"When the going gets weird, the tough turn pro."

Save the SEAL Three!

2009-12-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

Today, on December 7th, 2009 we are remembering the attack by the Japanese military 68 years ago on Pearl Harbor, an attack that got the United States involved in World War II. But today three of our Navy SEALs are in a court room fighting a court martial and for their very military lives.

Jed Babbin at Human Events tells us why (H/T to Erick Erickson of Red State):

two weeks ago, the three SEALs — Julio Huertas, Jonathan Keefe and Matthew McCabe — were part of a platoon from SEAL Team 10 that captured one of the most-wanted terrorists in Iraq, Ahmed Hashim Abed, in a nighttime raid on or about September 1. Abed is believed to be the man behind the barbaric March 2004 ambush of Blackwater security guards in which four were murdered, their bodies mutilated and then hung from a bridge in Fallujah.

The facts of the case are a bit muddy. According to a source close to the case who requested anonymity the SEALs captured Abed and transported him to a place where they surrendered him to Iraqi custody. He made no complaint of abuse before being turned over to the Iraqis. At some point after that, the SEALs reclaimed Abed who — though still technically in Iraqi custody — was taken back for further questioning, complaining of mistreatment. There was some blood on his clothing but it’s not clear when it appeared.

There is every reason to believe the SEALs are innocent. Chapter 18 of the Al Qaeda training manual released by the US Justice Department says that members must complain of torture and mistreatment inflicted on them.

American investigators became involved and, from that point, it’s apparent that lawyers were making decisions, and the commander at the top of the local food chain — MGen. Charles T. Cleveland — at first misunderstood his options and then pushed the matter far beyond the point at which it should have ended.

Last week, Congressman Dan Burton was on Fox News defending and fighting for the SEALs while explaining why this trial, this court martial, is a sham.

Help save the the SEALs. Sign this petition to send a message that you stand with the three Navy SEALs for defending America. Petition to Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations to not court martial the SEAL three!

There is also a Facebook group you can join to the protest the prosecution of the SEAL three.

Navy SEALs get busted for punching a terrorist?

2009-11-24T16:04:00.002-05:00

OK, I admit I can't figure this one out. Our guys get busted for giving
a terrorist, who killed 4 of our guys, dragged their bodies through the
streets and then hung them from a bridge, a fat lip? And we believe him
because? Abusing a detainee? Oh please.
Here's the story from FOX,
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576646,00.html
This is just another example of the difference in the way this
administration looks at the "War" on terror. First they wanted to
prosecute our CIA guys for "water-boarding" KSM and his ilk. Now they
want to frag our boys for thumpin' on the guy that led the raid that
killed four agents "transporting supplies for a catering company when
they were ambushed ... by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the
bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies
on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph."
Rather than punish these SEALs, they ought to give two weeks R&R in the
Med somewhere and then let them go back out and hunt terrorists - only
this time, don't bring them in alive.

HERE IT COMES: Regulating Free Speech on the Internet.

2009-11-17T09:40:00.001-05:00

RePost from the POLITICO: "'TWITTER TO OVERHAUL USER LIST SEEN AS
PARTISAN,' by AP's Don Thompson: 'Social-networking site Twitter plans
to end a service that links prominent message posters with new users, a
service that was criticized in California because of perceived
unfairness toward GOP gubernatorial candidates. ... Names on the
suggested user list are selected by company officials. In California,
Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls were placed on the list, a move that
greatly boosted their number of followers. Republican candidates were
left off until recently. The difference in treatment drew outcries from
good government groups and contributed to a decision by the California
Fair Political Practices Commission to hold hearings next year. The
commission plans to examine whether it needs to regulate how campaigns
intersect with social media.'"

You had to see this coming. And, isn't it fitting that it's coming from
California-Home of Silicon Valley.

*hit, man! How do we get one of these jobs?

2009-11-14T14:46:00.001-05:00

Here's a breakout of White house staff salaries for 2009 http://bit.ly/4118X4

Note Axe and Rahm are knockin' down some serious scratch. Not to mention a free trip to Asia.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Well, Now We've Gone and Done It!

2009-11-14T10:56:00.001-05:00

Yes, we sold out to the cresting wave of Web 2.0.

It must have been that alcohol-induced haze that spread across the office last week. But we digress ...

ANNOUNCING A NEW FEATURE (Like using all CAPS really makes for any fanfare.)

Fellow Pols and Wannabe Crime-fighters, you can be added to the list of Hacks, Flacks, and Dumpster Divers who get email notification every time we post something. We're even starting to consistently alert all our social network accounts - Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Plurk, Plaxo and Live - when we post so you can stay up-to-date with all the news that's weird to print. And trust us, there's enough out there we can post at least once a week.

We'll also be blatantly re-Posting and re-Tweeting some of our co-conspirators stuff with shameless disregard for the copyright and intellectual property laws of the good ol' USA. (Got a problem with that? Call 1-555-883-7448)

DISCLAIMER: In our typical elitist manner, we will reserve the right to not add you to the list if we think you're a crank, or we just don't like you.

So give us a call at the HQ, or shoot us a tweet and we'll get your subscription started. You're already a few drinks behind.

Yours for a weirder world,
Gonz O. Defenestrater

This just in ...

2009-11-14T07:30:00.001-05:00

@ByronYork of the Washington Examiner reports on Dems' slick fix for Doctor's who supported Healthcare Reform and cover for Members of Dem caucus in trouble back home for their vote. $210 billion of fiscal restraint, and another example of Pelosi et al playing fast and loose with the rules: http://bit.ly/14lVgf

And here you thought this was the crowd that offered "Change We Can Believe In"...

PS: Remember LA Dem Congressman Jefferson, the guy with a hundred grand in his freezer? I note with some humor the knucklehead just got 13 years in the "cooler" - what, with time off for good behavior, he could run for something in 2016! ...

PSS: and finally, a reminder. There are only 27 days until the valiant Golden Knights of the United States Military Academy at West Point take the field of honor to defeat the godless drunken sailors of the Naval Academy.

GO ARMY - Beat Navy!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

@mkhammer has the deets on doctored Palin pix

2009-11-14T07:11:00.003-05:00

Fellow Flacks!
Ran across this twitbit on our fav moose-hunting-turned-globe-trotting-hottie-babe-pol-turned-best-selling-author (Courtesy of Mary Katherine Hamm):

"When will MSNBC (noted "real" news org) apologize for use of Palin photos well-known to be Photoshopped? http://bit.ly/1QxMGK"

Just can't get enough of that gal, eh! Oh, did we mention, the woman hunts moose.

Gotta love those gun-toting right-wingers

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ocular Penetration Act of 2007

2009-11-02T18:21:00.005-05:00

Seriously, this is funny. I wonder if this is actually a part of Health Care

Reform. If not, it should be! Nah, just a joke.

Check it out on YouTube here

PeloBamaCare: And the magic number is ...

2009-11-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

111. That's the number of new government agencies that get created. Get the whole list here:

http://bit.ly/1PNikB

Million new jobs created, huh? Guess where they all get created? Yep, you got it, Mr & Mrs America. Federal Government.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hoosier Access on Grayson

2009-11-01T06:43:00.001-05:00

Alan Grayson is Nuts!

And we thought that there was nothing entertaining in politics anymore!

Public Option? What's that?

2009-10-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

Phillip Klein piece on what the public knows about the "Public Option"... This ain't your parents health care, or is it energy policy? Restroom reform? Buehler? Buehler?

Read it here: http://spectator.org/blog/2009/10/15/the-public-option-thats-a-heav

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Real Clear Politics: Stu Rothenberg piece on why Dems are really in trouble for 2010.

2009-10-20T10:37:00.000-04:00

Excellent piece on the battlespace for 2010 mid-term Congressional Elections.

This is going to be fun to watch! We'll need to get the Blender tuned-up and renew our ice contract w/Mr. Ice... Yeah, Baby.

Read it here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/10/20/_landscape_shift_means_more_trouble_for_house_democrats_98790.html

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Joe Trippi piece on Twitter - worth the read.

2009-10-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

Get it here: http://bit.ly/22hYzm

Ever wonder why the no good deed goes unpunished? Joe tells us about the dust up @Twitter. Interesting read.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

What's Next? Life after Facebook? The next Big Thing-WaPo reports...

2009-10-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

What's next? Is Facebook dead? Can there be life on this planet without Twitter?

States Grapple with campaigning in the Brave New Web 2.0 World - AP report.

2009-10-19T08:32:00.000-04:00

Fellow Dumpster Divers,

It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Follow the link:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091018/D9BDO4O80.html
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I don't care what you think of Obama...

2009-09-09T21:11:00.000-04:00

But whoever wrote that speech deserves a huge raise and POTUSBO deserves credit fir delivering it almost flawlessly. In response, GOP offers up Boustany? And we wonder why we're not getting "tone on target"?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Boehner lip locks Pelosi

2009-09-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

My Gawd, there is hope for humanity. John Boehner just gave Pelosi a friendly lip smack. Your humble Dumpster Diver believes that these knuckleheads need to make more love, not war.

Ah, blender awaits. Celebratory cocktails are in order.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

RT @rickwilson. @joshgillespie yep, and

2009-09-07T15:04:00.003-04:00

RT @rickwilson. @joshgillespie yep, and what's good for GM is good for America. Just ask the Congress #bailout

joshgillespie: RT @smoothupJoe: "Don't expect

2009-09-07T15:04:00.001-04:00

joshgillespie: RT @smoothupJoe: "Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong." Calvin Coolidge

Defining Problem in American Politics:

2009-08-17T15:18:00.001-04:00

James Carville, speaking on CNN's 'State of the Union,' about Dem strategy against Republicans: 'Put a bill out there, make them filibuster it, make them be what they are, the party of no. ... Let them kill it. Let them kill it with the interest group money, then run against them. That's what we ought to do.'

It is precisely because of this kind of advice from full-time professional political hacks that pols aren't thinking about the next generation. Hell, they're not even thinking about the next decade. All they can think about is the next election.

Just remember that when we're all wondering what happened to this once great country. Where have all the Statesmen gone?

Now, I have seen it all... In 140 characters or less.

2009-08-15T06:47:00.002-04:00

On road + just rec'd email entitled ''Is Obama the Antichrist?''

I didn't vote for the guy, but for the love of Ohio, the antichrist?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am old enough to remember a time when you could agree to disagree on policy without personalities.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

B/t polar opposite Left/Right lays vast ''silent majority'' of hard working America. U know, ones who don't get bail out, or tax breaks, or call POTUS the antichrist.

"Nothing"

2009-07-16T03:32:00.001-04:00

Governor Daniels of Indiana Smacks Down Baby Boomers

2009-05-14T08:13:00.002-04:00

Governor Daniels of Indiana is not an easy guy to figure out. He confuses members of the press and political people of both parties. Why you ask? Because he is a leader.

In these times of GOP doldrums, when we do see someone who bucks the conventional wisdom and easy path, it is so uncommon that it usually confounds us.

Case in point: The Butler University commencement speech of 2009. A nice, safe, warm and fuzzy send off for the graduating class, right? Wrong. More like a 2x4 to the collective face of baby boomers who, quite frankly, deserve it.

Read some excerpts from this incredible speech below.

“As a 10-year-old, new to Indiana, Butler basketball was about the only entertainment our family was able, or at least willing, to purchase for me. On countless frigid evenings, someone's dad would drop us off in the Fieldhouse parking lot, and someone else's dad would pick us up, after watching the Bulldogs either beat or scare the pants off some big-name larger school. I might stumble over my own college's fight song, but I still know yours by heart.”

Hey, it is Indiana so of course it is going to open with basketball. He went to Princeton so who can blame him for loving Butler athletics.

"Even though the whole notion of a "generation" must be discounted as the loosest of concepts, within limits it is possible to spot the defining characteristics of an age and the human beings who create it. Along with most of your faculty and parents, I belong to the most discussed, debated and analyzed generation of all time, the so-called Baby Boomers. By the accepted definition, the youngest of us is now forty-five, so the record is pretty much on the books, and the time for verdicts can begin. Which leads me to congratulate you in advance. As a generation, you are off to an excellent start. You have taken the first savvy step on the road to distinction, which is to follow a weak act. I wish I could claim otherwise, but we Baby Boomers are likely to be remembered by history for our numbers, and little else, at least little else that is admirable."

Ouch.

"All our lives, it's been all about us. We were the "Me Generation." We wore t-shirts that said "If it feels good, do it." The year of my high school commencement, a hit song featured the immortal lyric "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today." As a group, we have been self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and all too often just plain selfish. Our current Baby Boomer President has written two eloquent, erudite books, both about..himself. As a generation, we did tend to live for today. We have spent more and saved less than any previous Americans. Year after year, regardless which party we picked to lead the country, we ran up deficits that have multiplied the debt you and your children will be paying off your entire working lives. Far more burdensome to you mathematically, we voted ourselves increasing levels of Social Security pensions and Medicare health care benefits, but never summoned the political maturity to put those programs on anything resembling a sound actuarial footing."

At this point the squirming in seats of the parents section must have been almost audible.

"Our irresponsibility went well beyond the financial realm. Our parents formed families and kept them intact even through difficulty "for the sake of the kids." To us, parental happiness came first; we often divorced at the first unpleasantness, and increasingly just gave birth to children without the nuisance of marriage. "Commitment" cramps one's style, don't you know. Total bummer."

Let no uncomfortable topic go untouched.

"As time runs out on our leadership years, it's clear there is no chance that anyone will ever refer to us, as histories now do our parents, as "The Greatest Generation." There is no disgrace in this; very few generations are thought of as "great." And history is not linear. Many generations fail miserably at the challenges they confront, and their societies take steps backwards as a consequence. Consider Japan before World War II, or Americans in the decades before the Civil War. And yet in both those instances and many others, the people who followed did great things, not only redeemed all the failings but built better, fairer societies than their nations had seen before. In fact, true greatness can only be revealed by large challenges, by tough circumstances. And your opportunities for greatness will be large."

Your generation can be great…especially compared to your parents.

And please, just to revise another current practice, be judgmental. Whatever they claim, people always are, anyway - consider the healthy stigmatization of racist comments or sexist attitudes or cigarette smoking. It's just a matter of which behaviors enough of us agree to judge as unacceptable. As free people, we agree to tolerate any conduct that does no harm to others, but we should not be coerced into condoning it. Selfishness and irresponsibility in business, personal finances, or in family life, are deserving of your disapproval. Go ahead and stigmatize them. Too much such behavior will hurt our nation and the future for you and the families you will create. Honesty about shortcomings is not handwringing. Again, this is a blessed land, in every way. Amidst the worst recession in a long time, we still are wealthier than any society in history. We are safer, from injury, disease, and each other than any humans that ever lived. Best of all, we are free. The problems you now inherit are not those of 1776, or 1861, or 1929, or 1941. But they are large enough, and left unattended, they will devour the wealth and, ultimately, the freedom and safety we cherish, at least in our thankful moments. So you have a chance to be a great Butler class, part of a great generation."

