Rabonics

Heavy is the Head That Eats the Crayons

2009-04-20T22:04:00.003-04:00

Haven't posted in a while... Just want to let my 3 readers know that I'm alive and reasonably well. Don't you love the title of this post? Ever since I heard Tracy Morgan utter those ridiculous words on 30 Rock last week, they've been stuck in my head. I'm sure the writers of the show didn't know it, but that line pretty much sums up life over the past 6 weeks. Kids!!

Obamanation

2008-11-05T00:39:00.004-05:00

I have to congratulate Barack Obama on an historic victory. I must admit that my knee-jerk reaction is anger and profound disappointment (Shannon will tell you that I said a few things that I shouldn't have), but it would be counter-productive to will him to fail as our next President. I have daughters to worry about just like he does. I disagree with him on just about every major issue of our time, and it scares me to death that he has free reign and a blank check to do whatever he, Reid and Pelosi want to do for the next four years. I can only hope that Obama makes good on his acceptance speech tonight when he promised to be "my president too".

Tonight's sweeping Democrat party victory does have a few positives:

1. It can no longer legitimately be accepted as an excuse by any minority that success can be hampered by the color of someone's skin. That ship has finally sailed.

2. I saw Jesse Jackson crying in the audience tonight. Couldn't tell if it was because he was happy for Obama, or if it just struck him that he's out of a job. Haven't heard from Al Sharpton yet.

3. This is a much needed wake up call for the Republican party. We will be able to compare and contrast what totalitarian Democratic rule will yield. (disclaimer: I know that I told you that I wouldn't root against Obama here. I won't, but along with my hopes is a healthy dose of pragmatism). The Republican party needs to do more to entice youth to the GOP and give them something to cheer about. There is an incredible message in Conservatism, and too often it gets overshadowed by pompous old white guys. We're more than that.

4. Political ads are off the air. I think we can all agree here!

5. Hillary Clinton has a new theme song: "Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead..."

6. Sarah Palin is going back to Alaska. Please stay there. I'm tired of Hockey Moms, lipstick and the inability to pronounce the letter "g" (I think you know what I'm sayin').

7. We don't have to hear John McCain say "My Friends" anymore.

That's enough for tonight. Onward an upward...

Obama Should Put His Money Where His Mouth Is...

2008-10-28T14:14:00.005-04:00

Obama is has assumed the Robin Hood role in the 2008 election. Here's a thread you may not be aware of. How much money is the Obama/Biden ticket giving to charity out of their own back pockets? Aren't we our brother's keeper?

It is easy to talk a good game, but you need to look at a person's actions. Obama talks about providing for the needs of the poor, but his own charitable donations don't support that. During his years as a community organizer - when he and his wife were attorneys and both making good money, how much of his own cash did he dno'ate to the poor and under-priveleged in South Chicago?

Here is a spreadsheet I found that shows Obama's adjusted gross income since 2000 along with the corresponding year's charitable gifting. As you can see, from 2000-2004 his donations average around 1% of his income. Only since 2005 has he given more, maxing out at between 4.7% and 6.1%. Granted, he made more money during those years due to book deals, but those dates also correspond to his more visible years in the Senate where those figures are tracked a little more closely through his tax returns.

As you know, I'm no McCain fan, but in 2006 and 2007, John McCain gave 28% and 27% of his personal income (not Cindy's- they file separately) to charity. Obama says he is all about spreading the wealth- as long as it isn't his.

If you think Obama is bad, Joe Biden made almost $320k last year. (his spreadsheet is on the left) He gave $995 to charity during the same period. Talk about intellecutal dishonesty! I do have a bit of a disclaimer here- anyone refuting this could say that Obama and Biden COULD HAVE given more and just not claimed it on their tax returns. May I just say BS to this. If that were the case, why would they worry about deducting ANY of their donations? Another argument could be that their donations were given in time and not in money. That may very well be true, but given the sweeping redistribution of wealth they are seeking to impose, this answer seems to be all too convenient. What hypocrisy.

I Voted.

2008-10-16T14:51:00.002-04:00

I just voted- Yes, I voted for John McCain (hold on a second while I go barf... thanks, I'm back now). I wasn't entirely sure I was going to do so. The Libertarian candidate (Bob Barr) was still a toss-up in the back of my mind. It became clear that this would have been a throw away vote once I pulled into the parking lot. Obama REALLY is winning on the get out the vote front. There was a chalk line drawn in a semi-circle from the front door of the library where I cast my ballot. I was told that this was a buffer zone where no campaigning could take place. Pacing the outside of the line were people dressed in Obama-logoed garb handing out tracts for him.

