Raging Right Wing Republican

The cost of the bailout

2008-12-02T23:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a graph comparing the cost of the bailout to other government projects through history.

That's right. The bailout is bigger than all of those combined.

It's even more hilarious when you realize that the real cost will be $8.5 trillion, double the amount used in this graph.

Change™

2008-11-30T14:19:00.000-05:00

Obamageddon: the bright side

2008-11-07T03:10:00.002-05:00

Now that the Barackalypse is upon us, we can comfort ourselves with a few silver linings in the mushroom cloud:

The media will now freely mention the fact that we're winning in Iraq.
People will start loving America, now that we've determined that it's once again "cool" to do so. (Only as long as she keeps doing what we want, after all. Isn't that why you love?)
Dissent will no longer be the highest form of patriotism.
This proves — to a degree of certainty once held only by gravity — that public financing is the stupidest idea for "campaign finance reform" since, well... the McCain-Feingold Act. Way to go there, champ.
Unity! Unless you disagree. Then, shutup.
Within 2 years all the old Carter jokes will be new again and ready to make the rounds after a few dust offs.
No need to worry anymore about gas or mortgage payments! That was a hang-up of the pre-Obama world.
PALIN 2012.

A thrill down his leg

2008-11-07T03:04:00.003-05:00

Not even trying to hide it anymore:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Yeah, well, you know what? I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work, and I think that --

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Is that your job? You just talked about being a journalist!

MATTHEWS: Yeah, it is my job. My job is to help this country.

Carrying Obama's water: the new journalism.

Although I suppose that's not new.

The top 7 reasons the GOP can't be based around moderates

2008-11-07T02:53:00.007-05:00

To boil it down:

"Moderate" has no fixed meaning. What's "moderate" changes from person to person.
Moderates don't pay attention.
They are unreliable voters.
They vote based on how others vote, not principles.
Conservatives are where the money, volunteers and dependable votes are at.
There is no "moderate" media to get the message out, unlike the conservative media.
America is a conservative country, not a moderate one.

It's not that moderates are bad, it's just that you can't form the base of the party around them. You reach out to them during the elections.

If we want to win, we have to offer a clear alternative to the Democrats' liberal plans. We have to offer a clear conservative alternate, not a wishy-washy compromised mess that excites no one. You can't build a castle on quicksand.

Proposition 8 passes

2008-11-07T02:36:00.004-05:00

The country rejected the GOP's moderate wing on Nov. 4th, not conservatism. You can't win with Democrat-lite when the people can just choose a real Democrat. Surprise. Just look at Proposition 8, that conservative throwback to a darker time: while the rest of the country was flooded by a sea of blue, it passed in California. If it's going to pass there it will pass anywhere. So it looks like the country is in favor of traditional marriage, and it is the liberals who are the extremists in rejecting it, not conservatives in backing it.

FLASHBACK: Obama supporter: "I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car or paying my mortgage"

2008-11-07T02:20:00.004-05:00

There sure are going to be a lot of disappointed people after this short honeymoon is over and people realize Obama isn't God.

Flawless victory

2008-11-07T01:06:00.001-05:00

From 52 to 48

2008-11-06T23:31:00.001-05:00

We'll see...

Golden Age begins: Stocks fall nearly 500 points on Obama win

2008-11-05T23:12:00.006-05:00

Don't worry. It's all part of the plan. The Dow dropping to historic levels after an election isn't bad news; now I can buy stuff too.

Thanks, Barack!

United

2008-11-05T13:18:00.001-05:00

Requiem for a dream

2008-11-05T00:30:00.004-05:00

The Presidential election is over and we have a winner. McCain lost and Obama will be our next President. He will bring with him legions of liberals into power, solidifying Democrat control over the government. But all is not lost. The world has not ended.

We are still a center-right country. Don't let this electoral victory fool you into thinking we've finally tumbled over the precipice into full fledged socialism. What has changed is merely the arrangement of the states under the Democrat and Republican columns; when it comes to the popular vote, we nearly hit 50%. Half the country is still with us, as always, and when you consider the fact that most people see Obama not as a liberal but as a bipartisan agent of "change," that is significant. Not only that, but this near majority was reached in one of the toughest anti-Republican electoral environments in history. Let us count the ways.

Any Republican entering this race had to deal with the following: a faltering economy, an unpopular war, one of the most disapproved of Presidents of all time under his party, and the fact that we've already had Republican dominance for many years. When you have a party in power that long that makes people tired of the incumbents and willing to usher in the opposition for a change. Furthermore, Obama was the first black candidate to reach that pinnacle in history, had more money than God, and the infinite rage of the Bush hating Democrats propelling him forward on a wind that cared not how he maneuvered to win over the rest of the country so long as he could stick it to Republicans. Then there's the media: Obama could shoot a baby on live television and the media would say it was because the baby was a terrorist. Add all that together and you have a Mt. Everest challenge to scale.

But then, it wasn't just any Republican. It was McCain. McCain, who the base hated, and who spent most of his electoral adventures in debt and skirting with bankruptcy. Somebody who had no clear philosophy and was not a conservative. He was conservative, but not a conservative.

Add all of these together, and it's a miracle that McCain got as far as he did. Yet Barack won, not because the country had flitted to the left but only by pretending to be a centrist tax-cutter in a center-right country. It will be a short honeymoon before people realize with bitter disappointment that he's not the Messiah™ they thought he was and can't do everything he promised. By the next midterm elections everybody will know how liberal Obama is, and the pendulum will swing once again. It will be up to us to see that it swings far enough.

