Fifty-nine minutes into the NBC “News”, Brian Williams moderated, Orangeburg, S.C. Democratic Party “debate,” and the only surprise to a former Democrat that simply cannot be surprised by the degrees of leftism within the Democratic Party, is that the MSM-declared “moderates” lurched to the left as far as they did.
All of the Democrats proudly touted their McGovernite bona fides for surrender yesterday on the war. By “war”, I mean the “civil” war in Iraq. That Islamic jihadists are waging war against the United States in Iraq and around the world was not a fact acknowledged by any of the Democrats on Thursday night.
That Ears Obama (I mention this anatomical fact because the feminized junior senator from Illinois chased down the NYT’s Princess of Darkness, Maureen Dowd in a crowd last year to chastise her for a reference to his large hearing devices to tell her how much he was picked on as a child and to beg her to stop the torture) bragged on being the top McGovernite was no surprise.
That Hillary called for a slower surrender was not a surprise, but that the so-called moderates out McGovernized the front runners was a mild surprise given that the only chance a non-Clinton or non-large Ear challenger has of facing a Republican in 2008 to be the leader of the free world would be to distinguish themselves on the war.
But Bill Richardson and Joe Biden both moved to the left of Ear Rodham on the war and said Ruth Ginsburg was their favorite SCOTUS justice. Both moderates bemoaned the court’s upholding of the ban the Republican congress and President George W. Bush put on jabbing scissors into the skulls of babies.
Moderates?
I guess Biden and Richardson must favor sharper scissors.
Both cited Ruth Ginsburg as their favorite justice generally and her passionate defense of partial birth abortion specifically as the opinion that best evidenced why they admired her.
Sick.
Much as Bill Clinton’s vetoes of the ban when he was President.
He was also a “moderate” I hear.
(Get on your knees now and thank God for Dubya).
The best thing about my experience in viewing the Democrat “debate” was that I did not curse, hurl or throw things.
I was alone, my stomach was empty and I was too tired to lift a finger.
There are no moderates left in the Democratic Party.
ZERO.
Lieberman is a moderate independent war hawk patriot. Zell failed to return calls, and there is not enough evidence to convict the rest of patriotism if patriotism was a crime.
Not one.
The 59 minutes prove the truth my 2006:
Drawl and That’s All: The Myth of the Moderate Southern Democrat in D.C.
For reports on the minutes after the 59th, look elsewhere and pass me the Tums.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
Starbucks coffee cups are dangerous, but
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
The HinzSight Report
The Minority Report
Race 4 2008
Cillizza with the scoop:
RANGEBURG, S.C. — In the midst of the Sen. John McCain’s presidential announcement tour comes news that Marlene Elwell — one of the Arizona Senator’s leading social conservative advocates — has parted ways with the campaign.
Elwell, who was one of McCain’s chief liaisons to the faith community, confirmed her departure in a brief telephone interview this evening. She did not offer any further explanation on the decision.
Elwell, who is based in Michigan, rose to prominence in social conservatives as a leading member of Pat Robertson’s campaign. She was also a prime mover in the Michigan effort to define marriage between a man and a woman that passed in 2004.
The departure of Elwell comes just days after McCain replaced his longtime finance director Carla Eudy in what communications director Brian Jones described as part of an overall overhauling of the presidential campaign.
No idea how much this really means, although it’s unfortunate timing for McCain. I have a feeling this will be forgotten about in a matter of weeks. It will be interesting to see who’s campaign she joins with.
All 10 announced Republican candidates for president will participate in the May 3 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But the Republican Party of South Carolina may limit which of those candidates can participate in their May 15 debate at the University of South Carolina, according to a report by Jim Davenport of the Associated Press.
A biggie from Quinnipiac today. FL, OH, and PA primaries with general election match-ups:
Quinnipiac University Florida Poll, conducted April 17th-24th, 2007
Republicans
- Rudy Giuliani 38%
- John McCain 15%
- Mitt Romney 7%
- Newt Gingrich 6%
- Fred Thompson 5%
General Election Match-ups
- Giuliani beats Obama 49 – 38 percent
- Gore tops Arizona Sen. John McCain 46 – 43 percent
- Gore beats Thompson 48 – 36 percent
- Clinton and McCain are tied at 45 – 45 percent
- Clinton bests Thompson 48 – 38 percent
- Obama and McCain are tied at 41 – 41 percent
- Obama tops Thompson 42 – 35 percent.
And Ohio….
Quinnipiac University Ohio Poll, conducted April 17th-24th, 2007
Republicans
- Rudy Giuliani 23%
- John McCain 21%
- Newt Gingrich 9%
- Fred Thompson 8%
- Mitt Romney 6%
General Election Match-ups
- Giuliani bests Obama 45 – 37 percent
- McCain beats Gore 46 – 39 percent
- Gore beats Thompson 44 – 35 percent
- McCain edges Clinton 44 – 42 percent
- Clinton tops Thompson 45 – 35 percent
- McCain tops Obama 42 – 36 percent
- Obama beats Thompson 44 – 31 percent.
And finally Pennsylvania…
Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll, conducted April 17th-24th, 2007
Republicans
- Rudy Giuliani 29%
- John McCain 17%
- Newt Gingrich 10%
- Fred Thompson 6%
- Mitt Romney 5%
General Election Match-ups
- Giuliani beats Obama 45 – 41 percent
- Gore tops McCain 45 – 42 percent
- Gore leads Thompson 48 – 34 percent
- McCain edges Clinton 45 – 43 percent
- Clinton tops Thompson 47 – 36 percent
- Obama edges McCain 43 – 41 percent
- Obama beats Thompson 45 – 33 percent
Here are some observations from Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute:
-”Mayor Rudolph Giuliani remains the front-runner, but he and the entire Democratic field should wonder if Al Gore will become an inconvenient truth in the 2008 presidential race and go for the biggest Oscar of them all.”