To be fair, there was one gentleman who was a Republican candidate for the county commission (not affiliated with the McCain campaign), so it wasn't only a pro-Obama effort. The poor guy did have a McCain/Palin pin on his hat, and it looked like he had taken a fair amount of grief from the Obama crowd. I spoke to him for a minute about his campaign, and as I was taking a leaflet from him, an Obama worker rudely stuffed a stack of papers in my hand on top of his leaflet. I told her that I didn't appreciate her forcefulness, and handed it back to her. She left without a word. Disclaimer: This is not to say that all people who work the precincts for Obama are rude. This just happened to be my experience today.

Once inside, the voting line snaked in and out of rows of books. It was interesting to stand there and people-watch. The two ladies in front of me were very much into Obama. They were talking to other people they knew in line about the calling they were doing on behalf of the campaign. From what I could overhear (yes I was being intentionally nosy), they were going to be in high gear until November 4th. They mentioned that they were working on putting together a call bank at a local strip mall, and would be manning it 12 hours a day until the election.

It is no secret that Obama has got a better ground game than McCain, and I witnessed it first hand today. Oh the times, they are a-changin’. God help us all…

Obama vs. Joe the Plumber

2008-10-15T23:30:00.002-04:00

Well? What did you think? I think McCain won this debate- in substance at least. Here's a list of the stronger points:

1. He did a better job tonight of picking apart Obama's plans- especially the semantical "get out of jail free" card on nuclear energy- the one where Obama supports nuclear energy as long as it is "safe".

2. The "I'm not George Bush" line was also very effective. Wish McCain would have been more assertive in this regard in earlier debates.

3. McCain could have spent more time on the "present" votes that Obama used so often in the past. He could have mad a valid argument here, driving home the point that Obama refuses to take stances on substantive issues.

4. The abortion issue was handled better by McCain, but there was blood in the water when Obama brought up his vote concerning the treatment of babies that survived an abortion. Obama lawyered around the issue about how and why he voted the way he did (esentially infanticide in my view) and McCain just let it drop. This could have been a much more powerful blow.

5. "Joe the Plumber" was an effective tool for McCain tonight. I think Obama was caught off guard by Joe, and had no effective means by which to counter in tonight's debate. This should be a red flag to other "Joe's" out there, and it put a face on all the people in the country who will be affected by either candidate's presidency. McCain came off as being more in touch with the issues that mattered to Joe.

In terms of delivery, I think Obama wins. I learned something tonight b sheer accident. I spent half of the debate listening from the kitchen while cleaning up a spill in the refrigerator. The parts of the debate I thought McCain won were the parts where I didn't see the him talking. McCain (as always) looked twitchy and agitated. Obama (as always) was cool as a cucumber. McCain's eye rolling isn't going to play well in the morning. Why can't the Republicans find a guy who is at least SOMEWHAT charismatic???

My opinion: Net effect zero. Had McCain been this tough in the first two debates, he may have increased his chances. Every post-debate show I've seen so far says the same thing, but I think that their motivations are different than mine. I see it as a series of missed opportunities while the network news teams try to run out the clock for Obama. I've never been a huge media conspiracy theorist, but I can't help but see it in this instance.

Not even the Funny Pages are sacred anymore...

2008-09-25T13:00:00.016-04:00

I don't know about you, but I love to read the funnies in the daily newspaper. Between the economy, politics and the stresses of everyday life, it can be good to unwind with a little humor. The packaging is great too- three or four frames, a pun or two and a 10 second investment of time. A good comic strip can uplift your whole day.

That is, until the line is blurred between escapism and politics. Granted, you can argue that comics have been used as political tools since Methuselah was an kid, but political cartoons are generally (as they should be) confined to pages dedicated to editorials and politics. Now that it is en vogue for celebrities to spout their idiotic political views, ie. Sean Penn (Jeff Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”), I guess comic strip geniuses feel like they have artistic license to do the same.