We must remember that we are conservatives, and not liberals or "progressives" or whatever they're calling themselves today. Politics is not our life. Unlike liberals, if we lose an election, we're still going to be happier than liberals, whose worldview is premised on misery. They place their hopes and dreams in government, and so they will always be disappointed, especially when they find out they have to pay for their gas and mortgage after all. Conservatives, on the other hand, have low expectations of human nature and even lower from government; it is hard to be disappointed. And unlike liberals, our happiness is where it has always been and will be tomorrow: our family, our friends, our local community, in our work, our faith, and in our country. These will be around whether or not the current incumbents have a "R" or "D" next to their name.

Tough times are ahead, and we can't throw in the towel. We're going to have to fight like hell to make sure Obama doesn't run the country over the cliffside with his liberal fantasies. But we've been there before, and we've prevailed there before.

Remember: we are conservatives. Don't give liberals the satisfaction of seeing us break before defeat and cry like schoolgirls. That's what they do. They're the ones who fall apart when they lose. We can take it and get back up fighting. We are followers of Reagan, the Happy Warrior, who responded with such adversity with good humor, irreverent mockery and hard work. We may have lost the election, but we're still right and they're still wrong. The fight goes on, and we will have our time once again.

Obama wins

2008-11-04T21:49:00.001-05:00

I hope we're all prepared for some good ol' fashioned Change™.

Why McCain will win PA (I hope)

2008-11-04T17:04:00.002-05:00

Obama has always been a terrible closer. In the primaries, he held onto large, ten point leads against Clinton only to win or even lose by a point when the actual results came in. The national polls for this election and the last few have been terribly off, skewed in favor of Democrats. They are unreliable. I pay attention instead to the two campaigns' internal polling, since it's so important for them to have reliable information. Both McCain and Obama have been fighting in the Keystone state. Why would they be doing that if it was a guaranteed blowout for Obama? McCain has been shown closing in the last few days and he must be within reach.

Furthermore, in regards to the heavy turnout... black people always turn out heavily against Republicans. There's not much left to scrape out of the bottom of that barrel. The legendary "youth vote" is supposed to ride to the rescue of the Democrat candidate every year but never shows up.

Can Obama do better than Kerry did in PA? I'm not sure that is likely. Kerry carried voting blocs in 2004 easily that Obama has trouble with now. The blue-collar voter that turned out for Kerry rejected Obama in the primaries, giving the state to Hillary in a decisive win, and he hasn't done well for himself since then.

If McCain wins Pennsylvania, half of the election will be won. He'll be able to lose as many as four other states he needs and still win. If he loses Pennsylvania, then he'll have to pretty much go on a winning spree through the others to make up for it.

Don't pay attention to exit polls

2008-11-04T17:02:00.002-05:00

They were off by a mile in 2004, and in 2006. Nobody noticed in 2006 because the races were won by Democrats anyway, but by margins of a few points instead of twenty point blowouts that were predicted. The only thing these exit polls are good for are depressing Republican turnout and giving media outlets an excuse to call states for Obama early.

I'm not going to bother to pay attention to them, but just check the states as they're being called.

Predictions

2008-11-03T23:32:00.003-05:00

Here's mine:

Sure hope I'm right.

Judgement

2008-10-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

Scarborough to Obama supporter: Name one accomplishment

2008-10-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

This never gets old.

Study: Networks still in the tank for Obama

2008-10-14T13:10:00.001-04:00

Water is still wet...

How Gallup chose its "undecided" voters

2008-10-09T17:36:00.003-04:00

Undecided:

CLARK [an "undecided" voter at the townhall]: So the Sunday before last, I received a call from the Gallop Poll. They asked a few questions regarding my choice in the Presidential election. They asked who I would vote for. I said most likely I would be voting for Barack Obama. They followed with, “is there any chance that you would change your mind“? I said “Of course anything is possible.” They then asked me as an uncommitted voter would I like to participate in the Town hall debate. I said “Of course!”

MSNBC's First Read found this, but they didn't highlight the part where Clark said he was essentially supporting Obama and then was picked. They decided to flag this part where Mr.Clark speculates McCain is racist because McCain suggested the American public may not be familiar with how exactly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac worked.

Well, I for one am shocked.

"Not the man I know"

2008-10-08T22:00:00.006-04:00

"That one"

2008-10-08T12:58:00.000-04:00

Racist!

Debate first impressions

2008-10-07T22:56:00.003-04:00

The only person who got housed in that debate was me for watching it. McCain won the debate on substance, but Obama is a smug lying charlatan and there were no game-breaking moments, so it was a wash. And since Obama is in the lead right now, that means its effectively an Obama win.

Also, what was with the internet questions? I thought the entire purpose of a "town hall" debate was to inject some spontanaeity into the process, but instead we got the same-old same-old, and boring, obscure questions at that. Not to mention that almost all of those "undecided" voters sure weren't asking "undecided" questions. Rush's rule is validated once again: there are no undecideds or moderates, just liberals.

What did you guys think?

60 seconds of pure truth

2008-10-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

TMZ doing work of objective journalists

2008-10-07T15:31:00.002-04:00

The reason she didn't answer was that she had been thrown a "gotcha" question. She didn't answer for the same reason President Bush never answered what he thought his "mistakes" were during the Presidential debate when it got posed to him to basically give John Kerry an opening he could drive an 18 wheeler through on a live debate. No matter what she said, the press would've descended like vultures on the publications and picked them apart, found a random article or line that would then be used to paint her as a racist, sexist, homophobe, whether or not she agreed with every single thing that was in what she read.

How does the LA Times cover McCain hitting Obama on the economy?

2008-10-07T11:49:00.003-04:00

By cutting out his remarks on the economy, then suggesting he's afraid to talk about the economy. That's how afraid they are of Obama getting taken to task on this.

Mmm, that is some good bias.

