fall.
Friday, August 29, 2008
McCain hits grand slam with Palin
And the hits just keep on comin' . . .
The McCain campaign has kicked it up several notches ever since they hired Arnold Schwartznegger's campaign manager. Better anticipation, better response and better advertising, better timed--all have kicked in since Steve Schmidt took over.
So it was no surprise today when McCain kicked Obama and Biden off the front pages and the TV newscasts with the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. It was such a shock to the mass media, who have been ignoring her obvious assets for months, that they barely knew how to respond.
She is only 44, three years younger than Obama, an excellent and engaging speaker and has over twice as many years in public office as he has. She also has been a success in private business--and of course, Obama has yet to earn his first private enterprise dollar. She is pro-life, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., a crack shot, a hunter and fisherman.
In fact, she and her husband haven't talked the talk in being pro-life, but knowing that their fifth child would have Downs Syndrome, they allowed him to be born and he is an honored member of their family. She said something about honoring God's Creation--what a novel concept!
As Governor, when rising oil prices gave the state a big surplus, they gave it back to the taxpayers. She overturned the Bridge to Nowhere, refusing the federal money. She signed into law a stringent anti-corruption law, full of public disclosure requirements for public officeholders.
She is highly intelligent and a breath of fresh air. The libs will quickly find that she is tough, quick witted and nimble. She is more than up to the task, including winning the televised debate with Joe Biden.
John McCain has shuffled the deck, and changed the whole dynamic. Which is the campaign of change now? The one with the 36-year insider U.S. Senator for veep, or the one with the youthful female outsider reformer?
The McCain campaign has kicked it up several notches ever since they hired Arnold Schwartznegger's campaign manager. Better anticipation, better response and better advertising, better timed--all have kicked in since Steve Schmidt took over.
So it was no surprise today when McCain kicked Obama and Biden off the front pages and the TV newscasts with the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. It was such a shock to the mass media, who have been ignoring her obvious assets for months, that they barely knew how to respond.
She is only 44, three years younger than Obama, an excellent and engaging speaker and has over twice as many years in public office as he has. She also has been a success in private business--and of course, Obama has yet to earn his first private enterprise dollar. She is pro-life, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., a crack shot, a hunter and fisherman.
In fact, she and her husband haven't talked the talk in being pro-life, but knowing that their fifth child would have Downs Syndrome, they allowed him to be born and he is an honored member of their family. She said something about honoring God's Creation--what a novel concept!
As Governor, when rising oil prices gave the state a big surplus, they gave it back to the taxpayers. She overturned the Bridge to Nowhere, refusing the federal money. She signed into law a stringent anti-corruption law, full of public disclosure requirements for public officeholders.
She is highly intelligent and a breath of fresh air. The libs will quickly find that she is tough, quick witted and nimble. She is more than up to the task, including winning the televised debate with Joe Biden.
John McCain has shuffled the deck, and changed the whole dynamic. Which is the campaign of change now? The one with the 36-year insider U.S. Senator for veep, or the one with the youthful female outsider reformer?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Obama: the old class warfare bromides
The Greco-Roman stage built for Barack Obama to speak from at Denver's Invesco at Mile High stadium was impeccable. The roaring crowd was just right. The stage management of interspersing Colorado's boring, pedestrian Democratic pols with old rock groups kept everyone's interest from the 2 p.m. when they had to be in their seats, until Obama finally spoke at 8:20 p.m.
Obama was his usual engaging self at the teleprompter, and read his lines flawlessly.
The problem was the Obama message of Hope and Change--somehow got lost in the standard, traditional Democratic class warfare digs at George Bush and John McCain-- as well as tearjerking stories about citizens who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and digs at how rich they are and how poor we are.
It could just as easily have been FDR, Harry Truman, Bill Clinton speaking--the message was the same. Us versus them. They're the haves, we're the have-nots. Woe is us.
The Hope and Change faded into in the same old, same old. Long on rhetoric, short on vision and dreams. Barack ran them up the flagpole all right--but how many will salute?
Obama was his usual engaging self at the teleprompter, and read his lines flawlessly.
The problem was the Obama message of Hope and Change--somehow got lost in the standard, traditional Democratic class warfare digs at George Bush and John McCain-- as well as tearjerking stories about citizens who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and digs at how rich they are and how poor we are.
It could just as easily have been FDR, Harry Truman, Bill Clinton speaking--the message was the same. Us versus them. They're the haves, we're the have-nots. Woe is us.
The Hope and Change faded into in the same old, same old. Long on rhetoric, short on vision and dreams. Barack ran them up the flagpole all right--but how many will salute?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Demonstrators a mere shadow of yesteryear
We who live in Denver year around are consumed by having the Democratic National Convention in our city.
It's hard to get news or information about much else. Katrina II may be closing in on New Orleans, and the Colorado Rockies may be making another late season miracle run for the playoffs--but you're hard-pressed to find out about it.
Millions of dollars of taxpayer money have been lavished on extra cops, equipping them with riot gear and high tech security apparatus--all to fend off the anarchists, rioters and demonstrators who are drawn to national political conventions like moths to a bright light.
So far, knock on wood, those drawn to Denver have been a major disappointment. They can be counted in the hundreds, not the tens of thousands, and except for the press, would attract very little attention or notice. They have not been disruptive, or even disrespectful. What they've really been is pathetic.
The salad days of demonstrating may be over. The internet and social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and UTube may well have eclipsed street demonstrations. Blackberries, cell phones, I-phones and texting have made communication so personal, so quick and intense, that putting on a show in the street for the evening TV audience may not matter as much anymore.
The overwhelming sense you get from what demonstrators are out there, is that they're old and trying hard to recapture the glories of yesteryear. There are very few young protestors and demonstators, who seem to have moved on to the impersonalization of high tech, which has become their mantra.
MoveOn.org and their ilk seem a lot more powerful, and to have captured the younger generation, than street demonstrations, arrests and provoking the police.
With one day to go, maybe there will still be a major street ruckus, but it really feels like the world has changed. Just as the anachronistic roll call of states at the convention lacked its old drama, which Hillary Clinton's motion mercifully put out of its misery, street rumbles aren't what they once were, either.
It's hard to get news or information about much else. Katrina II may be closing in on New Orleans, and the Colorado Rockies may be making another late season miracle run for the playoffs--but you're hard-pressed to find out about it.
Millions of dollars of taxpayer money have been lavished on extra cops, equipping them with riot gear and high tech security apparatus--all to fend off the anarchists, rioters and demonstrators who are drawn to national political conventions like moths to a bright light.
So far, knock on wood, those drawn to Denver have been a major disappointment. They can be counted in the hundreds, not the tens of thousands, and except for the press, would attract very little attention or notice. They have not been disruptive, or even disrespectful. What they've really been is pathetic.
The salad days of demonstrating may be over. The internet and social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and UTube may well have eclipsed street demonstrations. Blackberries, cell phones, I-phones and texting have made communication so personal, so quick and intense, that putting on a show in the street for the evening TV audience may not matter as much anymore.
The overwhelming sense you get from what demonstrators are out there, is that they're old and trying hard to recapture the glories of yesteryear. There are very few young protestors and demonstators, who seem to have moved on to the impersonalization of high tech, which has become their mantra.
MoveOn.org and their ilk seem a lot more powerful, and to have captured the younger generation, than street demonstrations, arrests and provoking the police.
With one day to go, maybe there will still be a major street ruckus, but it really feels like the world has changed. Just as the anachronistic roll call of states at the convention lacked its old drama, which Hillary Clinton's motion mercifully put out of its misery, street rumbles aren't what they once were, either.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Knowing how to set the table
The Democrats blew it in the staging and arrangement of the first night of their convention.
I've organized my share of conferences, conventions, retreats and church services in my day--and you can set them up for emotional impact, leaving everyone with a memorable experience and asking for more. Or you can just hodgepodge it call together, "take it as they come" and everyone will be shuffling their feet and looking at their watches.
Particularly, when it is televised, you want the best parts in prime time on the air.
The early part of the day one Democratic agenda was the predictable droll speechifying, dragging out every superlative in the book. Sort of as one of the ancient sages like Aristotle remarked "how many angels can you get on the head of a pin?"
But then they honored Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, with a well done video and speech by his niece, Caroline Kennedy. The predictable crescendo erupted when brain cancer-stricken Ted himself made it to the podium, and limited himself to just 7 minutes of trademark Kennedy bombast.
The table was set, as they say, and that was the moment to bring on Michelle Obama and crown the evening. Or in a church, service, the moment when you receive the offering. Or when the chairman moves immediately to a vote, while his side has things rolling his way.
Instead, the Democrats then trotted out former Iowa Republican Rep. Jim Leach, chairman of the Republicans for Obama. He always was a lousy speaker, and after running weaker and weaker, election after election, was finally defeated for re-election by Iowa voters. Leach droned on and on, settling old political scores and doing little to advance Obama's cause, as few--if any--Republicans and Independents were watching.