Take that political correctness.

In a brief, intelligent, yet straightforward head shot, the Governor has done what almost no one in Government, media or certainly academia has had the stones to do…lay guilt where it belongs.

A lot of my friends keep asking me if this guy is going to run for president and I just say, “he is doing too good a job as Governor for us to spare him.” But of course doing your current job really really well is a great way to get promoted.

You can read the entire speech here.

Chris Faulkner

Should you be angry at the “Republican Party” about backing Specter before he bailed on us?

2009-05-04T09:29:00.000-04:00

The short answer is no. The “why not” is a little more complex. There will be some who will now be angry at Sen. Cornyn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee for backing him in the first place. Really? Keep in mind the RNC, NRSC and the NRCC are NOT issue driven organizations. They are member driven organizations with only ONE goal…majority status, that’s it, no other reason for being.

Before I get too academic in my defense of these organizations let me say that Linc Chafee is a scumbag and it made me sick to my core that we defended that waste of space in the 2006 GOP Primary. Ok, had to get that off my chest. I mean at least Specter had the decency to get out before the election and give us time to get our own campaign in place.

Now back to the Party. Just a bit of clarification for those not familiar with the committees in DC and how they work. These definitions are my own and in NO way represent any official mission of the committees…this is my “unofficial” take on what they really are all about-

· Republican National Committee – take the White House back and keep it…that is it…end of story.
· National Republican Senatorial Committee – defend current Republican Senators, win open seats and then knock off Democrat incumbents. Those are listed in order of priority.
· National Republican Congressional Committee – defend current Republican Members of Congress, win open seats and knock off Democrat incumbents. Those are listed in order of priority.

So if you want the committee to be ideologically pure you should cool your jets. They are not think tanks, they are membership retention organizations. If you are mad at the NRSC for backing Specter in the first place call your own Senator and yell at him/her.

Is the RNC not conservative enough for you? Then check your state party. State Party too liberal for you? Work your county party.

Tis’ the season of our collective Republican discontent and the party apparatus is a convenient punching bag. Here is the real lurking danger…Years ago Democrats were angry that their National Party was not “Progressive” enough so their unions, lawyers and environmental groups hammered it to splinters. Now they are a collective lurching group of special interests.

Is that what we really want for Republicans?

The Video Barney Frank & Charles Schumer Don't Want You to See

2009-04-27T17:18:00.001-04:00

--Jacob Perry

Indianapolis Tea Party Details

2009-04-08T18:08:00.001-04:00

Some thoughts on a quality GOTV operation

2009-04-07T08:11:00.001-04:00

I had some quality time walking door-to-door recently in NY20 to think about most Republican campaigns approach to GOTV. “Most” is a broad statement and I realize many of you work campaigns in areas where some of the theories I will discuss are not relevant. It is also important to consider the myriad of variables that affect a GOTV operation in preparation and execution.
So, just for the sake of conversation, we were talking about a general election where turnout was expected to be between 50-55%. You could take the approach that in a district where you had a partisan registration advantage it would be all about base R turnout (assuming your candidate is winning most of the R’s). Let’s say had already done your homework and had identified about 15% of the independents as favorable (presumably by a combination of volunteer and paid efforts). Let us also make another assumption that your candidate has a reasonable amount of local volunteers, Generation Joshua kids and maybe a few out-of-state partisans to execute your GOTV plan.
Lets say you had a 5 day GOTV plan laid out (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Election day). What to consider next-
· You would sort precincts into walkable and non-walkable for your door-to-door.
· Locations for phone banks. Keep in mind that the best place for phone banks is WHERE the volunteers are and probably not WHERE the press is. This would explain why some of the best GOTV phone bank centers are not at the Campaign HQ.
· Lists. Have you been using voter vault or something else? Make sure you have easy access and can print new lists and conduct new sorts based on a changing political situation.
· Campaign literature, paper, pens, clipboards, etc. When and where will you print these thousands of sheets of paper for calls and doors? FLS has great walkbook product I like that prints the list on card stock paper with a corresponding map. Of course if you have the volunteer resources you can just do it yourself with some card stock paper and 3 ring binders. Regardless if you pay for it or do it yourself I would strongly suggest a reusable book system that allows a volunteer to make notes and improve the list as they go.
· Food, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Have enough to keep your volunteers motivated but not so much that it is more than 15% of your total GOTV budget.
Then would take your list of R’s and favorable Independents and put them into 3 groups, A’s, B’s and C’s.
· A’s will be our rockstars who vote in EVERY election no matter what.
· B’s are our Presidential voters who often skip primaries and off year elections.
· C’s are our new registrants and least likely voters.
Assuming we have enough lines and volunteers we will start with C universe on Friday. When complete we will then call the B’s and C’s. When that is done we will call the A’s B’s and C’s. So our weakest voters will get 3 touches and our strongest one.
For door-to-door let’s assume that we can get people to drink the Kool-Aid and do multiple shifts over the 5 days. Ideally we would pair local volunteers with out-of town ones to prevent mistakes and getting lost. Then on Friday when they began going door-to-door they will be keeping the same list document over the course of each day.
· So if Bob the local volunteer is paired up with Heather the out-of-town volunteer on Friday they walk their precinct keeping notes on who they talked to, who needs an extra push (maybe even a call from the candidate) and who has already voted early or absentee. They also touch base at the phonebank to see who called their precinct and compare notes.
· On Saturday Bob coaches football and has to cut his grass so Heather from out of town is paired with someone else but she now has the list and first hand experience with the precinct.
· Sunday Bob is back with Heather as they continue looking to contact people they missed on Friday and Saturday. They are now gliding thru the precinct efficiently skipping the hostiles and touch base again with the undecideds.
· Monday Bob has to work but Heather is still on the trail and working with a new volunteer hitting houses and firming up C list voters. Heather is now on a first name basis with some of the voters in their precinct and she has a great list that is full of notes and updates.
· Tuesday Bob is back with Heather with their list in the neighborhood by mid morning. Meanwhile Connie (another local volunteer has been at the polling site for their precinct since it opened. She has kept a list of all who have voted and during lulls she texts their voter ID number to Heather. As Heather and Bob walk the precinct they strike names of those that have voted to improve the efficiency of their list. They are ratcheting up turnout and increasing the GOP margin by a couple of points.
At this point of course I have only covered the traditional methods. I would assume that emails, texts, Facebook events etc are going on concurrently with this operation. The important thing to remember is that
Most GOTV operations I have seen have failed not because of lack of volunteers or lack of cash but lack of thorough planning. All of the things I have covered are not rocket science or overly complex they just require planning and follow thru.
On Tuesday this week as I headed to grab a coke on a break between precincts I happened to drive by the community center where the precinct was voting. I saw a man walking in that I had woken up from his nap. While talking to him at his door I clearly got the impression that voting was not a priority today. To see him walking into those doors to vote made all my work worth it. When Jim Tedisco is sworn into Congress later this month it will REALLY be worth it.
@chrisfaulkner

I'm Shocked!

2009-04-03T08:46:00.001-04:00

Inside Scoop on NY 20

2009-04-01T10:24:00.001-04:00

I am beat.
I walked precincts all day for Jim Tedisco and when the polls closed I thought I could head to the party…but then things went awry. In the next 13 days political communications will play as important a role as the legal fight and I want you to know the facts.
The election is NOT over. There are still over 4,000 absentee ballots that have not been returned which totaled with the 6,000 already received would be almost 10,000 absentee ballots that have NOT been counted. These ballots will continue to be accepted until April. 13th. ANY premature counting of votes will, basically, be counting BEFORE the voting is over…and that is just wrong.
Jim Tedisco is currently trailing Scott Murphy by 59 votes according to machine tallies. NOTICE I did not say ballots. NY 20 uses old school level machines to vote so there is NO "ballot" to count. Votes are tabulated on the machine as people pull levers. Most of these machines are probably older than me.
The results you saw tonight were nothing more than the UNofficial notes of whichever random poll worker transcribed results from the machine to the form that they report to the Board of Elections. It is fair to say that these numbers are often riddled with mistakes as people mix up numbers and read the wrong tallies.

With memories of Washington State 2004 and Minnesota 2008 looming in my mind here are some things to consider.

Jim Tedisco will win the absentee vote.
The only way Scott Murphy can win is too challenge and disqualify absentee and military ballots that will, most likely, be votes for Jim Tedisco.
Scott Murphy is so anti-military he tried to stop Harvard from having a ROTC program on campus while he was a student there and prevent military personnel from teaching classes. Knowing that, it is hard to imagine military members voting for him.

It's 3:23 AM so forgive the horrible grammar and even worse sentence structure.

Chris Faulkner

P.S. Somehow I knew wearing my "Coleman Recount Team" polar fleece today was a bad idea …

I'm not a Ron Paul hater...really

2009-03-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

I was teaching a candidate school recently in Minnesota and wandered into some dangerous territory. Our firm is often hired to do political education and one of our bigger clients is American Majority We teach several sessions that focus on Communications, Campaign Plans, Fundraising, Social Media and Grassroots Organizing (all ppts are available to download and steal here SlideShare )

The last session of the day focuses on Grassroots Organizing Online and Offline. One of the themes I present is how most grassroots movements are viral and require a “host”. I then go on to say that Ron Paul was too weak of a “host” to carry his “movement”. Full disclosure – I was a mail vendor for Fred Thompson’s campaign (that is a whole other discussion) and I did not support Ron Paul. Having said that, I was constantly intrigued by his supporters and his “movement”. I work in the business of political campaigns and like to think I am a student of how they work on a logistics and business end. So for the purposes of this post lets skip by issues and just talk nuts and bolts.

First I have to take a dig at my strident Libertarian friends who loved Dr. Paul – learn a lesson from him

1. Run as a Libertarian for Congress and lose
2. Run as a Republican for Congress and win
3. Run as a Republican for President and get to take the stage, be in the debates and air your issues

Pretty safe to say no one is accusing Dr. Paul of “selling out” even though he ran as a Republican. I can already feel the hate that point is going to draw…

Moving on, Dr. Paul raised over $34 million dollars of which over 99% came from individual small donors. This is a supremely impressive feat for a guy who, candidly, has below average public speaking ability, no message discipline, fairly inexperienced campaign organization and barely eked into double digits in most public polling. So his campaign was obviously not as much about the “product” of the candidate. He benefited from a couple powerful motivators;

1. A disgruntled and angry free-market fiscal conservative base
2. A weak field of Republican options for President
3. A core Libertarian group that was already online

$34 million, unfortunately, is still not enough to get serious traction in a modern Presidential Primary. That is compounded by the fact that his campaign spent almost 50% of their cash on “Administrative” expenses. That is just unacceptable. Barely a third of the dollars spent went towards actual voter contact. Ok, now all my grassroots friends can holler and say “of course that is what an evil money grubbing political consultant would say!” But folks let’s get real, modern campaigns are not small mom and pop businesses any more…especially ones for President. They can start that way but at some point you have to bring in experienced folks to run the ship…having said that the grassroots are still vital and important to success, but they have to have experienced leadership.

Looking back at Howard Dean circa 2003…the guy almost became the democratic nominee and was much more viable than Paul. Both had strong grassroots movements but Dean had some adults in charge at HQ. Ultimately, I think both Dean and Paul were not strong enough vessels for their movements. So what happened to many of those early Deaniacs? They became the base of Barack Obama’s underdog campaign in early 2007. So why was Barack successful where Dean was not?

1. Obama is a FAR superior candidate “product” than Howard Dean
2. Obama’s team of very experienced political folks had a whole list of lessons learned from the Dean Campaign
3. The online left-roots had only grown larger and stronger since 2003

In short I would propose that Barack Obama would NEVER have gotten off the ground had it not been for Howard Dean.

So if you were a Ron Paulie in 2007 what should you be preparing for? Look for the well spoken Liberty candidate. Can you imagine if Dr. Paul had the TV appeal or speaking skills of a Mike Pence or Jeff Flake? There will be a Republican candidate running in 2012 (in all seriousness they have probably already started) that will carry many of Dr. Paul’s limited government issues, learned from his mistakes and have a more experienced team around them. Don’t know who that “Candidate X” is yet but if you find them let me know.
Candidate X is looking for your passion, your love of liberty and yes your dollars too. That candidate will finally be worth the absolutely incredible effort that so many Paul supporters poured into the 2008 primary.

Be looking for that candidate because they are probably already looking for you.

SECSTATE CLINTON RUSKIE REPORTAGE

2009-03-09T08:26:00.001-04:00

Sec/State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a symbolic "reset button" for their countries' relations today, but it was labeled with the Russian word for "overcharge" by mistake (Politico).

Think the domestic agenda is having an impact on US foreign policy? Wait, no, it's Freudian. That's it! SECSTATE is wearing a Freudian slip... Quick, someone call Page Six - this is just the kind of "Fashion Faux Pas" that must be exposed!

Can you say EASY BUTTON?

Forget Traditional Pressers Brose McVey Uses Facebook

2009-03-04T20:20:00.001-05:00

We live in the internet age and candidates are using it to their advantage. Heck, they’re using it to formally (?) announce they’re running for congress. Think I’m kidding?

How is this an announcement you ask? Well you may recall that McVey announced that he was considering a run via his website brosemcvey.com. Oddly, it hasn’t been updated to reflect this new information as it gives his traditional welcome message and that he’s formed an exploratory committee.

But there you go. Then again, are you surprised? I called that Brose was running back when his site went live back in January:

My question is, why put up a website if you’re giving Congressman Burton time to decide if he’s going to run again, when he clearly has stated many times over since 2008’s primary he’s ready to run again? The answer is, McVey has already determined he’s going to run regardless of what “decision” Congressman Burton makes.

But, as a “new media guy” I do applaud McVey’s use of the internet to promote his candidacy.

Life in the 5th District….always interesting.

Scratch That, Howey Reports Brizzi NOT Running Against Burton

2009-03-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

As word had leaked out that Carl Brizzi had filed papers to raise federal dollars for future campaigns (presumably against Congressman Dan Burton) Brian Howey is reporting that Brizzi is NOT running against Dan Burton.

