Restore the Republic

Last Post

2008-12-08T17:22:00.003-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, this is my last post on Restore the Republic. True, the Republic still needs to be restored. With that I am in total agreement. And as Ron Paul has said, perhaps the country going bankrupt will be just the moment for restoration to take place. But the byline of this blog is "Thoughts on the 2008 US Presidential Election."

I have thought all that I want to think on the 2008 election!

It's been a nice outlet for rants, revelations and some rogue humor from time to time. I've enjoyed blogging on Restore the Republic.

RTR08 was established Dec 1, 2008. So we are a week past a year in publication.

Including this one, there have been 352 posts.

And though I declared the Fox New fast over, I still have not watched it. So I have been Fox-free for 339 days. It's not bad. You'll have a headache the first couple of days but you can do it!

Thanks to all who have read and to those who took a moment to comment.

Honestly, I'd like to keep blogging here but it's time for a 'change.'

So, bye bye Rudy, Mitt, Mike, John, Ron, Joe, Hillary, Sarah and Barack...I'll leave it to others to write about you now.

I leave with one last prediction....two years from today, President Obama will be among the most unpopular Presidents in history. It's not that he will do a bad job...it's just that nobody can be all that he has allowed himself to be made out to be....and realities of the world and the economy will keep him from being the liberal savior that many expect....I predict that he will do a better job than many expect but be much less popular than most would ever imagine.

To one and all....."Restore the Republic!"

- 30 -

Seems Like

2008-12-01T17:07:00.001-05:00

Seems to me that Obama has made more conservative appointments in key positions than the Maverick would have.

Thanksgiving Address

2008-11-26T13:12:00.003-05:00

The following is the text of the speech that Abraham Lincoln gave on the day that he signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation, “to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November...as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the LORD.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to, feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

--Abraham Lincoln - October 3, 1863

Expiration Date

2008-11-23T17:52:00.002-05:00

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. - Second Amendment to the U S Constitution

One or both expire on Jan 20, 2009.

Counseling Needed

2008-11-22T23:29:00.004-05:00

I still haven't watched a minute of TV news since Obama won Ohio. So, by default, the Faux News fast has been extended. I keep up by internet but at least there I don't have to listen and watch as major media figures swoon and prattle on about Michelle's dress or some such drivel. Obviously I need to be admitted.

Real Downer

2008-11-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wall Street slumped Thursday afternoon and the S&P 500 closed at an 11-1/2 year low as fears of a prolonged recession sparked a massive selloff.

The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index lost 6.7% according to early tallies and closed at its lowest point sine April 14, 1997.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 445 points or 5.6%. It closed at the lowest level since March 12, 2003, just above the low of the last bear market.

The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 5.1% and also closed at its lowest level since March 12, 2003.

Dick Morris Scorcher

2008-11-19T18:11:00.000-05:00

The results of the G-20 economic summit amount to nothing less than the seamless integration of the United States into the European economy. In one month of legislation and one diplomatic meeting, the United States has unilaterally abdicated all the gains for the concept of free markets won by the Reagan administration and surrendered, in toto, to the Western European model of socialism, stagnation and excessive government regulation. Sovereignty is out the window. Without a vote, we are suddenly members of the European Union. Given the dismal record of those nations at creating jobs and sustaining growth, merger with the Europeans is like a partnership with death.

At the G-20 meeting, Bush agreed to subject the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and our other regulatory agencies to the supervision of a global entity that would critique its regulatory standards and demand changes if it felt they were necessary. Bush agreed to create a College of Supervisors.

According to The Washington Post, it would "examine the books of major financial institutions that operate across national borders so regulators could begin to have a more complete picture of banks' operations."

Their scrutiny would extend to hedge funds and to various "exotic" financial instruments. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), a European-dominated operation, would conduct "regular vigorous reviews" of American financial institutions and practices. The European-dominated College of Supervisors would also weigh in on issues like executive compensation and investment practices.

There is nothing wrong with the substance of this regulation. Experience is showing it is needed. But it is very wrong to delegate these powers to unelected, international institutions with no political accountability.

We have a Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, both of whom are elected by the American people. It is with the SEC, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve that financial accountability must take place.

The European Union achieved this massive subrogation of American sovereignty the way it usually does, by negotiation, gradual bureaucratic encroachment, and without asking the voters if they approve. What's more, Bush appears to have gone down without a fight, saving his debating time for arguing against the protectionism that France's Nicolas Sarkozy was pushing. By giving Bush a seeming victory on a moratorium against protectionism for one year, Sarkozy was able to slip over his massive scheme for taking over the supervision of the U.S. economy.

All kinds of political agendas are advancing under the cover of response to the global financial crisis. Where Franklin Roosevelt saved capitalism by regulating it, Bush, to say nothing of Obama, has given the government control over our major financial and insurance institutions. And it isn't even our government! The power has now been transferred to the international community, led by the socialists in the European Union.

Will Obama govern from the left? He doesn't have to. George W. Bush has done all the heavy lifting for him. It was under Bush that the government basically took over as the chief stockholder of our financial institutions and under Bush that we ceded our financial controls to the European Union. In doing so, he has done nothing to preserve what differentiates the vibrant American economy from those dying economies in Europe. Why have 80 percent of the jobs that have been created since 1980 in the industrialized world been created in the United States? How has America managed to retain its leading 24 percent share of global manufacturing even in the face of the Chinese surge? How has the U.S. GDP risen so high that it essentially equals that of the European Union, which has 50 percent more population? It has done so by an absence of stifling regulation, a liberation of capital to flow to innovative businesses, low taxes, and by a low level of unionization that has given business the flexibility to grow and prosper. Europe, stagnated by taxation and regulation, has grown by a pittance while we have roared ahead. But now Bush -- not Obama -- Bush has given that all up and caved in to European socialists.

The Bush legacy? European socialism. Who needs enemies with friends like Bush?

Two Peas

2008-11-17T22:06:00.004-05:00

I really have no idea why Obama did not pick McCain as his running mate -- they believe the same things, said the same things, proposed the same things -- and unlike Joe Biden, John McCain didn't really want to be President. At any rate, the two peas met today to discuss how to "fix up the country." I personally think that we are as fixed up as we can be. Don't you?

Ron Paul Nails It (as usual)

2008-11-12T16:09:00.004-05:00

The following is an OP-ED special to CNN by Congressman Ron Paul in answer to the question, "What should the GOP do now?" It's not a snippet. I encourage you to read it twice then print it and put it on your refrigerator - then read it to your children at bedtime.....

(CNN) -- The questions now being asked are: Where to go from here and who's to blame for the downfall of the Republican Party?

Too bad the concern for the future of the Republican Party had not been seriously addressed in the year 2000 when the Republicans gained control of the House, Senate, and the Presidency.

Now, in light of the election, many are asking: What is the future of the Republican Party?

But that is the wrong question. The proper question should be: Where is our country heading? There's no doubt that a large majority of Americans believe we're on the wrong track. That's why the candidate demanding "change" won the election. It mattered not that the change offered was no change at all, only a change in the engineer of a runaway train.

Once it's figured out what is fundamentally wrong with our political and economic system, solutions can be offered. If the Republican Party can grasp hold of the policy changes needed, then the party can be rebuilt.

In the rise and fall of the recent Republican reign of power these past decades, the goal of the party had grown to be only that of gaining and maintaining power -- with total sacrifice of the original Republican belief in shrinking the size of government.

Most Republicans endorsed this view in order to achieve victories at the polls. Limiting government power and size with less spending and a balanced budget as the goal used to be a "traditional" Republican value. This is what Goldwater and Reagan talked about. That is what the Contract with America stood for.

The opportunity finally came in 2000 to do something about the cancerous growth of government. This clear message led to the Republican success at the polls.

Once the Republicans were in power, though, the promises faded, and all policies were directed at maintaining or increasing power by trying to whittle away at Democratic strength by acting like big-spending Democrats.

The Republican Congress never once stood up against the Bush/Rove machine that demanded support for unconstitutional wars, attacks on civil liberties here at home, and an economic policy based on more spending, more debt, and more inflation -- while constantly preaching the flawed doctrine that deficits don't matter as long as taxes aren't raised.

But what the Republican leadership didn't realize was that ALL spending is a tax on middle-class Americans through price inflation and that eventually the inevitable consequence is paying for the extravagance with a financial crisis.

Party leaders concentrated only on political tricks in order to maintain power and neglected the limited-government principles on which they were elected. The only solution for this is for Republicans to once again reassess their core beliefs and show how the country (not the party) can be put back on the right track. The problem, though, is regaining credibility.

After eight years of perpetual (and unnecessary and unconstitutional) war, persistent and expanded attacks on our privacy, runaway deficits, and now nationalization of the financial system, Republicans are going to have a tough time regaining the confidence of the American people. But that's what must be done.

Otherwise, Republicans can only mimic Democrats and hope for an isolated victory here and there. And that's just more of the same that brought on the disintegration of the party.

Since the new alignment of political power offers no real change, we will remain on the same track without even a pretense of slowing the growth of government. With the new administration we can expect things to go from bad to worse.

Opportunity abounds for anyone who can present the case for common sense in fiscal affairs, for protection of civil liberties here at home, and avoiding the senseless foreign entanglements which have bogged us down for decades and contributed so significantly to our fiscal and budgetary crisis.

During the debates in the Republican Presidential primary, even though I am a 10-term sitting Representative Member of Congress, I was challenged more than once on my Republican credentials. The fact that I was repeatedly asked how I could be a Republican when I was talking a different language than the other candidates answers the question of how the Republican Party can slip so far so fast.

My rhetorical answer at the time was simple: Why should one be excluded from the Republican Party for believing and always voting for:

• Limited government power

• A balanced budget

• Personal liberty

• Strict adherence to the Constitution

• Sound money

• A strong defense while avoiding all undeclared wars

• No nation-building and no policing the world

How can a party that still pretends to be the party of limited government distance itself outright from these views and expect to maintain credibility? Since the credibility of the Republican Party has now been lost, how can it regain credibility without embracing these views, or at least showing respect for them?

I concluded my answer by simply stating the Republican Party had lost its way and must reassess its values. And that is what needs to be done in a hurry.

But it might just take a new crop of leaders to regain the credibility needed to redirect the Party. It certainly won't be done overnight. It took a long time to come out of the wilderness after 40 years of Democratic rule for the Republican Party to take charge. Today though, time moves more quickly. Opportunities will arise. The one thing for certain is that in the next four years we will not see the Republic restored. Instead the need for it will be greater than ever.

The problems are easily understood and the answers are not that difficult. Abusing the rule of law and ignoring the Constitution can be reversed. If the Republican Party can grasp hold of the needed reforms, it can lead the way and regain its credibility. If power is sought for power's sake alone, the Party will never be able to wrench away the power of the opposition.

In the past two years, I found that when the young people heard the message of liberty, they overwhelmingly responded favorably, fully realizing the failure of the status quo and the need to once again endorse a system of self reliance, personal responsibility, sound money, and a non-interventionist foreign policy while rejecting the cradle-to-grave nanny state all based on the rule of law and the Constitution.

To ignore the political struggle and only "hope for the best" is pure folly. The march toward a dictatorial powerful state is now in double time.

All those who care -- and especially those who understand the stakes involved -- have an ominous responsibility to energetically get involved in the battle of survival for a free and prosperous America.

It IS Amazing

2008-11-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

Sarah Palin said this in an interview with the Anchorage newspaper:

“I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration?” Palin said.

“If we’re talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented...So people desiring change, I think, went as far from the administration that is presently seated as they could. It's amazing that we did as well as we did.”

I Feel Your Pain

2008-11-10T16:15:00.000-05:00

Good Sign

2008-11-08T21:15:00.005-05:00

I still can't do it. From the moment O won Ohio, I have not watched a minute of news TV. The Fox Fast has been expanded to a total news black-out. (Can you still say 'black-out?' Does that offend both African-Americans and gays? It's hard to keep up with what's acceptable these days.)

