Sweater Vests and Atomic Bombs

RIP Tony Snow

2008-07-13T10:59:00.003-04:00

Tony Snow was my first Sunday show host. He wasn't the first sunday show host I watched (Tim Russert had that honor) but he was the first sunday show host I felt ownership over. He was MY guy. He read the news, prodded politicans and made the news clear for ME. Reporting from historic homes throughout the nation, I can remember being enthused by his reporting, even when I disagreed with his guests.

He will be missed.

Veepstakes! Update: Palin Around and other updates

2008-07-10T19:53:00.008-04:00

Looks like I got on the bandwagon just before the train left the station (How's THAT for a mixed metaphor!) as CNN's Political Markets have placed Palin fourth in the race for #2, behind only Romney, Crist and Pawlenty. That's pretty good odds for the darkhorse from Alaska!

I'll reiterate here that Palin is a brilliant candidate that would really shake up the race. She's got the poise, the integrity and the personality to make a great Vice President, and of course a great president one day. I can't talk her up more highly. Tell your friends (particularly if they voted Hillary)

Some other facts have emerged in the race that bear weight on the odds as I had them. Here they are in short...

Mitt Romney has emerged as a Top McCain Surrogate and apparently has made nice enough for McCain insiders to say he's currently the top contender. (Boosts Odds)
Bobby Jindal gets in a fight with the state legislature of Louisiana that reminds people just how green he is. (Drops Odds)
Tim Pawlenty, McCain's supposed odds-on favorite, gets dumped from that spot while polls show his home state out of reach for McCain even with T-Paw on the ticket. (Drops Odds)
Charlie Crist gets engaged and changes his positions on Offshore drilling effectively but stays way too orange for his own good. (Boosts Odds)
Rob Portman raises massive amounts of cash for McCain, actually gives a pretty good speech. Who knew? (Boosts Odds)
Bloomberg's popularity in NY drops, he fights with state goverment. (Drops Odds)
Huckabee goes... somewhere. Says... something. No one cares. (Drops Odds)
Palin mania breaks out among the GOP chattering classes. (Boosts Odds)

And so we are left with this-

Ex-Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)- 4 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Sara Palin (R-AK)- 5 to 1 (Best Pick)
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)- 6 to 1 (Bad Pick)
Gov. Charlie "Supertan" Crist (R-FL)- 8 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Hon. Rob Portman (R-OH)- 10 to 1 (OK Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK)-12 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)- 15 to 1 (Good Pick)
Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)- 30 to 1 (Good Pick)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)- 35 to 1 (OK Pick)
Mayor Micheal Bloomberg (I-NY)- 40 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Hon. Colin Powell (R-CA)- 100 to 1 (Good Pick)

I'd be happy with either name on the top of that list. Governor Romney is a great Republican on economic issues (his one consistent front) and Governor Palin is the new face of the GOP.

Hey if McCain looses what do you think? Palin-Romney 2012? Romney-Palin 2012?

Obamacricy on Phil Gramm, McCain dose the unfortunate thing

2008-07-10T18:39:00.003-04:00

Today, the ever-brilliant (and foot-in-mouth-desies prone) former Texas Senator Phil Gramm said this unflattering comment-

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners."

Of course our dear dear friends in the media have left off the "sort of" part (thus making the comment more harsh sounding) leading to much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Of course his full comments paint a different story, making it seem as if his "we" refers more to the media's influence then a dour outlook by the great unwashed masses.

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline," said the former Texas senator. "You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession."
Gramm also said the media was responsible for fostering unnecessary anxiety over the state of the economy. "Misery sells newspapers," he said. "Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day."

The O Show's response was to say that Senator McCain clearly didn't understand the economy. This comes from the Boy Wonder, who has been in Washington for fewer days then the Washington Nationals will win games this season (sorry Nat fans). How can a senator who's only distinguishing legislative characteristic comes from voting "Present" more time then any other as a member of the Illinois state legislature, and who's Washington carrier never started because the moment he was sworn in he started running for president, dare impune the credentials of a man who's passed more legislation on the economy then he's even read!

Aside from team "0 for 0"'s rambling, McCain (due to the flap over "Bittergate") has been forced to disavow the man everyone has been tapping to be his eventual Tres. Sec. Another one bites the bus...

Unfortunate Things

2008-07-09T22:37:00.002-04:00

I've not posted in a while, things are a bit crazy as of this moment, but soon I'll be back at full strength. In the meantime if you need to be reminded of why B-Rock can't be president lets remind ourselves-

"Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish"

I'm going to go with "no" as my response to that one. More reaction to this tommarrow.

My personal moment of Zen

2008-06-29T19:51:00.001-04:00

To steal a line from John Stewart, I now give you your moment of zen... well your 30 minutes of zen. 30 minutes of 90's cartoon Openings.

Kristol: Palin for VP

2008-06-29T19:40:00.001-04:00

The video to go with the post below.

For the record I agree. Sarah Palin IS the VP candidate for us.

Veepstakes! Update: An interesting comment on Fox News Sunday

2008-06-29T15:03:00.002-04:00

Watching the "Power Panel" on the wonderful Fox News Sunday broadcast, there was some discussion of Flip-Flopping- including McCain's own on offshore drilling. The host, Chris Wallace (the Dean of the Sunday Shows after the passing of Tim Russert), asked the brilliant William Kristol the following-

WALLACE: Bill, how important are the Clintons? And will Bill Clinton stop sulking in his tent like Achilles and behave?

FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR BILL KRISTOL: Psychoanalyzing Bill Clinton is a tough task. I think Hillary Clinton was gracious. She's put behind her the horrible sexism and misogyny that Democratic primary voters demonstrated, which I'm appalled by, personally. Never would have happened in the Republican Party, you know?

Republicans are much more open to strong women. And that's why McCain's going to put Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, on the ticket as vice president.

WALLACE: Is that your prediction?

KRISTOL: I'm moving from Jindal to Palin. She's fantastic. You know, she was the point guard on the Alaska state championship high school basketball team in 1982. She could take Obama one on one on the court. It would be fantastic.

Anyway, I do think -- I actually think Sarah Palin would be a great vice presidential pick, and it would be interesting to actually have a woman on the Republican ticket after Hillary Clinton has come so close and failed on the Democratic side.
FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR JUAN WILLIAMS: Well, how about Colin Powell on the McCain ticket? Don't you think that would be a winner?

KRISTOL: No, no, no.

WILLIAMS: No?

KRISTOL: That's, again, misogynist thinking, you know?

WILLIAMS: Misogynist thinking?

KRISTOL: You have to go for the gold here with Sarah Palin. She's great. She's a reform governor.

WILLIAMS: Mother of five, I believe.

KRISTOL: Mother of five. Ethics, incredible record of cleaning up -- she took on her own corrupt Republican Party in the state, cut spending.

WALLACE: Of course, they'd have a problem on ANWR, since she's for drilling in ANWR and he's against it.

KRISTOL: And she could persuade McCain to take the last step to the sensible position on energy and gas, which is to be for drilling...

WALLACE: Can we please get off Sarah Palin?

KRISTOL: ... for drilling in ANWR.

Later on Wallace asked Kristol this-

WALLACE: But to be fair, Bill, let's bring in McCain, because he has made a lot of changes. And the one point I disagree with with Brit, some of them are recent -- for instance, drilling. He has flipped on that in just the last couple of weeks.

KRISTOL: Voters tend not to blame candidates if they adjust their views, A, based on a plausible notion that circumstances have changed. If gas prices are $4.50, the relative value of preserving a pristine -- in a pristine way this worthless wasteland up in northern Alaska, ANWR, changes...

HUME: But he hasn't flipped on that.

KRISTOL: No, he hasn't flipped on that. That's the next flip, when he puts Sarah Palin on the ticket.

Sounds like the good folk at Draft Sarah Palin are going to have another name to add to there list of endorsers...

In any case such a high-profile endorsement gives her a nice bump in my odds

Sarah Palin ODDS- 12 to 1

Clever Counter-Arguments Pt. 1- Iraq Pullout

2008-06-27T19:23:00.002-04:00

the first in a continuing series on how to argue with people (mostly liberals) about the issues of the day, I hearby give you the easiest way to argue why we shouldn't pull out of Iraq-

Don't bother arguing it was the right thing to do to invade. You can't get someone who believe it was wrong to go in to believe otherwise. Rather take that belief and warp it on them like so-

"So you're saying it was wrong to Invade Iraq? That it was a mistake? You do? Thats even more reason to keep our troops there! If you accidentally run someone down in your car, leaving them badly injured, do you leave the scene because it was an accident and you shouldn't have run them down in the first place, or do you stay behind and make sure they're not going to bleed to death on the sidewalk? If it was a mistake it's even more our responsibility to fix it by stabilizing the country."

Ta-Da. Argument Won.

You want a Bush Legacy? I got your Bush legacy right here!

2008-06-27T18:15:00.003-04:00

There names are Samuel Alito and John Roberts. The term "The Roberts Court" are the three second most important words in Bush's presidency (the first most important three being "War on Terror").

Even if the Obamanics and there far-left friends get into office, the chances of them undoing the rock-soild 4 conservative votes on the court would be near impossible, baring a tragic death. The two oldest member of the court are liberals, and the most liberal member is also the oldest.

Justice Kennedy, or as he's called around the house "Sandra Day O'Connor 2", may be squishy on many issues, but on one of the most important rights of our time he came out for freedom and a constructionist interpretation of the constitutions. Sure, he screwed us on the Gitmo ruling, giving terrorists the same rights as average citizens (something we didn't do for the Nazi party at Nuremberg, but I digress), but thanks to those 4 rock-ribbed cons we now know, for the first time, that the constitution protects the rights of all law-abiding citizens to own a firearm.

I'll continue to file the Supreme Court under reason 1 that we should vote for McCain.

On a separate note, Justice Antonin Scalia (AKA the best justice) and I attended the same High School. Small world eh?

The uselessness of polling

2008-06-27T17:31:00.002-04:00

Many have pointed out to me two recent polls that show the Obamessiah up over J-Mac. I'd argue that 2 similarly timed surveys have put them either tied or within the margin of error, but to truly point out the uselessness of public polling I'll point you to this- According to the Pew survey, 21% of Atheists believe in God.

Heaven help us.

Who is the Puppet Master?

2008-06-26T09:44:00.003-04:00

After reading my post below about Obama's "cunning", Patrick of Right and Reason (you should go there now, his post on oil exploration is a must-read) expressed to me the commonly held belief that Obama is nothing more then a charismatic empty suit and pondered who was holding the strings. Wonder no more! If Obama is not in control of his own destiny, one of these men is

David Plouffe- The churlish Obama campaign manager, David Plouffe is a top candidate for the puppet master to Obama's Grover on Sesame Street. He's smart and sneaky, and has the top position in the campaign (at least from an outsider perspective). He was a Deputy CoS to former Democratic Minority Leader Gephardt, and helped run his wildly unsuccessful 2004 campaign for president

The Far Left Netroots- A good suspect back in the day, but Comrade Markos and his ilk have learned that no promise from B-Rock is worth the paper it's printed on. The Far left has standards (AKA a manifesto that if you deviate from you're EEEEEVIL), and Obama can't let a little thing like his principals get in the way of winning now can he?

Tom Daschle- Former Senate Majority Leader, T-Dash has been out of the loop for a while but he was the man who convinced Obama to run for Preisdent in the first place (breaking his pledge not to run) and has provided the intellectual heft along with the establishment connections Obama needed to get the campaign off the ground. As a Co-Chair of Obama's campaign he wields no real power, but has the subtle influence to move Obama in any direction he wants.

Austan Goolsbee- Ok, theres no reason to think Obama's Econ Guru is pulling his Muppet-like strings. Sure he's got some behind the scenes heft (remember the infamous Canada/NAFTA meeting?). I just have him on the list because of how much fun it is to say is name. Say it with me now- AUUUUUUSTANN GOOOOOOOOOLSBEEEEEEEEE!!!!

David Axelrod- Look no further for the mastermind behind Barry O's current life. He was a consultant for the show "The West Wing" and created the character Matthew Santos based on Barry (Who ironically ran against a character based on McCain). He's the media master, and crafts the Obama message to somehow turn the heads of young, old, black, white, middle aged and everyone else you can think of. He ran the Obamessiah's 04 senate campaign and has been the dark man with the mustache in the background ever since. If Obama is a manufactured man, Axelrod is the person who owns his patent (he even has a second model of Obama out there in Deval Patrick, governor of Mass, a man who's campagin was run by Plouffe and Axelrod).

McCain's Buzzwords

2008-06-26T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's been apparent in the last few weeks that Obama has purchased the copyrights on two words- Change and Hope. They appear in every speech, every flier, every thought by the campaign. In order to combat that kind of branding, McCain needs his own words that will define his campaign. Might I suggest a few?

Fix.

Reform.

Unify.

Rebuild.

Regenerate.

Transform.

These 6 words can be used whenever. McCain should pick two and distribute to his staff and surrogates that those two words need to be worked into every speech or statement given in the next 6 months. The only way to win is to out-brand, and we need to be coherent to do so. Come on Mac! Fix/Reform/Unify/Rebuild/Regenerate/Transform your campaign and kick big-eared rear!

