Common Sense

What to look for tomorrow night

2008-11-03T13:00:00.004-05:00

Reuters, of all publications, has a nice piece out today about what to look for tomorrow night between McCain and Obama.

"Some of the earliest returns in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election could provide big clues about the outcome. Trends in the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain could become clear soon after the first polls begin to close at 6 p.m. EST in Indiana.

Obama and McCain are locked in a surprisingly tight duel in Indiana, a Midwestern state that has voted Republican in every White House race since 1964. A breakthrough win for Obama, or even a neck-and-neck struggle, would be an encouraging sign of broad strength for the senator from neighboring Illinois.

But if McCain appears to be cruising to a relatively easy win in Indiana it could signal trouble for Obama, who is challenging McCain in about a dozen states won in 2004 by Republican President George W. Bush. The first public sign of Democrat John Kerry's loss in 2004 came from a worse-than-expected 20-point blowout in Indiana.

"If Obama wins Indiana, the election is over," Democratic consultant Doug Schoen said. "Even if it's close, within 2 or 3 points, it probably suggests a big Obama win nationally. If it's more than 4 points for McCain, it's going to be wait and see for a while."

The next round of tests is at 7 p.m. EST when voting ends in Georgia, parts of Florida and the battleground state of Virginia -- another place where Democrats have not won a presidential vote since 1964 but have made gains in recent statewide races.

"If Obama wins Virginia by a decisive margin, it's a pretty strong suggestion he's going to win the election," Schoen said. "If McCain wins by more than a few points that could suggest movement toward him."

At 7:30 p.m. EST, polls close in the states of Ohio and North Carolina.

By 8 p.m. EST, all polls in Florida will be closed. Florida's 27 electoral votes and Ohio's 20 electoral votes are two of the biggest prizes still up for grabs on Tuesday.

The bottom line...MCCAIN MUST WIN THEM ALL."

There is only 1 day until the presidential election. There are 77 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 23 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T15:14:00.004-04:00

Here's the latest from Dick Morris about shifting support among the youth and the elderly. Apparently, McCain is quickly closing the gap. But will he have enough time? Catch more of what Morris has to say at www.dickmorris.com.

"A massive shift in younger and older voters is roiling the presidential race according to new data from the Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll concluded October 28-29. Younger voters -- under 45 -- once Obama's base, now are evenly divided between the two candidates. But voters over 65 have shifted sharply to the Democrat in the past week.

Voters under 45 supported Obama by 52-38 in the Fox News poll of October 21-22. But this week's survey indicates that they now break evenly with 45% supporting Obama and 46% backing McCain. On the other hand, voters 65 and over, who had backed Obama by 46-42 last week have now shifted decisively in his favor and he now leads McCain among seniors by 54-39. Middle aged voters -- aged 45-64 -- are largely unchanged in their views. Last week they backed Obama by 48-40 and this week they still support him by 48-43.

Overall, the Fox News survey shows McCain narrowing Obama's lead from 49-40 (9 points) to 47-44 (3 points) over the past week.

The shift in the attitudes of young people may be directly related to the tax issue, brought home by a McCain advertisement featuring Joe the Plumber. Younger voters, trying to make their way in their careers, are more sensitive to changes in taxes than older people, many of whom has retired from the labor force. By attacking Obama for wanting to "spread the wealth around", the McCain camp seems to have struck a nerve among those who are entering the most productive years of their employment history.

On the other hand, seniors may be more comfortable with Obama than they have been previously and might be more accepting of his candidacy. Obama's attacks on McCain over Social Security, always a sensitive topic for the elderly may also be hitting home driving seniors into the Democratic column.

The Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey was conducted on October 28-29 and surveyed 924 likely voters nationwide. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points."

There are only 4 days until the presidential election. There are 80 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 20 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Wednesday's musing

2008-10-29T08:58:00.004-04:00

The Dow was up yesterday almost 890 points or 10.9% of its value...The Federal Reserve is expected to cut a key interest rate by another 1/2 point today...President Bush yesterday "ordered" banks to free up some of the bailout money for lenders. There's a fear that banks that received a sizeable portion of money as part of the "rescue" earlier this month are not loaning it, but rather, sitting on it...The nine largest banks in the US have received $125 billion of bailout money. In other words, the US government now owns shares in the nine largest banks. They key question here is, "when will the government sell its shares and divest itself"?...Senator McCain, even though he voted for the bailout, is now railing against it. Unfortunately for McCain, he had his chance to take a stand against the bailout but decided to vote with Senator Obama...The "spread the wealth" comment Senator Obama made to "Joe the Plumber" in Ohio earlier this month appears to be resonating in key battleground states...Many of Obama's internal polls show the race much closer than some of the traditional polls that have Obama ahead anywhere from 4-10 points...IBD "Investors Business Daily" has the race tied...From Ben Smith at http://www.politico.com/ "John McCain's campaign is demanding that the Los Angeles Times release a video of a party for a prominent Palestinian activist that Barack Obama attended in 2003. The Times described the going-away party for former University of Chicago professor, and Obama friend, Rashid Khalidi, in a story in April. The story reported that Palestinians thought they might have a friend in Obama because of his friendships in that community, despite the fact that his positions have never been particularly pro-Palestinian"...Answer: $250K, $200K, or $150K? Question: "At what income level will Senator Barack Obama raise you taxes? Obama's plan calls for 95% of Amercians to receive a tax break. Moreover, if you make less than $250K, you won't see an increase in your taxes. Last week that number dropped to $200K. Now Joe Biden says that anyone making less than $150K won't get a tax increase. Senaotrs, which figure is correct?...President Sarkozy of France called Obama's and the Democrats' position on Iran as "immature"...According to a Roll Call poll, Democrat Congressman Jim Marshall leads his Republican challenger, Rick Goddard, 49%-45%. It's a close race and certainly within the margin of error. Marshall outpolls Goddard among African-Americans 9-1, but Goddard is ahead 2-1 among white voters. Of course, the election will turn on how heavy turnout is in Houston County. Read more about this story at http://www.macon.com/. If Obama wins the White House and allows the Bush tax cuts to expire, which they will in 2010, the average household will pay an additional $2500.00 in taxes to the federal government. This begs the question: Will the Obama "tax cuts" offset the tax increase?

There are only 6 days until the presidential election. There are 82 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 18 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Stevens convicted

2008-10-28T11:00:00.002-04:00

Senator Ted Stevens (R, AK) was convicted of 7 counts of corruption. AP reports that "The 84-year old Stevens, who is in a race for re-election on November 4, was found guilty on Monday on all seven counts of lying on Senate disclosure forms to hide more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an oil executive". McCain had called for Stevens immediate resignation. Governor Palin called it a "sad day" for Stevens. Senator Stevens, however, pledged to fight on and asked voters to stand with him. Stevens' name will remain on the ballot in Alaska. Stevens trouble could ultimately tip the balance of power in the Senate and give Democrats the 60 votes they need for a filibuster-proof majority...WFTV anchor Barbara West went after Senator Joe Biden yesterday in a TV interview asking Biden if Obama's economic policies were "Marxist". Biden, responding in typical fashion, asked West if she was "joking". Biden will no longer grant interviews to WFTV which is an ABC affiliate in Orlando, Florida...Senator Obama has raised over $640 million for his presidential bid. Senator McCain has raised more than $400 million...Polls show the presidential race getting tighter...Indiana's Secretary of State requested a criminal investigation into ACORN...Senator Obama goes on TV tomorrow for 30 minutes of uninterrupted air time.

There are only 7 days until the presidential election. There are 83 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 17 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain guarantees win!

2008-10-27T09:40:00.003-04:00

John McCain yesterday guarenteed victory next Tuesday. Polls have gotten considerably tighter over the weekend. The reliable Zobgy Poll has Obama (49.9%-45.1%) with less than a 5 point lead as of today. Obama had over a 10 point lead just last Friday. Zogby says that "McCain is well within striking distance in each of the six states in which he trails. None of Obama's leads are outside the margin of error. However, unless McCain can take one of the big states won by John Kerry in 2004, such as Pennsylvania, he needs to win these six states. He might be able to survive the loss of Nevada, but probably not any of the others." However, Yahoo News had this to say, "remember: Day-to-day activity isn’t as important as what the polls do over time. Losing or gaining single points here and there can be a function of statistical “noise.” To really tell whether or not the state of the race is changing, we need to look at the trend. Right now, the aggregated movement still looks to be in Obama’s favor —– even with the Zogby poll included". Interesting?McCain and Palin are blitzing Pennsylvania and Virginia while Obama "closes" the deal in Ohio...Bob Barr (Libertarian) and Ralph Nader (Independent) are both polling about 1% nationally...The Macon Telegraph yesterday endorsed Senator Barack Obama...Simarly, AP is reporting that "The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Sunday after declaring Gov. Sarah Palin "too risky" to be one step away from the Oval Office".

There are only 8 days until the presidential election. There are 84 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 16 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Recession?

2008-10-24T10:22:00.005-04:00

Twenty seven states are now in a recession, two quarters of negative economic growth, with another five states teetering on the brink. Georgia is now among the 27in recession...Stocks opened down 5% on the fear that the recession is now going global. Stocks are now at their lowest point in five years...Georgians have lost $11 billion in retirement benefits as a result of the economic slow down. You can check out the story at www.macon.com. Rheem in Milledgeville and the Medical Center of Central Georgia have laid off 400 and 200 workers respectively in the last two days...Senator Obama is off the campaign trail over the next couple of days to be with his ailing grandmother in Hawaii...With Obama on the sideline, this may be McCain's best chance to pick up some support in key battleground states. Even though McCain and the RNC have an estimated $84 million on hand until the end of the campaign, Obama ads are appearing on average of 3300 times a day to McCain's 2300 appearances...A new poll has McCain tied with Obama in Pennsylvania...Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylavnia may have something to do with that poll since he first called his constituents "racists", then "rednecks", but he says that the situation has gotten better in the last couple of days...Murtha's opponent, Bill Russell, is in a virtual tie with the Congressman. You can check out Russell's website at www.russellbrigade.com...Senator Fred Thompson is shooting a commercial in support of Russell later today...President Jimmy Carter visited the mid-state yesterday, first at Byron Elementary and then Mercer University. At Mercer, as part of the President's Lecture Series which started last year, Carter called on the next presidential administration to emphasize human rights in order to elevate the US' position in the world. There were over 1,000 people in attendance.

There are only 11 days until the presidential election. There are 87 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 13 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Media bias?

2008-10-23T13:39:00.003-04:00

Drew Griffin of CNN interviewed Governor Sarah Palin the other day. Yesterday on CNN, Griffin misrepresented a piece by Byron York, who writes for the National Review. Griffin told Palin that conservatives in NR were calling the Governor ignorant, stupid, etc. What York did say was that "if you watched or listened to the media, you were not sure if Palin was ignorant, stupid, etc." In other words, the media has come down hard on Palin. In fact, in a new Pew Study released yesterday, coverage of Palin during "the six week period breakdown showed 28% positive, 39% negative, and 33% neutral". CNN has yet to apologize to its viewers or the Governor for this unprofessional conduct...According to the same Pew Study, Senator McCain is receiving more media coverage than Senator Obama. The bad news is that coverage is overwhelmingly negative...Three thousand educators have signed a petition supporting Bill Ayers...Ayers was named Chicago's Citizen of the Year back in 1996...A new AP poll has Senator Obama leading Senator McCain by only one point, 44%-43%...Moreover, an internal Obama poll, that was inadvertently leaked yesterday, had the Illinois Senator ONLY leading Senator McCain by two points in Pennsylvania. This would explain why the McCain campaign is spending so much time in the Keystone state...In the Evans and Novack report, "Republicans can take some solace in the knowledge that polling is an art, and not a science. In producing their final numbers, pollsters make assumptions about turnout among certain demographics, including blacks and young voters. If, as happened in 2000 and 2004, youth turnout is much lower than the media expect, Obama's vote totals could be considerably lower than polls would suggest"...Today in Iraq, the province of Babil was turned over to Iraqi control.

There are only 12 days until the presidential election. There are 88 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 12 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Republican shoots self in foot

2008-10-22T10:49:00.004-04:00

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on "Hardball" hosted by Chris Matthews last Friday and stated that Senator Barack Obama may hold "anti-American" views. Bachmann was roundly condemned in the media. Moreover, Bachmann's Democrat opponent has raised over $1 million since the "gaffe"...Georgia has lost the second most jobs in the US this year only behind Michigan...A new Pew poll has Obama leading McCain by 14 points. However, according to the same poll, there were still 23% undecided...Most of the new polling data coming out shows Obama pulling away from McCain as a result of the three presidential debates...While there's still 13 days until the election, experts are predicting a record percentage of voters...Newt Gingrich stumped for Rick Goddard today at the Woodruff House in Macon, GA. During the event Gingrich stated that "McCain is in a very deep hole (with respect to the election). The only way McCain can win the election, according to Gingrich, is to focus on Obama's "spread the wealth" line made famous as Obama was talking to "Joe the Plumber".

There are only 13 days until the presidential election. There are 89 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 11 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Two weeks and counting

2008-10-21T11:35:00.006-04:00

Senator John McCain has roughly $47 million to spend in October...In an event in Florida yesterday, Senators Obama and Clinton drew over 50,000 to a campaign event...The latest Zogby tracking poll, www.zogby.com, has Obama up by 8 points...Here's a little history lesson. The Washington Post back on 17 October 2004 had Senator John Kerry leading President Bush in a number of key battleground states, including Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania, noting that the Massachusetts Senator was "primed" to win the White House from Bush. Gallup also had the Bush-Kerry race at 51%-42% for Kerry. Bush ended up winning 286-251 in the electoral college...Senator Joe Biden gaffed the other day in Seattle saying that if Obama is elected there will be a major foreign policy challenge within the first six months of an Obama presidency. Foreign leaders will want to test the new president much like they did back in the 1960s when Kennedy was elected. Isn't that the point, Senator Biden? That because Senator Obama lacks foreign and national security experience, he will be tested because the world perceives Obama as weak? As Jeff Scott notes on his webpage, http://www.jeffscottshow.com/, look for a return of the Fairness Doctrine should Obama win the White House and the Democrats increase their majorities in the Congress. You can hear Jeff weekdays from 12:30-3:00 p.m. on WNNG 1350 on your AM dial...Speaking of Congress, it is not far-fetched that the Democrats can pick up nine seats in the Senate giving them 60 in toto and another 20-30 seats in the House. The United States may be in the process of an electoral realignment much like it was in 1860, 1896, 1932, 1968, and 1994. For those of you still unsure of what kind of President Senator Obama will make take at Saul Alinsky's book, "Rules for Radicals". It will give you an idea of the kinds of programs Obama will institute with the support of a left-leaning Congress. You can link here for more info
http://www.semcosh.org/AlinskyTactics.htm

There are only 14 days until the presidential election. There are 90 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 10 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain closing in?

2008-10-20T08:55:00.004-04:00

Zogby.com had the race between Obama and McCain under three points on Sunday in his daily tracking poll, but it had widened again to over five points by Monday...Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has endorsed Senator barack Obama...Senator Obama has raised over $140 million during the month of September and will purchase 30 minutes of air time on Wednesday, 29 October right before game six of the World Series should there be one...Sarah Palin appeared on SNL this past Saturday as Tina Fey...ACORN has registered some 85,000 new voters in Pennsylvania but close to 10,000 new registrations in the Philadelphia area are fraudulent...If McCain can win Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Missouri, he can win the White House...Over 65 million people watched the third and final presidential debate between Obama and McCain. Comparatively, 80 million watch the only denate between Carter and Reagan in 1980...Oliver Stone's "W" open this weekend. Surpringly, it is a sympathetic look at the 43rd POTUS.