Just check out these three comics strips from today’s Charlotte Observer. That's right, 3 pro-Obama cartoons in the same newspaper on the same day. Can you guess how many comics were pro-McCain? That's right, kids. Zero. Nada. Zilch. As you know, I'm no McCain cheerleader, but the lack of equal coverage is blatant. And it's the DEMOCRATS who want "the Fairness Doctrine" passed! For those of you who don't know what the Fairness Doctrine is, it is basically a left wing idea designed to bring down conservative talk radio and other such media outlets under the guise of equalizing time for political speech. Bottom line, if Liberal talk radio had a market, it wouldn't be teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Google "Air America Radio" for more details...

Back to the topic at hand...

Let’s take a look at “Get Fuzzy” first. This is one of my fav strips. The interchange between the guy (Rob) and the cat (Bucky Katt) is usually hilarious. Note the shirt on Rob this morning. He’s been wearing an Obama T-shirt all week. Many of the recent strips have been about lambasting Bucky’s “uber-conservative nut-job ideals”. Feel free to look it up. I have to admit that they’re funny.

Next, let’s examine “Jump Start”. This is not a comic that I read very often. Happened to check it out today and lookie what I found. I’ll have to monitor this one a little more closely to see if all the strips are as worshipful to the Obamessiah as this one.

Last is “Doonesbury”. Admittedly, Doonesbury has always been a leftist political cartoon. The past two day’s strips have featured a Barbie-like Sarah Palin doll, complete with a push-button nose that squeaks out supposed GOP talking points. A little trivia for you here- the artist of the Doonesbury comic strip is Garry Trudeau. His wife? Television journalist Jane Pauley, formerly of NBC’s “Today” show and “Dateline NBC”. So much for preserving journalistic integrity, huh?

Again, I have no problem with satirical political cartoons. They are as much a part of the fabric of Americana as apple pie. I just wish that they’d stick to the editorial pages, regardless of political affiliation.

Deviation from the norm...

2008-09-16T02:18:00.006-04:00

All three of you who read my blog know that it has morphed into a protracted political diatribe. I'm going to take a little break from that tonight. First of all, you will notice from the time stamp on this post that it is about 2:30 in the morning. I've got this weird ear infection/vertigo thing that is extremely painful and gives me the bedspins (See end of post for a definition of "the bedspins"). So, for the past three or four nights, I have been unable to sleep. What have I been doing with this blessed nocturnal time you ask? I have discovered Facebook. I initially went to the site just to poke around and see what it was all about, having heard many of my blogger friends mention their "Facebook Pages" with an air of cyber-superiority. What a wonderful resource it has turned out to be! I feel like a kid in a candy store. I have been able to track down long lost high school and mission friends that I thought I'd never hear from again. It's fun to see all the receding hairlines and paunches that have developed, as well as the beautiful faces of little ones that have come to people that I befriended years ago.

It is interesting to me to see how the lives of the people I knew in high school have evolved. You can find Facebook groups that pertain to your school for a specific class- in most cases, my former high school classmates are doing well. Some have gone on to do tremendous things (surprisingly so for some- I knew these people when they were teenagers).

I have also reconnected with some old missionary companions, and this has been especially precious to me. I find it amazing that while my missionary experience was only a short two year period, I am connected to them in a way that is indescribable. There are bonds created through service that can be as deep as blood and as profound as scripture. I can imagine that it is similar to the bond between war buddies. The mission experience is really a microcosm of life. You are "born" as a new missionary- thrust into a new world to which you are inevitably ill-prepared. You learn and grow, forgetting yourself and relying on a higher power and your companion to serve those over whom you are called to labor. As time goes (flies) by, you train other missionaries and watch them progress and mature as they serve. Pretty soon, you're at the end of your two years and your missionary life-cycle ends. All you take home are the friendships you cultivated when you were there. It's a shared event that can't be duplicated anywhere else. One of my favorite movies is Stand By Me, based upon a Stephen King novella. At the end of the movie, the writer says, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve." Well, that guy never served a mission.

Sorry to wax nostalgic like that. It's gotta be the insomnia talking. I'm going to try and get some sleep now since the girls are going to be up in a few hours. Before I go, I promised you a definition of "the bedspins". For the uninitiated, bedspins occur when you lie face-up in bed and you feel that the room is rotating around your stationary bed. It is an unpleasant sensation that leads to a feeling of nausea. For most, this phenomenon is brought upon them through the over-indulgence of certain beverages. Not so in my case.

Game Changer

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

I gotta say that I was NOT PLEASED to hear that McCain chose a complete unknown in Sarah Palin for the VP slot. After cooling off a little and listening to her last night, I feel much better about it. She had some great one-liners, and since politics today seems to orbit around sound bites, I'll give you a few. You'll find that most of these revolve around Barack Obama. Some will make better sense if you actually heard the speech. If not, it's worth the forty minutes.