Obama's Brilliant Campagin for Total American Takeover (and what we can do to stop him).

2008-06-25T10:57:00.004-04:00

I dislike Barack Obama. I think he's a shifty political operator, and I can't totally trust he'll do anything he says he will (this distrust is the only reason I'm not cowering in fear of his presidency, he might just be lying to get elected by the far left). But to give credit where credit is due, he ran a campaign in the primaries that was brilliant and all signs point towards him running a campaign that'll be just as good in the fall.

Obama today announced he's going to be targeting 14 states bush won in 2004. Why? well some states are just good politics, Virgina, Ohio, Colorado- states that have started to trend Democratic (partially due to local issues) since '04. But some of these states (like Texas) are not going to vote democratic in 2008. They just aren't. So why spend the money? well, aside from the basic "make McCain contest everywhere because we have more money then God almighty", there is the brilliant idea that they'll be able to affect down ticket races, SPECIFICLY state legislature races. The State Legislatures control redistricting after a census- particularly after 2010, which happens to the the same year as our next midterm elections. If Obama can control redistricting in these states, he can pad his congressional majorities by 10-15 seats. It's a brilliantly devious plan, but one that might ultimately cause him to spend more money on getting other people elected rather then him.

One of the keys to the Republican takeover of 1994 was that in 1990 the republican party took over a majority of state legislatures, allowing us to control redistricting in those states. In order to maintain a viable party nationwide, we need to control redistricting, to control redistricting we need to control the state legislatures, to control the state legislatures we need to stop Obama from this sort of influence. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to point out Obama's political maneuvering as much as possible. In order to maintain his rational front, he'll have to openly admit he's trying to affect redistricting, thus harming his attempts to affect it (paradoxical, I know).

Obama is a cunning political creature and his campagin is sharp and crafty enough to prove this. Luckily for us, his message runs counter to this central truth about his character. We just need to hammer it home

Speaking Democrat: A Primer by Rep. McCotter

2008-06-24T10:36:00.002-04:00

Fantastic. Donate to the man HERE and find out more about him HERE. We need more Representatives in congress like Thaddeus McCotter.

Freedom - narrated by Sen. Fred Thompson

2008-06-23T16:10:00.002-04:00

Great Moments in Olbypocrisy: Wives Are Off Limits!

2008-06-19T20:44:00.002-04:00

From the fine folks at Olbermann Watch. God, he's a tool.

Why we really will miss Tim Russert

2008-06-19T19:10:00.005-04:00

Thinking about the recent Obama betrayal of his lofty principals on public financing, I'm struck that without someone like Tim Russert around, no one has the power to really force Obama to be accountable for this severe lapse. Sure Charlie Gibson may try (despite his placing of the Obama story into a small window in his broadcast), George Stephanopolus may too. And Chris Wallace, while now being the dean of the Sunday morning shows in my opinion, is on fox and thus any question he asks is assumed to be biased and evil.

If this story fades it'll just show the enormous gap in the political world that we must suffer now that Tim Russert has passed on. We'll never know just how much we relied upon him to referee our political system.

Hating Obama's Silmy Political Promise-Breaking: The Leftwing Edition

2008-06-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

Seems that Moderates and Conservatives are not alone in our condemnation of Senator Obama's Weaseling out of his Campaign Finance Pledge.

Here we have Russ Finegold, one of the most liberal members of the US senate, bashing obama for not taking the public financing.

The Associated Press, a supposedly non-partisan group with a slight leftward tilt has an article up saying "Obama chose winning over his word" and savaging him- " So much for being a straight shooter."

I'll update as more come in...

A Promise from Obama = Worthless

2008-06-19T09:58:00.002-04:00

For all you Clinton-supporters and fence sitters out there, we finally got the best example of Obama's "New Politics" we could ask for. Turns out, it's the exact same thing as old politics with more charisma, like giving an old junker car a new shiny paint job.

Obama will break a SIGNED pledge to accept public financing for the general election. He said he was going to do so as long as the Republican Nominee was willing to do so as well. McCain has said he WILL take public financing. Obama, if he was as good as his word, would have to as well, something that would put major caps on spending and fundraiseing. Since Obama is an ambitious man, he's not willing to let something like his word or his honor get in the way of his dash to the oval office.

Of course the media will give him a pass on this because they adore him, but we should know better and spread the word- Promises from Obama are officially not worth the paper they are printed on.

Real Captain Americas?! Sign me up!

2008-06-18T14:32:00.003-04:00

The American Federation of Scientists are all a twitter over a new internal report by a Military-Scientific think tank in the Pentagon known only as "JASON" (no word yet on what that stands for but by gum is it creepy!). This report warns that America's Enemies are developing "Super-Solders" and that we may one day need to close the "Super-Soldier Gap" (term not used in report).

One of the major things they talk about is creating a way for soilders to be fully rested after only 1.3 hours, thus creating a "Sleep Gap" (term used by the AFS, but not the JASONs). They also talk about "Brain Plasticity", "Enhanced Reflexes" and "Gamma Ray Powered Hulks" (last term not used by anyone).

It's about damn time.

We've been promised super-solders since the early 1940's! Get on it boys!

And sure, the fuddy duddies who wrote the report insist that “the publicity and scientific literature regarding human performance enhancement can easily be misinterpreted, yielding incorrect conclusions about potential military applications.”, which happens to be EXACTLY what I'm doing with there report, but I'm not going to sit back and let what is "Likely" effect my male power fantasies!

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!

UPDATE- Ah Wikipedia. Apparently JASON has no one meaning, and many people think it stands for different things. The group was founded to provide a place for younger scientists (IE those who didn't work on the Manhattan project or other A-Bomb programs) to get together and be young mad scientists (like there peers who did such nice work on the A-Bomb and "Gamma Mutant" projects). God Bless American Shadow Government!

Voter Turnout Vs. The Wilder Effect

2008-06-18T13:30:00.004-04:00

There are lots of polls out this year, and in this post minor-Obama bump they are all showing the Junior Senator from Illinois leading, but many are still within the margin of error. Still, the media is unwilling to say what these polls really mean, or to explain how some polls, like todays Quinnipiac polls showing Obama leading in three major swing states by large margins, show vastly different results then most polls. So why are polls showing Obama leading by a large margin dismissed as well as polls showing McCain up in traditionally republican states?

Two Good Reasons- The Wilder Effect and the possibility of MASSIVE black voter turnout.

The Wilder Effect (Also known as the Bradley Effect and the Dinkins Effect) states that in order to either conceal prejudice or to seem more "progressive", people talking to pollsters will LIE and say they plan on voting for a non-white candidate over a white one. This patter will continue until they get into the voting booth and pull the lever for the white candidate over the non-white one.

Some relevant numbers for you

Chicago Mayoral Race 1983: Washington (Black) vs. Epton (White)-

Polling- Washington 52, Epton 38
Result- Washington 51.5, Epton 48.1

New York City Mayor 1989: Dinkins (Black) vs. Guliani (White)-

Polling- Dinkins 53, Guliani 39
Result- Dinkins 50, Guliani 48

North Carolina Senate 1990 Grant (Black) vs. Helms (White)-

Polling- Grant 47, Helms 41
Result- Grant 47, Helms 53

Lousiana Governors Race 2003: Jindal (Indian) vs. Blanco (White)-

Polling- Jindal 48, Blanco 43
Result- Jindal 48, Blanco 52

We can see a pattern emerging of non-white candidates doing much better in polling. then they do at the booth, and while the pattern has gotten better (Most modern races have had more correct polling where a biracial race has emerged) there is still concern that Obama's close leads are nothing but stuffing from a populace that doesn't want to be seen as being racist or trying to bar non-whites from office. given these patterns obama could lose as much as 5% of the vote to the Wilder Effect, somthing that would devastate him in many close contests.

On the other hand you have the possibility of tens of thousands of new voters coming to the polls for Obama that pollsters have no idea how to count. Massive numbers of newly registered African American voters may be able to do things for Obama thought impossible, winning deep south states like Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. These voters are also motivated largely by racial preference, though it's in a different light. Obama himself predicted that African American turnout across the nation would be "up 30%, minimum". In some southern states where the number of African Americans voting is normally far below the actually number of African Americans turning out, that would be an amazing figure, giving obama a boost well above his current polling numbers.

In the end we could finish with the Wilder Effect balancing out these new voters in a zero sum game bound to confuse everyone involved. It's the preferable outcome unfortunatly, otherwise you'd get a situation where you'd have a candidate rejected because of race or accepted because of it (both bad choices for america).

So what do you think? Will the Wilder Effect put McCain over the top? or will new black voter turnout do him in?

Obama's Bold New Approach to Foreign Policy

2008-06-17T21:59:00.004-04:00

Richard Danzig, Obama's chief Foreign policy expert, said that American strategy in the War on Terror should be more like Winnie the Pooh. Really? I know you have to dumb most things down for the Senator from Illinois, with his vast 2 years of experience campaigning, but Winnie the Pooh? That's... great. Just fantastic. So if I'm following you...

Winnie the Pooh=America

So that would mean...

Christopher Robin=the UK?
Piglet=Canada?
Rabbit=France?
Tigger=Japan?
Eeyore=Germany?
Owl=The UN?
Kanga=Australia?
Roo=New Zealand?
The Honey Tree=The Middle East?
The Thinking Place=Switzerland?
Heffalumps and Woozles=Shia and Suni Muslims?

I'm sorry senator, Perhaps if Mr. Danzig did the finger puppets like they did for you I'd be able to get the metaphor better, but right now all I can see the analogy meaning is that you want America to becomecuddly with no ablity to extract ourselves from the honey tree without someone pulling us. Or perhaps you just want us to be popular and follow the lead of others. Either way you slice it, your final goal is clear- America gone soft.

Disgusting

2008-06-17T21:54:00.003-04:00

Who wants to bet that despite his calls for "New Politics" Obama lets this ad slide? McCain has 3 sons in the military, 2 of whom have spent time in the Combat Zone in Iraq.

And what's the implication? McCain is going to start drafting babies? or that somehow McCain will still be president when that kid turns 18? The only party that has formally sponsored a resolution to re-instate the draft are the democrats (Charles Rangel and Ernest Hollings put a new draft bill up for a vote in 2003 and the republican congress rejected it). Wouldn't this count as the "Fear Mongering" that the democrats are constantly wringing there hands about?

Disgusting.

UPDATE- I was incorrect when I stated 2 of McCain's three military boys had spent time in Iraq. James McCain was with the Marines in Iraq until very recently, John Sidney McCain IV is still at the Naval Academy, after which his placement will be decided, and his son Doug was a Fighter Pilot in the Navy, but retired before September 11th.

My Brain Just Exploded

2008-06-16T20:18:00.002-04:00

Yeah, this may seem like a strange diversion from my usual political obsession, but my childhood is officially dead. I have no idea what this is SUPPOSED to be, but it looks like "What if transformers had been created by Japanese Schoolgirls?"

UPDATE- The video has been taken down. Just my luck... or rather, just YOUR luck. Your puny brains wouldn't have been able to handle it

Another recomendation for Senator McCain

2008-06-16T19:29:00.002-04:00

Since it worked so well last time, I'll offer up a bit of advice for Senator McCain to counter a frequent Obama putdown.

Whenever McCain offers another part of his Energy Overhall proposal, Obama counters that it's a "Short-Term Solution". Senator McCain's new counter-counter should be-

"Senator Obama thinks that Americans suffering at the pump can wait for his lofty long-term solutions. I believe that a long-term solution can only work with immediate and decisive action to help lower gas prices now, not round table discussions and academic debate that will take years. The American people can't wait."

Just so you know senator, I'm available should you need me on staff full time...

Veepstakes Vol 4- Addendum, the ULTIMATE longshot

2008-06-16T15:09:00.003-04:00

Al Gore is going to formally endorse Obama tonight. there will be lots of speculation as to his Veep prospects.

The Common wisdom is that Gore would take the spot if given real power and influence over the environmental policy of the nation- IE, total control of all policies related to it. If Gore is on the ticket Obama has to be willing to defer to his wisdom on any matter that might touch the environment, something Obama is not going to want to do since Obama's economic policy would be deeply tied in industry (he promised to bring all those manufacturing jobs back, remember?).

Obama dosn't want Gore, but if he put him on the ticket I'd wave goodbye to the McCain presidency for good. Then again, with Gore at his side, Obama would be doomed to serve one term.

Bad Pick.

ODDS- 200 to 1

When Mothers Against Drunk Driving loses ME, they've lost everybody.

2008-06-16T13:59:00.003-04:00

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) did something so despicable, underhanded and just plain mean that even I, the world's biggest crusader against underage drinking, find it nauseating.

Shame on you MADD.

Veepstakes! Vol 4- Obama's Darkhorses

2008-06-16T10:53:00.004-04:00

Welcome back to Veepstakes! In this installment I'll be going over the 5 "Darkhorse" candidates for Obama's Veep spot. The rules remain the same as my previous installments, I'll give you the name, the Pro's and Con's from an electoral standpoint, My Take on them as a candidate and the Odds they'll take the nom (As darkhorses, expect the odds here to be high, with one notable exception). Here's a quick recap of Obma's Big Five (the odds have changed a little since then)

Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA)- 4 to 1 (Good Choice)
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)- 4 to 1 (Bad Choice)
Gen. Wesley Clark (D-AK)- 5 to 1 (Good Choice)
Sen. Jim Webb (D- VA)- 10 to 1 (Bad Choice)
Gov. Kathleen Sibelius (D-KA)- 12 to 1 (Mixed Bag)

Barack Obama

Joe Biden- Senior Senator from Delaware, unsuccessful 2008 candidate who got in line behind Obama a few weeks after dropping out.

