Close, but no cigar

Ahh, to have George Burns' victory cigar right now. Alas, it appears that Fred is locked into 3rd. This is not the knockout blow of which he spoke. The best case scenario would be that Huckabee implodes in bitterness over Fred's campaign, e.g., Howard Dean. The MSM picked up on the Huck lost thread.

Of course, then Fred would be going back on his word, which would make him no different from the rest of (R) pack of candidates. Of course, neither has he won any races, which Romney has done in WY, NV, & MI. Part of the reason was the too-packed-too-close-together-primary-system. Fred should have started earlier and got his fire going sooner. He just started too late, which means that he was his own problem in the end.

Now, some are saying Fred for Veep. Sounds like an echo.

Better than expected?

CNN puts Freddy-Mac in 3rd, while NRO's Jim Geraghty waxes eloquent on the seeming limits of Fred's appeal. NRO's Campaign Spot talks about some limits on Fred's Success, however turnout will be better than expected. Fred still looks good.

Newsday's Tom Brune quotes University of South Caroline analyst Ben Glease saying "I still think things are quite fluid." The article states the usual CW

Still, the race here by most estimates is between McCain and Huckabee, each hoping to add to their momentum. If one of them wins, he will get a boost into Florida... But the stakes are highest here for Thompson. After a string of disappointing results in the earlier primaries, Thompson, a former Tennessee senator and one-time great conservative hope, bet his candidacy on this state.A third or lower finish could, in effect, finish his hopes, possibly leading him to quit. "I think he needs a win or show," Graham said.

Turnout will probably put Fred into 2nd, at best.

Broken-glass voting

According to Sister Toldjah, the voter turnout in SoCo is low. Early exit voting has McCain & Huckster in the lead. So anyone who wishes to vote will really have to want to vote. They will need to crawl over broken glass to do so. That is the kind of loyalty Fred has inspired. This may catapult him over the top. However, McCain has his supporters too, and the latest polls show Fred in 3rd, but a ways behind Huckster & McCain. Hope for a 2nd-place finish.

Over at The Corner, Jim Geraghty says there is real poll movement for Fredoso. Let's hope so. Of course, (R) voters tend to be tradition-bound, so that the person who deserves the vote gets t on their turn. Hence, the reason why from 1952 - 2004, every presidential election year, excluding 1964, featured a Nixon, Dole, or Bush in the POTUS or V-POTUS spot. Good, but not good enough for Fred, I fear.

Swinging Mo'

Even Rush Limbaugh & Richard Land have noticed the big M'o for Fred. Land sees South Carolina as Fred's to lose. Eric Erikson of Human Events sees the arrival of Fred and his hour. I still see a 2nd place finish at best, but hope for better things.

Pale Pastels & Taxes

One of the plethora of slogans in 1980 that helped make Ronald Reagan’s ideas workable was the slogan “no more pale pastels.” He opposed having slogans without any “umph” behind them. To be conservative was to be open and honest about them in the face of the screaming-mimies media.

Fred has been accused of having pale pastels. He has no main running theme, just the fact that he’s conservative. Contrary to this accusation, he does have the best tax plan. In the Wall Street Journal article about the tax plans of all (R) candidates, and Rudy G.'s most recent plan, they opine about the G-man's three tax brackets.

Mr. Giuliani would retain the mortgage and charitable deductions on his alternative tax form, no doubt because he fears their political power. In this sense, his plan is inferior to Fred Thompson's optional flat tax (two rates: 10% and 25%), which is the simplest and best reform in the field.

Both candidates have shorter tax forms, which should take under 15 minutes to fill out, unless of course the person wants the optional old form with its hours of work.

The WSJ also gave full treatment to "Flat-Tax Fred" in it's November 28, 2007 article saying

Mr. Thompson wants to abolish the death tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax and cut the corporate income tax rate to 27% from 35%. But his really big idea is a voluntary flat tax that would give every American the option of ditching the current code in favor of filing a simple tax return with two tax rates of 10% and 25%

Good for Fred, and good for him to describe how tax cuts help stimulate the economy. Tax rebates are really just another form gov't spending. The Democratic method of Gov't spending more and more is just a form of streoid economics.

Poll Variables

The Clemson University Palmetto Poll (.pdf) claims McCain leads and Fred's 4th. It has many weaknesses.

1st: it has about a 5% margin of error.

2nd: about half (46%) said they may change their minds during the last 24 hours.

3rd: 17% are still undecided.

4th: the sample size was not “likely voters,” but really only weakly registered (R) voters: “Respondents were chosen… if they voted in at least one of the past four (R) primaries.”

Even the final sentence from Clemson reads, “We find a very liquid environment in the state and the race still subject to change.” The race is wide-open, though the statistical accuracy of this poll and others shows that Thompson may charge up to 2nd.

Huckabee freefall

The Huckster seems to be dropping fast. First RCP's SoCo poll avg has him as the only candidate dropping in the polls for the last week. Second, he is making anti-Thompson push-poll phone calls. Third, he just flip-flopped on Amnesty by signing an Anti-amnesty pledge, oh so very late in the primary game.

His poll numbers may be worse than they seem. Otherwise, he is trying some bareknuckle campaining tricks to test the mettle of his opponents.

Engergy Independence

On CNN Fred talked about the US economy and pushed for a fuel position that keeps us from Saudi caterwauling. His view is that

It's not in the United States' long-term interest to go hat in hand begging people to do things that in the end we know they're not going to do... What we need to concentrate on is diversifying our own energy sources here in this country and opening up what oil reserves that we have here [in places such as ANWR, edited out by Reuters], using nuclear more, using clean coal technology more and all the other things that we can do, [including research, instead of going hat in hand to these OPEC countries, edited out by Reuters]. (via Lexis-Nexis)

Note the omissions of ANWR and entreprenurialship. Fred does not seem to say that we need to drill in offshore oil rigs, and make more domestic refineries. Unless that is what Fred meant by "opening up what oil reserves that we have here in places such as ANWR.

Give me cheap gasoline. Refineries and drilling platforms would be a good start.

The Rise of Fringe Candidates

Let me add my two cents worth to the debate as to why the Huckster & Paulus have so many votes. Many of my acquaintances are Firm Protestant Calvinists (FPCs). They fit every profile of normality and are totally family-oriented. They do their best to walk the straight-n-narrow and attend two church services, morning and evening, 'bout every week of the year.

The FPCs vote mainly to keep Democrats out of Power. Their #1 issue is Pro-Life. The #2 issue is that at least (R) party will give some sort of freedom to religious organizations. #3 & #4 are a mixed bag between foreign policy & taxes. (R) candidates will try to keep taxes lower and will at least fight a war to keep some of our enemies away. The Democrats are pro-abortion, pro-murder, pro-racism, pro-homosexuality or pro-hedonism, in short.

The 2006 elections showed the corruption of (R) candidates on almost every issue from greed, to adultery, to gov't spending. Now, the FPCs have done the Google searches, seen impressive websites, and watched the Youtube videos from the kook fringes of American Society. They slowly start to believe that our Presidents, Bush & Clinton, knew of 9/11 in advance, actively participated in it, or worked in some sort of cover-up. The behavior starts to border on irrationality. The chief explanation lies in the fact that the Gov't and now the party of Reagan are corrupt through and through.