Via Howey:

“I used to work for Dan,” Brizzi told HPI on Wednesday, noting that he was a staff attorney when Burton’s House Oversight Committee investigated Clinton-Gore campaign funds. “I would not consider running against somebody I worked for, so I would not run against Dan.” Brizzi said he had two conversations with Burton earlier this year and at that point, Burton himself was undecided on whether to run for a 15th term. Brizzi said that Burton urged him to set up a committee so that he could raise federal dollars.

Reports keep surfacing, like the one above, that Burton is not sure about running for re-election while I’ve heard the Congressman say he was since he won the ‘08 primary. But in case there is any doubt, you’re hearing it hear first. Dan Burton will be running for re-election in 2010. He’s already raised $60k towards that end.

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) is stepping up his fundraising efforts in the face of four possible 2010 primary challengers.

Burton’s office told The Hill that the “is serious about meeting this head on” and has “set an ambitious fundraising agenda.” Burton held two fundraisers at the end of last week and raked in approximately $60,000.

Anyway, so we’re back to four.

And as for Carl Brizzi, all eyes will be on him now for what he decides to do in the future.

And Then There Were Five…er, Still Four

2009-03-04T13:56:00.002-05:00

(Woah…not so fast! Looks like Carl Brizzi won’t be running agaisnt Burton after all. Questions still remain whether he’ll be running against for )

Well, it's not official that Marion County won’t have Carl Brizzi running for prosecutor next year. Instead, he’s the fifth Marion/Hamilton county resident to be ~~running in the 5th Congressional District against incumbent Congressman Dan Burton~~ raising Federal dollars towards a future endeavor.

He joins an established group of challengers in Brose McVey, Luke Messer, Mike Murphy and Burton’s 2008 opponent John McGoff. Much will probably be made of the fact that Brizzi used to work for Congressman Burton in the late ’90’s back when Burton chaired the Government Reform and Oversight Committee. Much will also be made of the fact that all of the candidates come from the area Burton was most vulnerable; the Marion County/Southern Hamilton County portion of the 5th District.

Given the fundraising prowess of most of these candidates, Indiana’s 5th Congressional GOP 2010 primary surely will be the most expensive in the nation.

Does this give Burton anything to worry about? At this point, I’d say no. And the more people who file, especially in that portion of the district, only improves Burton’s chances of re-election. Why? Because he still has a strong lock on the northern portion of the district and the other five will only further divide the anti-Burton segment of the district.

As a Burton supporter, I say keep ‘em coming!

(See the official FEC filing form for the Citizens for Brizzi Committee)

(H/T - IndyStar Twitter feed via the Matt Tully Twitter feed)

Perspective on "Worst President Ever" Claim

2009-03-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

Thomas Fleming has long been one of my favorite writers and historians. He's written eloquently about a number of past presidents, and in WSJ Online, he tackles a subject near and dear to the hearts of many of my leftist friends: Is George W. Bush the worst president ever? Fleming puts things into some perspective by writing:

Is Mr. Bush worse than John Adams? When a shooting war at sea started between the United States and revolutionary France in 1798, Honest John wrote a letter to George Washington, offering to resign so that George could resume the job. How's that for presidential leadership? Meanwhile, Adams had kept Washington's cabinet officers on the job, although he loathed them. He finally fired them in a fit of hysteria, which made them wonder if he had lost his mind.

That was a story I hadn't heard before, but I'll confess to not being a John Adams scholar. Heck, I have yet to read McCullough's book (which makes me feel a little lonely). But, here's an even better story:

Woodrow Wilson? When World War I exploded, Irish-Americans objected to his pro-British tilt. Wilson responded that ethnics like these loudmouthed micks were "pouring poison into the veins of our national life," alienating the largest voting bloc in the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, as a Southern-born pol to his wingtips, he segregated almost all employees of the federal government.

Next, Wilson talked Congress into declaring war on Germany on the assumption that we would not have to send a single soldier to France. Before the war ended, we had 2,000,000 troops overseas, and in three months of fighting lost 144,000 men.

I just love reminding Democrats of their segregationist past...

But this one truly made me laugh:

Elected by seven million votes thanks to the electorate's loathing for Wilson, Warren G. Harding confessed to reporters that he was not up to the job. He told one newsman that he wanted to make the U.S. tariff higher than the Rocky Mountains to help Europe's industries recover from World War I. The appalled reporter realized the president had one of the biggest issues of the era exactly backward.

Harding had a concealed box at the Gayety Burlesque Theater where he spent many afternoons and nights. In the leftover hours he concentrated on poker and trysts with a blonde named Nan Britton -- reputedly in a closet off the Oval Office -- while his appointees looted the federal government.

In reality, "Shrub" is often painted in such a light simply due to the glare of the media spotlight. That, combined with the stunning lack of knowledge later generations have of American History gives credence to such asinine statements.

Don't get me wrong: I have little fondness for George W. Bush, if only because his reckless spending, lack of true leadership and distaste for intellectualism and new ideas have given rise to The Obamessiah. Or, as I like to say "Shrub begat Barry".

But worst ever? Get a clue.

This Just In: Ruskie Mechanic downs bottle of Viagra in all day Sex Orgy

2009-02-28T13:42:00.004-05:00

Dies of Heart Attack moments after marathon 3-some concludes.

In another story from the "Well, it's just too weird, even for us" file, we get news from Russia that a 28 year old mechanic decides to take a bet from two babes that he can take them on in a marathon, all-day threesome.

This on the heals of some rapper on Twitter giving the "blow-by-blow" account of his 36 hour "tantric" sex orgy. Texting your tete-a-tete ... that's some extreme cheerleading.

Hey, if it's on Fox News, it's gotta be true. Right?

Here at the WPBHQ we no longer ask the question "What is the world coming to?" It's become evident.

The Government Promoting Bad Behavior? Never!

2009-02-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

The traders in Chicago are ready to revolt! I get the feeling they’re not alone.

Ed Coleman Switches Parties. In Other News, Dogs Chase Cats and the Sun Rose in the East

2009-02-17T14:45:00.001-05:00

In what has very quickly become a non-event, news came out today that City-County Councilman Ed Coleman has left the Republican party to become a member of the Libertarian Party.

Yawn...

Please allow me to say this up front: I really like Ed. Beyond the fact that his wife was a good friend of mine in high school, during the time I've known Ed he's become someone I've admired. He got into this (politics) for the right reasons and Indianapolis can be proud of his service.

Up until today, that is. With his action he has effectively deprived Indianapolis of his leadership and has paved the way for his early retirement from politics. This has nothing to do with the Republican Party (or the City of Indianapolis) and everything to do with Ed and salving his wounds from some perceived mistreatment, either real or imagined.

Think about it: Ed has now been stripped of his committee seats. He has removed himself as a voice for any input on city affairs. If this was about policy or ideology, what stops him from voting a certain way while maintaining his party affiliation? Was he that naive that he didn't know that sometimes in politics you don't always get your way?

Consider this: Ed is an at-large member of the council. In other words, he was elected with a slate of Republicans to the seat; no one was voting for Ed in particular, they were voting for Republicans in general. With this move Ed has selfishly (and naively) removed those voters from having a voice. Because of some perceived slights from other Republican members, he has rejected the support that voters gave him in 2007.

The bottom line for this non-story is that the least influential member of the City-County Council has now made himself completely irrelevant. He has also ended his career, as he has no shot of being re-elected in any capacity whatsoever. I mean, this is a "party" (the LP) that claims as successes elections to soil and water conservation boards. They have no infrastructure, no fundraising ability and no organization, and this is nearly 40 years after they were founded. You'd think they would've figured something out about elections by now, wouldn't you?

Ed Coleman, we hardly knew you. You have my best wishes for your private life, as your public life has needlessly ended.

Marion County City-County Councilman Ed Coleman Switching Parties From GOP to Libertarian

2009-02-16T19:08:00.003-05:00

(*Update #1* According to a source at tonight’s Decatur Township GOP meeting, Republican Council President Bob Cockrum announced that Ed Coleman has left the GOP, his committee assignments have been stripped and that this is the first time a Third Party has had a seat at the Council.)

After rumors swirled on Hoosiers for Fair Taxation (though the post was pulled) and Advance Indiana, sources confirm to me that Marion County City-County Councilman Ed Coleman is switching parties from Republican to Libertarian.

Coleman, who was first elected as an At-Large candidate in the Republican take over of the Council and Mayor’s office in 2007, has come under fire from the fellow Republican Councilmen and the County party for bucking party line on votes as well as voting against the Mayor on issues he deemed too intrusive for government…even local government. Coleman, who apparently has been mulling a switch for quite some time, was originally targeted by Democrats as a potential new party member, but conservative political convictions kept him from such a switch.

Sources also indicate that after some party bucking votes, Coleman would receive nasty text messages from people such as former State Rep. Jon Elrod, fellow Councilman Ryan Vaughn and Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John.

(*Update #2* I have been informed via a confidant of Ed Coleman’s that Jon Elrod did not send him any nasty text messages.)

(*Update #3* Councilor Ryan Vaughn called me and categorically denied sending any nasty text messages to Ed Coleman regarding any votes that may have bucked the party)

Now I’m sure the howling from GOP faithful will begin fairly soon. But keep one thing in mind here. The Republicans will still control the Council. Coleman will still likely vote more with them than with Democrats. But he will surely be castigated for his move. The question is, should he be?

Coleman’s move is not uncharacteristic while serving as an elected official. It’s not even uncharateristic for this decade. Some will probably make the notion that he should step down. Did Jim Jeffords? (I will admit, at the time, I was one of those who said he should) Did New York city Mayor, Michael Bloomberg after he switched mid-term from being a Republican to an Independent? One of the more well known party switcheroos came from Texas Senator Phil Graham in the 1980’s. He switched from Democrat to Republican, stepped down and ran for his seat again. He was so popular in Texas he won re-election.

Ed Coleman, the Libertarian Party of Indiana and the Marion County Libertarians will be holding a press conference tomorrow at the Columbia Club at 10:30am to discuss in more detail as to why he is making his switch. Your faithful Hoosier Access correspondent will be there to cover all of the action.

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

Flashback Monday: Remember When Transparency Was Chic on the Obama Campaign Trail?

2009-02-16T15:03:00.000-05:00

So do I.

But apparently, that didn’t apply with the Stimulus Bill, which the President is about to sign, and didn’t apply to Congressional Democrats, who not only shut out Republicans in the Stimulus Conference Negotiations, but they, along with the other members of Congress didn’t even get a chance to read the bill before voting on it. This after Democrats promised a 48 hour window and Obama promised a five day window to allow Americans to read what was in the bill.

That’s the Hope and Change we all expected once Barack Obama was sworn in, right?

So Much for Democrat Promises

2009-02-13T22:02:00.001-05:00

Remember the promise Democrats made to the American public to read the Stimulus Bill before voting on it? Yeah, didn’t happen. Well before voting on the bill, Republican Minority Leader John Boehner (who is pretty ticked in the video) got up on the floor of Congress to chastise the vote because not one member of the House had read the new version before voting. Apparently, they had only about twelve or so hours to read the entire 1,071 page, 8-inch-thick bill before the vote took place. New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg believes that no colleague of his will have a chance to read it either before voting.

Democracy at work.

To no one’s surprise, the bill passed 246-183. Also, to know ones surprise, no Republicans and seven Democrats voted against it. None of the Hoosier Democrat Congressmen voted against the bill. Previously, Brad Ellsworth had.

Senator Andre Carson???

2009-02-13T13:55:00.003-05:00

There's a buzz around D.C. today that President Obama is seriously considering Senator Evan "Willow Tree" Bayh as a replacement for Senator Judd Gregg (who was a replacement for Gov. Bill Richardson, who was a replacement for Karl Marx, who sadly is deceased) as a nominee for Secretary of Commerce.

I think this is absolutely brilliant, and not just because "Willow Tree" supported Hillary during the primary, thus giving credence to this alleged "Team of Rivals" our Community Organizer-in-Chief is building (and not just because Bayh might have actually paid his taxes).

It's brilliant for several reasons, but try and follow my logic (for graduates of Perry Meridian High School, I'll go slowly):

1) This might come as a shock to many, but Bayh is in serious danger of losing his seat, which is up in 2010. This would spare him the embarrassment of being the second "Birch Evan Bayh" to lose to an unknown Republican.

2) As you might have learned from the recent Illinois debacle, our governor would then be able to select Bayh's replacement, who would then face re-election in 2010.

3) My Man Mitch should select Congressman Andre Carson to fill the seat. I'm not kidding. Think of how bi-partisan and forward thinking Mitch would be to name Indiana's first black Senator. What a legacy.

4) Carson would then be forced to run for re-election to his new Senate seat in 2010 (as mentioned), which is a problem for him for a host of reasons:

He has absolutely no chance of ever winning a statewide election in Indiana. Frankly, Gabrielle Campo could beat him for that 2010 Senate race. This has little to do with his race, but more because of his power base (outside of Lake County, the Carson Machine wouldn't be able to pull off their normal shenanigans). It has everything to do with his Marxist views and the fact that the media isn't as likely to give him a free ride during a Senate race the way they have during his Congressional campaigns.
There would then be (another) special election to fill Andre's now-open 7th District seat. Without the Carson Machine delivering ballots to the counting place four hours after polls close, or opening ballot boxes right at the precinct, or the other usual tactics they have patented, the Marion County Republican Party would have the chance to put a real challenger in that race, instead of un-employed recent college grads.
After Andre loses his Senate re-election bid, he'd be forced to raise even more money during a presidential cycle to run against the incumbent Republican who now holds that seat. Considering 2012 will be a much better year for the GOP (hopefully they actually run a Republican at the top of the ticket this time), it will be quite a challenge for Andre to get his seat back.

Your thoughts?

Cross-posted at CircleCityPundit.com

That's Why They Call Him Donnie Baseball

2009-02-12T19:53:00.000-05:00

He may be the Dodgers batting coach, but he'll always be a Yankee to me. For some reason, I now have Billy Joel going through my head...

BREAKING NEWS: (INDIANA) State Department of Education rewrites Flex-time Policy

2009-02-11T18:22:00.005-05:00

Foughty Rewrites the Rules!

Fellow Hacks, Flacks, and Dumpster Divers:

This is what we live for! I just heard from Superintendent of Public Instruction that the work habits of one of our fellow Dumpster Divers has led to a change in the flex time rules at the Department of Education.

But that's really not what we want to talk about.

Seriously. We spent a solid 30 minutes on a conference call with Dr. Tony Bennett on a wide range of issues. Avid readers will note that education has never been one of our "big topic items" here at the WPBHQ. (Devoted readers will know we're more into blender drinks.) Yet, we were impressed with this guy. Dr. Bennett talked about real issues that effect the education of the little curtain climbers that we're all depending on to provide the tax revenue we'll need in our old age.

