BRILLIANT IDEA
This is one of the best ideas I have read. What do you think (it was on the Laura Ingraham message board so I cannot link):
The Republicans need to go on the offensive NOW....
Introduce an emergency PROTECT THE PAGES AND INTERNS ACT. Any Congressman who is sexually bothering (physically or through correspondence) ANY page or intern, regardless of age, will temporarily resign pending investigation.
If the investigation determines there was sexual misconduct, that Congressman will be out the door, without any of the wonderful Congressional perks.
Any personal correspondence of a personal nature between a Congressman and ANY page or intern will be done through the Congressional page office (i.e., copied) and/or their parents will be copied .
See how many DEMOCRATs will vote for passage.
Also: New bumpersticker.
Soft on terrorists. Hard on fags.
The pages and interns aren't there to be hit on by our sleazy politicians. Many companies have policies like this, I don't see why we can't expect the same from our Congress.
And while the congress is gathered to voice vote in this emergency legislation, attach the legislation that DEMOCRATS SANDBAGGED, that minors could not be dragged across state lines to sneak an abortion.
I find it really ironic that the party that thinks its wrong to inform the parents of possible sexual abuse and its subsequent abortion of a minor is calling foul over these messages.
Posted by Aaron at 10:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Foley Was Molested. So What?
Honestly, that's the LAST thing I wanted to hear. Being molested by clergy is NOT an excuse to go after others.
Former Rep. Mark Foley was molested between the ages of 13 and 15 by a clergyman, his attorney told reporters Tuesday. David Roth said the admission was made as part of Foley's recovery program at a treatment center for alcoholism and mental illness. The escalating scandal erupted Friday when Foley resigned amid questions over e-mails he allegedly wrote to a former page.
He gets no sympathy from me (the priest should be in jail).
Posted by Aaron at 06:27 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
no one was ever made aware of any sexually explicit email or text messages at any time
I fail to see how there is even a suggestion of cover-up.
Charles wants me to start calling him Chris again!
This sounds perfectly reasonable and logical.
Posted by Aaron at 05:27 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Lock the Sick Bastard Up
Okay. I'll say that I respect that he had the decency to resign, unlike Democrats. But he is just sick. I just hope he never actually touched any of these children.
I was going to post on an article yesterday by Brian Ross where I thought this was blown way out of porportion. I commented how all these leftists were immediately ready to condemn the man for asking for a page's photo.
Boy is there egg on my face! Sick, sick, sick is right.
But nothing is in a vacuum and we must take this in context; let's not forget that there are people (Democrats) STILL in office after even more incidious behavior. Let us stroll down memory lane:
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
In October 1992, Republican Senate nominee Rick Reed began running a campaign commercial that included a surreptitiously taped interview with Lenore Kwock, Inouye's hairdresser. Kwock said Inouye had sexually forced himself on her in 1975 and continued a pattern of sexual harassment, even as Kwock continued to cut his hair over the years. Inouye, seeking a sixth term, denied the charges. And Kwock said that by running the commercial, Reed had caused her more pain than Inouye had. Reed was forced to pull the ad, and while many voters took out their anger on the Republican, Inouye was held to 57 percent of the vote – the lowest total of his career. A week later, a female Democratic state legislator announced that she had heard from nine other women who claimed Inouye had sexually harassed them over the past decade. But the women didn't go public with their claims, the local press didn't pursue the story, and the Senate Ethics Committee decided to drop the investigation because the accusers wouldn't participate in an inquiry.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
In response to a story in the Aug. 25, 1989, Washington Times, Frank confirmed that he hired Steve Gobie, a male prostitute, in 1985 to live with and work for him in his D.C. apartment. But Frank, who is gay, said Frank campaign button he fired Gobie in 1987 when he learned he was using the apartment to run a prostitution service. The Boston Globe, among others, called on Frank to resign, but he refused. On July 19, 1990, the ethics committee recommended Frank be reprimanded because he "reflected discredit upon the House" by using his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets. Attempts to expel or censure Frank failed; instead the House voted 408-18 to reprimand him. The fury in Washington was not shared in Frank's district, where he won reelection in 1990 with 66 percent of the vote, and has won by larger margins ever since.
And let's not forget the molester-of-interns-in-chief, President William Jefferson Clinton.
Posted by Aaron at 06:38 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Mud not Sticking on Allen
I am telling you, the race card is has been played too many times by Democrats. This kind of Anita Hill - Boating of Senator Allen will fail.
Aericans just opened up their hearts, homes, wallets, schools, and churches and took in hundreds of thousands of displaced blacks from New Orleans and don't want to be lectured by uppity WHITE Democrats who's a racist.
Chrissy Matthews was on Laura Ingraham this morning and said he was waiting for the next poll to come out to determine if Niggergate has helped Jim Webb, predicting they would be even.
No dice.
Allen up by 5 (with 8 million left to spend). I sure hope Senator Schumer has wasted a LOT of money in VA.
Also, what do you think Schumer thinks about all hype about Allen's Jewery? Any invitation to Channukah dinner this winter???
Posted by Aaron at 06:57 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Twin Cities Brace for Herd of Elephants in 2008
Actually, this is a brilliant political move before the 2006 elections. The talk of this selection and what it will do economically for the area will help GOP exposure and cadidates in the mid-west before 2008.
WHOOPS! THAT'S THE WRONG PICTURE (THANKS, PAUL!!!)
Republicans have chosen the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul -- in the politically pivotal Midwest -- for the 2008 presidential convention, GOP officials said Wednesday.
The selection was expected to be announced later in the day, said the Republican officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The convention is slated for September 1-4.