Then comes a barrelful of (R) candidates: one is Mormon and maybe no friend of Christianity; one is NY Republican or Liberal; one is not conservative on most issues having lost to Bush in 2000; one is unheard of and not doing well, probably just another (R) candidate; one is very open about his Christianity, very pro-life, humorous, and has a new idea about taxes; and one is very small-gov't and wants to do something about the mess in Iraq.

The last two seem Fresh & Different without ties to the formerly corrupt (R) party. They also probably did not participate in the 9/11 conspiracy. That's it.

Fred Slowing

According to Zogby & Clemson University it appears as if Fred might only make it to 3rd place in SoCo. Right now he is in a statistical dead heat with Romney for 3rd. Considering that Zoby tends to understimate (R) voters and conservatives, then Thompson might do better in SoCo.

RCP's poll avg. put's Thompson rising again, but near Mitt Romney. Thompson may rise high enough to make a surprise 2nd. However, it appears as if conservative voters are split between Romney, Huckster, and (R) guy.

In good news, Thompson wins the Instapundit Straw Primary by a wide margin, 65 - 14. He wins the Pajama Media's Straw Primary by the same margin, 63 - 13.

Looks like Fred's best chance is to go for Veep. It would fit well with his laid-back style.

The Yard Sign Argument

All this talk of Fredmentum reminds me of the old argument that many callers make to talk radio hosts: There are bunches of political and presidential signs in my neighborhood supporting the candidate. I just know he will win. The problem is that sector will vote strongly for the guy, but not many other sectors will. This does show that there is passion for (R) guy

To begin Peter Robinson transcribes 6 awesome e-mails in the Corner showing how Fred has the Big Mo'. One e-mailer reports

I took with me a friend who was contemplating voting for Mike Huckabee. After the rally my friend simple said WOW! I confirmed he is now voting for Fred.

The only somewhat down e-mail says that the rallies are bigger, but that all smiles are fake. This is all a step forward, and might get him to 2nd place. Another e-mail reports great excitement, but GA was the home-state of the e-mailer. Did many others do the same? Again, this is another step forward.

Event the NYT grudgingly admits of the MO' for Fred. The Corner takes note.

In hard dollars, Fred's goal of 540K, has been blown away. The Red Truck reports breaking the 1 Million-Dollar Amount.

Prof. Bainbridge points out that Fred is not in last place when (R) candidate are run against Hillary or Obama

Fred even sounds the conservative and Christian theme to be charitable yourself and not rely on guvmint so much on the guvmint to do all your work.

Fredmentum - TM

Looks like news of Fred is getting out. Track that to the date when this blog endorsed Fred for POTUS in IA.

Human Events endorsed Fred Thompson for (R) nominee. As they say,

The Club for Growth has praised Thompson as someone who has a strong commitment to limited government, free enterprise and federalist principles... [We say h]e is solidly pro-life. He said that he was in favor overturning Roe v. Wade because it was “bad law and bad medical science... Thompson’s record is solid on voting to preserve gun owners’ rights, cut taxes, reduce government spending and drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has voted consistently against gay marriage.”

Their article also lists his limitations in regards to Clinton impeachment, McCain-Feingold, and pro-trial lawyers.

Now The New York Republican Party endorsed Fred. The state is not exactly a conservative Bastion, (e.g., Rudy G. Michael B., and George Pataki), but it’s a start. Favorite Son Rudy gets a fistful of nada. Maybe because Rudy’s biggest backers were always the Media.

Fred has raised the stakes in SoCo, claming he is “drawing the line”. Go ahead Fred: Rage Against the Machine© or at least, start sounding Conservative themes. He also claims he is going to “draw some contrasts” in the next debate. That should scare the other Republicans, who will hear the hoof-beats of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow behind him. He already started at the last debate. How will Mitt do so? Show that he has changed the most??

While Fred’s YouTube opponents apologize to him, his supporters Blogburst over Fred’s stated goal of 540K. Fred then shows that Huckabee lacks conservative credentials.

In actual news, Fred’s campaign e-mailed that they had to shut the doors to potential voters at a campaign stop in SoCo.

Fred is also a potential hunting partner of VP Cheney, and gives the good ol' stink-eye to taxes.

Way back, on Nov. 13, 2007 National Right to life endorsed Fred Thompson (.pdf).

If the conservatives have truly fallen in love with Fredoso, then look for a swarm of articles and columns in the next week. The same happened with J. Kenneth Blackwell during Ohio’s gubernatorial election. One week they all seemingly portrayed him as a knight in shining armor. Sadly, the result was that his numbers stayed the same: horrible, as in the 35’s through voting day.

You al$o pu$h a few coin$, Fred'$ way: donate to Fred08.

Michigan turnover

A new coach enters the coaching fraternity of a major University, has no ties to the Institution, axes all the assistants (except 1) who had done all the former recruiting, and brings in an entirely new offensive scheme. It's not much of a surprise that the stud quarterback leaves for greener pastures.

Rodriguez seems quite confident, which might forebode not the best of things for the recruits he signs.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

There Goes Reason

Maybe it's because he did not receive the airtime of the other candidates, but seemingly the only Voice of Realism has dropped out of the Democratic Primary. Until he dropped back in, mabye. An erie, haunting echo of 1992 airs its head, there being a slight link between he and Ross Perot. Richardson's wacky stance: Iraq troop withdrawl by 2009.

As of 12:30 a.m. EST his personal website lists nothing in its press releases or campaign blog about his dropping out.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Yogi Berra's Fork

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." So goes the legendary quote of Yankee's catcher Yogi Berra. Thompson has a fork coming in SoCo. It appears from RealClearPolitics that he will finish 4th there in about 12 days, though there is a longshot hope that he will capture and pass Romney.

In Michigan, where the West-side (R)s are conservative, Thompson finishes 5th.

Perhaps this blog should have started sooner.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Thompson

Having endorsed Thompson for Veep, the esteemed Mr. Lowry raises the possibility of the Scarecrow becoming Veep for McCain(RINO). If that's the case, I'm registering as an Independent and will vote 3rd party come November. I can only hold my nose for so long.

I already did so in Michigan's 2004 and 2006 Congressional House elections, when U.S. Representative Vernon J. Ehlers was running for reelection. Who knows, I probably voted for a more liberal slate than the Democrats.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Hard NH numbers

*Updated*

Here are my hard numbers: Got to CNN for other ones. The totals are that out of the nearly 851,000 (850,836)votes possible in NH, about 517,000 (517,226) were cast, which is about a 68% turnout. The Dems got 54.9% (284,050) and the Republicans 45.1% (233,176).

Fred Thompson received approximately 1.24% of the (R) total (see kook comment below). This means that this blog is more powerful than a Republican Presidential candidate.

P.S. Look for Britney to improve slowly, for now. Who knows, maybe she will be a better Aunt than a Mother. (See Hillary-Britney)

N.B. 3rd party candidates were not counted.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Sweeping up after

It remains to be seen whether Fred Thompson's NH vote total can score more votes than this blog has gotten hits. So far, he's not winning. On the plus side, he placed second in Wyoming, a Red State, though Romney walloped him by nearly 40%.*

One reason why he performed badly, is that he did start way too late to become familiar in a crowded (R) field. Second, he said so many times that he did not want to run or really become President that the voters finally said, 'O.K., we believe you.' They pulled the lever to vote for others. Third, he is not a maverick or kook like all others in (R) field, excluding Romney, so Thompson is more normal, which doesn't appeal to the NH voters. Fourth, his flip-flopping on abortion did not help. Fifth, his hot wife is matched by John McCain's, so that negates the 'chick' factor.