Pros- He's been in the senate for a long long time, giving Obama the needed experience on the ticket. He's considered to be one of the Dems' top Foreign Policy guys, and his name is apparently one of three being bandied about for Obama's Secretary of State should he win (Kerry and Dodd being the other two). He's good at debates and can turn a phrase with the best of them. His "Federalization" War plan for Iraq (AKA the three state solution) is one of the few Iraq war plans from the left that make even remote amounts of sense.

Cons- The Anti-War Left love him. He's scandal prone and has a serious case of foot-in mouth disorder. He was knocked out of contention from running for president in '88 for plagiarizing speeches from the British Labour party leader Neil Kinnock. He is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Credit Card companies that are all headquartered out of his home state. He has been accused of racism and racist statements in the past (though Obama came to his defense). His long senate history can be used against him, just as McCains will be used against him.

My Take- Joe Biden is one of my least favorite people in goverment (#2 in fact, behind the man who I'll be profiling next). I my mind he exemplifies everything about slimy corrupt politicians that manage to get away with everything with a smile and a handshake. But, most of America will not see this snake in the grass for what he is, so I'll try and be objective. Biden is a moderately good choice for Obama. He helps with Foreign Policy matters and with his Scranton PA roots may be able to help in blue-collar regions. The Credit Card connection is trouble for Obama, but if Biden gets a walk from the media by association with Barry, then they don't have much to worry about there.

ODDS- 12 to 1

Chuck Hagel- Anti-Iraq War Republican Senator and Vietnam vet from the state of Nebraska. My personal Arch-Nemesis.

Pros- Putting him on the ticket makes Obama definitively post-partisan since, other then on Foreign policy matters, they disagree on everything. Adds real heft to Obama's FP credentials. Gets a good deal of Ron Paul supporters to give Obama a second look. Gets under McCain's skin because before the Iraq war Hagel and McCain were very good friends, causing him to lose his cool.

Cons- Disagrees fundamentally with Obama on everything (once again with the exception of military matters). will make it hard for Obama to stay on message on just about every issue but the war, playing into McCain's preferred field of battle. The dems might be wary of putting a republican, even a line crossing backstabbing one, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

My Take- I hate Hagel with more passion then I hate any other American politician, so I'll make this brief- the democrats will never let him pick a candidate who would pull a 180 on 90% of there platform if something happens to Obama. No way, No how. Bad choice.

ODDS- 30 to 1

Brian Schwietzer- First-Term Governor of Montana.

Pros- A Governor, very popular in his home state, understands rural economic issues and could help Obama close the gap in white, working-class areas. He loves guns and god. Helps obama win Montana and may extend his popularity to the rest of the mountain west area (Colorado, the Dakotas, Wyoming). Has interesting ideas on the use of Coal in America energy policy.

Con: No FP Experience. Unknown, and only really helps in Montana. The far-left would likely balk at his more conservative credentials.

My Take- A good, but unlikely, pick. Obama has others that can do what Schwitzer can better.

ODDS- 25 to 1

Janet Napalitano- Democrat Lady Governor of Arizona.

Pros- Helps with Women, and increases the "Republican Despair Factor" by putting Obama within arms reach of Arizona, McCain's home state. No presidential candidate has ever won without winning there home state.

Cons- Boring. Is to the right of McCain on the immigration issue, meaning that she could fataly wound Obama among Hispanic voters.

My Take- Meh.

ODDS- 22 to 1

Tom Daschel- Former Senate Majority Leader, Obama's earliest supporter, it's rumored that Daschel is the one who convinced Obama to run in the first place.

Pros- He and Obama trust each other. Most of Obama's "people" were once Daschell's people. He compliments Obama ideologically on almost every level. he adds experience and tradition to the ticket, while not seeming tied to the current Washington situation because of his absence from the senate.

Cons- First sitting majority leader to be kicked out off office for generations, he exemplifies the democratic losses that took place from 2000-2006. He is a deep Washington insider, was a lobbyist and has a lobbyist wife. He couldn't even deliver his home state to obama against clinton in the primaries making him all but useless.

My Take- A Good pick. This is the Vice-President Obama wants but his advisers will never let him have. Lets see of T-Dash can stage a comeback.

ODDS- 19 to 1

Tim Russert is Dead

2008-06-13T17:08:00.003-04:00

Today Tom Brokaw, the last of the great men of news, announced that the first citizen of classic punditry, one of the true class acts in American Politics, had passed. I'll let the President speak for me on this issue-

"He was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades. Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it"

He was the longest running host of Meet the Press in history, and made his mark on the medium in ways I can't express. So for Tim, I'll say somthing I've never said before and may never say again- Go Buffalo Bills. He will be missed

With friends like his...

2008-06-13T15:03:00.003-04:00

Obama's Finance Chief in Florida has been cursing out former Clinton supporters via E-Mail.

Obama's half-brother has been telling the Jerusalem Post that brother Barack was raised Muslim.

Another one of Obama's Veep selection chairpeople seem to be in a wee bit o' trouble.

Look for this to be a theme lots of republican groups will hit in the fall- Obambi may seem innocent, but he surrounds himself with controversial people, and his advisors will be a major figure on the campagin trail.

Then again, in this back and forth game, it was Obama who started it- with his attacks on McCain's ties to lobbists.

OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!! (Or not)

2008-06-12T21:25:00.005-04:00

ABC News, sadly my preferred major news-net is going to be doing a "Two-Hour news event" that's designed to scare the ever-living poop out of this country (and, if they are lucky, other countries). It's dramatically called "Earth 2100" and it centers on the idea that unless we take direct action RIGHT THIS SECOND we're all going to be dead by 2100, our entire race gone in a second. The trailer dramatically points out that the Roman Empire fell, the Mayan Civilization disappeared and Easter Island "Collapsed" (whatever the heck that means), summing this all up with stark bold type asking (retoricaly of course) ARE WE NEXT?

Probably not, despite what the good folk at ABC news are proclaiming. Lets take a look at what they are anticipating-

Oil Shortage- Well, no duh. Alternative fuel sources are going to become the next big economic cash-cow, so I'd expect in our delightful free-market system that we'll jump on the hydrogen bandwagon sooner or later.
Polluted Air- It's getting better. We do need to continue on this path, but to be frank, it's not somthing that will make us go the way of the Roman Empire (for one thing, it dosn't invite invaders).
Water Shortages- This is a legitimate concern, but also one that is utterly solvable by doing things OTHER then wetting ourselves thinking about how we're polluting all our existing water supplies. Focusing new developmental tools on the desalinization of sea water, this problem becomes a non-problem... at least for US. China, India, Africa... they're polluting there waters at a rate that is massive and that includes ocean waters.
Global Warming- The planet is getting warmer, but if we act now we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses by 60% in 50 years! Which according to ABC will do... jack squat! No matter how hot the planet gets, we'll adapt.
Overpopulation- Ok, they have a point here. This is a problem, albeit one without a solution (other then getting India and China to fight a war that kills most of there population). Then Again, I do advocate forcing people to apply for a license to have kids...
Food Shortages- Linked to both Global Warming (too hot to grow food!) and Overpopulation (too many mouths to feed). I'm going to call shenanigans, since they are playing this to an American audience. Africa will run out of food, Asia may, Even Europe might, but we here in the good ole USofA have a breadbasket that can feed us like the dickens. We SELL most of our food to foreign countries, all it would take to keep us fed is to lock up the boarder with mexico so we don't have more mouths to feed.

Now, I might be just a simple city blogger, but I don't think any of that caused the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Mayan Civilizations or whatever it is ABC thinks happened on Easter Island. Unless by Global Warming you mean Attilla the Hun, by Overpopulation you mean conquistadors and by Food Shortages you mean giant stone men with big noses and ears.

But even as they might have a point with the bullet points I outlined above, (in some cases) the things said by the alarmists at ABC are even more intense then your run-of-the-mill doomsdaying millennialists. Look at some of these-

"If 100 years from now, New York is abandoned, I picture some explorer coming to Manhattan saying 'Those IGNORANT people! How On EARTH could they have ever expected to survive?'"

Ok, lets ignore how condescending and morally righteous that quote is. Lets instead wonder A) what explorer didn't know where Manhattan was B) So humanity DOSE survive in order for there to be explorers, isn't that kinda against the whole "we're all going to die" thing? C) what kind of moronic explorer would take a look at the remains of the greatest city in the world and think "Wow, these people were stupid". We didn't think that about the Mayans, the Romans, the Egyptians and every other "dead" society we have ruins for. We MARVELED at them. This future explorer would likewise marvel at us.

"It's important for people to realize we are entering a world that no one has any personal experiance with. We have some idea what it's been like in the past but this is a new world."

well, someone give that guy a prize! You mean the future is unknown? We don't have any experience living in the future? Oh no! How will we ever survive?! I'd wager anything someone uttered just such a moronic sentiment after the first Atom bomb was used in WWII.

And of course ABC delivers the Coup de grâce of paranoid, panic-inducing, fear-mongering media stupidity- a YouTube contest to send in your very own Apocalyptic senarios. There examples show people talking about paying 12 dollars for a gallon of milk, 9 dollars for a gallon of gas and crying into the camera about how scared they are. Give. Me. A. Break.

Gas is double what it was a year ago, and milk prices are notoriously high here in New York. Is ANYONE making a youtube video crying about it?! ANYONE?

The of course there is the repetition of "choosing the right path". They use the phrase a number of times in both the description of the video and the videos themselves. Given the media's inherent biases, I doubt it's going to be the logical "More Nuclear Energy, Market-Based solutions, more research funding". I'd wager "The Right Path" starts with voting for Obama, continues with buying a hybrid and ends with buying the Sean Penn and Susan Serandon DVD boxsets.

Shame on you, ABC. The worst thing about the modern media is its constant fear-mongering and it looks like you're about to turn that into an artform.

You call all expect updates as ABC updates the site. I'm sure they'll continue to say insanely stupid things.

Reason #31325 to vote for John McCain

2008-06-12T18:09:00.002-04:00

The Supreme Court. Say what you want about the failure that followed the Bush administration in the second term, he gave us two wonderful justices in Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. The most liberal of all our supreme court justices, John Paul Stevens, is creeping up on retirement age- he's 88. Odds are he can't hold out and wait for a Democrat if the dems lose the next election.

As it stands at this moment there are 4 liberals, 4 conservatives, and Justice Kennedy, who votes conservatively on business issues and liberally on social issues and national security (IE- he's basically useless).

If we can get someone who's "moderate" in that they are conservitive on the issues Kennedy is liberal on, we have a slim supreme court majority that can do wonders for this nation for years to come and help us avoid travesties like this one.

So come on fence-sitting conservatives. You know that a McCain pick to the court would never have voted to give the rights of citizenship to foreign terrorists. As someone rather smart said recently-

"What I hear from people," said Richard Land, president of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, "is, 'John McCain was not my first choice, John McCain was not my second choice, John McCain was not my third choice. However, I would rather have a third-rate fireman than a first-class arsonist.' And they view Obama as a first-class arsonist."

McCain's "Confusion", Age-Baiting and General Back-Stabbery

2008-06-11T15:12:00.003-04:00

The other day on "Today" Sen. McCain reiterated a point he has made dozens of times before-

Q: If it’s working, senator, do you now have a better estimate of when American forces can come home from Iraq?

McCAIN: No, but that’s not too important. What’s important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea. Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That’s all fine.

The part of the quote being lambasted? The "That's not too important". Obama and his little army are saying that McCain clearly doesn't care about the troops, despite his son being one of them, because he doesn't think the return date is important. The surrogates most commonly quoted say the senator is "Confused" on Iraq, a clear and underhanded age attack. The leader of this little band of dastardly men? None other then McCain's "Friend" John Kerry.

This is of course a Man who apparently begged McCain to be his Veep in 2004 because they were so close and who McCain came to the defense of when the "swiftboat" mess started. McCain even refused to attack Kerry on a personal level in 2004, instead focusing on above the belt policy decisions. Talk about returning the favor...

This is a clear example of the tone of the campaigns. McCain is talking to the American people about the big issues, and the Democrats are attacking McCain for anything and everything they can find.

McCain 2008 Strategy Briefing

2008-06-10T15:24:00.001-04:00

Required Watching for we McCainiacs.

McCain taking Bipartisanism a step too far.

2008-06-10T15:06:00.003-04:00

Reaching across the aisle? Good.

Working with people you don't agree with? Good.

Making a Far-Left group of psychotics that make fun of your war service a recommended blog?

Not good.

Leave the Kos off your frontpage J-Mac. Trust me, it's for the best.

Called It!

2008-06-10T14:33:00.002-04:00

Looks like senator McCain is taking my advice on calling Obama Carter's second term!

Senator, if you're reading my blog and thus stole the line from me (he says, irrationaly) keep up the good work!

Boo-Ya!