-”Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder. Vice President Gore generally runs best against any of the Republican candidates. Whatever the reason, should Gore get in, he could reshape the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.”
-”And in the GOP race, a man who’s been out of politics for six years and wasn’t that well known to begin with and isn’t yet a candidate, Fred Thompson, is doing surprisingly well. If Thompson gets in the race, he looks like he has the potential to be a major factor in the battle for the GOP nomination. His favorable/unfavorable ratio among Republicans is high.”
-”Voters can either love Sen. Clinton or leave her. Her support is very deep, but narrow. Democrats view her favorably 8 – 1, but she turns off independents . So she leads the Democratic primary field, but struggles against Republicans.”
-”Sen. Obama may have matched Sen. Clinton in fundraising, but he hasn’t been able to close the gap among primary voters, where she leads by more than 2 – 1 in all three states. He is still an unknown to more than a third of voters – which gives him an opportunity to move up.”
For the Dem primary results, click here.
Senator John McCain takes a shot at Mayor Giuliani’s mayoralty; former Governor Mitt Romney takes?a shot at the Giuliani position on abortion.
Liz Sidoti reports from Stratham, New Hampshire for the Associated Press. We’ll see if this defense works.
Students for Brownback hosted an awesome rally yesterday with Senator Brownback in Steubenville, Ohio. This was our second rally since he announced; our first being in Washington, DC the night before the March for Life. Since we launched in December, Students for Brownback has signed up over 5,000 students across the nation. However, we are not an organization that just signs people up — we put them into action. We have provided volunteers for the campaign at key events, including the March for Life and CPAC. We also have been active at several state College Republican conventions and state GOP conventions. And you can bet we’ll be very active this summer.
Brownback has quite a following here in Steubenville. Many students obviously admire him for his pro-life work. We also have a strong Democrat contingency on campus that is supporting him because of his call of action to end genocide in Darfur and his promotion of human rights. He came to Franciscan last October and was a rock star. We have had many great candidates come to Franciscan in the past, such as Alan Keyes, Pat Buchanan, Rick Santorum, Mike Dewine, and Ken Blackwell… but none have rallied students and impressed students the way Brownback has.
I picked up Sam from an airport in Wheeling, WV, and then we went out to lunch. He is in high spirits and is feeling great. What is great about Sam is that he is not obsessed with polls and certainly is not one to hire scores of political consultants to tell him what to do. He has a great Senate staff that consults and advises him on issues, but when it comes down to it, he does what he thinks is best and right for the country, not necessarily what is popular in the polls. And then on the campaign trail, he simply goes out and talks about the issues with the voters. He’s not going to “wow” you with words or play with your emotions or feelings or talk in a philosophical manner — he simply tells you where he stands on the issues and why. He’s hardcore Midwestern. Being from the DC area, this is certainly refreshing to me.
After lunch, I gave him a quick tour of Franciscan. One thing that is unique about Franciscan University is that our campus actually has a Tomb of the Unborn. This tomb contains the bodies of six aborted babies, that were founded in the dumpsters outside of abortion clinics. The people that found them contacted Franciscan and asked if they could be buried there, knowing that for generations, Franciscan students would go to the tomb and pray for the end of abortion. So Franciscan U said yes, and immediately the people in the town of Steubenville complained, saying that Franciscan didn’t have a permit for a grave. The president of our school simply asked if they were admitting that these were human beings that we were burying. They quickly shut up about the issue. I took Sam to it, and he was very moved by it and said some prayers (see picture below).
The rally went very well. Sam talked about the end of partial-birth abortion in America and what a great accomplishment for the pro-life movement it was. He said to remain optimistic about the future, because our generation isn’t accepting Roe the way the pro-abortionists thought we would (polling shows 18-24 year olds are the most pro-life age range in America). He also talked about the need to save social security through optional private accounts so that its there when we need it. He explained his flat-tax, and the need to reform the tax code. He talked extensively about Darfur, since it is Darfur Awareness Week at Franciscan (we are actually hosting a former slave from the Sudan today). He talked about Iraq — emphasizing that if we were to pull out completely, terrorists would declare victory on America. He also said that while we must maintain a long-term military presence there, we must come to a political solution, to which he thinks partitioning Iraq into three states with a federal government in Baghdad is the most viable answer.
After the rally, we headed to a fundraiser in the area which was quite successful. Overall, it was great hanging out with Brownback for the day. He didn’t have to come to our rally, but he knows its important to us and that we are going to be the ones that help win it for him. I’m a strong believer that every candidate needs to have a strong youth movement behind him. I’d take an army of volunteers students that are going to make calls and knock on doors spreading my message and my vision — and bring enthusiasm — over an army of paid political consultants trying to tell me what my message should be — any day of the week.
Pictures:
Senator Brownback and I praying for an end to abortion.
I’m a fan of homemade signs.
I take credit for the idea of this sign, but not the artistic skill that made it…
”
(That’s me to the right of the Senator).
From the Politico:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told The Politico that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign, becoming the most prominent Republican to desert the White House over the bungled firing of U.S. attorneys.
The call from McCain, one of the leading Republican candidates for the White House, adds to excruciating pressure on President Bush, who has said he continues to support his beleaguered attorney general.
The senator disclosed his view as his Straight Talk Express luxury bus rumbled away from the second stop on his announcement tour, a rally held in the pouring rain in a park in New Hampshire’s largest city.
“Out of loyalty to the president, he should obviously step down,” McCain said. “He’s not serving the president well. I reached that conclusion a long time ago. I just haven’t been asked.”
It’s about time. Gonzales has been a complete embarrassment during his time as Attorney General. McCain joins his friend Sen. Tom Coburn in demanding that Gonzales resign.
I know that this has been a long time in coming, so I’d like to thank everyone for their patience.