This drove the emotional climate into the floor, and the time in the East past 11 p.m. by the time they finally brought on Michelle Obama. Rare is the speaker who can wake the dead, much less resurrect the spirit that has gone flat. Michelle certainly is not one of them, and particularly when she has been instructed to take her happy pills, in order to douse her public image as a sniveling, angry black woman.
In prime time, when everyone was on fire from the Kennedy contretemps, Michelle could have been kind of endearing, warm and fuzzy--and done a lot of good to buff the Obama family image.
Everyone was yawning and looking at their watches by the time she got through, and chatted with Barack and the girls through the miracles of modern technology--even if Dad wasn't sure which city he was in.
As a McCain fan, I thought it was great. If I was a Democrat, I'd be reaching for the panic button.
I've organized my share of conferences, conventions, retreats and church services in my day--and you can set them up for emotional impact, leaving everyone with a memorable experience and asking for more. Or you can just hodgepodge it call together, "take it as they come" and everyone will be shuffling their feet and looking at their watches.
Particularly, when it is televised, you want the best parts in prime time on the air.
The early part of the day one Democratic agenda was the predictable droll speechifying, dragging out every superlative in the book. Sort of as one of the ancient sages like Aristotle remarked "how many angels can you get on the head of a pin?"
But then they honored Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, with a well done video and speech by his niece, Caroline Kennedy. The predictable crescendo erupted when brain cancer-stricken Ted himself made it to the podium, and limited himself to just 7 minutes of trademark Kennedy bombast.
The table was set, as they say, and that was the moment to bring on Michelle Obama and crown the evening. Or in a church, service, the moment when you receive the offering. Or when the chairman moves immediately to a vote, while his side has things rolling his way.
Instead, the Democrats then trotted out former Iowa Republican Rep. Jim Leach, chairman of the Republicans for Obama. He always was a lousy speaker, and after running weaker and weaker, election after election, was finally defeated for re-election by Iowa voters. Leach droned on and on, settling old political scores and doing little to advance Obama's cause, as few--if any--Republicans and Independents were watching.
This drove the emotional climate into the floor, and the time in the East past 11 p.m. by the time they finally brought on Michelle Obama. Rare is the speaker who can wake the dead, much less resurrect the spirit that has gone flat. Michelle certainly is not one of them, and particularly when she has been instructed to take her happy pills, in order to douse her public image as a sniveling, angry black woman.
In prime time, when everyone was on fire from the Kennedy contretemps, Michelle could have been kind of endearing, warm and fuzzy--and done a lot of good to buff the Obama family image.
Everyone was yawning and looking at their watches by the time she got through, and chatted with Barack and the girls through the miracles of modern technology--even if Dad wasn't sure which city he was in.
As a McCain fan, I thought it was great. If I was a Democrat, I'd be reaching for the panic button.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Demos not winning any friends in Denver
Those denizens of downtown Denver without the foresight to take vacation time during the Democratic National Convention, are paying the price in inconvenience, delays and uncertainty.
The police have conflicting orders on what street is open when, and where it is legal to walk and where it isn't. If you want to do something and don't like the answer from one officer, go ask another one and you'll probably be allowed. With the main drag into downtown Denver, Speer Boulevard closed, and other lesser streets in various stages of restriction, the smart locals stay far from downtown.
Those intrepid souls who ride the bus or light rail are even more lost. Schedules have been turned upside down, as well as stations closed close to downtown. One downtown worker who normally has a one block walk from the light rail stop to work now has 11 blocks--each way.
The press seeks out the happy people, who are gaa-gaa over having so many celebrities in town, so to watch TV or listen to the radio, you'd think everything is ducky. This is just the first day, so you can imagine how thin patience will be after four more days of this.
Particularly pathetic to see are the professional protestors trying to whip something up in the parks and the caged-in area where they are allowed near Pepsi Center, site of the conventioin. Many of them are downright elderly, and their shopworn cliches from the 1960s and 1970s have gotton old along with them. The public long ago saw the folly of the protests and attempts to foment violence, and gives them short shrift. They are wasting everybody's time.
To see the media, you'd swear everybody was singing FDR's old tune, Happy Days Are Here Again. But if you actually live and work in downtown Denver, it's a whole different matter.
The police have conflicting orders on what street is open when, and where it is legal to walk and where it isn't. If you want to do something and don't like the answer from one officer, go ask another one and you'll probably be allowed. With the main drag into downtown Denver, Speer Boulevard closed, and other lesser streets in various stages of restriction, the smart locals stay far from downtown.
Those intrepid souls who ride the bus or light rail are even more lost. Schedules have been turned upside down, as well as stations closed close to downtown. One downtown worker who normally has a one block walk from the light rail stop to work now has 11 blocks--each way.
The press seeks out the happy people, who are gaa-gaa over having so many celebrities in town, so to watch TV or listen to the radio, you'd think everything is ducky. This is just the first day, so you can imagine how thin patience will be after four more days of this.
Particularly pathetic to see are the professional protestors trying to whip something up in the parks and the caged-in area where they are allowed near Pepsi Center, site of the conventioin. Many of them are downright elderly, and their shopworn cliches from the 1960s and 1970s have gotton old along with them. The public long ago saw the folly of the protests and attempts to foment violence, and gives them short shrift. They are wasting everybody's time.
To see the media, you'd swear everybody was singing FDR's old tune, Happy Days Are Here Again. But if you actually live and work in downtown Denver, it's a whole different matter.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
McCain campaign response to Biden brilliant
The shakeup of the McCain campaign, bringing in Arnold Schwartznegger's former campaign manager, is paying off in spades, as it has become nimble, gutsy and provocative in recent weeks.
This has been evident in many recent events, but never more so than in Joe Biden's selection as Obama's running mate. The McCain campaign had radio and TV spots up within hours of the selection that were hardhitting and well conceived. One was Biden in 2005, praising McCain and saying he'd be honored to run with him. The other one that played upon the anger of the Hillary Clinton crowd, stressing how shabbily she was treated in the Biden selection.
The Biden selection was a safe, if not inspired, choice by Obama. Biden is a scion of the liberal foreign policy establishment and shores up one of Obama's most glaring weaknesses. How it must grate on a 36-year Senator like Biden to take second fiddle to a four-year Senator of very limited accomplishment and experience.
Politically, the choice severely damages Obama's mantra of hope and change. The idealistic young folks who put him where he is cannot be inspired by a veep 65 years old, who has never risen out of the single digits in two presidential runs. Obama would carry Biden's home state of Delaware without him, and Biden adds no electoral muscle in any other state.
There is great potential for Republicans in Biden, as he is a loose canon with a microphone in his hand and has enough baggage to fill a semi. Biden is almost sure to say something embarassing to Democrats before the campaign is out, if not get in a mess such as plagarizing his stump speech in 1988.
McCain's sure-footed response just shows the confidence the Biden pick has given him.
This has been evident in many recent events, but never more so than in Joe Biden's selection as Obama's running mate. The McCain campaign had radio and TV spots up within hours of the selection that were hardhitting and well conceived. One was Biden in 2005, praising McCain and saying he'd be honored to run with him. The other one that played upon the anger of the Hillary Clinton crowd, stressing how shabbily she was treated in the Biden selection.
The Biden selection was a safe, if not inspired, choice by Obama. Biden is a scion of the liberal foreign policy establishment and shores up one of Obama's most glaring weaknesses. How it must grate on a 36-year Senator like Biden to take second fiddle to a four-year Senator of very limited accomplishment and experience.
Politically, the choice severely damages Obama's mantra of hope and change. The idealistic young folks who put him where he is cannot be inspired by a veep 65 years old, who has never risen out of the single digits in two presidential runs. Obama would carry Biden's home state of Delaware without him, and Biden adds no electoral muscle in any other state.
There is great potential for Republicans in Biden, as he is a loose canon with a microphone in his hand and has enough baggage to fill a semi. Biden is almost sure to say something embarassing to Democrats before the campaign is out, if not get in a mess such as plagarizing his stump speech in 1988.
McCain's sure-footed response just shows the confidence the Biden pick has given him.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Obama's reach for "gravitas" with Biden
In 2000, the liberal press, like faithful lap dogs, picked up the Bill and Hillary Clinton line that then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush lacked the "gravitas" to be president. Rush Limbaugh put together an audio montage of national radio and TV anchors, each repeating the charge of Bush's supposed lack of "gravitas."
Bush was a veteran pro, at that point, compared to Barack Obama today. At least he had been around the White House with his parents, been active in presidential politics with them, and been Governor of Texas for eight years--a large state with large responsibility. Bush had also been a successful businessman, making a fortune in the oil business and owning the major league Texas Rangers baseball team.
He solved his alleged "gravitas" problem, in the eyes of the press, by selecting Dick Cheney as his vice presidential nominee, who had "gravitas" from his 20 years service in the U.S. House, rising to minority Whip, Ford White House Chief of Staff, and Bush 41 Defense Secretary.
Roll the cameras to 2008, and we find Obama, with a much worse lack of "gravitas" than Bush every thought of having. The liberal press has never even breathed the term, until suddenly Russia reimerges as its old self and invades its former colony Georgia. A genuine foreign policy crisis.