*Odd how the Dinosaur Media made no bones about the Wyoming race. Of course, B. Hussein Obama was not running, nor Hillary Rohdam. They figured that it was just a vote in flyover country. Better wishes for Fred in SoCo

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Randomizer

Sometimes (ok, many times) Microsoft Word annoys me. So many words that should be recalled in their spell-check database are not. The words prissy, buxom, stays (on a corsage), infernal, spindly and hemp do not exist, and these are all words taken from, Johnny Tremain, a winner of the Newberry Award.

Fix it Mr. Gates.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Mitt & flip-flopping

It seems to me that the (R) candidates are going about the flip-flopping the wrong way.

Q: Who ran for the Senate as a Whig candidate in 1856, as a Republican in 1858, and for President in 1860, having flip-flopped his way to the White House?

A: The very same person whose 1860 advisers compromised on a number of stances and when told to stop by him, "Make no contracts that will bind me", said that they were winning him the White House "Lincoln ain't here and don't know what we have to meet... [H]e must ratify it". This gave AL culpable deniability, i.e., he was freed from any guilt by association. He never tried too strenuously to rebut those agreements.

A: The very same person whose flip-flopped from his earlier slave position, moderate abolitionist wherein he had said on Dec 24, 1860 to the Senate Committee on Crisis that the Constitution should be amended never to interfere with slavery, unto full abolitionist with the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863.

In short, say that they are flip-flopping to the moral and right answer. Mitt Romney's lack of support in 2003 for GWB's capital gains' tax deduction is five years removed from 2008. Lincoln flipped twice each time about 2 or 3 years removed from his former position. Romney looks staunch anti - compromiser in comparison to AL.

Bring up Winston Churchill's changing of parties from Conservative to Liberal and Liberal to Conservative to fit the times. Later on in life WSC was never a full conservative, who repealed all of Clement Attlee's socialistic programmes.

Relate how Ronald Reagan flip-flopped on taxes after having raised them once early on in his first term to his having seen the light. Tell the voters about RR's writing of the most liberal abortion law to his having characterized that bill as his biggest mistake. Explain about RR's change of parties and then say just as cleverly as he, without plagiarizing, that the (D) party left him.

Else NRO and Ramesh Ponnuru print pre-primary articles focusing on flip-flopping.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Sipping Cat-Poo Coffee

One way I stayed awake while twice driving cross-country was coffee. I drank so much during those trips and during the 2-week holiday season that I have taken the unprecented step of not drinking any for 3 days and counting. However, one item I saw back "home" in G.R. interested me. It was about a rare, expensive brand of 'poo' coffee. Here is a slightly edited version from the local rag, the Grand Rapids Press on its Jan. 1 edition (via the Gale database):

The Rockford Education Foundation [will] serve[] a rare coffee roasted from beans extracted from the excrement of the Indonesian luwak, a member of the cat family that dines on coffee berries...

The luwak poo, however, has as much to do with the beverage as moose "tracks" have to do with the ice cream. Coffee connoisseurs say the animal -- also known as the Asian palm civet -- instinctively picks the choicest fruit and imparts flavor to the bean with its stomach acid.

"The animal picks only the ripest fruit. That's all he wants. These beans are the select beans," [coffe store owner Floyd] Havemeier said. "The bean is protected as it goes through the digestive system. The acidic part of the stomach creates some unique flavors."

The brew can go for as much as $50 per cup, but will be sold at a discount Jan. 12 during the foundation's annual benefit concert. Ticket-holders for the sold-out show featuring actor Jeff Daniels can get a 5-ounce taste of Kopi Luwak (Indonesian for civet coffee) for $5. About 50 more coffee-only passes will be made available Friday for trying a $10 sample.

Only 500 to 1,000 pounds of Kopi (Indonesian for coffee) Luwak enter the marketplace each year. "You're looking at over $1,000 there," store owner Floyd Havemeier said, showing off three 1.1-pound bags of the beans. "I can't really develop a market around this because it's probably all I'll ever see in my entire life."

The coffee is being donated by Herman's Boy, a Rockford coffee shop whose owner bought the beans from missionary friends looking to fund their work in Indonesia.

My question is, what does the flavor taste like: French Roast, Colombian, French Vanilla, Cappuccino, Espresso... I have drunk cherry coffee from a Benton Harbor (SW Michigan) gas station on my journey to the Mitten State. That brand seemed too dry for me and bit too flat. Also, is the luwak coffee caffeinated? I would hope so, because the chemical dependency plays a part for most coffee drinkers. Any more info

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Atlas Blogging

Our endorsement of Fred Thompson helped push him into 3rd place in Iowa. NH is a different mark. Think VP for Fred.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Atlas Blogging II

The power of this blog continues to reverberate. About a year ago, this blog linked Hillary with Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. Ever since then, Hillary's success has paralleled that of Britney's and Anna's. Ms. Smith has now departed the scene. A foreboding of things political?? Rumors of Mrs. Clinton's exit from the campaign run rampant.

As Mrs. Federline continued with her bizarre behavior, so also did the success and fortune of Mrs. Clinton. The only way that Mrs. Clinton will succeed will be if Mrs. Federline revamps her career, which, alas, will not happen any time soon.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Return

I have now also heard some Ron Paul Radio Ads in Michigan, so the front-runner Romney might be in for a struggle, ala Iowa

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--

Day off

There will be very little blogging today as the family drives back home to Northern Colorado from Western Michigan via I-80 through Iowa just after the primary election. Hooray for sleepless nights.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

This crazy season

A front-runner who really isn't, but is, in a way.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Hope

There is good news from Iraq. Michael Totten has all the info.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

The Dog Muzzlers

Earlier today, this blog criticized Thompson for his stance on the McCain-Feingold muzzle, while others implicitly did the same thing. Quick, somebody send The Des Moines Register to Sir Fred.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Voting & preferences.

With the seeming appearance of Hillary cratering in Iowa, it just might happen that the Reagan coalition will not push the any of (R) candidates to victory in Novemnber.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Big League Ball

No sooner does this blog crow about its great stature, than does the truth come out. D-League ball on this ball, while the Big League All-Stars continue to be the movers and shakers, re: Huckabee, Romney & McCain. Alas, at least Thompson has us.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

A Yoast to Victory

What made New Year's day worthwhile. It's also worth a video recap. Now my team starts afresh with a coach with a cloud of suspicion hovering over him. Hmm, this not portend the best of things, but let us wait and see. Mean while, just savor the vicotors valiant

Doug Benc/Getty Images

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Michigan Blogging

I came home for the holidays back to Michigan. So far have I heard only Mitt Romney on the radio touting how he cut wasteful spending in MA and plans to do more as POTUS. He also is the only one to air TV adds.

I always look forward to cheesy campaign adds, which means I disagree with Fred's stance supporting McCain-Feingold. Romney is 2nd best outside of Fred Thompson.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Atlas Blogging

Classical Greek mythology spoke of Atlas, the god who held up the world on his shoulders, as a punishment. Should he move at all, the whole of earth would be impacted. This blog too as a form of impressment (affects?) US Events.