What are we getting for our tax dollars? How do we invest in our good teachers and help those less than adequate find another profession? This guy actually thinks about this stuff.

Parents - get in the game. Indiana finally has a SPI who actually cares about the "chil'in's" and not the next election. He deserves our support. Skeptical, "hold his feet to the fire" support. He earned the chance to show Hoosier families what is possible.

If you want the real analysis, go where you always go ... Hoosier Access. Otherwise, take our word for it - Give this guy a chance.

Rehab Sux. Part Deux: Adventures in Chemistry

2009-02-10T18:13:00.004-05:00

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Fresh off the court-ordered, all-expense-paid, vacation at the trendy - albeit compulsory - Meditations Rehabilitation and Addiction Treatment Center in beautiful downtown Orange, New Jersey, your erstwhile and revitalized - dare I say it, intrepid - Dumpster Diving sage is back.

It seems that there has been an election and several other interesting developments since my incarceration, er, departure. Thanks to all the other hacks, flacks, and reasonably intelligent contributors that posted to the site in my absence.

You will all be happy to know that we got the Osterizer lubed, blades replaced, and washed the thing out (finally) sooooooooo, let's fire it up and get back to business.

First things first. Lobotomy has been outlawed in 42 states. Therefore, it is safe to assume that I am still able to operate the Osterizer.

Two ... I haven't had sex in a looooooooong time. Misogyny is a distinct possibility in several future posts. Get over it.

Three ... I forgot where I put the key to the liquor cabinet and it's not funny.

Four ... well, piss on number four. It wasn't important.

Just as soon as I'm done going through the mail that's piled up here at the WPBHQ, I'll call all the crew and we'll start deciding who's going to cover what. We might even try to recruit some talent to post insightful and hard-hitting investigative journal ... what? Must be the drugs. We never do anything insightful or hard-hitting.

It's good to be out, I mean, back. Thanks for all the cards and especially to the guy that sent the "care package" (you know who you are!)

Watch Space: Truly the Final Frontier?

2009-02-10T17:48:00.003-05:00

Well, those towel-headed neanderthals have actually done it. Iran sent a rocket into space.

We now know they have the ability to shoot an intercontinental ballistic missile. (C'mon, if they can shoot a multi-stage rocket into space, they put a nuke on one and point it toward Tel Aviv - or, I dunno, Washington ... London ... Paris ... Berlin. Remember, they only have to get close. Close counts with hand grenades and Thermo-Nuclear Warheads.)

These guys think that by fomenting genocide, they can hasten the arrival of the 12th Imam, their "Messiah", and get the world "right" ... depending on your definition of what's right, I guess. You think Obama's "stimulus plan" is scary? Try these wing-nuts with the bomb. Geithner's got nothing on these "twelvers"

Hey, I'm not suggesting Armageddon, and I'm not ready to hang out on the Circle, out in front of WIBC, wearing one of those sandwich boards. You know, the one with "The End is Near" hastily scrawled on cardboard. Still, I think somebody needs to point out that these guys actually launched a friggin' rocket and it didn't crash - or blow up on the launch pad.

I'm just sayin' ... we may have bigger problems.

Stimulus, We Don't Need Your Stinkin' Stimulus

2009-02-07T14:04:00.006-05:00

And then there were three ... Two Senators from Maine, and some knucklehead from Pennsylvania (who's probably an Eagles fan). Doesn't the GOP has a litmus test or something? Where do they find these people? I hereby renounce my affiliation with the Republican Party (or, what's left of the thing that used to be called the Republican Party.) I am now a Depublicradendent.

Just a parting thought as I leave the GOP. Does anyone else wonder what's going to happen when the Chinese and Japanese, Saudi and EU guys quit buying our debt - or jack the interest rates to 12%?

So I am on to my new career as a Depublicradendent. First things first.

Great Stimulus Idea number 26: (You see, I have been thinking about this for a while) Send every balding, middle-aged, white guy in America three free drink tickets and admission to the Girls, Girls, Girls Show Club on 38th Street or, better yet, Amateur Oil Wrestling Night at the Snafu Lounge ... Now That's Stimulus, my friends. (@mjezierski would probably give up Saturday night at the laund-ri-matic for that one, Mr. Obama.)

81% of the American people are just 81% of the American people. Piss on 'em.

Great Stimulus idea number 27: See Great Stimulus Idea number 26, only for next week too.

See, it's true. I know as much as any Senator about stimulus. So, I am hereby announcing my candidacy for the Senate. A free pass to PT's for all! (Hey, it's better than a Chicken potpie or a good 5-cent cigar - and those guys were Presidents!)

You see my peeps, I am just looking out for your stimulation. Nothing else matters to me.

I'm for manual stimulation, simulated stimulation, and stimulation of the nation. I want to palpitate to stimulate, urinate to stimulate, and populate the show clubs of America with stimulating undulating. I want to be the Senator who's doing the administration of stimulation across the nation! So vote for me - it'll be stimulating! Liberating! and, you will not be fornicating! (Well, you might be, but I'm for "don't ask-don't tell stimulation") There is no down side, for cryin' out loud. I'll solve the whole gasoline problem by giving everybody a three day work week so you can get all the stimulus you need from other non-fossil fuel energy consuming activities. We'll have more time to grow things in our backyard gardens.

Since people will have less money, they will buy fewer things - less stuff = lower demand, but with fewer folks actually working, it wont make any difference. Yet, we'll all be so stimulated!

I am a friggin' genius.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. America and ... thank you, Mr. Knucklehead guy from Pennsylvania.

PS: Any chance we can get your two gal-pals from Maine to Amateur Night this weekend? Doesn't look like you'll be doing anything constructive over the weekend.

“Keep Your Fork, There’s Pie!”

2009-01-21T15:58:00.000-05:00

This just in, sources down at the Statehouse inform me that serious legislation will be passed tomorrow!

From an email I just received:

“…tomorrow the Indiana General Assembly will declare Sugar Cream Pie as the official pie of Indiana. I hear they may wash it down with “water,” the official state drink, as declared in the last General Assembly by the great and noble wise fathers of that august deliberative body.”

Never say that our elected leaders at the State House don’t put the people’s business first before silly and unimportant issues.

Just how enduring is pie to not just our state, but to our nation? From a 1902 editorial in the New York Times.

“It is utterly insufficient (to eat pie only twice a week), as anyone who knows the secret of our strength as a nation and the foundation of our industrial supremacy must admit. Pie is the American synonym of prosperity, and its varying contents the calendar of the changing seasons. Pie is the food of the heroic. No pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished.”

In response to an Englishman’s suggestion that Americans should reduce their daily pie eating to two days per week.

The “People’s Business” indeed.

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

Lessons from the 2008 trenches, part 1

2008-12-17T08:55:00.001-05:00

As promised I am bringing you part 1 of our series on Lessons from the 2008 trenches. Our first contributor is Ben Porritt. Ben served as the national spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign and a co-founder of Outside Eyes strategy group in Southern California.
CF What campaign on the GOP side showed real innovation in fundraising?

BP - Although mainstream pundits never took Ron Paul seriously, the amount of money he raised as a dark horse candidate was outstanding. The disappointing factor in giving this award to Ron Paul is that our party never took him seriously. Ron Paul brought a fundraising engine to the GOP side that had only been replicated by Governor Dean in 2004. The difference is that the Democrat party took notice and invited him in to help with the revolution. Our party made Ron Paul look like a fringe candidate who offered very little. Maybe I am wrong on this but this is how it looked from the outside—which is where I was until July.

CF What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective use of New Media?

BP - Although we were overshadowed by Barack Obama’s $600 million force and unlimited text messaging, the McCain campaign had an amazing online team which made up one of our bright spots.
Stephan Dinan of the Washington Times posted a story in March crediting McCain’s blogger outreach as the simple aspect that kept the Senator alive during tumultuous times. During biweekly conference calls with McCain, bloggers provided the Senator the only opportunity outside of staged events to deliver his message. After the implosion the mainstream media was busy asking questions regarding financial longevity and writing the Maverick’s obituary. McCain found solace with bloggers who were interested in talking policy, Iraq, and Senator McCain’s favorite pork-barrel spending.
McCain treated the blogosphere not as an addendum to the mainstream media, but a completely separate application that offered him the opportunity to have a conversation that didn’t concentrate on soundbites.
Throughout the campaign, during the debates, and conventions our new media apparatus was aggressive and in my opinion better and more active than any other GOP or Dem candidate running.

CF What campaign on the GOP side showed the greatest comeback?

BP - You almost have to give this to Ted Stevens just for being part of the game. After being found guilty of seven felony charges he was still able to force overtime.
Here’s hoping we can put Norm Coleman in this category. Four years ago, Norm Coleman seemed destined for bigger things and now he is holding on by the grit of his teeth. Minnesota is a very odd state. In the last decade they elected Paul Wellstone, Jesse Ventura, Tim Pawlenty, and Al Franken has obviously been competitive. These people have nothing in common. It is possibly the most amazing state in the country.

CF What GOP pollster was the most accurate?

BP - I think the biggest obstacle in declaring a winner here is the simple fact that we were inundated with polling in 2008. We saw more polls during the month of October than we did the entire 2004 election, making it impossible to determine who is the most accurate. On a national level which is where most of my focus was, we were behind nearly every day post Sept. 15 (give or take). So I think the pollsters clearly got it right.
I do think that this election finally took its toll on national polls. When will people realize that the only thing that matters in presidential politics is 12-15 state polls where the race will be decided. And looking back, I am still shocked that we lost Indiana… (CF …me too.)

CF What GOP mail vendor had the most creative and effective designs?

BP - I am a huge supporter of Faulkner Strategies, although I have seen some work from two Southern Californiavendors in the past that I was extremely impressed with. One is Jim Bieber of Bieber Communications and the other is Eric Brown of Dynamic Marketing. Both are creative, innovative and do strong work delivering the message.

CF What GOP campaign showed the best ability to integrate it’s website into its’ over all campaign operation?

BP - Again I would go with Ron Paul and add Mike Huckabee. Right out of Joe Trippi’s 2004 handbook both of these campaign’s used the website as a viral stomping ground for support. These campaigns used their website as more than a virtual doorfront, it was a meeting place of ideas that brought people together using Meet Up, etc.
As we all know the bulk of Mike Huckabee’s support came from the Christian right whose social circles are well defined by churches, home-schooling, or small groups. Huckabee was able to transcend this and move his supporters in and out of their common place to spread his message.

CF What GOP candidate has the biggest ideas for the future of our party (even if they lost)?

BP - For what she stood for I think Sarah Palin did a lot in this regard.
Much has been said about the selection of Sarah Palin. Was it the right choice, a political choice, or the reason we lost? Questions aside it provided the GOP something we desperately needed, which is a different voice. For decades our party has succeeded yet suffered from an old guard unwilling to hand over the reigns or at the very least address the changing electorate.
At a time when our party is badly outnumbered in Washington there is one simple prescription for our ailments. We must recruit different Republican candidates and leaders from a precinct level up.
At a minimum Sarah Palin proves that the Grand Old Party is ushering in new voices. We will always survive, but in order to succeed we need to bring in more Hispanic, African American, Asian, and female voices to our party all across the country.

CF What GOP campaign showed the best use of its email list?

BP - Being at the top of the ticket certainly has its advantages and the email list is one of them. Until the general election funds took over, the McCain campaign used its email list extremely well and were able to raise substantial dollars while doing it. Outside of fundraising our lists were used to drive crowds and host tele-townhalls. I though we did this very well.
Chris Faulkner
Posted in Uncategorized. 2 Comments »

GOP bright spot for 2008 was Indiana

2008-12-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

In 2008 one of the nation’s longest GOP streaks for President was broken. Barack Obama was the first Democrat since LBJ in 1964 to win Indiana. So with Obama’s wave of change sweeping over our state the GOP must have taken a beating and lost the Governor’s race right?Nope, not even close. Mitch Daniels won reelection by 18 points.How big was the win for Governor Daniels? By the numbers it went like this:With 1,563,873 votes Governor Daniels received more votes than any other Hoosier candidate for office…ever.

Daniels received 24% of the Democrat vote.
Daniels received 20% of the African American vote.
Daniels won the Independent vote by 18 points.
Daniels won EVERY age group including young voters (51%-42%

A Republican Governor won reelection in a purple state in 2008 not by playing it safe but by being a leader.How did he do it?

Daniels talked about “change” in 2003 before “change” was cool. When first elected, he inherited a dysfunctional state government, hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Since taking office, he has had only balanced budgets, the biggest tax cut in state history, telecom reform, ethics reform, and millions of dollars have been paid back to schools and local governments. Indiana is now the only state in the nation to have a fully-funded ten-year transportation plan with no debt or tax increase.
Hoosiers made a connection with the governor’s steadfast leadership and work ethic. Voters recognized his constant focus on attracting a record number of new and diversified jobs, dramatically reducing homeowner’s property taxes, and the state’s immediate, organized and effective response to the severe weather/record floods in the summer of 2008.
Daniels was supported by a formidable coalition of both typical and atypical interest groups. Because of his approach, he received backing by union building trades as well as the Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturer’s Association and the NFIB. The FOP and prominent veteran leaders were seen on TV ads pledging their support in their own non-partisan words. The International Association of Fire Fighters supported Daniels and Obama. African American leaders passed out Governor Daniels suggestion boxes to urban barbershops and hair salons. Fluent in Spanish, Daniels earned the support of traditionally Democrat Latino voters.
Job creation and tough line on fiscal responsibility. The Midwest is a sea of red ink as every state faces serious budget deficits…every state except one. Indiana.
Daniels kept it real. He has remained in touch and accessible to average Hoosiers through constant statewide travel. His view is always from the taxpayer’s perspective and that showed on Election Day. Voters came to appreciate his preference to travel the state on his Harley Davidson motorcycle and his insistence to stay overnight in Hoosier homes, not in hotels.

Governor Daniels is term limited and will exit office in 2012…hmmm what could he do in 2012?

Calling Gonzo Defenestrater

2008-12-05T09:04:00.002-05:00

This fall, the Ryerson Rag endorsed Congressman Dan Burton's unknown Democrat opponent. You know the one who was sued for not paying her rent.

In spite of the Rag's free advertising for the Democrats, Congressman Burton won handily. Now the poor excuse for a political columnist for The Ryerson Rag, one Matt Tully, has penned an article with a list of people who will take on the Congressman in the 2010 primary.