My problems with the bailout

2008-10-07T11:04:00.003-04:00

I was initially supportive of the bailout, with every expert forecasting Apocalypse if it didn't pass, but the more I read about it the less I saw to like. It's already passed, but among the things I didn't like:

There is no oversight. The Treasury basically gets unlimited spending power with no ability for anybody to put a check on it, or question it. The Treasurer could go to Vegas and spend it all gambling for all we know.
The bill was a liberal Christmas tree. If it was really such a crisis, and the Democrats just wanted to pass something to fix it right away, then why didn't they just pass the actual fix that everybody could agree upon, without all the handouts to liberal interest groups? Practically half the bill is pork spending thrown to the liberal troughs.
The Democrats basically tried to ram the bill through without any deliberation on it. Isn't that what they kept saying was the problem with the Patriot Act? And if they couldn't support such drastic action in the event of a terrorist attack, which is surely more dire than the current crisis, then how could they have supported it now? And of course, it was so important to pass it—there's no time to read it!—but they had time to go on vacation during the crisis. Does that sound like Armageddon to you?
The people who made the bailout admit that they don't even know if it's going to help. They don't even know how much money is needed to fix it, or if money is even something that can fix it. They have no idea what the relationship of money spent to effect is. Instead of standing back and trying to think of a better approach, they just decided, "Hey, we lost all this money already, let's throw another $700 billion down the hole since it might do something... maybe." For all we know, it could make it worse. The Great Depression was deepened by the government's activities, not lessened.
If it's so important to pass it, why couldn't the Democrats muster the votes themselves? They're the majority. They've managed to enforce party line votes on things of lesser importance. Yet when it comes to this, they wouldn't do it. They didn't want to have full responsibility for the disaster, so they needed Republicans to step on board. Despite that they couldn't bother to make the bill appealing to them by stripping out the liberal provisions in the bill. And yet it's the Republicans fault the bill didn't pass the first time.

Considering all of this, I doubt it's going to help us at all. The markets kept right on tanking after the bill passed. We're just burning another $700 billion, and creating more government overhead and bureaucracy while we're at it. These aren't things that are going to go away, they're permanent institutional changes that are going to affect how government bungles up future activities for years. If they wanted to fix it, they shouldn't have just thrown money at the problem; that is, at best, a band-aid. The crisis came from the regulations the Democrats made, and so they should fix the regulations to prevent it from happening again.

Europeans psyched about US financial crisis

2008-10-07T10:32:00.003-04:00

Take that, America!

They should be hoping that we don't tank, considering how much worse off they're going to be once it hits their shores. They already have twice the unemployment, half our standard of living, and higher taxes. Maybe they can use the fires from more Muslim riots to heat their homes at night.

"My career was not launched with the assistance of an unrepentant terrorist"

2008-10-06T20:05:00.003-04:00

If Obama's not an extremist, then nobody is.

"He is one of them"

2008-10-06T20:02:00.003-04:00

Mark Levin:

"Obama is not merely associated with domestic terrorists, Palestinian radicals, Marxists, and black liberation ideologues — he was their favorite candidate. . . . I am not among those who raise Obama's associations but add "of course, it doesn't mean Obama shares their views." Oh really? These miscreants include Obama's former pastor, political mentors and allies, and friends."

He's never truly repudiated his associations either, or if he has he only has done so when the political pressure started weighing down on him. He was fine with having Rev. Wright be one of his political advisers in his campaign until people noticed—then out the door he went. Why, he just woke up and suddenly he was surrounded by radicals!

McCain: Obama has "called me a liar"

2008-10-06T19:41:00.005-04:00

Look at how the people are responding to simple challenges to Obama. Nobody has actually stood up and let Obama have it. There is a hunger out there. And McCain looks happy delivering.

McCain:

"Rather than answer his critics, Sen. Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers serious and legitimate questions he's been asked... for a guy who's already authored two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book!”

This is the John McCain that can win.

Finally: McCain lowers the boom on Obama on Fannie and Freddie

2008-10-06T19:32:00.002-04:00

More of this. We need more. It's about time. Did he finally take off the gloves? It's just absurd and ridiculous and a shame that a candidate like Obama has almost coasted to the highest office in the land without so much of his record and past being so much as glanced at. The only question is if McCain is too late.

Biden's fantasy world

2008-10-06T01:31:00.004-04:00

Sarah Palin didn't just win the debate on style. She won it on substance.

Biden is the stupid person's idea of a smart guy. He doesn't actually say very intelligent things; he just makes things up as he goes along but with the confidence that he's absolutely correct. Yet half of what he says turns out to be boneheaded. If Palin said these things, she'd never hear the end of it. I mean, she's getting harangued for mispronouncing a name, of all things. Substance. But when Mr. Foreign Policy Expert goes off into the wild blue yonder, nobody bats an eye. Which should be surprising given that someone who's supposedly so experienced shouldn't be making these kinds of errors, but somebody who's new could be cut some slack.

"I find Palin's God-and-guns fundamentalism terrifying"

2008-10-05T14:00:00.002-04:00

The British media hates Palin too, of course.

Obama never said he'd meet Ahmadinejad unconditionally

2008-10-03T19:46:00.003-04:00

That's what Biden said last night, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Except, you know, he did.

PALIN: "Those who would try to destroy what we stand for should not be met with just sitting down on a Presidential level, like Barack Obama has said he would do. That is beyond bad judgement, that is dangerous."

BIDEN: "Could I clarify this? That is simply not true, of Barack Obama. He did not say he'd sit down with Ahmadinejad."

Yet during the primaries:

QUESTIONER: "Would you be willing to meet separately, without pre-conditions, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea."

OBAMA: "I would. And the reason is this: the notion that somehow not talking to countries, is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration, is ridiculous."

I love how Biden has this ability to just roll off with point after point in such matter-of-fact way when he's just making things up as he goes along. It's like a talent. Same with that whole "we spent more in three weeks in Iraq than all of Afghanistan" thing. Really? That made my antenna stand up. Seemed like a lot of money. Not true either.

New GOP ad destroys Democrats over subprime disaster

2008-10-03T19:20:00.002-04:00

All I can say is that I felt nirvana through every second of this video.