Action: I reported earlier today about the expected marching activities at the Rose Bowl Parade by She-who-shall-not-be-named.

Effect: America boos her and Instapundit reports. She is not arrested for protesting gov't actions.

Action: This Blog endorsed Thompson for (R) nominee in IA.

Effect: Instapundit semi-endorses Fred for (R) nominee.

In short, this blog acts and the world moves.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Iowa

On Jan. 3, vote for Fred Thompson Iowa voters, though Mitt Romney would not be a bad choice for second. Here is a gala of videos about Fred: His own 17-minute pitch, Fox News part 1, Fox News part 2, and CNN's Late Edition. His foreign policy and tax policy give me the most confidence. Mitt seems too much the flip-flopper, though is way better than the others.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

How Sad

Via Instapundit & Gateway Pundit, we learn that She-who-shall-not-be-named will try to wreck the atmosphere of the Rose Parade and this beautiful football Tuesday. She-who-shall-not-be-named will march in the very last position in the Parade.

The war that is opposed by She-who-shall-not-be-named is the very reason that She-who-shall-not-be-named has the freedom to march without fear of death.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

One-of-a-kind

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, important events took place and Dave Barry catalogued them all in the Miami Herald, kinda. Note ye well that the event of the year took place way back 11 months ago in January, when Big Hair bestrode the colossus of T.V. to rage against Big Mouth. Barry quips,

2007 - January... As the debate over Iraq intensifie[d], the eyes of a worried nation turn to another trouble spot: New York City, where Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell are locked in a bitter high-stakes battle to determine who is the bigger horse's ass.

An event that could take place only in America.

Of course, you are reading his newspaper column on the web and this blog. The decrease in newspaper circulation and increase in internet news reading was a story not noted by him. Then again, he is a humorist. More credit to this blog or here.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Into the Wilderness

In Pakistan the political party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan People's Party (PPP), is choosing a path to political obscurity. The party members voted to have her 19 yr.-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, run the party in the eventual future. They also approved of having her husband operate for the next few years. The Washington Post explains,

Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, whose reputation has long been tainted by corruption charges, will run the party for at least the next several years.

Voting on emotion, the PPP loses any influence that they might have had. Even National Review echoes this sentiment in its State of Doubt editorial,

But a bold and effective civilian politician from the current opposition parties is also needed to provide the democratic legitimacy and mass support for such boldness.

No such figure is on the scene — Nawaz Sharif is neither popular nor strong enough to do the job even if he were willing to do so. Bhutto had crowded out strong rivals in her own party (and her own family too).

If in the upcoming elections the Pakistani voters choose a leader based on traumatic emotions, Buhtto's PPP will hold the levers of power in a state controlled by other mightier political factions. The government will run on auto-pilot, and the PPP will only think that they are in control. The end result is that our own national security is compromised in the short run.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Good Cameras & Bad

My mother uses a Nikon Coolpix 5600, 5.1 mp with a 3x zoom that takes mediuim quality pictures and uses rechargeable AA Energizer batteries that very rarely wear out. I keep hearing that the square batteries are better and last longer. I don't like the delay between pressing the picture button and the actual film exposure.

We have a Sony 7.2 mp DSC-S650, 3x zoom, with 1000 ISO .Any opinion? More info forthcoming...

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

What a Year

After a 10 month hiatus, I return and low and behold, the influence of this blog only magnifies with time.

1) Giuliani's campaign is tanking ten months after the post stripped bare the pseudo pro-life credentials of America's mayor. US News and World reports that he is not even contensting in IA, NH or MI, but is waiting to put all his eggs in SC and the Super Tuesday of Feb 5. They write

As for Giuliani, he is playing down the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire, where he lags badly. He is counting on Florida to give him momentum on January 29, a week before the megaprimary day of February 5. Giuliani's strategy has always been based on his winning a number of the big states that day, including New York, New Jersey, and California, and emerging on top of the delegate tally.

A strategy that focuses on regaining the Big Mo' after a month of bad election returns, will seriously damage to his chances. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, Editor-in-Chief of US News & World Report, extrapolates on that sentiment in his December 23 column, where he pontificates about the 'US Grant of 9/11',

Giuliani has long led the national polls, [but] His campaign has been seriously weakened recently as the media focus shifted to his personal life. He is hoping to survive the early primaries and then do well in Florida and Michigan before hitting the big-state primaries of February 5.

2) Instapundit now offers RSS feeds, which are available in IE7 format. I lay claim to having sent the e-mail that wore down his defenses. Just like voting, Nag 'em early 'n' nag 'em often.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

A Freudian Campaign

On my Christmas trip back home, I trekked through Iowa and near I-80 saw a John Edwards campaign sign that seemed quite Freudian.

It said http://johnedwardsob.com/. I thought that went beyond the line and was quite offensive, until I got closer and realized it was a campaign slogan that directed me to this website. Humorous.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Iowa's worth - while or less- caucus

Over at the Washington Post's blog Right Matters, renowned conservative and pro-life commentator Ramesh Ponnuru criticizes the Iowa caucus for not representing American in terms of cultural make-up (mainly Caucasian farmers), numbers participation (only 7% of available voters), accuracy (they picked Reagan in '80), and cost-of-living (ethanol).

My response is to shrug the shoulders rather than rebut his argument or justify the rules of the DNC in Iowa. I write

Think of Iowa as the play-in game during "March Madness." The 64th and 65th best teams of NCAA, Division I, men's basketball compete for the chance to be decimated by the supposedly best team in the country. The winner of this 1/2-round has no conceivable hope of advancing past the 'real' 1st round. They simply play first because those are the rules.

Iowa is 1st because inertia dictates it, not because representation dictates it.

He has a point about the overall worthlessness of having Iowa go first, but so do the other responders that no real alternative exists to replacing Iowa with a better option.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Guilani: no pro-lifer

I disagree with the American Thinker blogger Kyle Ann-Shiver over what POTUS can do for the pro-life position. She lists 3 main power that a president can use:
1) appoint strict-constitutionalist judges
2) not veto any any pro-life legislation
3)veto any anti-life legislation.

Here she errs. POTUS can appoint a soliticer general and an AG who look for cour cases to prosecute in order overturn Roe v. Wade by fighting for the side of life. The AG & SG are not just defensive warriors reacting to the circumstances of the moment, but rather are proactive litigants fighting for the ideas of the party that put them in power. This is one power of the Presidency and at times why party I.D. is important. This is what happened in 1983 when RR wrote the Abortion & the Conscience of a Nation. The money phrase is

[m]ake no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution... No serious scholar, including one disposed to agree with the court's result, has argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to create such a right.

Second, POTUS can propose more pro-life legislation through influencing various sympathetic members of Congress. After RR wrote his pro-life masterpiece, Jack Kemp and others labored for the pro-life cause. In response to RR's booklet and the famous Baby Jane Doe case. Congress passed the Child Abuse Ammendment and RR signed the bill into law in October, 1984 (The idea of a Christian Statesman is not something that I am necessarily in full agreement with.)

Third, POTUS can cut off US foreign aid for organizations that promote abortions. This is what RR did in 1984 with his Mexico City policy and GWB followed suit in 2001. Clinton had undone this provision in 1993 by supporting the aborting of foreign babies. In 1985 Congress cut off funds to any organization that mandated forced abortions and/or sterlizations.