Obama was quickly in deep water, over his head, and made a few naive, inexperienced remarks about it that made him look like the rookie he is. A genuine lack of "gravitas." His GOP opponent John McCain, a certifiable heavy in foreign policy, responded sure-footedly as expected, and rose to tying and even leading Obama in the polls.
While the term has not been heard, as Obama is a rock star liberal with the press wrapped around his fingers, Obama solved his "gravitas" problem by abandoning his first choice for vice president, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (who had an even lighter resume than Obama's--three years ago he was Mayor of Richmond), and selecting 36-year Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and ran for president in both 1988 and 2008 without gaining much traction either time.
What his brief campaigns are most famous for is being exposed by his opponent, liberal Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, for plagarizing his stump campaign speech from Briish Labor Party Secretary Neal Kinnock in 1988, and in 2008 calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
Biden is a typical windy, bloviating, out-of-touch veteran Senator--what happens to all of them, like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Chris Dodd, when they serve too tong. Witness Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana today, congratulating Biden as a friend and lamenting that his fellow Hoosier Democrat, Sen. Evan Bayh, wasn't selected. (What about his fellow Republican, John McCain?)
It'll be fascinating to see the results of Obama's reach for "gravitas."
Bush was a veteran pro, at that point, compared to Barack Obama today. At least he had been around the White House with his parents, been active in presidential politics with them, and been Governor of Texas for eight years--a large state with large responsibility. Bush had also been a successful businessman, making a fortune in the oil business and owning the major league Texas Rangers baseball team.
He solved his alleged "gravitas" problem, in the eyes of the press, by selecting Dick Cheney as his vice presidential nominee, who had "gravitas" from his 20 years service in the U.S. House, rising to minority Whip, Ford White House Chief of Staff, and Bush 41 Defense Secretary.
Roll the cameras to 2008, and we find Obama, with a much worse lack of "gravitas" than Bush every thought of having. The liberal press has never even breathed the term, until suddenly Russia reimerges as its old self and invades its former colony Georgia. A genuine foreign policy crisis.
Obama was quickly in deep water, over his head, and made a few naive, inexperienced remarks about it that made him look like the rookie he is. A genuine lack of "gravitas." His GOP opponent John McCain, a certifiable heavy in foreign policy, responded sure-footedly as expected, and rose to tying and even leading Obama in the polls.
While the term has not been heard, as Obama is a rock star liberal with the press wrapped around his fingers, Obama solved his "gravitas" problem by abandoning his first choice for vice president, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (who had an even lighter resume than Obama's--three years ago he was Mayor of Richmond), and selecting 36-year Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and ran for president in both 1988 and 2008 without gaining much traction either time.
What his brief campaigns are most famous for is being exposed by his opponent, liberal Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, for plagarizing his stump campaign speech from Briish Labor Party Secretary Neal Kinnock in 1988, and in 2008 calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
Biden is a typical windy, bloviating, out-of-touch veteran Senator--what happens to all of them, like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Chris Dodd, when they serve too tong. Witness Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana today, congratulating Biden as a friend and lamenting that his fellow Hoosier Democrat, Sen. Evan Bayh, wasn't selected. (What about his fellow Republican, John McCain?)
It'll be fascinating to see the results of Obama's reach for "gravitas."
Friday, August 22, 2008
Clintonistas making last gasp stand
The old saying is "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Hillary Clinton and her primarily female backers are proving the truth of this old saw.
Only 50% of Clinton backers in a recent poll, are actively endorsing Obama at his point, and one fifth of her supporters say they will vote for John McCain.
The Clintonistas have a litany of complaints, including lack of fundraising by Obama to pay off Hillary's $20 million campaign debt, lack of inclusion of former Clinton backers in prominent roles in Obama's campaign, and failure to properly recognize Hillary and her accomplishment as the most successful female presidential candidate in history.
While the Clinton folks undoubtedly do have some legitmate concerns, Obama has bent over backwards to the Clintons, giving both Bill and Hillary major speaking roles in prime time at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, and allowing Hillary's name to be placed in nomination, and a rollcall vote held.
Assuming Hillary is not Obama's choice for vice president, as most experts assume, the situation is expected to come to a head next Wednesday night at the convention when Bill Clinton is to speak, followed by the vice presidential nominee. The poor nominee is expected to have a tepid, if not hostle, response from the 2,000 delegates who supported Hillary.
The indication is that the split in the Democratic Party is not healed yet, and the Denver confab may exacerbate the situation, as at least some of Hillary's backers are planning.
It ought to be fun to watch.
Only 50% of Clinton backers in a recent poll, are actively endorsing Obama at his point, and one fifth of her supporters say they will vote for John McCain.
The Clintonistas have a litany of complaints, including lack of fundraising by Obama to pay off Hillary's $20 million campaign debt, lack of inclusion of former Clinton backers in prominent roles in Obama's campaign, and failure to properly recognize Hillary and her accomplishment as the most successful female presidential candidate in history.
While the Clinton folks undoubtedly do have some legitmate concerns, Obama has bent over backwards to the Clintons, giving both Bill and Hillary major speaking roles in prime time at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, and allowing Hillary's name to be placed in nomination, and a rollcall vote held.
Assuming Hillary is not Obama's choice for vice president, as most experts assume, the situation is expected to come to a head next Wednesday night at the convention when Bill Clinton is to speak, followed by the vice presidential nominee. The poor nominee is expected to have a tepid, if not hostle, response from the 2,000 delegates who supported Hillary.
The indication is that the split in the Democratic Party is not healed yet, and the Denver confab may exacerbate the situation, as at least some of Hillary's backers are planning.
It ought to be fun to watch.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Serious character issues surface with Obama
Serious character issues about Barack Obama have surfaced, at the same time the Zogby poll has McCain pulling in front of Obama for the first time, by 5 points. It is thought the Russian invasion of Georgia has raised serious national security concerns about Obama, and his less-than-stellar performance on the interview with Pastor Rick Warren last Saturday, led to the McCain surge.
One character question is the refusal of Obama to support his half brother George Hussein Obama, who lives in Kenya on $1 per month, in a 6 foot by 9 foot box. Surely the multi-millionaire author, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate, whose wife Michelle's last job paid $370,000 per year, could send $100 a month or so to support his brother.
Another question is about an education program he ran, which was chaired by former Weatherman Bill Ayres, who is married to Bernardette Dohrn. Both were convicted of acts of terrorism during the the Vietnam War protest days. The program showed no increase in test scores in the Chicago schools in which the program was active, despite spending nearly $100 million. There were serious financial questions about the disposition of the funds, as well. The private foundation that funded half the tab, and the federal government the rest, is refusing to release the records of the program.
It has also surfaced that Obama was "elected" to his term in the Illinois State Senate by challenging the nominating petitions of the other candidates in the heavily Democratic district, including the incumbent, and getting them thrown off the ballot. He was then unopposed for the seat. Classic Chicago machine politics.
None of these situations has made headlines in the major news media, and the Obama campaign refuses to answer questions aobut them. The real question is, what would the news media have done if John McCain had done these things, instead?
One character question is the refusal of Obama to support his half brother George Hussein Obama, who lives in Kenya on $1 per month, in a 6 foot by 9 foot box. Surely the multi-millionaire author, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate, whose wife Michelle's last job paid $370,000 per year, could send $100 a month or so to support his brother.
Another question is about an education program he ran, which was chaired by former Weatherman Bill Ayres, who is married to Bernardette Dohrn. Both were convicted of acts of terrorism during the the Vietnam War protest days. The program showed no increase in test scores in the Chicago schools in which the program was active, despite spending nearly $100 million. There were serious financial questions about the disposition of the funds, as well. The private foundation that funded half the tab, and the federal government the rest, is refusing to release the records of the program.
It has also surfaced that Obama was "elected" to his term in the Illinois State Senate by challenging the nominating petitions of the other candidates in the heavily Democratic district, including the incumbent, and getting them thrown off the ballot. He was then unopposed for the seat. Classic Chicago machine politics.
None of these situations has made headlines in the major news media, and the Obama campaign refuses to answer questions aobut them. The real question is, what would the news media have done if John McCain had done these things, instead?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Denver: Dem confab is definitely in the air
With people already arriving in the Mile High City for the Democratic National Convention, which will actually start in less than a week, there is definitely something in the air.
For some people, it is excitement that Barack Obama will be nominated here and Denver will have its first national major party convention since 1908, when the Democrats met and nominated William Jennings Bryan.
For others, there is dread, as all the crowds, security and congestion will make it harder for them to get to work and tax the restaurants and other facilities they frequent on a daily basis. Most wouldn't care if it was the Democratic or the Republican convention meeting here, it is strictly a matter of convenience.
By far the biggest mess will come on Thursday of convention week, when Obama delivers his acceptance speech at Denver's Mile High Stadium to over 80,000. It is hard to believe, but they are actually going to completely shut down Interstate 25 from 6th Avenue to Interstate 70 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for security reasons.