Lessons from the trenches 2008

2008-12-04T13:25:00.002-05:00

2008’s electoral results are getting clearer as we close in on a final result in MN and GA. As President-elect Obama sorts out his administration and we all eat turkey sandwiches there are some great lessons to be learned from GOP campaigns of 2008.

In the coming weeks I will interview consultants, campaign staff and candidates to look at the tactics and where they made a difference. Before I start the interviews I want to hear from you on what questions you want answered.

Some of the questions I am considering asking are:

What campaign on the GOP side showed real innovation in fundraising?
What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective use of New Media?
What candidate on the GOP side best leveraged earned media to get traction?
What campaign on the GOP side showed the greatest comeback?
What campaign on the GOP side showed the best mobilization of grassroots supporters?
What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective GOTV organization?
What GOP media consultant showed the most appreciation for web video and integrated it into their mix?
What GOP pollster was the most accurate?
What GOP mail vendor had the most creative and effective designs? (yes, I am biased)
What GOP campaign showed the best ability to integrate it’s website into its’ over all campaign operation?
What GOP candidate has the biggest ideas for the future of our party (even if they lost)?
What GOP campaign showed the best use of its email list?
What GOP campaign was really good at the small stuff? (yard signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc)

I also have a sizeable list of people to interview, if you have some you would like to see, let me know.Email your suggested questions and interviewees to chris@faulknerstrategies.com

2008-11-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Tech Companies Moving Assets Offshore

2008-11-07T15:34:00.002-05:00

The writing is on the wall. The O will raise corporate taxes like you've never seen before. After all its Spread the Wealth.

Yahoo! is planning to move its assets overseas to avoid what is expected to be higher corporate taxes in The O era. The IRS plans enforcement action to counteract it. So what will this lead to? Likely companies completely leaving the USA and potentially refusing to do business here.

You do know most tech company executives are moonbats that likely gave money to The O. Tax YOU but not ME.

Hypocrites.

Marion County Judge To Be Tossed: Guess Which Political Party He Belongs To?

2008-11-07T14:41:00.002-05:00

The Ryerson Rag has the propaganda here:

A panel of judges said today they would recommend removing veteran Marion County judge Grant Hawkins from the bench.

The matter now goes to the Indiana Supreme Court, as soon as next month.

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, which brought the charges against the Marion Superior Court judge, has 20 days to file a response to the judges' decision with the state high court.

After that filing, Hawkins has 20 days to file his response.

Hawkins' troubles stem from his mishandling of the case of Harold Buntin, which caused the man to sit in prison for nearly two years waiting to be cleared of a rape conviction after DNA evidence absolved him.

After Hawkins and his court commissioner realized the mistakes, Buntin still was not released for six weeks.

Did I miss something in that article? Oh yeah - nary a mention of the word DEMOCRAT in the article. Why? It's the left-wing Ryerson Rag that's why. Because if it were a Republican judge the article would read thus:

"A panel of judges said today they would recommend removing veteran REPUBLICAN Marion County judge [Name of Judge] from the bench.

The matter now goes to the Indiana Supreme Court, as soon as next month.

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, which brought the charges against the REPUBLICAN Marion Superior Court judge, has 20 days to file a response to the judges' decision with the state high court.

After that filing, The REPUBLICAN judge has 20 days to file his response.

The REPUBLICAN judge's troubles stem from a blatant miscarriage of justice of the case of a disaffected person, which caused the wrongly convicted man to sit in prison for nearly two years waiting to be cleared of a false rape conviction after DNA evidence absolved him.

Because the REPUBLICANS are a bunch of robe-wearing bigots.

Typical Rag.

I am not moving to France...

2008-11-06T21:57:00.001-05:00

Election Day has come and gone and my Political Party’s nominee for President has lost. I am disappointed but not disheartened. I am looking forward to the debate within the Republican Party to find our true core again.

A couple of things first, congratulations to President-elect Obama and his supporters. In 2000 and 2004 I was dismayed by the lack of respect and abundance of contempt that President Bush (and those of us that supported him) received from those that lost. Regardless of the deep and substantive differences I have with President-elect Obama it would be a mistake to not recognize how historic his election is. He is the first African-American President and represents the completion of another chapter in America’s troubled history on racial equality. His campaign shattered traditional models of volunteer mobilization, fundraising and technology use. All of which are good things for American democracy. I am sure that in the coming months I will have strong words for him in difference of policy but there will be plenty of time for that.

Next, leave Senator McCain alone. Enough of the arm chair quarterbacks and back seat drivers. In most polling I saw, we could not even get 30% of Americans to admit they were Republicans so it is no surprise that we could not get a majority of them to vote that way.

Time and time again I hear voters tell campaigns to “not tell them why the other guy is wrong, tell us what your guy will do!” Maybe we as Republicans should consider that question a bit before we start getting a worked up and wild-eyed. In 1996 we screamed and yelled about how unethical and corrupt President Clinton was. You can ask President Dole how well that worked.

Who are we and why should voters give us a chance again?

Are we fiscal conservatives or fans of big government solutions? Are we social conservatives, moderates or something in-between? Do we believe in free market solutions or tariff managed trade? Do we believe in being “safe” all the time or are we ok with balance of less security for more liberty? Do we believe in “exporting” the gift of democracy or letting others figure it out for themselves? Do we think that there is still some room in our country for people who were not born here but believe in the idea of America as much as we do? Are we helping the “poor” by not making them pay taxes?

I used to think I could articulate the “Republican” position on these pretty well but lately I am not so sure.

Even before McCain conceded I had emails and text messages from friends and journalists asking if Governor Palin would be our standard bearer for 2012. Whoa, let’s hold our horses a bit. We need to know where we are going before we pick a leader. The good news is we have some time on our hands to figure that out now that Democrats control both houses of Congress and the White House.

I have been proud to be a Republican in the past and am sure I will be in the future. Our party has a great history of shaping our nation’s policy and providing the great leaders to do it.

The Continuing Incompetence of Beth White

2008-11-05T13:56:00.003-05:00

Yep. Some claim Beth White's ability to run an election is improved greatly over the 2007 Municipal Primary disaster where many precincts opened late, and 6 did not open at all.

At least all of the precincts are opening on Election Day, but her competence is still questionable.

In my precinct on Tuesday, we did not receive the early votes and absentees until almost 4 PM. That gave us two hours to sort through them, enter them into the poll book and fed into the scanner if we wanted to get out of the polling place at a reasonable hour.

That didn't happen. We were still "stuffing the ballot box" with the received absentees and early votes at 7 PM. 224 of them buggers. Considering typically it's less than a dozen. Topping it off were three voters who were completely disenfranchised because the Clerk's office sent them the wrong precinct ballot. Those ballot envelopes were marked "Wrong Precinct" and returned to the Election Board. You might think "three voters, big deal". Recall the court fight over voter ID, and how the Dems claimed ONE disenfranchised voter was too many. Here three voters are disenfranchised by an incompetent clerk and her staff, and Dems just shrug their shoulders.

Now the Ryerson Rag published this article where Clerk White has asked a Judge to allow absentee ballots that were never delivered to the polling place to be counted, in spite of election law which specifically states absentee ballots must be delivered to the precinct prior to close of polls.

BETH WHITE SHOULD BE IN JAIL!!

There you go Ed Treacy. Turnabout is fair play.

This Is No Time to Give Up!

2008-11-05T13:13:00.005-05:00

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

(Post updated to reflect Democrat Scott Reske’s victory in HD 37 after barely holding off Republican challenger Kelly Gaskill)

Here is a note to my fellow conservatives and Republicans.

I did not have the highest of expectation for last night. I had hope that John McCain might some how pull off a miracle (because really that’s what he needed to win), but it wasn’t a lot of hope. And like many of you who may have stayed up fairly late (after the webcast which ended at midnight, I went out and picked up yard signs to get some much needed alone time) I’m still recovering from yesterday’s action. But I came to this conclusion.

It’s time to face the facts. Barack Obama will be our 44th president. And a historic congratulations should be sent his way. But we should take solace in the fact that Democrats did not net major gains in the House or get their filibuster proof Senate, though they could still up with (a worst case scenario) 59 seats.

But there were some positives for us as well last night. Governor Daniels smoked Jill Long Thompson (no surprise there) and Greg Zoeller and Tony Bennett won their statewide races. The Indiana House will end up with only one seat gained by the Democrats after much hand wringing they could end up with as many as a three to four seat gain. On the congressional level. Everybody stayed the same. Many thought Congressman Souder could be a loss in the Republican column, but he showed his tenacity and didn’t just win by a small margin, he kicked his young upstart opponent to the curb.

But now onto my message.

Fellow Republicans, this is no time to give up. This is also no time to resort to childish pettiness, bemoaning and name calling that the left resorts to when they lose. This is a time to step up! We do have a lot of ground to make up nationally, and while our state still leans red, it certainly is becoming a closely and evenly divided state.

We need to re-energize our base and return to what made our party great! I encourage our state and national Republicans to return to the principles and virtues of the Contract with America. We need to raise the level of discourse on the issues that matter most to Americans at this time; the economy and energy independence. And while I believe social values cannot be ignored (though we must never give up on the issue of Abortion), we must understand, as a Party, that in these tough economic times, voters are thinking mostly with their wallets. We must return to a message of fiscal restraint. We must hammer the message of an “all of the above’ approach to energy independence. We must hold our new President’s feet to the fire when it comes to the issues of coal and nuclear power. Nothing can be off the table if we want to break free from the shackles of foreign oil. President-Elect Obama seeks energy independence, but he must seek all avenues, closing off nothing.

We lost the American’s public’s faith in us when we lost our way as a party. We have only ourselves to blame for the situation we are in. Now is the time to make up for our past mistakes. Now is the time to take action and to be the party of solutions and ideas. We gave that away, but it’s time to take it back!

(But should you need it, here is Red State’s Obama Administration Survial Guide)

Yet Another Reason To Cancel Your Ryerson Rag Subscription

2008-10-31T11:10:00.002-04:00

It seems the leftwing Gannett droids at the Indianapolis Star never give up on their march towards the left (and irrelevancy).

The campaign manager wrote a letter to the editor with a response to the Star's endorsement of (and free advertisement for) his Democrat opponent. Who doesn't seem to have money for rent much less a congressional campaign.

The Star initially agreed to published the letter until "Superior editors" - in other words likely Denny himself - spiked it.

Hoosier Access has the letter in its entirety.

Obama's Chicago

2008-10-30T05:38:00.001-04:00

One wonders who really will be the Emperor and who will be the Servant in a potential President Barack Hussein Obama administration. I've had the sinking feeling that Obama was King Richard II's pawn in the grand scheme that is Chicago politics and King Richard II is about to find himself within the circle of influence on a worldwide scale. The same King Richard II whose father ran the city of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976. The same King Richard II whose city boasts the highest taxes of any city in the United States, including New York. Whose city also has the highest crime rates among large cities in the United States but continually blames it on firearms.

He disarmed the citizenry, so that only leaves the criminals with the firearms. And this accomplishes what?

Though I have my ideological differences with Gary Welsh on some issues, this time he hits the nail squarely on the head. It's worth the read.

"No Goddamned Way"

2008-10-28T23:30:00.001-04:00

Keep talking Murtha, you and Plugs are becoming the GOP's best friends.

If it's for free, it's for me!!!

2008-10-27T18:00:00.003-04:00

Well, here we go.

Government gives out free money to everybody on Wall Street who wants it. 9 banks get billions from you and me. GM, $15 billion. No fine print... this is too good to be true... we are so getting hosed.

Can I get some love from the USG? Can I get a couple hundred grand? I mean, really. Give me an effin' beak. Banks and insurance companies - all of whom had a near-death experience - are sucking on the government teat so they can continue doing what they do. Do you actually think these banks are going to actually spread this cash around? Hardly. Does the word "Hoard" ring a bell with anyone?

Gawd, I want to strangle some of these knuckleheads. And I am not being a populist here. I would like to think that I am being pragmatic. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not an economist. But I pay taxes ... a lot of taxes ... and I am pissed that my tax dollars are going to help Bank A do a merger deal with Bank B so they can have your deposits to make them more solvent than they were before the merger. I am pissed that AIG is getting a ton of cash because they are "to big to fail" or some other such moniker.

Viva la Credit Union and Community Bank. These guys actually do due diligence.

Gonz O. Defenestrater: My Economic Stimulus and Market Bailout Plan. "Let's win one for the little guy."

2008-10-24T16:31:00.003-04:00

OK. Here it is. I am tired of bending over and taking the long, lean, "Sheldon" without the courtesy of either a reach-around or some lubricant.

Here's the Gonzonater's Economic Stimulus and Market Bailout plan:

Every single taxpayer who filed a tax-year 2007 return should get a debit card with a $500,000 USD balance. If you use all or some of the cash to pay off your mortgage or buy a home, TAX FREE. If you all or part of the money to pay off college loans or pay tuition, TAX FREE. If you use all or part of the money to pay off short term, unsecured debt (e.g. your credit cards), TAX FREE.

If you use all or part of the money to open a (for lack of a better term) "401(x)" account, in which you agree to invest that money until a certain age, e.g. 70 or 71, you get to put the money in tax free and take it out at guaranteed rate of 5 or 10% - but - for every dollar you get from your 401(x) you get one less dollar from your social security benefit.

If you use all or part of the money to invest in a Health Savings Account (HSA) you get the money TAX FREE, but you get the same dollar for dollar reduction in Medicare benefits.

Let's do some math. $250 million v. $700 billion. Oh, but wait, the government doesn't think that you and I could spend that money in a wiser and more prudent fashion than "they" can.

But wait! If you let people pay off the mortgage, the mortgage crisis would go away, right? and if they paid off the short term debt - poof! No credit crisis. If they paid off their college loans, poof! MORE MONEY TO LOAN OUT TO NEW STUDENTS TO GET AN EDUCATION!

Oh, and by the way, if you have paid off your mortgage, college loans or tuition, and credit card debt, you'd have all that extra money every month that you are now spending on debt service to actually spend in the economy, to maybe - I dunno - buy a new car, or a refrigerator, or take your family out to St. Elmo's for a really great shrimp cocktail! Can you say "Flat Screen HD?" Oh, I hear HH Gregg getting a woody!

How about bailing us hard-working stiffs out for a change? And the whole scheme is progressive! You give the same amount to everybody and the folks who really need it get the most benefit. For the really rich, $500K is beer money. For a guy like me, $500K is a game-changer.

The beauty of the debit card is that you can restrict what the money can be used for. It can be made to only work for certain transactions. Thereby preventing dumb-ass rednecks and the mentally challenged from spending the whole wad in a bait shop or roadhouse.