"A Mayor is a community organizer but with actual responsibilities"
"I put the jet on eBay"
"Obama has penned two memoirs, but never a major piece of legislation"
"After the styrofoam greek columns have been returned, after he has turned back the waters and saved the planet..." THIS LINE ALONE WAS WORTH STAYING UP PAST MY BEDTIME
"The American Presidency is not a journey of self discovery"

My initial reaction to her selection was that she took away McCain's best argument against Obama- the one about experience. Having heard Palin last night, that debate is back in play. We'll have to see how she does against Biden (I can't wait) and in a one-on-one situation when she has to defend her record.

It is a shame that her family life has taken center stage in the case against her. I don't think that her daughter's pregnancy has any bearing on her ability to lead. Hopefully we can have a substantive debate on the issues moving forward...

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's uhh... Obama?

2008-07-30T13:59:00.005-04:00

We all know that Barry came out with a book called, The Audacity of Hope. Given what we know of him now, it would have been more aptly titled, The Gall of Hubris. Case in point - this article from today's Washington Post Blog site:

By Jonathan Weisman: "In his closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday night, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger, according to a witness, suggesting that he was beginning to believe his own hype.

Obama was waxing lyrical about last week's trip to Europe, when he concluded, according to the meeting attendee, "this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for."
The 200,000 souls who thronged to his speech in Berlin came not just for him, he told the enthralled audience of congressional representatives. "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions," he said, according to the source." End quote here.

Great. The Germans love him. Maybe we can convince him to go after Angela Merkel's job. Ich wollt zu sein Kanzler! Hoffe und sich umziehen als jedermann! (translation: I want to be Chancellor! Hope and Change for everyone!)

Obama and Academia

2008-07-30T07:55:00.005-04:00

Been a while, huh? I'll spare you the excuses (which are many- some valid, some not). Here's an article in today's New York Times that took a peek into the academic life of Barack Obama. I was flabbergasted that it's not all praise and worship to the "Chosen One." For my post to make any sense, you've got to read the article first, so check it out here

A few things that stick out to me. The lines in red are from the article followed by my points:

“Are there legal remedies that alleviate not just existing racism, but racism from the past?” This is code speak for "reparations"

"When two fellow faculty members asked him to support a controversial antigang measure, allowing the Chicago police to disperse and eventually arrest loiterers who had no clear reason to gather, Mr. Obama discussed the issue with unusual thoughtfulness, they say, but gave little sign of who should prevail — the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed the measure, or the community groups that supported it out of concern about crime. 'He just observed it with a kind of interest,' said Daniel Kahan, now a professor at Yale. Nor could his views be gleaned from scholarship; Mr. Obama has never published any. He was too busy, but also, Mr. Epstein believes, he was unwilling to put his name to anything that could haunt him politically... 'He figured out, you lay low,' Mr. Epstein said." Seems like he honed his senate voting record in the classroom. Hillary Clinton famously cited this in the primary election, "In the Illinois state Senate, Senator Obama voted 130 times 'present.' That's not yes, that's not no. That's maybe."

"In his voting rights course, Mr. Obama taught Lani Guinier’s proposals for structuring elections differently to increase minority representation." Apparently Obama used the classroom to "test run" the gerrymandering of his voting districts. There's an interesting article From the July 14th 2008 National Review addressing Obama's uneven stance on voting district redrawing. Read it here and see some of the juicier parts below:

Obama's answers on redistricting, to the Midwest Democracy Network, back in November 2007:

As President, would you support federal legislation prohibiting states from redrawing valid congressional district lines more than once a decade?

OBAMA: I opposed the partisan mid-decade gerrymandering that Tom Delay engineered in Texas. I believe that mid-decade redistricting is rarely justified. There may be some exceptional cases, such as a natural disaster, that create population shifts that may warrant mid-decade redistricting. But I do not support state efforts to redraw otherwise valid congressional district lines more than once a decade.

Issue: Independent Redistricting Commissions
As President, would you support federal legislation requiring states to form diverse, transparent, and independent redistricting commissions to redraw congressional district lines?