Losing out were New York City, Cleveland and a joint bid from Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida., other cities that had sought the convention.
The four-day event will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild.
Posted by Aaron at 03:12 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Republicans are WRONG on School Searches
This is outrageous and conservatives and libertarians need to speak out against this bill.
I cannot believe that a republican sponsored this bill (one who is featured ni the Washington Post today as a vulnerable candidate). It wants schools to develop strip search policies!!!
Granted, it gives the local school the right to develop the policies - but this is something that does not need to be done.
If a child is suspected of having drugs or a weapon and needs to be strip/cavity searched, then the school should simply call the police and have the child removed from the premises.
The police can then call the parents of the student and allow them to be present during the search.
Why is that so hard to do?
Posted by Aaron at 03:57 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
UTTER DISGRACE
I hope he gets lots of time in jail and not at a Club Med federal facility either:
Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges in the congressional investigation into corruption and bribery involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to the Justice Department.
Ney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements in a deal in which he will cooperate with the Justic Department's influence peddling investigation.
The plea deal was filed Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Posted by Aaron at 12:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Michael Steele TV AD 2
This is a REALLY good ad. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Posted by Aaron at 06:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Mitt Romney is growing on me
The more I see and hear from this guy, the more I like.
He's smart, conservative, HANDSOME!, and has a very sexy voice and demeanor that will be comforting and assuring for 8 years.
I will admit that I have misgivings about his Mormonism. I still believe that it is a cult - not a denomination...but I am sure I'll get over it.
Posted by Aaron at 05:41 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Steele's New Ad
Some are saying this is his first ad. It is not; I saw a horrible one he did for Hot Air a month ago. This one is perfect for Maryland. It kinda has a "Montel Williams Goes to Washington" feel to it that will play well in the black and white communities.
Posted by Aaron at 01:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Katherine Harris: Deceiptful and Needs to Drop Out
She stinks of corruption and needs to drop out of the race; we don't need our own Florida "Torch":
U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris received a grand jury subpoena from federal investigators and concealed the fact from top campaign advisers hired to help her deflect negative publicity, her former campaign manager has disclosed.
"Yes, there was a subpoena. She didn't tell us," said Glenn Hodas, Harris' third and most recent campaign manager. He said he learned of it in June while reviewing invoices from powerhouse Washington lawyer Benjamin J. Ginsberg and confronted his boss.
The invoices, Hodas said, were for work relating to a "DOJ subpoena," referring to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The discovery culminated in the latest round of staff departures, in mid-July, Hodas said. Those resignations included Hodas and a campaign spokesman.
"Finding out about the subpoena caused me to wonder about what was going on and what else I didn't know, but I don't want to comment any further on what appears to be a pending investigation," said Hodas, reached by telephone Tuesday.
I would LOVE to see Tommy Franks run!
Posted by Aaron at 10:18 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Poor Performance
I ridiculed the poor performance by Nancy Pelosi on Meet the Press a couple of months back. I just got done watching Dennis Hastert on Fox News Sunday and he sucked just as bad. There were several awkward pauses and incoherent answers. I'll look for a transcript later to link.
Posted by Aaron at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Conservative, Republican Black Woman To Take on McKinney
Go and donate. NOW.
CNSNews got the interview:
A little known African American woman announced Thursday that she will try to unseat Georgia Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who has been mired in controversy since she struck a U.S. Capitol policeman in the chest with her closed fist.
Catherine Davis, a human resources manager who has never held elected office, said she is running because McKinney's "dismal legislative record and her outrageous behavior are an embarrassment to the hard-working folks in my district." McKinney represents Georgia's 4th Congressional District.
Davis is conservative. She favors a strict approach to immigration reform - the immediate securing of the borders and deportation of illegal residents, privatizing Social Security, Health Savings Accounts, school vouchers and the Fair Tax, which would eliminate the federal income tax and establish a federal sales tax.
She was beat once, she can be beat again!
Posted by Aaron at 08:41 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Saying "Boo! Hiss!" to Tom DeLay
FOXNews.com is featuring an opinion column about Tom DeLay written by Susan Estrich, a Democrat who was campaign manager for Michael Dukakis' presidential bid. [To read the opinion column, click here.]
I have heard Estrich speak on FOX News, and I don't often agree with what she says, but I find myself agreeing with what she says about DeLay.
Here are a couple of excerpts from Esstrich's column:
Tom DeLay didn't invent pay to play. Both sides have been doing it for years. But he probably went further than anyone else in institutionalizing the action.
There is a reason, a very good reason, that people think less of the Congress today than they ever have in the past.For this he [DeLay] takes pride?
To me, DeLay represented one of the bad things about the U.S. House of Representatives. In order to explain that bad thing, here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry about DeLay:
He became known as "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline in close votes and his reputation for exacting political retribution on opponents. . . DeLay was elected House Majority Leader after the 2002 midterm elections, and was credited in recent years with compelling House Republicans to march in lock step, especially in support of President George W. Bush's agenda.Here is what I think is bad.
If I were a House Republican, my duty would be to vote according to the desire of the majority of my constituents, so long as that desire didn't violate the U.S. Constitution.
Yet, what would happen if the desire of my constituents conflicted with the desire of Republican Party leaders?
If such a scenario had happened while Tom DeLay was in Congress, no doubt DeLay would have pressured me to ignore the desire of my contituents and to vote the way that he wanted me to vote. If I didn't do as he wanted, then he would have sought a way to punish me. After all, DeLay wasn't called "The Hammer" for nothing.
IMHO, Tom DeLay was a congressional bully, and I am glad that he has left Congress.