WTF? $700 billion? Why not let the little guy hit the lottery rather than Paulson's pals on Wall Street. Hell, they get the $500K just like the rest of us... let them use it to pay off their margin calls.

It'll never happen, but it would be nice to get some juice from the Treasury like the Wall Streeter's do. I'd just love it if the government would show me some love like the guys at AIG got.

Fred On A Barack Obama Presidency

2008-10-24T11:59:00.003-04:00

Shame that his contract with Dick Wolf and NBC kept him out of the running - and by the time he could get in it was too late.

Traitors For Obama

2008-10-24T09:26:00.002-04:00

Yep. The traitor who served as the President's press secretary, left, then wrote a "tell all" book has publicly endorsed That One for President.

First, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and now Scott McClellan have joined the list of former Administration officials that have gone turncoat.

Surprise in PA-12: Boot Murtha Alert!

2008-10-23T17:51:00.001-04:00

New poll has John Murtha down 48-35 to his opponent GOP newcomer William Russell. Mr. Russell has enjoyed mainly online support from places like Free Republic. This is one of the first polls from PA-12 that show Murtha down.

No matter how invincible you think you are, no matter how the political winds are blowing. You can't make an ass of yourself by calling your constituents "racists" and "rednecks" and expect to win elections.

Is There Life After Death?

2008-10-23T14:29:00.001-04:00

Steal another one of this person's yard signs and find out for yourself.

(H/T Angry White Boy)

"Well, that just about does it."

2008-10-22T12:10:00.007-04:00

Ryerson pretty much stuck a fork in the once proud hometown newspaper this time.

Do you seriously think they have even the pretense of objectivity and any even basic journalistic integrity left?

As our colleagues Hailstone and Gillespie point out in their earlier posts on this topic, (See Gillespie here and Hailstone here) the local cage-liner has actually endorsed a candidate who is

(A) pending a court appearance for an eviction hearing (the day after the election ... convenient, huh?). It appears that she hasn't paid her rent in a year or so. Good fiscal management skills - she'll fit right in with the bailout crowd;

(B) has foisted off a resume that is (to be kind) "embellished" - well, actually, largely fabricated. Good thing Pelosi doesn't do background investigations on her caucus, huh? And;

(C) apparently, the Cage-liner ed board didn't realize that their endorsed candidate doesn't know or understand campaign finance/election law. No worries here either - well, except for those pesky ethics investigations.

So this is the candidate that the Ryerson crowd thinks will best represent the good people of the 5th CD? As Hailstone points out, they used the massive Wall Street bailout bill as the benchmark ... and only endorsed the guys who voted against it when they knew there wasn't a snowballs chance in West Texas they'd be defeated. One wonders about their judgement. Rather than look at the totality of votes over the past two years, they choose one or two that fits their agenda. That's what I call objective, and you?

No wonder Burton doesn't give these idiots the time of day. No wonder they can't sell newspapers for anything other than an inexpensive alternative to store bought puppy "piddle-pads".

Hailstone was right. They're full of something ... but the aroma is less than intoxicating along Penn St.

And if that wasn't enough ... Cardwell on Kool-Aid for the Masses!

2008-10-22T10:29:00.001-04:00

Hooray!! More people are on Food Stamps!!

John Cardwell and his merry bunch of family members have been traveling the state complaining that not enough people are on food stamps. For them, this indicates a failure on the part of the state’s Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
Tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

First of all, since when is it good news when MORE people are on welfare? This is a twisted standard of success isn’t it?

Second, just because someone wants food stamps doesn’t mean we are obliged to give them to them. Fundamentally, isn’t our deal pretty simple? If you absolutely can’t take care of yourself the government will give you assistance. If you are a healthy, capable individual who can’t demonstrate proof that you are destitute you don’t DESERVE food stamps. Cardwell’s complaints smell an awful lot like he believes that 1/5 of Hoosiers are entitled. They aren’t. My thought- if Cardwell wants to give everybody welfare checks why not let he and his liberal buddies pay for it.

Worst of all, Cardwell’s not complaining because there are LESS people on food stamps than before. He’s actually complaining because the increase has not been as significant as he would like. According to the FSSA, there are nearly 62,000 more Indiana residents on Food Stamps right now than the same time last year.
FSSA spokeswoman Elizabeth Surgener told The Associated Press on Tuesday the number of households receiving food stamps statewide is up. Last year, the number of households receiving food stamps was 494,778. This year, it is 556,646 households, she said.

Surgener said the new system increases flexibility and offers more options to serve the needs of clients. If they need the assistance of a caseworker, “they still have that option.”

Surgener said many community agencies have volunteered to help clients in navigating the new system.

This is some twisted loony.

Really!?! - The Hoosier Access/Weird Pro Version

2008-10-21T10:34:00.001-04:00

Really!?! Star Editorial Board. In your tradition of giving out political endorsements you actually backed the Democrat who is running against Dan Burton in a district that last went Democrat before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Really!?! You didn’t endorse Congressman Burton because he was the lone vote against an ethics reform bill that he didn’t think went far enough (and also contained bad legislation, but heaven forbid you actually report that), but you endorsed his opponent who hasn’t paid her rent all year and is scheduled to appear before a Grant County judge for said refusal of paying rent the day after election day. The Marion Chronicle-Tribune reported that, but for you, that would have required doing work now wouldn’t it.

And Really!?! You endorsed a candidate who claims that she will begin running ads on Comcast soon, but has yet to fill out a single FEC report (individuals) (committees) explaining how she would have the money (in kind, self loan{wait, what about rent?} or normal donation) that would explain how she could afford such an ad let alone pay for two campaign offices, yard signs and her fancy website?

(Btw, since you threw out investigative reporting a long time ago, here is the FEC rule of which the Congressman’s opponent appears to be in violation of….saves you the time from having to do real actual work…you can thank me later)

House and Senate Candidates. All campaigns that have a reporting obligation must file quarterly reports in 2008. Generally, an individual becomes a candidate for federal office, thus triggering registration and reporting obligations, when his or her campaign exceeds $5,000 in either contributions received or expenditures made.

If the campaign has not exceeded the $5,000 threshold, it is not required to file reports. See 11 CFR 100.3(a)(1). See also 11 CFR 100.3(a)(2) and (3). The authorized committees of House and Senate candidates must also file pre-primary election and pre-general election reports before any election in which the candidate runs in 2008. These committees also must file a post-general election report if the candidate runs in the general election. 11 CFR 104.5(a)(2).

Honestly, your poor attempt to see the congressman defeated has moved to the level of “just sad”. Even though I’m a proud supporter of Congressman Burton’s I’ll admit that the best chance to beat the him was in this years primary. But to endorse a candidate who has a good a shot of defeating Congressman Burton as Mark Leyva has of beating Pete Visclosky shows just how petty your paper has become even after the Congressman has attempted to reach out to you and offer an olive branch on more than one occasion this year despite your constant attacks.

Childish. Just childish.

At Least He Finally Admits It....

2008-10-21T09:35:00.003-04:00

At last. Dennis Ryerson the senior editor at the Indianapolis Star, known affectionately around here as the "Ryerson Rag", has admitted the left-wing bias of the Rag's editorial board.

"Though The Star long has had a right-of-center editorial page voice, we've moderated considerably over the years."

So that what you call the 40-yard dash towards the far left?

Speaking of those endorsements for Congress, what did you use for your litmus test? The pork barrel financial bailout package. Those who voted against it, you railed them and gave an endorsement only if the opponent has no chance in hell of winning. Though exception is for Congressman Dan Burton. I'm sure the Congressman's opponent appreciates the free advertising as she apparently can't afford ads on her own. Or her rent.

"Nonetheless, many liberals still say we pitch conservative nonsense"

Who? The Daily K00ks? Moron.org? Those are full fledged wings flapping in the breeze Moonbats.

"[M]any conservatives say we are full of liberal noise."

That's not all you're full of......

Priceless.

2008-10-20T16:49:00.002-04:00

NY Times: Hawaii Health Care A Model For The Nation

2008-10-20T11:11:00.002-04:00

A New York Times article on Hawaii's Health Care System.

Hawaii's universal health-care system, which insures 96.5 percent of the state's residents and costs less than health care in other states and Canada, could serve as a national model, health officials from Hawaii say in a new report.

The report also says that requiring employers to provide insurance for employees who work at least 20 hours a week has not bankrupted small businesses, as some feared when the plan went into effect 19 years ago.

"In fact, some indirect indicators suggest that the effect may be positive," said the report, to be published on Wednesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Unemployment since 1974 has markedly declined in Hawaii, where 97 percent of businesses have fewer than 100 workers, the report said. By 1990, new-business start-ups per capita had reached the third highest rate in the nation, it said. Near Top in Health Status

Only 3.5 percent of Hawaii's 1.1 million residents lacked health insurance in 1989, compared with 11.7 percent who lacked hospital coverage in 1971 and 17.2 percent who lacked physician coverage then, the report said.

Hawaiians rank at or near the top in health status compared with other Americans, the health officials said.

"We believe a considerable amount of this success is attributable to direct and indirect effects of Hawaii's employer mandate," they said, adding that the state's approach receive serious attention as a task force headed by Hillary Rodham Clinton considers health-care changes.

Hawaii's health-care system emphasizes prevention and early treatment. Without rationing or a ceiling on costs, Hawaiians are hospitalized only 90 percent as often as other Americans, undergo surgery only 61 percent as often and visit emergency rooms only 48 percent as often, the report said. Comparing Heat-Care Costs

Health-care costs, including government expenses for Medicare and Medicaid, were only 7.8 percent of the gross state product in Hawaii, compared with 11.2 percent of the gross national product for the United States, a 1992 study found. The figure was 8.6 percent in Canada, 9 percent in Sweden, 8.5 percent in the Netherlands and 8.2 percent in Germany, the report said.

The health officials dismissed the argument that Hawaii was a special case because of its mild climate and a healthy genetic stock of Asians and Pacific Islanders. Rather, they said, Caucasians have the best relative health among racial groups, and the state's reduced health-care expenses from lack of cold weather are offset by higher rates of skin cancer and ocean injuries.

Because Hawaii is a gateway for immigration from Asia and the Pacific islands, it has the nation's second highest rate of tuberculosis and ranks among the top 10 states in new AIDS infections, the officials said.

Hawaii is seeking Federal approval to combine its Medicaid and state insurance programs for those who do not qualify under Medicaid or the employer mandate. Gov. John Waihee 3d, a Democrat, hopes that will save even more.

But Walter Zelman, an adviser to the Clinton Administration's task force on health care, said in a telephone interview from Washington that Hawaii's system was not directly applicable to other states.

Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he noted, so businesses that dislike its laws cannot easily move. And Hawaii's two biggest insurers are not-for-profit companies, so the state is free of some "predatory" practices found elsewhere, he said.

"There's a lot to be learned from Hawaii," Mr. Zelman added, "but it may not provide the whole answer."

This article is dated from 1993. Last week, this system was scrapped because too many people dropped their paid coverage for this socialized medical system. Hmmm 15 years of socialized medicine before the whole thing became pear shaped? Thankfully the US never adopted Slick Willie's health care plan back in 1993.

Tune In Saturday, October 18th @ 3 PM

2008-10-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

Live TV : Ustream

The Obamassiah: ACORN will shape my agenda

2008-10-13T14:16:00.003-04:00

Listening to most conservatives favorite radio talk show host, Rush, played a sound bite by The Anointed One. He is preaching a sermon proclaiming upon ascension to his throne on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, he will call back Congress into session and bring in community organizations (in other words - ACORN) to shape Obamassiah's agenda for his reign upon his loyal subjects.

For one I was not aware a President-elect had the authority to call Congress into session. But I digress.

Did you ever wonder ...

2008-10-10T14:04:00.003-04:00

Fellow Flacks, Hacks, and Devoted Dumpster Divers

ACORN has decided that you just don't have the intellectual capacity to vote your convictions. Therefore, it appears, that they are going to vote for you. Especially if you live in Nevada, Ohio, or Indiana. I find that interesting.

McCain, rightly so, has been trying to point out the connection between the Obamamama-mia and the Acorn/New Party crowd. He's getting the same response he did to the whole Ayers/Rezko thing.

So, let's review. ACORN is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the lefties and the Obamamama-mia team. ACORN thinks that voter fraud is a constitutional right if it elects their guy. TheObamamama-mia thinks that anybody who calls into question his associations is a racist-bigot-unenlightened-troglodyte without the capacity to understand that he was "only 8 years old" when Ayers was blowing thins up.

OK. I'll bite. Why doesn't it make a difference? Just because the guy hasn't blown something up in a few years, does that mean that his radical ideology has changed? Explain it to me, Barak.

It might not make any difference if it was just one thing. If it was just Ayers, or just Rezko, or just Rev. Wright, or just his New Party affiliation, or just his ACORN ties, or ... well, you get my point.

"You are known by the company you keep."

"Birds of a feather flock together."

And, why do the police use "Known Associates" to track down criminals?

These are just some of the things I am wondering about this afternoon.

Raw Video of Palin Speech in Wilmington, OH

2008-10-10T08:46:00.001-04:00

How I spent my Weekend ...

2008-10-07T10:27:00.003-04:00

Well, occasionally, we get to do something out of the ordinary around here. So I thought I'd share a few of the photos I took on my little trip into the Chesapeake Bay over the weekend ...

Veteran Assaulted Protecting McCain/Palin Sign

2008-10-04T13:43:00.001-04:00

Seriously, some people are unhinged during this election cycle.

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

Will You Look At This?

2008-10-02T21:00:00.002-04:00

Interesting list of who received the most contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Name S/H State D/R Total PAC Individual

Dodd, Christopher J S CT D $165,400 $48,500 $116,900
Obama, Barack S IL D $126,349 $6,000 $120,349
Kerry, John S MA D $111,000 $2,000 $109,000
Kanjorski, Paul E H PA D $96,000 $57,500 $38,500
Reed, Jack S RI D $78,250 $43,500 $34,750
Reid, Harry S NV D $77,000 $60,500 $16,500
Clinton, Hillary S NY D $76,050 $8,000 $68,050

The Obamassiah Channel Now On Dish Network

2008-10-02T14:38:00.002-04:00

Yep that's right fellow WPBHQ drinkers. I thought I was out on a bender of too many Jack & Cokes when I read about it on Free Republic. The Obamassiah bought a whole channel of Dish Network for The Anointed One's Followers and Faithful featuring non-stop praise and worship for The Presidential Massiah (mis-spelling intentional)

So joining traditional religion on Dish such as Daystar, EWTN, TBN, Joel Osteen, and others preaching gospel, The Obamassiah is preaching his new age religion of Marx, Lenin, Ayers, and Moore nonstop.