You have to be familiar with Colorado and Denver to catch the import of this, but Colorado is bisected from the south border to the north border by I-25, and from the east border to the west border by I-70. These are the major freeways in the state. and the only fast way to navigate central Denver. To fully close I-25 for a few hours--not just shut down a lane or two--is a major crisis for the people who actually live and work here. The surface street alternatives, many of which will be constricted too, can't begin to handle the capacity.
That's why you have the third group in the air, leaving town for a week and avoiding the whole mess. They are not just Republicans, but people who can afford it and purposely planned their vacation to coincide with the Dem confab. All the hub-bub, delays and inconvenience--you can't do anything about it or mitigate it, why not miss it?
There's anticipation in the air, all right, for the Democratic National Conventin in Denver--but among locals, it's very mixed feelings, at best.
For some people, it is excitement that Barack Obama will be nominated here and Denver will have its first national major party convention since 1908, when the Democrats met and nominated William Jennings Bryan.
For others, there is dread, as all the crowds, security and congestion will make it harder for them to get to work and tax the restaurants and other facilities they frequent on a daily basis. Most wouldn't care if it was the Democratic or the Republican convention meeting here, it is strictly a matter of convenience.
By far the biggest mess will come on Thursday of convention week, when Obama delivers his acceptance speech at Denver's Mile High Stadium to over 80,000. It is hard to believe, but they are actually going to completely shut down Interstate 25 from 6th Avenue to Interstate 70 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for security reasons.
You have to be familiar with Colorado and Denver to catch the import of this, but Colorado is bisected from the south border to the north border by I-25, and from the east border to the west border by I-70. These are the major freeways in the state. and the only fast way to navigate central Denver. To fully close I-25 for a few hours--not just shut down a lane or two--is a major crisis for the people who actually live and work here. The surface street alternatives, many of which will be constricted too, can't begin to handle the capacity.
That's why you have the third group in the air, leaving town for a week and avoiding the whole mess. They are not just Republicans, but people who can afford it and purposely planned their vacation to coincide with the Dem confab. All the hub-bub, delays and inconvenience--you can't do anything about it or mitigate it, why not miss it?
There's anticipation in the air, all right, for the Democratic National Conventin in Denver--but among locals, it's very mixed feelings, at best.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Pelosi's religious oratory over the top
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got carried away with hyperbole yesterday, introducing Barack Obama to a crowd of wealthy political contributors as "a leader sent to us by God, as a blessing to us."
Already derided as "Obamassiah," and other "from on high" references, the last thing the elitist, upper crust Obama needs is more proof of the truth of John McCain's television commercial comparing him to Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton. Hilton's hilarious You Tube video in response only prolonged the fun.
After Obama's windy, convoluted answers to Pastor Rick Warren's questions last Saturday night, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has enough problems on spiritual matters, without overblown crooning by Nancy Pelosi.
The liberal Associated Press is now circulating the registration forms from when Obama was six years old, which his parents signed to certify that he was a citizen of Indonesia and a Muslim. This does not necessarily imperil the legality of his eligibility to serve as President, but the refusal of his campaign to comment on the form certainly raises suspicions.
He could well have had dual citizenship in the U.S. and Indonesia, since his mother was a white American. And certainly being a Muslim doesn't disqualifiy anyone from serving as President. But the whole flap does lend credence to author Jerome Corsi's charges in his new book Obama Nation, which opened as the number one best seller on the New York Times list.
Obama needs to be perceived as an ordinary guy, who speaks truth to the American people. Neither Nancy Pelosi's rhetoric nor his own refusal to come clean about his Muslim roots, helps him do that.
Already derided as "Obamassiah," and other "from on high" references, the last thing the elitist, upper crust Obama needs is more proof of the truth of John McCain's television commercial comparing him to Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton. Hilton's hilarious You Tube video in response only prolonged the fun.
After Obama's windy, convoluted answers to Pastor Rick Warren's questions last Saturday night, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has enough problems on spiritual matters, without overblown crooning by Nancy Pelosi.
The liberal Associated Press is now circulating the registration forms from when Obama was six years old, which his parents signed to certify that he was a citizen of Indonesia and a Muslim. This does not necessarily imperil the legality of his eligibility to serve as President, but the refusal of his campaign to comment on the form certainly raises suspicions.
He could well have had dual citizenship in the U.S. and Indonesia, since his mother was a white American. And certainly being a Muslim doesn't disqualifiy anyone from serving as President. But the whole flap does lend credence to author Jerome Corsi's charges in his new book Obama Nation, which opened as the number one best seller on the New York Times list.
Obama needs to be perceived as an ordinary guy, who speaks truth to the American people. Neither Nancy Pelosi's rhetoric nor his own refusal to come clean about his Muslim roots, helps him do that.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
McCain aces Rick Warren interview
Evangelicals, and the Christian Right in general, are quite justifiably uncomfortable with John McCain.
From years gone by, right up the present moment, has has blasted them, at one time or another, from the late Jerry Falwell to Pat Robertson to Bob Jones University to John Hagee to Focus on the Family. The main thing McCain has had going for him is that on most of the issues they care most about, Barack Obama was even worse.
So it came last night, with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in California and author of The Purpose Drive Life, that McCain and Obama were each separately interviewed for an hour on spiritual and moral issues. The overall impression was that McCain was very direct and to the point, dodging no questions, while Obama talked much longer and beat around the bush.
Obama comes out of a very liberal Christian background at best. His 20-year pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is into black liberation theology and is a close friend of Muslims like Louis Farakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quaddafi. Naturally Obama would be quite uncomfortable with the evangelical Warren and obviously had his guard up.
McCain told stories from his personal experiences, such as his time in the North Vietnamese prison and his first marriage, that were touching and related very well to the audience. Obama was much more theoretical and distant, mainly trying to avoid a fatal misstep.
To the extent that McCain shored up his base with the Christian Right, he was the victor. Obama did avoid a fatal misstep, particularly in the eyes of the liberal media.
From years gone by, right up the present moment, has has blasted them, at one time or another, from the late Jerry Falwell to Pat Robertson to Bob Jones University to John Hagee to Focus on the Family. The main thing McCain has had going for him is that on most of the issues they care most about, Barack Obama was even worse.
So it came last night, with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in California and author of The Purpose Drive Life, that McCain and Obama were each separately interviewed for an hour on spiritual and moral issues. The overall impression was that McCain was very direct and to the point, dodging no questions, while Obama talked much longer and beat around the bush.
Obama comes out of a very liberal Christian background at best. His 20-year pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is into black liberation theology and is a close friend of Muslims like Louis Farakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quaddafi. Naturally Obama would be quite uncomfortable with the evangelical Warren and obviously had his guard up.
McCain told stories from his personal experiences, such as his time in the North Vietnamese prison and his first marriage, that were touching and related very well to the audience. Obama was much more theoretical and distant, mainly trying to avoid a fatal misstep.
To the extent that McCain shored up his base with the Christian Right, he was the victor. Obama did avoid a fatal misstep, particularly in the eyes of the liberal media.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Computer literacy a campaign issue?
Much is being made in the media of John McCain's near-total lack of internet savy, while Barack Obama is a Blackberry addict. He can be seen constantly thumbing away, whenever he is away from the podium or not gladhanding folks on the campaign trail.
Even President Bush told Maria Bartiromo that he "uses the Google."
This is probably a non-issue. A president is swarmed with aides and secret service personnel, who are computer savy and will cheerfully do what ever he needs done, instantly. Maybe a guy as hooked as Obama appears to be on Blackberry, may find himself as Jimmy Carter did--too immersed in details to see the big picture.
While Jimmy was busy keeping the schedule for use of the White House tennis courts, Iran seized Americans hostage and interest rates shot up to 22%.
A President needs time for reflection and contemplation, the ability to see the totality of things, and to let his underlings take care of the details.
Statistics show that some 82% of Americans use the internet to at least some degree. This is up from 41.5% when Bill Clinton assumed the presidency in 1992. Once Al Gore got the internet invented, it sure spread like wildfire!
Internet savy is probably not a defining issue in the presidential campaign. Just something for the pundits to have fun with.
Even President Bush told Maria Bartiromo that he "uses the Google."
This is probably a non-issue. A president is swarmed with aides and secret service personnel, who are computer savy and will cheerfully do what ever he needs done, instantly. Maybe a guy as hooked as Obama appears to be on Blackberry, may find himself as Jimmy Carter did--too immersed in details to see the big picture.
While Jimmy was busy keeping the schedule for use of the White House tennis courts, Iran seized Americans hostage and interest rates shot up to 22%.
A President needs time for reflection and contemplation, the ability to see the totality of things, and to let his underlings take care of the details.
Statistics show that some 82% of Americans use the internet to at least some degree. This is up from 41.5% when Bill Clinton assumed the presidency in 1992. Once Al Gore got the internet invented, it sure spread like wildfire!
