Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Maverick

This word was everywhere six weeks ago. It was on the news, in the papers and plastered across the web.

But today it is gone.

And now I never want to hear it from the Republican Party again.

They built this entire persona of John McCain as a maverick and peppered it into every stump speech,ad buy, and piece of campaign literature.

The dictionary defines the term as "a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates."

The party has set the bar so low that now merely by voting for a Democrat agenda, one can be labeled a maverick.

I said on November 5th that now is the time to think about tomorrow and it holds true to this very day. But we can not venture blindly into the future. We must take heed the lessons of the past.

And an important one is not to glorify an individual who votes with liberals while keeping the (R) after his name.

Maverick.

The sad truth is I can no longer enjoy Top Gun as I once did.

Beating A Dead Elephant

I did not plan on addressing this issue again but the liberal media is keeping this story in the headlines. It continues to annoy me on an almost hourly basis and I will try to put it to rest here.

General Powell is angry at the GOP and over the weekend decided to attack conservatives, Evangelical Republicans, and particularly Rush Limbaugh.

He believes conservatives are out of touch with the issues; he blames Christians for trying to polarize the election and Rush Limbaugh, in Powell's view, is an extremist.

"Extremist" is nothing new. This is a term the left will hurl at conservatives who stick to principle and conservative philosophy. Even your humble Casanova, from time to time, has been labeled an "extremist".

Powell was livid when El Rushbo exposed the true reason for his endorsement of Barack Obama: Race.

The General suggests in 2012 the GOP finds moderate Republicans who are appealing to Democrats and independents.

General- did you sleep through 2008?

Did we not just nominate a moderate Republican with appeal to liberals?

This quintessentially proves El Rushbo's theory: Powell wanted John McCain to be the nominee. Initially he was a strong supporter. McCain ends up winning the nomination. Obama scores an upset over Mrs. Clinton. Powell endorses Obama based on race.

Powell says "I'm a fiscal conservative. I don't get into the social stuff."

'Stuff'? Are you referring to abortion General?

It seems as though he has yet another similarity with the president-elect: Those decisions are above his pay-grade.

I am not alone in thinking that a "moderate Republican" is a closet Democrat.

General Powell, and to a lesser extent Senator McCain, represent the people who have taken this party to the edge of disaster.

Nearly every Republican consultant, analyst, politico, etc. are advocating a return to conservative roots.

Conservatives the likes of Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, and Bobby Jindal are the new faces of this Grand Old Party.

General Powell, Senator McCain- Please exit to your left.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Celebrity President

What kind of music does he listen to? Is he a mac or pc guy? What is his exercise routine? What is his favorite food? Where does he buy his suits?

Each of these questions were written by "journalists" and sent to the transition offices in search of an answer.

President-elect Obama is not harassed about the intricacies of the Bush Doctrine.

He is not quizzed on world leaders.

And when he was asked outside of a deli in Chicago last month his plan for an economic turnaround, he held up a paper bag and arrogantly replied "We got the Reuben".

Reporters laughed and found his answer both charming and witty.

Hiding inexperience and incompetency through humor does not work well for a presidential candidate; just ask Governor Huckabee.

So why is it acceptable for a president-elect to do so?

As Amie Parnes of The Politico writes,

"Welcome to the world of the celebrity president".

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Low Road

Al Franken wrote jokes for Saturday Night Live for years. He was entertaining and performed well at his craft.

The Senate recount in Minnesota however is turning into a bad SNL sketch.

This man has lost to Senator Coleman three times now but has made it abundantly clear that he will stop at nothing to steal the Senate seat.

The more repulsive fact is that the state of Minnesota is complying with Franken's ludicrous requests.

He won two key rulings this week: The state canvassing board will now allow previously rejected absentee ballots which could exceed 1,500 and they have also decided to include 133 ballots that were "misplaced" on election day.

The Franken team even produced a six minute video entitled "Recount", presumably to sway the committee.

As it stands today, Coleman leads Franken by 192 votes, according to the Secretary of State’s official count.

I can not even begin to imagine the backlash a Republican would receive if he were engaging in this behavior.

The media and the Democrat Party would tear him to shreds. They would draw undeserved comparisons to W's 2000 victory through the courts.

Maybe Franken should move to Illinois and throw his hat in the ring there.

I wonder if that state is one of the seventeen in which he cheated on his taxes.

Friday, December 12, 2008

How The Mighty Have Fallen

Colin Powell's resume is powerful to say the least: A general in the United States Army, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State.

He is a principled man, a strong leader, and a role model for millions of Americans.

Had this been any day before October 19, 2008 I would have stopped right here.

But since that day of Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama, he has engaged in behavior that tarnishes his record.

There is no doubt that Powell holds frustrations and anger at the Bush administration on the Iraq policy. He is not a puppet, and began to resent being presented as such.

Disagreement is fine. Lively debate is encouraged. But his comments in the last two months have disheartened his admirers; including myself.

In an interview set to air Sunday morning on CNN's "GPS" program, Powell claimed he was angered with the GOP for "[using] polarization for political advantage".