Sorry, you still must provide your own koolaid.

Hot Investment Tip: Buy Now Before it's too late!!!

2008-10-02T13:51:00.006-04:00

About Strategery Capital Management, LLC

Strategery is a unique hedge fund.

It is the largest in the world, with expected initial capital of $700 billion. It has a free and unlimited credit line should it need more. It has no fixed mandate, though it is expected to initially focus on mortgage-backed securities. And it is the only fund backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Strategery is a way for you to be more patriotic. Supporting this fund is an American duty. Many people have already taken to wearing a green, red, and blue ribbon to symbolize and broadcast their support for this newest American institution.

H/T Katie Harbath

Heard on the Street: "These guys are worse than crack whores"

2008-10-02T12:25:00.005-04:00

IN the midst of the worse financial crisis arguably since (a) 1987 (b) 1973-74 (c) 1929, The US Senate has served up the quintessential "Pork Pie" and once again demonstrated they just can't resist loading up crucial legislation with perks for their pals. (For a great analysis, check out this post from our pals at Hoosier Access)

$193M (USD) for PR Rum? Hey, I like a cocktail just as much as the next guy - maybe more - but c'mon! Captain Morgan and ol' Ron Bacardi already have a corner on the Rum market. I know, "one man's pork is another man's project" and everybody earmarks, yeah, yeah ... just not in this kind of bill. Let's just have a clean bill with a responsible - market approach to stabilizing this thing.

Markets hate uncertainty. These traders are big Dudes (and Dudettes) and they can take bad news with the good. So let's give them the rules they need to play by and get the heck outta the way! Remember, the markets work because there is an equilibrium between Greed and Fear. The more you are willing to risk, the more you can gain - or lose. So let the losers lose, lick their wounds, then get back in the pit and fight their way out.

Changing Gears for Just a Moment:

This just popped into my mind. Let's just think for a minute about what happens when the USG takes over all these bad mortgages. Who's gonna manage all these properties? Whose going to fix the broken windows? Mow the grass? The mortgage holders are responsible, you know. Are we going to set up another bureaucracy? Will we create the National Real Estate Management and Disposal Administration? Does anybody think the USG can actually do this?

What about taking ownership stakes in private companies? Do we have some third tier appointees at Treasury sitting on the corporate boards? Does the USG get veto authority over the compensation committee? May I remind you, fellow taxpayers, that the Post Office is run by government bureaucrats. Anyone care to take a stab at the last time they turned a profit? (So much for the taxpayer making money on this deal.)

Back on Message:

So these freakin' Senators lard up this bailout - which, come to think of it, shouldn't be a news flash - almost as shamelessly as they turned every bloody personal pet project into a "National Security Priority" after 9-11-01.
Then, they get everybody going on TV and screaming "the world as we know it will come to an end" if we don't pass this "crap sandwich" by Midnight! If the bill was so bad the first time, what makes it less bad now? It's the same friggin' bill except now they have provisions for mental health insurance parity, an AMT patch, and all that pork. Hey look, I'm willing to argue that some or all of these things may or may not be good things. They deserve to be debated and voted on ... maybe ... but not in this bill! In fact, I don't even think this is a good bill. There is nothing in here but a taxpayer funded government takeover of the credit/commercial paper markets ... and all that pork.

In the end:

Bad News: Do we lose some value in our 401(k)'s? Likely. Will we lose some jobs? Yep. Will the really rich guys still be really rich? Count on it.

Good News: Gas is getting cheaper because oil is falling below 90/bbl. which means that Chavez and the Arabs are losing their shirts. See, there's a silver lining in every cloud.

In closing, I find myself asking "Where are all the limited government, free-market conservatives?" I see all these pols on TV saying things like, "I'm a free-market conservative, and I just hate this thing, but ..." But what? You either believe in these principles or you don't Senators. Stand for something and think about the next generation instead of the next election ... or your next fix, you pantie wastes.

THIS JUST IN ... (UPDATED 3:31pm EST) from the LA Times: "The bill wending its way through Congress would provide tax breaks worth more than $470 million over the next decade for movie and TV producers that shoot in the U.S."

Folks, that's $47M (USD)/year to shoot TV in the USA. Well, color me stupid, don't they do most of that here anyway? Gawd, it just keeps getting "worser and worser" as time goes by. These guys really are worse than crack whores - and that's almost insulting to the crack whores. Does anyone still wonder why these guys have a 15% approval rating?

Wrong. Just Friggin' Wrong.

2008-09-29T10:58:00.006-04:00

Congress set to bail out Wall Street on the backs of Main Street.

Fellow Flacks, Hacks, and Dumpster Diving Professionals ...

UPDATE! Well, friends, a few intrepid souls who actually Love America, Democracy, and the Free Enterprise System sent this cocktail of turkey entrails down the flusher. Congratulations to those brave Members of the House that voted against this terrible legislation - now let's get a solution that actually preserves the best principles of our Constitutionally Federated Representative Republic and the Free Markets that are the envy of the world! (G.O.D.)

Good Piece from Capitol Brief: Read it here.

You have got to be friggin' kidding me. One Trillion Dollars? How effin' much money is that? I can't even get my arms around that. Why not just give every adult citizen of the United States like $4 million bucks - problem solved. The government can even tax it and get half of it back. The stupid, brainless and genetically challenged among us will blow it all in a couple of years, the rest of us will pay all our bills and invest some of it, then blow some of it. The really smart will figure out a way to fleece the rest of us. Within a couple of years, everything will be back to normal.

I'm also not buying this idea that somehow the taxpayers are actually going to make money on this thing. When has government ever made money on anything? Oh sure, they'll tell you about Chrysler, and la-de-da ... remember the Airlines, anyone?

This bill, in the words of Minority Leader John Boehner, is a "crap sandwich" which it appears the rest of us are going to have to eat. All I can say is: "You want fries with that?"

Convicted of DUI and DL revoked...

2008-09-27T23:07:00.002-04:00

So what do people who use loopholes in the law to get around revoked DL's do? Ride scooters that's what. And that is WRONG!

One, when a scooter in involved in a crash, it counts as a motorcycle crash. This is wrong, as scooter riders are typically not trained, don't hold a motorcycle endorsement that is if the rider has a license in the first place. I've said it before scooter riders don't carry insurance nor have license plates on their scooters either.

The scooter rider that was the initiating cause of the school bus crash in Cass County had no drivers license because his license was revoked.

BMV revokes licenses for a reason. It's because the driver has shown he or she has no business being on the public roads. It's a slap in the face when a person who is determined to not deserve the privilege of driving hops on a scooter and rides on the roads anyway.

Solving the Market Instability Problem: My Two Cents.

2008-09-26T14:39:00.007-04:00

I am not an Economist/Banker/Investment Professional. Having said that, let me take a stab at offering a solution to the current market instability problem.

Banks are not willing to lend to each other because they do not know who will survive the weekend. Some analysts envision a possibility that 100-150 could fail in the foreseeable future. But, rather than simply infuse $700B into the system by lending U.S taxpayer money to buy problem loans, might I suggest that the Treasury set up a “distressed fund” (sometimes referred to as a “vulture investment fund”) with the money in which these firms can negotiate for the capital they need and the investment fund (read: “taxpayer”) gets “convertible preferred stock w/ some percentage coupon” (similar to the deal Warren Buffett recently made with Goldman Sachs). Thereby, we the people are getting a preferred equity position that allows taxpayers to be paid interest each period while they wait for the companies to increase their equity value at which point the government will do a public offering and the taxpayers will enjoy the proceeds along with the management of the organization.

Given that total Credit Market Debt as a percentage of GDP is currently 348.5%, and Household Income to Debt = 102%, everybody is at the limit. Consumers are maxed out and in total the financial service system is essentially insolvent (total liabilities exceed total assets), so just throwing money into the system without a structure that is understood by all the participants risks could be catastrophic.

“The bankers are scared and the government is in the driver’s seat on this thing”. We have the opportunity to both stabilize the system and extract our (the taxpayers) “pound of flesh” if we give them a reasonable offer. We can reinstate the greed/fear equilibrium back into the model, or a carrot and stick, whatever you want to call it, and protect the taxpayer. Remember now, only 25% of America supports a "bail-out" of these knuckleheads.

Once the “Distressed Fund” is established, we suggest the government hire an “investment banker” to execute the distributions and build an incentive plan to get the “smart people who know how to do this to do it” – which may mean hiring back some of the knuckleheads that created this mess to unravel it – but with the ability to set compensation that might reward performance (say, stock options in the “new company”) that can be exercised only once the taxpayer is made whole and the new company goes “public” again. Governments around the world are clients of these big investment banks, so there is nothing new here. They know how to do it.

Additionally, if we, the taxpayer, are going to "buy" assets it should not be just the junk but a position in the whole company so the taxpayer does not get left holding the bag. The other benefit is that it might soften the impending failure of non-financial corporations, which would create a spike in unemployment and a further contraction in the economy.

In any event, the policy decisions made after the crisis management phase will be equally critical to the decisions made during this crisis management phase. While recessions are a necessary part of the economic model, the government (remember the CRA?) and the Fed have artificially “softened” these recessionary periods since 1990-91 and the result has been the excesses we are experiencing now. With essentially free money, the tech bubble and the mortgage crisis were inevitable. Therefore, if I understand it, managing the recession correctly will allow for the necessary “cleansing of the system” without reaching near-catastrophic levels not seen since 1973-74.

As a comparison, the 1929 crash resulted in an approximately 25% contraction of GDP, approximately 25% unemployment, and some 14,000 banks failed (We can check with Ben Bernancke’s office for specifics, he apparently is the world’s leading expert on the Crash/Depression). 1973-74 it was approximately a 4-5% contraction in GDP, something like 10 or 11% unemployment, and not nearly the catastrophic bank failures of the 30's. Today, we have 6% unemployment, and we'll lose a couple hundred banks, and it remains to be seen what happens to GDP. We are going to be somewhere north of that 4% number of 1973-74. The question is: How far North?

In any case, there is no need to rush into a $700B deal without really knowing what the heck we're getting ourselves into. Japan in the '90s ... anyone? Buehler? If Wall Street thinks Washington doesn't understand it, and Washington thinks that Wall Street doesn't get it; What makes them think they can sell it to Main Street?

Let's take a deep breath. Let's stop trying to boost ratings and circulation by making comparisons to the Great Depression. Let's let the markets work and put the taxpayers money in where and when it will make the biggest difference. We're America. We can do it.

The Video The Obama Does Not Want You To Watch

2008-09-26T13:27:00.001-04:00

Finally. A Start.

2008-09-26T09:38:00.002-04:00

The talking and planning is finally leading to potential results. Finally, some logic is being injected the mass transit discussion.

Walk. Then Run.

Those who support massive mass transit projects seems stuck on spending billions of other people's money on what seems to be rails of gold with maglev trains. Maglev is slick and exotic but if you build it and nobody rides it doesn't do a damn bit of good.

The present "walk" plan is to re-use the former Nickel Plate - The Fair Train if you will - as a commuter rail. If you look at Google Earth there's rail corridor already for other parts of town you can build upon, though some is already converted to walking trail such as the Penn Central that runs along East Washington St.

This is a good idea whose time has come, and from this pilot project the determination can be made based upon ridership and revenue on expanding commuter rail in Central Indiana.

The Obama Experience

2008-09-24T11:49:00.003-04:00

Dems to America: "Real Bi-partisan Energy Reform ... Nah!"

2008-09-22T14:16:00.007-04:00

We ran across this in another blog, but since folks in Indianapolis will never read this story in the local cage-liner, we thought in the public interest we'd re-post it here ...

North Carolina Congressman on Burton Energy Compromise

Congressman Burton was a key part of an Energy Compromise bill that earned over 150 supporters. North Carolina Congressman Robin Hayes talked about the bill in a recent story from the Stanly News and Press.

Here's a key part of the article about the bill Dan supported:

In an effort to amend this bill, the Minority called for a vote on the Comprehensive, Environmentally Responsible Energy Plan for America, which Hayes was an original sponsor, and he voted to support this evening.

This bipartisan bill, led by U.S. Representatives Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), John Peterson (R-Pa.), Jim Costa (D- Calif.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.), is a true comprehensive energy solution for America.

This legislation provides the first stable, designated funding source for the development of alternative fuels, renewable energy and environmental restoration by allocating the estimated $2.6 trillion in oil royalties from oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf.

In addition, this bill seeks to combine responsible, targeted increases in domestic oil and gas production with an intensified effort to move vehicles to nonpetroleum alternatives and a strong federal conservation and energy efficiency commitment.

Even though the Comprehensive, Environmentally Responsible Energy Plan for America had more than 150 cosponsors — Democrats and Republicans alike — it failed by a recorded vote of 191-226.

H/T: TBB

Death Knell for Conservatism?

2008-09-22T10:31:00.003-04:00

Whatever happened to Less Government?

Fellow Flacks, Hacks, and Dumpster Divers:

On the eve of this monumental expansion of government's reach into our lives - to the tune of a trillion bucks, I thought it might be time for some reflection.We have come a long way from those heady days in 1995 when a Conservative House of Representatives led the country to balanced budgets, a $155 billion budget surplus, and seeking every opportunity to shrink the size and scope of the federal government somewhere closer to the Constitutional parameters set out in our Founding Documents. It was the zenith of the movement of Ronald Reagan and William F.Buckley, Jr.; of Peter Viereck, and Russell Kirk.

Today, the Republican Party is rocketing toward mediocrity.

Since 2000, The Republicans led the way in creating the largest bureaucracy since FDR; the largest expansion of entitlements if not since the new Deal, then certainly Johnson's "Great Society"; to a projected budget deficit of one half trillion dollars (that's trillion, with a "T"). Ol' Everett Dirksen wasn't even close when he opined: "A million here, a million there; pretty soon we're talkin' big money" . Anymore, a million dollars is a "round up error" to these guys.

The Conservatives in Congress, and I regret there are so few left (perhaps 30 or so true Movement Conservatives), have been largely marginalized. The legacy of Ronald Reagan, the leadership of Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, the new ideas and fresh thinking of the RSC, are all just a fond memory of a time long ago when Republicans actually acted like Republicans, and Conservative ideology defined the parameters of the debate. Most Republicans can only be distinguished from their Democrat colleagues by their vote for Speaker.