There are 15 days until the presidential election. There are 91 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 9 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Casual Friday

2008-10-17T09:19:00.003-04:00

According to Zogby.com, Virginia has moved from a toss-up state to Obama. This change now gives Obama, according to Zogby, 273 electoral votes, three more than is needed to win the presidency...If you have the Dish Network, check out channel 73. It's Obama's own personal channel. It started about two weeks ago. All Obama, all the time...Obama will spend over $110 million in October in key battleground states...Obama is also purchasing air time on NBC and CBS at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 29 October for 30 minutes. The networks have offered McCain the same deal though it is unlikely he can afford it...Joe Biden yesterday announced that he did not know many plummers who were hurting on $250K, an obvious reference to and crack at "Joe the Plummer" from Ohio...Last night, both John McCain and Barack Obama spoke at the annual Alfred E. Smith Charity dinner at the Astoria Hotel in New York for charity. It is 63 year tradition where presidential candidates come together to raise money for Catholic charities and poke fun at one another. McCain was absolutely hilarious and very complimentary of Obama. McCain even took a few shots at Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, and MSNBC. "McCain cracked", I hear Olbermann is getting his own "Mission Accomplished" banner (in support of Obama's campaign after 4 November). If he does not know what to to with it, I'd be happy to tell where he could put it". Hilarious! If McCain were only this loose and funny on the campaign trail. Smith, by the way, was a four term governor of New York, and the first Catholic to run for the presidency...When McCain looks back on this campaign should he lose, he can mark 15 September as the turning point. That's when he uttered the regretable phrase, "the fundamentals of the economy are strong"...AIG has taken $82.3 billion in emergency aid money...It asked for another $12 billion yesterday...Stocks were up 4.7% yesterday, which means there'll be down today about 5%. When will it end?...More and more states, including several key battleground states, are now looking very closely at their new voter registration logs as a result of rampant allegations of voter fraud as a result of ACORN's efforts to register new voters...Speaking of ACORN, they have received over $31 million from the federal government over the past few years.

There are 18 days until the presidential election. There are 94 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 6 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Rhetoric vs. Record

2008-10-16T08:59:00.003-04:00

Senators McCain and Obama squared off for the final time last night at Hofstra University in Long Island. This was clearly McCain's best showing, yet it may not make a difference in the outcome on 4 November. McCain was clearly more feisty and on message during most of the debate. He fought back against Obama's charge that he, McCain, is not Goerge Bush: "If you wanted to run against President Bush, Senator Obama, you should have run against him four years ago". In addition, McCain tried to portray Obama as a tax and spend liberal wondering aloud "why would we raise anyone's taxes" in such poor economic conditions. McCain even went as far as bringing up the issue of William Ayers calling him a "washed up terrorist". McCain also scored fairly well with "Joe the Plummer" from Ohio who wants to buy the business he works for but may not because he will be taxed under the Obama plan for making more than $250K. McCain probably could have done a little more by pounding on the "spread it around" comment Obama made in Ohio, but that's been one of the problems for McCain all along: focus. The race turned on 15 September when McCain uttered the words, "the fundamentals of the economy are strong". The collapse on Wall Street and McCain's seemingly out of touch remarks may have cost him the election if he cannot change the conversation. He made a good attempt last night, but it may be a case of too little, too late.

McCain has a number of obstacles to overcome namely: 1. the economy is souring and he does not appear to have a message or plan to help it along, though he just came out with a six point plan earlier in the week; 2. he's trying to succeed a president who's disapproval ratings are near 75%. As long as Obama talks about Bush and the failed policies of the last 8 years, it will be difficult for McCain to break through; and 3. 90% of the country believes it's on the wrong track. This is significant because the voters are saying that we're willing to break completely away and go in a new direction even if it means electing a very liberal president and congress, with a filibuster-proof majority. If McCain were smart he'd start running ads like a fast motor car with three engines and no brakes pointed directly at a cliff to represent the kind of policies we'll get if we do not check the Democrats now. Does anyone realize that Congress has only a 9% approval rating?

What may save McCain in the end is something Fred Thompson said at the RNC in Minneapolis. "There are two things you never have to ask about John McCain: Who is this man? And, what does he stand for?" Even in these bleak times, Obama has not yet sealed the deal. Only time will tell if he can or if Americans come to their seneses.

There are 19 days until the presidential election. There are 95 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 5 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Final Debate

2008-10-15T10:43:00.003-04:00

Senators Obama and McCain square in the third and final presidential debate at Hofstra University this evening. Many pundits are urging for McCain to be more asserive and knock Obama off of his "game"...Some polls are suggesting that Obama has 344 electoral votes. John Zogby still has the race very close, within 4 points, and a number of key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, etc., too close to call. Zogby also has Obama at only 234 electoral votes...Jesse Jackson came out yesterday and stated that Israel would not be as high a priority under the Obama administration in order to reach out to the Arab world and "heal the wounds"...An Ohio plummer over the weekend, who is thinking about buying the plumming business he now works for, would make a little over $250,000.00 if he bought said business. Under the Obama plan, anyone making over $250K would have their taxes increased. The plummer asked Obama why he would be punished with more taxes. Obama replied that he was not punishing the plummer but trying to support the people behind the plummer's business by "spreading the wealth around". Where Obama and Biden might call this plan "fair" or "just", others call it redistribution of wealth. Why in the world would that plummer, under the Obama tax plan, ever want to buy the business?...A federal court in Ohio ordered the state to check the registration of newly registered voters amid allegations of voter fraud in the key battleground state...US troops in Iraq killed al Qaidea's number two leader in that country on Wednesday.

There are 20 days until the presidential election. There are 96 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 4 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain falling hopelessly behind

2008-10-13T11:09:00.004-04:00

A new Wasington Post poll has Senator Barack Obama leading Senator John McCain by 10 points, 53%-43%. "With the final debate set for Wednesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., McCain faces a narrowing window in which to reverse course. Among the reasons McCain's path to victory seems steeper is that the percentage of "movable" voters continues to shrink. Thirteen percent of all voters are now either undecided or may change their mind before Election Day, down somewhat from recent polls"...A new Yahoo poll shows Obama winning 333 electoral votes to McCain's 175. Clearly, the numbers rae going in the wrong direction for McCain...McCain, over the last three weeks, has been viewed as "too negative" and not addressing the issues. It has not helped that the Obama/Biden ticket has appeared twice as many times as the McCain/Palin ticket in key battleground states...AP is reporting that "three weeks before Election Day, John McCain on Monday is unveiling what his aides call a more forceful new stump speech in which he portrays himself as a scrappy fighter on the comeback trail against an opponent who’s already “measuring the drapes” in the Oval Office". McCain said that "there's 22 days to go and we're 6 points down". Any poll you read clearly shows that McCain is losing ground...Stocks were up today as much as 500 points as the government pledges more bank aid.

There are 22 days until the presidential election. There are 98 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 2 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Musings

2008-10-08T10:10:00.003-04:00

AIG threw itself a $440,000.00 party AFTER the government bailout was signed into law. Has anyone any decency or shame any more?...The Fed cut interest rates by .5% which was initially greeted with great enthusiasm on Wall Street. However, said enthusiasm quickly died off when the Dow Jones opened down another 100+ points...The Nikkei (Japan's stock market) lost 9% of its value today as well...Russia's stock market lost almost 20% of its value yesterday...The global economy is in a serious slow down being led by the US "recession", as the IMF is now calling it. It's no longer a "mental" thing as Phil Gramm called it a few months ago; people are hurting all over with no end in sight. Even Obama and McCain gave very nondescript answers last night during the debate about how severe this downturn is and long it will last. The one and only answer is that nobody really knows. The other thing we know is that raising taxes will only prolong the "downturn". Furthermore, while each candidate tried to tear down the other's policies, neither candidate could tell us how they plan to pay for their programs or reforms.

Two McCains

2008-10-08T09:57:00.002-04:00

The John McCain of 2000 who ran as a "maverick" and a bit of an "outsider" against George W. Bush is gone. McCain, who was savaged by the Bush campaign after McCain's win in the 2000 New Hampshire primary and before the South Carolina primary, is trying to have it both ways and its costing him the election. On the one hand, he's trying to return to the likeable, media accessible, maverick type who defied his own party in 2000. On the other hand, he's also employing "Karl Rove-like" tactics by tearing down Obama and the Democrats as much as he can. McCain himself is doing the former, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, is doing the latter. Where has it gotten McCain? Nowehere. McCain is a different candidate than he was in 2000. The beating he took from Bush/Rove questioning McCain's patriotism, his values, his competence, etc. has left McCain a bitter man. Trying to recapture the "old John Mccain" with only 27 days left in the campaign is not working. If McCain wants to win, and he now has little margin to do so, he has to attack Obama as a tax and spend liberal, which he is. McCain has not helped himself by not laying out a conservative economic plan that many Americans who are angry with the bailout would agree with. McCain also needs to hammer home the fact that Obama is naive when it comes to foreign and national security policy. He did so do during the first debate, but left something to be desired last night. He really needed to hammer home the fact that the presidency it not a place for the on the job training in such a dangerous world. Lastly, McCain needs to hammer home Obama's associations with ACORN, Tony Rezko, William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, etc. Obama has gotten a pass from the drive by media on these associations. McCain and Palin need to expose such relationships for what they are: serious errors in judgment. Otherwise, come 20 Janaury, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next POTUS.

And the winner of last night's debate is...

2008-10-08T09:56:00.002-04:00

not sure. Senators Obama and McCain both had opportunities to score major points last night during their second presidential debate at Belmont University in Tennessee, but neither man struck a fatal blow. Obama had a real chance to "seal the deal" by once and for all linking McCain to the "failed Bush" policies of the last eight years. Instead, Obama was often frustrated by some of McCain's attacks and the format of the debate itself, the townhall meeting, where Tom Brokaw tried desperately to have each candidate answer the questions and stay within the time limits, often redirecting the candidates to stay on topic. Obama did scote heavily during the 30 minute deiscussion of foreign policy in response to being called "dangerous" and a "neophyte" by McCain saying "Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. If Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should." Obama continued: "Now, Sen. McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I'm green behind the ears and, you know, I'm just spouting off, and he's somber and responsible." McCain smiled and said, "Thank you very much." But the smile faded when Obama said: "This is the guy who sang, 'Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,' who called for the annihilation of North Korea. That, I don't think, is an example of speaking softly."

McCain on the other hand had some opportunities to paint Obama as a "tax and spend" liberal who wants almost $1 trillion of new spending, give 45% who do not pay taxes a check from the government, raise taxes on small businesses, and have the government run health care. McCain could have also delved into the problems of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in more detail and really stuck it to Obama and Democrats like Dodd and Frank who have touted that these institutions were financially sound, but McCain backed off only referring to them in passing. Unfortunately for McCain, he was not agressive enough in these areas and he did not pressure Obama as much as he could have on these and other issues. The one idea McCain did have that caught Obama off guard is having the Fed buy up bad mortgages and renegotiate new terms with the borrower. This idea, unfortunately, is another government solution to a major problem. McCain at times appeared grumpy and pessimistic and about as way away from Reagan's sunny disposition as you can get.

So who won? One could say that McCain won on points because he was more substantive than Obama but McCain did not score a knockout. So, since Obama is still the front runner, advantage Obama. Obama takes another day off the calendar and McCain now only has one debate to pressure Obama. If McCain wins the White House it will be in spite of the debates.

There are 27 days until the presidential election. There are 103 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,781 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Good news for McCain?

2008-10-07T14:02:00.005-04:00

Time.com has an interesting piece today about Obama's lead and where he may be vulnerable 28 days out from the election. Obama holds a 5% lead on McCain, like he did back in June "But on specific issues, Obama is treading water or sinking a bit. On the number one issue of the campaign right now, the economy, Obama leads McCain 43%-39%, compared to 44%-37% reported by TIME's poll in June. Despite his highly touted tour of Europe, the Middle East and Afghanistan last month, Obama may be in something of a late summer slump. The poll shows that voters have increased their faith in McCain's ability to manage the Iraq war, favoring him over Obama by a margin of 51%-36%, a five point jump since June. And voters boosted their belief that McCain would do a better job in managing the war on terror than they did in June, favoring the Arizona Senator over his colleague from Illinois by a 56%-29% margin, up from 53%-33% in June." It will be interesting to see this evening, in the townhall format, if McCain can makeup more ground. Since last week's vice presidential debate, Zogby now has Obama's lead down to 3% points. McCain, and Palin for that matter, need to stay on the offensive if he wants to win. There's still time.

There are 28 days until the presidential election. There are 104 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,780 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Monday blues

2008-10-06T10:22:00.003-04:00

The Dow fell below the 10,000 mark for the first time since October, 2004. There appears to be a "sky is falling" mentality on Wall Street despite the rescue passed and signed into law by the President last week...A new poll shows Obama ahead of McCain in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, two battleground states that John Kerry won in 2004. However, McCain now trails in Ohio. If McCain has any chance of winning the White House he must win Ohio...Obama is up at least five points or better in every state John Kerry won in 2004 and is competitive, tied, or leading McCain in 10 states that George W. Bush carried in 2004. Advantage Obama...The US Supreme Court begins a new term today. If Obama wins the White House, the impact on the highest court in the land will affect generations to come...New voter registration favors Barack Obama. New registrants, 4 million since last year are swelling in key states like Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, etc...New polls show Obama with 264 electoral votes, six less than the 270 he needs to capture the White House...While there's still time, McCain must make a move now or the campaign is over...Some where in the distance you can hear the "fat lady" warming up.

There are 29 days until the presidential election. There are 105 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,779 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

"Palincredible"

2008-10-03T10:18:00.005-04:00

Sarah Palin more than held her own against Joe Biden last night in St. Louis as part of the only VP debate this election cycle. Palin was calm, in command, engagaing, likeable, and witty throughout the debate. Most importantly, she came off as credible. Now, many conservatives may feel that Palin did not go after Biden as much as she could have, but in retrospect, that may have been the strategy; to promote a "sunny optimism", much like Reagan did, that our best days are still ahead of us. It's risky, but it may just work because Palin is genuine. Her folksy disposition is what voters like, and she certainly acquitted herself quite well. Lines like, "Say it ain't so Joe, there you go again", or "I may not answer the question you (Gwen Ifill) want me too, but how about a little straight talk", were effective without being mean or condescending. Some nay-sayers may say that she did not look presidential enough, but many voters can relate to Palin's style. Perhaps now the McCain camp will unleash Palin's "sunny dispotion" and get this turned around while there's still time. It will be interesting to watch the polls to gauge if her performance will serve as a "game-changer". Conservatives, despite the bad news over the last few weeks about the bailout bill, McCain's rather mediocre performance last week, pulling out of Michigan, etc., may be excited about the election once again.

There are 32 days until the presidential election. There are 108 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,776 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Musings

2008-10-02T16:20:00.003-04:00

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, a sure sign that the campaign is on the downward trend...Sarah Palin WILL go after Joe Biden tonight in order to shakeup the race and change the slumping dynamic that has been the last two weeks of the McCain campaign...Obama has new ads up in Georgia, a state that was solidly red just a few weeks ago, may now be a toss-up...Oil closed today at less than $95.00 a barrel.

Another message from the Libertarian Party of GA

2008-10-02T10:51:00.001-04:00

This email was sent courtesy of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. Read on!

Dear friend of liberty,

Just in case we weren't sure before -- after last night's Senate approval of
the horrid "bailout" bill, we now know both our US Senators prefer security
to freedom. We know you lit up their phone lines like Christmas trees. We
know you clogged up their emailboxes and voicemail systems. We know you
told them "Vote NO on the bailout bill!" And we know they ignored you.
There is only one way to make them understand your disapproval. It is
imperative that you vote against Saxby Chambliss this November. Libertarian
candidate Allen Buckley would have voted "NO." The opportunity to take
Johnny Isakson to the woodshed will have to wait.

The bailout bill now goes back to the US House Of Representatives. Our
Congressmen now face the most momentous vote of their lives. We, their
constituents, must make them understand their political careers are hanging
on this issue. Please, please, please: call your Congressman and tell them
"I want you to vote NO on the bailout bill!"

The issue is freedom versus security. The freedom of financial markets.
The freedom of businesses to compete and maybe succeed, maybe fail. The
freedom of individuals to act with the knowledge that we actually have
control over our fates. The other choice is a false one, because "security"
here means becoming subjects instead of citizens. It means fewer options
for our financial decisions. It means more bureaucratic hoops to jump
through. It means the "security" of being wards of the state. When it
comes to nationalizing the financial sector of our economy, the only
acceptable vote is for freedom.

We know and heed Benjamin Franklin's advice: "They who would give up an
essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or
security."

We must get that message across to our Congressmen. And we must be prepared
to punish at the polls the ones who ignore us.