There is a good sign, however. Obama has already offended Ahmadinejad...and been chided by him. If this is what Obama means by 'conversation,' it's not so bad after all.

Plus, there is that thought in some quarters that Obama's newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel might be none too friendly toward Iran. Emanuel, a Jew with two of his children named Zachariah and Leah, was supportive of Bush's invasion of Iraq though critical of Bush's prosecution of the war.

Wickipedia has this to say in their bio of Emanuel:

Emanuel has been described as a “strong Israel partisan” and a “convinced Zionist” and “prominent figure in the US Jewish lobby.” A strong supporter of AIPAC, he personally introduced fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama to the organization's directors during the 2008 presidential campaign A November 2008 article claimed that while expressing empathy for Palestinians, Emanuel has explicitly condemned their leaders. In June 2007, Emanuel condemned an outbreak of Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip and criticized Arab countries for not applying the same kind of pressure on the Palestinians as they have on Israel. At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers Israel was ready for peace but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror", according to the Chicago Tribune.

So, is Rahm Emanuel Obama's Paul Wolfowitz?

I know that Emanuel is one of my least favorite Dems. And I think his appointment seems to look back toward the Clinton administration rather than forward to 'transformative change.' But who knows.....

Media Spin

2008-11-06T23:33:00.000-05:00

Good Questions!

2008-11-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

From Ann Coulter's syndicated column today:

Republicans lost this presidential election, and I don't blame the messenger; I blame the message. How could Republicans go after B. Hussein Obama (as he is now known) on planning to bankrupt the coal companies when McCain supports the exact same cap and trade policies and earnestly believes in global warming?

How could we go after Obama for his illegal alien aunt and for supporting driver's licenses for illegal aliens when McCain fanatically pushed amnesty along with his good friend Teddy Kennedy?

How could we go after Obama for Jeremiah Wright when McCain denounced any Republicans who did so?

How could we go after Obama for planning to hike taxes on the "rich," when McCain was the only Republican to vote against both of Bush's tax cuts on the grounds that they were tax cuts for the rich?

And why should Republican activists slave away working for McCain when he has personally, viciously attacked: John O'Neill and the Swift Boat Veterans, National Right to Life director Doug Johnson, evangelical pastors Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and John Hagee, various conservative talk radio hosts, the Tennessee Republican Party and on and on and on?

Cal Thomas: Religious Right R.I.P.

2008-11-06T23:07:00.001-05:00

The following is today's syndicated column by Cal Thomas:

When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements -- from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful) -- had mixed results.

Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren't anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals, from the First Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s to the Fourth Great Awakening in the late 1960s and early '70s, which touched America and instantly transformed millions of Americans (and American culture as a result), are testimony to that.

Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed. The question now becomes: should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?

I opt for trying something else.

Too many conservative Evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of government to transform culture. The futility inherent in such misplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simple question: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuade conservatives to live by their standards? Of course they do not. Why, then, would conservative Evangelicals expect people who do not share their worldview and view of God to accept their beliefs when they control government?

Too many conservative Evangelicals mistake political power for influence. Politicians who struggle with imposing a moral code on themselves are unlikely to succeed in their attempts to impose it on others. What is the answer, then, for conservative Evangelicals who are rightly concerned about the corrosion of culture, the indifference to the value of human life and the living arrangements of same- and opposite-sex couples?

The answer depends on the response to another question: do conservative Evangelicals want to feel good, or do they want to adopt a strategy that actually produces results? Clearly partisan politics have not achieved their objectives. Do they think they can succeed by committing themselves to 30 more years of the same?

If results are what conservative Evangelicals want, they already have a model. It is contained in the life and commands of Jesus of Nazareth. Suppose millions of conservative Evangelicals engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to "love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans," not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as a means of demonstrating God's love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?

Such a strategy could be more "transformational" than electing a new president, even the first president of color. But in order to succeed, such a strategy would not be led by charismatic figures, who would raise lots of money, be interviewed on Sunday talk shows, author books and make gobs of money.

God teaches in His Word that His power (if that is what conservative Evangelicals want and not their puny attempts at grabbing earthly power) is made perfect in weakness. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed, the seemingly worthless widow's mite, of taking the last place at the table and the humbling of one's self, the washing of feet and similar acts and attitudes; the still, small voice. How did conservative Evangelicals miss this and instead settle for a lesser power, which in reality is no power at all? When did they settle for an inferior "kingdom"?

Evangelicals are at a junction. They can take the path that will lead them to more futility and ineffective attempts to reform culture through government, or they can embrace the far more powerful methods outlined by the One they claim to follow. By following His example, they will decrease, but He will increase. They will get no credit, but they will see results. If conservative Evangelicals choose obscurity and seek to glorify God, they will get much of what they hope for, but can never achieve, in and through politics.

Single Women Elect Obama

2008-11-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

"Soccer moms" – suburban married women with young children – have drawn the attention of campaign strategists over the past decade, but an exit poll of voters showed single women were a decisive factor in Barack Obama's historic victory.

"If not for the overwhelming support of unmarried women, John McCain would have won the women's vote and with it, the White House," said the international research firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.

Tuesday night, unmarried women supported the Democratic candidate by a stunning 70 to 29 percent margin, the firm said in a summary of its calculations, based on the Edison/Mitofsky National Election Pool published by CNN.

By contrast, married women supported Obama by a 50 to 47 percent margin.

Obama's backing from unmarried women exceeds the support he generated among both younger voters and Hispanic voters, according to Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.

from World Net Daily

Not One Minute

2008-11-06T22:48:00.002-05:00

Since the moment that it was announced that Obama had won Ohio, I have not watched one minute of TV news. Has anything happened that I need to know? I think that I'm up to date via Internet.

Forget Retirement

2008-11-06T16:55:00.003-05:00

The stock market took another 434 point dive today - a two day total loss of nearly 1000 points. Obviously Wall Street is just exuberant with news of Obama's election and his sure fix of the economy.

Biggest Post-Election Drop

2008-11-06T11:11:00.002-05:00

Wall Street showed its joy at the Obama election by posting the largest post-election drop in U S History falling 486 points. That was yesterday. Today it continues to fall, down 183 points at 11 AM. Wow - what economic confidence Obama inspires!

And by the way, if McCain had been elected and the DOW had done the same thing, how do you think that story would have been spun in the media?

Taking Cover

2008-11-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

Is he still there?

Evening Rant

2008-11-05T21:01:00.003-05:00

Last post election rant (for the day) follows....

Liberalism didn't really win -- it's very very interesting that in California where Obama won by a landslide (obviously) the same voters amended the state constitution to read, “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” It's interesting that in Florida, which Obama won, those same voters affirmed marriage as only between a man and woman. The 'gay agenda' was turned back even by Obama voters. In fact, seven in ten black voters who voted for Obama voted against gay-marriage. (Of course, Obama claimed at the Saddleback forum that he was also opposed to gay marriage, as did Biden in the VP debate)

I agree with Savage - McCain was the worst GOP candidate in modern times and ran the worst GOP campaign in modern times.

Best election season quip goes to Ann Coulter, "McCain is just like Dole only without the energy."

A Mandate? - while the mainstream media falls over themselves in praise of Obama and his huge victory, be reminded of the electoral reality. Despite McCain's horrible candidacy and Bush's horrifying performance, Obama won five states (71 electoral votes) by the following percentages:

VA - 52%
FL - 51%
OH - 51%
IN - 50%
NC - 50%

Yes, against the worst possible candidate in the most favorable possible conditions for his candidacy, Obama just barely won. Any real GOP candidate would have defeated him.

Romney was the one - looking back, I think that Romney would have been the best GOP presidential candidate. A governor, a northeasterner, the best economic candidate (aside from Paul). Coupled with a southern conservative such as Jindal - that could have been a winner.

Best GOP Candidates Now - Romney, Jindal, Cantor, Palin.

More Random Rants

2008-11-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

306 - My FOX News fast has lasted 306 days as of today. Though I was tempted to see what they were saying on election night, I held to the fast. And I was not alone in shunning FOX. FOX has plummeted this election season. Just released TV ratings of election night coverage has ABC winning with CNN in second (with twice as many viewers as 2004). NBC and CBC were next with FOX trailing in last. FOX has gone the way of the GOP - an old cast with an increasingly marginal appeal. That said, I will break the fast today. My fast began when FOX news, of all people, barred Ron Paul from its GOP New Hampshire primary debate.

Feeling Good about Ron Paul - it feels good at this point to have supported Ron Paul. He was his own worst enemy. Only McCain was a worse campaigner. But Paul was right on the economy, right on abortion, right on civil liberties, right on the U S Constitution, right on engaging new young voters, right on interventionism, right on The Fed, right on the Debt, right on the war in Iraq and it’s current toll.

McCain missed his final chance. The ‘bailout’ was McCain’s final chance to separate himself from Obama and to show true conservative colors. He suspended his campaign to come back to Washington and then NOTHING to differentiate himself from Obama. His own House Republicans had already led a revolt against the bailout. He should have come back to be their champion. “Obama and the Democrats are wrong on the bailout” should have been his message. But no. By that Friday he went to the debate that he said that he would not attend and had no difference between himself and his opponent on the biggest bailout in U S history!

Don’t get me started......

Random Thoughts the Day After

2008-11-05T09:05:00.002-05:00

The Good News - America has reached beyond ‘race’ in it’s election of Barack Obama. That is good news on many levels. Further, most of ‘the world’ was hoping for an Obama victory. He will (and America will) have an incredible opportunity to ‘reboot’ its foreign policy and foreign relations image.

Waiting to See -- I personally am waiting to see if Obama’s closest friends are beyond race. Do you believe that Jeremiah Wright is beyond race this morning? Do yo believe that Ayers is beyond race this morning?

GOP gone for a Generation -- this election spelled the end of the GOP for a generation. Ronald Reagan captured the imagination and loyalty of the under 30 crowd and that crowd (me and my peers) have been Republicans every since. Barack Obama just overwhelmingly won the under 30 voters and they will be Democrats all of their lives.

Bush / Rove Did It - the moderate, pitiful, thousand-points-of-light, compassionate-conservative, big spending, government expanding, liberties stealing, war focused Bush Dynasty did in the Republican party.

Tip of the Hat - having just ripped Bush (not nearly enough) I do have to say that he did try to get his party to pass immigration legislation so as to not lose all Hispanics to the Dems, and he did try to pass reforms of Freddie and Fannie, and he did try to work toward energy-independence legislation, and he did do more than most recent presidents on HIV/AIDS not just here but around the world. He just was so weak as a leader that he could not make case OR EVEN GET THE CREDIT for having tried.

McCain was an incredibly weak candidate. As the final vote numbers suggest, despite all that favored the Democrats in this election Obama was beatable. Moderate maverick McCain offered no real alternative to Obama so why not vote for the young energetic guy?

Loss Protocol - when FSU loses an important game, I refuse to watch sports TV ‘cause I don’t want to hear about it or see replays of it. By about 10 PM last night, I had the sound off on my TV - just watching, no sound. By this morning, no TV, only internet. Bleak. We have now elected a guy who has literally said that he is not sure the the U S Constitution in its current form is relevant to today’s world.

Jekyll or Hyde - a female African-American political ‘panelist’ and Obama supporter on CNN last night nailed it - (after the results were in of course) - she said that as a Senator, Obama was left-wing and aligned with Pelosi but as a presidential candidate Obama had been a centrist - then she asked the key question: “which will he be as the President?” Of course, CNN never made that distinction in their campaign coverage and NO mainstream reporter challenged him on the differences between his voting record and his stump speech.

The Hope - that Obama the candidate will be President, not Obama the senator. That Obama really will be the unifier and positive change agent he claims to be. That he can govern and lead when has has never governed or led before. He does seem to be calm in the storm and that should serve him well.

Populist orator -- the “stump speech version” of Obama has been a populist orator - as were Bill Clinton and especially Ronald Reagan. To put in this generations’ term, they ‘connect.’