So let’s get to it… Here are the official Race 4 2008 Power Rankings Version 4.0:
1. Rudy Giuliani – Rudy was the undisputed frontrunner among all of R4’08′s contributing writers. And for good reason: Hizzoner leads by double-digits in every national primary poll, by solid margins in the most delegate rich “Super-Duper Tuesday” primary states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, has led or traded leads in polls of the early caucus states of Iowa and Nevada, and came with five million dollars of Mitt Romney for Q1 fundraising despite a two-month head start.
Rudy’s lead has decreased by approx 8%-10% in the past month. But savvy poll watchers know this decrease coincided with Fred Thompson’s introduction to the polls. The fact remains that Mayor Giuliani has stated that he is Pro-Choice on every network and cable TV channel, talk radio program, and political magazine in American numerous times over the past six-weeks and is still the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Am I saying that Rudy is inevitable? Certainly not. Campaigns are fluid and dynamics things. However, Rudy is the undisputed GOP frontrunner at this juncture.
2. John McCain – Sen McCain’s drop to second place corresponds to his substantial drop in the polls since our last update.
Despite his poor Q1 fundraising totals, McCain has too much going for him to drop him any farther. In addition to his heir-apparent status, McCain still has the heavy-hitters of the national GOP campaign apparatus on staff, and has built awesome organizations in critical states such as Iowa (where hires of the likes of Marlys Popma must still annoy Team Romney and Team Brownback to no end).
Still, $12 million and third place in Q1 has to mean something. And you have to wonder if McCain’s continued slide against potential Democratic opponents will lead Republicans to decide against entering into covenant with him (trading their considerable concerns for his electoral certainty) if he is no longer an electoral sure-thing.
But the bottom line is that Republicans have always loved their Frontrunners and Heir-Apparents. So this contest coming down to Rudy vs. McCain in the end is still the most likely scenario.
3. Mitt Romney – Gov. Romney has built a first-class organization, has lots of money, and has many hardworking, dedicated volunteers. Whether this will translate to votes remains to be seen.
No one has ever done what he is attempting to do. So until someone does, I will remain skeptical.
4. Fred Thompson – In light of Thompson’s new contract with ABC that was announced yesterday, it appears that he will stay out of the race until Fall.
When he does enter, I believe he will be the most formidable upstart to challenge the “Big Two” of Rudy and McCain.
People wonder how he will compete with the headstart in campaign staff and money that the other top-tier candidates will enjoy. What people do not understand is that if he is able to inherit much Bill Frist’s campaign apparatus this problem will be solved instantly. You can say what you want about Dr. Frist, but discount the success and influence that he attained through VOLPAC at your peril.
As an aside, people have always credited Romney with the most ardent net support. It should be noted that www.draftfredthompson.com went from 300 to 3,000 visitors in 3 days when the rumors of him seriously considering entering the race broke (they have since taken down their sitemeter, so I’m not sure how much their traffic has ebbed since the fervor died down). However, the fact remains that FDT will have an army of Net support that will equal Mitt’s when he finally officially enters this Fall.
In this humble blogger’s opinion, if you want to bet on the identity of the GOP upstart that always seems to come out of nowhere to challenge the frontrunner (but always ends up in 2nd place mind you), bet on Fred D. Thompson.
5. Newt Gingrich – Many are wondering how Newt can escape the pull of the other top tier candidates to emerge as the GOP nominee, especially with him and FDT seemingly occupying the same space in this contest.
Please forgive my first ever Star Wars reference, but to quote Darth Vader (referring to Obi Won Kenobi on the Death Star), “Escape is not his plan”- or at least it may not be.
Newt probably realizes that the odds are long against him capturing the GOP nomination. That does not mean that organizing a first-rate organization, campaigning with class, and generally elevating the level of discourse of the entire race would not go a long ways towards setting him up as the heir-apparent in 2012 should the GOP lose in 2008.
Regardless of his motives, Newt is one of the most important and beloved Republicans of all-time. And has far as I’m concerned, any role that he wishes to play in our party, or in this race, is a welcomed one.
6. Sam Brownback – Sen. Brownback is a class act and a great Senator. However, the top-tier is probably too entrenched for him to make any significant headway. He should be near the top of any future GOP nominee’s shortlist for Veep.
7. Mike Huckabee – My choice for the sleeper GOP candidate looks to have been a poor one. I still wonder what might have been had he spent the amount of time and effort building his campaign as Gov. Romney did. He is still my top choice for Veep should Rudy win the nomination, and should be at or near the top of the list of any future Republican nominee.
8. Tommy Thompson – A immensely successful four-term governor from a critical swing region such a Tommy Thompson should also be given serious consideration for the #2 slot by the eventual winner.
9. & 10 – Duncan Hunter & Tom Tancredo – The last Congressman to win the White House was James Garfield in 1880. Duncan Hunter is sure to be considered for a cabinet position should the GOP win the general. Rep. Tancredo will have won by losing by drawing attention to an issue which sincerely feels is critical for the future of our nation.
11. Jim Gilmore – It just isn’t possible for someone with such low name ID to come from so far behind in such a compact primary season.
12. & 13. Ron Paul & Chuck Hagel – Earnest and principled, Rep. Paul gets the nod over Chuck Hagel simply because I personally feel that there is no other Republican on Earth less likely to win the GOP nomination than Sen. Hagel.
Note: Gov. George Pataki has been removed from the Power Rankings.
Thanks to ever vigilant FDT supporter Tommy for the heads-up on this one:
WFAA-TV 2008 Texas GOP Primary Poll, conducted April 16th-19th, 2007
- Rudy Giuliani 24%
- Fred Thompson 19%
- John McCain 19%
- Newt Gingrich 12%
- Mitt Romney 8%
FDT tied with McCain… Is this the beginning of a trend or simply indicative of FDT’s southern roots?
