Kirsten Powers is one of the rational liberals on the national scene. Her column in this morning’s NY Post is additional proof that she’s got her head screwed on straight. Here’s my favorite line in the column:

Hmm: Palin isn’t running for president; she’s running for vice president. Last time I checked, John McCain isn’t dying. And if experience is your worry, there’s plenty to worry about on the opposing ticket if, God forbid, something happens to Joe Biden.

AMEN, Kirsten. That thought should scare the living bejeebers out of thoughtful voters all across the nation. It’s impossible to forget Sen. Obama’s deer-in-the-headlights look when Russia invaded Georgia. If not for that, Obama likely would’ve picked Kathleen Sebelius as his running mate:

“He really wanted [Kansas Gov. Kathleen] Sebelius,” says one Obama insider with knowledge of the Democrat candidate’s vetting process. “And if our European tour had played better here at home, she might have been the pick.”

But, says the insider, the campaign’s internal polling indicated what the public polling indicated, that Obama failed in his European sojourn to build out his foreign policy credentials. “We needed the foreign policy on the bottom of the ticket more than we want to admit,” says the insider.

That isn’t the only wisdom found in Ms. Powers’ column. Here’s another great tidbit of wisdom: (continue reading post »)

Since Friday morning, I’ve been hearing anecdotal evidence that Sarah Palin was helping John McCain’s campaign. Now I have a way of measuring it. Here’s what a Zogby International poll found:

The interactive online Zogby survey shows that both Obama and McCain have solidified the support among their own parties; Obama won 86% support of Democrats and McCain 89% of Republicans in a two-way head-to-head poll question not including the running mates. When Biden and Palin are added to the mix, Obama’s Democratic support remains at 86%, while McCain’s increases to 92%.

This is proof that conservatives love the pick, as well they should. Having 92% of the conservatives supporting McCain is nothing short of spectacular. That’s approaching Bush-Cheney 04 levels.

I’ve been suspicious of Zogby International’s polling so I sought other forms of confirmation. It didn’t take long to find it. Consider this David Brody post for CBN:

For the most part, social conservatives and the Evangelical base are now about to come fully on board. Obama’s enthusiasm gap has narrowed considerably. Anytime you have motivated Evangelicals behind you it means your candidate is in a good spot. Watch for pro-family organizations and the McCain team to now start working together to get out the vote. This CAN NOT be emphasized enough.

Working at CBN gives Mr. Brody a pretty good grasp of what evangelical Christians are thinking. Couple McCain’s pick with his performance at Saddleback and there’s tons of reasons why evangelical Christians are jumping on board.

That isn’t the only proof of evangelicals coming on board. Here’s an exchange between James Dobson and Alan Colmes: (continue reading post »)

Last night, I sent an email to Minnesota’s House GOP leadershhip asking them for their opinion on Sen. McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Here’s what House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said of Sen. McCain’s pick:

“Sarah Palin is a rock solid conservative that brings excitement to this ticket. Her plain-spoken common sense is refreshing and will help John McCain in key areas.”

-House Minority Leader Marty Seifert

Here’s House Assistant Minority Leader Laura Brod’s reaction to Sen McCain’s selection of Gov. Palin:

“Governor Pawlenty’s reform message and ability to win and govern in a state that has trended Democrat attracted the attention of Senator McCain and others looking for new leaders. That made him an excellent candidate to be John McCain’s Vice President. However, Minnesota faces a looming budget deficit, and rumblings from our friends on the other side of the aisle that they will continue their drumb beat for job-killing tax increases. We will be fortunate to have Governor Pawlenty here to protect Minnesota taxpayers and struggling employers.

Governor Palin is also a reformer who offers fresh ideas from about as far away from Washington DC as you can get. As a mom, business owner and leader, she is a great mentor for those of us in public service as well as women across the country who are trying to balance checkbooks, family time and careers. Governor Palin is an excellent choice for Republicans who are looking for a conservative leader who is ready to serve as Vice President. Similarly, Independents and Democrats appreciate that Sen McCain is willing to step outside the box. (continue reading post »)

Fred Thompson has written a compelling post for the good conservatives at RedState on rebuilding the conservative movement. First Fred outlines the principles of conservatism:

• The role of the federal government is limited to the powers given to it in our Constitution, and the bigger the government gets, the less competent it is to run our lives, and we must have leaders who understand that the market works best when it regulated and legislated least.
• A dollar belongs in the pocket of the person who earns it unless the government has a compelling reason why it can use it better.
• We don’t spend money we don’t have or borrow money that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back, and we must have leaders who understand this and will listen to the will of the people.
• The best way to avoid war is to be stronger than our enemies. But if we are in a fight, we win it because not doing so makes us more likely to be attacked in the future, and we must have leaders who understand this.
• The federal judiciary is supposed to decide cases, not legislate from the bench or dictate social policy and we must have leaders and judges who understand this.