Veepstakes! The Final McCain Tally

2008-06-10T13:39:00.006-04:00

So, I've written on the 11 candidates I think are on McCain's "Shortlist" and given them odds on weather or not I think they'll be the pick. The complete list is below-

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)- 5 to 1 (Bad Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)- 6 to 1 (Good Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK)- 8 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)- 10 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Charlie "Supertan" Crist (R-FL)- 14 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Gov. Sara Palin (R-AK)- 19 to 1 (Good Pick)
Mayor Micheal Bloomberg (I-NY)- 25 to 1 (Mixed Bag)
Hon. Rob Portman (R-OH)- 30 to 1 (OK Pick)
Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)- 30 to 1 (Good Pick)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)- 35 to 1 (OK Pick)
Hon. Colin Powell (R-CA)- 100 to 1 (Good Pick)

But I have not made a definitive choice on who I would like to see as JMac's #2. Well wonder no longer! Below is my ordered list from best to worst pick for the Mac Attack's #2 spot. I have left Secretary Powell off the list because of his extremely long odds.

10. Rob Portman
9. Joe Lieberman
8. Fred Thompson
7. Charlie Crist
6.Tim Pawlenty
5. Micheal Bloomberg
4. Mike Huckabee
3. Bobby Jindal
2. Mitt Romney

and my Number one choice is...

1. Gov. Sara Palin (R-AK). If you want to learn more about the good governor, visit the fine folk at Draft Palin for VP.

Obamamania

2008-06-09T15:43:00.001-04:00

The above was made by a Hillary Clinton supporter, a compilation of what Obama says in his books and what has been said by those closest to him. Some of it isn't that shocking or particularly offensive, much of it is.

Hat tip to RightWingNews.com.

You've got to be @$%#-ing kidding me,

2008-06-09T00:04:00.007-04:00

As I stated once upon a time in my "Statement of Principals" I try and see all sides of a political issue. I try and remain dispassionate and rational and look for the most easily reached compromise in any given situation. I give credit where credit is due, and think that the opposite team dose have a point some times, even if they still end up being wrong at the end. There is one issue where I cannot and never will see the other side of the issue, not because it doesn't exist, but because I hate it with a black unending loathing that roils the pit of my stomach and burns my soul with the brimstone and fire of hades' realm. An issue so vile that the mere mention of the subject around me has caused friends to flee for there lives from the impending wrath and pontification I am about to unleash. A topic that I hate SO MUCH I have driven away friends over it and nearly assaulted loved ones.

And no, it's not the Designated Hitter Rule.

It's Pot. Marijuana. Weed. That vile toxic substance that poisons our atmosphere and fuels the rotting minds of a thousand filthy vile scumbags that walk my streets, breath my air and dare despoil my precious America with there filthy hippy potheaded schemes!

I loath the substance with a passion unbridled and unrivaled in my life, there is nothing on this great green earth I loath more. When I was first asked, as a young boy, if I could be a law-maker and propose a law what would it be, I didn't ask for universal health care for my GIJoes, or mandatory cookie hour, or even day-long recess, like so many of my young peers did. I asked for a mandatory death penalty for the disgusting, feculant, abhorrent, unwholesome FREAKS that used the disgusting plant. I would have traded every recess, every cookie, every second of my life to just end the existence of the mindless drones that consumed that horrid, foul, nasty, nauseating, vile, ugly drug. And not just the death penalty, the permission to watch as we dispatch the repellent, revolting, sickening wretches that disgrace our country with there every breath! AND HAVE THE WHOLE THING TELEVISED SO THAT WE CAN WATCH THEM ALL SCREAM IN AGONY AS THEY DIE FOR THERE SINS AND THEY CAN SERVE AS EXAMPLE TO THE OTHER STONERS TO REPENT BEFORE WE GET THEM ALL!!!*

[deep breath]

Ahem...In short I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hate it. I'll go into the reasons why another day, but so long as you've got the jist that I don't like the stuff we can move on. Everybody ready? good.

My least favorite FORM of this substance is Medical Marijuana, AKA Illegal Marijuana coupled with Insurance and Medical Fraud. The stupidest state in the union, California*, has passed a repulsive law that makes it legal for you to smoke what I will hereinafter refer to as "the devil's anal leavings" (TDAL for short) IF you are dying or in extreme levels of pain. Glaucoma, cancer, Parkinson's, all the really painful horrible ways to die. Sounds reasonable dosn't it?

WRONG!

The glorious luminous beings at the BBC*** have done what the pathetic losers in our media have failed to do thus far. EXPOSE the filthy business for what it is! BACK DOOR POT LEGALIZATION! Selected quotes from the horrifying article-

"the 420 Evaluation Center... a 'medicinal clinic' where 'qualified patients' could obtain a doctor's recommendation allowing them the legal use of marijuana. They offered a $25 discount for new patients."
"According to the rules you have to be virtually at death's door, suffering from cancer, Aids or multiple sclerosis or in chronic pain in order to qualify. The best I could come up with was anxiety...We spent a few minutes shooting the breeze about Asian cuisine and [the doctor] signed a prescription for medicinal marijuana, valid for a year... And that was it. Done and dusted in less than 10 minutes."
My friend Will was waiting for me when I got outside... "You see, I told you," Will beamed. "This place is like Amsterdam."
"My prescription did not place a limit on the amount of marijuana I could buy a day"
"Yet with some dispensaries installing vending machines in order to deal with out-of-hours customers you have to wonder if the situation is in danger of becoming a farce."
"250,000 Californians are said to carry prescriptions for medicinal marijuana... who knows how many of them - like me - suffer from little more than the occasional bout of self-doubt."

WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT LORD ZEUS IS GOING ON THERE?!?!?!?!?!

It's like AMSTERDAM?!?! that crime-ridden cesspool!? You got a prescription for Anxiety!?!? TDAL Vending machines?! I... I... I need to hit something!

People who argue that Medical Marajuiana is anything but a backdoor legalization of TDAL are utterly full of shit.

I've heard rumblings that the federal goverment is planning on shutting down California's little misadventure into plucking the devils ass-hairs and smoking them. I pray they do. This needs to come to a grinding halt, right now!

I now return you to semi-rational commentary****. Good Night*****.

*I realize that killing people for doing TDAL is not a good idea. I was young and hotheaded. Now I just want users beaten badly and injected with a chemical that WILL kill you if you do any more pot. Dealers we can still have the death penalty for right off the bat.

**California only stupidist state in the union as of time of this writing. Other states with this wrongheaded and gross law are Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. They are also stupid stupid stupid states.

***The people at the BBC are left-leaning losers that let there personal political affiliations get in the way of reporting. This time they managed to please me, so I'm heaping on the praise. Don't expect more of it from me BBC!

****Rationality not guaranteed.

*****Unless you're smoking pot or are high right now (or have ever done that ever). Then I hope you choke to death in your sleep you filthy assholes.

A Sincere Apology

2008-06-08T18:10:00.001-04:00

I'm back from the picnic (damn the man who invented water balloons...) but I feel that, looking over my previous post, that I have misled you.

I have been to a national convention (The 2004 republican convention, it was a great time) and I must say, there was NO free food. None. At all. Ever.

DO NOT become a delegate for your local party expecting free food at the convention. I cannot stress that enough.

Family Picnic

2008-06-08T10:42:00.002-04:00

I'll be at Grandmother Hedge's side of the family's family picnic today. Should be good, nice food, unbearable heat, close family, some family I've never actualy talked to before with the exception of these picnics...

Its sort of like the democratic national convention. Everyone's going to show up expecting free food, and not really know what else is going on (and doesn't want to risk the wrath of the organizers by asking).

Back Later Today for more updates.

Our new Campagin Poster!

2008-06-07T21:36:00.005-04:00

After my post today, friend of the blog seven5suited did this for me... Good stuff...

Huhbuhwha?

2008-06-07T19:54:00.005-04:00

I can't wait for the Townhall debates. I just can't. I'm bouncing off the walls here.

[EDIT- For the record, Obama is attempting to explain his health care plan]

[EDIT TWO- If McCain had done this, people would be jumping all over him because of his age and the clip would come before and after every commercial break on CNN and MSNBC. The Obamessiah has no such problems. All Heil the Obamessiah!]

Hat tip to Hot Air and Gateway Pundit.

Also Read This.

Website of the Day

2008-06-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

Meet Barack Obama.

Clinton Supporters for McCain Pt. 2

2008-06-07T18:27:00.006-04:00

this may end up being a long-running series if the Senator's Blog has anything to say about it...

Senator Clinton has really grown on us over here in Crystal City over the past few months. She ran an impressive campaign, and proved herself to be an impressive candidate and as John McCain has said, inspired a generation of women. Ultimately, and ironically, it seems she fell victim to a vast left-wing conspiracy that resented her generally centrist foreign policy views (early support for the Iraq war, support for Kyl-Lieberman, unwavering support for Israel, etc.).
And so it was interesting that she barely touched on foreign policy in her concession speech today. She mentioned Iraq only twice, she mentioned terrorism only once, and she didn't mention Iran at all. After all, her serious approach to each of these issues proved liability in the Democratic primary. She spent years building a strong record on national security, and in the end her party opted for a candidate with no national security experience at all.
Senator Clinton also didn't mention John McCain once during her speech. This came as something of a surprise over here, and a pleasant one at that. But it's clear that John McCain and Hillary Clinton respect each other -- and there is a genuine affection for her here at McCain HQ. During her speech there was no small amount of pleading with the TV: 'Don't do it, you can still win!'

What can we draw from this?

McCain will try and make the argument to Clinton voters that Clinton was forced out by a "vast left-wing conspiracy"
McCain will note that McCain and Clinton have similar Foreign Policy ideals (not counting that whole Iraq War pullout idea)
Constantly talk about "genuine affection" and "respect". I'd be shocked if the Vodka Drinking Contest Story didn't burst forward again in the coming months.
Carefully note when and where Clinton name-drops McCain, analyzing it's context and perhaps making the argument that "she didn't mean it". They are clearly pointing out here that Clinton endorsed Obama without attacking McCain... is that a clue for Clinton Supporters or is it just Clinton going out on a high note?

Looks like the courting is on full force...

Clinton Supporters for McCain?

2008-06-07T16:08:00.003-04:00

It seems to me that most people fall into one of two camps on the "What happens to Clinton's supporters now?" question.

The first camp are the Vengeful Voter thinkers. According to these folk, Senator Clinton's supporters are so angry at there candidates loss/the vile coming from the far left about the Clinton family/the "unsportsmanlike" campaign by Obama/everything else, that they are going to either stay home in the fall or (GASP!) vote for John McCain, a guy who most democrats don't view as being the Devil incarnate.

The second camp are the Party Line thinkers. These people are of the opinion that Senator Clinton's supporters are still democrats first and foremost and that they're going to come together around Obama with a few words of unity from his silver tongue. They believe that McCain's opposition to abortion and dislike of goverment mandated/run health care will remind the Clintonites that they have much more in common with Obama then the GOP.

Who's right? If I had to pick one, I'd go with the Party Line people. Democrats come home to democrats, just like I'm convinced in the fall republicans will come home to republicans. That being said there will be some attrition from the Dems to McCain on a number of fronts, primarily coming from Blue-Collar voters and Women.

My Mother would never say it, god bless her, but if Clinton had been the democratic nominee, she probably would have voted for her to try and see a woman president. She loathes Obama, and several of her close friends, who tend to lean democratic, feel similarly.

If McCain can make overtures to these groups by sending out surrogates that can talk to them in ways they understand (Carly Fiorina to the Women, Fred Thompson to the Blue-Collar men) I think McCain can pick up an enough voters to win this thing... but it'll be working against the tide. Most Democratic voters will vote Democrat in the fall, make no mistake. The few we pick off could be important though, so remember the slogan for your Clinton-Loving friends- McCain: He's Not the Devil!

Re-Writing History, Obama Style

2008-06-07T14:40:00.001-04:00

And so it begins...

Veepstakes! Vol. 3- McCain's Darkhorses

2008-06-07T13:12:00.008-04:00

Welcome back to Veepstakes! In this installment I'll be going over the 5 "Darkhorse" candidates for McCain's Veep spot. The rules remain the same as my previous installments, I'll give you the name, the Pro's and Con's from an electoral standpoint, My Take on them as a candidate and the Odds they'll take the nom (As darkhorses, expect the odds here to be high). Here's a quick recap of McCain's Big Five (the odds have changed some since then)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)- 5 to 1 (Bad Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)- 6 to 1 (Upgraded to Good Pick)
Ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK)- 8 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)- 10 to 1 (Good Pick)
Gov. Charlie "Supertan" Crist (R-FL)- 14 to 1 (Mixed Bag)

Onward!

JOHN MCCAIN-

Micheal R. Bloomberg- Billionaire Mayor of the City of New York (Go New York!). Democrat turned Republican turned Independent. Man who made the rim of manhattan green, with both money and parks.

Pros- Want to appeal to independents? Theres no one more independent then the financial mougul, he's feuded with everyone under the sun and backed a wide array of politicians from almost every state and political affiliation. With Bloomberg on the ticket McCain locks up the "Post-Partisan" mantel, particularly if Hillary is on the dem ticket. With Bloomberg and Lieberman both backing McC, Obama can kiss most of the Jewish Vote goodbye. Having a self-made billionaire on the ticket helps shore up economic cred in a major way. He makes McCain competitive in New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of New England. His brand of politics could also help McCain in California. There's also the slight matter that rumors swirl that he'd spend over 500 MILLION @$!^ING DOLLARS OF HIS OWN MONEY to get elected Veep.