Side Note: If members of Congress want public opinion of them to improve, then it would help if they were to remember that they were sent to Congress to serve their constituents, not to march lock-step with the leaders of any political party.
Posted by Dodo David at 09:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
LA Times Reports on More Possible Republican Corruption
Looks like further house cleaning is in order. I do not defend Republicans who are corrupt. If he is guilty he should be removed from office immediately.
Thanks, CQ.
Posted by Aaron at 03:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Senator Suckers?
Could this be the plan? The Republicans are showing not only a difference between Democrats and Republicans, but between conservative Republicans and leftist Republicans?
Our biggest vunerability is losing the House and, right now, the House is positioning itself to inspire people to go to the polls for them because they have been more true to conservatism than the Senate.
If you get the base fired up to go to the polls to keep the House, they'll probably also pull the lever for the Senate candidate as well.
Posted by Aaron at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
SBA News
The outgoing (This is a total hit piece, much of it treating the truth as secondary):
Chapman says SBA in a shambles, from his press release...
Embattled SBA Administrator Leaves Agency in Shambles, Says American Small Business League
Wednesday May 24, 8:20 am ET
PETALUMA, Calif., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The five-year reign of outgoing SBA Administrator Hector Barreto has left the agency a gutted shell of what it was when he took office in 2001. The SBA's dismal performance under Barreto's leadership has been chronicled in ten Federal investigations and two private studies that uncovered fraud, abuse, and lack of proper oversight in virtually every major SBA program.
And, as Barreto allowed the SBA's operating budget and staff to be cut every year, a government-wide survey showed that the morale of SBA employees plummeted to the lowest level of any Federal agency.
Barreto has drawn the ire of both houses of Congress and from Republicans and Democrats alike. The small business committees in both the House and Senate have grown accustomed to the false and misleading information he delivers on SBA performance. New York Representative Nydia Velasquez was so angered by Barreto's attempts to mislead Congress that she publicly accused him of "being dishonest" in a Congressional hearing last year.
A 2003 Government Accountability Office investigation found that Mr. Barreto had allowed Federal small business statistics to be inflated by reporting billions of dollars in contracts to large companies as small business awards. After a subsequent Congressional hearing on the matter, the SBA was forced to remove the names of 600 large businesses from its PRO-NET database, which at that time was the main source for government procurement officers to find small business contractors.
A 2004 report commissioned by the SBA Office of Advocacy found Barreto had permitted awards to firms such as Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman to be reported as small business contracts. The same report found "vendor deception" - another word for fraud - was one reason for the illegal contracting activity. To date, Barreto has refused to take any action to address the abuses.
In 2005, the SBA's own Office of Inspector General issued four reports that documented continuing cases of fraud and abuse. Report 5-15 stated that, "One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today is that large businesses are receiving small business procurement awards and agencies are receiving credit for these awards." Still, Barreto refused to take any action to address the problems.
Report 5-14 found that during Barreto's tenure, the SBA had falsified their own small business contracting statistics by reporting millions in awards to large businesses as small business contracts. In one instance, the SBA reported a large contract to Fuhrman NV - a Dutch firm with 18,000 employees worldwide - as a small business award.
Report 5-16 found Barreto had allowed large businesses to receive millions in Federal small business contracts through "false certifications."
Report 5-20 found that under Barreto's guidance, the SBA had failed to properly monitor major federal "bundled" contracts to allow small companies a more equitable opportunity to compete for government business.
In a failed attempt to protect the SBA's dubious small business contracting statistics, Barreto directed SBA attorneys to fight Freedom of Information Act (FOLIA) requests that could prove the SBA had intentionally manipulated the numbers. The SBA lost two FOLIA cases to the American Small Business League and; in both instances, they were forced to release information that proved the agency had extensive knowledge of fraud and abuse in the system.
Barreto's refusal to implement the women's procurement program that Congress enacted in 2000 has cost women entrepreneurs well over $33 billion in lost contracting opportunities. Frustrated with his lack of action, the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce successfully sued the SBA in order to compel Mr. Barreto to take action.
A September 12, 2005 story by the Associated Press reported that the 9/11 disaster-recovery loan program had been completely mishandled and that less than 11% of the loans approved had actually gone to firms in New York.
In 2006, the SBA Office of Inspector General issued report 6-15 that revealed the SBA has mismanaged the 8(a) contracting program to the point where it is rife with fraud and abuse. The Government Accountability Office released an additional report on abuse by Alaska Native Corporations in the 8(a) program that the SBA allowed through a significant lack of oversight.
Budget cuts and staff layoffs during Barreto's term resulted in a dramatic loss of knowledgeable and experienced staff. After the Gulf hurricanes last year, the SBA was forced to take on thousands of temporary workers to compensate for the severe lack of experienced employees.
Furthermore, the Gulf loan program has been so poorly handled that thousands of small business owners have been forced into bankruptcy because they have been unable to get timely financial help. While Barreto has frequently touted record numbers of loans approved for hurricane victims, the reality is that only a small percentage of the loans have actually been dispersed. The New Orleans Times-Picayune cited a recent study by a post- Katrina advocacy group that found only about 21% of small businesses had received any assistance.
A recent article in Inc. magazine labeled Barreto "the disappointment" in the Bush Administration. SBA insiders have acknowledged that he was forced to resign after the White House determined Barreto's handling of the SBA was a public relations nightmare and an embarrassment to President Bush. Barreto's removal as head of a Federal agency to run a small and obscure Hispanic lobbying group marks a dismal end to his troubled political career.
The incoming:
On Mr. Preston, from Fortune Small Business...