Internet savy is probably not a defining issue in the presidential campaign. Just something for the pundits to have fun with.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Stench of Edwards' affair gets stronger
Former North Carolina Democratic Sen. John Edwards, who also has run in 2004 and 2008 for the presidential nomination and was the 2004 vice presidential nominee under John Kerry, has admitted he had a 2006 affair with a staffer, Rielle Hunter. By all appearances his chief fundraiser and close personal friend, Dallas trial lawyer Fred Baron, paid her off to keep quiet about the affair.
Hunter had a baby girl in February, 2008, which it is claimed was fathered by another Edwards campaign staffer, Andrew Young, who is married and has chilren in that marriage.
Hunter took her name from her first husband, lawyer Alexander Hunter III, the son of the controversial former Boulder, Colorado district attonery, Alex Hunter. The elder Hunter was most famous for being unable to solve murder cases in his bailiwick, including the cases of Jon Benet Ramsey and the murder of actor Robert Redford's son's girlfriend. The elder Hunter was a classic limousine liberal Democrat, who fit right in with the jocularly-nicknamed Citizens Republic of Boulder, home of the ultra-liberal University of Colorado.
Edwards disclaims any knowledge of payments from Baron to Hunter, and says he will not discuss any aspect of the affair again. He could face criminal charges under federal campaign finance statutes, as his political action committee paid Hunter at least $28,000 to shoot web videos for his campaign, as well as the funds Baron sent her.
It has been like pulling teeth to get the seamy scandal out into the open. It has been well documented on the web for months, but only very recently did ABC News, then the Washington Post and then the New York Times run highly-sanitized versions of the story. There is ample evidence that the affair was public knowledge and reported on the web before Edwards' campaign crashed and burned, but the mainstream media ignored it.
It pays to be a trial lawyer who made millions suing everyone in sight. The liberal press, in addition to ideological bias in conspiring to keep the affair quiet, was cowed into fearing litigation if it dared publicize the elicit wrongdoing.
Taken by itself, the affair was bad enough--if nothing else, just because Edwards' wife Elizabeth has been fighting breast cancer for the past five years. The active coverup, financed with campaign funds and by the major donor Baron, puts it in the criminal category. But does anyone have the courage to prosecute it?
Hunter had a baby girl in February, 2008, which it is claimed was fathered by another Edwards campaign staffer, Andrew Young, who is married and has chilren in that marriage.
Hunter took her name from her first husband, lawyer Alexander Hunter III, the son of the controversial former Boulder, Colorado district attonery, Alex Hunter. The elder Hunter was most famous for being unable to solve murder cases in his bailiwick, including the cases of Jon Benet Ramsey and the murder of actor Robert Redford's son's girlfriend. The elder Hunter was a classic limousine liberal Democrat, who fit right in with the jocularly-nicknamed Citizens Republic of Boulder, home of the ultra-liberal University of Colorado.
Edwards disclaims any knowledge of payments from Baron to Hunter, and says he will not discuss any aspect of the affair again. He could face criminal charges under federal campaign finance statutes, as his political action committee paid Hunter at least $28,000 to shoot web videos for his campaign, as well as the funds Baron sent her.
It has been like pulling teeth to get the seamy scandal out into the open. It has been well documented on the web for months, but only very recently did ABC News, then the Washington Post and then the New York Times run highly-sanitized versions of the story. There is ample evidence that the affair was public knowledge and reported on the web before Edwards' campaign crashed and burned, but the mainstream media ignored it.
It pays to be a trial lawyer who made millions suing everyone in sight. The liberal press, in addition to ideological bias in conspiring to keep the affair quiet, was cowed into fearing litigation if it dared publicize the elicit wrongdoing.
Taken by itself, the affair was bad enough--if nothing else, just because Edwards' wife Elizabeth has been fighting breast cancer for the past five years. The active coverup, financed with campaign funds and by the major donor Baron, puts it in the criminal category. But does anyone have the courage to prosecute it?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Press hides truth on Denver cyanide death
While the Denver media, and therefore the national media, have lazily pooh-poohed the death in a hotel room at the toney Burnsley Hotel of a Candian national of Somali descent from cyanide poisoning, with the Democratic national convention coming to town next week--even President Bush has been briefed about the incident, as the FBI, Homeland Security and the State Department are involved in the investigation.
The man had one pound of cyanide cystals in his room--even to kill thousands if mixed with sulphuric acid in an enclosed public space like a shopping mall, sports arena or church. Instead, he seems to have only killed himself, but the quetion remains: what on earth was a doing with a quantity that great in room 408 at a classy Denver hotel?
Naturally, his family in Ottawa says he is harmless and was on vacation in Denver. Right--I suppose all of us have packed away a pound or two of cyanide at one time or another, in our vacation luggage.
See how ludicrous this situation is? With the eyes of the world on Denver for the Democratic National Convention, what a perfect time and place to pull off a terrorist hit.
Whether it comes out in the media or not, there is a lot more to this seemingly inocuous news story than has been reported so far. Stay tuned.
The man had one pound of cyanide cystals in his room--even to kill thousands if mixed with sulphuric acid in an enclosed public space like a shopping mall, sports arena or church. Instead, he seems to have only killed himself, but the quetion remains: what on earth was a doing with a quantity that great in room 408 at a classy Denver hotel?
Naturally, his family in Ottawa says he is harmless and was on vacation in Denver. Right--I suppose all of us have packed away a pound or two of cyanide at one time or another, in our vacation luggage.
See how ludicrous this situation is? With the eyes of the world on Denver for the Democratic National Convention, what a perfect time and place to pull off a terrorist hit.
Whether it comes out in the media or not, there is a lot more to this seemingly inocuous news story than has been reported so far. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The best Congressman money can buy
Colorado Democrat Jared Polis, after spending over $5.2 million of his own greeting card fortune, won the primary for the second congressional district seat over State Senate Majority Leader Sen. Joan Fitzgerald, backed by Big Labor, and self-styled conservationist Will Shafroth.
Regardless of where you stand on gay rights, Polis probably sealed his political future at "Congressman from Boulder" and no more, as the Rocky Mountain News ran a front page, full page color picture of Polis at his victory rally, holding up the arm of his life partner, Marlon Reis, at the podium--in the traditional political style of man and wife.
This undoubtedly will consign Polis to the narrow dustbin of political lore occupied by Massachusetts Democratic Reps. Barney Frank and Garry Studds, and Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe. Representing liberal, University town districts like Polis will from the home of the University of Colorado, they kept getting re-elected by their ultra-liberal university constituents, but could go no further.
Polis replaces Rep. Mark Udall, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and faces a similar problem statewide, as a denizen of what locals call the Citizens Republic of Boulder. A far-left representative in his own right, Udall is joining presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in sprinting toward the center, at least until the election's over.
Polis can claim that he has already won statewide once, as he spent over $1 million of his own money to be elected to the State Board of Education, an unpaid post. The difference is, he hadn't come out of the closet yet, in that race.
There is a Republican sacrificial lamb, school teacher Scott Starin, running in November for the second district seat, but the Democratic registration and left-leaning independents out-number Republicans about 2-1.
And multi-billionaire Polis can unlimber the old wallet for whatever's necessary to dispatch him.
Regardless of where you stand on gay rights, Polis probably sealed his political future at "Congressman from Boulder" and no more, as the Rocky Mountain News ran a front page, full page color picture of Polis at his victory rally, holding up the arm of his life partner, Marlon Reis, at the podium--in the traditional political style of man and wife.
This undoubtedly will consign Polis to the narrow dustbin of political lore occupied by Massachusetts Democratic Reps. Barney Frank and Garry Studds, and Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe. Representing liberal, University town districts like Polis will from the home of the University of Colorado, they kept getting re-elected by their ultra-liberal university constituents, but could go no further.
Polis replaces Rep. Mark Udall, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and faces a similar problem statewide, as a denizen of what locals call the Citizens Republic of Boulder. A far-left representative in his own right, Udall is joining presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in sprinting toward the center, at least until the election's over.
Polis can claim that he has already won statewide once, as he spent over $1 million of his own money to be elected to the State Board of Education, an unpaid post. The difference is, he hadn't come out of the closet yet, in that race.
There is a Republican sacrificial lamb, school teacher Scott Starin, running in November for the second district seat, but the Democratic registration and left-leaning independents out-number Republicans about 2-1.
And multi-billionaire Polis can unlimber the old wallet for whatever's necessary to dispatch him.
So what? RINOs back Obama
Only a very minor problem in the plethora of crises facing the Republican Party is what any loyal party knows as RINOs--which is shorthand for Republicans in Name Only.
These are officials elected as Republicans, who consistently vote in their career with the Democrats. Two of them sported their true colors, as if it was a big surprise, yesterday--and announced their endorsement of Barack Obama for president.
Former Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, a longstanding thorn in the side of House Republicans, and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chaffee, as a well as an obscure mayor--so obscure most media didn't even give his name--came out of the closet and did what they've been doing for years anyway, and endorsed Obama. The liberal mass media predictably played it up like it was a big deal.