Guilani has not pledged yet to do any of these. SCOTUS judges are an imporant step, but Guiani still needs to make many more steps to fix the whole problem. I remain unconvinced.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

JKB returns

JKB is back with an article that one would expect from him: the need for gun freedom vis-a-vis the 2nd Amendment. The historical narrative is especially scintillating.

Best wishes to him. However, had he run in the way suggested by Matt Naugle's post-election right-angle blog, he might have won. True enough that TS had serious issues, but in the year of Pelosi/Reid (she should have TIME's man of the year) he should have run against Taft's corruption/cronyism.

If JKB is RR, then don't forget that in the GOP's bad year, 1987 & Iran-Contra, Regean disappeared and for good reason. He reappeared after Ollie North left Capital Hill, gave his "Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall" speech and successfully transferred his Presidency to Poppy Bush.

JKB continues his bi-weekly columns by focusing on yet one more attack against free speech. However, its an argument that's been made before.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Only in America

The definition of Slow News Day, followed by the bizarre and the strangely fascinating continues to unfold, while the Witch of Endor rides again. Enjoy your day with some decent, weighty reading. I'd not vote for my local guy G.R. Ford, but instead Ronald Reagan.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Senate shakes and runs

As Instapundit links to here, the entire US Senate cowed before our blogswarm post about Cinco de Porkbustero. Who knows, maybe the GOP has learned a lesson from their electoral spanking.

Fear our blog.

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Cinco de Porkbustero

Well, well: Porkbusters go international. Let's hope McConnell, Lott, Blunt and Boehner are reading this,

[w]e will account for every peso the citizens have given to the government. Transparency and accountability is the responsibility of every democratic government -- Felipe Calderon, Mexican President.

However, it would be economically better for Mexican citizens were Calderon's gov'mint to cut marginal tax rates, cut the budget's rate of growth and cut overall spending. The salary reduction is the political equivalent of the Mexican government's putting the bow on a lump of Christmas coal. It does not change the gift, but only adds something that is sometimes unnecessary. Corrupt gov't is still corrupt gov't and graft is still graft. This is a start, but...

"My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all."
-- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Misery loves company

This makes me happy: my schadenfreude

"We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back.My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address to the Nation --

Election aftermath

Well, the election is over and my guy lost, big-time. He got walloped, while I did nothing over here. I could give a litany of reasons for bloggin so little, such as grad school, family, church, student-teaching, etc... but in the end, it was apathy, lethargy and a disappointment in what was happening and self-denial in watching the polls not move.

I blamed my guy, but now that everything election-wise is done, I see that it was GOP incompetence and probably I'm part of that. My guy's errors will be dealt with in another post. As for me, a conservative who refuses to blog is not the reason why anybody lost, especially because 1/2 of the people who visited my website (see the counter at the bottom) are spammers, the remaining 1/4 are visits from myself and the others are repeat visitors, so not many people are impacted or effected (affected?) by my opinions. Count me as one more anecdote demonstrating why the GOP lost support amongst its base and the independents. Drudge ran a story in the first week after the election that showed that the (R) party received around 27 million votes for Senate. Compare that to the nearly 65 million who voted for Bush. The reason nearly 40 million less voted was corruption, overspending and Iraq.

That being said, herewith follows some more anecdotes about problems I experienced in trying to help the GOP in the recent election. The GOP transmission contained more sand in the gears than fluid.

I tried to sign up for the State of Ohio Blogger Alliance (SOB) blogroll, got one e-mail that asked if I was from out of state, to which I said yes, and then nada. Either I'm a worse blogger than I want to admit or they didn't care. Another prominent Ohio Blogger demanded that any blogger on his blogroll be from Ohio. It was as if I saw the sign that said, "beware of dog, owner has a gun and no solicitations" and left. Certainly, I should be blogging more, as that is the nature of blogging, but when an in-state candidate needs funds and support, the last thing any political party should be doing is turning volunteers and opinion shapers away.

Here is another thing: One week before voting day (Oct 31) I signed up online with Michigan's Kent County GOP webpage to volunteer for everything in any way. I gave them my name, phone #, e-mail address, snail-mail address and clicked on every possible option, even the "mug those voting for your opponent" option. Disclosure: I did not volunteer to be an intern. KCGOP response: nada in the form of phone calls, phone messages, e-mail messages or snail mail.

I did get GOTV slips from the GOP in my postal mailbox, phone-calls and phone-messages from the MI GOP candidates, but nobody wanted my help. I also volunteered to be a precint delagate, but apparently I'm supposed to fill out some .pdf form. However, I never received any e-mail, automated or otherwise, telling me I had screwed up and needed to follow directis when I fill out forms. So I printed off a sample ballot for my wife and we voted to shoot doves in MI, but discovered that we would have to keep our recipe for shish-ka-dove on hold. We were anticipating using our really swell Ranch marinade and garlic baste in order to denderize the dove meat. Maybe next year.

To top it off, I e-mailed both Michigan Senators, Stabenow and Levin, about whether they were the person who put the porkbuster bill on hold, and Senator Levin respsonded saying no and then blah, blah, blah for a long paragraph. Senator Levin is not even up for reelection this year. No wonder the Democrats won.

In Ohio I signed-up to be on an e-mail list during the primaries for Blackwell, Petro & Strickland. I got on Strickland's e-mails right away and received 2-4 messages per day from him, but nothing from Petro and Blackwell. I tried again with both (R) men and this time got some info from Petro, but nothing from Petro. Finally Blackwell won so I resigned up with both he and Strickland, as I hadn't checked my e-mail for 30 days, so the computer mainframe stopped sending me stuff. Strickland is still sending press-releases, and I do not remember exactly, but it does seem to have taken awhile for Blackwell to send me an e-mail. Attention to detail is important, especially in a political transmission.

Again, the candidates lost on the issues, not my minor problems. However, the problems at the top seem to have trickled-down to all levels.

Well, that's enough about my problems, but, positively, I will make some formatting changes here in order to deal with various content that appeals to me, rather than strictly Ohio politics. I will be fortunate to make 3 posts a day, let alone 1 on some days, but we shall see.

Blackwell's poll surge?

An Aug 29 - Sept 5 Zogby Interactive online poll showcases JKB as surging. While the Rasmussen Report said that Blackwell was getting walloped 57 - 32, Zogby has JKB losing 47.5 -41.8. This represents a 20% change in position, +10% for JKB and - 10% for Strickland. If true, then JKB has roared back and the poll does not even consider his commanding debate victory.

However, Zogby's interactive online polls have a somewhat questionable methodology and lack the accuracy of his phone polls. Most people figure that he uses these polls as interregnum popularity measures, i.e, between his phone polls he needs the media attention and a way toe set himself apart from JKB. Thus, the poll could be surveying white collar business types who have greater access to the Internet. Business votes (R) more so than (D), so the result could be expected.

Regardless, the polls deserve watching because Blackwell seems to be heading upward.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

More Blackwell victory

Steve Hoffman's post-debate commentary in the Sept. 8 Akron Beacon Journal merits consideration. He basically claims that debates have become so scripted and boring that he would rather have one candidate wildly accuse the other of secretly hiring homosexual sympathizers (see 1986 & Republican Rhodes' accusation of Democratic Celeste ). That part of his article can be ignored, since infamous campaigns differ from intense, involved campaign, but the part examining the debate has value. Hoffman criticizes that

[t]he candidates for governor stuck to the script, with Democrat Strickland bashing Republican Blackwell, Ohio secretary of state, for being part of a corrupt "Taft-Blackwell" administration.