This statement is laughable. The media made this election about polarization, not John McCain.

McCain was opposed to using Obama's middle name due to the unfounded fear it may have conjured up.

He then went on to attack a conservative icon saying "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?"

Powell does not believe El Rushbo to be a good spokesman for the GOP.

"I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country".

Shouting?

This is closet liberalism at work here. This is what the left is desperately seeking.

Suppression of our voices. Obedience to the Messiah. Cessation of American dominance in the world.

And despite all his ramblings ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Powell remains a registered Republican.

While I do not believe Powell has aligned with the extreme left wingers, his veering off course displays what is at work within the Democrat Party.

Socialists have infiltrated their party for years and are now effectively shifting large numbers of individuals towards their warped ideology.

This is a serious threat to the American way of life. But we can stop it.

Nearly all Republicans are convinced our party must revise its' strategy.

But we must go about the rebranding by adhering to conservative philosophy.

And then America will prevail.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Not So Ordinary Press Conference

President-elect Obama held a press conference this morning to announce Tom Daschle as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

He then went on to talk about health care initiatives and opened up the floor for questions from the press.

Obama was expecting inquiries regarding policy and health care reform; what he received was a barrage of questions regarding Governor Blagojevich.

He gave lackluster responses to a number of the reporters, particularly when he was asked if any member of his staff had contact with the corrupt Hot Rod.

He replied that he will get back to the reporter in 2-3 days so he can get "all the facts in order".

Why does it take 72 hours to answer that simple question?

The transition team is obviously getting all their ducks in a row and straightening out their respective stories.

What is worse than his response was that the reporter never followed up to ask the president-elect why he needed so much time?

There was one high point in the press conference however:

On the last question, a journalist had a health care policy inquiry.

At that point, ABC switched back to "The View".

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Planned Parenthood Stunt

Planned Parenthood of Indiana is offering the most vile, heinous, and disgusting Christmas gift this year: Gift certificates.

These certificates will range between $25-100 and are redeemable for all clinic services, including abortion.

The Indiana chapter of PP has it posted on their website and advertise it by saying "Give the gift of health".

PP argues they are not making a political statement and are "shocked" by people taking it so offensively.

I will give the last word on that to Sister Diane Carollo, director of the Office for Pro-Life Ministry for the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis:

"It's offensive because Christmas is about the celebration of human life."

Jindal Declines

In the past I have spoken at length about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. He is an incredibly bright rising star within the party and is highly regarded as a future contender in the GOP primary.

Jindal, 37 years old, was the first Indian-American elected to a statewide office.

After being born "Piyush" and a practicing Hindu, the Governor changed his name to Bobby as a child and later converted to Catholicism.

He is a highly educated man; receiving his undergraduate at Brown University and master's at Oxford.

He shares Reaganesque principals both socially and fiscally. This man is a conservative's conservative.

At a rally in Virginia today with Bob McDonnell, the GOP nominee for governor in 2009, Jindal was asked if he would run for the presidency in 2012.

His response was sharp:

"No"

He went on to state he will run for reelection in Louisiana in 2011.

Jindal is a young man at 37. While he may change his mind in the coming years, there is no question he would serve as a formidable opponent for the left if given the vice presidential nod.

But there may be some different logic at work here for Jindal...

Seeing as our president-elect has already made statements claiming victory in 2012, Jindal may be looking further into the future.

In 2016, he will have built up a thick résumé culminating as Governor of Louisiana.

He will be 45 years old, a ripe age in presidential politics.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

In Rod We Trust

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today by the FBI on very serious corruption charges.

Of all the accusations, perhaps the most troubling is that the governor was preparing to 'sell' Obama's vacant senate seat to the highest bidder. He was hoping to garner the most benefits for himself in exchange for using his gubernatorial authority to appoint someone to the seat.

FBI special agent Robert Grant had this to say about the history of corruption stemming from Illinois “If it is not the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor”.

The "Land of Lincoln" has certainly become a breeding ground of corruption over the years.

Blago's own predecessor, George Ryan, was incarcerated last year for separate corruption charges.

This has caused a major headache for the president-elect and will test his ability to manage crisis.

The Chicago machine is alive and well. It has modernized with the times. Its ability to sink to new lows is a source of constant amazement to me.

"Honest politician" is an oxymoronic phrase in Chicago. And now we have several Chicagoan politicos holding top spots in Washington D.C.

I just hope Rahm Emmanuel isn't already working on Blago's pardon.

A Cinderella Story

President-elect Obama's horse-drawn carriage is quickly turning back into a pumpkin.

Members of his own party are infuriated with their new leader. Based upon cabinet appointments and recent policy statements, it turns out their chosen one might be a bit of a centrist, and not the far left loon they were hoping for.

With his recent reversals in a number of campaign promises, he has managed to alienate many of his once diehard supporters. “There’s a concern that he keep his basic promises and people are going to watch him,” said Roger Hickey, a co-founder of Campaign for America’s Future.