The trio will head a Republicans for Obama, which probably won't affect the election much, one way or the other.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman has already endorsed, and is actively campaigning for, the presumptive GOP nomnee, Sen. John McCain. He is a much bigger hitter, in the overall scheme of things, than any of the RINOs. In fact, he still holds office and has four years to go. He was the vice presidential nominee under Al Gore, and was re-elected in Connecticut to his latest term over both a Republican and a liberal Democrat, who had beaten him the primary. Running as an independent, Lieberman bested everyone.
Lieberman has a much better shot at shaking loose moderate and conservative Democrats for McCain, than the RINO trio does at generating much support for Obama. Lieberman is much more in the mainstream of the Democratic Party than Leach and Chaffee ever were in the GOP. McCain is much more moderate and mainstream in the GOP, while Obama is firmly rooted in the far-left reaches of the Democratic Party.
A big yawn to the Republicans for McCain, who are probably caucassing today, in a phone booth near you.
These are officials elected as Republicans, who consistently vote in their career with the Democrats. Two of them sported their true colors, as if it was a big surprise, yesterday--and announced their endorsement of Barack Obama for president.
Former Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, a longstanding thorn in the side of House Republicans, and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chaffee, as a well as an obscure mayor--so obscure most media didn't even give his name--came out of the closet and did what they've been doing for years anyway, and endorsed Obama. The liberal mass media predictably played it up like it was a big deal.
The trio will head a Republicans for Obama, which probably won't affect the election much, one way or the other.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman has already endorsed, and is actively campaigning for, the presumptive GOP nomnee, Sen. John McCain. He is a much bigger hitter, in the overall scheme of things, than any of the RINOs. In fact, he still holds office and has four years to go. He was the vice presidential nominee under Al Gore, and was re-elected in Connecticut to his latest term over both a Republican and a liberal Democrat, who had beaten him the primary. Running as an independent, Lieberman bested everyone.
Lieberman has a much better shot at shaking loose moderate and conservative Democrats for McCain, than the RINO trio does at generating much support for Obama. Lieberman is much more in the mainstream of the Democratic Party than Leach and Chaffee ever were in the GOP. McCain is much more moderate and mainstream in the GOP, while Obama is firmly rooted in the far-left reaches of the Democratic Party.
A big yawn to the Republicans for McCain, who are probably caucassing today, in a phone booth near you.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Georgia shows ruskies don't change
Those in the foreign policy establishment that have naively believed that ex-KGB nabob Vladimir Putin had changed his spots, have led us down the primrose path once more. The hardline old Red has used his bombs and troops to club a neighbor into submission again, this time in Georgia.
Putin has been moving the post-Soviet government away from democracy and back toward its Marxist ways for some years, just as the foreign policy establishiment in the U.S. was pooh-poohing it. These are the same folks who naively believed that Putin taking the number two spot in the last election meant he'd actually be the number two. Ha.
With the media focused on the sanitizing of another hardline Communist regime, with the Olympics in Red China, Putin thought he could take the occasion to square away the democrats in Georgia, who, unlike Putin, were actually trying to run a democracy. Mostly likely, Putin has gotton away with it, with less damage in the court of world opinion than he would have suffered otherwise.
The point is, the temporizers and hand-wringers at Old Foggy Bottom (the U.S. State Department) were wrong about their new-found friend Putin, and the hardliners who thought very little had changed in Russia, were right.
Putin has been moving the post-Soviet government away from democracy and back toward its Marxist ways for some years, just as the foreign policy establishiment in the U.S. was pooh-poohing it. These are the same folks who naively believed that Putin taking the number two spot in the last election meant he'd actually be the number two. Ha.
With the media focused on the sanitizing of another hardline Communist regime, with the Olympics in Red China, Putin thought he could take the occasion to square away the democrats in Georgia, who, unlike Putin, were actually trying to run a democracy. Mostly likely, Putin has gotton away with it, with less damage in the court of world opinion than he would have suffered otherwise.
The point is, the temporizers and hand-wringers at Old Foggy Bottom (the U.S. State Department) were wrong about their new-found friend Putin, and the hardliners who thought very little had changed in Russia, were right.
Monday, August 11, 2008
McCain, if he wins, will have short coat tails
Even if John McCain eeks out a narrow win for the presidency over Barack Obama, substantial Democratic majorities are still expected in the U.S. House and Senate.
This odd behavior by the voters guarantees another four years of stalemate and politcal grandstanding, instead of the constructive legislative action needed to deal with the country's problems.
Congressional Republicans certainly have not helped themselves, availing themselves of all the perks and privileges of power, and showing no signs of either discerning the problem or fixing it. Republican incumbents cannot talk about earmarks, wasteful federal spending, misplaced budget priorities or scandals caused by these abuses--because they are at least as guilty as the majority Democrats in propagating them.
The indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens for taking oil company construction on his private home, in return for earmarks in the federal budget--just confirms that Republicans are the problem. The liberal mass media takes special care to transmit this message repeatedly. The Democrat's crooks, like Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, who was found with over $90,000 in cash in his freezer at home, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's participation in questionable Nevada land deals--are swept under the carpet by the compliant press.
It is a fact of life Republicans have to contend with. The solution is to return to their small government, tight spending roots, and give the voters the responsible leadership they are looking for in Congress.
Is that too much to ask?
This odd behavior by the voters guarantees another four years of stalemate and politcal grandstanding, instead of the constructive legislative action needed to deal with the country's problems.
Congressional Republicans certainly have not helped themselves, availing themselves of all the perks and privileges of power, and showing no signs of either discerning the problem or fixing it. Republican incumbents cannot talk about earmarks, wasteful federal spending, misplaced budget priorities or scandals caused by these abuses--because they are at least as guilty as the majority Democrats in propagating them.
The indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens for taking oil company construction on his private home, in return for earmarks in the federal budget--just confirms that Republicans are the problem. The liberal mass media takes special care to transmit this message repeatedly. The Democrat's crooks, like Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, who was found with over $90,000 in cash in his freezer at home, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's participation in questionable Nevada land deals--are swept under the carpet by the compliant press.
It is a fact of life Republicans have to contend with. The solution is to return to their small government, tight spending roots, and give the voters the responsible leadership they are looking for in Congress.
Is that too much to ask?
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Media could no longer ignore Edwards affair
As reported here weeks ago, and throughout the blogosphere, former Democratic senator and presidential candidate John Edwards had an extra-marital affair with a lady several years his junior in California. He has now admitted it. It happened before his latest presidential bid, which meant he was lying about it in the campaign, and fighting hard to keep it hidden so it wouldn't jettison his already-slim chances.
What great moral character, with his wife dying of breast cancer in North Carolina. What a solid foundation to build a presidency on. At least he had the excellent example of Bill Clinton to follow. Frankly, Edwards always has come off as a little too eager to please, and too much of the bootlicking trial lawyer--the type who shines his shoes on the back of his pants legs, claps his hands, and says "Oh gee whiz, have I got a deal for you!"
As bad as Edwards' behavior is, the behavior of the national press is even more despicable. The Washington Post has used the fig leaf that Edwards is a private citizen, so was entitled to privacy for his personal behavior. If he weren't running for President, that might be a marginally acceptable excuse--but we were supposed to be vetting a potential president, and the media wasn't bringing us all the relevent facts. Edwards is usually identified as a former senator, not a Democrat.
This is very two-faced, because the slightist foible by a conservative or Republican, the party label is the first thing reported. Witness Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Rep. Mark Foley, Rep. Bob Livingston, evangelists Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart, and the others.
It is probably too much to ask, to have fair and even-handed treatment of philandering politicians of both parties. Dream on.
What great moral character, with his wife dying of breast cancer in North Carolina. What a solid foundation to build a presidency on. At least he had the excellent example of Bill Clinton to follow. Frankly, Edwards always has come off as a little too eager to please, and too much of the bootlicking trial lawyer--the type who shines his shoes on the back of his pants legs, claps his hands, and says "Oh gee whiz, have I got a deal for you!"
As bad as Edwards' behavior is, the behavior of the national press is even more despicable. The Washington Post has used the fig leaf that Edwards is a private citizen, so was entitled to privacy for his personal behavior. If he weren't running for President, that might be a marginally acceptable excuse--but we were supposed to be vetting a potential president, and the media wasn't bringing us all the relevent facts. Edwards is usually identified as a former senator, not a Democrat.
This is very two-faced, because the slightist foible by a conservative or Republican, the party label is the first thing reported. Witness Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Rep. Mark Foley, Rep. Bob Livingston, evangelists Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart, and the others.
It is probably too much to ask, to have fair and even-handed treatment of philandering politicians of both parties. Dream on.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Gross media bias in religious coverage
The mass media loves to attack the Christian Right, the evil, bigoted, narrow-minded opponents of abortion-on-demand, homosexual rights, same sex marriage, etc.
They regularly tie the can to Focus on the Family and its head, Dr. James Dobson, as well as other groups who dare take a public stand on such issues. They turned up the heat on John McCain so high, that after he was endorsed by San Antionio tele-evangelist Dr. John Haggee, he repudiated the endorsement. McCain shuns discussion of spiritual matters for this reason, in the past having blasted Pat Robertson and Bob Jones University, among others.