A huge get for Team Romney Counter Terrorism Official Cofer Black Joins up with Mitt. Mitt and Cofer had this to say:
“I am pleased to welcome Cofer Black to our campaign. He has a long and impressive career dedicated to making America safer and more secure in the world,” said Governor Romney. “Our country faces a new generation of challenges and Black’s experience at the forefront of our nation’s counterterrorism efforts will be a tremendous asset.”
Joining Romney for President, Cofer Black said, “Our country faces grave threats from abroad threats that will require us to change our thinking, institutions and strategy if we are to prevail. Governor Romney sees clearly the threat in front of us and will give our military and intelligence professionals the tools and leadership they need to ensure that America remains strong, free and prosperous.”
Background On Cofer Black:
Cofer Black Is A Former Top Counterterrorism Official With More Than 30 Years Experience. Black is Chairman of Total Intelligence Solutions. Beginning in February 2005, he became Vice Chairman of Blackwater USA and CEO of The Black Group. Black was the United States Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador at Large from December 2002 to November 2004. In this role, he was the point person for the U.S. government’s international counterterrorism policy in the first term of the Bush administration. Prior to joining the State Department, Black had a distinguished 28-year career in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. During his CIA career, Black served six foreign tours in field management positions and served as Task Force Chief in the Near East and South Asia Division, Deputy Chief of the Latin America Division and Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center.
With the Ames Straw Poll version 2007 coming up in roughly 100 days, now is as good of time as ever to look at what this massive political event is, what it means, and what it takes to win it.
History of the Poll
The Ames Straw Poll began in 1979 and has continued every year preceding a competitive election (1987, 1995, and 1999) for a total of four times. The upcoming poll on August 11, 2007, therefore will be the fifth Ames Straw Poll held.
Even though the poll dates back nearly three decades, it was only in 1999 that it began to take on the significance it has now. Until that most recent straw poll, charges of cheating ran rampant at the event (voters would have their hands stamped, run into the bathroom to wash the ink off, and go vote again), meaning that no one took the results too seriously. In 1999, the Iowa GOP officials began using indelible ink that couldn’t be washed off as well as posting voting monitors at the voting areas and in all the bathrooms to ensure more reliable results.
At the last straw poll, George W Bush won with 31% of the vote. He would, of course, go on to win the nomination, but such foretelling is not a historical definite at the event. For instance, Bush 41 won the first straw poll in 1979 and Reagan ended up with the nomination, and in 1987 Pat Robertson won the contest but lost the nomination to Bush. Now that the voting is fairer and more reliable, though, some people argue that the results are a more significant barometer of a candidate’s success.
What it Means and How to Win
It’s the first real test of candidates on two different levels: organization and support. A win in Ames generally means you’ve succeeded in both of those arenas. And it also means you’ve succeeded in raising extravagant amounts of cash prior to the event.
Consider these statistics: Dubya spent $825,000 on the event in 1999 and walked away with first place. Steve Forbes spent over $2 million for his second place finish. What did they spend the money on?
A better question might be what didn’t they spend the money on. Tickets to the event in 1999 were $25 apiece, which all the campaigns gladly paid for in return for a vote. Parking cost money, which again, the campaigns paid for – if you even drove your own vehicle and didn’t take one of the free buses the campaigns chartered. Each campaign had tents outside the main hall for which they paid money – increasing in price the closer to the hall the tent space was (the apex being Bush’s tent, which was closest to the hall and cost him $63,000). At each tent, the campaigns offered food and drinks as well as live music from famous musicians, all free. Steve Forbes even hosted a carnival of sorts, complete with children’s rides that he rented and set up. All in the quest to attract voters.
Truth be told, the real winner of the Ames Straw Poll is the Iowa GOP which hosts the event as its annual fundraiser.
This should be instructive when thinking about how to win the poll now, in 2007. If Bush spent nearly a million dollars and Forbes nearly two million eight years ago, one can only imagine how much the campaigns will spend on the event this year. That does not bode well for poorly funded campaigns such as Tommy Huckback, Gilmore, Paul, or Tancredo. And it says something to the chances of a late-comer such as Fred Thompson succeeding in such an environment.
Of course, there are always going to be the die hards that will pay their own tickets, drive their own cars, vote, and go home all without being tied to a campaign, but the vast majority of the voters there will be there thanks to candidates’ generosity.
But, as mentioned above, organization is only one half of the coin. You can’t very well pay for people’s tickets to the event if you can’t find people who support you enough to go in the first place and sit through hours of speeches and give up their entire Saturday just to throw your name in a box – and for a poll, nonetheless, not even a real election. This is where all the grassroots campaigning leading up to the event pays off. You’ve gotta have a voter base to turnout in the first place before you can start paying for tickets and bus rides and the like.
So it takes both to emerge victorious in Ames: support from people who want to go and vote for you, and the organization to get more of them there than your opponents can. And in 1999, the results did mean something – after disappointing finishes at Ames, Alexander and Quayle both dropped out of the race; after his first place showing, Bush’s frontrunner status was cemented (at least until McCain got in the race a month later).
Roughly a hundred days from now, we will watch the hoopla and extravagance with great excitement and great anticipation, because the Ames Straw Poll is the first real test of the candidates’ strength in this campaign.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auF1Y8WxIP4[/youtube]
“Today, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I do so grateful for the privileges this country has already given me; mindful that I must seek this responsibility for reasons greater than my self-interest; and determined to use every lesson I’ve learned through hard experience and the history I’ve witnessed, every inspiration I’ve drawn from the patriots I’ve known and the faith that guides me to meet the challenges of our time, and strengthen this great and good nation upon whom all mankind depends.