Here's what to do:
CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AGAIN!.
Here are their phone numbers again:
GA01 Representative Jack Kingston - (202) 225-5831
GA02 Representative Sanford Bishop - (202) 225-3631
GA03 Representative Lynn Westmoreland - (202) 225-5901
GA04 Representative Hank Johnson - (202) 225-1605
GA05 Representative John Lewis - (202) 225-3801
GA06 Representative Tom Price - (202) 225-4501
GA07 Representative John Linder - (202) 225-4272
GA08 Representative Jim Marshall - (202) 225-6531
GA09 Representative Nathan Deal - (202) 225-5211
GA10 Representative Paul Broun - (202) 225-4101
GA11 Representative Phil Gingrey - (202) 225-2931
GA12 Representative John Barrow - (202) 225-2823
GA13 Representative David Scott - (202) 225-2939

It is critical that people living in the 2nd and 8th district call soon and
often; Sanford Bishop and Jim Marshall voted FOR the bailout bill on Monday.
Libertarians revere the founding fathers for their wisdom and their courage.
Their love of freedom beats strong in our breasts. The betrayal of liberty
shown by our Senators, and the possibility of it with our Congressmen, makes
us think of the words of Samuel Adams. Not one month after he and the other
signers of The Declaration Of Independence pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty, Adams addressed
delegates and the public in Philadelphia. Think of our legislators as you
read his words; think of those who have voted to ignore our instructions and
opted for statism instead of individualism. Adams told the crowd "If ye
love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the
animating contest of freedom -- go from us in peace. We ask not your
counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your
chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen!"

Those Congressmen who vote for "tranquility of servitude rather than the
animating contest of freedom" must be held accountable. Every single one of
them is up for reelection on November 4th. Note which ones (like Senator
Chambliss) vote for this socialist bailout bill, and cast your ballot
accordingly.

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN NOW AND TELL HIM "I WANT YOU TO VOTE "NO" ON THE
BAILOUT BILL!"

The Libertarian Party of Georgia thanks you for acting on this alert. Our
economic freedom, our personal liberty, and our capitalist way of life are
at stake!

Obama building lead

2008-10-02T08:58:00.004-04:00

Senator Barck Obama appears to be pulling away from Senator John McCain. Most polls have Obama ahead anywhere from 4-7 points. To make matters worse, Obama is tied or ahead in key states like Iowa, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. AP is reporting that key "Republicans, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering the campaign, point to several factors: Obama's gains nationally and in traditionally GOP states, no McCain boost from the first debate, McCain's struggles with economic issues as the financial crisis has unfolded and deepening public skepticism about his running mate, Sarah Palin". Sarah Palin will have an opportunity to dispel some of these concerns when she debates Senator Joe Biden this evening from St. Louis. Even conservative radio talk show hosts Sean Hannity, Dennis Miller, and Mark Levine are urging the McCain camp to get more aggressive on the campaign trail. Levine last night went so far as to give his audience a "Pep talk" with Patton-music playing in the background. These are becoming desperate times for Republicans especially in light on last night's Senate vote, 74-25, to pass its own version of the bailout. The House will take up the bill on Friday. It is expected to pass.

There are 33 days until the presidential election. There are 109 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,775 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Message from Libertarian Party of Georgia

2008-10-01T11:04:00.003-04:00

"Here we go again! The US Senate will vote tonight on a slightly different version of the financial bailout bill that YOUR phone calls and emails torpedoed in the US House on Monday. It's time to give Senators Chambliss and Isakson the same treatment with the same message: "I want you to vote NO on the bailout bill!"

There are so many things wrong with the proposed legislation! The biggest problem for Libertarians is that the bill will nationalize the American financial system. It will put everything from day-to-day decisions to CEO salary under federal control. It will do it by purchasing large ownership shares in banks and funds with taxpayer money. This is called socialism, a failed, immoral philosophy that denies the importance of the individual. On this ground alone the bill should be voted down.

But wait, there's more! Because our leaders say this bailout must pass right now, the bill will also include a provision requiring health insurance companies to include coverage for mental health treatment. Say what? Libertarians oppose government interference in private transactions between consenting adults, so we are opposed to this tampering with insurance plans-- but even more, we believe any legislation larded with provisions like this is anything but crucial. At the same time, the Senate will entertain an amendment from Socialist Bernie Sanders of Vermont to fund the bill with a tax surcharge on millionaires.

And that's only what the bill's sponsors have conceded. The full bill language has not been made public yet! After 9/11, Americans understandably were frightened and angry. But our government manipulated that fear to scare Americans into surrendering more liberty with The Patriot Act. Our government is running the exact same scam
with this bailout bill. It wants to scare us into giving the government total control over our financial lives. We must be the monkeywrench in their plans!

Here's what to do: CALL OUR SENATORS! Saxby Chambliss is up for reelection and should be more sensitive to a flood of negative calls. Johnny Isakson's job is safe, so he may be less open to constitutent opinion -- but we still need to call".

Saxby Chambliss-(202)224-3521
Johnny Isakson-(202)224-3643

Ifill biased

2008-10-01T10:09:00.003-04:00

PBS "Washington Week" anchor Gwen Ifill will be the moderator for tomorrow night's vice presidential debate. Ifill is coming out with a book, on Inaugaration Day, 20 January, 2009 entitled, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama". The McCain camp, when they were negotiating the setup for the debates, did not realize that Ifill was coming out with a "pro-Obama" book. This begs two questions: 1. how "objective" will Ifill be at tmorrow night's debate?; and 2. why didn't the McCain campaign properoly vette Ifill?...New polls released today show that Senator Obama has broken the 50% mark in three key battleground states: Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania...Sarah Palin is in Sedona, AZ at "Debate School" getting ready for tomorrow evening's showdown with Senator Joe Biden. Many conservatives are nervous about how she'll perform...The Senate is getting ready to vote on its own version of the bailout that has some new goodies including raising the FDIC limit to $250,000.00and amending the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). It should also include the abolition of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Community Reform Act.

There are 34 days until the presidential election. There are 110 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,774 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain losing ground?

2008-09-30T22:49:00.000-04:00

Dick Morris is reporting that "the polls now make it clear that McCain lost the first debate, and has lost ground during the entire gambit of suspending his campaign, going off the trail, going to Washington, and working on the bailout. He was tied, or 1 to 2 percent behind when he made the suspension announcement, and he is now 5 to 6 percent behind.

The fallout in the electoral map does not make for a pretty picture. Core Republican states like Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina are now really toss ups, and even states like South Carolina and Georgia are in play."

Libertarian point of view

2008-09-30T08:44:00.002-04:00

If you're interested in the Libertarian point of view with respect to yesterday's failed vote on the bailout, here's an email that they are circulating via email. God bless the people!

"Dear friend of Liberty,

The US House Of Representatives has voted down the bailout bill. The vote was 205 for and 228 against.

141 Democrats voted for the bailout, while 94 voted against it. 67 Republicans voted for it, while 132 opposed it. The defeat was bipartisan.

Speaker of The House Nancy Peolsi (D-CA) took to the well to claim that the bill's defeat was the fault of the Republicans (even though 40% of her own party voted nay).

With all due respect, Madam Speaker is wrong. The reason the bill went down to defeat is that YOU responded to our email action alerts last week. YOU called your US Congressman to say you wanted them to vote NO. YOU called your US Senators, who are supposed to get their own whack at the bill later this week.

All lovers of freedom owe you a debt of gratitude. It was your phone calls and emails that turned the tide. You convinced your Representative that he might lose his job in November if he did not oppose the bill. You saved capitalism, the private ownership of our financial system, with your calls. You prevented the nationalization of our banking system, despite the naked desire of our elected officials to subvert our economic system to socialism. YOU have saved America.

The roll call has not been published yet, so I can't tell you if your Congressman obeyed your instructions or if they need to be taught a lesson on November 4th. Please make the effort to learn how your Representative voted. It might be nice to send a "thank you" card if he voted against the bailout.

We are not children; we all have learned that the enemies of individual freedom never sleep. The Libertarian Party of Georgia will alert you when the danger presents itself again -- as it most surely will. Many heroes of American liberty have expressed this thought, but we go with President Andrew Jackson in his farewell address in 1837: "...Eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty..."

Thank you for exercising that vigilance".

McCain dead?

2008-09-30T08:29:00.003-04:00

Obviously Senator John McCain's efforts last week to suspend his campaign and work on the bailout failed. In addition, his failure to articulate what he stands for has also hurt him him in the polls. Yesterday, the House Republicans and 95 Democrats gave McCain an inroad to get his campaign back on track if he is willing to attack Obama. As Dick Morris suggests, "he (McCain) needs to say that our system is starving for capital. Raising capital gains taxes, much less doubling it as Obama proposed during the primaries (but now is trying to backtrack), is like taxing water in the desert. McCain has to talk about Obama's spending proposals and mock the idea that he can spend a trillion and still give "95% of Americans" a tax increase. McCain should take a page out of the playbook of the endgame of the Bush 1992 campaign. With Bill Clinton holding a solid lead, Bush was reluctant to attack him for his record of tax increases, especially given his violation of his 1988"read my lips" pledge not to raise taxes. So the campaign sent Vice President Dan Quayle out to attack Clinton, day after day, for raising taxes. And the results were clear in the polls. Bush gained each day and, four days before Election Day, Bush took a lead over Clinton in the tracking polls". Painting Obama as a big tax and spend liberal in these uncertain economic times may just get McCain back in the race, but he has to act quickly...Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday questioned House Republican's patriotism and trashed the economic policies of the Bush administration after the House voted down the bailout package. She then turned around and said Republicans and Democrats need to come together. Is it any wonder why nothing gets done in Washington?...House member Barney Frank continues to assail Republicans for voting against the bailout. What Representative Frank, Senators Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama fail to recall back in 2003-2005 is that they all advocated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were "fundamentally sound" institutions and blocked any legislation to tighten oversight of the failing GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises). Two questions: 1. do they all feel that way today; and 2. why isn't any one in the old media reporting this fact? By the way, Frank, Schumer, Obama, and Dodd all received huge amounts of money from Mae and Mac...If all of the current bank mergers go through, Citi, Bank of America, and Chase will hold $1 for every $3 deposited in this country. That's a rather scary thought and an enormous power grab.

There are 35 days until the presidential election. There are 111 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,773 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

House sends message, President weak

2008-09-29T14:53:00.003-04:00

According to AP "The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, ignoring urgent warnings from President Bush and congressional leaders of both parties that the economy could nosedive into recession without it. Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor. Bush and a host of leading congressional figures had implored the lawmakers to pass the legislation despite howls of protest from their constituents back home. Despite pressure from supporters, not enough members were willing to take the political risk just five weeks before an election.
Ample no votes came from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle. More than two-thirds of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats opposed the bill." President Bush will meet with his economic team to determine what to do next. The biggest obstacle of the bailout is the enormous amount of taxpayer money that will be given to Wall Street, instead of loans that would be repayed over time. In addition, such a bailout gives the government extraordinary power, power it is likely never to give back.

There are 36 days until the presidential election. There are 112 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,772 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Spend, spend, spend

2008-09-28T20:22:00.001-04:00

Congress reached a deal with the White House agreeing in principle to a $700 billion bailout of taxpayer money to buy bad assets. The House will vote on the measure early Monday. The AP reported that "A breakthrough came when Democrats agreed to incorporate a GOP demand — letting the government insure some bad home loans rather than buy them. That would limit the amount of federal money used in the rescue. Another important bargain, vital to attracting support from centrist Democrats, would require that the government, after five years, submit a plan to Congress on how to recoup any losses from the companies that got help". President Bush said it will be a tough vote, but it should pass. Both Senators Obama and McCain support the bailout. The Senate also passed, on Saturday, a $634 billion bill keeping the government afloat. As part of that $634 billion, $25 billion are subsidized loans for the auto industry. In toto, that's over $1.3 trillion in spending alone this weekend...On Friday, Obama and Mccain debated at Ole' Miss. In essence, there were two debates: the first debate on the economic woes of the country lasted roughly 40 minutes; the remainder of the debate focused on national security issues. McCain stumbled early on with respect to the economy, though he did hit a nerve with respect to spending (see above). Obama remained cool, spoke directly into the camera, and spoke eloquently about how this current crisis hurts the middle class and Main Street Americans. McCain could not seem to get untracked early. However, when the debate shifted to national security, McCain clearly hit his stride. He was a walking, talking encyclopedia of names, places, facts, etc. The more McCain spoke of his foreign policy experience, the more Obama agreed with McCain. Clearly, McCain outperformed Obama during the remainder of the debate. However, even though McCain won going away on foreign policy, Obama battled Mccain to a draw since the most important aspect of the night was the economy. Since McCain did not score a "knockout", in essence, Obama won. Why? As Dick Morris points out "We're left wondering why McCain acted as he did - and suspecting him of just being impulsive, desperate and quirky. So the taller, younger, better-looking, more articulate man won last night. Obama showed a level of concern for the average American that McCain - who undoubtedly feels that concern - failed to project...advantage Obama"...The new Zogby poll shows that "44% believed Obama won the debate, while 41% said McCain did. Another 16% said they watched the debate but were unsure who came out on top". According to "Politico" some important members of the GOP are quietly raising the question, "should VP hopeful Sarah Palin step aside"? While there's been an uptick in volunteers, and she draws huge crowds, she's made a number of gaffes and appears unknowledgeable and awkward on camera, almost naif like. McCain has thus far stood by her, but one has to wonder what kind of performance she will give next Thursday at the VP debate. Stay tuned.

There are 37 days until the presidential election. There are 113 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,771 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

"The Audacity of Dopes"

2008-09-26T13:03:00.004-04:00

So read a sign a women was holding outside on Wall Street. AP is reporting that "just 30 percent say they support Bush's package, according to an Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released as White House and congressional leaders struggled to rescue the plan after House Republicans rebelled against it. Despite the president's pleas that the package is urgently needed to prevent an economic meltdown, 45 percent say they oppose Bush's proposal while 25 percent said they are undecided"...Though many Republicans are skeptical of McCain's move to suspend his campaign this week, Dick Morris called the move "brilliant". Here's why. "Knowing how unpopular the bailout is with the American people, the Democrats are not about to pass anything without broad Republican support even though their majorities permit them to act alone. Instead of signing on with the Democratic/Bush package, the House Republicans are insisting on replacing the purchase of corporate debt with loans to companies and insurance paid for by the companies, not by the taxpayers. That, of course, is a popular position. McCain would be comfortable to debate this issue division all day. And, if the Dems don’t cave into the Republican position, that’s probably exactly what he’ll do on Friday night’s scheduled debate in Mississippi... By Monday, at the latest, the Democrats have to cave in and pass the Republican version. They don’t dare pass their own without GOP support, so they will have to cave in to the Republican version. Then McCain comes out of the process as the hero who made it happen when the president couldn’t and Obama wouldn’t. He becomes the bailout expert". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more...Joe Biden met today with the President of Georgia behind closed doors. Perhaps they discussed no new "coal plants" in the embattled former Soviet republic...John McCain will be at tonight's debate. The first and most important rule in a debate is to "do no harm". We'll see who blinks first...An estimated 45 million Americans will watch tonight's debate...If you want to see what you will pay in taxes under an Obama or McCain administration, go to www.electiontaxes.com. You will be surprised by the results.

House Republicans revolt

2008-09-26T09:19:00.002-04:00

Last night House Democrats had enough votes in the House to pass the bailout. However, before moving forward Speaker Pelosi wanted most of the House Republicans to sign on before voting. Now it seems she's changed her mind and is ready to hold a vote with or without House Republican support. There appears to be enough votes in the Senate though rumors are circulating that McCain may lead a filibuster to halt the bill before it goes to President Bush for his signature...Calls into Congress are 100 to 1 AGAINST passing the $700 billion bailout. The support of the people is what's driving House Republicans to hold out for a better, more thoughtful, less government laiden package...Speaking of government, if the bailout passes in its current form the Secretary of the Treasury becomes "Finance Czar" and is not held accountable by any one in the government. Furthermore, the decisions he makes would be "beyond" judicial review. Anti-federalists must be spinning in their graves! Tonight's debate is still "up in the air' but Ole' Miss officials are now saying that if McCain does not show up Barack Obama will hold a 90 minute town hall meeting in front of 40 million Americans.

There are 39 days until the presidential election. There are 115 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,769 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Doom and gloom?