Here’s why it’s important to support FRED PAC:

All of these endeavors are going to continue, and I want you to be a part of it. That’s why I’m pleased to announce the formation of FRED PAC. FRED PAC will help identify and support candidates on every level who support a platform of conservative, principles-based leadership and policies.

It’s time we showed America that conservatism is the most logical, common sense political philosophy in existance. We need to remind people that we’re the freedom-loving, prosperity-loving political party. It’s important that we tell Americans everywhere that conservatism was the force that forced the Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

The cornerstones of Reagan’s governance were prosperity and liberty. That’s because Reagan had a strong libertarian streak in him.

It’s time that we started funding strong, steadfast conservatives who don’t wander from their conservative principles. That’s what FRED PAC is about. I was one of the first Fredheads because I passionately believe in federalism and in conservatism.

Conservatives have a history of getting things done. I’m betting that we’ll rise to the occasion this time, too.

Technorati Tags: FRED PAC, Fred Thompson, Ronald Reagan, Conservatism, Federalism, Libertarianism, Prosperity, Liberty, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This isn’t easy for me to say but it’s something that must be said. The Republicans who’ve signed onto the Senate’s Gang of 16 have undercut the valiant efforts of House Republicans. What’s worse is that the meager concessions they got in return won’t bring meaningful price relief at the pump. Let’s review the situation as of August 1:

Democrats in the House and Senate shut down until after the conventions, refusing to even debate drilling. In fact, Speaker Pelosi refused to allow Republican amendments to the Democrats’ non-energy energy bills.

When Pelosi the Dictator realized that Republicans weren’t going to obey her dictatorial rulings, she shut off C-SPAN’s cameras, then turned off the lights and the power to the Chamber’s microphones.

House Republicans stayed to fight the good fight. Thanks to the leadership of Mike Pence, Tom Price, Jeb Hensarling, Leader Boehner and others, Speaker Pelosi started feeling the heat. The more people heard about the Democratic majority’s tactics, the more enraged they got.

That heat got hot enough to cause Barack Obama to change his position 3 times in 4 days. Nancy Pelosi, who previously characterized the Republicans’ drilling plan as a “hoax”, suddenly became amenable to drilling, albeit in a gimmicky way.

Just when the majority Democrats started feeling the heat dialed up, in steps a group of 5 Senate Republicans to provide them with political cover. Had these Republicans increased the pressure on Democrats, it would’ve put the Democrats in a horrible position. Instead, they worried about being credited with acting in a bipartisan manner. (continue reading post »)

I noted more than once that Mike Huckabee wasn’t a true Republican. I’m totally convinced now that he’s a liar and a dirtbag. Putting it succinctly, he should be run out of the Republican Party. Wednesday afternoon, Mike Huckabee called into Rush’s show. Follow this link to the transcript of the conversation. Here’s what stood out for me from the interview:

RUSH: Well, but wait a minute, that’s true for both parties. And McCain’s running ads right now featuring Hillary endorsing him. There is a gold mine of Hillary audio and video that McCain can make an ad of. Those things happen in primaries. I mean you guys were ganging up on Romney, too. That’s what politics is. I mean you and McCain joined together in West Virginia on the second or third ballot to take the state for McCain. That’s hardball.

HUCKABEE: No, it really wasn’t us. The truth is it was the Ron Paul people who got with our delegates, and there really wasn’t a deal cut with the McCain people in West Virginia.

RUSH: Really?

HUCKABEE: It was the Ron Paul people who said, “We just want a little bit of respect, and if our guy doesn’t win on the first ballot, we’ll vote for you.”

RUSH: Really. That is not the way it was explained to me. (continue reading post »)

A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of debating Charles Babington, then of the Washington Post. Mr. Babington has since moved to the AP. Now he’s written an article about the troubles lying ahead for the GOP. It’s just a bit behind the times. Had he written it this February, there would’ve been more validity to it. Now it’s missing out on what’s happening within the GOP.