Rescue us

2008-10-03T16:06:00.003-04:00

I noticed the media and government officials have gone from calling the bailout a "bailout" to calling it a "rescue." Heh. Who will rescue us from our rescuers?

Biggest loser of the debate

2008-10-03T14:20:00.003-04:00

The mainstream media. I watched Palin's performance last night, and it was great. Compared to her interviews, she was completely different. Edited to ribbons, her Couric interviews were painful; unedited and live she was magnificent. So what was the difference? The media's involvement and ability to snip and spin Palin.

Roger Simon: Palin "ended up dominating" the debate

2008-10-03T00:35:00.001-04:00

Maybe she should debate Obama...

Patrick Ruffini: Palin "stronger than ever"

2008-10-03T00:16:00.000-04:00

The barracuda is back.

Noonan: "She killed"

2008-10-03T00:12:00.001-04:00

CBS viewers: Biden won

2008-10-02T23:55:00.002-04:00

Hmm... Guess we'll have to wait for the post-weekend polls.

"Down to earth, personable, and smart as hell"

2008-10-02T23:29:00.001-04:00

Mark Levin on Palin at the debate.

Frank Luntz's focus group

2008-10-02T23:22:00.002-04:00

From JohnnyDollar.

Great expectations

2008-10-02T23:13:00.001-04:00

In a way, we have to thank the media, with Katie Couric and her butchered Palin interviews, for lowering expectations for Palin so much. If Palinmania was in full swing then everybody would be expecting her to hit it out of the park when she came into the debate hall tonight, and that would just be the expected event, nothing special. By so drastically lowering expectations of her and making everybody think she was a simpering idiot, she amazed the audience simply by arriving and showing that flesh-and-blood Palin was nothing like the cartoonish caricature that Tina Fey and others had portrayed her as.

34% of voters say VP debate key to their vote

2008-10-02T23:07:00.000-04:00

If anyone can turn around this campaign, it's Palin.

More debate reax

2008-10-02T23:04:00.003-04:00

From McCain's team.

"Those who have seen Palin debate in Alaska say she is very efficient, and you're seeing that now. She's taking Biden on directly, speaking at him and then turning to the camera to make her points." (Berger, MSNBC, 8:18 pm CT)

"She's sticking to her broader message, not getting caught up in a back-and-forth on policy that she can't win with Biden. It's all about energy, energy, energy." (Martin, Politico, 8:28 pm CT)

"In a bit of an upset, Biden so far is the less loquacious debater." (Alarkon, Hill, 8:31 pm CT)

"Nearly halfway in -- where has this Sarah Palin been? She's articulate, quick, detail-oriented tonight. Sometimes less is more." (Klein, ABC, 8:38 pm CT)

"We knew this was coming -- attacking Obama by using Biden's own words. And the rest of the answer – 'we're getting closer and closer to victory, and it would be a travesty’ to quit now -- was very well put. ‘Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq,' she said." (Klein, ABC, 8:40 pm CT)

"She knows all the wedges between Biden and Obama, including their votes on troop funding, and even drops in a reference to that Jon Stewart interview where the Delaware senator said he'd be honored to run with his colleague from Arizona." (Martin, Politico, 8:45 pm CT)

"Biden: 'We will end this war. That's a fundamental difference. We will end this war' Palin: 'Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq."...notes Biden said that BO 'was not ready to be commander in chief.'" (Ambinder, Atlantic, 8:47 pm CT)

"Palin is adept at keeping Biden on the offensive... she answers (or doesn't answer) the question asked of her in a sentence and then shifts to a talking point against Obama." (Ambinder, Atlantic, 8:48 pm CT)

"Palin says Obama's vow to meet with foreign enemies goes ‘beyond naivate, beyond poor judgment.’ 'Diplomacy is hard work by serious people’ with guidelines and sanctions ‘before any kind of presidential summit would take place.’" (Carpenter, Townhall, 8:49 pm CT)

"The Palin response to Biden's Bush-bashing: Too much looking backwards. But she acknowledges that there have been ‘huge blunders throughout this administration as there have in every adminnistartion [sic].’" (Martin, Politico, 8:55 pm CT)

"’It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider,' Palin says. Again, better done than said, but undeniable. This line of attack, driving a wedge between Biden and Obama, is legit, though it can seem forced at times." (Klein, ABC, 9:03 pm CT)

"One theme Palin keeps hitting tonight is the idea that Biden and Obama are looking backward. After a riff by Biden on how McCain's policies are the same as President Bush's, Palin pounces. ‘Say it ain't so, Joe,’ she said. ‘There you go again, pointing backwards. Now doggone it, let's look again and tell Americans what we plan to do for Americans in the future.’" (Alarkon, Hill, 9:13 pm CT)

Biden's 14 lies

2008-10-02T23:03:00.000-04:00

McCain's team is already hitting Biden for his lapses of truth.

VP debate scorecard

2008-10-02T23:02:00.002-04:00

Here.

Post debate spin

2008-10-02T22:57:00.005-04:00

If you ever want to know how well a Republican did in a debate, just watch Chris Matthews. If he can pick even one thing wrong with the Democrat side then it was a blowout.

He just looked like he came out of a morgue.

What I'm hearing is a constant refrain of "she looked like she was just programmed to recite lines," she didn't answer questions, she was "mean," and even "inhuman." Expect to hear this en-masse as liberals pick it up.

Debate reactions

2008-10-02T22:54:00.004-04:00

Palin dominated! This is just like her RNC speech all over again. People went into this debate expecting McCain's candidacy to die on stage, but she not only upset expectations, she blew them apart. She was charming, folksy, on message and unfaltering. She managed to jab Biden and Obama hard without appearing mean. She presented a story of herself and McCain.

