Lessons from the 2008 trenches, part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

CF What GOP pollster was the most accurate?

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOP bright spot for 2008 was Indiana

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

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

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

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

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

Calling Gonzo Defenestrater

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

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

Lessons from the trenches 2008

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

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

Some of the questions I am considering asking are:

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

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

Tech Companies Moving Assets Offshore

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

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

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

Hypocrites.

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

The Ryerson Rag has the propaganda here:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Typical Rag.

I am not moving to France...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Continuing Incompetence of Beth White

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

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

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

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

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

BETH WHITE SHOULD BE IN JAIL!!

There you go Ed Treacy. Turnabout is fair play.

This Is No Time to Give Up!

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

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

Here is a note to my fellow conservatives and Republicans.

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

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

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

But now onto my message.

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

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

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

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

Yet Another Reason To Cancel Your Ryerson Rag Subscription

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

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

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

Hoosier Access has the letter in its entirety.

Obama's Chicago

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

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

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

"No Goddamned Way"

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

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

Well, here we go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fred On A Barack Obama Presidency

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

Traitors For Obama

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

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

Surprise in PA-12: Boot Murtha Alert!

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

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

Is There Life After Death?

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

(H/T Angry White Boy)

"Well, that just about does it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hooray!! More people are on Food Stamps!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is some twisted loony.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Childish. Just childish.

At Least He Finally Admits It....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Priceless.

NY Times: Hawaii Health Care A Model For The Nation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tune In Saturday, October 18th @ 3 PM

Live TV : Ustream

The Obamassiah: ACORN will shape my agenda

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

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

Did you ever wonder ...

Fellow Flacks, Hacks, and Devoted Dumpster Divers

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

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

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

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

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

"You are known by the company you keep."

"Birds of a feather flock together."

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

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

Raw Video of Palin Speech in Wilmington, OH

How I spent my Weekend ...

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

Veteran Assaulted Protecting McCain/Palin Sign

Seriously, some people are unhinged during this election cycle.



(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

Will You Look At This?

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

Name S/H State D/R Total PAC Individual

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

The Obamassiah Channel Now On Dish Network

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

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

Sorry, you still must provide your own koolaid.

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

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

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

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

Changing Gears for Just a Moment:

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

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

Back on Message:

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

In the end:

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

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

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

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

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

Wrong. Just Friggin' Wrong.

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

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

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

Good Piece from Capitol Brief: Read it here.


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

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

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

Convicted of DUI and DL revoked...

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

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

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

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

Solving the Market Instability Problem: My Two Cents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Video The Obama Does Not Want You To Watch

Finally. A Start.

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

Walk. Then Run.

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

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

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

The Obama Experience

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

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

North Carolina Congressman on Burton Energy Compromise

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

H/T: TBB

Death Knell for Conservatism?

Whatever happened to Less Government?

Fellow Flacks, Hacks, and Dumpster Divers:

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

Today, the Republican Party is rocketing toward mediocrity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the whole ESPN - The Magazine Article Here

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

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

H/T ESPN -The Magazine

Sons of Bitches!

Via Michelle Malkin:

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

Scroll for updates…Wired News confirms…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where are the privacy absolutists now?

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

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

CBS Leaves Me Lost in a Blizzard of Words

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

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

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

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

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

Or how about that interview with Charlie Gibson:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow Me, Or Else!

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

Here's my site:

Twitter / jacobperry

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

Dudes and Dudettes,

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

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

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

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

The story line goes like this:

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

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

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

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOP "boogeyman" used to scare poor voters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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