“We’ve begun another campaign season earlier than many Americans prefer. So soon after our last contentious election, our differences are again sure to be sharpened and exaggerated. That’s the nature of free elections. But even in the heat of a campaign, we shouldn’t lose sight that much more defines us than our partisanship; much more unites us than divides us. We have common purposes and common challenges, and we live in momentous times. This election should be about big things, not small ones. Ours are not red state or blue state problems. They are national and global. Half measures and small minded politics are inadequate to the present occasion. We can’t muddle through the next four years, bickering among ourselves, and leave to others the work that is ours to do. Greatness is America’s destiny, but no nation complacent in its greatness can long sustain it.
“We must also prepare, far better than we have, to respond quickly and effectively to another terrorist attack or natural calamity. When Americans confront a catastrophe, natural or man-made, they have a right to expect basic competence from their government. They won’t accept that firemen and policemen are unable to communicate with each other in an emergency because they don’t have the same radio frequency. They won’t accept government’s failure to deliver bottled water to dehydrated babies or rescue the infirm from a hospital with no electricity. They won’t accept substandard care and indifference for wounded veterans.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“Government spends more money today than ever before. Wasteful spending on things that are not the business of government indebts us to other nations; deprives you of the fruits of your labor; fuels inflation; raises interest rates; and encourages irresponsibility.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“No government program is the object of more political posturing than Social Security and Medicare. Here’s the plain truth: there are too few workers supporting too many retirees, and if we don’t make some tough choices today, Social Security and Medicare will go bankrupt or we’ll have to raise taxes so drastically we’ll crush the prosperity of average Americans. Too many politicians want to ignore the problem, and run for re-election by threatening anyone who wants to fix it.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“Our tax code is used to game the system for some at the expense of the many instead of encouraging the thrift, investment, innovation and industry of all Americans. It’s complexity and waste costs Americans $140 billion in preparation and compliance costs each year.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“Our dependence on foreign sources of energy not only harms our environment and economy, it endangers our security. So much of the oil we import comes from countries in volatile regions of the world where our values aren’t shared and our interests aren’t a priority.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“We’re not a country that prefers nostalgia to optimism. We’re not a country that would rather go back than forward. We’re the world’s leader, and leaders don’t pine for the past and dread the future. We make the future better than the past. Opening new markets to American goods and services is indispensable to our future prosperity. Lowering trade barriers creates more and better jobs; keeps inflation under control; keeps interest rates low; and makes more goods affordable to more Americans. We won’t compete successfully by using old technology to produce old goods. We’ll succeed by knowing what to produce and inventing new technologies to produce it.
“But open markets don’t automatically translate into a better quality of life for every American. While most gain, some are forced to struggle with very difficult choices. Right now we have a half dozen programs to help displaced workers and another half dozen for people who aren’t working at all. We have an unemployment insurance program that’s right out of the 1950s, designed to assist workers through a few tough months during an economic downturn.
“That’s not good enough for America. And when I’m President, it won’t be good enough for me.
“I don’t seek the office out of a sense of entitlement. I owe America more than she has ever owed me. Thirty-four years ago, I came home from an extended absence abroad. While I was away, I fell in love with my country. I learned that what’s good for America, is good enough for me. I have been an imperfect servant of my country ever since, in uniform and in office, in war and peace. I have never lived a single day, in good times or in bad, that I haven’t thanked God for the privilege.
“You can’t sell me on hopelessness. You can’t convince me our problems are insurmountable. Our challenges are an opportunity to write another chapter of American greatness. We must seize it, and those of us privileged to lead America must remember the principles that made us great, have the faith to stand by them, the integrity to honor our public trust, and the courage to keep our promise to put the nation’s interests before our own. Don’t tell me what we can’t do. Don’t tell me we can’t make our country stronger, and the world safer. We can. We must. And when I’m President we will.
“I’m not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things. I’m running for President to protect our country from harm and defeat its enemies. I’m running for President to make the government do its job, not your job; to do it with less and to do it better. I’m not running to leave our biggest problems to an unluckier generation of leaders, but to fix them now, and fix them well. I’m running for President to make sure America maintains its place as the political and economic leader of the world; the country that doesn’t fear change, but makes change work for us; the country that doesn’t long for the good old days, but aspires to even better days. I’m running for President of the United States; not yesterday’s country; not a defeated country; not a bankrupt country; not a timid and frightened country; not a country fragmented into bickering interest groups with no sense of the national interest; not a country with a bloated, irresponsible and incompetent government. I’m running for President of the United States, a blessed country, a proud country, a hopeful country, the most powerful and prosperous country and the greatest force for good on earth. And when I’m President, I intend to keep it so.”
That’s the true definition of leadership.
Read the rest.
…Or so says Romney to the Politico:
“That, I will do,” promised Romney. “I like (Supreme Court Chief Justice John) Roberts and (Justice Samuel) Alito, I like (Justice Clarence) Thomas and (Justice Antonin) Scalia. I like that kind of thinking on the bench, and that’s the kind of justice I will appoint…
“…You also have decisions as an administration on things like abstinence education, on the morning-after pill, on teaching kids to wait before they have babies, on insisting on parental responsibility for a father who has an out-of-wedlock child. These policies are also important, and will become a major part of my effort to encourage a culture of life rather than the culture of death.”
The point here is (and it’s been made before) that the President is head of the party, and the nation. Not only do we need competence we need moral character. Romney’s personal life is impeccable.? Dean Barnett once wrote that while a driver for Romney, Mitt tried to convince him that he should practice abstinence before marriage. Romney could say this to Dean, however out of date Dean thought it was, because presumably Romney had practiced abstinence before marriage himself.
Romney has the ability to speak with moral authority on the need of strong families, having a moral foundation, and the need to protect the unborn- having protected the unborn while governor and counseling women to avoid abortions before governor. I think statistics show that during President Clinton’s tenure there was a laxing in attitude toward sexual behavior among teenagers, even a jump in those who believed oral sex was not sex. I am not saying that abstinence before marriage is a prerequisite for the Presidency in any sort of way, but I am saying the president sets the moral tone for the nation in many ways: therefore having strong moral character and a clean personal life is a great base to go from.