OBAMA: I would encourage states to form such commissions.
But earlier in his career, according to the Ryan Lizza profile in The New Yorker:
One day in the spring of 2001, about a year after the loss to Rush, Obama walked into the Stratton Office Building, in Springfield, a shabby nineteen-fifties government workspace for state officials next to the regal state capitol. He went upstairs to a room that Democrats in Springfield called “the inner sanctum.” Only about ten Democratic staffers had access; entry required an elaborate ritual—fingerprint scanners and codes punched into a keypad. The room was large, and unremarkable except for an enormous printer and an array of computers with big double monitors. On the screens that spring day were detailed maps of Chicago, and Obama and a Democratic consultant named John Corrigan sat in front of a terminal to draw Obama a new district. Corrigan was the Democrat in charge of drawing all Chicago districts, and he also happened to have volunteered for Obama in the campaign against Rush...

Obama’s former district had been drawn by Republicans after the 1990 census. But, after 2000, Illinois Democrats won the right to redistrict the state. Partisan redistricting remains common in American politics, and, while it outrages a losing party, it has so far survived every legal challenge. In the new century, mapping technology has become so precise and the available demographic data so rich that politicians are able to choose the kinds of voter they want to represent, right down to individual homes...

Like every other Democratic legislator who entered the inner sanctum, Obama began working on his “ideal map.”

So, states should form diverse, transparent, and independent redistricting commissions to redraw congressional district lines. But if there's an opportunity to design an ideal district, Obama's not going to pass that up...

"Because he never fully engaged, Mr. Obama “doesn’t have the slightest sense of where folks like me are coming from,” Mr. Epstein said. “He was a successful teacher and an absentee tenant on the other issues.” Obama has proven to be yet another politician that has come to appreciate the sound of his own voice rather than those he wants to represent. In my opinion, bad form from The Chosen One.

Of Derbies and Brackets...

2008-03-31T09:48:00.004-04:00

Ok, all three of my loyal readers are probably wondering how I did in our Extreme Pinewood Derby. Drum roll please... I lost. Horribly. I was in three races total. The first one I lost because the string (see pictures from previous post) attached to the rear axle broke at the starting line, so my "4 mousepower" engine ran down the track in neutral. I lost.

The second race wasn't much better. The trap went off too early and the car just spun its wheels at the starting gate. By the time the race began, my car (again) hobbled down the track with no go-power. I lost again. Very frustrating.

The third race was much better. The string held as it should and the trap released at precisely the right moment. Unfortunately, by this time most of the slower cars had been weeded out, and I was racing against cars powered by rocket fuel or nuclear fusion. Yet again, I lost.

The winning car this year was basically a slingshot design. The designer cut a 6" PVC pipe in half lengthwise, and attached surgical tubing to it for elasticity. This launching device propelled a simple block-design car down the track at an amazing speed. Very clever. Every year there's always a new rule added banning some sort of "innovation". The rule is typically named after the designer, which is almost a badge of honor per se. I have a feeling a rule will be added so that the cars must be self-contained with no launching devices. I have already begun planning my car for next year now that I know that a mere mousetrap will not suffice. My goal is to be the guy next year who has a rule named after him...

If there is any consolation, I am winning in all three of my NCAA bracket pools. Historically, I'm awful at bracket picks, but this year I'm doing pretty well. My objective was to beat Shannon this year. She has beaten me the past two years, and my ego can't take another loss to a person who chooses teams according to Jersey color. If I can claim victory here, everything else is a bonus. I have Memphis and Kansas going to the final game, with Kansas winning 70 to 68. In retrospect, my margin of victory may be about right, but both of these teams are runners, so the scores may be higher. We'll see.

Extreme Pinewood Derby

2008-03-21T10:10:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow the Elder’s Quorum of our Ward is hosting an Extreme Pinewood Derby- a modification of the popular Cub Scout activity. It’s an opportunity for (not so) grown men to tap into their childhood and play with little cars. Hey, do you ever TRULY grow out of that?

Anyway, what makes this fun is that that there are very few rules. Here they are:

1. You must use official BSA (Boy Scouts of America) wheels and axles.
2. Your car cannot touch another car on the track
3. Your car cannot extend beyond the starting mark
4. You cannot damage the track with your car
5. No open flame
6. “The Fox Rule” aka- no CO2 cartridges

We had this activity last year, and most of the rules stem from last years entrants. For instance, “The Fox Rule” was adopted on behalf of Bill Fox. When the CO2 cartridge that propelled his car came loose and flew across the gym, it almost decapitated his eldest daughter.