2008-09-25T23:01:00.001-04:00

After painting a "doom and gloom" scenario during his speech last night about the economy, it appeared that Democrats and Republicans reached a deal in principle on a bailout package. However, later in the day House Republicans failed to support the President's $700 billion bailout leaving the deal on hold. AP reports that "a Republican revolt stalled urgent efforts to lash together a national economic rescue plan Thursday, a chaotic turnaround on a day that had seemed headed for a success that President Bush, both political parties and their presidential candidates could celebrate at an extraordinary White House meeting. Weary congressional negotiators worked into the night, joined by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in an effort to revive or rework the $700 billion proposal that President Bush said must be quickly approved by Congress to stave off potentially "a long and deep recession."' In other words, House Republicans are opposed to social engineering on the economy. President Bush and lawmakers will meet again late Friday morning to try to work out their differences...Washington Mutual, the country's largest Savings and Loan was taken over by the FDIC and will have its assets sold to JP Morgan Chase. It's the largest bank failure in US history...Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss is still up in the air though Nader, Barr, and McKinney agreed to step in for McCain...It's not clear how successful McCain's strategy has been to suspend his campaign to return to Washington to work on a solution. While Gallup's daily tracking poll has the race even at 46%, the circus atmosphere in Washington have Republicans calling McCain's actions a "political stunt"...House member Barney Frank (D, MA) said back in 2005 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were financially sound, solvent, and that the rules need not be re-written to stop giving loans to folks who could not afford them. Brilliant!

There are 40 days until the presidential election. There are 116 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,768 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain in trouble

2008-09-24T22:31:00.000-04:00

Dick Morris is reporting on www.dickmorris.com that "The Sarah Palin effect has run its course and the election, driven by the economy and the recent financial crisis, has moved back to its pre-convention pattern with a slight Obama lead, averaging 2 points in the popular vote. Because small changes in the popular vote cause huge swings in the electoral vote, a number of key states have moved into Obama's column. Florida may now be said to be leaning for Obama while Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, and Nevada have become toss ups." This news makes this Thursday's meeting at the White House between the President, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, and congressional leaders, all the more important for the McCain campaign if he wants to win the White House.

Wow

2008-09-24T22:11:00.000-04:00

While Connecticut Democrats will delay censuring Senator Joe Lieberman for speaking at the RNC in MN, today has been a whirlwind of events...Earlier today news broke that the government's bailout plan was in trouble on Capitol Hill. Senator Obama, seizing the moment, contacted the McCain camp concerning issuing a joint statement on principles they could agree on about the troubled economy. Not responding immediately or directly to the Obama camp, Senator McCain came out a little after 3:00 p.m. and declared that he is suspending his campaign and going back to Washington, DC to work on a solution to the current economic crisis. Of course McCain, putting "country first" above partisan politics, asked Obama to join him, thus in effect, postponing or even canceling Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss. The Obama camp rejected the idea outright and made it clear that as president, McCain would need to multitask in effect saying, "we can work on the problem and still debate about the economy." Advantage: Obama. Several hours later President Bush announced the reason behind the economic fallout, what needed to be done, and how the government would do it. Bush also said that he invited BOTH McCain and Obama to the White House, along with leaders of Congress from both parties, to flesh out the details of the rescue. Obama accepted the President's invitation and will now head to Washington for this meeting. Advantage: McCain. Now, if the bill is worked out and passed, there's no reason for the candidates not to debate. However, McCain is "banking" on the fact that the bill won't be ready by Friday which everyone agrees is a must or the stock market will drop some more. Subsequently, McCain would stay behind in Washington to work on a solution while Obama heads to Oxford, MS for the debate. It's a risky strategy but one that could give McCain the edge over Obama on the economy and leadership...Having said all that, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came out on Hannity and Colmes and said that the President's plan is unsound and needs to be rejected by the Congress. Gingrich acknowleges that something needs to be done, but allowing the government to buy back "bad paper" is a bad idea. The Bush administration hopes this "bad debt" will increase in value over time. What the President failed to explain is how the country will earn revenue or break even. Many people believe that they'll get a bill in the mail from the government outlining what they'll need to pay in taxes in order to cover the bailout. The $700 billion price tag is estimated to cost every American $3000.00.

More musings

2008-09-24T14:56:00.002-04:00

President Bush will address this eveing about the government bailout program and why it is necessary...North Korea has ordered nuclear inspectors out of the country. The North Koreans are restarting their nuclear program. Speaking of North Korea, its leader, Kim Jung Il, is supposedly recovering from a mild stroke and that the finance minister is in charge...Russian warship "Peter the Great" is making its way to Venezuela for a joint military exercise...John McCain is meeting with Mitt Romney and other CEOs to discuss the state of the economy and the bailout...Congress will not renew the ban on offshore drilling...Laura Bush remarked to CNN that Sarah Palin lacks foreign policy experience but was quick to point out that Palin is a quick study...Senator Biden has commented that John McCain is "often wrong" on matters of national security.

Change subject of debate

2008-09-24T10:49:00.004-04:00

Both Senators Obama and McCain should insist that Friday's first presidential debate from Mississippi focus on the current economic crisis and how they would each deal with it rather than on national security, which is the scheduled topic...Obama had much "smaller than anticipated" turnout at event in Green Bay, Wisconsin...Joe Biden continues to be Joe Biden, fueling more rabid speculation that his gaffes are intentional to get him dropped from the ticket in favor of Senator Clinton. Yesterday he said "no new coal plants" in the US. Before that he called the latest ad of John McCain and the Internet, "disgusitng"...Eighteen percent of registered voters are still "undecided" as the presidential campaigns enter the final six weeks...CNN anchor, Campbell Brown, continues to "assualt" Sarah Palin. Last night she decried the McCain camp to "free Sarah Palin" from the perceived media blackout. Perhaps Palin is being shielded from the like of Ms. Brown because of bias? A new Washington Post/ABC poll out today has Obama with a 52%-43% lead over McCain which is quite a turnaround from McCain's 49%-47% lead after the GOP convention. Again, it will come down to the states and who can win 270 electoral votes. However, getting over 50% of the vote bodes well for Obama.

There are 41 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,767 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama rising?

2008-09-23T14:53:00.003-04:00

Quinnipiac University is reporting that Senator Barack Obama is ahead in four key battleground states. "With a lousy economy, an unpopular war and an even less popular Republican president, it's difficult to find voters who don't want change," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac's University's Polling Institute. In Colorado, Obama leads McCain by 49 to 45 percent. Last month, McCain was ahead one percentage point in Colorado, 47-46 percent. In Michigan, Obama leads McCain 48 to 44 percent, compared to 46-42 percent on July 24. In Minnesota, Obama is holding on to a two percentage point lead of 47 to 45 percent, compared to 46 to 44 percent in late July. In Wisconsin, Obama leads by 49 to 42 percent, although his advantage has narrowed from 50 to 39 percent in July." While it would be nice for McCain to pick off Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan, since they all voted for Kerry in 2004, the only concern here is Colorado, which Bush won in 2000 and 2004...Obama yesterday called himself a fiscal conservative...Should Obama be elected, most of his new spending programs will be on hold as a result of the $700 billion bailout proposed by the government...Speaking of the bailout, does any one wonder what happends next IF the bailout does not work? Committing 5% of the GDP to such a venture makes a lot of people nervous but there are no guarantees. Common Sense would like to know, "What's Plan B?"

There are 42 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,766 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Third parties

2008-09-22T10:23:00.003-04:00

Third party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are on nearly all of the state ballots. Nader is on the ballot in 45 states plus DC, Barr in 44 states, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party is on 37 state ballots, and Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate, is on 32 states plus DC. Combined, they are polling about 3.3% nationally. Democrats to this day still blame Nader for costing Al Gore the White House back in 2000 when he polled 2.7% that year...In Israel, Tzipi Livni's narrow victory in a party primary Wednesday to replace corruption-tainted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as Kadima's chairman means she can become prime minister if she can put together a coalition government of her own. Livni, now the foreign minister, has said she would like to keep the current four-party coalition intact...John McCain raised $47.5 million in August and promptly spent nearly $41 million, his best showing to date. Barack Obama spent nearly $55 million in August and is not constrained by fundraising caps becuase he opted out of the federal mathcing funds. In fact, it's being reported that Obama has raised in excess of $66 million in August. According to AP, "overall, Obama has raised more than $440 million for his presidential campaign, an unprecedented amount. The campaign said it has more than 2.5 million donors. McCain has raised $210 million"...Dick Morris is reporting that the presidential (sic) "contest is transitioning from post-convention issues to a race dominated by the economy. The key to that for Barack Obama is to stress the liability of the incumbent party for the mess that we're in economically. For McCain, it will be stressing that Obama's tax proposals will make the situation worse. There has been a huge change among unmarried women, particularly, due in part to the hostile reaction of the Democrats to Palin. There are indications that the momentum of the race may be reversing itself again, however, as a result of the economy". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more election updates.

There are 43 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,765 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Crazy Talk?

2008-09-21T16:57:00.001-04:00

Where's Mel Gibson when you need him! Conspiracy theorists will love this one. Apparently reports are circulating, namely Seah Hannity on his radio show on Friday, that Senator Joe Biden will bow out after the VP debate on Thursday, 2 October citing health concerns. Of course this means that Senator Obama will need a new running mate. Enter Hillary Clinton which will all but clinch the election for the Democrats. Biden was picked when rumors were circulated that McCain would choose a conventional pick like Romney or Huckabee or Pawlenty. Such a pick proved no threat Obama and it wouldn't force him to have to select, and subsequently live, with Hillary Clinton, should Obama win. But since McCain picked Palin the race has been a toss-up since the end of the RNC and there's a chance that McCain could win. Now, in order to hedge his bet, and win an election the Democrats should have won in walk, Obama may ask Biden to step aside because of health concerns, namely an aneurysm Biden suffered years ago in order for the Dems to win the White House. Crazy talk I know, but truth is stranger than fiction.

There are 44 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,764 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Is Buchanan correct? Ron Paul vindicated!

2008-09-19T10:49:00.005-04:00

As stocks continue to gain on Friday as the result of the government's bailout of failed banks to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, former speechwriter and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan had this to say in "Human Events": "The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. The new era will see a more sober and much diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we heard about in all the hubris and braggadocio following our Cold War victory is history." Ouch! It appears that Congreeman Ron Paul, who has been railing against our monetary system for years, is correct...Are there enough Americans to write-in Congressman Paul's name on the presidential ballot?...In a poll released today, more voters would prefer to have a beer and watch football with Obama than McCain. These are probably the same folks who also wanted to have a beer with President Bush. Perhaps we need to elect the other guy since the last 8years have not been so great.

There are 46 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,762 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

You won't understand

2008-09-18T22:43:00.005-04:00

Yankee Stadium will close for the final time on Sunday, 21 September. For those of you not familiar with the "Stadium" let me share some history with you. Yankee Stadium housed the likes of Ruth, Mantle, Maris, and Dimaggio, it has hosted 37 World Series, the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants that catapulted the NFL into the national spotlight, 4 All Star games, three Popes who said mass to thousands of Catholics, and a memorial for 9/11. I grew up a Yankees fan. I saw first-hand Reggie Jackson's three homers in Game #6 of the 1977 World Series against the Dodgers and Dave Righetti's and Jim Abbott's no-hitters at Yankee Stadium. The "new" Yankee opens next year and the old one will be torn down. The new Yankee Stadium will be state-of-the-art and cost a billion dollars. The old stadium will soon be reduced to rubble. As I say good-bye to the old stadium I am reminded, yet again of how the place of my youth has changed irrevocably; first when the mighty towers came down on 9/11, then a couple of years later when the city demolished the apartment building where I grew up on the basement level, and now the closing of the place of some of my fondest childhood memories. Yankee Stadium will soon be a memory, but a memory I will always cherish. The world, for me, will be a little sadder on Sunday when Yankee Stadium goes silent for the last time.

Obama regains lead, country going to hell

2008-09-18T22:43:00.003-04:00

As the economy continues to swoon the latest polls show Barack Obama again out in front of John McCain 47%-45% in CNN's "Poll of Polls". With the economy on a "bridge to nowhere" and Senator Joe Biden asking folks making $250K or more to pay more taxes as an act of "patriotism" so we can put more money in the pockets of the middle class, the Democrats have regained their footing and the post-convention bounce the McCain once enjoyed has leveled off. Interestingly however, pollster John Zogby has the electoral race tightening up with Obama leading McCain 234-226 with 78 electoral votes up for grabs. Zogby has "colored purple" New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virgina, five states McCain can carry to win the presidency. However, when you say things like "I'd fire the SEC chairman" as how you'd handle the economic crisis or endorse a plan that has the federal government creating an "identity" to house all of the "bad" debt that's circulating in the economy, Common Sense is not sure if you should be in the White House...Stocks were up more than 400 points today as the federal goverment infused billions into the economy and announced its new "economic" plan late today...Our good friend Jeff Scott, host of the "Jeff Scott Show" from 12:30-3:00 p.m. on WNNG 1350 am gives us a great website from CNN to help us understand the high price of gasoline even though a barrel of oil reached a low of $92.00 today. Check out http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/27/explainer.pump.price/index.html...As violence escalates in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says "we need a new plan". Really? Is this the best we can do?

There are 47 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,761 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama's trap

2008-09-17T10:09:00.003-04:00

Senator John McCain "blinked" yesterday by first stating that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. He then went back out on the stump after his statement to explain what he meant. He then concluded by stating that we needed to appoint a 9/11like commission to study the economic crisis. Of course, Senator Obama was quick to seize the moment by deriding McCain's commission idea as just another typical and tired Washington ploy. Obama asserted that what we need is "leadership", not commissions. Depending on how this plays out, this may be the issue that helps the Obama campaign regain traction after a brutal 8 weeks for the campaign starting with the Russian invasion of Georgia while Obama was on vacation in Hawaii, the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, Hurricane Gustav, and Palin's acceptance speech, which all limited Obama's bounce...Rasmussen and Zogby have some interesting poll results. Both show John McCain leading or tied in Pennsylvania. Rasmussen has McCain tied in Michigan as well. Both have McCain tied or leading Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Both agree that the series of upcoming debates will be crucial for both campaigns...The Fed has bailed out troubled AIG with $85 billion in taxpayer money...There was a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Yemen. It appears to have been the work of Al Qaeda. There were no American casualties.

There are 48 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,760 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Fingers crossed

2008-09-16T09:02:00.002-04:00

More fallout from world markets today as the financial sector tries to come to grips with the turmoil facing Lehman Brothers, Merril Lynch,, and AIG. Some 26,000 employees are set to loose their jobs as a result of Lehman Brothers declaring bankruptcy. President Bush and Senator John McCain continue to insist that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the crisis...With oil refineries shut down in the Gulf, the average cost of regular gas is $4.16. The price of a barrel of oil opening today is $92.00...Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson are "leading the charge" to promote limited offshore drilling...A new Rasmussen poll has John McCain only down 3% in New Jersey and 5% in New York. McCain has open up a sizeable lead in Florida and now leads in Ohio and Colorado. It is still too close to call in Virginia. It has become apparent that Governor Palin has had a tangible impact of the election. Democrats have yet to figure out how to respond but sources close to the Obama campaign are saying that Obama will try to focus on the issues and not the Governor saying it has become a "distration"...Only 44% surveyed believe Obama is ready to be President. Fifty percent beleive McCain is, and fifty percent believe Biden is ready...General Patraeus is set to leave Iraq after 20 months...Five former Secretaries of State including Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Madeline Albright, James Baker III, and Warren Christopher all agree that the US must open lines of communication and diplomacy in dealing with Iran...The Atlantic magazine published some "doctored" photographs of Senator McCain. The "rogue" photographer was admonished by the editor of the magazine for portraying McCain as a "war-monger"...The House of Representatives today is set to vote on a $50 billion stimulus package. President Bush insists that he will veto the bill if it comes to his desk...Lynne Cheney "We the People" and Meaghan McCain "My Dad, John McCain" have published children's books this week.

There are 49 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,759 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Electoral shakeup

2008-09-15T15:02:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest from Chuck Todd and his colleagues at MSNBC.com with respect to the last 50 days before the election and the "new" electoral college map. Remember, McCain need only win the same 31 states President Bush did in 2004 save Iowa or Colorado or New Mexico or lose any combination of the two.

"From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** The map 50 days out: The Palin bounce has erased Obama's lead in the national polls, and it has now cut into his electoral-vote advantage, according to NBC’s latest map. Obama holds a 233-227 edge here, down from his 228-200 advantage from last week. The biggest changes: We moved Florida -- with its 27 electoral votes -- from Toss-up to Lean McCain, and New Mexico from Toss-up to Lean Obama. We also shifted Oregon and Washington from Likely Obama to Lean Obama, as well as Alaska, Georgia, North Dakota and South Dakota from Lean McCain to Likely McCain. The good news for McCain is that the map looks better for him than at any point so far in this race, and many of those red states that looked like opportunities for Obama (AK, GA, IN) look to be longer shots for him. The bad news for McCain is that given the wave his campaign has been riding from the Palin bounce, is this as good as it gets? If he isn’t leading in some states now, he might not ever lead in them. Bottom line: You'll know the map is starting to move in one direction or the other if either Pennsylvania or Florida moves back into Toss-up before Election Day."