So the act of picking great judges is a wonderful thing, as we have seen the fruition of that in recent days, yet we shouldn’t forget the importance of promoting a culture of life and a culture of moral integrity. What good is any of our progress if our nation has lost these two things?
***Update***
Read comments 23 and 26.
Republican Mitt Romney would appoint an ambassador-at-large to prevent nuclear terror if elected president, arguing that avoiding a terrorist attack with unsecured nuclear weapons should take on heightened urgency in the United States.
Article ToolsThe Republican candidate, in a speech planned for Thursday night at Yeshiva University in New York, says such a person would have the authority and resources to cross agency and departmental boundaries, ensuring nonproliferation strategies are coordinated at home and abroad.
“Further, I would promote an international initiative to develop a new body of international law that would make nuclear trafficking a crime against humanity, on a par with genocide and war crimes,” according to a text of Romney’s remarks provided to The Associated Press. “By allowing for universal jurisdiction, charges can be brought up in any court preventing traffickers from hiding in complicit or weak countries.”
Romney says the acts of black marketeers trying to sell so-called loose nukes “should not be dismissed with the kind of nonchalance that accompanies routine violations of the law.”
David Brody had this to say:
This Mitt Romney guy is really something else. I’ve been researching the candidates for months now and Romney always seems to be ahead of the curve.
Tonight at Yeshiva University in New York he’s going to propose that as President he would create the position of a nuclear terror ambassador. You can read more on this by clicking here.
I’m not going to get into the merits of how that would work. My point is simply that time after time Mitt Romney seems to come up with innovative ideas before others. Look at healthcare in Massachussetts. You may not like it, but he’s thinking outside the box. Romney came into the Salt Lake City Olympic games and had a bunch of ideas to turn it around. The guy’s a successful CEO who is clearly a man full of ideas…
…Like a prize fighter, Romney is not up against the ropes waiting for the next punch to be thrown. He’s the one throwing haymakers. If he keeps it up with more fresh ideas, he just may deliver a knockout.
Here’s the latest from NBC News/WSJ:
NBC News/Wall St. Journal Nation Primary, conducted April 20th-23rd, 2007
- Rudy Giuliani 33%
- John McCain 22%
- Fred Thompson 17%
- Mitt Romney 12%
- Mike Huckabee 2%
- Duncan Hunter 1%
- Sam Brownback 1%
Click here for the Dems.
From Wapo:
Mitt Romney began airing commercials Wednesday on national cable networks at a cost of some $2 million in an attempt to boost his standing among the leading Republicans seeking the presidency.
The campaign also renewed an ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, a Romney adviser said. Most of the national ads will run on Fox News, a strategic effort by the campaign to reach conservative voters.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann, talk to reporters during a campaign stop at the Florida Capitol, Monday, April 23, 2007, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Coale) (Phil Coale – AP)
The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity because the campaign does not publicize its ad strategy. In the national ad, called, “I like Vetoes,” Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, says that as president he would demand that discretionary domestic spending be capped at 1 percent less than the rate of inflation.
“If Congress sends me a budget that exceeds that cap I will veto that budget,” Romney says. “I like vetoing.”
Besides Fox, the ad also will run on CNBC, MSNBC and CNN. The total cost of airing the ads is expected to be about $2 million and will run for more than a month.
Couple thoughts:
1. This is another bold step forward. His ads in NH, SC and Iowa resulted in higher polling. This is the beginning, I believe, of a larger media campaign that will build through Spring and Summer. I predict by summers end to mid fall it will be a tight race, within a few points of the top candidates. I also predict (off topic) Romney will do very well (top two) at Ames.
2. The 2 million for the adds is about 1/6th of Romney’s cash on hand as of April 1st. Evidently Romney feels that there is more cash to be hand. This shows some of the predictions of Romney not being able to keep pace in Quarter 2 with Thompson sucking the room dry are are cream puff ideas, since he is spending like he has the dough. Remember this guys knows how to make and spend money wisely.
No big surprise that McCain is winning his homestate of AZ, but the trend lines could be troubling for the Senator. From Cronkite-Eight out of Arizona (numbers in parentheses are from February):
On the Dem side, it is Clinton leading Obama and Edwards, like usual. Click on the link if you need the numbers.
The poll was of 827 Arizonans and has a 3.4% MoE.
…what’s Fred Thompson doing signing a new deal with ABC to be a daily political commentator on ABCRadio.com?
Thompson will “provide regular opinion and analysis” Monday through Friday on a program called, fittingly, “The Fred Thompson Report”. Here’s what Fred had to say about the sweet deal:
“The Internet allows — as never before — a real dialogue among the American people. There has never been a more important time in recent history to be informed as a nation, and my hope is that my commentary will contribute to that discussion,” said Thompson. “I’m looking forward to using the medium to its fullest.”
Fred’s first column is up today, and The Fred Thompson Report is the biggest thing on the homepage of abcradio.com.
Two things about this: first, up until just now I was fully convinced that Thompson was going to jump into the race. Now, though, how could he and have a political commentary show on ABC at the same time? What about all that talk about equal time and Law and Order and all that? Is he going to sign on for this deal and then break it next month when he announces for President? It’s just bizarre. The only thing I can think of is this was a short-term contract with ABCRadio.com, but I cannot find the terms of agreement anywhere.
And secondly, where can I go to get a job like that? I want to be paid for writing a column a day or so of political commentary!
It’s no secret that many conservatives have examined the current GOP field and found it wanting.? Senator Thompson continues to “show some leg” but has yet to commit to the race.? Many — myself included — fear the Senator’s tardiness could?stifle his fundraising efforts should he make a run.