This year’s race is going to be a lot of fun. In true NASCAR style, we’re tailgating in the parking lot beforehand. I’m sure the root beer will flow like a river. You know how those crazy Mormons are! The part that I like most about the activity is seeing the imagination that goes into creating the perfect car. We have many men of intellect from our ward, so it’ll be fun to match wits with them. My car is called the Rat Racer. I chose that title because it’s “powerplant” is a mouse trap. This baby cranks out a MASSIVE 4 mousepower. Not really sure about that figure, but when I bought the mousetrap, it came in a pack of four, so it seems logical.

As you can see, I took the “Use BSA wheels and axles” rule a little liberally. The rule doesn’t say how MANY wheels and axles to use, so I used them on the front end of the car. On the back, I made wheels from an old radio I cannibalized. They were part of the mechanism that operated the tape deck. They are made of a heavier metal material, which turned out to be necessary with this type of car. I learned the hard way that using a mouse trap to move a small car generates problems. Here they are along with my solutions:

1. The mouse trap makes the car jump when it goes off. Hence the use of the heavier wheels. It helps to keep the car on the track.
2. The spring action of the car is so strong, it either bent or snapped my axles. I was using thin aluminum tubing at first, but I had to re-mount the axles using pieces of heavy gauge wire and parts of a coat hanger clip.
3. Spooling the pull string. The mouse trap pulls so hard that it would break or fray the pull string. I finally was able to use a woven type of dental floss and make it work for repeat races.
4. Leverage. You get a very short burst of speed from the trap since the spring mechanism only has a travel range of about 4 inches. I was able to multiply this by adding a pulley-like extension on the back of the car using a twisted up piece of coat hanger.
5. "Spin outs". The pull of the trap is so sudden that the wheels would just spin the car in place, giving it no forward propulsion. I had to wrap the rear wheels in double-sided tape in order to give it a little grip. You can see that they are tow-tone in appearance. I had fun with a black Sharpie.

Don’t know if I’ll win or not- after all they are predicting 36 cars this year, but it will be fun. I learned last year that it’s not necessarily the FASTEST car that wins, but the one who can handle the most races. We’ll see what happens. Wish me luck.

Mitt Romney Back in Business?

2008-03-13T14:29:00.004-04:00

I don't know if it has anything to do with Romney's recent interview with Sean Hannity, But Mitt's website is up and running again. Shortly after his concession at CPAC, www.mittromney.com was reduced to a single page expressing thanks. Now it has various links to the issues he espoused during the campaign, speeches from the trail and even a contact link. Weird.

As you may know, Hannity and Karl Rove have been pushing a so-called "M&M" ticket. I don't know what to think about that, and I am highly doubtful that it will happen. Romney stated several times in the Hannity interview that there are no hard feelings between he and McCain since the primaries. Maybe this is true. After all, McCain was quick to support George W. Bush after a dirty and humiliating defeat in the 2000 primary.

Is it a good idea for him to consider Romney? Possibly. There are at least four things McCain and his advisors are asking themselves right now. ALL of these take a back seat to #1 listed below.

1. Who is best going to help me to beat my opponent in November?
2. Who is going to align with me on policy issues?
3. Who is going to fill in the gaps where I need additional strength?
4. With whom do I feel comfortable entrusting the Presidency if I cannot serve?

Maybe Romney is the guy to answer these questions, maybe not. If I were McCain, here would be my pro and con list about selecting Romney:

Pro:
-Romney has economics in his bloodstream. This is an admitted McCain weak spot.
-Romney has a solid conservative following, and it would help draw in voters that rejected McCain previously.
-Name recognition. The primaries have given Romney a lot of street cred
-He’s young. There has been nervousness within the party about McCain’s ability to serve long term.
-He’s good looking. This is probably the silliest reason, but hey, all those women who were “sMITTen” have votes too.
-Solid supporter of Iraq war and the surge. The two men favor staying in Iraq until victory is achieved.
-He is known for offering market-based solutions for the healthcare crisis, and could be a foil for a key Democrat issue.

Cons:
-Well known perception that the two men don’t like each other. May appear to voters as a union of expediency.
-Mitt’s “flip-flopper” tag. There’s some cannon fodder for the Dems.
-Even though Romney has a lot of conservative support, he does not have concrete backing by the southern evangelical voter, a must-have for the Republican nominee. If McCain wants to repair the damage in this voting bloc, Mitt’s probably the wrong guy.
-Mormonism. See previous bullet point.
-“Mr. Perfect” persona. Romney failed to connect with some voters because of this.