A Big-Biz Face for the SBA?
By Elizabeth Wright
WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH announced his April nomination of Steven Preston to replace Hector Barreto at the Small Business Administration, the response could have been summed up in one word: Who? Preston--who left his post as executive vice president at ServiceMaster, a $3.2-billion-a-year Chicago landscape and home-maintenance company (servicemaster.com), to pursue the nomination--has spent his career working for large companies. He is a virtual unknown in Washington, with seemingly little clout. Ken Hooten, managing partner of Concentric Equity Partners, a Chicago investment fund on whose advisory board Preston serves, says he never knew that Preston wanted to run the SBA. "I don't think he has political aspirations," says Hooten. "He just wants to make a difference."
A Sunday-school-teaching father of five, Preston, 45, likely came to Bush's attention through Claire Buchan, a former ServiceMaster vice president of communications who has served as deputy assistant to President Bush. (ServiceMaster's first corporate objective--"To honor God in all that we do"--probably did not hurt Preston's chances.) Preston is a small-government, laissez-faire conservative whose ideologies were shaped by the education he received at the University of Chicago in the mid-1980s, says Dan Kenary, a former classmate from that school's MBA program. Kenary adds that Preston nonetheless supports the SBA's loan programs, seeing them as a "pretty efficient way to create jobs." But not everyone is convinced; Lloyd Chapman, president of the American Small Business League (asbl.com), says that during Preston's tenure, ServiceMaster lobbied Congress to limit the amount of federal small-business contracts, and refers to the company as "anti-small business." (Preston declined an interview, pending the confirmation process.)
Preston's supporters shrug off his lack of small-business experience, pointing to his years at ServiceMaster--where he approved loans to franchisees--and at investment banks and funds. Karen Kerrigan, head of the conservative Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (sbsc.org), says that while she supports Preston, she worries whether he will be "in tune" with entrepreneurs' needs: "Not all small business are turnkey franchises."
Posted by Aaron at 09:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
RNC Conference Call
The call was far more brief than I anticipated. I got in one question:
Please explain to me how the RNC believes that the course we are taking on immigration (like granting social security benefits to illegal aliens who gained employment through identity theft) is going to grow the republican party?
Ken Mehlman responded (paraphrased):
RNC does not take specific position on policies/issues; they are to support Republican candidates. 1986 immigration reform was the wrong approach and we must correct that with new legislation - order security first, biometric id card, economic considerations.
Very brief, but I did plug the site!
Posted by Aaron at 08:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Not Long Enough
I just found out about this story a couple of months ago and was absolutely appalled by the attempts of a Republican candidate to jam the GOTV calls on election day. Truly disgraceful and he should have received a longer sentence:
A former Republican National Committee official was sentenced Wednesday to 10 months in prison for his role in the jamming of New Hampshire Democrats' telephones on Election Day 2002.
James Tobin, the third person sent to prison in the case, was found guilty in December of harassment by telephone. Prosecutors had asked for two years behind bars.
Prosecutors said Tobin helped arrange more than 800 hang-up calls that jammed get-out-the-vote phone lines set up by the state Democratic Party and the Manchester firefighters' union for about an hour. Republican John Sununu defeated then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen for the Senate that day in what had been considered a cliffhanger.
Election fraud, like lying under oath, are SERIOUS because they rip at the fabric of our republic. It should never be tolerated by either party.
Posted by Aaron at 07:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Something Happened in that Shuffle
Something is happening in the White House after that staff shuffle (which still is not completed). There are only tiny signals that they are learning, but these two items sound promising:
1. Tony Snow, the new Press Secretary hits back at the lies in the press:
New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is starting off in a combative mode against the press by issuing detailed rebuttals to what he considers unfair coverage of Bush.
“The New York Times continues to ignore America’s economic progress,” blared the headline of an e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday by the White House press office.
Minutes earlier, another e-mail blasted CBS News, which has had an unusually rocky relationship with the White House since 2004, when CBS aired what turned out to be forged documents in a failed effort to question the president’s military service.
“CBS News misleadingly reports that only 8 million seniors have signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage,” Wednesday’s missive said. “But 37 million seniors have coverage.” On Tuesday, the White House railed against “USA Today’s misleading Medicare story.”
“USA Today claims ‘poor, often minority’ Medicare beneficiaries are not enrolling in Medicare drug coverage,” the press office complained. “But by April, more than 70 percent of eligible African Americans, more than 70 percent of eligible Hispanics, and more than 75 percent of eligible Asian Americans are enrolled or have retiree drug coverage.”
Good stuff, Tony!
2. President Bush came out and gave a plain and simple statement on the news today about the phone call datamining ON THE SAME DAY instead of waiting for days as the base is out all by itself sparring with the left's treachery:
Today there are new claims about other ways we are tracking down al- Qaida to prevent attacks on America. I want to make some important points about what the government is doing and what the government is not doing.
First, our international activities strictly target al-Qaida and their known affiliates. Al-Qaida is our enemy, and we want to know their plans. Second, the government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval. Third, the intelligence activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.
We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al-Qaida and their known affiliates. So far we've been very successful in preventing another attack on our soil.
As a general matter, every time sensitive intelligence is leaked, it hurts our ability to defeat this enemy. Our most important job is to protect the American people from another attack, and we will do so within the laws of our country.
Keep it up!
Posted by Aaron at 02:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wishful Thinking
Oh, if this were true:
As if we needed any more rumors in the Katherine Harris soap opera. The surprise resignation of CIA chief Porter Goss has my BlackBerry humming with wild speculation about him jumping into the U.S. Senate race. Given his rocky tenure at the CIA that seems hard to swallow but....