Cons- Remeber those hardliner conservatives that are teetering on the edge of voting for McCain? I'd say half of them vote for Bob Barr. The man is notoriously disloyal to his political affiliation, he runs through parties like an infant through diapers. His Jewish affiliation might also push some of the "Insane" vote out of the party. Picking him would make him... the presumptive republican nominee in 4-8 years? That just sounds wrong... In order to get him on the ticket, McCain would have to promise to let him set the economic agenda as some sort of Super Treasury Secretary.

My Take- for McCain to pick bloomberg he has to first secure the support of the hard right in at least getting a cease fire. As sad as it sounds, Rush Limbaugh and the gang could severly hurt McCain in the south if they wanted to. If McCain can secure a cease fire, he's a great pick. If not, he's not worth it.

ODDS- 25 to 1

Sarah Palin- Current republican Governor of the State of Alaska. That's right, Alaska.

Pros- A Former Beauty Queen, Palin is a lifelong NRA member and an avid hunter. She's cut taxes across the board and has made large budget cuts for pork barrel projects. She's known for her creative ways to cut costs, including selling the governors private jet on eBay. despite supporting a ban on Gay Marriage, she has vetoed laws that would prevent gay couples from sharing economic benifits, beliving them to be unconstitutional and market infringements, making her palatable to both sides of that devide. A Member of "Feminists for Life" a pro-life feminist orginization, she brings a new perspective to the table on the issue. She's loved by the Far-Right and she's young, being only 42, younger then Obama. Her eldest son is serving in the Army. She fought to open new alaskan ground for drilling and she has been an outspoken critic of republicans who have ethical reform problems. She has the highest approval ratings of any statewide elected official in the United States.

[EDIT- I was incorrect stating she had the highest approval ratings for any state-wide elected offical. She has the highest approval rating for ANY major elected offical (Congressman and up). Her disapproval rating is 5%. It's pretty nuts.]

Cons- She's only a 1 term governor, but she looks to be coasting to her second term. She has no Foreign Policy Experience. She's from Alaska, a region not in danger of going democratic and not an electoral prize. She's totally unknown outside of conservative circles and Alaska. Canadians know her better then we do.

My Take- Quite possibly McCain's best pick on any list. I might be nuts, but Palin seems like a brilliant candidate, an older female Bobby Jindal. Want to win Women Voters? Put Palin on the list. She's also a fairly attractive woman, something most men will not be too upset about. Can't praise this pick enough... sadly she doesn't seem to be campaigning at all for the job and I've never seen a McCain aide even mention her name. Oh well... She can run for president herself in 2012.

ODDS- 19 to 1

Rob Portman- Ohio congressman, former director of Bush's office of Budget and Management.

Pros- Economic Conservitive Chops, Ohio Roots will help in that Vital battleground state. very well-liked by establishment republicans and movement conservitives. The very model of a modern republican politican, in a good way.

Cons- Boring. Might not deliver Ohio. Unknown. served in the bush administration, making him toxic.

My Take- an OK pick, even though there are some corners that are pushing for portman hard.

ODDS- 30 to 1

Joe Lieberman- Senator from Connecticut, second half of the 2000-era Gore-Lieberman ticket. Former Democrat, now "Independent Democrat", whatever that means. Early McCain supporter.

Pros- Line-crossing bi-partisan senator. Having him on the ticket shows he's not a typical republican. The Far Right kinda likes him because of the War. helps deliver Florida and perhaps parts of New England. Popular with Independants.

Cons- Pretty much a liberal on non Foreign policy issues. loathed by the democrats- putting him on the ticket makes the race much nastier. Doesn't relay help as far as battleground states go.

My Take- Destined to be a Secretary of Whatever in the McCain administration, and not much else.

ODDS- 35 to 1

Fred Thompson- Former Senator from Tennessee, former District Attorney from New York on the TV show Law and Order.

Pros- Movement conservatives salivate over him. Is very charismatic. McCain and he are old friends from there senate days together.

Cons- Not terribly exciting as a presidental candidate, the wind has gone out of his sails long ago. Dosn't do anything that another candidate dose for McCain better.

My Take- Not a bad choice, just not a great one either.

Odds- 30 to 1

Colin Powell- Former Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State during the second Bush Administration's first term.

Pros- Is Colin Powell. Makes Obama look like a precocious tool.

Cons- Um... old? Too awesome? Might cause overload of Kick-assitude between him and McCain causing the republican ticket to explode? Apparently likes Obama.

My Take- Its Colin Freaking Powell, what do you think my take is, you fool!

ODDS- 100 to 1 (if he didn't run in '96, he's not going to accept now)

HamNation: Obama on Your Shoulder

2008-06-07T12:56:00.002-04:00

Because some of you just can't be trusted to click a link, here's the Obama campaign song embedded!

Take a Chance on McCain, Clintonistas

2008-06-07T11:45:00.003-04:00

I take back those bad things I said about McCain's blog. This is spectacular.

Is it too much to ask for a little "Fernando" next time?

Why Fight it?

2008-06-07T10:38:00.003-04:00

A liberal friend of mine and I were talking the other day, and he wondered aloud why I was bothering to struggle against the Obama campaign when I saw a few upsides to it (The death of the "Race Card", Europe being tricked into doing what we say again by the virtue of Obama's "Multilateralism", A republican congress in 2010, ect) and I thought he had a pretty good chance of winning regardless of what I did (60-65% as of this moment).

Impossible Odds?

War-Scarred Heroic Leader?

Leaders Hot Wife?

Conniving Wussy Congress?

I think I just struck upon McCain's new Slogan...

Now if I only had a well to kick annoying liberals into in my house...

"This is not Madness... THIS! IS! MCCAIN!"

"I sure could use a war for oil right about now..."

2008-06-06T19:07:00.003-04:00

The title of this post comes from my barber's sentiments on todays bad news...

Take that hippies! You've made wars for oil such a part of the American vernacular that some people are considering supporting one! HA!

But seriously. Venezuela has lots of oil. Nobody likes Hugo Chavez. Lets get to it!

Time to Play the Seseme Street Game!

2008-06-06T18:02:00.004-04:00

One of these things is not like the other one, one of these things just doesn't belong...

This photo is from Senator McCain's recent trip to the Florida Everglades, You can se the destinctive "My arms can't go up high because of 5 years of constant torture" wave from J-Mac, the lovely Mrs. Mac and Ms. Mac are next to him... and at the end of the row the SUPER CREEPY HYPER-TANNED Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The whole back row is made of Foridians, the man directly behind him is of Cuban Decent, and yet Crispy Charlie out-tans them all. He looks like he was raised by the Gotti family in an orange-spray tanning booth... or at least on Staten Island.

My God Man, Stay out of the sun a while! At first I thought you'd make McCain look Pale, now you make yourself look too tan!

I can't Believe it's not Blogging!

2008-06-06T17:49:00.004-04:00

Riiiiiiiight...

Um... I believe your blog exists senator McCain. Do YOU believe your blog exists? I mean, Its a good idea, get your ideas out there, created a dumping ground for mass-consumption of your ideas with guest posts from your blog-tastic buddies (I'm calling a Lieberman guest post RIGHT NOW)... but come on. The slogan's a nice quick dig at the Obamessiah, but still...

In any case this signals the start of McCain's online push and it's a good first step for the Republican Party as a whole. Micheal Goldfarb was picked up from the Weekly Standard not too long ago, and it's gratifying to see the party moving in this direction.

Just get a new slogan. Please.

A strange diversion...

2008-06-06T17:15:00.003-04:00

After seeing the "Obama on your Shoulder" (click the link in the post below this), I've developed a Conserva-Crush (Conservitive Crush, Keep up people!) on Mary Katherine Ham. She's like a Conservative Sara Silverman (without the over-developed potty mouth).

So to promote all things Ham, I shall link you to...

Her Blog.

Her Columns.

A Profile from the Politico.

The Obama Campagin's new Theme Song!

2008-06-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

Via Mary Katherine Ham at Townhall.

Those Wacky Germans are at it Again!

2008-06-06T13:45:00.003-04:00

This time, they've decided it might be amusing to call the white house "Uncle Barack's Cabin" in celebration of Obama's primary victory! Isn't that a hoot?

No? It's incredibly offensive to African Americans, Caucasian Americas, Barack Obama, German Americans and Cabin Owners? Oh well... it could have been worse. They could have made a Holocaust joke.

Racism, Genocide, selling babies on the internet... Those Wacky Germans!

[Authors Note: I'm part German, so I can make fun of them. From the safety of America, a nation that's kicked there rears in two world wars.]

Veestakes! Update: Romney and Clinton

2008-06-06T00:43:00.001-04:00

Mark Halperin is the best reporter-cum-blogger in the game. I trust his instincts implicitly. And thus Romney gets a big boost and Clinton gets a knock down.

Mitt Romney

ODDS- 6-to-1

Hillary Clinton

ODDS- 4-to-1

Veepstakes! Update: Tim Pawlenty

2008-06-06T00:09:00.004-04:00

T-Paw has been doing the dinner circuit outside of his home-region lately, even headlining the Prescott Bush Dinner in Connecticut. This has raised his press status, and his national profile. To me this screams that McCain has been wavering about picking T-Paw, and now he's trying to audition for the part by showing off that he's not just regional flash in the pan. this allows for a slight downgrade in the odds.

Tim Pawlenty

ODDS- 5 to 1

A One Liner for Senator McCain

2008-06-05T19:22:00.002-04:00

A bit of advice for J-Mac: Next time Obama says you would a third Bush term, respond that Obama would be a second Carter term. Then watch as Obama tries to defend the horrific policies of Jimmy Carter.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Veepstakes! Update: Bobby Jindal

2008-06-05T16:06:00.003-04:00

Even more good press for the wunderkind from Lousiana.

I'm upgrading Bobby Jindal's odds as a result.

Bobby Jindal

ODDS- 10 to 1

Denny Crane for President

2008-06-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

McCain vs. The Movement

2008-06-05T11:56:00.004-04:00

In my opinion, the greatest threat to John McCain winning the presidency is not the fact people are tired of conservitivism (though I think at this rate they're willing to try something else) nor Obama's presence and pomp, It's the fact that the media is playing his win (perhaps correctly) as a huge historic moment. His election would, in the eyes of many, absolve us of our sins and move us into a new generation of understanding and blah blah blah blah blah.

I don't buy that argument. I have know since a young age that we would see the first Black, Woman, Hispanic, Asian, 70-somthing and 30-something presidents in my lifetime. Equality is one of the few things that will (and should) always be on the rise in America. Because I had this unshakable belief that this will happen, and happen while I'm around, I have underestimated the political momentum that a "Historic" pick would get.

In order to win the presidency McCain has to do something no candidate has done since... well... Reagan, Kennedy and Teddy Roosevelt. He needs to add something to the national Mythos. He needs to create a historic change GREATER then that Obama is offering (or at least close). He needs to promise sweeping and overwhelming changes in our lives because that's what Captain Barry Big-Ears is offering. McCain needs to make sure everyone knows that his election would bring about historic change too, perhaps going to far as to promise a high-cabinet level office to Obama (Making him Secretary of State would be a powerful message that we're going to rebuild alliances). He needs to pick a Vice-President that's historic too, because theres nothing the media likes more then making history.

With these facts in mind I'm upgrading the chance of Obama being the next president to 65%. God help us all, the socialists are back.

Senator McCain's Kennedy-Goldwater concept.

2008-06-04T11:46:00.003-04:00

McCain has announced that he has invited Obama to 10 town hall meetings (one a week) across America. He borrowed the concept from JFK (that young charismatic Democrat with low experiance) and Barry Goldwater (that old crotchety Republican from Arizona), two old friends from opposite sides of the spectrum.

I think this is not only McCain's best shot at winning the presidency, but the best thing for this nation. Can you imagine? No more sound bites? Real conversations about real issues? Talk about a different election...

I doubt Obama will do it. But he should. It would be good for america.

The BBC calls it better then we do in the States

2008-06-04T03:05:00.003-04:00

the BBC's justin webb has an EXCELLENT article up on just why Obama won the democratic race.

Here are his "Ten Reasons" Obama won-

1. He is black. Geraldine Ferraro has a point: Obama's individual story is important and his racial makeup - he is of mixed race - is a part of his appeal. Black people have rallied to him.

2. He is not black. He is also the first black presidential hopeful to run as a post-racial candidate (hence the upset with Ferraro). White people feel unthreatened by him.

3. He was not taken seriously. Oops. If the Clinton people had blown him out in Iowa, at the beginning of the process, he would be toast.

4. He is serious. This appears to be a serious year, in which Americans are deeply worried about the state of the nation, and Obama's slightly professorial demeanour looks a good fit.

5. He offers self-help and self-improvement. She offered a plan to make America better - he offers a plan to make Americans themselves better.

6. He promises change in a year when Americans are ready for change.

7. He is 46 and handsome.

8. He catches the attention of the media but is a hard target to attack - you look uncool to diss him (as Hillary has discovered).