Now Republicans appear to have lost their identity, wondering when the bleeding will stop. After losing 30 House seats and control of both congressional chambers in 2006, they are anticipating even more House and Senate losses this fall. Most polls find GOP presidential candidate John McCain trailing Democrat Barack Obama, and far more enthusiasm among Democratic voters and donors than among Republicans.

“For the Republicans, it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Richard Armey, a former GOP House majority leader from Texas. “I think they will take a pretty severe beating in this election,” said Armey, who helped engineer the 1994 “Republican Revolution” that gave the party control of the House after 40 years in the minority.

There’s no doubt that the GOP lost its identity. That’s why it lost its majorities. There’s also no doubt but that they’re rediscovering their identity thanks to the House Republicans’ standing up to Speaker Pelosi on the energy fight. Couple that with having nominated an anti-earmark stalwart like Sen. McCain helps, too.

In case Mr. Babington hadn’t noticed, Democrats were the ones who caved on FISA reform. It’s Democrats who are caving on drilling. It’s Democrats who are worried about Sen. Obama’s practically-nonexistent lead in the polls. It’s the Obama campaign that was sensitive after Saddleback. (continue reading post »)

According to this Newsmax article, John McCain has asked for “personal documents” from Rep. Eric Cantor. Picking Rep. Cantor, who’s had a short but distinguished career in the House would get Republicans excited and then some.

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia has been asked for “personal documents” by John McCain’s campaign, a Republican knowledgeable with the discussions said Saturday.

Cantor, 45, the chief deputy minority whip in the House, has been mentioned among several Republicans as a possible running mate for McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

The Republican familiar with the conversations between Cantor and the McCain campaign said Cantor has been asked to turn over documents, but did not know specifically what records were sought.

Rep. Cantor has risen to the post of chief deputy minority whip after just 6 years in the House. That’s a testament to his abilities. Picking him would be smart on a number of fronts.

First, he’s got impeccable conservative credentials. Picking him tells the base that they won’t be ignored in a McCain administration. Reading Rep. Cantor’s blog will tell conservatives that he’s a conservative’s conservative. (continue reading post »)

Yesterday, Rush confirmed that Clear Channel had signed him through 2016. Now Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Wolff says that it was a bad decision by Clear Channel. Here’s one of his quotes:

“I think it’s a monster error,” Wolff said. “I know, I’m sitting here saying, ‘What are these people smoking?’ You know, the truth is that Rush Limbaugh has been, he’s ridden the rise of conservatism for 25 years and I don’t, maybe nobody quite, quite has been following the news, but that’s coming to an end.”

First off, Rush hasn’t “ridden the rise of conservatism.” Instead, it’s accurate to say that he’s been the rise of conservatism. Here’s another Wolff quote worth ridiculing:

“It’s going to be over and Rush Limbaugh in a relatively short period of time is going to look like a really kind of out-of-it kind of oddity,” Wolff said. “And I can not for the life of me imagine how someone could have made this deal.”

Men of Rush Limbaugh’s talent and intelligence don’t become oddities, whether it’s in a “short period of time” or otherwise. Rush Limbaugh will leave on his terms at the time of his choosing. (continue reading post »)

Anyone who’s read this website knows that my first choice for president was Fred Thompson. Since that didn’t work out the way I’d hoped, I’m thankful that he didn’t just disappear back to Hollywood. We need Fred to continue advocating conservatism’s core principles. That’s precisely what he did in this column.

We’ve heard alot recently that we’d have to remake the GOP brand, whatever that’s supposed to be. I suspect the people saying it really mean that conservatives need to abandon conservatism. I’ve rejected that as utter nonsense. I’m not alone in the Right Blogosphere, either. The best news is that Fred Thompson thinks it’s BS, too:

We know that we were given a country based upon certain eternal truths, the wisdom of the scriptures and the wisdom of the ages, the fact that there is such a thing as human nature that has to be taken into account when governing, and most fundamentally, based upon the fact that people are meant to be free. Our founders derived from these principles a government that had its powers separated, checked and balanced because they knew that power tended to corrupt. In keeping with that they incorporated in our Constitution a system of Federalism to make sure that there was not too much power concentrated in the central government, which was given delineated powers and no others.

When we see government burdening us with unnecessary regulations, it’s imperative that we fight against it. When we see government attempting to burden us with trillion dollar tax increases, we must fight against it. (continue reading post »)