Meanwhile Biden was just one-note and boring. All he talked about was how many times McCain voted against this, that and the other thing, minutiae nobody is going to remember. And what was with him and his creepy crocodile teeth grins every five seconds?

She was the best debater, not out of Biden and her, but out of everyone that's debated so far, Obama, Biden, McCain, and her. She was the most interesting and lively, and exuded comfort and an intimacy with the audience, even winking at times in a manner reminiscent of Reagan.

Frank Luntz, master pollster, just ran a focus group of undecided Democrats and Republicans, who overwhelmingly believe Palin won.

IN SHORT: I <3 SARAHCUDDA.

VP debate

2008-10-01T19:28:00.003-04:00

Geraghty is glum about Palin's chances... The fact that the moderator is—surprise!—in the tank for Obama going into it can't help.

On the other hand, Palin has a history of leaving her debate opponents on the cutting room floor. (Registration required.)

Treacher has a list of questions from the VP debate moderator.

CEO pay limits

2008-10-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

Thomas Sowell weighs in.

Fred Thompson on Palin

2008-10-01T00:09:00.001-04:00

Qualified, he says.

Partisanship

2008-09-30T20:02:00.002-04:00

McCain's response to the failure of the bailout is that "bipartisanship is tough." He's back to ringing that old bell. What's so good about bipartisanship? Partisanship is good. Bipartisanship is bad.

Partisanship is the adhering to the values and ideas our party represents. It highlights the differences between our parties and our beliefs. Partisanship clarifies; you can't straddle the fence, but choose a side. Instead of hemming and hawing, you show where you stand. Partisanship is about having beliefs and standing up for them when they are contested. If the other party stands diametrically opposed to your beliefs, why would helping them be high-minded? It's selling out your values for the sake of congeniality. Of course people aren't going to like you if you disagree with them. So what?

People don't like partisanship because they don't like the conflict. But the fact of the matter is that any time there are people with different beliefs, there will also be conflict. What they really don't like is that there are people arguing with them, instead of just accepting their positions. But that is democracy. Partisanship is democracy.

Hugh Hewitt interviews Palin

2008-09-30T19:04:00.002-04:00

This is what they should have done from the beginning. Let her run the track around the conservative media outlets, where she can get her bearings and speak as herself, before throwing her into the liberal den of wolves.

Unleash the Palin within

2008-09-30T18:55:00.004-04:00

Palin energized McCain's campaign when she was picked and sent the media into a firestorm all the way until the Republican convention when she delivered her outstanding speech before the delegates. But ever since then she's faltered, tripping in interviews and not performing as well as she had. I think it's because of how the McCain campaign has been handling her. Instead of just letting Palin be herself, like she was when she was initially chosen, they've stuffed her with their script and tried to turn her into a robot spitting talking points for McCain.

When I watch her in interviews, I can see her trying to remember what she's supposed to say, and the hesitant, halting tone of somebody who's not expressing themselves naturally. After all, she can't speak for herself; she has to speak for McCain's positions, which she herself may not agree with, and at the same time watch out for not attributing to McCain things that he wouldn't say. If McCain would just step back and let her do her own thing then she would perform much better. People like Palin; he should let them have her.

Bill Kristol says that apparently McCain is not pleased with how Palin has been handled by his campaign either. She's being coached by the same people who coached Bush's speaking talents, which may not have been the best move...

"Thank you, House Republicans"

2008-09-30T12:03:00.001-04:00

Mark Levin on the bailout.

Democrats in 2004: No problems at Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac

2008-09-29T19:20:00.002-04:00

Caught on tape: Republicans warning about the dangers of throwing out loans and mortgages all over the place like its Halloween and Democrats claiming those concerns were just a fig leaf for preventing poor people from getting a home. Because Republicans hate poor people.

The Democrats hung the noose that's tied around our economy. Listening to Barney Frank say those two are "fundamentally sound" is painful. Even the NYT saw it coming.

History of the economic meltdown

2008-09-29T12:59:00.006-04:00

If you're not sure what's going on or how it happened, take ten minutes and watch this video:

Yanked: YouTube conveniently got to it right after I posted it. LiveLeak still has it. Updated.

As far as I know, there is nothing incorrect in this video. If you see anything specifically wrong then bring it up. We want the truth.

Did Republicans anticipate this crisis, try to prevent it and get blocked by Democrats? They did. How do I know that? Because no less of an authority than Bill Clinton says so.

Palin derangement syndrome

2008-09-29T02:19:00.007-04:00

Palin is the new Bush. The very mention of her name reduces once rational liberals to glaze-eyed maniacs. They just can't stand her. That hair, that accent, her "working class" roots, and she's from Alaska. Alaska! Alaska. It's come to seeking counseling.

What this means is that we must hold onto Palin like a life raft. It's when you're lauded and congratulated that you have to worry; you know you're not a threat anymore. When you drive liberals this crazy then you have a gift.

A tale of two sickbeds

2008-09-23T11:58:00.002-04:00

A woman who compares her hospital stays, between New York and London. It clearly demonstrates why national healthcare is not the way to go.

Vatican unapologetic

2008-09-22T00:40:00.002-04:00

They're not going to apologize to Charles Darwin, for what, I'm not sure, but it's got liberals frothing. I'm not sure when the Church became the archdemon of anti-science but the Church doesn't even oppose evolution. It merely opposes atheism wrapped under the guise of evolution, trying to mask philosophy with the veneer of scientific objectivity. It even says it in the article: "It objects to using evolution as the basis for an atheist philosophy that denies God's existence or any divine role in creation."

It seems that the only time we hear about the Catholic Church is when its being called upon to account for its many crimes against humanity. Apologize for its pro-life stance; apologize for its abstinence policy in Africa; apologize for its stance on chastity, and on and on. Don't these people realize that their criticisms don't make any sense? On one hand, we hear that the Church advocates outdated teachings that nobody cares about anymore. Why are they wasting time promoting abstinence? Don't they know that never works? On the other hand, they get raked over the coals for not endorsing those things, as if what they said mattered! But if what they said does indeed carry weight, then the fact that they do tell people to do certain things, like practice abstinence and not have reckless sex, should have some import.