"He'd be an awesome candidate,'' CFO candidate Tom Gallagher said when asked about the Goss for Senate talk. When we suggested Goss' CIA experience might explain why this would be the best-kept political secret in Florida, Gallagher didn't miss a beat: "That would be about the only secret they kept."
Meanwhile, here's more fodder for the Senate race speculation: President Bush will be in Florida Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Katherine Harris' campaign says she accepted the White House's invitation to join him at Sun City Tuesday. A spokesman for Allan Bense says the speaker learned of the president's visit from the press and that he has no plans to join the president.
If you don't, check out the Sixers at NRO on the latest election news.
Posted by Aaron at 06:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Link Gas Prices to Social Security Reform
The report released today showing that Social Security and Medicare will go bust a year earlier than predicted is a perfect example of Republicans try to solve problems before they become uncontrollable.
For the last 10 years, Republicans have said that America needs to expand its energy supply by building new refineries, drilling off the coast of California, Florida and in the Arctic Shelf in Alaska (ANWR). Clinton vetoed it. Democrats continue to oppose this keeping us dependent on foreign oil.
Imagine how much better our position would be to confront places like Iran and Venezuela if we did not depend on their oil for our gasoline?
So when Republicans wanted to head off the impending financial crisis of Social Security, the Dems said, "there is no problem." When Bush mentioned this during his SOTU address this year saying that congress failed to reform the system, Democrats errupted in applause.
All the republicans need to do is come up with an add showing all the attempts Republicans have made to head off disaster (oil, Iraq, Social Security) then cut to the Democrats applauding doing nothing.
Posted by Aaron at 07:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Democratic Political Dirty Tricks in Georgia
What on earth is wrong with these people???
Secretary of State Cathy Cox's opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, said Cox campaign manager Morton Brilliant altered an online encyclopedia entry to include a reference to Taylor's son being arrested for DUI after an accident that killed his passenger.
Wikipedia may be edited by anyone.
"We have reviewed the situation carefully and everything I have seen in this short period of time indicates that the posting originated from my campaign office," Cox said. "I am genuinely sorry for any anguish this incident has caused the Taylor family."
This is just disgusting lame--and it always backfires! I wish people on both sides would learn this. Lying to achieve an outcome never works: witness Fahrenheit 9-11.
Posted by Aaron at 09:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Hubba Hubba!
Hottie!
And for all of you who want to whine and complain that he works for FOX News, please tell me how that is any different than the following:
Bill Moyers: During the Kennedy Administration, Moyers was appointed as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps (1961–63). When Lyndon Baines Johnson took office after the Kennedy assassination, Moyers became special Assistant to President Johnson, serving 1963–1967. From July 1965 to February 1967, he also served as White House Press Secretary.
George Stephanopoulos: ABC News's Chief Washington Correspondent and the host of ABC's Sunday morning news show This Week; he was previously a senior political adviser to the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign of Bill Clinton and later became Clinton's press secretary and communications director.
Tim Russert: Before joining NBC News, Russert served as counselor in New York Governor Mario Cuomo's office in Albany in 1983 to 1984 and was chief of staff to Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1977 to 1982.
Posted by Aaron at 10:02 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Hu's That Sleeping?
Saving the world from Democrats can sure take the wind out of your sails:
Posted by Aaron at 03:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Two Sucker Punches By Bush
I love it! I know that both of these things were planned:
click for video
'President Bush, stop him from killing'... 'Stop persecuting the Falun Gong,' she yelled... She also shouted in Chinese, 'President Hu, your days are numbered, No more time for China's ruling party.'
Then this:
Earlier, in a protocol gaffe, when China's national anthem was announced, it was referred to as the anthem of the Republic of China - the formal name of Taiwan. China's formal name is the People's Republic of China.
Protocol gaffe my ass! Every one knows that Bush is a STICKLER for protocol (like having to wear a jacket and tie in the oval office instead of lounging around in jeans, jizzing all over the carpet). People seem to think Bush just pays lip service to human freedom, but really doesn't believe it.
Bush doesn't forget that this man is a Communist Dictator and heads a brutal, murderous regime.
Posted by Aaron at 03:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Is it the Iraq War?
Is the Iraq war, Karl Rove, Culture of Corruption (nonsense), Katrina and popularity of Democrats' socialist policies that is driving Bush's numbers down?
Rush pointed out this chart that shows the relationship between Bush's poll numbers and gas prices on his show yesterday; what do you think?
Posted by Aaron at 12:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Scott McLellan Steps Down
I think this is good. He looks like the nicest guy (and is rather good looking), but Bush should have known that you need someone who can beat back the sharks in the media and WH press corps.
This is one of the better staff changes I've heard of so far in the White House.
Tony Snow might replace him??? That would be very interesting.
Posted by Aaron at 10:04 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Throw the Book at this Republican felon, Too!
The scandal that led to Ryan's downfall began over a decade ago with a fiery van crash in Wisconsin that killed six children. The 1994 wreck exposed a scheme inside the Illinois secretary of state's office in which truck drivers obtained licenses for bribes.
The probe expanded to other corruption under Ryan. Seventy-nine former state officials, lobbyists, truck drivers and others have been charged. Before Ryan's trial, 74 had been convicted, including Ryan's longtime top aide, Scott Fawell, a star witness at Ryan's trial.
In 2000, Ryan, as governor, declared a moratorium on executions in Illinois after 13 death row inmates were found to have been wrongly convicted. Then, days before he left office in 2003, he emptied out death row, commuting the sentences of all 167 inmates to life in prison. He declared that the state's criminal justice system was "haunted by the demon of error."