‘Fear not’ says Bob Novak.? The Senator is poised to steal a page from the playbook of one Howard Dean (emphasis mine):
The two big Republican “non-candidates” for President — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and former Sen. Fred Thompson — topped a recent Oklahoma straw poll. Thompson took 38 percent and Gingrich took 15. This comes as yet another sign that Republican discontent for the big three candidates — Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) — overwhelms the Republican side of the presidential equation. Giuliani, who placed third, had only 9 percent.
Gingrich continues to hold his powder, hinting that any announcement will wait until the fall. Thompson, starting far behind in the money chase for the Republican presidential nomination, is considering adopting the 2004 tactics used by Democrat Howard Dean (D-Vt.) to raise campaign money via the Internet. All the signs of discontent at the grassroots level suggest that he could succeed in doing this.
(link not yet available from Evans & Novak Political Report)
Looks like “The Surge” has not hurt Sen. McCain in the Palmetto State:
Ayres McHenry & Associates 2008 South Carolina GOP Primary, conducted April 14th-19th, 2007
- John McCain 24%
- Rudy Giuliani 15%
- Newt Gingrich 12%
- Fred Thompson 11%
- Mitt Romney 10%
- Sam Brownback 2%
- Jim Gilmore 1%
- Chuck Hagel 1%
- Duncan Hunter 1%
Click here for the Dem results.
??????? Celeste Katz of the New York Daily News reports that Mayor Giuliani’s first presidential campaign public?unleashing of?his infamous temper occurred yesterday in Henniker, New Hampshire in response to an event participant’s pointed question as to how far our civil liberties should be impinged to fight the global war on terror.
Do not be surprised to find temperament becoming, as I think it should, an issue as this presidential race unfolds. There are a few candidates about whom this issue needs to be raised.
“Giulani warns of ‘new 9/11′ if Dems win” that is…
But if we look at the actual quotes, we see that Hizzoner was touching upon the same beliefs he has been trying to convey since before the 2004 election.
Let’s look at the quotes:
-”If any Republican is elected president – and I think obviously I would be the best at this – we will remain on offense and will anticipate what [the terrorists] will do and try to stop them before they do it,”
-”But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense [with a Democratic president], we will have more losses and it will go on longer.”
-”I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.”
-”The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.”
-”America will safer with a Republican president.”
-”This war ends when they stop coming here to kill us! Never, ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for [terrorists] to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!”
-”[Terrorists] hate us and not because of anything bad we have done; it has nothing to do with Israel and Palestine. They hate us for the freedoms we have and the freedoms we want to share with the world.”
-”The freedoms we have are in conflict with the perverted, maniacal interpretation of their religion.”
-”They were at war with us before we realized it, going back to ’90s with all the Americans killed by the PLO and Hezbollah and Hamas… hey came here and killed us in 1993 [with the first attack on New York's World Trade Center, in which six people died], and we didn’t get it. We didn’t get it that this was a war. Then Sept. 11, 2001, happened, and we got it.”
“Sexy” headline or not, the man certainly has a point…
Thanks to Steven Stark at the new Presidential Tote Board blog for the heads-up.
Today, I’ll be hosting Sam for a Students for Brownback rally in Steubenville, Ohio, the home of Franciscan University of Steubenville, a well-known conservative Catholic school. I brought Brownback here in October, and over 400 students came and loved him. He had such a good time he’s coming back again. After that, he’s headed out to fund raise in the area. I’ll certainly post up some pictures and video 
Probably not exactly the timing Huck wanted for the headlines this week. First comes the news that his “longtime aide” and fund raiser Jason Brady resigned from the campaign, stating “personal reasons”. This news came after Huckabee found out his former chief of staff who had signed on with the exploratory committee, Brenda Turner, told the campaign she was taking a break for an indeterminate period of time. Now, Huckabee spokeswoman Alice Stewart said that she wasn’t even sure Brenda was going to return from that break.
So less two of his key staffers, Huckabee proceeds to declare to reporters yesterday that he is the GOP’s best shot to beat Hillary next November. Huckabee’s argument is that she and he both governed in Arkansas (okay, so really it was her husband, but let’s not get caught up in details) and if folks just compared her results to his results during their different tenures, they’d see the clear choice to run the country. Nevermind that it’s been 20 years since the Clintons ran Arkansas and voters have a little more to judge Hillary by now, and that whatever Bill did down there a couple decades ago was apparently good enough to get him elected once already anyway.
If the old saying “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” is true, then kudos to Mike Huckabee for at least keeping his name in the news!
[UPDATE: A press release from Huckabee's campaign reveals they're following the Tommy Thompson strategy of putting all their eggs in one basket and packing up and moving their campaign from Little Rock to Iowa.]
On his radio show last week, Hugh Hewitt asked Fred Barnes what reason Harry Reid could have for invoking the language of surrender on Iraq.
Barnes responded that Reid is convinced that the Dems will win Senate seats on the Iraq War, and that Chuck Schumer has the polling to back up this assertion. Stoking feelings of hopelessness in the hearts of the American Electorate can only help this come to fruition.
Now I’m not here to debate the Iraq War (I personally would not withdraw troops before the milestones outlined by President Bush in numerous speeches have been achieved).
I am here however, to once again draw attention to how far “Brand GOP” has fallen in the past two-years; and my belief on how much farther it is likely to fall before it’s all said and done.
This was reinforced last week for me upon seeing the outcome of Rasmussen polling matching Gov. Bill Richardson against various GOP challengers.
Richardson is a great example of a “generic Dem”, meaning that he doesn’t have strong enough name ID for polling to be of significant predictive value yet should he somehow become the Democratic nominee. So to me, a poll showing Gov. Richardson besting Gov. Romney by nine points is significant only in showing the general mood of the country.
Worst news is a new Rasmussen poll showing Barack Obama beating Sen. McCain by six in a hypothetical match-up. That is a 14 point swing in 4 months. That is the toll that support of “The Surge” has taken on Sen. McCain (and God bless him for it).