Obama will be frustrated - Obama enters the White House with more combined power (Dems control congress) than any Democrat since Carter or LBJ. But I predict that he will be frustrated in getting his agenda through AFTER the initial honeymoon. The Democrat congress doesn’t need him. They have all power. If they had gotten to 60 in the Senate, he could have been vetoed on everything. Now, none of that will happen early as he is the Savior. But that will wear off.

Intolerance -- every signal suggests that we are about to experience the most intolerant administration in history. Obama kicked reporters from three newspapers off of his plane because the papers endorsed McCain. His people tried to destroy more than one local TV reporter after they simply asked a tough question or two. Now his appointing the most arrogant and intolerant person in Washington, Rohm Emmanuel, to run his White House. Don’t get in the way of Barack (or Michelle!!!).

GOP lost the Future - lost Hispanics 67% to 31% (the majority minority voting block), lost blacks, lost people under 30 years of age, lost almost every college town - so lost the intellectual future as well. The GOP did not run a single minority candidate in a competitive race for Governor or the US Congress anywhere in America. Once again, the GOP will have ZERO blacks in Congress. So, when you look to a future Presidential ticket, where is the minority person to choose?

Big Techno Win -- Obama destroyed the GOP in internet and wifi campaigning and funds raising. Like JFK won the first real TV election, Obama won the first techno geek election.

Left-Wing Kooks -- what will Obama do with all of those left-wing crazies that he has been friends with through the years?

Too Maverick to Win -- McCain did not pull in any GOP big-hitters to campaign for him until the last weekend. Interestingly, people who decided who to vote for in the final ten days of the campaign broke decisively toward McCain.

Viet Nam Politics is Over - McCain represented Viet Nam era, Obama the first post-Viet Nam era Presidential Candidate. Young voters know nothing of Viet Nam and don’t care. They know about Iraq - and do care.

God, Guns and Gays - those will not win elections outside of the NASCAR nation.

Right Move on Iran -- I believe that Obama is right when he says that the US must be engaged in conversation with Iran. Perhaps progress can be made there.

Liberal Carte Blanche -- the Dems now control it all - President, Congress, all appointments in government, of judges and to the Supreme Court, and of all legislation.

Incredible Disappointment -- my last thought this morning is that people will soon be bitterly disappointed with this administration and the Democrat congress. It’s good that they now run it all and will have nobody to blame but themselves (after a year or so - up until then it will be ‘we are cleaning up the Bush mess’). Just as the Democrats swept congressional elections last time on an ‘end the war’ theme - then didn’t to it - and now have the lowest approval rating in the history of congress - so I believe the same will happen to this crowd. They can’t instantly end the Iraq war. They can’t instantly fix the economy. They can’t instantly fundamentally change the health-care system. And if it is up to Pelosi, Obama will not be able to deliver on his tax-cuts. So people will soon be frustrated. And it will be very interesting to see how Obama reacts when the evening news is finally critical of him and his administration.

Total Votes as of 9 AM -

Obama 08 - 62,521,169

GW 04 - 62,040,610

McCain - 55,446,169

GW 00 - 50,456,002

Reagan 80 - 43,903,230

Bring in the Puppy

2008-11-03T23:29:00.004-05:00

The winner of the 2008 Presidential election will not be determined in the month of November.

Why?

First - note these background factors:

1. The Dems really believe that Bush ‘stole’ the election from Kerry.

2. The Obamaphiles have been told for weeks and weeks that their candidate will be the hands down winner.

3. Left-wing organizations have already been plowing the ground for law-suites against the GOP for voter suppression.

4. “Mainstream” media began last night suggesting ‘worries’ about voter intimidation keeping Obama supporters from the polls.

So - the reason why the election will not be determined in the month of November is because John McCain is going to post a stunning, comeback-for-the-ages victory on Tuesday. (Actually, it will have nothing to do with McCain - it will have to with voters just like me who 'hold their nose' and vote for McCain because the alternative is just so frightening.) The outraged Obama campaign, their Hollywood financiers, their ogle-eyed mainstream media ‘reporters,’ their leftist/socialist political action committees, and all entitlement minded people everywhere are individually and collectively going to cry “foul!” Accusations and outrage will be loud and large. Carville’s predicted riots will happen in some urban areas.

Lawsuits are going to abound.

Every vote will be challenged - in every swing state that McCain wins - Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio. Hanging chads will be sensible in comparison to what’s about to happen beginning Wednesday.

National division and acrimony will be deep and not soon healed.

It will take weeks to finally settle the legal squabbles - and declare the winner.

So, go vote, then go buy all the staples that your family needs - then return home and bolt the doors. It’s going to be quite a ride. But by the time it is over, the behaviors of these Obamaphiles will prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that voting against O was the right decision.

OK - it’s true that my prediction has only slightly better odds than green aliens landing on your lawn today.

But bring in the puppy just in case.

24

2008-11-03T08:24:00.003-05:00

The nation is in peril and must be rescued in the next 24 hours!

Where is Jack Bauer when you need him!?!

Down to the Last

2008-11-01T20:19:00.003-04:00

As the final snips were applied to my haircut today, I said to the stylist, "this is the last haircut that I will have before the presidential election. This is the very haircut that I will take into the voting booth."

Yep. It's down to 'the last.'

The last haircut, the last college football Saturday and NFL Sunday, the last Sunday worship service, the last Monday before the presidential election.

It's the last hurrah for John McCain (and hopefully moderate Republicanism as well).

It may also be the last gasps for capitalism, federalism, original intent, and American sovereignty.

And it most literally will soon be the last gasps for millions more unborn (or partially born) babies.

I'm Back for Now

2008-10-29T20:25:00.002-04:00

I’m back.

It got so crazy that I finally just left the country. But I’ve returned in time for ‘the final week’ of the 2008 presidential election. It seems like this campaign has been going on for a decade. I’m glad that it will soon be over.

As best as I can tell, here’s where we are with a week to go:

Barack Obama has a zillion dollars in campaign funds. As a result, he is right this minute on every other station on my cable network. A slick, 30 minutes campaign commercial is airing wall to wall.

Barack Obama has a lead in the polls that some say is large and others say is narrow. But he leads nonetheless. And in the end it will not be about national polls but about state by state electoral results. From that perspective, a person could win just 50 more votes across the nation that his rival and yet win every state. This is why the national polls are meaningless. It’s state results that count.

Obama is poised to win in an electoral landslide.

John McCain is, well, John McCain. Old. Moderate. Unpersuasive.

It’s true that he was war hero in the War of 1812. But how many remember? Or care?

The good news that the wipe-out loss that he is about to experience will spell the end of the John McCain-Lindsay Graham wing of the GOP. Perhaps true Republican conservatism will gain traction within the party once again.

The bad news is that Barack Obama is about to President of the United States with Joe Biden as Vice President. And Lord knows who as cabinet members and Supreme Court appointees.

I may be out of the country as much as possible.

Sign of the Times

2008-10-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

AP - NEW YORK - In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.

As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the "1" in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion.

The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars.

The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.

A Little Humor

2008-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

Good Money after Bad

2008-10-09T20:52:00.005-04:00

When an investment goes south and yet the investor keeps pumping cash into it 'in hopes' that it will turn around - that's sometimes called, "throwing good money after bad."

That idiom perfectly describes the recent actions of the Government.

Pitiful business decisions were made. Multiplied millions lost. The the Government steps in and "throws YOUR good money after bad." 700 billion worth.

So, you've lost your retirement and now your children have an additional 700 billion tax debt to 're-fi' somehow.

How did it help?

The stock market has continued a triple digit fall for six days in a row. 20% of total market value lost in just seven sessions. 40% lost in the last year.

The 'Candidates' are saying that this is just the beginning.

Paulson now suggests the Government buy into banks - bad banks and good banks.

Let's see - the banks owned (even in part) by the Government...

I think my first book will be "The Venezuelazation of America"

I feel confident that the title is available.

It's Over

2008-10-07T23:04:00.001-04:00

It’s over.

McCain came into this debate trailing in the polls and facing a landslide deficit in electoral votes. He had to have a game changing performance. He had to win outright, hit it out of the park, KO his opponent. He didn’t

Obama was very poised and smooth. He waffled on a few things for sure but he nailed some answers as well. Part of it is just the difference between a man in the prime of life and a man who is elderly. Some of it is ‘generational.’ A lot is that Obama is the better debater. But most of it is substantive.

McCain just did not deliver the substantive goods. He was not really clear on nearly anything. He just talks about ‘I know how to’ leaving us asking, “OK, if you know how to, tell us!”

One friend called and lamented, “they both really say the same thing.”

A TV focus group person after the debate repeated that sentiment, “they said the same thing.” Other nodded agreement.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! That’s what we have been saying all along - McCain is NOT a conservative so he is going to sound pretty much like Obama.

Speaking of not conservative. The worst part was when McCain said that the government should ‘buy up the bad mortgages.’ What? We should nationalize the worst part of the mortgage industry?! Is that small government Republicanism?

Oh my. One of the big lessons here is that if the GOP continues with a system that allows a primary candidate to ‘win’ a state with 30% of the vote it will continue to guarantee the nomination of someone 70% of Republicans don’t want.

So ‘my friends’ it’s over.

But it may be good news overall. My biggest fear was that if elected McCain and his type would rise and reinvent the GOP. His coming landslide loss will allow the GOP to re-evaluate itself. Perhaps true conservatives and constitutional loyalists will gain ground. If somehow this can be the end of the Bush-McCain wing of the GOP we will all be better off.

World of Hurt

2008-10-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

We are in a world of hurt.

We are in a world of hurt for several reasons relative to our presidential choices. But one of the biggest reasons is that we have the choice between two senators.

No executives from which to choose. No choice of anyone who has ever held an executive office of any significance.

The debate tonight is a perfect example of why neither of these gentlemen brings executive experience to the presidency. Every sentence begins with these words:

“I said”

“I wrote”

“I advocated”

“I reached out”

“I know how”

See, a senator thinks “I said” is the same as “I did.”

These guys have not ever “done it” at the executive level of government.

One Question Quiz

2008-10-06T15:23:00.002-04:00

What has the same number of letters as "Dow Plummets 700?"

Answer: Obama Landslide

SNL Does VP Debate

2008-10-05T23:42:00.001-04:00

Botched Bailout

2008-10-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

McCain lost his last chance at winning when he voted for the bailout. The House Republicans had already sent a loud message that the conservative base of the GOP was dead-set against the bailout of Wall Street. At the same time, Obama was for it. So let’s see -- the GOP is against it and Obama is for it. So which way did McCain vote in the Senate? With Obama of course.

McCain is a Senator of course - a group which in this case was not as in touch with the grassroots.

He should have opposed the bailout with vigorous debate. He should have given voice to the fury of the ‘working class Joe.’ He should have defended the tax-payer. And he should have led the charge with alternative ways to address the crisis.

Further, he should have named names (as he said he would as President) in fixing blame for this crisis. He should have reminded America that the Dems have been the majority party for two years - yet they did not have the leadership necessary to respond effectively to this crisis.

McCain’s campaign should have dispatched feisty Palin to attack the bailout on behalf of working moms and union-worker dads everywhere. They should have gone totally populist and defended ‘the people’ against ‘the corruption on Wall Street.”

Anyway, McCain was weak in every way in his ‘go-along’ vote for the bailout.

Voting against it would have given him the platform for the final few weeks and the last two debates to hi-light the difference between a conservative-market driven approach and a government-as-savior approach.

Only a big security threat can save him now. Or maybe Sarah can if they turn her loose. Without one or the other, I predict (again) a landslide win for Obama. Scary and sad.

Lipstick Smacked

2008-10-03T14:30:00.002-04:00

86% surveyed say Sarah Palin won the VP debate. That may be the most decisive, lop-sided, slam dunk of a debate win since JFK's trounce of Nixon.

We'll Get Back with You

2008-09-30T18:48:00.002-04:00

The media has completely missed the point of the ‘bailout’ story. File the previous sentence under, “what else is new?” They are so template driven that they are completely unable to operate as investigative reporters -- and no surprise, the TV versions are simply overpaid tele-prompter readers.