During the campaign he pledged to tax windfall profits from oil companies. As president-elect, he has now retracted that statement. He drew praise from liberals when he vowed to immediately repeal most of the Bush tax cuts. Now, he hints
that he will choose not to repeal and merely allow them to expire by 2010.

Perhaps the most troubling news to the left comes regarding Iraq: Obama's outspoken opposition to the war and hopes for an immediate withdrawal endeared him to Cindy Sheehan supporters abroad. But let us take a look at Obama's national security team: Senator Clinton who was ostracized by many liberals for supporting the war and a Bush insider in Secretary Gates.

Obama's God-like appeal seems to be rapidly fading.

Could the Messiah be in fact a mere mortal?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Outrage

Thomas Jefferson was once asked if he would rather do away with government or newspapers.

He chose government because he felt newspapers served as watchdogs for the public. In his view, they were the first line of defense for the American people from a meddlesome government.

Theoretically that same principle holds as true today as it did more than two centuries ago.

Theoretically.

There are a number of conclusions to draw from the prolonged presidential election: Americans are dissatisfied with the status quo; they blame (justly or not) the lion’s share of today’s problems on the Republican Party; the presidential public finance system is obsolete; style is certainly more important than substance; and so on.

But another revelation stemming from the election would surely anger Mr. Jefferson: The news media has blatantly and overwhelmingly sided with the liberal agenda. They have inexplicably abandoned their objectivity and are hopping on the Democrat bandwagon.

‘Revelation’ may have been a bit exaggerated as a number of individuals have hinted at the media’s closet liberalism for years. This presidential contest should have convinced even the most stubborn naysayer of a clear bias.

I have advocated since November 4th for the GOP to reinvent itself with fresh faces and bold new ideas. To avoid future losses, renovation is crucial. Republicans are now taking responsibility for two consecutive, disheartening elections. We are getting our house in order, but it is equally important to recognize the media as a megaphone for the Democrats. It is crucial for the electorate to realize the media is no longer a non-partisan element; they now openly promote shifting this country drastically left of the center.

They failed in their responsibilities to their audience. Facts were manipulated or ignored in some cases. False accusations were hurled on a daily basis. Stories were crafted and liberal spin was rampant. The media did not live up to any degree of professionalism and the American people, who own the airwaves, should be outraged.

Where was the investigative journalism? Where were the Woodwards and Bernsteins of today? Where were Teddy Roosevelt’s muckrakers?

What happens when the top watchdogs of government become its’ most faithful cheerleaders?

I have a sneaking suspicion we are about to find out.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

SCOTUS & Obama

The Supreme Court of the United States will consider Friday whether or not to take a case challenging President-elect Obama's citizenship.

I'll give you a moment to digest that.

Now this case has absolutely no chance of securing a spot on the coveted Court's agenda but it is gaining undeserved attention.

Dozens of other cases have been filed regarding Obama's citizenship. Some claim he was not born in Hawaii, while others say he renounced his citizenship during a trip to Indonesia.

It has now been thirty days since the election. Obama's opponents need to be gearing up for a hard-fought contest in the midterm elections and an even more difficult struggle in 2012.

These people need to stop wasting time and energy on frivolous lawsuits and unfounded accusations. America is divided over our new president-elect and will remain so for the duration of his stay in office.

Gridlock is fine. Disagreement and debate on the issues is encouraged.

But to emphasize a non-issue regarding Obama's birth is ludicrous.

To wrap up how ultimately meaningless these cases are: One such lawsuit filed by a Kentucky man is also suing "All News Media" and another case was filed by Alan Keyes.

Alan Keyes?

Case closed.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Fighting For The Last Frontier

Last month the Casanova acknowledged that for Sarah Palin to emerge as the frontrunner in 2012, she must take a more visible role in national politics. It is quite difficult for an Alaskan governor to broaden her appeal in the "lower 48" without achieving a more prominent role.

Her best chance was if Senator Ted Stevens had won his reelection bid and stepped down. At that point, Palin could have filled the vacancy herself.

But Stevens lost a narrow election and now it seems as though Sarah Palin is eyeing the other Senate seat up in 2010; currently held by Lisa Murkowski, a Republican.

This presents great risks however: If she were to run and ultimately lose to Murkowksi, who maintains a loyal following, Palin's credibility and allure would plummet.

If she wins she would be forced to launch her presidential campaign immediately, not allowing sufficient time to build up what some label as a thin résumé.

Murkowski is obviously taking this very seriously and had this to say yesterday: “If she wants to be president, I don’t think the way to the presidency is a short stop in the United States Senate”.

One thing is certain: this campaign will certainly get personal as Palin defeated Frank Murkowksi, Lisa's father, in her gubernatorial bid. She then went on in her campaign stump speeches to label Frank as being part of the "old boys network" in Alaska.

A Democrat pollster in Anchorage said if the two women do face off it would be a "titanic struggle".

It is a bold move for Palin to make but one that may pay great dividends in terms of elevating her to a national stage.