Lame-duck Republican Gov. Bob Taft has some of the worst poll numbers ever seen. But he and Blackwell, while both Cincinnati Republicans, come from very different wings of the party. Mostly, the conservative Blackwell has given the moderate Taft a pain in the neck. But Strickland knows the charge will be effective in a year of growing discontent with all things Republican.

Blackwell went after Strickland, a six-term U.S. House member from Lisbon, by cherry-picking his votes on taxes, a common tactic. Blackwell is trying to hang Strickland as a tax-and-spend liberal, continuing a line of GOP attack on Ohio Democrats that began in 1984. Strickland avoided specifics on his plans for the future (which would invite a GOP cost analysis) and repeatedly denied that he would raise taxes if elected governor.

Blackwell succesfully rebutted TS' charges that Blackwell is part of Taft and Hoffman notes that. TS however never rebutted Blackwell's charges that TS voted some 50 times to increase taxes. TS' next re-rebuttal, that he voted four times to decrease tax-burdens on middle class families, was successfully swatted down by JKB's other semi-official blog, http://www.TelltheTruthTed.com.

This leaves JKB accuracy oints ahead and as having won the first debate.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Debate followup:Blackwellian (update)

JKB has a new education ad up at YouTube (HT Right Angle Blog). I don't know if the ad is especially ground-breaking, but I love the fact that the add works for my 56K modem, downloading video and audio in a snap. I'm such a sucker for any political add, which is why McCain-Feingold bummed me out. There is nothing like Sept/Oct when each new ad labels the opponent as the spawn of rats. Oh well, the add is smooth and flows nicely, explaining the positive. it answers my criticism of their post-debate press releases.

It's possible I erred earlier in claiming the JKB Blog delayed its summary of the debate. I've been having some issues with Mozilla Firefox and its cache update each time I visit a site, and so have to hit refresh. Their detailed post explanation of Ted's tax record helps clear the air of TS issue warping.

The Club for Growth gives TS a zero rating and ONN nails Ted in a YouTube video for being a liberal rather than the moderate he claims to be.

The Ballot Box decisively evidences that JKB won the debate. Too bad JKB didn't claim such in the debate, but rather called it a first punch. Actually the important thing for the candidates to remember for the fourth debate is not to have the debate at noon or 1.

BB begins the post by noting " [h]aving had a chance to read about and review from today's [Ohio] gubernatorial debate...". The post time is 10:30 at night. This means that he and the other pundits were busy doing other things, and so only a few (Nix-guy) could live-blog the debate. Everything else was review, even on Sixers and The Corner. By the time of most posts, the usual after-work and after-school chaos drowned out the noise.
Somebody better tell the candidates, this is it, boys. It's all there is. This race is not the same race for state SOS or AG. This ain't a sweet potato(e?) - red potato(e?) kerfuffle. Throw your chips in and steam ahead. Like my old high-school cheer went
Stand up, be proud, say your name out loud, "I'm JKB, and here's where I stand."

Evening debates between 7 - 9 work the best, since the day's errands are done and many families are relaxing, thus allowing them to do the thinking required by the debates. Midday Cubbies and Tig's games play well to audiences, but that's because the blue collar worker can buy tickets, listen and still work, leave and stay up-to-date, get updates at break, etc... The while the white collar worker can buy box seat tickets, talk to the blue collar guys, switch the radio earpiece for the office phone's earpiece and still seeem to be working. Plus day games for MLB last three, not one hour.

Of course since JKB got first-sentence play fromthe AP, it means that he won big time. Strickland's second-fiddle status tried to link JKB & Taft, but failed since it's well-known that JKB strongly criticized Taft for increasing the sales tax.
JKB also focused the leadoff and first 1:30 of Ohio's Public Radio on taxes and Strickland's no-new-taxes-pledge. (Real Player).

In the end Blackwell dominated throughout, including his humurous one-liner at the end about the Springer-Taft relationship.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Debate 1 held today (updated) JKB winning

The first debate between Strickland/Blackwell was held today at noon in Youngstown, OH, on an open topic. The WFMJ 21 news has a complete video of the event. (HT - Right Angle Blog)
Click on the Ohio News Network for a summary. The Headline

- Ohio Governor Candidates Argue Over Stands on Taxes -
favors JKB, since it lets the public know that JKB fought Taft's tax increases. The headline also puts Strickland on the defensive, since it gives wind to JKB's claim that Strickland plans to increase taxes. Furthermore, this tax exchange took place between minutes 9 - 15 out of the one hour debate. Thus a so-called neutral party votes for the (R) candidate.

The Cinncinati Enquirer Blog has a summary, repeating some of what's here. Their part about the protesters causes some humor, with important parts about taxes.
The Ballot Box analyzes the race in depth and it too focuses on the tax angle, pointing out that Club For Growth gave TS a rating of 0, worse than Nancy Pelosi.
TV Station WFMJ21 also focuses on the taxes angle, though they leave out Strickland's lack of pledge.
The State of the Union Blog also has numerous stories on Tax'n Ted and their failure to deny the truth of TS' tax increases.
Tune in on the 6th for tax and other analysis from the Blackwell v. Strickland blog.
The Nixguy.com blog also favors the taxes issue going to Strickland, with Strickland wilting under the big lights
Nixguy.com helpfully live-blogged the debate and the fashion show.
The Openers blog of (Cleveland) Plain Dealer busts TS for focusing on the way past of the wacko left netroots who try to blame JKB for throwing Florida 2000 to GWB. Uhh Ted, the talking points are devil-faced Katherine Harris selected rather than elected the President. They miss the taxes angle.
No other S.O.B. blogger posted anything on the debates by Tuesday midnight. Will post more as time allows and others catch up.
Negatively: A Townhall.com search of the blogs using the words Ohio and Blackwell produced no recent results, and nothing at all about the debates.
The Sixers blog entitled their brief summary of the debate Strickland - Brown debate coverage, though the follow up info gets JKB's name right and says that the latter man won. Perhaps as a make-up post Greg Pollowitz explains about JKB's and TS's use of YouTube and MySpace as well as telling about Blackwell's new blog www.TelltheTruthTed.com.
Pick a newspaper and they'll say the match was a draw: translation - the (R) candidate won. Remember the '92 presidential campaign when Bush stared at his watch and Perot was too short for the stool. Those were Clinton's big victories. Nothing here, which means JKB won round one.
Actually, the noon debate was payed attention to by very few, including those in the blog world. Too bad the debate was good.

Briefly: JKB said Strickland will raise taxes and TS said I'm the change & JKB = coingate + Taft.
The candidates debated the Iraq war, but ONN said nothing about it. Why not say anything about it, especially when the national security issue hurts (R) candidates and helps the (D) ones. Maybe, because Strickland lost that part of the debate too.
ONN is going to replay the debate @ 11 p.m.

Here is JKB's summary.
The salient items of his post are

• When asked to directly answer if he would pledge not to raise taxes, Strickland avoided the question.
• An angry Strickland, acting like a second-grader, commented that Blackwell’s ideas were bad and his were good.
• Strickland could not answer a question on how much money from the state budget he would direct to specific proposals.