But if you're a good liberal, particularly one of color, that has the full sympathy and adoration of the mass media, you can get away with anything and it will go unnoticed. Textbook example number one is Leah Daughtry, head of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
She is black and a pentecostal preacher with her own church in New York City. As a pentecostal myself, I can tell you that the liberal media loves to expose all the excesses of what they call "the holy rollers," for speaking in tongues, loud enthusiastic worship, bombastic preaching and heavy-handed fund raising.
There has not been a word anywhere in the media about Leah Daughtry's church, her pentecostal beliefs or any other matter. Believe me, as a great fan of black pentecostal churches, which I've attended a lot, their worship style, preaching style and audience response is much more over the top than anything the media goes after the Christian Right for. Daughtry has flown home to New York from Denver on weekends for a year to preach on Sundays. There is no mistaking what she is and where she comes from.
The media has just chosen to give her a free ride.
They regularly tie the can to Focus on the Family and its head, Dr. James Dobson, as well as other groups who dare take a public stand on such issues. They turned up the heat on John McCain so high, that after he was endorsed by San Antionio tele-evangelist Dr. John Haggee, he repudiated the endorsement. McCain shuns discussion of spiritual matters for this reason, in the past having blasted Pat Robertson and Bob Jones University, among others.
But if you're a good liberal, particularly one of color, that has the full sympathy and adoration of the mass media, you can get away with anything and it will go unnoticed. Textbook example number one is Leah Daughtry, head of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
She is black and a pentecostal preacher with her own church in New York City. As a pentecostal myself, I can tell you that the liberal media loves to expose all the excesses of what they call "the holy rollers," for speaking in tongues, loud enthusiastic worship, bombastic preaching and heavy-handed fund raising.
There has not been a word anywhere in the media about Leah Daughtry's church, her pentecostal beliefs or any other matter. Believe me, as a great fan of black pentecostal churches, which I've attended a lot, their worship style, preaching style and audience response is much more over the top than anything the media goes after the Christian Right for. Daughtry has flown home to New York from Denver on weekends for a year to preach on Sundays. There is no mistaking what she is and where she comes from.
The media has just chosen to give her a free ride.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tire gauges no energy policy
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made a major gaffe when he said checking tire pressure and tuning engines would save as much oil as new drilling would create.
He missed the whole point of the argument, showing his economic illiteracy and leftist slant that will not allow him to understand the supply-and-demand dynamics of the free enterprise system.
As Presidenti Bush showed by lifting the presidential ban on offshore oil drilling, it scared the Arab shieks and petty despots who control the international oil market to the point that they shaved some $27 a barrel off oil prices. That's merely the threat of increasing domestic supply--not a single drop of actual oil had been created.
A similar congressional action on their ban on offshore drilling, would undoubtedly drop oil prices even more. The point is, the discussion is about actions that immediately drop oil prices, not necessarily actual drilling.
These are subtle nuances of international economics we're talking about here, not actual barrels of oil. That Obama is unable, or unwilling, to grasp such complexities does not bode well for his understanding of world affairs.
You have the McCain people out handing out tire pressure gauges as a symbol of Obama's energy policy. Combined with the Paris Hilton-Britney Spears commercial making fun of Obama's rock star celebrity image, this shows a shaky beginning for the Obama campaign juggernaut.
He missed the whole point of the argument, showing his economic illiteracy and leftist slant that will not allow him to understand the supply-and-demand dynamics of the free enterprise system.
As Presidenti Bush showed by lifting the presidential ban on offshore oil drilling, it scared the Arab shieks and petty despots who control the international oil market to the point that they shaved some $27 a barrel off oil prices. That's merely the threat of increasing domestic supply--not a single drop of actual oil had been created.
A similar congressional action on their ban on offshore drilling, would undoubtedly drop oil prices even more. The point is, the discussion is about actions that immediately drop oil prices, not necessarily actual drilling.
These are subtle nuances of international economics we're talking about here, not actual barrels of oil. That Obama is unable, or unwilling, to grasp such complexities does not bode well for his understanding of world affairs.
You have the McCain people out handing out tire pressure gauges as a symbol of Obama's energy policy. Combined with the Paris Hilton-Britney Spears commercial making fun of Obama's rock star celebrity image, this shows a shaky beginning for the Obama campaign juggernaut.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Loose lips sink ships
Even in the internet era, the old saw "Loose lips sink ships" remains even more true than ever.
Such loose lips have plagued Democratic Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, as his son posted questionable party pictures on Facebook from a blowout he threw at the stately Governor's Mansion, and now, GOP U.S., Senate candidate Bob Schaefer's son has posted racist and anti-Jesus jokes on his collegiate Facebook page.
Old newspaper columns, recordings from speeches at meetings years ago and obscure news stories from small town newspapers when the candidate spoke in a backwater somewhere years ago--all have resurfaced in the heat of political battle for years.
The problem is much worse in the modern internet age, and with bloggers whose veracity could be open to question. With
Google and the worldwide web, everything is available now days and little or nothing is private.
Containing rumors and questionable stories, all of which may be total falsehoods, is next to impossible with the web. Legitimate, but embarassing information, is equally hard to quash.
The only real answer for the candidate is that in this era of information overload, people turn a deaf ear quickly and memories are short, so it's easier to ride things out than ever before. By doing nothing, chances are the massively overdone coverage of some new, relatively minor event will quickly overtake controversy and bury it.
Ask Bill Clinton. It only hurts for a little while, and the tide of events quickly puts it "out sight, out of mind." He's relied on, and even prospered, from that for years.
Such loose lips have plagued Democratic Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, as his son posted questionable party pictures on Facebook from a blowout he threw at the stately Governor's Mansion, and now, GOP U.S., Senate candidate Bob Schaefer's son has posted racist and anti-Jesus jokes on his collegiate Facebook page.
Old newspaper columns, recordings from speeches at meetings years ago and obscure news stories from small town newspapers when the candidate spoke in a backwater somewhere years ago--all have resurfaced in the heat of political battle for years.
The problem is much worse in the modern internet age, and with bloggers whose veracity could be open to question. With
Google and the worldwide web, everything is available now days and little or nothing is private.
Containing rumors and questionable stories, all of which may be total falsehoods, is next to impossible with the web. Legitimate, but embarassing information, is equally hard to quash.
The only real answer for the candidate is that in this era of information overload, people turn a deaf ear quickly and memories are short, so it's easier to ride things out than ever before. By doing nothing, chances are the massively overdone coverage of some new, relatively minor event will quickly overtake controversy and bury it.
Ask Bill Clinton. It only hurts for a little while, and the tide of events quickly puts it "out sight, out of mind." He's relied on, and even prospered, from that for years.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Veep speculation best part
Short of committing a serious error in selection of a vice presidential running mate, a rare occurance, the most helpful a potential veep is to electing his ticket is right now.
Even Sprio Agnew helped elect Richard Nixon twice. His shady past did not lead to his resignation until after being re-elected to a second term. Vice President Dick Cheney, roundly unpopular now, was very helpful in adding heft to the ticket with President Bush in his two victories. But did these men make a difference in the outcome of the election? Probably not.
Favorable mention as a possible running mate builds chits for later redemption for the presidential candidate. Rarely does a vice president carry a state that decides the election. It is easily forgotton by the liberal press, but the Clinton-Gore ticket lost Al Gore's home state of Tennessee in both elections.
Barack Obama is mentioning Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as a running mate, figuring he could help carry the normally GOP state of Virginia for the ticket. Kaine was only narrowly elected governor over a flawed GOP nominee, and is not all that popular as he faces a tough re-election campaign in two years.
McCain is trumpeting Mitt Romney for vice president, but he didn't even run for re-election as Governor of Massachusetts, it was so likely he would lose. Would he carry the state now for McCain? Highly unlikely. Some say he might help carry his home state of Michigan, where his father was a popular governor, but his mother lost a U.S. race there. McCain also builds up Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a crucial state in the election. But Pawlenty was only narrowly re-elected and has a marginal approval rating in the polls as governor. It's dubiou he could help McCain carry the state.
The point is, all this talk builds up the people being talked about, that their party thinks enough of them to be considered--but when the actual vice presidential nominee is chosen, he sinks out of sight and rarely influences the actual election-- positively or negatively.
Even Sprio Agnew helped elect Richard Nixon twice. His shady past did not lead to his resignation until after being re-elected to a second term. Vice President Dick Cheney, roundly unpopular now, was very helpful in adding heft to the ticket with President Bush in his two victories. But did these men make a difference in the outcome of the election? Probably not.
Favorable mention as a possible running mate builds chits for later redemption for the presidential candidate. Rarely does a vice president carry a state that decides the election. It is easily forgotton by the liberal press, but the Clinton-Gore ticket lost Al Gore's home state of Tennessee in both elections.
Barack Obama is mentioning Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as a running mate, figuring he could help carry the normally GOP state of Virginia for the ticket. Kaine was only narrowly elected governor over a flawed GOP nominee, and is not all that popular as he faces a tough re-election campaign in two years.