Economic collapse?

2008-09-15T11:35:00.006-04:00

AP is reporting today that "Stocks posted big losses in markets across much of the globe as investors absorbed bankruptcy plans at Lehman and Merrill Lynch's forced sale to Bank of America for $50 billion in stock. And perhaps most ominously, American International Group Inc. is asking the Federal Reserve for emergency funding. The world's largest insurance company plans to announce a major restructuring Monday". Perhaps the federal government will come to the aid of yet another failed institution. Apparently, we are still feeling the effects of the subprime crisis...Luke Russert, Tim's son, interviewed both Senators McCain and Obama. It appears the young BC grad is following in his Dad's footsteps...Tina Fey portrayed Governor Sarah Palin on the season opener SNL. The skit was hillarious...Senator John McCain went on The View last week and was torched...Sixty nine percent of Americans think that the media is biased and is trying to elect one candidate, Obama, over the other, McCain...Because of Hurrican Ike, refineries in the Guld shut down production. As a result, a gallon of regular gasoline spiked almost one dollar a barrel...Interestingly though, because of the volatile nature of the stock market today, oil is near $93 a barrel.

In an article by Mark Vanderhoek on Mercer University's homepage www.mercer.edu about evangelicals and their opinions about torture "...show that while evangelicals are more likely to hold a more extreme view than the general public, the results also show that when reminded of the teachings of Jesus, in particular the Golden Rule, their views can be changed. The new poll, released today at the National Summit on Torture at Mercer University’s Atlanta campus, was commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University and conducted by Public Religion Research base on polling from white evangelical Christians in the South."

"Among the findings of the poll: close to six-in-ten white evangelicals in the South say that torture can be often (20 percent) or sometimes (37 percent) justified in order to gain important information. This compares to roughly half (48 percent) of the general public who believe that torture can be justified, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll (February 2008)."

There are 50 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,758 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Presidential forum on service

2008-09-12T10:29:00.003-04:00

Senators John McCain and Barack took a day off from the camapign trail yesterday to participate in the Presidnetial Forum on Service. Each candidate outlined their respective positions on volunteer service to the country. It became abundtantly clear early on that while both men support the idea of service Senator McCain would prefer a free-market approach of rewards and incentives, Obama favors governmental involvement to promote said service...Barack Obama proposes $1 billion in new spending if elected President though he cannot say how he would raise the money...Governor Sarah Palin was interviewed by ABC's Charles Gibson. Gibson has a mostly fair reputation among journalists in the old media but his questions were definitely designed to push the envelpe on Palin's position on religion, abortion, national security, economics, climate change, etc. Of course, the Democrat talking heads were quick to spin all of the Governor's answers on the various cable news programs in a way that was less than flattering...In a new USA/Gallup Poll, generic Republican congressional candidates, who once trailed their generic Democrat congressional opponents by double digits, now trail the Democrats by only 3%...Former Lt. Colonel Bob Russell is challenging Representative John Murtha is Pennsylvania. Russell's latest ad challenges Murtha's claims that US military personal slaughthered innocents and civilians in Iraq...The Obama campaign is still in free fall. Rather than challenging McCain on the issues, Obama is directly challenging Palin's exerience and fitness to be commander-in-chief. Traditionally, it is the VP candidate who works over the opposing VP nominee, not the Presidental nominee himself. Obsessing over Palin is not going to win Obama the election. If anything, Joe Biden should be attacking both McCain and Palin, not Obama...Crude remains steady at $102.00 a barrel, but no meaningful legislation is pending to open up the US to more drilling. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid continue to harp on the fact that we "Can't drill our way out of this problem". We get it. However, that's akin to saying "we can't plant seeds in order to battle our way out of a food shortage". It just doesn't make sense. Congress and the President have stood idly by as gas has jumped from $40 to $60 a barrel, and then again from $60 to $100 and higher. Why would either do anything if crude jumps to $200 a barrel?

There are 53 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Never forget

2008-09-11T11:35:00.004-04:00

BREAKING NEWS: MSNBC.com is reporting that "Officials tell wire services of a 'serious incident' in tunnel between U.K. and France"...Today marks the seventh anniversary of the attacks of 9/11...Uber liberal Rachel Maddow now has a show on MSNBC right after Keith Olbermann's "Countdown". Now there are two hours of uninterrupted ultra-liberalism on MSNBC...Wall Street analysts are questioning if Lehman Brothers bank can survive despite a massive liquidation today of some of its assests. Shares dropped some 40%. Perhaps the federal governemnt will once again step in and bail out yet another institution. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have suspended campaign activities today to be in New York City for memorial services...Democrats have sent some 35-45 operatives and lawyers to Alaska to dig up dirt on Governor Sarah Palin...The Obama campaign has been on the defensive since Palin's announcement as McCain's running mate. Obama has been losing support across the board particularly among women. In addition, Palin's selection has helped McCain solidify North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, and perhaps even Virginia.

There are 54 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. RIP JPD Jr. It's been eight years and the void remains. Good day and God bless!

Pigs and lipstick

2008-09-10T13:11:00.003-04:00

Despite Senator Obama's pledge not to attack, or come after Governor Sarah Palin, Obama remarked yesterday that a pig with lipstick is still a pig. So much for civility...Human Events reports today that "The announcement that the federal government is taking over the two largest mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, should alarm every American. If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are too big to fail they are too big to continue as they are. For years, conservative analyst Peter Wallison and others have been warning that these institutions were a threat because they were too big. It's now clear they were right. Congress should only accept Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's power grab as a temporary expedient leading to the breaking up of these giants into market-sized institutions that can survive or go bankrupt without threatening the economy at large"...Governor Palin's addition to the McCain ticket has apparently cut into Obama's fundraising as McCain continues to make gains in this area. It will be interesting to see the comparisons at the end of the month...Reports coming out of McCain/Palin campaign events are reporting recond crowds and a great deal of enthusiasm. These joint events have a "rock star" quality to them, similar to what Obama has enjoyed. However, Governor Palin returns home to Alaska this week. Will Senator McCain be able to sustain his post-convention bounce without Palin on the scene for a few days?

There are 55 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,754 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Why McCain is surging

2008-09-09T11:20:00.004-04:00

According to Dick Morris, John McCain needs to focus on three issues to keep the Obama campaign on the defensive: taxes, terrorism, and energy. McCain has made huge inroads with likely voters on the issue of energy. Michael Steele's line at the RNC last week in St. Paul, "drill, baby drill" has become McCain's mantra...Why has John McCain surged in the polls? First off, his selection of Sarah Palin to be his VP running mate was a stroke of brilliance. Palin is new, she's fresh, and she excites the base. In fact, McCain has been able to raise quite a bit of money since the campaign announced Palin. Second, the McCain campaign has put the Obama campaign on the defensive. Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, summarized it best: "if you're playing defense, you're not playing offense". As long as the Obama campaign has to explain its positions, it will remain on the defensive. Finally, Obama himself over the last six weeks has been a problem. Granted, he gave a dynamic and uplifting acceptance sppech at the DNC in Denver, but he continues to flail on the stump, especially when he doesn't have a teleprompter in front of him...Oprah Winfrey has stated she will not have Sarah Palin on her show. Even though Winfrey publicly supports Obama, she said it would be inappropriate to have any politician on her show before the election. Winfrey's stance has obviously alienated some of her viewers, especially in Florida, who are already petitioning the show to have Palin on...A New York Times report back in the summer of 1984 hailed Walter Mondale's selection of three-term Congresswoman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate as a step in the right direction and a breath of fresh air. Fast forward twenty four years and the same New York Times criticized McCain's choice of Sarah Palin...The old media continues to criticize Sarah Palin. The latest digs are about Palin's church and her view of "God's plan". It is becoming quite obvious that neither the Obama campaign or the old media knows how to deal with the "Palin phenomenon".

There are 56 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,753 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Monday's musings

2008-09-08T10:57:00.004-04:00

The federal government announced today it was taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While Wall Street responded favorably to this take over, such action is just one more instance of our government intruding into our lives and asking folks who are fiscally responsible to yet again, bail out a failed institution. When are we going to wake up?...Did anyone notice that the province of Anbar was turned over to the Iraqis last week? The Iraqi government,overall, has met 15 of 18 political benchmarks. Why isn't anyone in the mainstream meadia talking about this or any other success in Iraq as a result of the surge. McCain was correct about the surge and should be given full credit...McCain's ability to restore his image as a Maverick at last week's RNC could potentially hurt the Obama campaign which is trying to paint the McCain/Palin ticket as a third term for George W. Bush... USA Today/Gallup survey showed McCain ahead of Obama 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters, a turnaround from a previous poll taken by the newspaper just before last week's Republican National Convention... Reports from AP today state that "MSNBC is replacing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as co-anchors of political night coverage with David Gregory, and will use the two newsmen as commentators. The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions." It's about time!

There are 57 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,752 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

What does McCain do next?

2008-09-06T21:36:00.003-04:00

Not that anyone from the McCain camp is asking Common Sense for advice, but here's what we think. First off, have McCain and Palin campaign separately. Even though McCain is a pretty good campaigner, there's the risk that Palin may overshadow him. Second, spend your money wisely. Obama is a fund-raising machine and can potentially spend McCain into oblivion. McCain can counter this disadvantage by spending funds wisely and only in battleground states like Ohio, Virginia, Colorado. Remember, McCain needs only to win the same 31 states that Bush did in 2004less Iowa, or Colorado, or New Mexixo, but not all three. If McCain spends money in any "solid" blue statwes, he'll lose. Third, have Palin be the attack dog similar to the role Bob Dole played back in 1976 for Gerald Ford. Ford came back from a 33 point deficit to almost beat Carter because Dole was the hatchet man. Palin can play the role of "pit bull", with a smile. McCain can stay above the fray and talk issues. Lastly, use President Bush behind the scenes to fund-raise. Bush has raised almost $1 billion since he took office in 2001. He's still popular with the base and can be an enormous asset.

There are 59 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,750 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

GI John and Superwoman

2008-09-05T22:17:00.003-04:00

Senator John McCain accepted the Republican's presidential nomination last at the Xcel Center in St. Paul to thunderous applause. While McCain is no great orator, though he did surpass Lindsey Graham, Tom Ridge, and Tim Pawlenty, his speech was about substance over style. McCain's speech was part Adam Smith, part Edmund Burke, part Milton Friedman, and part Russell Kirk. The speech emphasized free markets and lower taxes, national security and energy independence, choice and personal responsibility, and a conservative framework to unite the party. And make no mistake, the Republicans are united and McCain is leading the charge! "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first-country-second Washington crowd: Change is coming." The Republicans have not been this united since 1984 when Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale. It will be interesting to see what kind of bounce McCain gets from the convention. Overall, the Republicans put on an effective convention championing John McCain while attacking Obama led by Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Guiliani, and VP nominee, Sarah Palin.

Check out below what Dick Morris had to say about the Republican convention. You can check out more of Morris' stuff at www.dickmorris.com.

"First, the GOP convention managed to disprove the central premise of the Democratic assault on McCain: that he is a clone of President Bush. The Republicans wisely marginalized Bush to a non-prime-time videotaped speech, and sprinkled disappearing dust on Dick Cheney.

The speeches, and the very fact of the Palin designation, repudiated Washington and focused on how McCain is an agent of change - this ticket is populist, reformist, anti-establishment, grass-roots and anti-corruption.

And McCain last night made the point plain: "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first-country-second Washington crowd: Change is coming."

If Bush were the nominee, this campaign wouldn't suffice to push voters away from Obama. But now that McCain has moved decisively away from the administration, Obama's lost much (at least) of his advantage on the issue of reform. Now other doubts about Obama could elect McCain.

The turning point was the designation of Palin and the personal attacks on her. By stirring up a storm, Democrats assured that Palin would speak to 37 million Americans - just a million fewer than watched Obama's acceptance speech.

Anecdotal evidence already suggests that women may have a gut reaction to the establishment's sexist assault on a woman candidate - and flock to McCain. They've seen him stake everything on this one big move of turning toward a woman - in direct contrast to Obama's deliberate decision not to name a woman.

They've seen the media and Democrats gang up on her and do their worst. And they've seen Palin stand up and stuff the challenge right back down the establishment's throat. All this may have created an entirely new dynamic in the race.

Now the Republicans must battle to underscore the threats this country faces, economically and internationally, and that we can't let an ingenue take over. They must capitalize on McCain's aggressive determination to bring reform to Washington and to emphasize Obama's inexperience and failure to grasp how to change Washington.

But it was McCain's gutsy selection of Palin that opened the door to victory."

There are 61 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,748 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Palin delivers

2008-09-04T10:29:00.004-04:00

After the three fairly strong speeches by former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, and former NYC Mayor, Rudy Guiliani, VP hopeful Sarah Palin, took center stage and not only delivered the goods, but exceeded expectations. Her no nonsense approach won over delegates last night during her acceptance speech at the RNC. Palin delivered a perfect populist message, conservative style, if such a thing exists. Championing low taxes, fiscal and personal responsibility, national security, and energy independence, Palin gave conservatives something they haven't had in a long time: hope. Ann Coulter described her this way: "Palin was chosen because she's pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling and pro-tax cuts. She's fought both Republicans and Democrats on public corruption and does not have hair plugs like some other vice presidential candidate anyone could mention. In other words, she's a 'Republican.'" One delegate called her the "new" Goldwater. Another delegate called her the "new" Reagan. Still another delegate summarized it this way: "she's part Goldwater, part Reagan, and all conservative"...CNN senior political sized up Palin this way: "How can anyone be chosen VP who has never appeared on 'Meet the Press'...All of the top CNN political analysts, save Paul Begala, gave Palin an "A" for her speech last night.

Country comes before party

2008-09-03T09:52:00.002-04:00

In a carefully orchestrated night, the Republicans pounded home the message of "country first" as the convention got underway last night. Speaker after speaker stayed on theme. As the night progressed, President Bush, former Senator Fred Thompson, and Senator Joe Lieberman touted John McCain's character, his ability to lead, and his service to the country above his own interests. All of the speakers were well received including Senator Lieberman who articulated why, as a Democrat, he is backing John McCain. "Now you may be thinking why a Democrat like me is doing at a Republican convention like this. It's because country comes before party and John McCain is ready to lead the US". In addition, all three speakers subtly, and not so subtly, attacked the Obama/Biden ticket within the framework of the night's theme, country first. Thompson, in particular, showed a passion that was seriously lacking in his own presidential bid leaving conservatives to wonder where this Fred Thompson was on the stump during the primaries. It was an effective opening night and the Republicans can build on their momentum with appearances from Rudy Guiliani and vice-presidential hopeful, Governor Sarah Palin...Apparently, Sarah Palin's addition to the ticket has helped McCain's fundraising effort. McCain raised $47 million in August, $4 million the day he picked Palin. It's obvious that the social conservatives of the party are ethusiastic about the pick...Palin has been mercilessly atatcked by the mainstream media not only because of her "inexperience", but because of her 17 year-old daughter's pregnancy. Not since Dan Quayle was announced by George H.W. Bush, has a vice presidential nominee been so savaged. Fortunately for Palin, the Republicans are on the attack to counter all of the criticisms...Speaking of Bush the elder, he and Barbara Bush appeared at the convention last night to thunderous ovation. Obviously, both 41 and 43 are still beloved by the party.

Republican preview

2008-09-02T10:00:00.004-04:00

Human Events online reports the following about the RNC thus far:

"Palin: Derided by Democrats as "desperate" and "bizarre," and celebrated by conservative activists as redemption for McCain, the Palin pick is certainly a high-risk/high-reward decision.
Conservative enthusiasm for McCain's choice cannot be overstated. The mood in Minneapolis over the weekend was giddy, and the talk among delegates and conservative activists focused almost exclusively on Palin. Support for her was nearly unanimous. McCain needed to energize the base, and he had no time to waste. He did it.