Here is the real story of the ‘failure to bailout.’

I’ll use two members of the Indiana delegation to make the point. Andre Carson and Mike Pense each voted against the bailout.

One is a Democrat, the other is a Republican.

One is from an urban district, the other more rural.

One is a black man, the other a white man.

One is very liberal, the other very conservative.

So, despite all that you have heard in the media, this bailout vote did not break along party lines. Nor did it break along racial lines, urban v rural lines, or liberal v conservative lines.

It broke I tell you along “more of the same” versus “we’re not going to take it any more.”

Now trust me, all elected officials of both parties are for more of the same. It’s the people who rose up in record numbers to call, fax, email, text, blackberry, walk-in, write, or otherwise telepathically communicate with those knot-heads in Washington that “we aren’t going to take it anymore.”

The ‘financial sector’ has already lost our retirements and a lot of our jobs while lining their own bank accounts through greed, gouging, fraud, corruption, conspiracy or just plain highway robbery. Now that they too are belly up, they want us to pay for their recovery.

Last time I asked my bank for a loan, they told me, “we’ll get back with you.”

Now the the banking industry is asking for a loan. And the American people are saying, “your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.”

Which is just behind the call for my retirement, my raise, my kid’s braces and college fund, my adjustable mortgage payment, my timeshare, my bill from the vet for neutering the cat, my water bill, my electric bill, my wife’s upgraded kitchen cabinets which resulted from my new golf clubs, the proctologist bill, and four friggin dollar a gallon gas!

Your estimated wait time is one decade!

Do you get the picture? Politicians are always talking about what ‘America’ wants. Which is simply the cover for what they want. Until this week. Get this - 95% of representatives who are involved in closely contested elections this November voted NO to the bailout.

A media type confidently said after yesterday’s 777 point Dow drop that, “the nay sayers of the bailout tested the market to see what it would say and it shouted back a very clear message.”

If I could talk with him today - after the Dow’s 440 point gain - I’d tell him, “Yes, and then the market heard the American people say ‘you can kiss my grits’ so they woke up this morning and went back to work.”

If the American people will keep the hammer down two things will happen, maybe three.

One - we will experience some tough times as the necessary market corrections take place. Money and jobs will be lost. It won’t be easy. But the economic situation will emerge stronger and more stable with a big bullish upturn not too far down the way.

Two - the business bums who caused this will be out on their butts instead of bailed out by your tax payer money. And ‘the government’ may get the message also - quit obligating generations of our money!

Three - the media might ‘get it’ also. But I doubt it.

Three Cheers for Indiana Delegation

2008-09-29T23:13:00.002-04:00

Most of the Indiana congressional delegation voted NO to the bailout. All but one Republican voted NO. All but a couple of Democrats voted NO. Why, even arch-liberal Democrat Andre Carson voted NO. Talk about Pelosi not being able to deliver her votes.

Sucking Sound

2008-09-29T22:12:00.002-04:00

That sucking sound that you hear is more than your retirement account draining away under the worst Wall Street meltdown ever - it's also the sound of the leadership vacuum that exists in Washington.

Palin should Bow Out

2008-09-28T23:24:00.005-04:00

In Kathleen Parker’s Friday column in conservative magazine National Review she called for Sarah Palin to step aside.

National Review is billed as, “America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for Republican/conservative news, commentary, and opinion.”

Here are some bits from Parker’s column titled, “Palin Problem.”

“As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.”

“Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.”

“McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.”

“Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.”

“Do it for your country.”

I have to say that I am not surprised and neither should you be if you have been a reader of RTR08. I've dropped a couple of hints along the way that some were or soon would be headed toward this sentiment. Personally, I think that the reports of her demise are premature. I agree that she has not been super impressive in major media sit-down interviews. But she is very impressive in person (by all reports - including those from the U.N.). And she is very impressive on the stump. Now she must be impressive versus Biden in the VP debate. At least in part becauase Biden is such a pompous and sanguine buffoon capable of being extremely condescending (which won't work versus a female) while offering a-gaff-a-minute, I believe Palin will emerge the clear victor of the VP debate. At which point, she must be placed in a secure room and not let out except to make stump appearances, attend religious voter's events, be interviewed by right wing hosts and then attend her pregnant daughter's wedding, hopefully the weekend before the election. But she must not bow out.

Palin Needed

2008-09-27T14:47:00.005-04:00

"The polls" that I have seen indicate Obama was 'the winner' of the first Presidential debate. That was my impression as well as I watched it. I am not saying that I agreed with Obama more - just that I thought that he had the better night overall. McCain was weak at the start but got much better as the debate moved toward the hour mark. Obama's team obviously learned from the Forum at Saddleback. Obama greatly improved. He made points quickly and often had outlined points (1, 2, 3). He was well rehearsed. McCain appeared rehearsed but had a more limited arsenal. I thought that he was generally weak on rebuttal though he had a couple of good moments of response. It was clear that McCain had more personal awareness of foreign policy from first hand experience. The big problem though is that security and foreign policy was where he was supposed to dominate Obama - this was McCain's home court - but he tied at best and probably 'lost' even if narrowly.

The net net - McCain needs Palin to hit a home run versus Biden. Despite some inexperience, I believe that Palin will be quite impressive.

Bailout Irony

2008-09-26T20:45:00.000-04:00

Have you caught the incredible irony of the past 48 hours of ‘bailout’ politics?

The Democrat nominee for President, Barack H. Obama, has used this line in his stump speech for at least a year, “we can’t afford four more years of Bush economic policy.”

So isn’t it interesting that it’s the Democrats (including Obama) who back Bush’s 700 billion bailout while the Republicans do not.

Bailout goes Prime Time

2008-09-25T08:55:00.002-04:00

"The entire economy is in danger."

"We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis."

"There has been a widespread loss of confidence, and major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down."

"More banks could fail, including some in your community."

"Our country could experience a long and painful recession."

Why, it sounds like a stump speech last winter and spring by Ron Paul. Of course, he was just a cranky old man with a 'the sky is falling' message. Who can win primaries with a message like that? Laughable as I recall. That's back when 'the economy is fundamentally sound' - long before 'I've suspended my campaign...we should cancel the debate.' What if everyone had suspended their campaigns last winter, canceled the debates last spring - and dealt with this before the raft got within a foot of the falls? That would have been leadership. Anybody can say we need a stop sign after the crash.

Buffet's Perspective

2008-09-24T15:47:00.002-04:00

Warren Buffet is buying five billion of dollars of Goldman stock today - says it's a 'lead pipe cinch' that you can make 10% on these financial sector stocks. But his comments on where we were and are at this moment is very sobering. He is a supporter of the bailout BTW. The interview is about 30 min long but the first few minutes is all that you really need.

Laying it on the Line

2008-09-24T13:20:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

Whenever a Great Bipartisan Consensus is announced, and a compliant media assures everyone that the wondrous actions of our wise leaders are being taken for our own good, you can know with absolute certainty that disaster is about to strike.

The events of the past week are no exception.

The bailout package that is about to be rammed down Congress' throat is not just economically foolish. It is downright sinister. It makes a mockery of our Constitution, which our leaders should never again bother pretending is still in effect. It promises the American people a never-ending nightmare of ever-greater debt liabilities they will have to shoulder. Two weeks ago, financial analyst Jim Rogers said the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made America more communist than China! "This is welfare for the rich," he said. "This is socialism for the rich. It's bailing out the financiers, the banks, the Wall Streeters."

That describes the current bailout package to a T. And we're being told it's unavoidable.

The claim that the market caused all this is so staggeringly foolish that only politicians and the media could pretend to believe it. But that has become the conventional wisdom, with the desired result that those responsible for the credit bubble and its predictable consequences - predictable, that is, to those who understand sound, Austrian economics - are being let off the hook. The Federal Reserve System is actually positioning itself as the savior, rather than the culprit, in this mess!

• The Treasury Secretary is authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time. That means $700 billion is only the very beginning of what will hit us.

• Financial institutions are "designated as financial agents of the Government." This is the New Deal to end all New Deals.

• Then there's this: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." Translation: the Secretary can buy up whatever junk debt he wants to, burden the American people with it, and be subject to no one in the process.

There goes your country.

Even some so-called free-market economists are calling all this "sadly necessary." Sad, yes. Necessary? Don't make me laugh.

Our one-party system is complicit in yet another crime against the American people. The two major party candidates for president themselves initially indicated their strong support for bailouts of this kind - another example of the big choice we're supposedly presented with this November: yes or yes. Now, with a backlash brewing, they're not quite sure what their views are. A sad display, really.

Although the present bailout package is almost certainly not the end of the political atrocities we'll witness in connection with the crisis, time is short. Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow. With a Rasmussen poll finding support for the bailout at an anemic seven percent, some members of Congress are afraid to vote for it. Call them! Let them hear from you! Tell them you will never vote for anyone who supports this atrocity.

The issue boils down to this: do we care about freedom? Do we care about responsibility and accountability? Do we care that our government and media have been bought and paid for? Do we care that average Americans are about to be looted in order to subsidize the fattest of cats on Wall Street and in government? Do we care?

When the chips are down, will we stand up and fight, even if it means standing up against every stripe of fashionable opinion in politics and the media?

Times like these have a way of telling us what kind of a people we are, and what kind of country we shall be.

In liberty,

Ron Paul

Ron Paul Responds to Bailout

2008-09-23T13:46:00.000-04:00

(CNN) -- Op Ed Commentary by Ron Paul

Many Americans today are asking themselves how the economy got to be in such a bad spot.

For years they thought the economy was booming, growth was up, job numbers and productivity were increasing. Yet now we find ourselves in what is shaping up to be one of the most severe economic downturns since the Great Depression.

Unfortunately, the government's preferred solution to the crisis is the very thing that got us into this mess in the first place: government intervention.

Ever since the 1930s, the federal government has involved itself deeply in housing policy and developed numerous programs to encourage homebuilding and homeownership.

Government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were able to obtain a monopoly position in the mortgage market, especially the mortgage-backed securities market, because of the advantages bestowed upon them by the federal government.

Laws passed by Congress such as the Community Reinvestment Act required banks to make loans to previously underserved segments of their communities, thus forcing banks to lend to people who normally would be rejected as bad credit risks.

These governmental measures, combined with the Federal Reserve's loose monetary policy, led to an unsustainable housing boom. The key measure by which the Fed caused this boom was through the manipulation of interest rates, and the open market operations that accompany this lowering.

When interest rates are lowered to below what the market rate would normally be, as the Federal Reserve has done numerous times throughout this decade, it becomes much cheaper to borrow money. Longer-term and more capital-intensive projects, projects that would be unprofitable at a high interest rate, suddenly become profitable.

Because the boom comes about from an increase in the supply of money and not from demand from consumers, the result is malinvestment, a misallocation of resources into sectors in which there is insufficient demand.

In this case, this manifested itself in overbuilding in real estate. When builders realize they have overbuilt and have too many houses to sell, too many apartments to rent, or too much commercial real estate to lease, they seek to recoup as much of their money as possible, even if it means lowering prices drastically.

This lowering of prices brings the economy back into balance, equalizing supply and demand. This economic adjustment means, however that there are some winners -- in this case, those who can again find affordable housing without the need for creative mortgage products, and some losers -- builders and other sectors connected to real estate that suffer setbacks.

The government doesn't like this, however, and undertakes measures to keep prices artificially inflated. This was why the Great Depression was as long and drawn out in this country as it was.

I am afraid that policymakers today have not learned the lesson that prices must adjust to economic reality. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG, and the latest multi-hundred billion dollar Treasury scheme all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any buyer would be willing to pay.

Additionally, the government's actions encourage moral hazard of the worst sort. Now that the precedent has been set, the likelihood of financial institutions to engage in riskier investment schemes is increased, because they now know that an investment position so overextended as to threaten the stability of the financial system will result in a government bailout and purchase of worthless, illiquid assets.

Using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to purchase illusory short-term security, the government is actually ensuring even greater instability in the financial system in the long term.