A scene from Obama's first term

2008-09-22T00:37:00.001-04:00

This actually made me laugh.

Canadian doctor fears Palin's example could reduce women's reproductive choices, by encouraging them to choose against abortion

2008-09-11T15:35:00.006-04:00

Their "choices" will be reduced by their choice of a choice you obviously wish them not to choose.

O]hers fear Ms. Palin's emergence as a parental role model sends a different message. As a vocal opponent of abortion, Ms. Palin's widely discussed decision to keep her baby, knowing he would be born with the condition, may inadvertently influence other women who may lack the necessary emotional and financial support to do the same, according to André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

Dr. Lalonde said that above all else, women must be free to choose, and that popular messages to the contrary could have detrimental effects on women and their families.

Are you sure that's pro-choice? Because it just sounds like pro-abortion to me.

"Don't Obamaize Palin"

2008-09-11T02:18:00.002-04:00

Let's not be like them.

Obama identifies one of the 57 states

2008-09-08T11:47:00.001-04:00

Maybe we could ship off Bob Casey and Arlen Specter to this "New Pennsylvania" and spare the old one.

CBS shock poll: Obama opens huge zero point lead over McCain

2008-09-05T01:10:00.003-04:00

42-42. But pollsters caution that zero points is "within the margin of error."

Obama on the No Spin Zone

2008-09-05T00:33:00.002-04:00

So, Obama went on O'Reilly's show.

O'Reilly pressed him on the surge, and why he was incapable of admitting a mistake. Obama finally surrendered to reality and admit that the surge was a total success. Then he gave John McCain a gift and claimed that his vote against it was still correct, because nobody could have seen the success coming. Nobody thought it would succeed! Yeah, I guess our generals, and a certain cowboy boot wearing man from Texas, and a certain Presidential candidate sent off more troops to Iraq for no reason. They knew it wouldn't work, that it would cost a lot of money, and the war was lost anyway, but hell, might as well do something.

The fight for life

2008-09-05T00:26:00.003-04:00

Here is Nat Hentoff, an atheist liberal Jew, on how he became pro-life. There is nothing about being pro-life that requires being religious, or "pushing religion" on other people.

Speech reactions

2008-09-03T23:26:00.004-04:00

It was magnificent. Post your reactions.

MSM reaction: What I keep hearing, especially on MSNBC, is that she gave a good speech but it was written for her. Everyone has their speech written, genius. Nobody pointed it out with Obama.

Surprise: Obama's campaign sent out a response that basically said, "Good speech, but it was written by BUSH's scriptwriters!" Funny how that's been the same general response reverberating throughout MSNBC and the rest of the reactions, eh?

PANIC! TNR editor: My liberal friends who watched the speech are panicking.

Several moderate-Democrat friends of mine have been emailing--few if any would ever vote for McCain--but all agree that Palin was very strong. The more liberal among them are a little panicked.

I completely misjudged how negative she would be. Her lines about Obama were brutally cutting and possibly over the top in places. But she's a far better messenger than an angry white man.

Ann Coulter: The best man is a woman

2008-09-03T20:09:00.003-04:00

Here's Ann Coulter on Palin. She's right on the mark.

Palin's approval rating: 86%

2008-09-03T19:43:00.002-04:00

From Race 4 2008. That's 97% approval from Republicans, and 75% from Democrats. Yup, she's just an incompetent buffoon, that has an 86% approval rating from those who know her best.

Video: Megyn Kelly destroys Us Weekly bottom-feeder over Palin story

2008-09-03T19:34:00.004-04:00

I love how this guy knows he's lying, knows he's caught lying, knows we know that, yet continues to grin ear to ear as if to say, "Yeah, we did it already, what can you do about it?"

To quote AllahPundit: "Not really an interview so much as a cross-examination. Awesome."

The media coverage of Palin is just absolutely ridiculous... they should be ashamed.

Enquirer story on Palin

2008-09-03T19:21:00.002-04:00

They've got nothing on her. It's all garbage.

They can't prove it. Just... asking questions, you know? But they got it out there. That's all that matters.

Gingrich tears media to shreds over Palin coverage

2008-09-03T19:13:00.001-04:00

This is glorious to behold.

Compare and contrast

2008-09-03T19:11:00.002-04:00

Palin's speech

2008-09-03T18:55:00.004-04:00

Her speech at the RNC is tonight. This is going to make or break her, and McCain's candidacy. She has the potential to shoot him completely over the top, or absolutely destroy what chances he had. The country will be watching, and this is her chance to imprint on them a good impression, in the face of all the liberal accusations.

I really want her to succeed. If she doesn't she'll become another Dan Quayle and it's going to be open season. The media will be watching... one slip up, and the blood will be in the water and the sharks will be upon her. It would be the biggest buzz kill ever, and McCain might as well just pack it up after that.

Bristol Palin's pregnancy

2008-09-03T18:50:00.003-04:00

Is Bristol Palin the only daughter of a Presidential candidate to become pregnant out of wedlock? It's highly doubtful. The reason we don't hear about the others isn't because nothing happened, but because like most normal people, the press stays out of their family's business because it has nothing to do with the job. It's just human decency.

It only becomes suspended when the candidate has an "R" next to their name.

Michael Moore achieving new levels of nuance

2008-09-03T18:44:00.000-04:00

I love how these people always blame Karl Rove for their own conspiratorial ravings.

Peggy Noonan on Palin: "It's over"

2008-09-03T18:38:00.006-04:00

Caught on open mic, after she praised Palin to the high heavens in her column. What's over is her credibility.