He is in his mid-70's so maybe not 20 years. But 5-10 would be nice. At least he'll have protection of all the death row inmates now in the jails' regular population.
Posted by Aaron at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Obsolutely Out of Control
If this is true, the NH Republican Party are simply a disgrace:
The Internet is a great breeding ground for political conspiracies, and there is a new one lighting up computer monitors across the country. Bloggers are fascinated by what they see as eerie parallels between Watergate and a phone-jamming scandal in New Hampshire. It has low-level Republican operatives involved in dirty campaign tricks. It has checks from donors with murky backgrounds. It has telephone calls to the White House. What is unclear is whether it is the work of a few rogue actors, or something larger.
In 2002, there was a hard-fought Senate race between Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, the Democrat, and John Sununu, the Republican. On Election Day, Democratic workers arrived at five get-out-the-vote offices to find their phone lines jammed. It turned out that the jamming was being done by an Idaho telemarketing firm that was being paid by a Virginia consulting group. The fee for the jamming, reportedly $15,600, was paid by New Hampshire Republicans.
The executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party and the president of the Virginia consulting group pleaded guilty for their part in the scheme. James Tobin, who was the New England political director for the Republican National Committee, went to trial and was convicted of telephone harassment last December.
Pat Hynes wrote about the subject here. This is just utterly contemptable behavior by party officials and I am glad they are in jail.
Posted by Aaron at 10:12 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
When A Lovely Flame Dies, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
The old song is still appropriate. The media are getting quite disappointed in John McCain.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman: "It's time for some straight talk about John McCain. He isn't a moderate. He's much less of a maverick than you'd think. And he isn't the straight talker he claims to be."
Arianna Huffington, the author and blogger, says she "admired" and "loved" McCain. But, she writes, "watching a true American hero hang a For Sale sign on his principles is a profoundly sad thing."
Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne: "If McCain spends the next two years obviously positioning himself to win Republican primary votes, he will start to look like just another politician. Once lost, a maverick's image is hard to earn back."
I am sure that somebody in McCain's office is clipping all these anti-John McCain articles by the likes of Krugman, Huffington and Dionne for use in his 2008 primary run. They're the equivalent of endorsements as far as the base of the Republican party is concerned.
McCain's got a long way to go before he becomes inevitable. He's old and he looks it. George Allen or Mitt Romney might blow us all away in the next two years. But criticism from the media isn't going to hurt John McCain one bit.
Posted by pat at 10:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Being fair to Democrats: More from the B.S. files . . .
The first post from the B.S. files contains statements made by Democrats. Now, in order to be fair to Democrats, I present a B.S. report pertaining to a Republican politician.
The city of Tulsa, OK (my home town) is about to have a mayoral election. Recently, the two major mayoral candidates had a debate that was on local television. Those candidates are incumbent Mayor Bill LaFortune, a Republican, and challenger Kathy Taylor, a Democrat.
Here is an excerpt from a newspaper story about the debate*:The candidates differed sharply when asked if the mayor's political party matters.
Taylor, a Democrat, said she didn't think it should.
"It's about leadership and qualifications for the job. We're one of the few cities our size that has partisanship," she said. "You're not a victim of crime or lose your job because you are Republican or Democrat."
LaFortune, a Republican, said the mayor's political party did matter because Tulsa is a conservative city with the "core values of pro-life, pro-family and strong relationship with the faith community in this city -- important values the Republicans all hold dear that we don't see on the Democrat side in the same way."Having grown up in Tulsa, I can testify that Kathy Taylor is correct. I can also testify that Bill LaFortune is out of touch with Tulsa reality.
LaFortune is mistaken for two reasons.
First, there are plenty of Democrats in Oklahoma who are conservatives. These Democrats are pro-life, pro-family and are devoted to their faith, with the Christian faith being dominent.
One of the most famous of these Democrats was the late David Moss, who was Tulsa's district attorney.
Mr. Moss was a devout Christian who used much of his annual vacation time to teach poor and minority children at a summertime church camp. Also, Mr. Moss used part of his private time to picket outside of Tulsa's only abortion clinic.
Once Mr. Moss was elected Tulsa's dictrict attorney, he kept on being re-elected until he died while in office.
Second, another Democrat politician who was popular in Tulsa was LaForetune's immediate mayoral predecessor, Susan Savage, who was Tulsa's mayor from July 1992 to April 2002.
Savage was elected Tulsa's mayor in a special election to replace the previous mayor, who had left office before the end of his term. During that election, Savage beat many candidates, a number of them being Republicans. Afterwards, Savage was re-elected in 1994 and in 1998. In 2002, Savage decided not to run for re-election.
Being a Democrat did not prevent Susan Savage from being a good mayor, which is why Tulsa's voters kept re-electing her, and the majority of those voters were Republicans.
So, if Bill LaFortune thinks that Tulsa's mayor has to be a Republican in order to be a good mayor, then LaFortune is full of sh . . . sh . . . something that we Okies use to fertilize our gardens.
Side Note: I have been a registered Republican for most of my adult life. Yet, I refuse to vote for Republicans only. In my opinion, there are times when the national Republican Party acts like a fertilizer factory. . . Democrats, don't laugh. There are times when the national Democratic Party acts like a fertilizer factory, too.
*Newspaper Story Source:
P.J. Lassek, "Mayoral TV debate gets lively" Tulsa World, Section A7, Saturday, April 1, 2006.
Posted by Dodo David at 05:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Black History Celebration (RNC Style)
I just got back from a very nice event at the Capitol Hill Club celebrating black history and the GOP. Today is the 150th anniversary of the RNC.