The solution to the problem is to end government meddling in the market. Government intervention leads to distortions in the market, and government reacts to each distortion by enacting new laws and regulations, which create their own distortions, and so on ad infinitum.

It is time this process is put to an end. But the government cannot just sit back idly and let the bust occur. It must actively roll back stifling laws and regulations that allowed the boom to form in the first place.

The government must divorce itself of the albatross of Fannie and Freddie, balance and drastically decrease the size of the federal budget, and reduce onerous regulations on banks and credit unions that lead to structural rigidity in the financial sector.

Until the big-government apologists realize the error of their ways, and until vocal free-market advocates act in a manner which buttresses their rhetoric, I am afraid we are headed for a rough ride

Emergency Bailout

2008-09-23T08:46:00.005-04:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stepped up their campaign for a $700 billion bailout of the nation's financial systems, saying immediate action is needed for the health of the U.S. economy.

Paulson, in prepared testimony he is set to give at 9:30 a.m. ET, will tell the Senate Banking committee that passage of the bailout was necessary "in order to avoid a continuing series of financial institution failures and frozen credit markets that threaten American families' financial well-being, the viability of businesses both small and large, and the very health of our economy."

"Action by the Congress is urgently required to stabilize the situation and avert what otherwise could be very serious consequences for our financial markets and for our economy," Bernanke said.

The Bush administration first announced its bailout plan five days ago. The proposals being debated would amount to the most sweeping economic intervention by the government since the Great Depression.

The July 25 RTR08 post entitled "Mother of All Bailouts" reported that the feel good legislation to 'help' those hurt in the mortgage crisis - proposed by and passed with overwhelming Democrat support - contained in it's 600 pages a provision to raise the Federal Debt Ceiling by $800 BILLION dollars. So what has happened since? The Fed and Treasury has nationalized several firms to the tune of 'up to' $200 Billion. Now today, they are asking for $700 Billion.

Six Observations:

1. The media failed to report the raising of the debt ceiling back in July and has yet to 'connect the dots' of that legislation to this action.

2. Offer any government or quasi-gov't agency $800 Billion and it WILL get spent.

3. Our economy is teetering dangerously close to disaster. Auto companies and airlines can fail - but when 'financial institutions' fail it creates panic. Panic leads to irrational reactions.

4. The nationalization of the largest financial institutions in the country makes the USA pretty much like Venezuela.

5. The USA does not have the social or moral cohesion of the Great Depression era. "God help us" if the nation experiences another depression like time.

6. And of course I have to say it, my man Ron Paul 'told you so' and tried his best to get the debate to address the gathering storm. But no. Neither the candidates nor the media celeb anchors wanted to concentrate on anything more significant than which candidate liked Reagan more. They must be bothered that this crisis is taking them off their current obsession with lipstick.

So Superior

2008-09-21T20:19:00.001-04:00

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The number of children sickened by suspected melamine-tainted milk products in China has more than doubled and apparently spread beyond mainland China -- raising fears that the impact of the tainted products could be more widespread that initially thought.

China's Health Ministry announced Sunday that 12,892 infants and young children have been sickened by tainted milk powder -- more than double the number previously reported -- according to state-run Xinhua news agency. Of these, 104 have serious symptoms, and 1,579 have been cured and discharged, the agency said.

Four infants have died.

This ‘my friends’ is the China that Barack Obama said is vastly superior to the United States.

Sunday Funnies

2008-09-21T13:58:00.001-04:00

Palin Told You So

2008-09-17T22:19:00.006-04:00

On Friday, Sept 12, in the post titled "Managed Exposure" I said that Palin's stardom may have a shelf-life shorter than the time remaining until election day. Specifically, I wrote, "Rock starlet status is tough to maintain, though she only has to top the charts for 50 days"

Yesterday, six days after my post, Karl Rove said Palin's popularity would wane. The AP reported it this way:

(AP) Republican tactician Karl Rove said Wednesday that Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick was a political choice and that excitement over Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will subside.

"Nothing lasts for 60-some-odd days," Rove told The Associated Press. "Will she be the center of attention in the remaining 48 days? No."

Today, a week after my post, Nobel Prize winning writer George Will has a column entitled, "The Palin Bubble." In it, he writes, "Palin is as bracing as an Arctic breeze... But the country's romance with her will, as romances do, cool somewhat, and even before November some new fad might distract a nation...."

So, when you want it first, read RTR08.

The Remnant

2008-09-17T22:19:00.004-04:00

At last, a (very) few Conservative lawmakers have spoken up in opposition to bailout mania. Here is the story, in part, as it appears in CNN Money:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Key Republicans on Capitol Hill blasted the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve on Wednesday for orchestrating an $85 billion bailout of insurance giant American International Group, and the White House for not informing them of the plan.

"Once again the Fed has put the taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars to bail out an institution that put greed ahead of responsibility and used their good name to take risky bets that did not pay off," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, a member of the Senate Banking Committee.

A spokesman for Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the committee, said the senator "profoundly disagrees with the decision to use taxpayer dollars to bail out a private company" and is upset the government has sent an inconsistent message to the markets by bailing out AIG after it just refused to save investment bank Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy.

"The American taxpayer should not be asked to unwillingly assume the inordinate risks that financial experts knowingly undertook, particularly when taxpayer exposure is increased by the ad hoc manner in which these bailouts have been engineered," said Shelby's aide, Jonathan Graffeo.

Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri complained about not getting a heads-up about the bailout and said House Republicans are struggling to "understand a coherent strategy" about which firms get rescued and which ones don't.

Rep. Adam Putman of Florida, the third-ranking Republican in the House, said the cost is "unnerving" and called on the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve "to dispatch an envoy to the Hill to bring members of Congress up to speed."

"The communications lines are not operating efficiently," he said.

Late Wednesday, the White House agreed to send a top Bush economic adviser and an official from the Fed to brief House Republicans on Thursday, according to a House GOP aide.

from CNN money

Ben Stein

2008-09-17T22:19:00.003-04:00

While you were watching Faux News, I watched Larry King Live. He had Dave Ramsey talking about what to do in these uncertain economic times. He had Donald Trump call in to endorse John McCain and spoof Obama’s financial experience. Then he had Ben Stein, the conservative economist and social commentator (see the movie Expelled), and Robert Reich, the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton.

Wow, you should have heard Ben Stein on the happenings on Wall Street. OMG!

He ripped and slashed and left no prisoners. He used the word ‘disastrous’ ten times thirty seconds. He ripped the Treasury Department, ripped The Fed, ripped ‘the government,’ ripped the SEC, ripped George Bush. He talked about the last couple of months and last week or so especially being the worst financial management of his entire lifetime “and I’m 63 years old.” It was blistering.

When asked if McCain would do better he truthfully said, “I doubt it.” He talked about how McCain is obviously getting bad economic advise and that McCain has failed to come out with any real, hard-hitting, specific solutions. Stein said he wants to lock Palin up in a room with Warren Buffet so she can learn something about economics. “Unfortunately, Buffet is an adviser for Obama,” he said.

When Reich (an adviser for Obama) spoke, Stein agreed with most of what he said. Finally Reich said to Stein, “Ben you’ve agreed with almost everything that I’ve said. Why don’t you come on over to Obama?” Stein replied, “I can’t agree with the pro-choice policy.”

Ah. So there it is. Roe, Roe, Roe your vote.

Mark this down. If you believe that any Republican president is going to overturn Roe, you are in dreamland. Why? Because Roe is what keeps the conservative base tied to the GOP. Why didn’t a Republican majority congress and a Republican President just pass legislation returning the decisions to the States? Ron Paul introduced the legislation more than once. Because abortion is the one issue that keeps people in line and turning out to polls for Republicans. Roe is what allows religious-right groups to raise money (Dobson). To overturn Roe is to lose their trump card. It would be like the Democrats ending poverty.

So Ben Stein thinks that Bush's financial policies have been 'disastrous' and McCain will probably do no better. But at least he is pro-life. And that 'my friends' is exactly the sentiment of most people who will vote McCain in November.

449 Bigger than Palin?

2008-09-17T16:43:00.002-04:00

The Stock Market plunged 449 points today after 'The Fed' bailed out huge insurer AIG with 85 BILLION dollars of tax payer money. The bailout was supposed to stabilize things but it appears that the market was perfectly stable yesterday on the news that AIG would NOT be bailed out. Now 85 billion later, the market tanks to the tune of 449 points.

BTW, Rush today said that The Fed should not bail out AIG or any other huge company - that they should be allowed to fail if they make terrible buisness decisions. Why, that's exactly what Ron Paul said all Spring. Rush would blush!

Meanwhile, the big question is this: Is 449 bigger than Palin? We already know that Palin has been bigger than life - but is she bigger than 449? Let's be honest. John McCain was going to lose this election in a landslide UNTIL the brilliance of the Palin choice. It's Palin and Palin alone who has turned the tables on the Dems (even on Hillary!). She is the reason McCain surged after their Convention. She is the reason the Obama campaign was off-message and on the ropes. Sarah Palin. It actually looked as though the election was tilting toward GOP.

Until today.

449 is a reminder of what the election is all about, from a Democrat (and from an average Joe) perspective. It's about run away spending in Washington and greed-based business decisions in the nation's biggest board-rooms. It's about a failed finacial policy exaggerated by a trillion a year war. It's about $4 gas and $5 milk. 449 is about bread and butter.

A day is forever in campaign politics. I said before that if Obama loses, the analysts would point to the savior-of-the-world tour as the turning point. I say on today, if Obama wins, they may look back and say 449 eclipsed the Palin-factor and put Obama back on message.

Bigger Bomb

2008-09-17T12:51:00.002-04:00

Poor McCain. Just when it looked like the news was going to Yemen it stayed on Lehman - and AIG - and a stock market that is currently down over 300 points. I don't I don't have any retirement left, I don't know about you. What is comforting is that the White House continues to 'monitor' the situation, McCain assures me that the economy is 'fundamentally sound,' and Obama feels my pain. The big problem I have with Obama is that he is 'for the middle class.' I am no longer middle class. Whatever happened to caring for the poor?

The Bomb Bump

2008-09-17T09:18:00.003-04:00

Oddly, many believe that McCain had 'the better week' (meaning two days) in responding to the continuing meltdown in the financial sector. But McCain has to be relieved that there is a security related issue in the news today: the bombing at the U S Embassy in Yemen. McCain gets a bump any time the focus goes to some enemy that he can 'chase to the gates of hell' over the next '100 years.'

Have you Heard

2008-09-16T09:38:00.003-04:00

With the realization in the past 24 hours that the 'financial sector' is in big trouble, the media is suddenly asking both presidential candidates to give their 'solution.' So far I've heard Obama, Biden and McCain comment live on the issue. Have you heard? In case you missed it, all three said:

"bdee, bdee, bdee....."

Larry King

2008-09-15T21:28:00.001-04:00

It’s so interesting to listen to three financial experts tonight on Larry King live. Among other things they have said:

The Fed is to blame.

Greenspan in particular is to blame.

The falling value of the dollar is to blame.

The financial crisis is not going to be over until the consequences of bad business are absorbed and the housing market hits rock bottom.

Record government spending and runaway debt.

We are a debtor nation to communist China.

Funny - these are exactly the points that Ron Paul made throughout the winter and spring. It's on days like this that it feels good to have backed the only candidate who understood the economy and tried to get the commentators and candidates to at least talk about the real crisis facing our country. They wouldn't then. They have to now.

Kudos

2008-09-15T21:27:00.001-04:00

Kudos to the Fed and ‘the government’ for not bailing out Lehman. For once in recent time, the tax payers were not asked to fund the rescue of a big and significant company which simply drank so much of its own kool-aid as to make incredibly bad business decisions month after month.

The Reckoning Continues

2008-09-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

Wall Street is ‘rocked,’ stocks are ‘plummeting,’ Lehman is done , Merrill is on the ropes, AIG stock crashes 51%, Washington Mutual shares drop 24%. Business and individual investors are running for cover. Even the average Joe with a little money in a retirement account or a just a CD or two at the bank is now worried as his modest nest-egg erodes before his eyes. The financial industry is in crisis.