I stopped reading her a long time ago, when she fired the opening salvo against Bush, as if the liberal press needed any help tearing him down, and when she bought into the defeatist Iraq war narrative. Looks like I made the right decision. She's just another member of the Washington establishment. They are a class unto themselves, liberal or so-called conservative. Their life is centered around Washington. Washington is America.

Now some hick from the hinterlands is running solely to bring them back down to Earth. What gall! They just can't believe some rube from the middle of nowhere who hasn't been properly "vetted" — who hasn't gone on the Sunday talk show circuit and talked to all the "right people" — is now possibly going to be Vice President. That's what "experience" means to them, which is how Obama, who's done nothing but gab on the Senate floor can pretend at being wise while a woman who has spent her life jumping hurdle after hurdle is considered a nobody.

The Right pick

2008-09-03T15:51:00.003-04:00

Liberals seem to be under the misconception that McCain picked Palin as a sop thrown to the Left; a way to try and beguile unsuspecting Hillary voters to wait under his wing. "Why," they'd exclaim, "could he think we'd be so stupid?" After all, everybody knows they'd never vote for a Republican. This is where they are wrong. Palin was not a liberal pick. She was a conservative one.

During the primaries, every candidate had his share of vices and virtues; for every Republican he'd rein in, his policies or beliefs would repel another. Huckabee was the social Right's champion, but anathema to the rest of the fiscally conservative, libertarian leaning base. Romney was a solid business conservative, but his light dulled compared to McCain and Guiliani's national security credentials, and Huckabee's appeal to social issues. McCain and Guiliani had their wartime bonafides, but not much else. Only Fred Thompson bridged the gap, and his star burned out quickly.

Enter Palin.

She's pro-life, and a staunch social conservative. Evangelicals love her. She's a fiscally conservative pro-clean and good government corruption buster. She's a tough, no-nonsense working class mom with a family. She's a lifetime NRA member and hunts moose. What she does is what McCain could never do, and that's unify the base again. Now, finally, conservatives have a champion on the ticket.

She's completely re-energized the base. We can now enthusiastically get behind this campaign, putting our energy, time, and money into it, instead of just our obligatory but half-hearted votes. McCain raised $4 million within the first day of his Palin announcement. With the Right side of the electorate secured, that leaves McCain to do what he does best, and that's appeal to the moderates that will decide the election.

And not just conservatives. She exudes authenticity, and her removal from Washington is actually a plus, considering how tired people have become of the "same old" business that continues on there. Instead of a professional politician who makes a living making empty promises and milking the taxpayer for all we're worth, she seems to be a regular person, an everyman and woman, going into Washington to clean up shop. This will make her extremely likeable, and the attacks that the Democrats will make on her will backfire as they'll be attacking many of the same traits people find in themselves. Every time they accuse her of being unable to do her job and raise a family, they'll be accusing the same of the millions of women who juggle rearing their children alongside their career.

It also allows McCain to steal some of the wind out from under Obama's "change" sails, presenting an alternative history making ticket, not to mention that, more importantly, McCain and Palin both have a "Maverick" streak in taking on their own party and fighting corruption, something that the electorate has been thirsting for.

She's not too inexperienced; she could use more experience, but she has more Executive experience than Obama and Biden and McCain combined. She also has more actual accomplishments under her belt. Moreover, she presents an alternative feminist icon to the traditional shrill angry feminism that the Democrats and the Left try and conflate with authentic feminism. It has them so angry that there is a woman who is living up to all the standards and goals feminists have set, "having it all," yet clinging to those quaint traditional ideals.

If some disaffected Hillary voters also peel off and vote for McCain, that's just icing on the cake.

A message from THE ONE

2008-09-02T18:41:00.004-04:00

Dear Friends and supporters:

We here in Obamalot encourage that you kindly refrain from attacks on Bristol Palin and Sarah Palin, specifically when it comes to issues relating to their families. We've done some asking around, you see, and such a strategy is unlikely to hurt Senator McCain with his base — and may actually help him with both undecideds and people with, like, souls.

So we ask that you please use the following approved anti-Palin/McCain talking points — to be released officially at a later date.

Thank you for your prompt consideration to this pressing matter,

The One

ps. YOU'RE KILLING ME! PLEASE, PLEASE JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!

Red State Update on Palin

2008-09-02T16:04:00.003-04:00

These guys are great. It's comedic, but they managed to capture the conservative response perfectly: "there's always a catch." They're kind of like Colbert.

And that reminds me, the timing of the pick was great too. Usually you spend all week talking about the candidate's speech at the convention, but now nobody even remembers that.

Compare and contrast

2008-09-01T14:34:00.001-04:00

Sarah Palin:

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the Palins said.

Barack Obama:

"Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old," he said. "I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information."

"Going to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency"

2008-09-01T14:33:00.001-04:00

If I have to read or hear that phrase one more time, I'm going to strangle someone.

Shock: Liberal historians dislike Palin

2008-08-31T14:03:00.002-04:00

Of course, the article presents them as uninterested third parties:

So unconventional was McCain's choice that it left students of the presidency literally "stunned," in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. "Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who's of presidential caliber," said Goldstein. . . .

Palin, on the other hand, is a total "wild card," said Stanford historian David Kennedy.

Ten minutes of looking around adds some nuance to these opinions.

GOLDSTEIN, JOEL
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
6/16/08
$250 Obama, Barack (D)

KENNEDY, DAVID M
STANFORD UNIVERSITY/PROFESSOR
4/20/07
$2,300 Obama, Barack (D)

Two historians in the tank for Obama got quoted as if they were non-biased commentators on McCain's VP pick. Who knew two liberals for Obama would scoff at his choice?

A ten-point primer to Palin

2008-08-29T17:53:00.000-04:00

From our good friends at TIME.