9. Mark Warner - the former governor of Virginia, the other young anti-Hillary man - didn't stand.

10. Axelrod wrote the script. David Axelrod was an adviser to The West Wing and helped mould the character (Matt Santos) who succeeded Jed Bartlett. He based him on Obama and now Obama seems based on Santos. But either way, it was written... And it has come to pass...

Anyone seeking to know why obama won has to look at these 10 points. Point 5 is particularly terrifying- he's going to change us. Creepy.

The Post-Nomination Bump

2008-06-04T02:37:00.003-04:00

Expect over the course of the next few days Obama to get a big bump in national polls (if that hasn't already started). Over the next few months they should start to level out... unless he can't controll the Clinton for VP story that's going to very quickly spin out of control.

Obama's going to lead in the polls but that WILL change depending on how he handles the fallout from the primaries. Anything he says is going to be analyzed and if he sounds even remotly smug or condescending the Clintonites are going to pounce. it's not going to be pretty.

She's Out

2008-06-04T02:34:00.002-04:00

Using my "Magic Number" theory, Clinton officially has to drop out of the race. She didn't capture ANY of her three targets, losing Montana (her last chance to pick up some big superdelegate endorsements) and actually ended up LOSING popular vote ground to Obama. Sure she wins the popular vote in about half the ways to count it up, but that's not enough.

It's no longer a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

It's over!

2008-06-03T21:21:00.002-04:00

And thus ends (for now) the saga of Hillary and Barack. Most of the major nets are now calling the nomination for good ol' barry (popular vote be damned, it didn't help gore so why should it help hillary?).

Now the real games begin. The Geezer Vs the God, the Hero Vs the Hope Haver, the man of subsance vs the man of... no substance.

Chance as of right now that Obama is our next president- 60%.

Chance I'm voting for John McCain- 95%.

Chance I'm going to drink on election night- 100%.

Game on!

Magic Number Update...

2008-06-03T12:13:00.002-04:00

The Page is reporting Obama's Magic number is down to 36.5 with more to come. It'll take a big win in SD and a come from behind win in Montana to save Clinton at this rate...

It's important to note that Montana's remaining superdelegates including Governor Brian Schweitzer, Senator Jon Tester, Senator Max Baucus, and party chairman Dennis McDonald have all pledged to give there delegates to the winner of tonights primary (despite the fact that Baucus' Montana home has an Obama sign in the window). Everyone expects the state to go for obama thus netting him superdelegates that are probably favorable to him anyway. Still, a clinton upset would cast so many things in doubt...

Obama's Brilliant Political Move

2008-06-03T12:05:00.003-04:00

I have to handy to Barry, He's got a very savvy political team. Tonight, when Obama makes what most are predicting will be a victory speech, he will do so from the very site of the upcoming Republican National Convention. This is not a "Sportsmanlike" thing to do (it's the political equivalent of the Yankee's announcing they signed A-Rod from Fenway Park), but it is brilliant. Nowhere else on earth could Obama deliver an address that would so clearly delineate the differences between his campaign and the campaign of presumptive republican nominee John McCain. In his speech he will draw contrasts between what will occur in his speech that night, and what McCain will say several months from now. It'll be a great speech devoid of substance from a campaign full of great speeches devoid of substance.

But here's the real kicker- Obama gets double on this speech because during the Republican National Convention, the News Nets, still slavering over Barry's triumph will bring up that speech again and again and again. stealing much of McCain's thunder at the event itself. It's dastardly, it's brilliant and I wish McCain had thought of it first.

The Magic Number

2008-06-02T22:09:00.002-04:00

There are 4 magic numbers to consider for tomorrow.

1- 24,586. This is the number of votes Hillary needs to gain to pass Obama in the most "Reasonable" Popular Vote count. (Counting all states with primaries but Michigan, and no "Caucus Estimates")

2- 44,667. The Number of votes needed for Hillary to pass Obama in the most "Inclusive" count of the popular vote. (Counting Michigan while giving the "Undecided" votes to Obama, and counting the "Caucus Estimates")

3- 134,808. The Number of votes needed for Hillary to pass Obama in the only remaining category above the two I've already listed. (One not counting Michigan, but counting the "Caucus Estimates")

4- 41.5. The number of delegates Obama claims to need to "Clinch" the nomination. If between Delegates awarded by the two states voting tomorrow and a rush of supers the media has been reporting, he'll declare victory.

If Clinton can get the first number, I think she sticks in for a while to make the argument she won, she'll get pressured out in a week or so. If she gets the second number, she sticks in till the convention rolls around, drop out just before or AT the convention. If she gets the third number (almost impossible) she'll have a real argument that she should be the nom and sticks through the entire convention. If she gets none of them and Obama gets his number, it's all over she resigns on Wednesday.

Keep watching folks, this is gonna be fun!

Quote of the Day

2008-05-31T22:35:00.001-04:00

“Where DC is Coke, Marvel is Pepsi; where DC is Hillary Clinton, Marvel is Barack Obama; where DC is McDonald’s, Microsoft and the Beatles, Marvel is Burger King, Apple and the Rolling Stones.”

-Dominic West

[On a side note I like Coke, McDonalds, Microsoft, The Beatles and (if forced to choose between the two) Hillary Clinton... yet I seem to like Marvel more. Hmmm...]

Could she actualy win?

2008-05-31T11:35:00.002-04:00

It's popular online at this time to start writing the obituaries of the Clinton Campaign (indeed, many media sources wrote Obits for Clinton every night of the campaign since the start of the season), but could she actually pull it off? Could the legitimacy of the Florida voters combined with a big win in Puerto Rico give her the undisputed popular vote count? Could she parlay this popular vote lead into victory at the convention?

I sure hope so.

Let me explain for a moment- I'm a McCainiac, I have been for years. I'm drinking the kool-aide on the guy and think he'd make a supremely fantastic American president. Unfortunately I have no such illusions about Barack Obama. Barry is the first serious presidential candidate in my lifetime to scare me, truly and deeply scare me. I don't think he knows square one about how to lead America and has an almost Bush-Level Niavte about what the world thinks about us. Gore, Kerry, Bill Clinton, they were people I didn't want to see in office, but I was positive America would still be here when they were done. Barry Obama? Not so much (then again, he scares me less the Howard Dean...)

So in this election I have a chance to be either very pleased with America's choice or terrified with America's choice. IF Obama is the nominee. If Clinton pulls of what would go down as the greatest comeback in American primary history (Sorry J-Mac, be happy with #2) I'd get a chance to be very pleased or mildly unhappy... but positive that america would still be here in 4 years when we vote her out of office.

So can she win? Perhaps. She's going to need a favorably worded decision from the RBC today in order to pull it off and a 15-to-20 point lead in PR when they vote to make her argument, but stranger things have happened...

You, Me, HRC and the RBC

2008-05-31T09:29:00.003-04:00

Never before (and hopefully never again) have I been interesting in what a sub-committee of the DNC is doing. Today the "Democratic" party's Rules and Bylaws Committee (AKA the RBC) meets to decide if they're going to count the votes of several million somewhat loyal party members. It will basically decide the fate of the clinton campaign.

Tonight Obama will declare Victory in the campaign, regardless of the outcome of the meeting. Clinton will probably (if she's smart) counter-address him from Puerto Rico or Montana. Stay Tuned...

I made it onto Overheard in New York AGAIN!

2008-05-31T08:55:00.000-04:00

Could You Call Ahead to the Pro-Choicers on 6th?
Environmentalist giving out fliers: Excuse me sir, do you care about helping our environment?
Man: Oh no thank you, I'm a Republican.

--14th & 5th

Overheard by: Dave
via Overheard in New York, May 30, 2008

Website of the Day: Olbermann Watch

2008-05-31T08:51:00.003-04:00

Click here for your daily dose of why Keith Olbermann is a giant waste of my oxygen.

Best info from the site today? Olbey is a Tax cheat! Huzzah!

Best Day Ever?

2008-05-29T15:11:00.001-04:00

Today is not only the day new comic books come out this week, but it's the season finale of lost. I used to get this every week when lost was on Wensdays but since they moved it Lost to Thursdays, I have not gotten the double whammy in quite some time.

Good days.

...unless you're in the bush administration. Can't win 'em all can I?

Another one bites the Bus

2008-05-28T23:14:00.005-04:00

Senator Obama's favorite pasttime of throwing family, friends and loved ones to the wolves to justify every whim he has is getting more and more notice. Recently when questioned on his friendship with unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, Barry O decided the easiest way to get out of the jam is to say he's also friends with the Anti-Abortion Senator Tom Coburn. Comparing friends who you disagree with to terrorists? How... Obama-like. From Ben Smith's Blog-

"What people ought to say and people ought to ask is, why answer the question by throwing a friend under a bus? The question people ought to ask is, why didn’t he answer the questions?" Coburn said.

"I mean, Barack is a good friend of mine, but I think he's way too young and way to inexperienced to lead this country," he said.

I guess Obama is Bipartisan after all. He'll throw anyone under the bus to justify his goals.

Deliver us from Cragislist

2008-05-28T13:43:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, I blogged about a German Couple who "jokingly" put there child up for sale on eBay for 1 euro.

Now I'm blogging on a Canadian couple who "jokingly"put there newborn child up for sale on craigslist for 10,000 dollars.

Are you friggin kidding me? Look at the police inspector holding a print-out of the ad. If it was a "Hoax" as the mother of the 7-day old little girl had protested, why did they put there PHONE NUMBER on the ad? The Police X'ed it out for the one to show to the press, but it was on the real ad. I'm a firm believer that most people should not be allowed to have children, its one of my few "statist" leanings. I'd like to think if you had to fill out a form to sign up for the right to be pregnant, you'd have to check a box labeled "Will not try to sell baby over the internet".

MSNBC- Worst News Network in the WORLD!!!

2008-05-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

The Washington Post has a great article up on the channel's devolution into an arm of the Obama campaign. The most shocking moment is below.

But news and opinion often seem to merge on primary nights. MSNBC's coverage is anchored by Matthews, a onetime Democratic operative, and Olbermann, the "Countdown" host who recently finished one anti-Bush commentary by instructing the president to "shut the hell up."

On election nights, Griffin says, Matthews and Olbermann "put on different hats. I think the audience gets it. . . . I see zero problem." MSNBC, he adds, offers "a little irreverence, entertainment, and sometimes it's even borderline dangerous."

REALLY? THAT'S the excuse they are giving?

Lets set aside for a moment that these men anchor a news broadcast that's supposed to be non-partisan when they clearly are not. That's a news network, it can be rationalized away, even if the above is such total bull---- that there are fertilizer companies in the midwest who want to contract MSNBC so they can get a cut of "the good stuff". Instead lets remember these people were once picked to MODERATE A GOP DEBATE. Who did the dems get? Brian Williams, Mr. Serious News Journalist. Who did the GOP get? A Man who recently called General Petraus, who gains wide acclaim as a man of honor from bot sides of the isle, one of "the worst people in the world", and a man who famously said Obama sent a "thrill up his leg."

Lets imagine if the opposite had happened on the right-leaning channel, Fox. Lets say the republicans debated and they got Chris Wallace, someone who's universally respected and actually a registered democrat despite being the lead political moderator on "the republican channel". Then lets say when the Democrats walked out there moderators were Sean Hannity and Bill O'Riley. Anyone see a problem here? What if CNN had a democratic debate run by Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs? Or a republican one hosted by Paul Begala and Donna Brazile?

It is THIS reason why MSNBC is the most horrifying channel of the infotainment age. At least Fox and CNN can find a line of demarcation between there opinion people and there news people. MSNBC is too busy setting out the tenants of the church of Obama to notice they've thrown journalistic integrity out the window.

And that's why MSNBC is (to steal a phrase from the odious Mr. Olbermann) THE WORST NEWS NETWORK IN THE WORLD!!!!

Quote of the Day

2008-05-28T10:50:00.001-04:00

“The VP story is a little bit like sex, when it’s happening you’re totally focused on it, it’s all you want. Then, the second it’s over you can barely remember why it seemed so important.”

-Tucker Carlson, NBC political analyst

McCain to kill men with bare hands to save you money

2008-05-27T20:59:00.003-04:00

Ok not really. But the Onion is funny...

The next Obama Family Reunion

2008-05-27T20:25:00.005-04:00

...will probably take place under the Obama campaign bus, since he seems intent to throw family members there for fun. First he decided to call his grandmother a racist and a "typical white person". Then he talked about his mother and fathers shortcomings. Now he's exposing his great-uncle's supposed mental issues after returning from WWII? Are there any family issues he's not willing to exploit for political gain?

McCain has 2 sons in the military, one who is currently a marine in Iraq. How many times has J-Mac brought it up during the GI Bill discussion? None.

Obama 2008: There's No Low We Can't Stoop To.

And Change and stuff.

Political Education Declined

2008-05-27T19:45:00.003-04:00

When a decidedly off-script Lindsey Graham declared that he thought McCain should take Obama to Iraq, the media pounced. Would the Senior Senator from Arizona and the Junior Senator from Illinois be willing to make a historic bi-partisan investigation of a war zone?