Today, the government and of course the presidential candidates will be ‘responding’ to the frightful news.

Of course there was one presidential candidate who was forecasting rather than responding. Ron Paul can say, “I told you so.” He said the crash was coming. He said the situation was unsustainable. He said the ‘corrective actions’ were postponing not solving the problem. Big corrections were inevitable, he said.

Ron Paul, in a brief moment when he was allowed to speak at the California ‘debate,’ chided McCain, Romney and the commentators for allowing the debate to be about ‘who knew Reagan first, who supported the surge first’ when the nation is ‘going bankrupt.’ Why, he pleaded, are the candidates not talking about what is really happening and what really needs to be done to solve it?

But we can be comforted that the White House is ‘monitoring’ the situation. All day today, “I don’t know much about economics but I got Greenspan’s book’ McCain will give his sound-bite solution. The other guy, who has zero executive experience but is probably glad that the ‘rich’ are getting pummeled, will of course just blame the Republicans (as well he should) while offering some glib quip of a direction.

Unfortunately, you can’t cover your ears and hold on to your wallet at the same time.

Roe, Roe, Roe your Vote

2008-09-14T17:52:00.002-04:00

In many ways, the substantive differences between policy proposals offered by the presidential campaigns are little more than shades of lipstick. But the left and right agree, Obama and Palin are polar opposites on the abortion issue. "Gang of 14" McCain offered a ray of hope to the left, even if elected. But the addition of Palin changed the tone. Roe v Wade / the Supreme Court is rising on both sides as a primary campaign issue.

Proof is that this weekend pundits on the left and the right began to publish opinion pieces on the likely impact of the election on sure-to-come appointments of Supreme Court justices.

See the articles here:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/last_chance_for_life.html

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/09/14/the_fate_of_roe_v_wade_and_choice/

I have Expensive Gas

2008-09-13T20:06:00.003-04:00

I am relieved to know that Bush is "monitoring" the price I pay for gasoline.

Managed Exposure

2008-09-12T22:03:00.000-04:00

Palin fatigue? Not yet.

Palin over-hype? Not yet.

Palin. GOP-messiah-ette? Not yet.

But there is a chance that her rock starlet status may come off as Obama-esque.

Rock starlet status is tough to maintain, though she only has to top the charts for 50 days.

I’m just sayin.....

It is an interesting challenge for the McCain campaign. How do they manage the image and exposure of the most popular candidate in the race? Do they just fling her toward the sun so she can shine ever brighter until election day? Will she ‘peak too early?’ Should they try to manage her exposure and ‘bring her out’ for a final push?

The truth is that Palin is the best hope McCain has of being the next President. Maybe it’s his exposure that should be managed.

Let's Roll

2008-09-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

I watched 'United 93' last night. Not 'Flight 93,' the hokey Hollywood movie but 'United 93' the docu-drama that was an astonishing look at the events of 9-11 as they unfolded for the FAA, the military and of course for the passengers and crew of United flight 93. Wow. If we lived in any country but America, that movie would be required viewing in all schools as part of modern American history. "Lest we forget."

Lipstick on a Pig

2008-09-10T09:08:00.002-04:00

What do you make of Obama's latest stump quip?

Gallup/USA Today poll

2008-09-09T10:42:00.003-04:00

In an incredible reversal, the McCain-Palin ticket has surged to a ten point lead over Obama-Biden among people who are 'most likely to vote.' So now we know, when asked to choose between a Greek god and an Alaskan godess, Americans go with the godess.

Your Fannie Mae Feel This

2008-09-07T20:33:00.002-04:00

The RTR08 post of July 25 entitled, "Mother of all Bailouts," revealed that the media heralded, Democrat sculpted 600 page legislation to help 'victims' of the mortgage crisis 'raised the Federal debt ceiling by 800 BILLION dollars.' Now the other shoe falls. Here is how it is reported on the financial page:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal officials on Sunday unveiled an extraordinary takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting the government in charge of the twin mortgage giants and the $5 trillion in home loans they back.

The move, which extends as much as $200 billion in Treasury support to the two companies, marks Washington's most dramatic attempt yet to shore up the nation's housing market, which is suffering from record foreclosures and falling prices.

...

Fannie (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie (FRE, Fortune 500), which were created by the U.S. government, have been badly hurt in the last year by the sharp decline in home prices as well as rising mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. All told, the two firms have racked up about $12 billion in losses since last summer.

...

The government, in agreeing to backstop the firms, said it would receive $1 billion in each company's senior preferred stock. The government will also receive a quarterly dividend payment and the right to own 79.9% of each company.

Bigger than Beijing

2008-09-05T22:24:00.003-04:00

Drawing 40 million viewers, Sarah Palin became the all time front runner for VP acceptance speeches. Nearly 16 million more than Joe Biden for example. But forget VP, her numbers were on par with the TV draw of The Celeb himself, Barack Obama.

And for a little larger perspective on the interest in this years' election, the audiences for the Obama and Palin speeches were bigger than the ones this year for the Academy Awards, the finale of "American Idol" or the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing.

Three Quarters

2008-09-05T15:41:00.002-04:00

I fell asleep three quarters of the way through McCain's speech. I couldn't take a dollars worth.

My response to the three quarters that I heard is: thank God for Palin!

Palin Power

2008-09-03T22:35:00.007-04:00

The GOP is the party with the 'Babe on the ticket,' as Rush has said. Sarah Palin is sharp, smart and sassy. She has a good speech writer and a great sense of delivery. The working mother of a 'special needs' child, a pregnant teenager, and three other children, Sarah Palin is attractive to today's woman. A small town, straight talking girl married to a union-member, she must be attractive to "Hillary voters." She's a true conservative who can rally 'the base' which has been less than enthused with the top of the ticket. And from what I've seen and heard in the past week, I am not the least worried about her ability to hold her own in the 'VP Debate' with sanguine Joe Biden. As Rudy rightly said, it seems that in the choice of VP "Obama reached back while McCain reached for the future." It's the opinion of RTR08 that if McCain comes from behind to win the presidency, it will be his bold pick of Sarah Palin as VP that will make the difference.

Betting Palin will be Dropped

2008-09-03T11:24:00.002-04:00

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Now the Democrats aren't the only ones who can try to capitalize on the negative buzz growing around Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the prospective Republican VP candidate.

Intrade, an online prediction market based in Dublin, created a contract Tuesday morning on the likelihood that John McCain will drop Palin as his running mate. After opening at a probability of just 3%, the odds on Palin being cut from the ticket climbed to 18% around 9 a.m. and have since settled at around 12%.

Intrade is a place for betting enthusiasts to turn a small profit on everything from the latest auction of works by controversial British artist Damien Hirst to Britney Spears' chances of landing in rehab. Contracts on a possible future event are bought and sold by users of the site, like a stock on the NYSE.

see full story here: http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/02/technology/kimes_intrade.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008090217

Fred Thompson

2008-09-02T22:36:00.003-04:00

Did you hear Fred Thompson's speech at the GOP convention?

Where was that Fred Thompson in the primary campaign?!

That was the Fred Thompson that so many expected to see in the primaries. Make no mistake, Thompson was the only real conservative among the major candidates.

So why is Thompson not the nominee of the Republican party? Three reasons:

1. Because this Fred Thompson did not show up early enough or strong enough.

2. Because the 'evangelical vote' was suckered into voting for Huckabee.

3. Because the GOP is not longer really sure it wants to be truly conservative.

Rally for the Republic

2008-09-02T22:35:00.000-04:00

While some folks were attending or watching the GOP national convention, others were attending or watching (on C-SPAN2) the Rally for the Republic. A three day convention in another part of Minneapolis, Ron Paul supporters rallied around the U S Constitution.

Tonight, Ron Paul closed out the convention with his best speech of the year - a towering home run for freedom. The ten thousand or so present cheered and shouted their approval. The Revolution lives!

Dr. Paul rightly pointed out that there is no significant difference between major party candidates on foreign policy. Each favors more troops in Afghanistan. Each favors withdrawing combat troops from Iraq but leaving a large military base there for years to come. Each favors pouring dollars into Georgia. Each favors maintaining U S military bases around the world. Each favors defending Israel. Each opposes Iran having nuclear weapons. Each wants to continue the ‘war on terror.’ There is no significant difference.

Ron Paul held up the Constitution and it’s promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He touted individual freedom, industry and civil liberty. A humble foreign policy, a sane monetary policy, a strong defense without nation building, and a firm reliance on the principles of the intent of the Founders expressed in our U S Constitution were lifted up as right, urgent and necessary.

His Rally for the Republic was fun to watch. The Revolution - the call to return to Constitutional government - lives and is gathering strength.

Go Ron!

Punished with a Baby

2008-09-02T18:45:00.003-04:00

Barack Hussein Obama, at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, had this to say about AIDS/HIV, pregnancy and his own daughters - as reported at lifenews.com:

"When it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include -- which should include abstinence education and teaching the children -- teaching children, you know, that sex is not something casual," Obama said.

"But it should also include -- it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old," he added.

"I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby," Obama said.

Pale In Comparison

2008-09-02T16:37:00.003-04:00

Do I hear the same Democrat-leaning media people who championed the 'private life' defense for Bill Clinton now wanting to make Sarah Palin's seventeen year old daughter's pregnancy a campaign issue? At least Obama himself has said that the candidates' family and 'especially children' are 'off limits.' But of course, that's the rule for his official campaign personnel not his campaign's surrogates.

Play Connect the Dots

2008-09-01T11:33:00.002-04:00

DOT ONE

Bush - US back plan to divide Jerusalem:

Standing alongside Abbas at a press conference, Olmert today announced in English that "We have to complete the Annapolis process this year – this year."

The Israeli leader was referring to talks started at last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis conference, which seeks to create a Palestinian state – at least on paper – before President Bush leaves office in January.

According to top diplomatic sources, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited the region last week, pressed Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would include Jerusalem by offering the Palestinians a state in Israel's capital city as well as in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. - reported on WND

DOT TWO

GOP suspends Convention because of act of God

The convention “will suspend all activities except those that are absolutely necessary,” McCain said late Sunday afternoon (the same day as the Olmert announcement) “We hope to resume some normal activities but frankly that is the hands of God.” - quote from Foxnews.com, parenthesis added.

Obama mentions money first

2008-08-31T16:23:00.002-04:00

As predicted yesterday on RTR08, there would be a race to see which presidential candidate and which party could seem the most caring and generous to Hurricane Gustav victims and the Gulf Coast. Obama won the race. The GOP has implied that it's convention may include 'public service announcements' (translation - requests for donations) but Obama outright mentioned money first today. I am hereby declaring him the winner of the 'who can throw money at it first' award. Here is how it was reported on newsmax.com as of 1:56 PM EDT Sunday:

Presidential nominee Barack Obama offered to tap his sprawling network of donors and volunteers to help any victims of Gustav.

"I think we can get tons of volunteers to travel down there if it becomes necessary," Obama told reporters after attending St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Lima, Ohio. "I think we can activate an e-mail list of a couple of million people who want to give back," he said.

Palin Post-Denominational

2008-08-30T21:56:00.002-04:00

The mad scramble for information on little known McCain VP pick Gov. Sarah Palin has included questions about what church she attends - specifically what denomination. Here is the answer as it appeared today in The Catholic Reporter:

Palin appears to be part of that rapidly expanding galaxy of 'post-denominational' Christianity, where elements of Evangelical and Pentecostal styles of faith and worship fuse into a myriad of unique local combinations, and where old denominational loyalties are essentially dead.

Though post-denominationalists are, by definition, difficult to catalog and index, they’re unquestionably numerous. A 2007 survey conducted by LifeWay found that fully one-third of American Protestants were contemplating attending a different church in the future, and of that group, only one in four said it would be important that their future church belong to the same denomination as the one they currently attend.