Hick talk

2008-08-29T15:56:00.003-04:00

Apparently Palin has a bit of an Alaskan / Canadian accent. Be on the lookout for liberals snickering at that simple-minded rube trying to play pretend on the national stage. The New York paparazzi crowd will certainly climb up the wall over it, much like they do with Bush and his Texan accent. But in the end, all of that scorn they heaped upon the President for his "down to earth" style ultimately backfired on them.

Of course, the opening salvo to Palin's pick was to denigrate her stewardship of "small towns" in the middle of nowhere, so they're already on track.

Meltdown

2008-08-29T15:54:00.001-04:00

Liberals are going absolutely apoplectic over Palin as the pick. Any criticism Obama could make of her applies to him even more. She has more executive experience than Biden, Obama, and McCain combined. It's funny watching them work themselves into a frenzy over this. If it's such a bad pick for McCain, why are they so mad? Shouldn't they be happy?

CNN: How can Palin be VP when she has children to care for?

2008-08-29T13:05:00.003-04:00

Funny how this only comes up when it's a Republican woman. Women can do anything, I thought. Except if they're Republicans. In which case, how can they be so selfish and put themselves in front of their children?

Funnier yet, Obama's team is hitting Palin for being — get this, Quayle-esque. Because, you know — come on. She's a woman.

They're hitting her for being inexperienced. How can they hit her for that when she has more experience than Obama himself? The VP of the Republican ticket has more accomplishments and experience than the Democrat choice for the top half of the ticket.

She's the governor of Alaska, a lifetime NRA member, she has a kid who signed up for the army, her husband is an oil tycoon, she's not only pro-life — she lives it — keeping a child who had Down's Syndrome instead of aborting it... she even hunts moose.

McCain's VP: Palin

2008-08-29T12:45:00.007-04:00

It's Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska.

At first I was just relieved it wasn't Lieberman, but she's a great pick in her own right. I'm still digesting the news; it's a huge game changer. The party of women and minorities everywhere selects another old white guy to be their VP while the party of the white patrician elites forwards a woman. A conservative woman. Evangelicals love her, I heard Rush enthusing about her on the radio as I drove to get lunch, Fred Thompson gives her the thumbs up, and even Hillary's supporters are celebrating. McCain just took Obama's post-convention buzz and broke it in half.

Chronicles of the Messiah

2008-08-28T11:10:00.001-04:00

This was great. The best part was that it was what he actually was saying.

Finally: Obama offers specifics for governance

2008-08-28T00:57:00.003-04:00

He changed his motto from "Change We Can Believe In" to "The Change We Need".

See? All you right-wing hate-mongers can eat it now. There's your sizzle. There's your substance.

Racists.

Biden, foreign policy expert

2008-08-28T00:52:00.002-04:00

Biden's claim to fame is his supposed expertise on foreign policy, which is why Obama nominated him. Yet on the issue that Obama claims is the ultimate arbiter of somebody's judgement, the Iraq War, Biden was 180 degrees in the opposite direction from Obama, forcefully supporting it. Not only that, Biden was against the surge, just like Obama, which is what is bringing us success in Iraq. The best yet is Biden's idea to just split Iraq into parts given to their respective tribes and leave, which is one of the only things thats managed to bring Iraqis of all stripes together in opposition to it.

That's three for three.

Liberal senate rankings for 2007

2008-08-28T00:48:00.004-04:00

The bipartisanship. Can you feel it?

Gay marriage

2008-08-28T00:45:00.003-04:00

Neal Boulton: "I openly — no, flamingly — endorse Obama, whether he says he's for gay marriage or not. . . . I know under Obama, it will only be a matter of time until the country sees the legalization of gay marriage."

Did you ever notice how Democrats, like John Kerry and Obama, love to take mainstream positions, such as opposing gay marriage just like Republicans do —while sneering at the uneducated hicks who can't grasp such higher issues — yet their own supports always assume they must be lying about it?

Obama & Ayers

2008-08-28T00:39:00.003-04:00

Obama has a lot of shady associations that he made as he made his way through the political world, establishing himself alongside die-hard leftists, communists, and even terrorists. But today he's acting like none of that ever happened; every time one of his previous associations is brought up he just pretends that, golly, he had no idea. It's all new to him! Apparently he wants us to believe that we learned more about these people in two months than he did in 20 years.

By God, he just woke up one day and was surrounded by radicals!

This AIP ad demolishes him and his attempts to weasel his way out of his connections with an American terrorist.

The messiah arrives on Earth

2008-08-28T00:32:00.006-04:00

Apparently Obama's going to fight the snickers that he's a cult figure with a Messiah complex by fashioning the convention into a Greek style parthenon for his speech. Maybe if he arrives on a horse it'll be complete.

Reasons against a Lieberman pick

2008-08-28T00:26:00.002-04:00

First and foremost, he's a liberal, and a Democrat. John McCain is already a liberal Republican, but at least he's a Republican. Picking a member of the opposite party to be your Vice President? Who's going to run for President when his term is over?

Even politically, it would be a bad choice. Sure, he may peel off a few moderate Democrats, but how many Republicans, who are already looking for reasons to abandon McCain, will he send up the wall? It's absolutely ridiculous, and yet McCain dreams for these kinds of 50's style "fusion" tickets.

Just imagine the Vice Presidential debates. The VP is supposed to be the President's attack dog; instead of the President getting down and dirty he sends out the VP to do the job. Yet his debate with Biden will basically be Joe #1 saying, "I support abortion on demand, universal healthcare, raising taxes, gutting our economy, etc." followed by a hearty "Me too!" by Joe #2. Or if he decides to adopt McCain's positions he'll get hounded for flip flopping all campaign and it'll make it impossible to hit Obama for all his shifty positioning.

Lieberman is strong on the war, but he's a hardline liberal on everything else, right down the line. He would be a terrible VP. But he'd find a good home in the State department, DoD, or in Homeland Security.