Here is TS's summary.
Focusing on spurring economic growth, improving the state’s education system while lowering college tuition costs, and expanding access to affordable health care, Strickland laid out a positive agenda for change.
While Strickland emphasized returning honesty and accountability to state government after the corruption scandals that have plagued Columbus, Blackwell insisted he should not be lumped in with the failed Republican leadership he has been a part of for the last 12 years. But Blackwell’s actions speak louder than his words: he still refuses to release his tax returns, even though Republican gubernatorial candidates for the last 35 years have done so.

TS's Blog also has a summary rebutting JKB in all four debates already, a bit premature shall we say.

JKB's Blog delayed publishing a post and then seemed to do the opposite of Strickland, by putting in the informatin that focused only on taxes. Too bad, a larger post would have provided a more effective megaphone to sway public opinion.
Both blogs could have linked to their press realeses or put up the information on the website that they handed out at the debate.

Props to JKB for a short summary and accurately noting that TS hasn't give monetary values for his proposals.
TS helps himself by summarizing his agenda, but is very short on specifics. He also in calling Blackwell the establishment candidate. JKB was not, but Taft was.

Both candidates attack each other and spend as many words on negative as positive. Gotta love press releases, I mean really, they could be served at local fairs as stand-ins for cotton candy, since both are pure fluff and a harmful energy jolt. In the end the taxes issue will resonate with the Ohio voter.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Labor Unions buy Strickland

And, in the "Mankind dies without Oxygen" type of headline, the Dayton Daily News posted a Sept. 4 story reporting that Labor Unions have thus far unanimously endorsed Ted Strickland. They have particulary supported him with their money, giving him nearly $700,000 in contributions, which equals about 8-9% of his total 8.5 million collected. The paper errs, saying that TS collected only $6.2 million.

The paper tries to criticize JKB by noting that he has not garnered any union endorsements while Taft did in 2002, but a different article notes that union membership roles are declining. This means JKB supports employment that increases jobs and wages, i.e., WalMart etc..., while TS supports business practices that go the way of the railroads, i.e, very few working at a very high pay-scale.

Interestingly Ohio has tried to enact right-to-work laws that don't demand union membership as a condition to employment. The unions hope this law departs to the political equivalent of hell. Yet the Supreme Court allows for conscientious objectors: employees who still pay union contributions, but do not partake of contract negotiations, yet they can't be fired for doing something different than the union. Another version of conscentious objectors allows both sides to decide to contribute the dues to an agreed-upon non-profit group.

IN the end, JKB has not followed the way of tax-increasing Taft & Strickland, but his own way to keep taxes low.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Strickland's poor leadership

There are more doubts about Strickland's leadership. Phillip Morris, associate editor of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer's editorial page, sums up in 604 words, his page B9, August 29 op-ed by querying,

[w]ho really cares whether Strickland voted against a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman? The far greater issue is, can the man lead? And on that score, he remains a mystery - and vulnerable, despite his lead in the polls
Strickland has yet to evidence anything approaching talented, senior-level leadership, either in his past or in his current uninspired and timid campaign for governor.
The way he has acquiesced to the Blackwell camp in the arrangements of debates, as well as his failure to advance a single original, creative solution to the myriad problems vexing the state, make him look like a back-of-the-packer who somehow ended up at the front of the herd.

Actually, the Ohio state voters cared in 2004 when over 60% voted for a constitutional ammendment that banned gay marriage and consequently wounded judicial activism. Hence Strickland can't lead and remains an adversary to Ohio's socially conservative voters.

Again, there is also the 'lowered expectations' bar here, so that if Strickland shows any show of leadership the press can trumpet his improvements. Yet, another theme at work here is the worries about Strickland's leadership issues.

JKB by contrast remains in-step with Ohi0's socially-conservative voters.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Strickland's problems

Mark Gottlieb predicts in the August 16 Dayton Daily News on page A16 (commentary) about what will happen in the election.

Making political predictions at this advanced stage of an election year is way too easy to be considered respectable work. So, herewith a longer-term prediction:If J. Kenneth Blackwell loses the election for governor, he will be back. But if Ted Strickland loses, he's done for, at least for high office.

At the point of Gottliebs editorial, Strickland was leading in the polls by double digits. So why be worried about Strickland losing? It implies two things, the first of which is nervousness about Strickland's true lead. The second is being able to show what weaknesses Strickland has overcome, which in this case are doubts in the voters minds should he lose.

Both are at play in the commentary, but once again Strickland's friends are nervous about him leading.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell risin'

JKB has shown his leadership skills again by setting up the debates. Even the opposition organ,
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer notes in an August 28, page B7 editorial

[w]hen it comes to debate-rigging, Blackwell has called the shots and Strickland has let himself be led around by the nose. That glimpse of Strickland's leadership qualities ought to trouble every one of his supporters.

In politics the Challenger always wants more debates and the poll-leader wants less. Yet TS agreed to four debates, which means he's runnin' real scared about his position. Of course the above sentence should include the following caveat: That glimpse of Strickland's leadership qualities ought to trouble every one of his supporters, including us.

I'm back after summer and no, the house is not painted.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Strickland seeks Hillary, Kerry approval

Ted Strickland was busted on Friday, May 19, when he sidled into New York for a fund-raiser hosted by Hillary Rhodam Clinton. To show his deceptiveness, Strickland has said nothing. The May 24 article by Joe Hallet is worth reading in its entirety. It shows the liberal side of Strickland and how his conservativism on guns is fake. Remember the Clintons assaults on the NRA. Hallett writes

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ted Strickland quietly slipped into New York City on Friday for a fundraiser hosted by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
Known for its openness, the Strickland campaign was unusually tightlipped about the event. Keith Dailey, Strickland campaign spokesman, said it was held at a private residence, but he declined to name the owner, saying only that "it's not anyone famous."
Dailey said about 100 people attended the fundraiser, but he would not say how much money was raised. Gubernatorial candidates can accept individual contributions of up to $10,000.
Clinton came to Ohio to raise money for Strickland's congressional re-election campaign in 1998, when she was first lady.
Saturday night, Strickland was the beneficiary of a fund raiser in Toledo headlined by Sen. John Kerry, of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president.
Carlo LoParo, spokesman for J. Kenneth Blackwell, Strickland's GOP rival for governor, said Strickland "is a classic tax-and-spend liberal, so it doesn't surprise me that he's holding fundraisers with John Kerry and Hillary Clinton."

The support of Kerry and Clinton shows the true colors of Strickland: liberal blue-state. Which means no tax-cuts, more gov't spending and anti-abortion legislation.

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JKB's legislative influence

Blackwell's influence is showing in his poll gains but also in his getting laws passed, and only as a candidate for governor.

Jim Siegel reported in the Wedneday May 24, 2006 edition of the Columbus Dispatch, page A1, about how JKB influenced the the Ohi0 House, Senate and Governor's mansion to craft modified TEL legislation (more here and here). Siegel writes

The tension and rapid-fire movement finalized a deal between Blackwell and Republican legislative leaders. Blackwell will ask the petition committee to remove his TEL amendment from the ballot -- and the committee assured Gov. Bob Taft yesterday that would happen -- in exchange for lawmakers passing a less-restrictive bill.
In less than 26 hours, the House and Senate approved a Tax and Expenditure Limitation plan that would cap state government spending at 3.5 percent per year, or the combined rate of inflation plus population growth, whichever is greater.
It took only seven hours from start to Taft's signature for a bill giving the petition committee the power to pull the TEL amendment off the November ballot.
Taft had to sign the latter bill quickly because the petition committee must act to pull the TEL amendment off the ballot at least 60 days before the Nov. 7 election -- and the bill does not go into effect for 90 days.

