Monday, December 7, 2009

Save the SEAL Three!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Navy SEALs get busted for punching a terrorist?

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

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

HERE IT COMES: Regulating Free Speech on the Internet.

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

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

Saturday, November 14, 2009

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

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

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


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Well, Now We've Gone and Done It!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yours for a weirder world,
Gonz O. Defenestrater

This just in ...

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

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

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

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

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

@mkhammer has the deets on doctored Palin pix


Fellow Flacks!
Ran across this twitbit on our fav moose-hunting-turned-globe-trotting-hottie-babe-pol-turned-best-selling-author (Courtesy of Mary Katherine Hamm):
"When will MSNBC (noted "real" news org) apologize for use of Palin photos well-known to be Photoshopped? http://bit.ly/1QxMGK"
Just can't get enough of that gal, eh! Oh, did we mention, the woman hunts moose.

Gotta love those gun-toting right-wingers

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Monday, November 2, 2009

Ocular Penetration Act of 2007

Seriously, this is funny. I wonder if this is actually a part of Health Care
Reform. If not, it should be! Nah, just a joke.

Check it out on YouTube here


PeloBamaCare: And the magic number is ...

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

http://bit.ly/1PNikB

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

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Hoosier Access on Grayson

Alan Grayson is Nuts!

 

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

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Public Option? What's that?

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

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


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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

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

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

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


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Monday, October 19, 2009

Joe Trippi piece on Twitter - worth the read.

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

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

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

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

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yg82boq

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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

Fellow Dumpster Divers,

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

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

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

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

Boehner lip locks Pelosi

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

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

Monday, September 7, 2009

RT @rickwilson. @joshgillespie yep, and

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

joshgillespie: RT @smoothupJoe: "Don't expect

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

Monday, August 17, 2009

Defining Problem in American Politics:

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

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

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

Saturday, August 15, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Governor Daniels of Indiana Smacks Down Baby Boomers

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

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

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

Read some excerpts from this incredible speech below.

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


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

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


Ouch.

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


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

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


Let no uncomfortable topic go untouched.

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


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

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


Take that political correctness.

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

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

You can read the entire speech here.

Chris Faulkner






Monday, May 4, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is that what we really want for Republicans?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Some thoughts on a quality GOTV operation

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

Friday, April 3, 2009

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Inside Scoop on NY 20

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

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

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

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

Chris Faulkner

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

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, March 9, 2009

SECSTATE CLINTON RUSKIE REPORTAGE

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

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

Can you say EASY BUTTON?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Forget Traditional Pressers Brose McVey Uses Facebook

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

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

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

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

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

Life in the 5th District….always interesting.

Scratch That, Howey Reports Brizzi NOT Running Against Burton

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

Via Howey
:

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

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

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

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

Anyway, so we’re back to four.

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

And Then There Were Five…er, Still Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Perspective on "Worst President Ever" Claim

Thomas Fleming has long been one of my favorite writers and historians. He's written eloquently about a number of past presidents, and in WSJ Online, he tackles a subject near and dear to the hearts of many of my leftist friends: Is George W. Bush the worst president ever? Fleming puts things into some perspective by writing:
Is Mr. Bush worse than John Adams? When a shooting war at sea started between the United States and revolutionary France in 1798, Honest John wrote a letter to George Washington, offering to resign so that George could resume the job. How's that for presidential leadership? Meanwhile, Adams had kept Washington's cabinet officers on the job, although he loathed them. He finally fired them in a fit of hysteria, which made them wonder if he had lost his mind.
That was a story I hadn't heard before, but I'll confess to not being a John Adams scholar. Heck, I have yet to read McCullough's book (which makes me feel a little lonely). But, here's an even better story:

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

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

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

But this one truly made me laugh:

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

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

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

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

But worst ever? Get a clue.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Government Promoting Bad Behavior? Never!

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

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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

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

Yawn...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, February 16, 2009

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)

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

So do I.



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

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

Friday, February 13, 2009

So Much for Democrat Promises

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


Democracy at work.

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

Senator Andre Carson???

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Cross-posted at CircleCityPundit.com

Thursday, February 12, 2009

That's Why They Call Him Donnie Baseball

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


Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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

Foughty Rewrites the Rules!

Fellow Hacks, Flacks, and Dumpster Divers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Rehab Sux. Part Deux: Adventures in Chemistry

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch Space: Truly the Final Frontier?

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Stimulus, We Don't Need Your Stinkin' Stimulus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am a friggin' genius.

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

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

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

“Keep Your Fork, There’s Pie!”

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

From an email I just received:

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

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

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

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

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

The “People’s Business” indeed.

(Originally posted to Hoosier Access)