Not that I can completely blame my malaise on the failure of the Republican Majority in the first years of this century at the feet of George W. Bush, he certainly had willing acolytes in both Chambers down Pennsylvania Avenue, but leadership does lead. The fact that the Congress didn't stand up and say "oops, wrong way" and redirect the ship back on course is also disappointing. To be fair, this Administration has faced some difficult and unprecedented challenges. Yet, I cannot but somehow believe that our conservative principles would have better addressed these challenges than a rush to infuse the federal leviathan with with even more nourishment.

The future is, well, "the future" and i do not know what lies across that horizon. I hope that better days are ahead for the Conservative Movement. Yet, I fear, there will be many dark days ahead before it is once again "Morning in America."

Reposting w/Update: RON SANTO Should Be In Hall of Fame

2008-09-18T13:42:00.001-04:00

With the great news coming out of Cooperstown that Ronnie has made the list for another shot at the Hall of Fame, we thought that we'd re-post this piece on why Ron Santo should be in the Hall of Fame.

See the announcement here. You can follow the "@SantoFans" on Twitter and on their website here.

We couldn't have said it any better ... so we'll let the Cubs "Closer", Kerry Wood, speak for himself:

"The Hall of Fame vote and Ron Santo are talked about a lot in our clubhouse. He's been denied 18 times, and after each vote we'll look at his stats and ask, 'Are these Hall of Fame numbers?' You'll get a yes from 95% of the guys. When you start digging into the numbers, I don't think there's any doubt. How can you not vote for a guy who was a nine-time All-Star, earned five Gold Gloves, had four top-10 MVP finishes, three top-10 home run finishes and four .300-plus seasons, and led the National League in walks four times? And if you look at all the third basemen who played between 1950 and 1975, Ron ranks second in HRs, third in hits, RBIs and games played, fourth in slugging, and seventh in on-base percentage. And he did it despite having diabetes. For him to play in the big leagues at that level is amazing.

"For some reason, third basemen get jobbed in the voting. There are only 13 of them—three Negro Leagues stars and 10 major leaguers. Nothing personal, but if George Kell is in [see chart], then Ronny should be too. Ronny crushed him in HRs, RBIs, hits and runs, and he did it with a respectable .277 career batting average, which is almost 25 points higher than the NL average during his career. I'm not saying Brooks Robinson doesn't belong in the Hall, but Ronny played eight fewer seasons and finished with 74 more HRs, a higher batting average and on-base percentage, and nearly the same RBI total. I know, Ronny never played in the postseason. Neither did Kell or Ronny's Hall of Fame teammates Ernie Banks and Ferguson Jenkins. Neither did Billy Williams when he was with the Cubs.

"I keep it simple: Look at the third basemen who are in, then look at Ronny's numbers. I'm amazed he isn't in yet. His next chance is in 2009. When it happens, and if the schedule lets us, I'm going to be there for the ceremony. He's the epitome of Chicago baseball. He's still part of this team. He lives and dies with it. In fact, I think we've put him in the hospital a few times. He should get in just for that."

How Ron Santo stacks up with his third-basemen peers in Cooperstown:

AVG HRs RBIs ALL-STAR GOLD GLOVES
Ron Santo (1960-74) .277 342 1,331 9 5
Eddie Mathews (1952-68) .271 512 1,453 12 0
Brooks Robinson (1955-77) .267 268 1,357 18 16
Wade Boggs (1982-99) .328 118 1,014 12 2
Mike Schmidt (1972-89) .267 548 1,595 12 10
George Kell (1943-57) .306 78 870 10 0

Read the whole ESPN - The Magazine Article Here

Cubs fans, even a non-baseball fan, look at the chart above and ask if George Kell, who played with Philly (Athletics), the Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox, and Orioles between 1943 and '57, is in the Hall - Why not Ron?

I don't know for certain but I do not recall any of the others playing with any more passion and hustle than Santo. I wasn't born when Kell played, and I don't remember much of Eddie Matthews as a player - I remember he managed Atlanta when Aaron spanked #715 - but I do have fond and vivid memories of Robinson, Boggs and Schmidt. I wouldn't pretend to diminish any of these great players careers because each of them deserve to be in Cooperstown. I point this out only to say that Ron Santo was every bit the player (and more) that these others were and he deserves to be there too. 18 years is long enough.

H/T ESPN -The Magazine

Sons of Bitches!

2008-09-17T16:42:00.000-04:00

Via Michelle Malkin:

Sarah Palin’s private e-mail hacked, family photos raided
By Michelle Malkin

Scroll for updates…Wired News confirms…

Sometime early this morning, between approximately 3:00am - 4:00am, members of an infamous group of hackers broke into Gov. Sarah Palin’s private Yahoo e-mail account. The incriminating discussion threads included screenshots of Palin’s e-mail and private e-mail addresses of her contacts. The threads have since been deleted.

Hacking e-mail is a federal crime. A TV anchor who broke into his colleague’s e-mail account recently pleaded guilty and faces a maximum five years in prison.

The law will catch up to the hackers, but what about the lowlifes who are now gleefully splashing the alleged contents of Palin’s private e-mail account all over the Internet?

The Gawker smear machine — see here for all the background you need — has posted private family photos of Palin’s children that were apparently stolen from the e-mail account.

They have used Bristol Palin’s illegally obtained private cell phone number from her mom’s private account, recorded her voicemail message, and posted it on their website.

They have reprinted her husband Todd’s private e-mail address and son Track’s private e-mail address.

You think this is just a harmless prank? Those of you who have had to deal with break-ins and identity theft know exactly what a burdensome process it is to recover from crimes like this.

Gawker knowingly and deliberately published illegally obtained photos of the Palin children.

Where are the privacy absolutists now?

You think Palin Derangement Syndrome is bad now? These by-any-means-necessary lunatics are just warming up.

Let me repeat what I said about Nick Denton and his slime businesses in 2006. It’s every bit as relevant now. And I expect the same cowards who said nothing then to remain silent about the violations of the Palin family’s privacy now.

CBS Leaves Me Lost in a Blizzard of Words

2008-09-16T19:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I noticed a link on the Drudge Report to a CBS editorial talking about the diminishing "Sarah Palin Phenomenon". The piece wasn't talking so much about Palin's political status so much as her star status. And frankly, while it had some decent, but truths to swallow, in the end I felt like Charlie Gibson during the Palin interview and lost in a blizzard of words. Mostly, because it was laughable at best.

This charade of an editorial seemed to view Governor Palin, not as a vice presidential candidate, but as a celebrity like that of Britney Spears or Michael Jordan (their words).

The primary reason why the Palin bubble will burst is that the media will decide that they are bored with her. They'll need to move to shine a light on a fresh issue or individual.

This is how the world works in the age of 24/7 news cycles. Whether the subject is Britney Spears, Michael Jordan or Sarah Palin, we inevitably raise stars to mythic levels, out of all reasonable proportions. Then we knock them down.

Forgive me as I almost spit out my food while writing this. Did that just say they raised Palin to mythic levels only to knock her down? Am I missing something here? She was never raised, but was knocked down to begin with and continue the process by repeating stories that originate out of the lefty loonisphere only to be proven wrong once the media is put on the defense and actually has to do real digging.

Or how about that interview with Charlie Gibson:

Gibson, as dignified a newsperson as America has now, treated Palin fairly and didn't resort to hectoring her with "gotcha" questions, either.

Palin's supporters may be chagrined that their candidate didn't sound more self-assured or expert when she discussed Alaska's relationship to Russia. But Gibson didn't try to trip her up. He pretty much asked the kinds of questions I would have put to Palin as well.

Gibson treated her with the respect befitting a vice presidential candidate. ABC, while discussing the interview Friday on "Good Morning America" unleashed political correspondent Jake Tapper to assess the "truthiness" of Palin's remarks on the ABC show.

I won't deny that Mr. Gibson is a dignified newsperson. I won't deny that, at times, he may have treated Governor Palin with respect, but please what interview was this person watching?!

When I turned on the interview, I started watching right at the point he asked about the "Bush Doctrine". I had missed everything up to that point. Was I surprised at her answer? Yes. Then again, ask the current 535 members of congress what the Bush doctrine is and I'm guessing you get 535 different answers if any of them know exactly what it is in the firstplace. If you check out the "Bush Doctrine" wikipedia page, that the site is continually changing in fact, it was changed as of this writing days after the Palin interview.

And excuse me! Didn't resort to "gotcha questions'?!?! While Mr. Gibson may not have, the editors of the interview sure made it appear as if he did.

This piece of unadulterated fluff tries to make the point that they are treating Sarah Palin with kidgloves. I would beg to differ. And frankly, anybody who has been watching the news would beg to differ. Are they asking honest and tough, but fair and fitting of a VP candidate? Yes. But when they going around distorting her words, such as the instance at her church, they must be the ones wearing the rose colored sunglasses.

Let's be honest here. The media won't tire of Sarah Palin in the next 50+ days. She's a VP candidate who has drawn more attention to herself and the McCain team than Joe Biden has to Barack Obama. And let's not forget that the media loves Obama's celebrity even as he implodes on himself. And who is Obama making a big deal about? Sarah Palin.

So excuse me if I think the media will not be tiring of her.

Follow Me, Or Else!

2008-09-12T11:33:00.001-04:00

I've broken down and joined twitter. Perhaps it will annoy the crap out of me and I'll turn it off.

Here's my site:

Twitter / jacobperry

You Thought the Lipstick Comment was Good ... Try This One!

2008-09-11T15:28:00.004-04:00

Dudes and Dudettes,

We so completely ripped this one off from Hoosier Access, but we can't help ourselves.

The latter half of Team BOJoe caught on tape once again. Thank the "Man" for getting us the camera/video on a cell phone!

Check out the Hoosier Access post and see the video clip HERE.

Biden, in typical Biden-style, inserts foot (A) into mouth (B) then, in a lame-ass-rally-the-troops attempt, seems to try to make the gaffe into a "tribute moment".

The story line goes like this:

Biden is doing some intros at an event in Missouri. He gets to State Senator Chuck Graham.

"Stand up, Chuck!", he says. One problem. Senator Graham is wheelchair bound. (Some staffer screwed the pooch! Usually, the candidate gets briefed about "special circumstances" - ask any of the hacks hangin' around here) ...

So now. Joe, realizing that the good Senator can't stand up, turns back to the crowd and exhorts them to, "Stand up for Chuck!" It's just classic.

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

H/T Hoosier Access for letting us rip them off.

Be afraid of the campaign that does NOT brag about its ground game.

2008-09-11T11:58:00.000-04:00

Obama Banks on the Ground Game - TIME: "The Obama campaign has placed an emphasis on expanding the electoral map. They say they will have staff in all 50 states, even if those states are not even remotely in play. In Texas, where McCain leads Obama by 11 percentage points, they already have 15 paid staff, which they insist is an investment for the future. 'We certainly don't think it's a waste of money to be there,' Hildebrand says, 'There's a potential House seat we could pick up there and there's a real shot at winning back the State Senate this fall. With redistricting coming up it's very important as to who controls the legislative body there.'

Obama may believe in investing in a mandate to govern — helping to expand Democrats in Congress and in local and municipal races — but that won't matter a whole lot if he fails to win the presidency. 'This 50-state strategy, I hope it's real,' says Bill Steiner, the RNC's director of strategy. 'But I actually think what it's for is to cover up some of their weakness in targeted states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio. States that Democrats can't afford to lose. This is about quality versus quantity.'

Not surprisingly the Obama campaign takes issue with that assessment. Over Labor Day weekend, while waiting for Obama to finish an event, David Axelrod, the nominee's top strategist, noted their strategy is broader than McCain's, and therefore requires a lot more leg work, but has more potential pay off. 'We're going into November 4 with many different scenarios to get to 270 electoral votes,' he says, squinting at airplanes buzzing overhead, part of Cleveland's annual air show. 'I think their path is very, very narrow, as is their thinking.'"

They sure seem pretty confident. Thats ok. It will make it funnier when they lose.

At the RNC behind a dark curtain you can hear the sinister laugh of Michael Beach. He is hunched over reams of information from many states that says we will be just fine.

GOP "boogeyman" used to scare poor voters

2008-09-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

Michigan Messenger » Lose your house, lose your vote: "Vote suppression: Not an isolated effort
Carabelli is not the only Republican Party official to suggest the targeting of foreclosed voters. In Ohio, Doug Preisse, director of elections in Franklin County (around the city of Columbus) and the chair of the local GOP, told The Columbus Dispatch that he has not ruled out challenging voters before the election due to foreclosure-related address issues.

Hebert, the voting-rights lawyer, sees a connection between Priesse’s remarks and Carabelli’s plans.
“At a minimum what you are seeing is a fairly comprehensive effort by the Republican Party, a systematic broad-based effort to put up obstacles for people to vote,” he said. “Nobody is contending that these people are not legally registered to vote.

“When you are comprehensively challenging people to vote,” Hebert went on, “your goals are two-fold: One is you are trying to knock people out from casting ballots; the other is to create a slowdown that will discourage others,” who see a long line and realize they can’t afford to stay and wait.
Challenging all voters registered to foreclosed homes could disrupt some polling places, especially in the Detroit metropolitan area. According to the real estate Web site RealtyTrac, one in every 176 households in Wayne County, metropolitan Detroit, received a foreclosure filing during the month of July.

In Macomb County, the figure was one household in every 285, meaning that 1,834 homeowners received the bad news in just one month. The Macomb County foreclosure rate puts it in the top three percent of all U.S. counties in the number of distressed homeowners."

I have seen some biased and ridiculous articles in my time but this is just plain dumb. I am not speaking on behalf of the GOP or any of our state parties here.

It not suppression you moron, it is making sure that only eligible voters get to vote. Every year the Republican Party has reams of documented evidence that illegal ballots are cast from abandoned homes and or vacant lots.

Maybe a better question is why a city run completely by Democrats has such a high foreclosure rate? Maybe someone might want to ask why these, so called, community groups have to turn to incendiary tactics like some bogus story of voter intimidation? ACORN has a comment??? Give me a break, how many ACORN organizers have been charged with voter fraud this year? 5, 10, 20?

How many documented cases of GOP voter suppression are there? The silence is deafening...

But how many times do we have to prove that organizations like ACORN are taking advantage of disadvantaged voters before the press gets a clue?

Also, The Michigan Messenger is not a legitimate "news" source. It is run by the Center for Independent Media which is run by an Obama donor...go figure.

Leave it to Spangle ... Must see TV.

2008-09-10T13:27:00.001-04:00

View the video here. We're still laughing too hard to even comment.

Point to Ponder

2008-09-10T09:56:00.001-04:00

How much in government grants did Michelangelo receive to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

[crossposted to DFB]