Picking a brand-new governor whose previous job was small-town mayor in a far-off state has serious potential downsides. For one, it somewhat de-fangs the attack that Obama is not ready to lead—which was the entire message of the GOP counter-convention operation in Denver last week. On the other hand, if Republicans drop that attack, the worries about Obama's inexperience will probably persist in voters' minds, and a running mate's inexperience won't be as important.

Palin not only plucks the pro-life and conservative strings in the GOP base, but she also hits the reform note that has gotten louder among GOP dissidents following the party's spending binge in Washington and crushing defeat in 2006. McCain's reform message, criticism of ethanol and sugar subsidies, and crusades against pork and waste were his strong points in the eyes of the base. Palin multiplies those virtues, standing in rebuke to the old guard of the GOP.

Her sex introduces many important dynamics to this race. First, however, it is important to understand that she will have very limited reach into the pool of former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton. Some female Clinton voters—not likely a significant number—were already considering a vote for McCain, and this pick could solidify their leanings. Will conservative female turnout increase? If McCain can get 49% of the female vote, he will win, but there are no early signs that Palin will have such an impact."

Yesterday, the Republican convention was muted at best save the appearances of Mrs. Bush and Mrs. McCain which brought the convention hall to their feet for 5 minute ovations. The Republicans stayed above partisan politics and advocated their message of "country first" by
asking delegates and guests to keep the denizens of the Gulf Coast in our thoughts and prayers. Mrs. Bush and McCain asked the audience to take off their Republican hats and put on their American hats in light of what was happening with Gustav and the Gulf Coast states. Their were also video messages from Governors Perry (TX), Barber (MS), Riley (AL), and Crist (FL). Folks interested in giving $5 to the Red Cross can text the message "Give" to 2HELP. You'll receive a confirmation message that you will need to respond to in kind. Overall, though it was a truncated first day, it was an affective way to begin the convention considering the circumstances.

Tonight, the Republicans will feature Senator Fred Thompson, President Bush (via satellite), and Senator Joe Lieberman. The tone, again, is expected to be above partisan politics before the real fireworks begin on Wednesday and Thursday.

There are 64 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,745 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Country first

2008-09-01T11:15:00.004-04:00

With all eyes on Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf Coast, John McCain yesterday announced that the RNC has been amended to only conduct the official business of the convention. McCain asked the RNC to take off its "Republican hat" for its "American hat" in order to put the intesests of the country ahead of partisan politics.The limited session will cover the opening gavel, rules, and any other offical business for the Republicans to offically begin the process of nominating John McCain and Sarah Palin. Depending on the severity of Gustav, the RNC hopes to resume normal operations on Tuesday...Suspending operations today may be a silver lining since neither President Bush or Vice President Cheney will address the convention. As you know, the Obama campaign is trying to associate McCain/Palin as four more years of George W. Bush...What's uncertain is who will speak at the convention when/if its resumes and when...A new CNN poll this weekend reveals that Senator Obama leads Senator McCain 49% to 48%. This latest poll does take into account the Obama speech and the Palin announcement. Apparently, Obama received only a marginal bounce out of the Democrat's convention which was muted by the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate as well as the build up to Gustav...In another poll conducted by CNN, 75% of respondents thought McCain scaled back the RNC for "political purposes"...McCain and Palin will campaign as reformers as they try to change the face and direction of the Republican party...Remember, it was 44 years ago almost to the day the Republicans nominated another maverick Senator from the state of Arizona in Barry Goldwater. It was Goldwater, first, followed by Ronald Reagan, that changed the direction of the Republican party to its more conservative foundation.

There are 65 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,746 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Palin

2008-08-29T19:15:00.002-04:00

Senator McCain recast himself as the maverick today selecting little known Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Palin is a conservative's conservative: pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-drilling, etc. She's also from an energy producing state and is committed to reform challenging the likes of Alaskan icons Ted Stevens and Don Young. She may not sway Clinton supporters, but she can have an affect on soft Democrats and independents. And she may be able to influence far west states like Colorado and Nevada. The conservative base will be revitalized and the Republicans definitely have some momentum going into their convention next week.

New politics, new times

2008-08-29T07:39:00.003-04:00

Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democrat nomination for the presidency last night in Denver giving his "new politics for a new times" speech. In traditional Obama style the speech was an oratory masterpiece that certainly elevated the throngs of Democrats in Denver as well as around the country. The venue and the speech were quite a spectacle. The speech itself was short on substance which is why it was so powerful. Obama portrayed himself as a generic liberal, a common man with uncommon purpose, who made a lot of promises last night; but the speech was short on specificity. If you listened closely to the content, it sounded like many of the liberal speeches of the past using different language, and delivery. Obama also hammered John McCain on a number of issues as Obama will try tie McCain to Bush during the campaign. This is where, according to strategist Dick Morris at wwww.dickmorris.com, McCain may have an opening:

"The issues on which McCain and Bush differ are legion:

* McCain fought for campaign finance reform -- McCain-Feingold -- that Bush resisted and ultimately signed because he had no choice.

* McCain led the battle to restrict interrogation techniques of terror suspects and to ban torture.

* McCain went with Joe Lieberman on a tough measure to curb climate change, something Bush denies is going on.

* McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts when they passed.

* McCain urged the Iraq surge, a posture Bush rejected for years before conceding its wisdom.

* McCain favors FDA regulation of tobacco and sponsored legislation to that effect, a position all but a handful of Republican senators oppose.

* McCain's energy bill, also with Lieberman, is a virtual blueprint for energy independence and development of alternate sources.

* After the Enron scandal, McCain introduced sweeping reforms in corporate governance and legislation to guarantee pensions and prohibit golden parachutes for executives. Bush opposed McCain's changes and the watered-down Sarbanes-Oxley bill eventuated.

* McCain has been harshly critical of congressional overspending, particularly of budgetary earmarks, a position Bush only lately adopted (after the Democrats took over Congress)."

Certainly, Obama gave a well delivered speech and he clearly won the night. He should get a fairly big bounce out of his convention. However, if McCain plays his cards correctly, srarting with the afternoon's announcement of his VP, he can minimize Obama's bounce as he moves forward to his own convention in Minnesota.

One final note--depending on the trajectory of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Gustav, the Republicans may need to make scheduling changes with respect to the convention. Stay tuned!

There are 68 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,743 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Biden gives a great speech...

2008-08-28T07:36:00.003-04:00

Beau Biden that is. There wasn't a dry eye in the house last night as Beau Biden, son on Democrat VP hopeful, Joe Biden, delivered a powerful testament as to why America should elect Obama/Biden. The speech was personal, powerful, and right on the mark...Unfortunately, Senator Biden's speech was anything but convincing. It started promising enough talking about the narrative of the Senator's life. However, when it moved past the personal narrative it lost direction and focus. Biden went to great pains in trying to convince the party faithful of Senator Obama's credentials, which are razor thin to begin with...Furthermore, it appears that the Democrats are having a hard time figuring out just how to run against John McCain, who has become a much better candidate since the end of July/beginning of August. Should the Democrats paint McCain as another George Bush? Should they attack his credentials and judgment? Or should they attack his character? All of these elements were present in Biden's speech, but lacked theme and focus...However, President Bill Clinton, who has been a thorn in the side of Republicans since the early 1990s gave a very coherent and thematic speech that both championed Barack Obama and took shots at the Republicans, not necessarily John McCain. Clinton proved once again that he is the master politician...Finally, the significance of Barack Obama's nomination should not be lost on anyone. The fact that a major political party has nominated an African American demonstrates the progress our country has made in terms of race relations. Last night was a moment in history and Common Sense, while having fundamental differences with most Democrats, was especially proud to be an American last night...Speaking of proud Americans, Hillary Clinton's willingness to release her delegates and motion to suspend the rules last night in order to unanimously nominate Barack Obama was an act of great class and dignity. If you are a Democrat, you had a very, very good night last night.

There are 69 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,742 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Wither Warner

2008-08-27T07:40:00.002-04:00

Former Governor Mark Warner of Virginia gave a very luke war Keynote speech last night at the DNC in Denver. He offered very little red meat and would not attack the Republicans or John McCain. As such, his speech was moved to pre-prime time. In all honesty it sounded more like a stump speech for the folks back home in Virginia as he tries to replace Senator John Warner...In contrast, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer excited the crowd and took a number of partisan shots at McCain. Schweitzer had the Convention floor on its feet. It was a very powerful speech. Keep on eye on Schweitzer. He's a rising star in the Democrat party...Of course, the highlight of the night was Senator Clinton. While she urged her delegates to vote for Obama, her speech overall missed its mark. It wasn't as a warm and personal tribute to the Obamas or why the junior Senator from Illinois should be president, but rather, why you should not vote for John McCain: "no way, no how, no McCain". James Carville commented that the Dems had a good night, but his analysis was based more on emotion rather than objectivity. Mrs. Clinton could have done a whole lot more for Obama, but as far as speeches go, she's finally hit her stride. I wonder if the Dems are beginning to realize they might have nominated the wrong person.

Tuesday's musings

2008-08-26T16:00:00.002-04:00

The federal government has earmarked $50 million for each political convention to pay for security around the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field in Denver and the Excel Center in MN...The Libertarians raised a $12,000.00 for Bob Barr last week at a meet and greet...James Carville and other prominent Democrat advisers are correct. The Dems missed a golden opportunity to pounce on the Republicans last night. The imagery presented did not respond to two challenges Obama faces: 1. his exoticism and 2. charges of hollowness and inexperience...The Democrats just did not offer a lot of red meat last night. In addition it's being reported that Senatorial candidate mark Warner of Virginia, tonight's keynote speaker, will not offer much red meat either...Is there anything that Senator Clinton can say tonight that will convince 40% of her supporters to support Obama and not McCain or sit out the election? New reports are surfacing out of MN that McCain, in order to minimize Obama's bounce, will announce his VP candidate this Thursday, not on Friday as previously scheduled...Experts are predicting that Obama will get a 10 point bounce out of his convention. Stay tuned.

Democrats off to slow start

2008-08-25T22:18:00.003-04:00

After a very slow start to their convention today, Senator Ted Kennedy inspired the faithful like only he can. Ignoring doctor's orders to stay away from the convention because of his frail immune system as a result of his cancer treatment, Kennedy gave a great speech. For a brief moment, it was 1980 once again when he challenged then sitting-President Jimmy Carter for his party's nomination. "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die". Unlike Obama, Kennedy is a liberal with substance. Common Sense hopes the venerable Senator from Massachusetts is on the floor of the Senate when the 111th Congress convenes in January...Twenty nine percent of Democrats polled think Senator Clinton should have been Obama's choice for VP...Speaking of Mrs. Clinton, she'll release her delegates to Obama on Wednesday after her name is placed in nomination...In terms of delegate diversity, 50.1% of the delegates at the Democrat convention are women...Joe Biden's son, Hunter, is a Washington, DC lobbyist. As such, he cannot donate to the campaign since the Obama camp does not accept donations from federal lobbyists...Go to notready08.com for the Republican National Committee's take on the Democrats...The McCain camp's negative ads over the last few weeks have had an impact on the race. Obama has blown essentially a 15 point lead and is now in a dead heat with McCain in most polls. Obama has an opportunity this week to refocus his message and gain back the traction he's lost in August...In an effort to unite the party, the Democrats, at the behest of Obama, have reinstated the full Florida and Michigan delegations. I wonder what Mrs. Clinton thinks about that? Finally, if John McCain loses to Obama, look for a Portman/Jindal ticket in 2012.

Democrats open convention

2008-08-25T17:50:00.003-04:00

The Democrats have kicked off their party's convention in Denver. Michelle Obama is the featured speaker this evening. However, the story behind the story are the Clintons. While the Democrats are hoping for unity in Denver, Bill Clinton has suggested that the delegates' vote is a personal matter, still holding out hope that the party may somehow nominate Mrs. Clinton. More problematic for Obama is the fact that many of Mrs. Clinton's supporters are adamant about supporting McCain over Obama which could swing the election. Common Sense currently has Obama winning the electoral college 273-265, but that presupposes that Obama carries Colorado, New Mexico, and Iowa. Perhaps if McCain selects someone like Kay Bailey Hutchison, he'll garner more of the women's vote. Selecting Romney might put Michigan and Colorado in play.

There are 71 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,740 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

You read it here first

2008-08-24T10:48:00.004-04:00

Don't be surprised if John McCain does not choose either Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty as his VP running mate. Sources close to the Ohio Republican Party believe McCain's choice will be former Congressman Rob Portman from Ohio's second district. Portman represented the Cincinnati area and is wildly popular in the state. Portman's selection may also have an affect in Indiana and Kentucky. He's not mentioned much in the traditional media, but his selection would make a lot of sense and sure up a state McCain badly needs. Of note, no Republican has ever won the White House without carrying Ohio.

There are 72 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,739 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama/Biden

2008-08-23T07:53:00.004-04:00

For the next two weeks Common Sense will be coming to you from the great state of Minnesota at the Republican National Convention. Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. Biden brings experience and a wealth of knowledge on foreign policy to the ticket. He's also not afraid to say what he thinks and will be a relentless campaigner on the stump. However, Biden's experience may be counter intuitive to the idea of Obama as an agent of change since Biden's been in Washington for over three decades. In addition, he has no executive experience. It will also be interesting to see how the Clinton supporters respond to Biden's selection. Over 10% of Clinton's supporters say they're going to vote for McCain. It will be interesting to see if the Democrats unite behind the Obama/Biden ticket in Denver. One last note; throughout the Democrat primaries Biden was relentless in touting that Obama was not ready to be president. Biden also said he would turn down the VP position if asked. Well, this is politics and we can overlook that Biden has changed his mind. However, Biden has publicly said that he would be honored to run with John McCain and serve as his VP. In fact, the McCain campaign has already launched an add with Biden praising McCain. Buckle up!

There are 73 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,738 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama picks...

2008-08-22T00:03:00.002-04:00

Hillary Clinton to be his VP running mate? Such a pick sounded ludicrous just a week ago but that's when Obama was leading John McCain. According to the latest Reuter/Zogby, McCain now leads Obama by 5% points. More interesting is that McCain is trending higher in 13 of the 16 battleground states. Now McCain's lead is not a function of his rising in the polls, but rather Obama's drop. McCain doesn't seem to be generating any excitement so it's become a referendum on Obama, much like it was in 1992 on George H.W. Bush. Obama has had a terrible summer, underperformed at Saddleback, the charges of his inexpereince and lack of substance are beginning to stick, and his arrogance appears to be getting the best of him, i.e., flying around with his own presidential seal. Perhaps the Obama campaign is panicked to the point that rumors are circulating that he's chosen Hillary Clinton. It makes sense politically to win the election, but having to govern with her, and Bill, for eight years is the stuff of nightmares. We should know in the next 24-36 hours who Obama has chosen. Stay tuned!

There are 74 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,737 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Thursday musings

2008-08-21T10:40:00.003-04:00

Newt Gingrich outlined a scenario yesterday with Bob Barr getting 15% of the national vote, and the current Zogby poll showing a majority of likely voters want Barr to be included in the Presidential debates. The former Speaker is perhaps overly optimistic about how well Barr will perform...In terms of the debates, McCain and Obama have agreed to three of them (one in September, the other two in October). Unless Barr is tracking at 15% nationally, he will not be invited...Senator Lieberman will not be McCain's running mate. Lieberman is slotted to speak on Monday or Tuesday of the RNC which rules him out as McCain's VP....There is, however, a role for Lieberman in a McCain administration as Secretary of State or Defense...Secretary of State Rice states that the US and Iraqi government are close to an agreement regarding the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Accordingly, all US troops will be outo f Baghdad by June 2010 and all combat troops out of Iraq entirely by 2011. This bodes well for McCain that the surge did indeed work...Obama's VP choice is down to Tim Kaine of Virginia or Joe Biden of Delaware. While Kaine is an executive he is quite inexperienced. Biden, on the other hand, has a wealth of experience but no executive experience. This begs the question: is either man qualified to be President?

