“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)

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)