On a purely selfish level, I don’t want to see Romney hitch his wagon to McCain. No matter who the VP is, at the end of the day, you’re still voting for the guy at the top of the ticket, and I still see McCain losing this year. If McCain is going to go down in flames, I don’t want to see Romney attached to the fallout and thereby weakened for 2012. You don’t have to look any farther than John Edwards to realize that voters don’t like a loser.

However, I have cooled down enough from February 5th to admit that I will probably vote for McCain in November. I will do it while stifling a gag reflex and telling myself that I’m not so much voting FOR him as AGAINST the Dems. In the unlikely event that Mitt is chosen as McCain’s #2, It’ll take out some of the sting, but I still don’t know if I’d be happy about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject...

New Addition to the Blog

2008-03-05T09:31:00.003-05:00

You may notice that I took down the link to http://www.mittromney.com/. This was done with tremendous sadness. I quickly noticed that without a picture there, the blog looked a little sparse. To remedy this, I'm adding a "Photo of the Week" in its place. This week's lucky winner is Hillary and her finger pistol. Enjoy.

Hillary's Last Stand?

2008-03-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

Now that the magic number of 1191 has been surpassed by John McCain, it’s all about the Dems. Last night was very exciting. Along with everybody else, I was expecting to hear the Clinton death rattle last night. Boy was I wrong! I have to admit, I was pulling like crazy for Hillary. The more turmoil in the Democrat party the better! TX, OH and RI were largely symbolic victories for her since she didn’t chip away at Obama’s delegate lead. Even with her three to one victory, she remains more than one hundred delegates back- a fact that did not escape Obama in his concession speech last night.

Clinton did say something in her “Thank You Ohio” speech that may be “THE story” as the nomination unfolds. Amid the many thank yous and platitudes, she rattled off the states where she has been victorious- Florida and Michigan included. Everybody knows that there has been behind the scenes work by Hillary’s camp to have these delegates here reinstated. Surely, if talk becomes serious, the Obama camp will protest. The compromise may be a “do-over” in these states. If so, Hillary will have a built-in advantage in both. Michigan is enduring a similar economic crisis to that in Ohio, and Florida should play well for her with its large Hispanic and New York snowbird population. Whether or not we do see a redux in FL and MI, it should be fun to watch the cat fighting over the possibility.

All I know for sure is that I don’t want to be Howard Dean (DNC Chair) right now. I wonder if he got a call at 3:00 this morning…

Ugh.

2008-02-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

Just when Shannon and I were starting to crack on our “I will not vote for John McCain under any circumstances” position, he gives me yet another reason to distrust him. I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz about his supposed inappropriate relationship with a certain female telecom lobbyist (see inset). Let me start off by saying that nothing has been proven, and all the sources have not been vetted, but it does look awfully salacious. Even if the allegations prove to be false, his responses in the Toledo press conference this morning were parsed and evasive. When asked specifically if there was an inappropriate relationship between he and Ms. Iseman, he said, “"At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest and would favor any one or any organization." Very Clintonian indeed. As he said repeatedly to Mitt Romney when prodding him about his supposed Iraq withdrawal timetables, McCain said of Romney, “The response should have been simple. No.”

His close ties to this lobbyist also speak to the heart of the leading problem in Washington- too many people with their hands in the cookie jar. McCain has run a campaign based upon cutting pork barrel spending and turning deaf ears toward lobbyists. More do as I say and not as I do politics. This will undoubtedly be cannon fodder for the Democrats in November.

What bothers me more about McCain is a different story that is getting only moderate airplay. It’s a little nerdy, and there’s no sex appeal to it, but I believe that it has far weightier implications. We all know that in the summer of 2007, McCain’s campaign was hemorrhaging badly. In order to keep the campaign afloat, he took out a loan against his list of contributors, and even backed it up with a life insurance policy. Here’s where it gets tricky- the FEC could view this as an illegal move since the contributor list is bound by privacy laws. What would’ve happened if the loan was actually called and his collateral- the list, was turned over? Nobody knows. There would have been a lengthy court battle over the use of the list, and McCain likely wouldn’t have cared since his failed Presidential candidacy would have been a doomsday scenario anyway. My point? It shows a flagrant disregard for law and the names of the people who support him.