Globally, the World Christian Encyclopedia estimates that roughly 20 percent of the world’s 2.2 billion Christians today are part of what it calls “independent Christianity,” defined as forms of faith and worship “separated from, uninterested in, and independent of historic, denominationalist Christianity.” Typically, these folks eschew any label other than “Christian” for their religious identity.

The Race is On

2008-08-30T21:40:00.004-04:00

How much money - and when - will the Democrat controlled congress offer the million who are on the move fleeing Gustav - or to New Orleans if it suffers more damage?

Rumor is that the GOP may have their National Convention be a 'telethon' to raise money for Gustav victims. After all, it was McCain who pointed to the Katrina response debacle as emblematic of what is broken in Washington and said that it would "never happen again." There is now talk that the GOP may position him in New Orleans during part of their convention in Minneapolis.

But will the Dems let the GOP fire first? I think you'll see a race to show which party can be the most caring and responsive.

Gustav GOP update

2008-08-30T17:21:00.003-04:00

What RTR08 predicted at 8:42 AM this morning is being reported as 'Breaking News' at 5:18 PM on CNN - "GOP Convention Cut Short?" their banner reads. When you want to be the first to know, read RTR08. If you want your news with the crowd, watch CNN.

Not a Prayer

2008-08-30T08:34:00.003-04:00

Media coverage of the GOP National Convention will be eclipsed by Hurricane Gustav slamming into New Orleans - at least for Monday and Tuesday. If the damage is severe then the Convention will have to alter its message to include acknowledgments of 'the hurricane victims.' With enough damage pulling media coverage and national attention, the GOP may actually have to change their convention schedule - canceling or changing the tone of some sessions. Of course, Gustav will be the cover for media re-coverage of the whole "Republican" Katrina response disaster. Gustav could be a 'bump robber.' Net net, McCain needs Pat Robertson to pray the hurricane away from New Orleans --- but of course, McCain skewered Pat Robertson in a previous campaign.....

Historic Night

2008-08-29T11:34:00.004-04:00

For the first time in U S A history, a mixed-race man is the presidential nominee of a major political party. History making nominations yet to come: a black man, a woman, a Muslim, an openly gay person, a person born to illegal immigrant parents, anything with "trans" involved, someone over 100 years old, a person who is aware of the U S Constitution.

After the Convention

2008-08-28T18:38:00.003-04:00

After this week's Democrat Convention it sure feels good to be a Republican.

After next week's Republican Convention it will sure feel good to support RON PAUL!

Comedy Kabob indeed

2008-08-27T13:52:00.003-04:00

Dana Milbank's "Washington Sketch" in The Washington Post had this yesterday:

Away from the convention proceedings, Denver became a parade ground for the full panoply of liberal interest-group politics. Planned Parenthood hosted a dance party called "Sex, Politics and Cocktails." Code Pink put on a "Make Out Not War" concert. Near the entrance to the convention grounds, representatives of Trojan condoms handed out samples and invited delegates to see how long it would take them to put a prophylactic on a banana.

The Stonewall Democrats held a "tea party" to celebrate gay delegates. The Feminist Majority celebrated women. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice had a "Strike for Your Rights" bowling night, and the Arab American Institute had a "Comedy Kabob" improv. During a four-hour period yesterday, no fewer than 16 Democratic caucuses held meetings, among them the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Caucus; the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus; the Senior Council; the Rural Caucus; and the Ethnic Coordinated Caucus.

for the full article, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/25/AR2008082502134.html

Buyer's Remorse

2008-08-27T13:40:00.001-04:00

Buyer’s remorse. I believe that many Democrats had it before last night. I believe many more have it after last night.

Hillary Clinton delivered what is being called ‘a grand slam’ speech at the DNC last night. Though the McCain camp tried immediately to wedge the Democrats by claiming that her speech failed to fully endorse Obama, the fact is that the Democrats were and are already wedged. Hillary highlighted unity and party and goals and Obama. But what she really highlighted most was herself.

Many more Democrats are second-guessing themselves today.

Wouldn’t Hillary have been the better presidential candidate? Many Dems think so and I sense not just among ‘the Hillary supporters.’ Why? Obama shot out in the campaign as if shot out of a cannon. His lead was large and his trajectory high. But his savior of the world tour - wonderfully received overseas and glowingly reported in the U S A - failed to produce any ‘bump’ in the polls. In fact, his popularity began to fade. Then he was late and weak on the Russian invasion of Geogia. Obama faded yet more. Obama was then sounded whacked in the ‘faith forum’ at Saddleback. Finally, Obama named Joe Biden as his VP choice and got no ‘bump.’ The race is a dead heat and the Dems are justifiably nervous. And looking back at what could have been - if they had gone with the more experienced Hillary Clinton as their nominee.

Dems must be wondering why Obama didn’t choose her as VP. A CBS poll showed that only six percent of current Dem delegates wanted Biden as the VP choice while over a quarter wanted Hillary - that was before last night.

So the Clinton factor will not go away in this campaign prior till election day. Only an Obama win will erase the uneasy feeling among Dems that they went with style over experience.

Unknown

2008-08-25T22:56:00.003-04:00

When a political party nominates a family who nobody knows, they have to introduce themselves to the party and the nation at their convention. That's exactly what just happened at the DNC -- with a video and a follow-up speech by Michelle Obama and 'live feed' appearance of her husband, our savior, Barack.

Women in crowd were openly weeping as this completely unknown woman spoke. She will be a great first lady, one woman exclaimed - her only measure of the woman being a fifteen minute speech.

These are interesting days --- similar it seems to the campaign days of unknown Jimmy Carter.

We'll see if there is a similar result.

Obama-Biden

2008-08-24T22:48:00.002-04:00

My thoughts on Obama-Biden

1. It’s a shame the Olympics are over.
2. Thank God football season is starting.
3. Maybe the World Series will be a distraction.
4. At least I have Shawn Johnson on tape.
5. At least I have the Lezak miracle on tape.
6. They can’t run like Usain Bolt.
7. Thank God for 250 cable channels.
8. Michael Phelps, please God let him be Republican.
9. The Lucas Oil Stadium is huge.
10. At least it’s not Hillary-Gore.

McCain in a Landslide

2008-08-23T21:30:00.001-04:00

McCain big winner in roach race:

China Vastly Superior

2008-08-22T22:26:00.002-04:00

Hussein Obama said yesterday, "Everybody's watching what's going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics , Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business, you're starting to think, 'Beijing looks like a pretty good option.'"

Really? Well, let's see....

"Their ports..."

Reuters, July 11: "Severe power shortages across China, especially in the manufacturing hub and export engine of Guangdong, are expected to add further pressure on exports in the second half of the year."

"Their train systems..."

CNN, January 28: In the southern city of Guangzhou, as many as 500,000 train passengers were stranded the past few days when a power failure in neighboring Hunan province crippled the regular train services, local officials said. About 100,000 passengers packed the square in front of the train station while others found shelter in schools and other public buildings while waiting for their trains.

"Their airports..."

Australia's ABC News, July 29, 2008: "Scores of Chinese air passengers have smashed computers and desks and clashed with police after a night stranded at an airport without accommodation, state media said... Frustration at mysterious delays, diversions and cancellations have at times boiled over into violence at Chinese airports as passengers try to storm grounded aircraft and police are brought in to keep the peace. There have also been cases in which passengers, after delayed arrivals, have refused to get off the planes in protest."

... "are vastly the superior to us now."

Yes, their power outages, crowds at train stations, and outbreaks of air rage are vastly superior to ours!

most wording in this post from 'The Campaign Spot' of National Review online.

Up There

2008-08-21T11:41:00.001-04:00

Barack's Brother Found!

2008-08-20T19:57:00.003-04:00

Barack Hussein Obama's 'long lost' brother has been found in a shanty in Kenya. Here is the story as reported today in the London Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html

All for None

2008-08-20T19:52:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON - A Zogby International poll commissioned by WND shows a surprisingly low 71.7 percent closely identifying with either of the two front-running, major-party candidates for president and a stunning 62.4 percent expressing their desire to see more viable candidate and party choices in future elections. - from WorldNetDaily.com

Gag-me Gergen

2008-08-20T12:14:00.003-04:00

David "gag-me" Gergen, CNN political commentator and Professor of Public Service (professor of public service??? gag-me) at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, said last night on CNN that for the first time state by state polling suggests that "if the election was held today, McCain would win" the electoral vote. Nobody on 'the panel' disagreed.'

If Obama loses, I believe that (in addition to 'racism,' or 'America was not ready'...) analysts will point to Barack's savior of the world tour as the turning point. It just did not fly among average Americans.

On CNN analyst said last night that nobody imagined that the campaign would turn against Obama this early. An interesting phrase, "this early."

They further agreed that the McCain campaign had gone to school off of Hillary's too-little-too-late surge. They pointed out that it was when Hillary's campaign began running ads challenging Obama's experience and readiness to be president (the "3 AM" ad), that she began to close on him and win most of the last states. McCain's campaign noticed and has followed on in a similar theme.

Gag-me Gergen was asked, "if it will work."

His reply, "it IS working."

One Term

2008-08-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

WHOLESALE PRICES: HIGHEST ANNUAL RATE IN 27 YEARS

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In another indication of growing inflation, wholesale prices increased in July to the highest annual rate in 27 years, according to a government report released Tuesday.

The annual Producer Price Index for finished goods rose 9.8% in the 12 months that ended in July.

The jump in wholesale prices is the fastest rate of increase since a 10.4% bump-up in June 1981, according to Joseph Kowal, economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bleak economic news continues to roll in as the politicos debate whether the 'cone of silence' or 'coin flip' happened exactly as the preacher said. Today's news of continued inflation bring me to a previously made point on RTR08. The next president is a one term president. Whoever it is will preside over an economy in such shambles - the worst since Jimmy Carter - that there will be no way to turn it around in four years. It will be especially impossible with a trillion dollar 'war on terror' effort on foreign soil, increasing debt financed by China, a dollar-printing Fed and a Fannie Mae which now has been given unrestricted funds with no congressional approval required. So, McCain might as well make his one term commitment. And Republicans, if they expect to ever see an occupant of the White House in the next three generations, had better hope that Obama wins.

Rehabilitation

2008-08-18T22:04:00.000-04:00

In a jury trial, when a witness is torn down by the attorney for the other side, often the attorney who put the witness on the stand will rise to ask a couple of other questions of the witness that help the witness recover. It’s called ‘rehabilitating the witness.’

Rick Warren was ‘rehabilitated’ tonight on Larry King Live. Of course, Larry works for CNN, the company that broadcast the ‘forum.’ Larry brought up the controversy of day, the Warren comment that McCain had been placed in a ‘cone of silence’ when it is now known that McCain had not be ‘placed’ anywhere at that point in time because he wasn’t yet at the church. Larry began his rehabilitation by saying something to the effect, “I know that Rick Warren would never intentionally say something less than the truth....”

Now, I understand exactly what happened the other night. Rick Warren was ‘at home’ in his own pulpit and he had a little quip line that he knew would draw a laugh. He formulated it at a time when he assumed that McCain would in fact be at the church prior to debate beginning. McCain wasn’t there but there was a plan for keeping him sequestered when he did arrive. So, Warren went with his quip.

Warren is a well-traveled, well-connected guy obviously. But he had a lapse in not thinking that every word, every detail would be scrutinized. It was also too bad, in retrospect, that he used a novel phrase, “cone of silence.” That phrase is so novel that it will be continually bandied by the critics.

Meanwhile, Warren did quite well on Larry King. He was complemented many times by King but he also did well in answering questions from King and a couple of emailed questions. But he acknowledged that he was being attacked and had been answering the ‘cone of silence’ question ‘all day.’ He wen ton to say, “I get attacked from both sides -- if I was just religious right I’d get it only from the left. If was religious left, I’d get it only from the right. But I am somewhere in the middle and I get it from both sides.”

Warren Losing

2008-08-18T10:51:00.003-04:00

As predicted, Rick Warren is 'the loser' of the Presidential Candidate's Forum.

Here is an early sampling:

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: August 17, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.

....