Met Ed Gillespe and Ken Mehlman. Will have more written tomorrow.
Posted by Aaron at 07:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Boehner It Is
I love how he tries to pretend his name is pronounce Bay-Ner as opposed to how its spelled which is Bone-er.
Kidding. I wanted Shadegg (but I am from Arizona; so I could be biased), but I think this will turn out better than if Blunt won the election.
Posted by Aaron at 03:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
25 Year Ago Today, the Revolution Came to Washington
God bless Ronald Reagan.
Posted by Aaron at 10:30 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Another Republican Lawmaker Distances Himself From Jack Abramoff
TV news station KTUL in Tulsa is reporting the following:
Oklahoma City (AP) - Senator Jim Inhofe says he'll donate two-thousand dollars in campaign donations from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff to medical research.The Oklahoma Republican says the 2002 donation is legal. But Inhofe is joining a growing list of lawmakers in getting rid of Abramoff money. According to federal election records, Inhofe got one-thousand dollars from Abramoff and one-thousand dollars from Abramoff's wife in February 2002.
Abramoff has pleaded guilty to federal charges as part of a deal with prosecutors to cooperate in a probe that could involve up to 20 members of Congress and aides.
Inhofe says Abramoff's financial contribution has no place in his campaign. He says he'll donate the money to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
Posted by Dodo David at 06:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Tom Delay to Step Down as Leader
Again, a Republican does the right thing for the party...
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.
These officials said DeLay, R-Texas, was preparing a letter informing fellow House Republicans of his decision. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
I know many people will take this as a defeat; Tom Delay should not resign in the face of prosecutorial misconduct, but that's how politics is played. The best vindication for Delay is not to win his leadership position back, but to ensure that his name is cleared and that Ronnie Earle is disgraced and possibly jailed.
Newt Gingrich demonstrates that you can beat the charges and come back swinging.
Posted by Aaron at 02:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Legislative Successes for GOP in 2005
Jayson at Polipundit has a nice round-up of GOP successes in 2005 that is not frequently mentioned in the MSM.
Posted by Aaron at 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I Hope the Democrats Win the Civil Suit
This is just disgusting and I hate to belong to a party participating in such nonsense:
A jury yesterday convicted a former national Republican official of two telephone harassment charges for his role in a phone-jamming plot against New Hampshire Democrats on Election Day 2002.
The federal jury acquitted James Tobin of a third charge, the most serious against him, of conspiring against voters’ rights.
Tobin, 45, of Bangor, Maine, was regional political director to the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2002 election, the year of a closely watched Senate race between Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican John Sununu. Sununu defeated Shaheen, 51 percent to 46 percent.
Tobin was President Bush’s New England campaign chairman last year, but resigned when the allegations became known.
He faces a maximum seven-year prison term and $500,000 in fines when he is sentenced in March. The voters’ rights charge carried a potential sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Separately, state Democrats are pursuing a civil lawsuit, which they hope will expose knowledge or approval of the scheme by GOP officials higher than Tobin. Republicans have insisted it was conceived and executed at the state level.
Like any Republican that is associated with the Abramoff scandal, these folks need to be thrown under the bus and scorned for breaking the law.
Posted by Aaron at 08:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
They're Learning!
The GOP is starting to learn that Democratic politics and policy positions are dangerous. Like the White House, the party is learning that you have to keep these people on the ropes, expose their statements and shame them in front of the American people.
From Drudge:
The DRUDGE REPORT has learned from a top GOP operative that the Republican National Committee will provide state parties with a web video prior to release tomorrow afternoon that shows a white flag waving over images of Democrat leaders making anti-war remarks.
The ad is in response to the controversial comments Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry made earlier in the week.
A Democratic strategist who had the web ad described to her said, “This is way over the top but we have no one to blame but Dean, Kerry and others who continue to pander to the anti-war activists within our party.”
The web video advances the Republican contention that the Democrats only have a “retreat and defeat” message on the war in Iraq.
The video highlights the effect Democrats can have on the morale of U.S. soldiers.
One Republican strategist familiar with the ad said, “The Democrats, especially Howard Dean have a way of trying to turn the tables and say ‘that’s not what I meant’ – its just those ‘evil Republicans’ This video will make them crazy – it reinforces what they really believe with what they actually said – and that is devastating for the Democratic Party.”
They are going to go literally batty with rage. I hope the video's production value is good!
UPDATE: Give some kudos to Senator Dole!* The GOP is on the offensive...
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is planning a public-relations offensive tying leading Democrats to lobbyist Jack Abramoff in an effort to neutralize accusations that Republicans have been embroiled in a “culture of corruption.”
The campaign will zero in on Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.); Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, both Michigan Democrats; and the Democratic Senatorial Committee (DSCC), among others, for taking money from Abramoff’s former clients.
Stabenow is up for reelection next year; Reid and Levin are not. With the entry of Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard (R) into the Senate race in Michigan, many leading Republicans believe they have a reasonable chance of unseating the first-term senator.
Republicans have spent months trying to blunt Democratic ethics charges. But the new communications blitz — which will include disseminating talking points to Capitol Hill Republicans and flooding local media with information linking Democrats to Abramoff — marks a more coordinated effort to halt the anti-GOP tide.
NRSC spokesman Brian Nick said the campaign committee would “be getting the resources” not only to senators up for reelection but to all members of the Republican Conference “so that they can offensively message that Democrats are playing partisan politics with an issue that involves all of Congress.”