The people were supporting this bill enmasse and the politicos heard the voices. This is political victory for Blackwell, because he also heard the dissenting voices who moaned and complained that they would have millions and billions less funding dollars today than if Blackwel's bill had gone into effect some 15 - 20 years ago. Blackwell got his victory, and in a small sense so did the opponents.

Of course had the bill gone into effect, the tax burden on Ohioans would be a lot less today leaving them more money with which they could grow the economy and thus put more dollars into the coffers. Those complaining and opposing viewed the whole transaction through the Keynesian economics rather than market principles.

Another thing to note is how the newspaper editorialists, i.e, those on the editorial boards have made public their opposition to this bill. Since they run the boards and have some form of influence on the rest of the newspaper production, do not be surprised if the papers continue to come out against Blackwell.

So far, Ohio's opinion leaders oppose JKB. Yet the voters have elected JKB to be (R) candidate, the legislature has approved a candidate's legislation, and the polls are showing some sort of JKB gain. Hmm, we sense a trend.

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Blackwell gaining in polls

The Dayton Daily News and AP promote a recent Unniversity of Cinncinati-sponosored poll that shows Blackwell gaining in the polls. This poll of 698 registered Ohio voters has Strickland leading 50 - 44 with 7% undecided/other and a 3.7% margin of error.

Both news networks err in two ways: First No numbers were given about how the poll was weighted, i.e., were there more (R), (D) or (I) voters; and second, neither story mentions that during the primary season JKB trailed TS by 12 points. Blackwell is moving up and it has only taken him about one month.

Plus, polls of registered voters are unreliable indicators of the final outcome. They generally favor (D) over (R), so perhaps JKB is closer than the poll indicates. Regardless of its accuracy, the poll does not help the candidate of either party. The poll was written to fill up column space.

The DDN spotlighted William Hershey's 5-26 story on page A4 and Julie Carr Smyth's AP story was posted at 5:10 pm EST.

update: NPR's Ohio edition gets it right, when Jo Ingles reports on Blackwell's gain (Real Player req). She does not however list by how many he has gained.

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Blackwell the racist: part 1,543,428

The Dayton Daily News runs a May 10 editorial (free reg req) that hints at Blackwell being a racial sell-out and ends up giving him a good-boy, good-dog pat on the head. The opinion begins by noting that the primary race was free of racial overtones and issues. It notes that most people vote (D) because the (R) party does not address minority issues. After all the racial Nixon adopted the "Southern Strategy." The racist Republicans opposed affirmitive action. The racist Bush administration tried to limit law school quotas.

The money quote is the final few paragraphs in the editorial. The newspaper writes,

Mr. Blackwell might also lose votes because he's black, of course. But the race factor didn't seem to hurt him much in a primary where nearly all the voters were white and conservative.
Not long ago, it was conventional wisdom that black candidates did worse in elections than they did in polls, because some people who were planning to vote along racial lines wouldn't admit that to a pollster.
But that was back when black candidates were always Democrats.
It's a new era. That's a good thing. And the people who are grinding their teeth know that better than anybody.

Notice here the condescending congratulations the newspaper gives to the GOP and JKB. It is similiar to an owner who pats his dog on the head for fetching the newspaper. Doggy want a treat?

The newspaper fails to note that conservatives and (R) voters vote on principle and self-achievement more than elecatibility. The opposition to affirmative action falls under the self-inspiration category. Plus it was the Democrats that enacted "Jim Crow" laws and Democrats who opposed the 1964 and 1965 civil rights legislation. Republicans voted for the 1964 & 1965 acts. Because Barry Goldwater and a few other (R) senators voted against the laws based on constitutional opposition, LBJ and the DNC successfully labeled Goldwater and the 1964 GOP as anti-racial.

Of course since the race is out this early, this could signal desperation on the part of the Democrats.

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Blackwell the Racist: part 1,543,427

The race card is out after Blackwell's primary victory. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) ran a May 10 column by Ohio University's Thomas Suddes, wherein Mr. Suddes claims, (via Lexis-Nexis)

[i]n the war to define Republicanism in Ohio, Blackwell ran best in counties most open to harangue-from-the-balcony appeals - of, say, a George C. Wallace in 1968 or of the Detroit Catholic "radio priest" Charles E. Coughlin in the 1930s. (Coughlin was one of the "Demagogues in the Depression," to cite historian David Bennett's study.)

Yes, JKB's victory makes him a racist like presidential contender Wallace and radio host Coughlin. This historical parallel falls apart because JKB is running for governor, not president or Roman Catholic Priest. Secondly, Wallace was based in Atlanta and Fr. Coughlin was a national host (possibly). Mr. Suddes reasoning is more full of DNC talking-points than any worthwhile analysis.

Mr. Suddes deserves credit for using various polling data to support his claims. (Brief side note: did you know that Hitler was a racist?). The chief ground of support underlying Mr. Suddes reasoning process is the numerical fact that

[i]n 1968, no big nonslave state gave Wallace a bigger share of its presidential vote (12 percent, one in eight votes) than Ohio did. And Coughlin's 1936 proxy (William Lemke) ran better in Ohio than [he did] nationally.

Again take note that JKB is not running as a national candidate but as a statewide candidate for governor. The comparisons continue to decay. Mr. Suddes should have found a governor's candidate who campaigned similiar to JKB for the reasoning to work. He did not. He failed.

Mr. Suddes also notes that JKB is not running a "pocket-book" campaign but a "God-guns-gays" campaign. So, Blackwell deserves criticism for choosing principle over donor-slobber? Pointing out the rest of the flaws in Mr. Suddes racist rhetoric is a waste of engergy. Read the column and see for yourself.

One final note: playing the race card so early might be a sign of desperation on the left. Take heart and be of good cheer.

Final exams are done for the semester and so is the senior theses in History. Blogging should improve.

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Blackwell is racist: part 1,543,426

An AP report (via Lexis-Nexis) on May 8 stongly hints that Ohio's black state Treasurer Jenette Bradley lost because she is black and female. Her white opponenet Sandra O'Brien toured with JKB for the campaign.

When Bradley said, "Things like race and gender, they can play both ways... Obviously so, since Ken won and I lost," she strongly implied that her race and gender hurt her, but helped JKB. (By the way did you know that Hitler was a racist?)

But wait a second, it turns out again that issues and principle swayed the voters. From the get-go O' Brien focused on the differences. O'Brien e-mailed on Day 1,

"[w]ith regards to the social issues, I am pro-life. My opponent is pro-choice. I am a National Rifle Association member and support the Right of all Americans to bear arms. According to published reports, my opponent was against concealed carry in Ohio."

Oops for the AP. Once again (R) voters chose the candidate who agreed with them on the issues of life and guns. Principle over politics. Gender and race had nothing to do with the choice for treasurer.

Plus, Taft appointed Bradley to the office, and voters are sick of the governor's corruption and RINO actions. Genuine conservativism is the cure.

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