McCain is trumpeting Mitt Romney for vice president, but he didn't even run for re-election as Governor of Massachusetts, it was so likely he would lose. Would he carry the state now for McCain? Highly unlikely. Some say he might help carry his home state of Michigan, where his father was a popular governor, but his mother lost a U.S. race there. McCain also builds up Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a crucial state in the election. But Pawlenty was only narrowly re-elected and has a marginal approval rating in the polls as governor. It's dubiou he could help McCain carry the state.
The point is, all this talk builds up the people being talked about, that their party thinks enough of them to be considered--but when the actual vice presidential nominee is chosen, he sinks out of sight and rarely influences the actual election-- positively or negatively.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Left doesn't get it, as Obama stalls
The scurrying around on the left, to try and diagnose what's happened to the surging Barack Obama and fix it--is a sight to behold. As that reality sinks in that gasoline is $4 a gallon, that food costs at the supermarket are surging and that the Iraq War is being won, the public is seeing that Obama was wrong on all the major issues.
Obama's trying to scramble: admit that maybe the surge in Iraq did work, that maybe a little offshore drilling would be acceptable and that maybe that great environmentalist hype of ethanol from corn is driving food prices higher.
This undercuts the veracity of his whole campaign message to date. The public is finding out sooner, rather than later, that the old liberal bromides were wrong and that Obama is wrong on the major issues of the day.
Even the very minor moves by Obama to accept a little drilling, delay an Iraq pullout just a little bit--have driven the left into a frenzy, starting to feed on their own, crying the mantra that Obama is selling out.
I wish it could be said that this was the result of a brilliant McCain campaign, strategically boxing Obama in on the issues at just the right moment.
Rather, McCain is a beneficiary of good luck. There's no evidence that his campaign gets it either. He just happens to be in the right place at the right time. What happens in November will mainly be a matter of who falls apart the least.
The audacity of hope, and the maverick Republican the mass media loves--the tires are coming off both. Who will recover first?
Obama's trying to scramble: admit that maybe the surge in Iraq did work, that maybe a little offshore drilling would be acceptable and that maybe that great environmentalist hype of ethanol from corn is driving food prices higher.
This undercuts the veracity of his whole campaign message to date. The public is finding out sooner, rather than later, that the old liberal bromides were wrong and that Obama is wrong on the major issues of the day.
Even the very minor moves by Obama to accept a little drilling, delay an Iraq pullout just a little bit--have driven the left into a frenzy, starting to feed on their own, crying the mantra that Obama is selling out.
I wish it could be said that this was the result of a brilliant McCain campaign, strategically boxing Obama in on the issues at just the right moment.
Rather, McCain is a beneficiary of good luck. There's no evidence that his campaign gets it either. He just happens to be in the right place at the right time. What happens in November will mainly be a matter of who falls apart the least.
The audacity of hope, and the maverick Republican the mass media loves--the tires are coming off both. Who will recover first?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
McCain loose lip leads to trouble
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain prefers "town hall style" campaign events, where he takes questions from the audience and avoids set speeches and prepared remarks. This gives him an open, forthcoming image, but the lack of structure leaves him unfocused, off message and chasing rabbit trails too many times.
The keys to the election are taxes and gasoline prices. Obama wants to raise taxes and resist additional oil drilling. These are very unpopular positions, which he is already trying to back away from, but give McCain a big advantage if he can capitalize.
But shooting from the hip, as he likes to do, tends to undercut the efforts of his campaign handlers to stay on message and take advantage of Obama's unpopular stances. Just yesterday, McCain allowed as how increasing social security withholding taxes might be feasible. This lets Obama off the hook, for his calls for higher taxes "on the rich," whoever they are.
Obama's flip flops, as he is already doing on oil drilling and a long list of other issues are as important as the issue itself, if McCain can be consistent and not get himself in trouble with sideshows about race and other non-core issues.
Prepared speeches are the best way to avoid this problem, but McCain resists them like the plague. He also looks canned and programmed with a prepared text. Obama falls apart without one.
It is nothing short of a miracle that McCain has made it this far, and amazingly, is still in the race. He has actually been rising in the polls in recent days, as Obama fails to warm up the voters.
This won't continue, unless McCain becomes a great deal more focused and targeted in his remarks. The scattergun approach will come under the microscope as the election draws nearer, and McCain will fall under major attack. To take advantage of what look to be major Obama problems, McCain will need to clean up his own act.
The keys to the election are taxes and gasoline prices. Obama wants to raise taxes and resist additional oil drilling. These are very unpopular positions, which he is already trying to back away from, but give McCain a big advantage if he can capitalize.
But shooting from the hip, as he likes to do, tends to undercut the efforts of his campaign handlers to stay on message and take advantage of Obama's unpopular stances. Just yesterday, McCain allowed as how increasing social security withholding taxes might be feasible. This lets Obama off the hook, for his calls for higher taxes "on the rich," whoever they are.
Obama's flip flops, as he is already doing on oil drilling and a long list of other issues are as important as the issue itself, if McCain can be consistent and not get himself in trouble with sideshows about race and other non-core issues.
Prepared speeches are the best way to avoid this problem, but McCain resists them like the plague. He also looks canned and programmed with a prepared text. Obama falls apart without one.
It is nothing short of a miracle that McCain has made it this far, and amazingly, is still in the race. He has actually been rising in the polls in recent days, as Obama fails to warm up the voters.
This won't continue, unless McCain becomes a great deal more focused and targeted in his remarks. The scattergun approach will come under the microscope as the election draws nearer, and McCain will fall under major attack. To take advantage of what look to be major Obama problems, McCain will need to clean up his own act.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Avoiding the real gas cost solution
The press downplays it and outright ignores it, but Congress has tied itself in knots to avoid dealing with the only realistic solution to high gas prices.
Selling out to its environmentalist toadies and seeking to play out the global warming fiction to the hilt, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have refused to put legislation allowing offshore and ANWR oil drilling on the floor, to come to a vote.
They know enough of their own Democratic members would join Republicans to pass it. They refuse to acknowledge the unbridled success of President Bush's lifting of his executive order to ban offshore drilling. Just the threat of more domestic oil supplies has driven oil down over $27 a barrel on world markets in two weeks.
A full congressional approval of more drilling would undoubtedly drive down oil prices even more. The Arab shieks, Venezualan dictators and Russian thugs that are artificially holding up the price of oil, cannot continue to do so, when the U.S. quits being the wounded soldier at their beck and call. The U.S. must be pro-active, taking matters into their own hands.
The American public overwhelmingly supports more drilling. They will show it this fall in the elections, as the issue has already levelled the polls between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Obama must cowtow to his far-left environmentalist backers and maintain the fiction that alternative energy is the only answer to high gas prices. McCain has awakened to smell the coffee and reversed his previous spotty record on drilling, and now backs it, full steam ahead.
Congress is leaving Washington for an undeserved month-long summer recess today, having accomplished virtually nothing for the American taxpayer that elected them. Massive amounts of badly-needed legislation are languishing in Congress, all because it has wasted all its time passing commemorative resolutions, memorials and debating meaningless legislation like curbing alleged oil speculators--while doing nothing to actually solve problems.
Harry Truman got re-elected despite the polls in 1948 by decrying the "Do-nothing Republican Congress" in his famous Give 'Em Hell Harry pose. It's time for McCain and the Republicans to turn the tables, and lay high gas prices at the door of the present do-nothing Democratic Congress.
Selling out to its environmentalist toadies and seeking to play out the global warming fiction to the hilt, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have refused to put legislation allowing offshore and ANWR oil drilling on the floor, to come to a vote.
They know enough of their own Democratic members would join Republicans to pass it. They refuse to acknowledge the unbridled success of President Bush's lifting of his executive order to ban offshore drilling. Just the threat of more domestic oil supplies has driven oil down over $27 a barrel on world markets in two weeks.
A full congressional approval of more drilling would undoubtedly drive down oil prices even more. The Arab shieks, Venezualan dictators and Russian thugs that are artificially holding up the price of oil, cannot continue to do so, when the U.S. quits being the wounded soldier at their beck and call. The U.S. must be pro-active, taking matters into their own hands.
The American public overwhelmingly supports more drilling. They will show it this fall in the elections, as the issue has already levelled the polls between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Obama must cowtow to his far-left environmentalist backers and maintain the fiction that alternative energy is the only answer to high gas prices. McCain has awakened to smell the coffee and reversed his previous spotty record on drilling, and now backs it, full steam ahead.
Congress is leaving Washington for an undeserved month-long summer recess today, having accomplished virtually nothing for the American taxpayer that elected them. Massive amounts of badly-needed legislation are languishing in Congress, all because it has wasted all its time passing commemorative resolutions, memorials and debating meaningless legislation like curbing alleged oil speculators--while doing nothing to actually solve problems.
Harry Truman got re-elected despite the polls in 1948 by decrying the "Do-nothing Republican Congress" in his famous Give 'Em Hell Harry pose. It's time for McCain and the Republicans to turn the tables, and lay high gas prices at the door of the present do-nothing Democratic Congress.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)