There are 75 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,736 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain now leads in the polls

2008-08-20T09:32:00.003-04:00

AP reports this morning that "In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll". Obama has been declining in the polls since mid-June when he clinched the nomination. Furthermore, if McCain has the advantage among voters on the economy, it boosts his chances to win the White House in November...Karl Rove said yesterday on Hannity and Colmes that if he were advising Obama on a VP choice, it would be Senator Clinton. Of course such a ticket would be formidable but all the baggage that the Clintons bring to an Obama administration make the choice a long-shot. Furthermore, selecting someone like Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia would only raise more questions about Obama's judgment by someone as inexperienced as Kaine. The safe selection would be Senator Joe Biden of Delaware who would certainly strike back against the McCain campaign, much like Bob Dole did for Gerald Ford back in 1976, allowing Obama to remain positive. Biden also adds gravitas to the ticket and is well versed in foreign affairs, which is a weakness for Obama. However, Biden himself would not help with any one particular state. As for McCain, it's down to Pawlenty and Romney. The idea of a pro-choice running mate like Tom Ridge is off the table. The best choice here is probably Romney since he may sure up Michigan and some of the far west states, like Colorado. Both men have made their choices, it's now just a matter of waiting for the formal announcement...Barack Obama raised $51 million in July to John McCain's $27 million. It was McCain's best fundraising month of the campaign. Now with polls showing McCain in the lead, expect more money to roll in.

There are 76 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,735 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain to announce his VP on his birthday

2008-08-18T22:13:00.002-04:00

Politico.com has confirmed that Senator John McCain is set to announce his vice presidential running mate in Ohio on Friday, 29 August, which is of course, his 72nd birthday. Which is, of course, the day after Senator Obama accepts the Democrat nomination at Invesco Field in Denver. Obviously, the timing of the announcement is meant to squash any sort of momentum Obama may get coming out of his convention making McCain's choice the story of the weekend before the Republicans begin their convention on Labor Day. Sources close to McCain have Governors Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty at the top of the list. Pro-choice candidates, like former Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, did not track well among Republicans...Senator John McCain also raised $1.75 million at a fund raiser tonight in Atlanta. What's interesting here is that former Christian Coaltion Executive, Ralph Reed, sent out emails on McCain's behalf. Reed's name has been associated with convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Reed, however, did not attend the event.

Running mates

2008-08-18T16:58:00.004-04:00

Marc Blumenthal of National Journal has a piece today at MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26269137/ on how hard it is to measure the impact of vice presidential running mates on the election. His analysis for the most part is correct: the impact of vice presidential running mates affects the decision of a smaller percentage of voters, approximately 25%, than expected. So he concludes that once the hoopla of the announcement itself, the convention, etc. dies out, it's really who's at the top of the ticket that decides the outcome of the election. However, since this year's election is so close, coming down to a couple of states, the 1/4 of the electorate who does pay attention to the bottom of the ticket may ultimately impact the outcome of the election more then we know. Look for Obama to make his announcement at the end of the week and McCain by the end of next week.

McCain cheated

2008-08-18T11:40:00.004-04:00

NBC's Andrea Mitchell is reporting that Senator John McCain did so well at Saturday's faith forum because he may have advanced knowledge of the questions. The source of this report? The Obama campaign itself. Rather than acknowledge that the junior Senator from Illinois had a really bad week, the media is trying to pin McCain's strong performance at the forum as something unseemly. The Democrats tried to do the same to President Bush back in 2004 when he clearly defeated Senator John Kerry in a debate...President Musharraf of Pakistan is resigning. Rather than putting his country through the trials of an impeachment, Musharraf will step down. The US will be losing a "key ally" on the war on terror but it is time for Musharraf to go. After eight years in office, Pakistan's fledgling democracy needs to go in a new direction. However, Common Sense doubts Musharraf's resignation will deter militants in Pakistan...More polls are showing Obama and McCain in a dead heat, 45%-45%. The question becomes can McCain hold onto all of the states President Bush carried in 2004? Present polling shows Iowa, Colorado, and New Mexico leaning Obama. If Obama wins all three states, he wins the White House. McCain will needs to double and redouble his efforts to hold onto these three key battleground states if he wants to win the White House. Sources report that Mitt Romney will be McCain's running mate.

There are 78 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,733 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain gaining traction

2008-08-17T07:38:00.002-04:00

Senator John McCain clearly won the night at yesterday's "Political Forum" on CNN hosted by Pastor Rick Wilson. As one analyst put it, "the Straight Talk Express clearly had a full tank of gas". McCain was focused, articulate, and most of all, "conservative". His best line of the night that drew the most applause from the Evangelical crowd, "I'm pro-life and my administration will employee pro-life policies". It's only taken 18 months or so, but perhaps Senator McCain is finally getting it. Senator Obama, on the other hand, was less effective. The media, and the Republicans, are picking up on the fact that when Obama does not have a teleprompter in front of him, he's much less charismatic. Clearly, Senator Obama had a bad week. Look for him to rebound this week though I'm sure McCain will get a big boost in fundraising...Speaking of fundraising, President Bush continues to impress even though his approval number are some of the lowest of presidency. An AP report out Friday suggests that President Bush has raised nearly $1 billion in his eight years as president. At a recent fundraiser in California that lasted ninety minutes, Bush raised close to $95,000.00 a minute. While John McCain does not want the President stumping with him on the campaign trail, President Bush can be an enormous asset behind the scenes raising money for McCain and the Republican party.

There are 79 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,732 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Good grief

2008-08-15T21:47:00.002-04:00

The Bureau of Economic Affairs, an agency with the Department of Commerce, reported today that it will no longer track "who is buying America", i.e., it will no longer track if companies, real estate, etc. are being bought by American nationals or foreign firms. Why? BEA reports that it's just too much work to keep track of all of these statistics even though it has a robust budget. Now no one will know how much foreign influence there is in the US and we're all the more ignorant...Democrat National Chairman Howard Dean has put his foot in his mouth again by calling Republicans "the White Party". This is the third instance since 2005 that Dean has made a racial remark...Continental Airlines remains the lone major US carrier that continues to charge US servicemen $100.00 for extra bags. Such a resprehensible policy goes beyond outrageous. Go to www.continental.com and let them know how deplorable this policy is...Apparently, Russia's invasion of Georgia could not get Senator Obama off the beaches of Hawaii to interrupt his vacation. Clearly, this was a missed opportunity for the Senator to look "presidential" and quiet calls that Obama is too inexperienced. Clearly, John McCain won the week. In the latest Gallup poll, McCain and Obama are tied at 44%. Ever since Senator Clinton conceded the nomination to Obama in June, Obama has lost ground.

Did Senator Clinton win the nomination?

2008-08-15T11:57:00.003-04:00

It sure looks like it, at least for three and half days according to Senior Fox analysis, Dick Morris, who has an interesting piece today on www.foxnews.com about how the Clintons have "hijacked" the Democrat Convention later this month in Denver. Read on!

"Hillary and Bill have hijacked the Denver convention, making it into a carbon copy of what it would have looked like had she won until the last possible moment. By the time Obama gets up to speak and put his stamp on the convention, Hillary will have had one prime time night all to herself. Bill will have pre-empted a second night. Hillary will have had all the nominating and seconding speeches she wants. And the roll call of the states would record, in graphic detail, how the voters of state after state rejected Obama’s candidacy in the primaries. Only then, after three and a half days of all Clinton all the time will the convention then, finally, turn to its nominee and allow him to have an hour in the sun!

And what leverage did the Clintons have to achieve all of this? None. Hillary could not have taken the convention by storm and any show of party disunity would marginalize her forever in the Democratic Party. Had she or her supporters tried to pull off distracting demonstrations or to recreate Lafayette Park in Chicago in 1968, she would have paid a permanent price among the party faithful for sabotaging Obama’s candidacy.

This Clintonian tour de force raises a key question about Barack Obama: Is he strong enough to be president or can he be pushed around? His failure to stand up to the Clintons makes one wonder how effective he will be against bin Laden, Iran, Chavez, or Putin. And now word emerges from the Obama camp that Indiana Senator Evan Bayh is on the short list for vice president. To select Bayh would bring Obama’s nemesis, Mark Penn, in through the campaign’s back door. Penn and Bayh are an item. Mark’s second (and current) wife, Nancy Jacobson was the key fund raiser for the Senator during his Senate campaigns. Penn has always been Bayh’s consultant and chief advisor. Penn played the key role in 1996 in getting Bayh a slot as the convention keynote speaker. Bayh has always marched to Mark Penn’s tune.

This, of course, the same Mark Penn who structured the vilification of Barack Obama as a marginal American and orchestrated the campaign to summon the white working class in opposition to his candidacy. How much will Obama take? His weakness if the face of the Clinton demands coupled with his refusal to debate McCain in the town forum meetings raise the question of whether he is tough when the teleprompter is turned off. Why is he afraid or unwilling to do tough interviews? It is not enough for him to say that he is the front runner and ask why he should risk such confrontations. In case he hasn’t noticed, he’s not the front runner. The tracking polls all suggest a tied race where taking certain risks would be reasonable, unless his handlers worry about his vulnerability in difficult or extemporaneous situations.

Is an unscripted Obama a pushover? Will foreign leaders conclude that he is not up to the job, just as Khrushchev did with JFK at his 1961 Vienna summit that presaged the Cuban Missile crisis? If he does so poorly in negotiating with the Clintons, how will he do with the Russians?"

Musings

2008-08-15T10:50:00.004-04:00

AP reports today that "a top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported." Moreover, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced today that Georgia may have to accept "deep concessions" in order to stop the violence and bloodshed by Russia. Part of those "concessions" entails ceding over 1/3 of its territory to Russia. What's next? Ukraine? Poland? And what can the US do?...Senator John McCain raised $27 million in July. While it pales in comparison to what Senator Obama raised, there's a definite sense that this race is tighenting up considerably despite what national polls might say...Furthermore, this election will not be a "blow out" as many Democrats expected...If we believe Howard Wolfson's claim that Senator Clinton should be the Democrat nominee if Senator Edwards had not run because of the lie he was concealing, then does Wolfson believe that Senator Bob Dole, or even President George H.W. Bush, should have been elected and reelected? Why? President Clinton should not have run in the first place because of the Gennifer Flowers affair, which Clinton later admitted was true under testimony. Oh, the hyprocrisy!...So much for party unity. Hillary Clinton's name will be placed in nomination at the Democrat convention starting on 25 August. Rather than do the traditional voice vote, the Democrats have decided on a roll call in order to keep the Clinton delegates quiet in a national "show of unity"... One last musing...ESPN radio host Colon Cowherd on his show "The Herd" said yesterday he did not trust the media. He liked many members of the daily news media, but he did not trust it. Why? Cowherd suggested that the media have an "agenda" to the exclusion of actually reporting the facts as they happen. We're not as miserable, apathetic, hated, etc. as the news media might make you believe. Hats off to Mr. Cowherd for pointing out the truth.

There are 81 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,730 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Buckley for US Senate

2008-08-14T10:36:00.004-04:00

Libertarian Party of Georgia candidate for the US Senate Allen Buckley <http://www.buckleyforsenate.com/> has assembled a survey to help him determine which issues are the ones with which Georgia's voters are most concerned. You can help by taking three minutes to participate. Click <http://webmail.mercer.edu/redirect?http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=kmaQ8XgAi7Fr_2fDLs4Md9sA_3d_3d> to fill out Allen's questionnaire -- then visit his website to see the other ways you can help him become the next junior Senator from Georgia!

There are 82 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,729 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Veepstakes?

2008-08-13T10:28:00.004-04:00

Mike Allen writes in today's "Playbook" on www.politico.com that "Howard Wolfson says on Fox News last night that he has "heard some rumors" about JFK being vetted for Obama No. 2: "Look, John Kerry has been vetted. He ran for president. I think he would be a strong choice. He’d be a good choice, especially in the context of foreign policy.” Geez...talk about an uninspired choice? Selecting Kerry would only stir up memories of the Swiftboat vets and his poorly run presidential campaign back in 2004. Mr. Wolfson has wondered off the reservation these past couple of days with is diatribe that Hillary Clinton should be the Democrat nominee and now this unliekly scenario.

Russia's invasion of Georgia demostrates just how weak the US has become on the world stage following its invasion of Iraq. Besides strongly condemning Russia's actions, there's not a whole lot the US can do to leverage Russia at this point . While Senator John McCain's analysis is right on, that Russia is trying to recapture the glory of its past empire, the US cannot consider any sort of military move or even logistical aid for the Georgian military at this time since it suffers from imperial overstretch. Russia is intent on reestablishing itself as a dominant world power that is flush with money from being one of the largest oil exporters in the world. It appears that the best the US and its European allies can do is threaten the loss of the 2014 Winter Olympics or expel Russia from the G8. Sadly, such courses of action clearly demonstrate just how weak the US has become in matters of foreign policy and geopolitical influence since 2003.

There are 83 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,728 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain/Lieberman?

2008-08-12T21:28:00.004-04:00

Dick Morris has a new piece out today at http://www.dickmorris.com/ suggesting that John McCain should select Connecticut Joe Lieberman as his running mate against what Morris perceives to be an Obama/Biden ticket this fall. While such a ticket would add excitement to an otherwise unentusiastic presidential race, selecting Lieberman would all but kill McCain's chance at the Whote House. But you be the judge.

"John McCain has zero charisma. Next to the excitement of Obama, he looks like an old man defending the status quo. Ironically, his career has embodied exactly the opposite. He is what Obama symbolizes - a person who rises above party, confronts the special interests, and wants to change the way Washington works.

Yet despite his inability to campaign effectively, polls show him tied with Obama, due largely to doubts about the Democrat not to enthusiasm for McCain. But if he chooses the right vice presidential candidate, McCain can give his candidacy excitement and meaning, transforming the drab into the unusual and the ordinary into the spectacular. The easiest way to do so is to name a woman. Two seem available. But Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, an attractive candidate for the future, is too inexperienced and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is, perhaps, too experienced. Both would have difficulty navigating a presidential campaign. Hutchison might just seem like an old woman running with an old man and Palin with McCain might seem like a father-daughter team, the younger partner just learning the ropes.

Instead, McCain should choose Senator Joe Lieberman. By choosing a Democrat - the party’s nominee for vice president only eight years ago -- McCain would dramatically demonstrate that his candidacy transcends the normal, vitriolic partisanship that grips Washington. It would be the first bi-partisan ticket since Abraham Lincoln sought to transcend party and picked Andrew Johnson, the Democratic pro-union governor of Tennessee, to be his 1864 running mate. Then, as now, the system was broken and there was an evident need to overcome the narrow constraints of partisanship and act in the national interest.

Obama scares the daylights out of a lot of Democrats and Independents. With a Democratic running mate, McCain would become a viable alternative. Sure McCain and Lieberman disagree on a lot of issues. But their very disagreements would be sources of strength - a statement that no one person has all the answers and that solutions forged in consensus and dialogue are the key to a functioning democracy. Would Lieberman alienate the Party base? Most top McCain advisors don’t think so. With anti-Obama sentiment rising with each new proposed tax increase he offers, the likelihood is that they will turn out with total enthusiasm whoever McCain picks.
While neither McCain nor Lieberman are exactly charismatic. Between them, watching paint dry is more exciting. But by running together, the ticket epitomizes an end to gridlock, partisan bickering and privilege, and dogmatic adherence to narrow ideology.

Mitt Romney, the current VP front runner has a hard time getting people to vote for him. Despite outspending his combined opponents 3:1, he lost Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, and California. Why take on the baggage that kept voters from Romney in the primaries?

Obama too, would want to name a woman since he is now losing the votes of women over forty, a natural Democratic constituency. But he can’t choose Hillary. If he did, he would inherit all their scandals, past and present and would be linked to a candidate awash in special interest money who is married to a former president knee deep in tainted associations with rulers from Dubai to Kazakhstan.

But if Obama doesn’t choose Hillary, he can’t choose another woman. That would elevate another woman to be competition with Hillary, a declaration of war on the Clintons. So Obama will go with a safe choice: Virginia’s Governor Tim Kane, Indiana’s Senator Evan Bayh, or Delaware’s Senator Joe Biden. Biden is the best choice. He is well versed in national security issues and offers reassurance that Obama will have someone to turn to. Excellent in debate, he can be counted on to bring the war to the Republicans. He would add reassurance and gravitas to the ticket just as Cheney did for Bush and Johnson did for Kennedy. (The only problem is that anyone objectively looking at an Obama-Biden ticket wonders if it shouldn’t be upside down).

Kane lacks the very experience that Obama misses and adds nothing. Neither one can find the men’s room in the White House without a GPS. Bayh lacks any killer instinct. He refused to attack the Republicans when tapped to give the keynote speech at the 1996 Democratic Convention and is allergic to negative campaigning. That’s OK in a presidential candidate, but what’s a vice president for if not to sock it to the other side?