Iraq will not be resolved by November of 2008; of that we can be certain. Lord only knows how much further “Brand GOP” will have fallen by then. I would ask my fellow Republicans to carefully evaluate which candidate(s) have the ability to stand firm on Iraq while simultaneously being able to transcend what will most likely be a significant gap in party affiliation.
Otis Sanford of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports on Senator John McCain’s disappointing performance in addressing the Economic Club of Memphis last week. Certainly it is not surprising that those down in Tennessee are eager to see former United States Senator Fred Thompson enter the race as their local hero. But the struggles of Senator McCain out on the hustings as an experienced presidential candidate are surprising.
It seems as if the presidential candidacy of former United States Senator Fred Thompson is a question of when and not if.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 April 2007
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Shaun Kenney
804.780.0111
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson to Highlight 2007 RPV Gala
Richmond, Virginia. (April 23, 2007) — Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Ed Gillespie announced today that former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson will be the keynote speaker at the 2007 RPV Gala in Richmond on June 2nd.
Thompson is a well-known actor and has an accomplished record at a United States Senator representing his home state of Tennessee. Thompson has also been speculated as a potential candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
The RPV Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Republican Party of Virginia held at the Richmond Convention Center and highlighted in the past by such national leaders as Karl Rove in 2005, Spencer Abraham in 2004, and then Governor George W. Bush in 2000.
For more information leading up to the event, please contact RPV at 804.780.0111.
Senator Brownback was awesome in last night’s debate with Sen. Dodd at Boston College. Like I have noted before, the Catholic vote is an extremely important voting bloc in America politics, especially in close elections like we have seen recently.
I personally believe Brownback truly embodies what it means to be a Catholic politican. Brownback is not afraid to defend Catholic doctrine nor does he stray away from its teachings like most politicians do; in fact, he embraces it. But what really puts Senator Brownback a cut above the rest is that he never comes across as trying to be “morally superior” to others, and always remains positive when talking about and applying his faith. He is a frequent user of the word “love,” which is rare in politics. While I think Senator Santorum was a great senator with a great voting record, I think many were turned off by his overall negative demeanor when it came to contentious social or faith issues.
Many also complain that conservative Catholic politicians tend to compassionately fight for the unborn, but don’t show much compassion to those who are born. The same can’t be said about Brownback, who fights for all humanity — whether it is a child in the womb, a man suffering from AIDS in Africa, a homeless person on the streets of DC, or victims of genocide in Darfur. One of my friends, who once worked as Brownback’s Senate driver, told me a story of how Brownback told him to drop him off at a DC homeless shelter. When he asked when he should pick the Senator up, Brownback said “in the morning.” He’s been known to do things like that. He is not afraid to truly practice what he believes.
With all the hype the media puts around religion and politics, and as the majority of politicians denouce their religion or say it doesn’t affect them in any way, its refreshing to see a major politican embracing his religion and letting it humbly effect his public policy decisions in the most positive way possible.
Anyway, here are some highlights from the debate:
Presidential contenders Chris Dodd and Sam Brownback, stepping beyond the traditional bounds of their respective parties, outlined a series of political differences Monday rooted in their varying interpretations of their shared Catholic faith.
The two, appearing jointly at a Boston College forum on faith and politics, differed on abortion rights, civil unions for gay couples and embryonic stem cell research. Nonetheless, they used modest tones to suggest both Democrats and Republicans could bridge such gaps with more tolerance for their respective positions.
On Iraq:
In a moment of agreement, both Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, and Brownback, a Kansas Republican, urged President Bush to work with Congress to devise a solution that will meet his demand for continued funding of U.S. troops in Iraq while promoting a diplomatic solution to quell insurgent violence and reduce the military death toll.
Brownback revealed he told Vice President Dick Cheney last week, during a White House meeting the senator requested, that the administration should consider a “three-state, one-country” solution in which Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis live independently but under the banner of a federal city in Baghdad.
The senator said his proposal, which he said he also shared with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, was met with no reaction from either man.
“I’m frustrated that both parties have gotten to more in the way of fighting than trying to figure out what we can do,” Brownback said afterward during an interview with The Associated Press.
On converting to Catholicism:
At another point, the senator said he switched from being an evangelical Christian to a member of the Roman Catholic Church four years ago because of the latter faith’s rich tradition.
“I love the depth of thought that’s there,” said Brownback, who was raised a Methodist. “Coming from the Protestant tradition, you don’t build as much on past people’s comments, with saints, and going into the Catholic church, you’ve got people thinking about something for 2,000 years, and it’s a great source of wisdom, and maybe I can appreciate it better than many who have been raised in the Catholic Church.”
More on Iraq:
The session’s moderator, Tim Russert, host of the NBC News program “Meet the Press,” prompted the discussion of Iraq by asking each senator if he felt the war there was just.
Dodd, who like Brownback voted in 2002 to authorize military action in the nation, said he now felt the war was wrong and the justifications “fabricated.”
Brownback said: “You make the call on what information and facts you have at the time, and I don’t think it’s fair to the troops on the ground to second-guess it four years later with the information you have at this point in time.”
On gay marriage and homosexuality:
While the two similarly agreed that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman – not gay couples – they differed in talking about their views on homosexuality.
Dodd, the father of two young girls, said, “I think it’s a good question to ask how you would like your children treated.”
Brownback, however, called homosexual acts immoral – as has the Catholic church – and said sanctioning them threatens the stability of traditional marriage.
“The issue is when you take away the sacredness or the uniqueness of marriage and you start redefining it, a lot of people just say, `Well, the institution doesn’t have the meaning to me,”‘ the senator said. “And you now see northern European countries where you have 80 percent of your first-born children born out of wedlock. You’re driving down the number of children in a stable family setting.”
C-SPAN taped this debate and will be airing it, and I’ll certainly let everyone know when it will be on.
Right: Senator Brownback talks with Boston College Law Student Danielle Huntley, who is the Co-Chair of Students for Brownback.