Mr. Warren, the pastor of Saddleback, had assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence” and that he could not hear the questions.

After Mr. Obama’s interview, he was joined briefly by Mr. McCain, and the candidates shook hands and embraced.

Mr. Warren started by asking Mr. McCain, “Now, my first question: Was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?”

Mr. McCain deadpanned, “I was trying to hear through the wall.”

THE DAILY KOS (liberal political blog)

Warren Caught in Lie on CNN wrt 'Cone of Silence'
by Paul Anderson
Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 05:43:34 AM PDT

From my reading, Warren has contradicted himself and exposed himself as a liar.

Put simply: I don't see how Warren thought McCain was at the church when he made his claims about this "cone of silence" on TV during the forum... when he now also explicitly says he gave Obama a preview question before the event that he couldn't give McCain because he wasn't there yet.

Warren slipped up in my opinion, and has made a huge mistake. If this is the contradiction I think it is, it means he lied (not was confused, but knowingly lied) on TV during the event by saying McCain was in this now mythic "cone of silence"... and he did so in order to protect the sham integrity of his forum for a Republican who he knew may have cheated. And of course he lied on CNN just now as well, a clip and transcript of which are found below.

Someone has some splanin' to do. There may be an explanation, but my bet is it's not a particularly good one, and not one that we should necessarily take very seriously at this point if all we have to go on afterwards is his word of honor. We should also add that if it was a purpose driven lie in order to help McCain in any way, I've heard that has tax implications for his so-called church, (ie his political action committee).

That is an early sampling of Warren being skewered in the mainstream press and also in the liberal political press. Last night (Sunday night), Warren was interviewed on CNN about his claim that McCain had been put in 'a cone of silence.' Warren played it off and assured the interviewer that McCain had agreed not to listen in and that Saddleback staff had 'flat out asked him' if he had - McCain said he had not. But Warren admitted that McCain was not at the church prior to the start of the Forum.

Yet to come, how Warren is blasted in the conservative and 'Christian' media.

Candidate Forum

2008-08-16T22:54:00.002-04:00

The Candidates Forum with Rick Warren at Saddleback Church just ended. I watched almost every minute and took at lot of notes of their comments and my impressions. Here are some summary impressions:

Both candidates looked comfortable with Pastor Warren and in the church setting - though it later became apparent the in-church audience was predictably very much pro-McCain. So McCain spoke to a much more sympathetic audience and it may have shaped the way he framed some of his answers.

Comparing their answers on some important topics:

FAITH -- Obama spoke more completely and easily of his personal faith and especially of how it might apply to his CURRENT life. He was the only candidate approximate a quote of scripture. In this case, Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” McCain gave a straight-forward answer about faith in Jesus means that he is saved but he quickly took a drink and ended his answer. He gave his first of many anecdotal stories and of course its setting was decades ago in Viet Nam. Moving but dated. Though it almost definitely appealed to his core constituency - older patriots.

ABORTION -- Obama stayed true to his liberal democratic pro-abortion position but tried to soften it in this context. Implied that he did not believe life begins at conception. McCain gave a more straight-forward conservative answer: pro-life and life begins at conception. He said that he would be a pro-life president and said, “I make this commitment to you.” His people obviously advised him that the evangelical voters have noticed his apparent wavering so this was an important nail-down for him. In fact, the McCain campaign even emailed CNN immediately following the forum to say that they would no longer mention the idea of a pro-abortion VP. This was the key question and answer in the debate - especially for McCain.

MARRIAGE -- Obama and McCain gave the same answer - defined marriage the same way, both supported civil unions and both took a states-rights approach to legislation. McCain allowed for a Constitutional Amendment only if federal legislation “imposed on Arizona the laws of Massachusetts.”

STEM CELLS - Obama and McCain gave very similar answers.

SUPREME COURT - they each predictably support the justices that agree with their political viewpoint and don’t support the others.

EVIL -DOES IT EXIST AND WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH IT? Obama took a thoughtful and philosophical approach to his answer -- he touched on local evil, evil in America, evil in families (abuse) and societal evil like the genocide in Darfur. We have to ‘confront’ evil and do it humbly. McCain was direct and forceful - ‘we should defeat evil’ - but was entirely internationally focussed. State sponsored or terrorist organization based evil was his focus.

FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS BEING ABLE TO LIMIT HIRING to people who agree with the faith principles of the organization. Obama - in the program area in which federal funds are received, the faith organization must adhere to ‘non-discrimination’ employment laws. McCain - organization can limit employment and still get funds.

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION AROUND THE WORLD -- Obama took time to answer and gave a fair answer. Aside from an opening remark about 'the bully pulpit,' McCain did not answer the question but reverted to something about Reagan, patriotism or war or the flag or honor or some Republican code-word and the audience of mostly Christians (presumably) gave him applause!!! Oh my!

Other topic were covered but essentially each candidate stuck to his core principles on his answers. There was no blockbuster moment - no surprising answer. I thought McCain knew he was on a home court and took liberties to speak to that crowd in language that would be well received. The net net is that McCain played to a very sympathetic audience in the room and no doubt in the TV audience as well. He had to shore up that vote and this appearance helped him that effort. My guess is that most of the Obama supporters in the TV audience did not wait around for McCain’s answers - especially when the in-church audience proved to be so vocally supportive of McCain from the moment of his entrance.

Obama was candid, conversational, and true to himself. He probably neither gained nor lost much among most of the audience.

McCain had the better night. He had the most to gain or lose with the core audience. The core audience was not made up of Obama supporters -- it was made up of disappointed Republicans and luke-warm or reluctant McCain supporters. His campaign team knew that this event was his best opportunity to shore up these disaffected evangelicals. I give the nod to McCain who, honestly, did much better than I thought that he would.

Warren the Loser

2008-08-16T11:04:00.004-04:00

McCain and Obama talk for an hour each on live TV with Pastor Rick Warren tonight.

All three have much to lose or gain tonight. Here's a handicap:

McCAIN - The man who James Dobson said he wouldn't vote for (but Dobson is now back-peddling). And McCain was unfaithful to his first wife. Was it about him or Edwards, or both, that Rick Warren made reference just this week when he said that he would have reservations about voting for a man who had cheated on his wife? McCain, who just this week suggested that his VP choice need not necessarily be pro-life. How will McCain fair in this one on one conversation with a pastor?

One would think that the audience may be skewed toward 'religious' voters. If so, McCain could have a chance to make gains with a group that he has offended in the past and which seems largely skeptical of him thus far. The setting itself will be helpful. But I predict McCain will not do particularly well.

McCain will not be comfortable in this conversation. Almost everything about it is outside his comfort zone. He is unconvincing and stiff when he speaks of personal religious convictions. Further, some of Rick Warren's social concerns - poverty, HIV/AIDS, community development in third world countries - these too are not in the center of McCain's radar. Will Warren include topics with which McCain is more at ease? Of course. Will Warren make the atmosphere casual and conversational? Yes. There will be no 'gotcha' questions from Warren. But he most certainly will ask about the issue of life. McCain's answer may be telling.

OBAMA - He is tagged by some as a Muslim or Muslim sympathizer. He is pro-abortion. He is pro-gay. He holds to liberal, liberation theology. All of these quite different from his host, the Southern Baptist Rick Warren. But Obama will be able to speak much more comfortably about his personal faith. He will be much more at home 'in church.' Having conversations with a pastor isn't foreign to him -- it is part of his personal experience and a constant necessity in his political setting. Like every successful black politician, he is familiar with the language of faith.

And Obama is an outspoken proponent within his party of being more willing to speak of faith. To the consternation of his own party's abolish-all-reference-to-faith crowd, Obama has given speeches making the case for faith in public life.

Obama will come across as much more comfortable with the setting and the topic of faith.

When Warren moves the conversation to many of his own social concerns, Obama will be on his home court. Who can speak of social justice, community development, HIV/AIDS, the war on poverty better than a 'world-class' African-American Democrat?

But will his theological liberalism shine through? Yes.

Will his political liberalism shine through? Yes.

With the likely audience, that will seal their perception that Obama is a glib hyper-liberal.

WARREN -- Rick Warren has pulled off this event. That in itself is an incredible testament to his connections, influence, and the respect that media executives and both political camps must have for him. He will make the conversation comfortable and I would be surprised if Warren tried to 'be somebody' other than who he is - a pastor with a concern for people. The candidates and their camps will not have a complaint with Warren.

But Warren will be the big loser tonight.

He will be skewered on many conservative Christian blogs, publications, radio shows and pulpits. He will be hammered for not hammering one candidate or the other on some bible theme. Warren will be an un-biblical liberal in their eyes.

Warren may be seen to those on the political and religious left as a bible-thumping Southern Baptist shill for Republicanism. They will watch the same program and come away with an opinion just the opposite of their conservative counter-parts. Warren will be ripped on left-wing blogs and among liberal Christians.

Net net: for the candidates, little change in perception. For Warren - he will do fine among the not very religious viewers - but ironically will be criticized by the most religious.

Calling McCain's Bluff

2008-08-15T17:21:00.002-04:00

“Yesterday, I heard Sen. McCain say, ‘We are all Georgians now.' Well, very nice, you know, very cheering for us to hear that, but OK, it’s time to pass from this. From words to deeds."

-- Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili on CNN’s American Morning.

Lone Conservative

2008-08-15T10:41:00.008-04:00

"The government is going to help you in the best way possible, by doing nothing for you, by getting out of your way. Well, I exaggerate, but you understand. Of course we will provide you with infrastructure and help by getting rid of corruption, but you have all succeeded by your own initiative and enterprise, so you should congratulate yourselves”

What a refreshing and authentic expression of true conservatism from the President! Not our president, of course, but the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvilli. Yes, the Columbia Law School grad has put down corruption and lifted up democratic and free market ideals. The people have increasingly cast away dependency on the state and replaced it with individual ‘initiative and enterprise.’ True conservatism and real democracy in a place once oppressed by soviet socialism.

That such a real conservative is the president and that such a true democracy and free market economy is in place anywhere is enviable. That is it in place on the boarder of Russia is a big problem for the newly emerging old Russia.

The answer from a Russian perspective is ‘regime change.’ They have openly announced their intention and backed it up with devastating military intervention directed intentionally at the civilian population and infrastructure. (If the U S so transparently targeted civilians the world outrage would be deafening - in this case, the silence is deafening.) Russia has every intention of keeping its military engaged within the boarders of Georgia, no matter what cease-fire arrangement is brokered, and continually chipping away at Saakashvilli’s leadership. So far, the people of Georgia have maintained their solidarity.

Meanwhile, back in the USA....

Obama was slow to speak to the issue and clueless when he did.

McCain was quicker and more forceful.

Rice is flitting around the world.

Bush was at the Olympics but at least had ‘in-stadium’ discussions with Putin.

The U S Military is deployed most everywhere involved in our own regime change experiment.

And so the refreshingly true conservative President of the already democratic, already free-market, already ‘an example to the region’ Georgia goes it nearly alone - except for the West’s other conservative, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Update: now that the country is destroyed and the Russians have voluntarily (momentarily) stopped their offensive which went completely unchecked and now that Sarkozy has brokered a cease-fire, Condi Rice arrives in Tbilisi to save the day! And obligate millions and millions of U S dollars to rebuild what we should have never allowed to be destroyed. How many countries are we now 'rebuilding?' Meanwhile, our bridges fall down....is it any wonder why the approval ratings for both the congress and the president are at historic lows?

Declared Emergency

2008-08-14T22:41:00.005-04:00

Remember the incident with Obama's airplane? The plane landed at an alternate airport and it was learned that an emergency slide had inadvertently opened in the tail section of the plane. Afterwards, Obama admitted feeling some concern but the FAA said that there had never been an emergency. Really? Turns out that the pilots did declare an emergency and there was, at a least for a while, real concern about the ability to control the airplane. Listen to the actual radio communication between the pilots and air traffic control. You'll hear the pilot request CFR - an acronym for Crash Fire Rescue equipment. The tape is edited to compress exchanges that took place over time. Click HERE to listen.