Nick indicated the NRSC would almost certainly run television ads countering DSCC ads attacking Republicans for their association with Abramoff. “Anybody would be able to safely assume that there are going to have to be ads to respond to those ads,” Nick said, referring to the Democratic spots.
Democrats said the GOP media campaign reflects fears that some Republicans who had not been deemed vulnerable might lose next year. Topping that list, these Democrats said, is Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), who has been attacked for his connections to Abramoff.
*I incorrectly praised Senator Hutchison confusing her with Senator Dole who is head of the NRSC. I apologize, but all white women look alike.
Posted by Aaron at 07:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bush's Current Poll Position
Do I feel good that Bush's poll numbers are up? Yes, but I am skeptical of polls because they can change based on things outside the president's control. I believe his numbers are up for two reasons: gas prices and Christmas.
American mood on the economy always goes sour when gas prices are high. Also, we are more optimistic during the Holiday Season.
Bush needs to keep up what he is doing past Christmas; he has a boost but he needs to sustain it.
Posted by Aaron at 07:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Take my senator, please!
It is time for U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) to leave the U.S. Senate.
This opinion may be surprising to some people because the Dodo is technically a member of Inhofe’s political party, and Inhofe represent the Dodo’s state.
So what is it about Inhofe that irks the Dodo? Oh, where to begin, where to begin?
First, let’s begin with Inhofe’s recent hypocrisy.
A month ago Sen. Inhofe made the following statement pertaining to his defeated amendment to the Budget Reconciliation Bill (S.1932):
This very simple amendment serves as a certain means for limiting federal spending and today we came close to victory. We are only 19 Senators short of limiting the government's out of control spending and I am confident that with the public's help we will get those additional votes soon. [Quote Source]
Inhofe says that he wants to limit federal spending, and yet he criticizes any attempt to eliminate his own pork spending. You don’t have to be a liberal or a Democrat in order to admit that Inhofe has spoken with a forked tongue.
Second, Inhofe is promoting the closure of Love Field Airport in Dallas, the home of Southwest Airlines. In a Senate speech that he gave in July 2005, Inhofe said, “The runways of Love Field and DFW are 8 miles apart. To have two major, federally funded airports so close simply doesn't make sense.” [Quote Source]
If Inhofe is so concerned about airports being close together, then why isn’t he fussing about the proximity of Chicago's Midway Airport to Chicago’s O'Hare Airport? Why isn’t he fussing about the proximity of NYC's LaGuardia Airport to NYC’s JFK Airport? Why isn’t he fussing about the proximity of Oakland International Airport to San Francisco International Airport? Is Inhofe trying to shut down any of these other airports? No, he isn’t.
Inhofe’s opposition to Love Field isn’t really due to its proximity to DFW. The real reason for Inhofe’s opposition is because there is a movement underway in Congress (H.R.2646, S.1424) to have Congress repeal the Wright Amendment, which is prohibiting Southwest Airlines from offering flights from Love Field to most states.
As of now, Southwest Airlines can offer flights from Love Field to only 9 states (Texas being one of them). Missouri was recently added to the approved states, with Sen. Inhofe objecting to the addition. Meanwhile, American Airlines can offer nationwide services from DFW to any state in the USA.
This business arrangement gives American Airlines a virtual monopoly on flights to and from Dallas. As a result, American Airlines can charge higher rates than it could if the airline had any real competition.
If the Wright Amendment were repealed, then Southwest Airlines would be able to compete in the market that American Airlines now dominates.
Of course American Airlines doesn’t want the Wright Amendment to be repealed. So why is Inhofe opposed to the repeal?
The answer is simple. American Airlines operates a maintenance facility in Inhofe’s hometown of Tulsa and, therefore, is a major employer in that city. Like any career politician, Inhofe will support any party that will support his future bid for reelection.
In a letter to the editor of the Dallas Morning News, Tim Reed of Dallas wrote the following:
Does anyone catch the contradictions of Texas Republicans supporting an anti-competitive law that, for 25 years, has inserted big government into North Texans' air travel decisions? This is the party that screams for more competition and less government interference, yet the bottom line is that American Airlines contributes more money to these "leaders" and they dither. Do we have any honest leaders left, or are they all shills and hacks for various interests?
Although Sen. Inhofe isn’t a Texan, Mr. Reed’s question pertains to Sen. Inhofe, too. Is Sen. Inhofe a Republican who supports a free market, or is he just an errand boy for American Airlines?
Perhaps Inhofe is one of the people whom Republican leader Dick Armey had in mind when Armey wrote, “Today, with Republicans controlling both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government, there is a widening credibility gap between their political rhetoric and their public policies.”[Quote Source]
Sen. James Inhofe is one of the reasons why so many registered Republicans are growing disenchanted with the Republican Party. Certainly the citizens of Oklahoma can elect a better person to replace Inhofe in the U.S. Senate. Perhaps in 2008 they will.
Posted by Dodo David at 05:43 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Bad Republican Idea
I don't think I can get on board with this proposal:
Some Republican lawmakers believe Americans would benefit from the creation of a secretive federal agency responsible for development and testing of medications designed to combat mega-flu outbreaks as well as chemical, biological and radiological terror attacks.
"We must ensure the federal government acts as a partner with the private sector, providing the incentives and protections necessary to bring more and better drugs and vaccines to market faster," Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said as the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved legislation this week that would create the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BARDA.
The new agency would be protected from traditional public scrutiny such as open-meetings laws and other provisions that allow inspection of an agency's records.
I think there are reasons to develop medicine and vaccines in secret--to counter any biological/chemical warfare agent we believe others are developing or that we might be developing as a last choice weapon against our a