When the media asked McCain about it the next day, he decided he liked the idea, if the junior senator was willing. After all, the little punk junior senator hadn't been there since 2006, when violence was at its peak and the surge had not yet taken hold. Now that violence is at a 4 year low, McCain figured Obama would do well to actually speak to our commanders in a private manner and see our troops in action.

Obama of course declined. But he took it a step further, doing the press release equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling loudly. Saying-

"John McCain's proposal is nothing more than a political stunt, and we don't need any... walks through Baghdad markets to know that Iraq's leaders have not made the political progress that was the stated purpose of the surge. "

He then goes on to say that talking about Iraq is distracting us from the important issues of Iraq. He's a bloody wonder that one. How dose that logic work? You don't need to see things first hand to know what's going on? I can't wait to see how he weasels out of the debates in the fall...

"I don't need to actually talk to senator McCain for people to know I'm the second coming! People can tell from my scripted remarks and wall of sycophantic aides that I'm plenty smart!"

Yeesh...

Veepstakes! Vol. 2- Obama's Big Five

2008-05-27T15:28:00.000-04:00

In Veepstakes! Vol. 1 I gave you a look at who I consider to be the 5 top contenders for McCain's VP spot (don't worry if your favorite was not on the list, Vol. 3 will give a look at McCain's Darkhorse choices). Here in Number 2, I'll give you the 5 top contenders to Obama's second spot (assuming of course he can beat back the Clintons). Reminder: I'm going to try and be as non-partisan as possible with these picks, viewing them for there electability rather then there personal image or choices. I'll give the pros the cons, my take and the odds they'll be the pick. Here we go!

BARACK OBAMA-

Hillary Clinton- If you don't know who Hillary Clinton is by now I can't help you. The former first lady and current junior senator from my homestate is a household name.

Pros- She's a Clinton, and they tend to be able to win elections (the democratic primary non-withstanding). She connects well with "White Middle-Class" voters and has managed to brilliantly position herself as a champion of the little guy. A great campaigner with a solid record of reaching across the isle, some conservatives now like her more then the republican nominee. Picking her could be Obama's best shot at uniting the party again. Her husband becomes another great tool in the general election, provided he can keep on message. Also, she probably has enough delegates to FORCE him to pick her if she wants to so he might pick her to avoid looking weak.

Cons- Highly polarizing. High unfavorables. His most die-hard supporters (aka MSNBC) loath her. Having her on the ticket also ruins what most consider his greatest asset- the "Change" message (We would have had a bush or a Clinton on a major party ticket every election since 1980). Her husband has seemingly lost his ablity to keep his mouth shut since

My Take- A Bad Choice. Clinton can't do much but drag the Obamessiah off his perch at this point. She's old-school retail politics and picking her makes Obama a part of that same system. He'd be better off offering her a high-profile cabinet post then the Vice-Presidency. Still, if she wants it there's almost nothing he can do to stop her other then playing the same kind of hardball that would damage him as much as picking her. In other words, he might be screwed.

ODDS- 2 to 1

Jim Webb- Former Reagan-Era Republican Navy Secretary, Vietnam Vet, and now Democratic Senator.

Pros- from a state the democrats have been doing wonders in in recent years, Virgina, Webb brings not only Foreign policy experience to the table but could bring Virgina into the democratic column. His populist themes are tailor-made for the current political climate and he would undoubtedly help with less-educated white southerners that Obama needs to court.

Cons- He's insane. He shoots his mouth off more then he should. He apparently doesn't want to be vice-president. He's been in the senate even less then Obama has, and somehow has more legislative experience. He wrote novels where men engaged in sex acts with small boys.

My Take- A bad choice. He's good for Obama in many ways, but the odds are very good that he'll say something during the campaign that will hurt more then it helps. He's a lazy campaigner that doesn't like to be told what to do. If he disagrees with Obama on something he's going to make it known, and that could be destructive on the trail.

ODDS- 10 to 1

Tim Kaine- Current governor of Virginia, moderate democrat and early Obama supporter (back when supporting Obama was seen as a risky thing to do, dare you anger the Clinton gods and gain there wrath)

Pros- Would help greatly with white Christan voters, particularly Conservative evangelicals that are wary about McCain. Brings Virgina into the dem column and becomes the southern ambassador for Barack Obama. brings executive experience running a red state. Proven crossover appeal and a good campaigner overall.

Cons- Only served one term as governor (then again, in VA you can't serve more then on term in Richmond...). Pro-Life stance could hurt him with female voters still stinging over the clinton loss. His religious overtones may remind the far-left of bush's early speeches. Not well known. Limited appeal in western states. Adds zero FP experience.

My Take- Good Pick. He's squeaky-clean, has crossover appeal and is a longtime obama backer. He helps Obama win Virginia, and perhaps some other southern states. Only downside would be that he adds no real foreign policy experience (though his time as a missionary in Honduras may count for something later on). Overall he's still a good choice.

ODDS-4 to 1

Wesley Clark- Former NATO commander in Kosovo, 4-Star general, Clinton family friend, Candidate for President in 2004.

Pros- Could be seen as VP candidate to unite party with his deep ties to the Clinton camp. Brings international credibility and military chops. Could bring Arkansas with him into the dem column.

Cons-No real goverment experience. Who remembers Kosovo these days? He's never won an election for anything. Domestic views untested. Poor debater.

My Take- A good pick. His lack of goverment exposure becomes a positive with obama as it reinforces change while bringing southern cred and military experience to the table. Would help heal the rift between Obama and the Clinton wing of the party. The fact his veiws are unknown would help him get in lockstep with obama without been seen as a flip-flopper. Probably the best choice on this list.

ODDS- 5 to 1

Kathleen Sebelius- Governor of Kansas.

Pros-Democrat from one of the reddest states in the union. BRILLIANT political operator (she got a GOP state chairman to switch parties to become her running mate) she adds savvy to the obama ticket. Her father was the governor of Ohio, making her popular there as well. Also, a woman.

Cons- Her views on abortion may ensure that the Christian vote goes for McCain. Supports late-term abortions unwaveringly, taking even moderates by surprise. The Clinton supporters would fume if Obama picked a woman not named Hillary.

My Take- A mixed bag. She's a good campaigner, but there seems to be enough dirt on her abortion stance being hardline to successfully paint her and obama as far-left on the issue (something that's not a winning issue at the ballot box.) She's more likely to try and win Brownbacks senate seat in 2010.

ODDS- 12 to 1

Redirect Pages

2008-05-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

This isn't politcal, just a pet peeve. Have you ever been sent to a website and the page is set to redirect you to another page and theres a little burb that says "This page should refresh automatically in 5 seconds. If it does not refresh, please click here." I don't think I've ever waited the 5 seconds before pushing that button.

Just annoying, that's all...

Ron Paul, "Paulites" and the future of the Republican Party

2008-05-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start out by saying I have quite a few friends, some good friends, who supported Ron Paul during his run for president. Try as I may to dissuade them for voting for someone who was so clearly deranged, they got excited anyway and one even claimed she was going to Re-Register as a republican in order to vote for him (think about that for a second). Paul, like I was convinced he would, flamed out early on but stayed in the race due to his own misguided beliefs that he was the last true republican in a party of apostates. It has been suggested, that since Paul raised huge sums of money and motivated a large number of voters to vote for a republican candidate that had never done so before, we should give a serious look to his platform, because by gum, he's got something going for him!

Short Answer- No

Long Answer- Hell No.

Unless we build a giant army of Ron Paul clones to populate the senate and house (something Ron Paul would oppose because of his strong pro-life views), the overwhelming majority of these supporters are already democrats. I'll admit that among there were some disaffected far-right republicans on his side who basically fell into the Pat Buchanan mold of non-interventionism, but we all know the primary reason he caught on with young people was...

Drugs. Obscene amounts of drugs. He even did an interview with "High Times" in 1988 when he ran on the libertarian party ticket for president. The man wants to make everything, and I mean EVERYTHING legal. This is the issue and the War are the two issues that Ron Paul supporters care about the most and they are two issues that the Republican Party cannot shift on.

Pauls supporters by and large are Liberal or "Liberaltarian" voters who belong to the democratic party anyway and will never support non-paulite republicans. They are a waste of our time and effort to go after because they fundamentally agree with the democrats on most things.

So what shall we republicans do? Shall we add Pro-Stoner and Anti-War planks to the party platform in order to roll the dice on America's future and try to pick up a group of people that don't vote anyway? Or shall we back our Hippie loathing War Hero candidate and keep America safe and prosperous into the future? It's not exactly a tough choice...

Obama's 75k rally and the USSR

2008-05-27T14:04:00.000-04:00

A week ago everyone was all a-twiter over Obama's record breaking 75 thousand person rally in Oregon. The it was revealed that the record wasn't quite his, since he had a strong opening act- the Portland Native band, the Decemberists, put on a free show before the rally.

Of course the Decemberists have a nasty habit of playing the Soviet National Anthem before every concert. They apparently did so before they played there set that led into the rally.

So in the end we have Obama, with an opening act that has extreme-far left sympathies, starting his rally with the national anthem of a nation that wanted to destroy everything we stand for.

You just can't make this stuff up!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

2008-05-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Celebrate it well, folks. Some gave it all for you to be able to have the freedom to do so.

Obama's coming Lobbyist problem...

2008-05-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

So Barack Obama has been rousing his troops lately by complaining that McCain has (GASP!) Ex-lobbyists on his campaign team. For a moment, lets ignore the fact that lobbyists are part of the democratic process and are a pretty good part of it too, so long as they play by the rules (No bribes, declare your intentions, fill out your paperwork and please, no bribes). In recent months, McCain has taken the extra step to make sure that his staff is only filled with people who didn't lobby for any intrests outside of the USA. He's a good goverment advocate and of course has been very public about the whole thing.

Still Obama feels the need to needle him on it. It's a legitimate issue if you've got no one on your team that's a lobbyist, but it's quite another when your chief adviser and campaign guru is discovered to have engaged in lobbying, without being declared a lobbyist!

See in the good goverment capital of America that is the State of Illinois, things like what David Axelrod did don't count as lobbying (though as newsweek points out when his firm did the same thing in New York, it counted as the "largest lobbying contract of the year"),

So now Barack, are lobbyists on your campaign team somehow better because they were more underhanded and didn't actually let anyone know they were lobbying? McCain's people were open about there intentions from the start, and its for that reason McCain says that he's not influenced by who they worked for in the past. But when your staff is hiding who they worked for... isn't that a little CORRUPT for the golden calf of the democratic party? Better start coming up with a nice rhetorical response to this now Barry, I have a feeling the questions aren't going to go away...

The Germans have no Sense of Humor

2008-05-25T16:14:00.000-04:00

Those uptight germans are at it again failing to see the humor in a couple putting there newborn child up for sale on E-Bay. Come on germans! Don't you think that's funny!

I mean read the Ad-

Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller.

Don't you think that's funny? No? You think it's sick and twisted that they put a photo of there child up in EBay and wanted the equivalence of a buck-fifty for him? You think these people are obviously twisted and need to have the state intervene? You're a sane and rational human being? Good.

It doesn't matter if these people really were joking. It's a sick and twisted joke, done at the publics expense. Shame on them.

Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-25T15:20:00.000-04:00

I'll post a full review in a week or two, once most people have seen it and I can discuss the plot in more detail, but for now I'll do the short short version-

It's not a classic Indy movie. As a matter of fact it seems almost like an epilogue for the character, a REAL last crusade. The plot is kinda out there, very very different then what has come before, but it fits with the new times that the film is set in.

The film, in my opinion, lacked grounding- a feeling reinforced by use of Computer Graphics. the old Indy movies felt very real precisely because "special effects" were used perhaps once in the entire movie. This movie uses these effects MUCH more liberally, and it detracts that element of realism that I so enjoyed about Indy's action sequences.

The KGB makes a great villain and Kate Blanchet works wonders as the head commie. Her speeches are peppered with Soviet Propaganda and her comments about the rise of Soviet power are chilling. Her minions make good foils for Indy and his new James-Dean-Jacket-Clad sidekick, Mutt.

In all, it's still a fun movie, particularly if you were a big fan of the previous movies. It's recomended for a lazy afternoon.

Final Score- 7.7 out of 10

Defending HRC on RFK

2008-05-25T10:36:00.001-04:00

There are lots of things I don't like doing in this life that I have to. Talking to stupid people, being exposed to the sun, light exercise... but the one I've found myself enduring the most of lately is defending Hillary R. Clinton. So here I go again.

The flap on Clinton's "Assassination" comment is utterly moronic. She invoked Kennedy's assassination to show that he was STILL CAMPAIGNING in june when he got shot. Everyone remembers that Kennedy was assassinated during the primaries. The first season of 24 is based on it!

And of course the flap is led by the "Worst Person in the World" Keith Olberman, a man who turns hyperbole and overreaction into bizarre and nauseating art form.

News to Olbermann- Your Journalistic Bias is showing. Sure you never had a "Thrill up your leg" moment like your cohort in clear Bias, Chris Matthews, but you haven't earned what Matthews has earned. You got your TV show from being a loud-mouthed sportscaster, not from being a real political player and commentator like Matthews was. You want to play in the big leagues like your Idol Edward R. Murrow, then you've got to actualy start reporting the news like a real journalist rather then spinning your wheels at people you don't like. Unfortunately you were never a real journalist to begin with so I doubt you can do anything to fix that.