So the race may boil down to Obama-Bayh vs. McCain-Romney. But it should be Obama-Biden vs. McCain-Lieberman."

Hillary should be the nominee?

2008-08-12T21:16:00.002-04:00

According to Howard Wolfson, former Director of Communications for Hillary Clinton, if John Edwards did not run for president, Senator Clinton would be the Democrat nominee. Wolfson believes that if Edwards did not run, Clinton gets the majority of the Edwards vote and wins Iowa, not Obama. If Clinton wins Iowa, she likely goes on to a big win in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina etc. and secures the nomination. Wolfson is in obvious denial that Edwards would seek the presidency knowing, and publicly concealing, his extramarital affair. Unfortunately for Wolfson, the exits polls do not bear him out. A majority of Edwards' supporters in Iowa say they would have supported Obama, and not Clinton, which would not have changed the dynamic of the campaign. Sadly, the Clinton campaign continues to look for scapecoats for her failed bid for the nomination rather the arrogance of entitlement in which the campaign was conducted.

There are 84 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,727 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Bibb county Libertarians

2008-08-11T15:05:00.003-04:00

If you're local, and interested in the Libertarian Party, the Bibb County Libertarian Party of Macon holds its monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at Books-A-Million on Eisenhower Parkway. They gather at 7 p.m. to fight for liberty. Join them for their upcoming meeting on August 12. Get more information by sending an email to corrd@bellsouth.net.

Obama slipping?

2008-08-11T10:34:00.002-04:00

There's a great article today in POLITICO that Democrats are now worried that John McCain's campaign is picking up some steam and MAY actually over take Barack Obama. You can check out the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080811/pl_politico/12433.

New US foreign policy

2008-08-11T10:22:00.002-04:00

As talks continue between Iraq and the US continue concerning the ultimate withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, the next President of the United States should focus on a few essential goals instead of the far wider aims now being employed by the Bush administration. Instead of assuming that democratizing nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan will turn them into reliable allies, the US should focus on basic security needs, the most important of which is preventing nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists.

Holding free elections is not sufficient to establishing democracy. Attempts at "long distance social engineering" rarely work because the local population does not feel that they own the project. Developing a democratic culture takes more than a generation, especially in cultures with no historical institutions to support democracy. Sudden liberation is often followed by a dramatic upsurge in organized crime and anti-social behavior, i.e., Russia.

As such the first priority of the next Presient of the United States should be exporting security, not democracy.

There are 85 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,726 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Let's drill

2008-08-10T10:25:00.002-04:00

Over at Newt.org, they have an anecdote worth highlighting about a recent study conducted by two economists on how opening up ANWR would impact today's oil prices. The study concluded: "We find that oil that is expected to reach the market some years hence has an immediate impact on oil prices," and that "if oil firms were allowed to drill in ANWR and many of the other areas that are currently off limits to oil production, it is possible that these areas together might have a significant impact on world oil prices."(Side note: Martin Feldstein, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Reagan, recently wrote a related op-ed, "We Can Lower Oil Prices Now," that is well worth your reading). But back to the study. When the authors submitted it to the prestigious Energy Journal, it was rejected because it didn't offer anything new to the field of economics. Or, as the rejection letter put it, "your main result (the present impact of an anticipated future supply change) is already known to economists."In other words, as is already a well-known fact among economists, drill here, drill now so we can all pay less.

There are 86 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,725 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

The kids got it right

2008-08-08T18:56:00.003-04:00

Common Sense is always on the lookout for fresh conservative "faces" posting their thoughts in the blogosphere. If you're interested in a new and thoughtful conservative blog, check out
http://www.down-right.org/. You will be pleased that you did.

Unfortunately, the rumors that have dogged Senator John Edwards are true. The former Senator from NC admitted to ABC News that he had an extramarital affair with a 42 year-old who produced "webisodes" for his failed presidential campaign. She was paid $114,000.00 for her efforts even though she "lacked experience". Moreover, she gave birth to a child a few weeks ago. Edwards adamantly denies being the father and is willing to take a paternity test to prove he's not the father. Through it all, one can only feel sorry for Elizabeth Edwards who has inoperable cancer.

Democrats are saying while they are greatly disappointed in Edwards, the bottowm line is that this situation is bewteen the Edwards and none of our business. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. It's all about character or lack thereof. If Edwards was the Democrat nominee, this news would certainly have derailed his campaign. More importantly, if he had been the nominee, what message does it send to voters that we need to restore trust in the White House when one of its candidates looks us all in the eye and lies! Does this remind you of a former President who looked us all in the eye, waived his finger, and lied? Poor personal judgment can lead to poor public judgment. Is it any wonder why people do not trust politicians any more?

An evening with Bob Barr

2008-08-08T09:48:00.002-04:00

It isn't often you get to shake hands with a person whose name is on the ballot for President Of the United States. Take advantage of this unusual opportunity! The Libertarian Party of Georgia presents "An Evening With BobBarr And Friends" on Saturday, August 23, 2008, at the Crowne Plaza Raviniain Atlanta. It's your chance to meet our Presidential candidate and our other statewide candidates over a dinner banquet. You'll also enjoy professional entertainment, and get to visit with other Libertarians and freedom minded people from all around Georgia. And you'll be able to show your support for the work the Libertarian Party of Georgia does to keep liberty-oriented ideas in public policy debates 365 days a year.

"An Evening With Bob Barr And Friends" will start with a cocktail reception and social hour at 6:00 PM, then we'll sit down for a banquet dinner at 7 o'clock. All our candidates will report on their progress, as well as national Libertarian standard-bearer Bob Barr. The Crowne Plaza Ravinia is at 4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE, across from Perimeter Mall. If you wish to stay overnight at the Ravinia, reserve yourroom at (770) 395-7700, and make sure you say you are attending the Libertarian "An Evening With Bob Barr And Friends" event in the hotel."

The VP sweepstakes

2008-08-08T09:35:00.003-04:00

Here's part of an interesting article by Dick Morris on the VP sweepstakes. Both men need to announce their respetive running-mates in short order.

Morris writes that McCain "...needs to jump start his candidacy and inject a “wow” factor. Either choosing a woman (likely Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison – Condi’s not interested) or Joe Lieberman would do nicely.

Its tempting to name a woman and collect all those alienated over 40 women who are not backing Obama. Remember the enthusiasm Geraldine Ferraro generated when Mondale nominated her in 1984? Women who had backed Hillary, will turnout in droves to elect a woman vice president. Even a pro-life one at that. It’s hard to imagine any other VP choice that would produce so many votes.

But…is Kay Bailey up to the job? Would she come across as an old lady to go with an old man? Can she handle the battering of a VP run without making any faux pas? Is she intellectually impressive enough to nominate? I have my doubts.

So I think McCain should choose Joe Lieberman. The first cross-party ticket since Abraham Lincoln named Andrew Johnson in 1864 would send an unmistakable signal of change. It would flag McCain’s determination to transcend the partisan gridlock in Washington and his independence of party orthodoxy. Selecting Lieberman would elevate the national security issue and reassure environmentalists on climate change issues. It would help attract Jewish voters in Florida and Ohio. And Lieberman has proven he can handle the stress of a national campaign. Joe is the way to go.

But McCain will probably choose Mitt Romney who will do him no good at all. Voters are allergic to Romney, perhaps because of his religion. Despite massive spending, topping his rivals by 3:1 in the primaries (largely out of his own pocket) Romney lost Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and California. The only states he carried were Michigan where his Dad had been governor, Massachusetts where he was, and a bunch of LDS (Mormon) states in the far west. He also carried some Super Tuesday states when his rivals didn’t have the money or time left over after California to fight him."

McCain surging?

2008-08-08T09:14:00.002-04:00

Even though national polls show Barack Obama holding a 47%-41% lead over John McCain, one cannot help but sense that momentum is turning as more and more voters tune into the presidential race and realize that Obama is not yet ready for prime time. On the three biggest issues America faces, the economy, the war, and energy independence, Obama could not be more wrong as he has flip-flopped over the last month on these key positions.

To deal with the economy, Obama has proposed raising taxes on small business, personal income, investment profits, and more. Such a position is wrong. Obama's plan will kill jobs and put the economy in a tailspin. On the war, Obama has shown the kind of judgment you would expect from someone who was in the state legislature just four years ago with no real world foreign policy experience. When it comes to gas prices, Obama observed that he did not really mind how high the price of gas is, just that it went up so fast. Such a position is obviously out of touch with main stream America. This is not surprising when you consider that Obama also opposes increased domestic drilling and increased use of clean, safe nuclear power--two major sources that will help us become energy independent.

Once you cut through the fog of his oratory, the truth is Obama is running as a very traditional liberal on a very, very thin record which voters are now beginning to see as the campaign enters its final ninety days.

Surge working?

2008-08-08T09:11:00.002-04:00

AP reported yesterday afternoon that the US and Iraqi governments are close to an agreement to withdraw US troops by October 2010:

"Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. U.S. officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed.

The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad's Green Zone — where the U.S. Embassy is located — to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations.

The officials, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing, said all U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010, with the remaining support personnel gone "around 2013." The schedule could be amended if both sides agree — a face-saving escape clause that would extend the presence of U.S. forces if security conditions warrant it."

Obviously this is great news but one has to wonder about the timing of such announcement as the presiential race between McCain and Obama heats up. Stay tuned.

We're back

2008-08-08T09:06:00.002-04:00

After a month-long hiatus, Common Sense is back. Obviously, a lot has transpired in the intervening month, but first and foremost a big "Congratulations" to CJS for landing the gig at WNNG and the Patriot! Bravo CJS! All of our best as you begin a new chapter in your life.

There's 88 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,723 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Common Sense on hiatus

2008-07-05T08:14:00.003-04:00

Common Sense is going on hiatus for the next few weeks as we leave the country on mission. We'll be back better than ever during the last week of July. Good luck to CJS on his on-air interview next week at WNNG. You'll be in our thoughts and prayers. Go get 'em!

It's been 2,689 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Are you kidding me?

2008-07-02T08:01:00.004-04:00

General Wesley Clark's comments this week about Senator John McCain's service record in Vietnam are disingenuous at best. If you recall back in 2004, General Clark was a Democrat candidate for president. He did not win the nomination but he did stake his entire presidential bid on his military service. If it were not for Clark's military service he would have never been taken seriously as a presidential candidate, let alone a player in Democrat politics. Spending five and half years in the "Hanoi" Hilton and not abandoning his men when he had the chance to go home speaks volumes about McCain's character as well as the kind of leader he would make should he win the White House in November. Shame on you General Clark for such ridiculous remarks.

It's been 2,686 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Obama, a new kind of Democrat?

2008-07-01T15:15:00.005-04:00

You know the Democrats smell blood in the water. Senator Barack Obama is not only on the verge of supporting reauthorizing the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) bill that will come up for a vote on the Senate floor after the holiday recess, but he now says he wants to expand some of the faith based initiatives that were started under the Bush administration. Supporting FISA is one thing, but wanting to use public money for private charities/organization to provide social services must drive far left liberals batty! Obama is taking the old Nixon strategy of playing to the base of your party during the primaries then tracking back to the center for the general election to new heights. Not only does Obama think he can pick off independents and disenfranchised Republicans, but his campaign believes Obama can also sway evangelicals. Brilliant! This new strategy combined with the possibility of campaiging in all fifty states and Obama's ability to raise endless amounts of money all make Obama hm favorite going into November. John McCain, are you listening?

It's been 2685 days since there's been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Obama in Georgia

2008-06-30T13:54:00.002-04:00

Common Sense has harped on the fact that Georgia may actually be in play this November as a result of Bob Barr's entrance into the presidential contest and John McCain's poorly run campaign thus far. To further illustrate the fact, Barack Obama will hold a fundraiser in Atlanta on 7 July at $2300.00 per person, the most an individual can contribute to a campaign as a result of the new finance laws that McCain negotiated through the Senate, the President signed into law, and the courts upheld.

Speaking of Bob Barr, he appeared on Fox this Sunday with Chris Wallace. Theoretically, Barr has a lot to offer conservatives and libertarians, but unfortunately, Barr comes off as stiff and very impersonal. He also has some baggage he'll need to deal with that contradict his libertarian position, i.e., voting for the Patriot Act, voting for the war in Iraq, etc. Just like any other politician, Barr will have to answer for these inconsistencies. If he can reconcile his positions he will be a force to reckon with; if he cannot reconcile these positions, he won't be any more effective than independent candidate, Ralph Nader.

It's been 2684 days since there's been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

The "Godfather" test

2008-06-27T12:32:00.004-04:00

Today in PARADE magazine, former Clinton adviser and host of THIS WEEK, George Stephanopoulos has an article on how you should decide to vote which he calls "The Godfather" test. In essence what he is saying is which of the presidential candidates would you entrust the life of your child with? You can read more about the "test" at http://news.yahoo.com/page/parade/stephanopoulos

It's been 2681 days since there's been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

High court gets one right

2008-06-26T12:21:00.002-04:00

After a couple of disappointing decisions involving child rapists and enemy combatants, the US Supreme Court finally got one right concerning the Second Amendment and gun rights. The AP reports that

"The Supreme Court ruled today that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices’ first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history. The court’s 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact. The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: ‘‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.’’

The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual’s right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by ‘‘the historical narrative’’ both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.

The Constitution does not permit ‘‘the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home,’’ Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington’s requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns."

Justice Anthony Kennedy was once again the swing vote. You may remember that Kennedy was appointed by Reagan back in 1987. He was not Reagan's first choice. Robert Bork was but his nomination was defeated. What might have been if Bork had ultimately been confirmed instead of Kennedy.

It's been 2,680 days since there has been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Obama's energy plan

2008-06-25T19:48:00.003-04:00

Barack Obama has an energy plan. In fact, he has a whole website devoted to it contrasting his position on energy to John McCain's. You can check out Obama's new website at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy

Also, a new Los Angeles Times poll has Barack Obama opening up a double digit lead over 52%-39% over John McCain. McCain was busy today in Las Vegas reassuring voters not to abandon his campaign so early in the cycle. This comes on the heels of news out of the Obama camp that he plans to campaign heavily in 10 states George W. Bush won in 2004 including Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Indiana. Obviously winning any of these states will make Obama tough to beat. McCain can take some solace in a poll that shows more Americans trust him on the war in Iraq and the war on terror over Obama. Unfortunately for McCain, at this point, this election appears to be about the economy and energy rather than security.

It's been 2,679 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Does anything stick to this guy

2008-06-24T22:26:00.003-04:00

Barack Obama has had a rough two weeks being hammered by Republicans for his associations with the Weatherman, Reverend Wright, and Father Flager, the fact that he cannot articulate a coherent energy policy, that he cannot tell us where he is going to get the money for the extra trillion dollars he wants to spend as part of the federal budget, how he plans to end the war in Iraq or carry on the war on terror. Yet, he remains ahead or tied with John McCain depending on what poll you read. John McCain can make serious inroads, as he has with his "new" energy plan he revelaed last week by taking the three or four top issues that concern most Americans and just pound home to the American public the stark contrasts between his vision for America and Obama's. Eventually, when the American electorate tunes in to the presidential election after Labor Day, McCain could have Obama on the defensive if he articulates tried and true conservative principles. Only time will tell if Obama can "skate" by on charisma and jujitsu tactics or if McCain can paint him as an out of touch liberal who has no real policy proposals to move this country forward.

On a local note, WMAC AM early morning radio talk show host Shayne McBride was busted today for possession of the "chronic", otherwise known as marijuana. While McBride was only charged with a misdemeanor and is out on bond, WMAC should dump the rather sarcastic host in favor of the fresh and talented Jeff Scott, who by all accounts, has no problems with the hippie lettuce or anything illicit that would embarras himself, his employers, or his former professors. Go get 'em Jeff!

It's been 2,678 days since there has been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.

Georgia in play?

2008-06-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

The Douglas Country <http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/> Sentinel has apresidential poll on its home page. Bob Barr is currently at 12% against John McCain and Barack Obama. McCain needs to win Georgia if he has any hope of winning the White House. This latest poll is not good news for McCain since he's in a virtual dead heat with Obama in this state. The more Obama can force McCain to spend money, resources, and time in traditional "red states" (Georgia has not voted for a Democrat for the White House since 1980) the better his chances of winning in November. It's complicated enough that McCain has to sink resources in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, let alone Georgia. Speaking of Ohio, no Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio.

It's been 2,677 days since there has been an attack on US soil. Good day and God bless.