[This comment was edited after posting]

Thoughts on Fox News Sunday...

2008-05-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

1) Terry McAuliffe isn't drinking the Clinton Kool-Aide, he's the one making it. The Man is either the most energetic man in Washington or he's become unhinged.

2) Chris Van Hollen just said he didn't want "Amnesty" for companies that "Collaborated" with the bush administration. Collaborated? Really?

3) Van Hollen just rambled off a list of legislation the democratic congress did... How many of those bills passed? or had any positive effect on the economy?

4) Chris Wallace just slammed Tom Cole on Congressional Earmarks. Tom Cole is NOT against all Earmarks regardless of what he just said. Republicans should set the example by removing there personal earmarks.

5) Van Hollen just called for Cole and he to disavow all "shadowy" 527's. Dose that count MoveOn.org congressman?

More commentary on the insanity after I get back from Indiana Jones. Die, Commies, Die!

Oh I am so going to see this movie...

2008-05-24T22:56:00.000-04:00

CNN reports that the "Indiana Jones Movie Upsets Communists"

I may see this thing twice.

Veepstakes! Vol. 1- McCain's Big Five

2008-05-24T08:59:00.000-04:00

So, welcome to Veepstakes, the first in a series on Washington's favorite guessing game- the selection of a Vice-President for the Republican and Democratic tickets this November. Let me preface this by saying that this is one of those articles where I'm going to try and be non-partisan and look at what would be best for the ticket electorally. Each candidate will be followed by a pro and a con, letting you know why that specific candidate would be useful or useless to the campaign, followed by the odds I think they'll be nominated. In later additions I'll be looking at more out of the box candidates and will be following stories about the competitors.

JOHN MCCAIN-

Tim Pawlenty- Considered by many to be the odds on favorite for the spot, Pawlenty is the governor of Minnesota, a consistent conservative, and a long-time supporter of McCain.

Pros- From the competitive Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin area, T-Paw helps put the upper mid-wests 27 electoral votes in play and probably brings Minnesota into the McCain column. He brings executive experience and a fairly good reputation among the right-wing of the party, an area most commentators believe McCain, with his moderate maverick image, needs to shore up.

Cons- Has a tendency to say stupid things. The Establishment doesn't like him. And he seems to drag McCain down in public polls, turning close states into blowouts for the other side (probably due to his name sounding stupid). He's not well known outside of the Upper Mid-West and isn't the most charismatic of potential veeps.

My Take- A Bad Choice. Pawlenty brings nothing to the ticket that someone else wouldn't bring, and has baggage that would harm McCain on the trail. It's also snotty and presumptuous to have someone in your employ register a website for your run.

ODDS- 4 to 1

Bobby Jindal- First Term Governor of Louisiana, Jindal is lauded by conservative columnists and seen as the face of the New GOP. He's also a first generation Indian-American governor, making him one of the few elected Minority members of the Republican Party. He was invited to McCain's Potential Veep Pow-Wow in Sedona.

Pros- Did I mention conservatives love him? He's Indian and would most likely bring members of that closely knit community over to the GOP, perhaps to stay. He's gotten raves for past work in Louisiana and has proven to be a great campaigner (he's a first generation immigrant who's become a first term governor, 'nuff said). He also shares a passion for "good government" (His major efforts in Baton Rouge have been on ethics reform).

Cons- Jindal on the ticket steals one of McCain's best arguments- That Obama is too inexperienced to be running for national office. Jindal is only one year into his first term, and only served two terms in the house, meaning that he has slightly more experience in non-state legislature then Obama.

My Take- A Good Pick overall. Jindal shores up McCain's support among the far right AND helps him move into the center. He backs up McCain's Reform credentials and makes him look more energetic. I don't think America is going to go for the inexperience argument (it didn't stop them from electing GWB) so it might be worth it. Still, he hasn't finished a single term in the governors mansion, and would seem to be more suited to deliver the Keynote address at the Republican Convention then be veep.

ODDS 18 to 1

Mitt Romney- One term governor of the state of Massachusetts, savior of the Salt Lake City Olympics and highly successful hedge fund millionaire, Willard "Mitt" Romney is most widely known as a man who spent over 30 million dollars of his own money on the 2008 republican primaries.

Pros- The rare times when Romney seemed to really connect with voters was when he was discussing his first love, economics. It's this ease in the economic arena that McCain could benefit from the most since he has admitted that economics is not his strong suit. Romney reassures the skittish investor class that the GOP is not abandoning them, even if McCain has been railing against CEO pay. Romney would also bring his money with him, not only the large fund raising network he built before Iowa, but his personal bank account, allowing him to help the campaign should it fall on hard times.

Cons- Romney's persona is a little TOO squeaky clean and as such people tend to view him as a bigger stiff then Al Gore. Social Conservatives, already afraid of McCain, see Romney's Mormonism and are reluctant to pull the lever for him. In addition, Romney and McCain seem to genuinely dislike each other, and the media would note it constantly. Romney was also a Hedge Fund manager, and in a year that seems to stink of voter backlash against Wall Street and the Banks, Romney could remind them of that even more.

My Take- A Mixed Bag. McCain needs to reassure voters on economic issues and Romney would be able to do that in spades. The man clearly understands how our national monetary system works and can speak very convincingly on it. He complements McCain well on almost every issue, shoring up his weak spots and compensating for his few biographical gaps. He's also won election in one of the most Democratic states in the union, albeit as a very different politician. However, these points are all made moot if McCain and Romney really do loath each other as much as the press indicates they do. Also, he comes off as a giant Tool.

ODDS- 10 to 1

Mike Huckabee- Ex-Governor of Arkansas, Ex-Baptist Minister, Ex-Fatty, Huckabee was the second tier candidate that broke through and made it to the big leagues, managing an upset victory in Iowa on a non-existent budget and no staff.

Pros- Huckabee is, in many ways, Romney's exact opposite. Huckabee brings an enormous popular charisma on his side (His rise in the polls was based almost purely on his well-received debate performances). In the last year he's become the new figurehead of a more compassionate Religious Right, uniting almost all social conservatives behind his run. Huckabee also steadfastly refused to go negative during the primary, and McCain reportedly likes the governor quite a bit.

Cons- Huckabee scares the Tax-Cut crowd like Romney scares the religious right. His economic performance as governor has been widely derided on the right, and he has the same apostasies to conservatives that McCain dose- the exact facets that make them compatible make them intolerable as a team to segments of the republican populace.

My Take- A fairly good match, if they can find another way to keep traditional conservatives on board. Huckabee would be a good get-out-the-vote leader for McCain with the religious right, while also acting as a good faith ambassador to minority Christian groups. He's proven he can preform well among African Americans and he's charismatic enough to send to any Christian community and expect him to come back having changed some minds. Still, the far right hates him as much as McCain so unless J-Mac is going to write them off, he's going to have to promise them a big cabinet post before the election is over.

ODDS- 8 to 1

Charlie Crist- The wildly popular governor of a state that has a slight importance to national politics (Florida), Crist is a furious campaigner and decent legislator. Many pundits credit McCain's Nomination-securing win in Florida to Crist' influence and endorsement in the state.

Pros- Takes Florida into the McCain Column without doubt. This alone would get him on the list, but in addition he brings a deft skill at campaigning along with him. He's good at raising money and there is a sense that not only dose McCain like him, but McCain "owes" him.

Cons- Is as Tan as McCain is pale. They Look TERRIBLE standing next to eachother. Doesn't really add anything to the ticket beyond Florida. Is the only candidate I can think of that has been accused of being gay and fathering children out of wedlock simultaneously (that's right they make the accusations in the same article).

My Take- Ok Choice. I'm still kinda shocked to see the overly pale McCain standing next to the overly tanned crist, but beyond that he doesn't really fire up the base or make inroads beyond Florida. The argument that he can bring Florida with him is his best one, look to see lots of polls of a McCain-Christ Ticket vs. Obama-Whoever. If Christ can deliver the state when McCain would lose it, he just might be the nominee.

ODDS- 14 to 1

In the next Veepstakes I'll bring you Obama's own version of the Big Five

Guilt and Responsiblity

2008-05-23T18:30:00.000-04:00

So, in perusing RealClearPolitics.com today, they directed me to an article on Slate.com called "In Praise of Liberal Guilt" by Ron Rosenbaum. I assumed (incorrectly) that this would be a tongue-in-cheek look at the left's obvious belief that voting for Barack Obama somehow absolves them of the crushing guilt of living in a nation where someone, somewhere, at sometime was a racist.

Mr. Rosenbaum opts not to go with satirizing, but actually PRAISING the concept of White Liberal Guilt. I kid you not. Apparently, our guilt is enough of a reason to vote for Obama. In essence we should vote for a candidate for the color of there skin.

But lets look beyond this simple idiocy. Like most arguments made by the far left, this one can’t help but try and assert there unassailable superiority to the right. Take this quote for example:

“It's especially surprising to hear ‘guilt’ being disparaged by conservatives, since they present themselves as moralists; they are quick to decry liberals for seeking to abolish guilt over various practices conservatives deem immoral. But was slavery not immoral? For those conservatives who make a fetish of "values": Was not the century of institutionalized racism and segregation that followed the end of slavery a perpetuation of "flawed values" that the nation should feel an enduring guilt over? For those conservatives who are forever speaking of the way they value history and memory more than liberals: Should we abolish the history and memory of slavery and racism just because they're no longer legally institutionalized?”

Unknowingly, Mr. Rosenbaum gives us a perfect example of the differences between Left-Liberal thinking and Right-Conservative thinking, namely where we assign fault.

We Right-of -Center people feel guilty, some of us intensely guilty about things WE DID. If it was US, we'd feel bad about it. We'd make amends. We’d take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for it. We believe that a person is responsible for themselves and no one else. That's where the whole "tough on crime" aspect of conservatism comes in. We could care less about feeling bad for things done hundreds of years ago by people we're not connected to. We study the past not to obsess over what others did wrong and weep about it, but to understand where we came from and how we can avoid mistakes in the future.

Our dear friends on the other side of the ideological isle have a very different approach. They don't tend to feel guilty about there personal choices (it's clearly the system/the nation/society's fault) they care more about things that happened hundreds of years ago to which they also have no connection. Why? Because people who sort of look like them were involved in it. They embrace this guilt not out of actual feelings of guilt but as a way of transferring the actual guilt to others, namely those who are not “enlightened enough” to feel guilty about something they didn’t do and had no part in. In essence, it’s a way of transferring there guilt to others.

Or to reduce it to it’s basic level, Conservitives take personal responsibility, rather then “societal responsibility” and Liberals take “societal responsibility” rather then personal responsibility.

Or as Shelby Steel once put it, liberals engage in "a form of self-congradulation, where whites initiate 'compassionate policies' towards people of color, to showcase their innocence to racism."

A Statement of Principals (Or: Calling Shenanigans)

2008-05-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

Hello my adoring (read: loathing and/or barely tolerating) public!

You knew it was only a matter of time before I graced you with my innermost thoughts and ramblings, and since most of you have never had the overwhelming joy of hearing my nasal and frequent outbursts about the world, I have decided to share with you in the only way my generation knows how- anonymously, over the internet, without having to actually do anything.

But, you may ask me, why should you care? Who are you? How did you get this phone number? Are you the one who's been going through my garbage at night?!

In short- Because I say so, Mr. Hedge (Grand Admiral Hedge to my friends), It's on your facebook page, and emphatically yes.

In long- I'm someone who thinks, nay knows, most people on earth are full of it and that hypocrites run the planet. I'm of the center-right persuasion, and I'm not going to hesitate to throw some punches at my fellow self-labeled conservatives, but the majority of my political ire will be addressed to the left side of the spectrum. To help you understand me I release this: My Statement of Principals!

Mr. Hedge's Statement of Principals

1) Hypocrisy is the greatest of sins. Hypocrites have no place in society, particularly in government. In relation to this, pointing out the Hypocrisy of others is not an excuse for your own hypocrisy and just makes you look like an even bigger jackass then before. I reserve the rights to call shenanigans on hypocrites.

2) A Man is as good as his word. If you make a promise, you darn well keep it. If you are forced to break it, you grovel and have a darn good excuse.

3) Government will never work perfectly. Since it will never work perfectly, we should limit it's interaction with areas of our lives that can't afford the intervention. We should however, not hesitate to use it if no other organization can provide the service (IE National Defense).

4) I am more conservative then not. I do not hold grudges against people based on there political affiliations. To me, the other side of the spectrum is not evil, just horribly misguided or uninformed. I can see legitimate reasons to disagree with me on some issues (not all issues are one sided after all), and if I can see a legitimate argument AGAINST something I feel, I shall point it out.

5) I am a geek. Some times I shall slide into discussing the most dorky of things, like comic books, movies, TV shows and Lost (Note: Lost is not a TV show, despite the common misconception. Lost is a way of life.) You can expect AT LEAST one post a week on these topics.

6) Snarkiness and other forms of humor are prized regardless of political affiliation. I will enjoy any mass media presentation, even if it's targeted at me and it's amusing. If it's not amusing, I'll hate it.

7) RealClearPolitics.com is life.

8) Everything is politics.

And there we go. Those are my principals. Onward to the commentary!