I want so badly to be able to support this guy, but he’s making it very difficult.

1960 All Over Again...

2008-02-13T09:18:00.004-05:00

Ok. After a self-imposed exile from the blog for a few days, I’m back in the saddle. Same as you, I’ve been watching the race, and it is becoming evident that we’re going to have a McCain/Obama matchup in November. I can’t imagine a scenario more tempting to the Democrat party. In March, the press will begin the comparisons to the 1960 race between Nixon and Kennedy- Nixon: the VP and "Old Establishment" candidate, and Kennedy: the “Fresh Faced Golden Boy” of politics. We all know how that ended up. Below is a transcript from Erika Tyner Allen of the Museum of Broadcast Communications recounting the aftermath of the debate between the two.

“Indeed, those who heard the first debate on the radio pronounced Nixon the winner. But the 70 million who watched television saw a candidate still sickly and obviously discomforted by Kennedy's smooth delivery and charisma. Those television viewers focused on what they saw, not what they heard. Studies of the audience indicated that, among television viewers, Kennedy was perceived the winner of the first debate by a very large margin.”

This was the first televised debate between Presidential candidates. It was one of a series of four, which have come to be known as “The Great Debates”.

Why do I bring this up? This is one of the first documented cases of style winning over substance. I can’t stand either candidate, but McCain wins in the resume department. In terms of sheer magnetism, Obama has the same je ne sais quois that drew people to JFK. I have to admit, he is a very charismatic guy. If I didn’t have strong convictions for conservative values, I would be drawn to him myself.

Most of the people I know who like Obama can’t tell me the specific reasons why. I have yet to hear a substantive defense of his stance on the issues. As the debates between McCain and Obama unfold, McCain will charge hard with policy driven rhetoric. Obama will parry with nebulous comments of change and will preach of Bush’s third term in the personage of John McCain. It’s not even going to be close- 1960 all over again…

The Difference between Men and Women

2008-02-08T08:53:00.001-05:00

A brief respite between political diatribes- We all know that there are vast differences between men and women. I was reminded of this yesterday. Last night, we got a new laptop computer. My employment requires the strenuous use of a computer, so I burn through them pretty quickly. My plan was to give the new computer to Shannon and to use her old laptop for work. Luckily, we had a warranty on it so it was replaced free of charge. I went to Best Buy and selected a replacement. Upon bringing it home, I said to my beloved, "Shannon, you're gonna love this! It's got an Intel Core Duo processor, 3Gb of RAM, a 250 Gb hard drive, HDMI ports and an HD monitor!" Her response? "Oooh, it's pretty!"

Governor Romney Concedes

2008-02-07T13:48:00.000-05:00

You've probably all heard the sad news. If not, here it is. Governor Romney has decided to step aside in his quest to gain the White House in 2008.

Don't Pass Me the Kool Aid

2008-02-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

My wife tells me today that Rush came out and asked Republicans to rally around McCain if he receives the nod. He says to hold your nose and call it an “Anti-Hillary vote”. Hugh Hewitt says that regardless of the nominee, we should jump in with the nominee because there are 6 Supreme Court Justices over the age of 68. Otherwise stalwart bastions of conservatism are cracking under the trite phrase “Party Unity”. I don’t buy it.

Yes, I am a fervent Romney backer, and no, I don’t think he will receive the Republican nomination. I know that this will be viewed by some as a sour grapes defeatist position to take. I will be called “a wasted vote” or worse- a “Republican Saboteur”. Do I take this position out of spite and hatred for the party? No, quite the contrary. I will not vote for John McCain in November because he is the living, breathing archetype of what is wrong with the Republican party. I love the ideals behind conservatism- free market economics, strong national defense, small government, low taxes, etc. John McCain has proven through his voting record that while he does share some of these ideals, he differs on enough of them that he has earned my vehement mistrust.

In my view, a vote for McCain does nothing to solidify the party. It further fractures what is already broken. McCain’s mantra is that he will work across party lines for the common good. In his own words, “I am a proud conservative, but I will put my country over my party every time.” On the surface, this sounds magnanimous and appealing. However, implicit in his statement is that Conservatism does not have the answers. This is unequivocally false. Every time McCain reaches across the aisle, he does it at the direct expense of conservative principles. Case in point- the McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance bill. Clearly this flew in the face of the First Amendment and Conservatism. The Democrats worked with McCain because it suited their goals. If McCain were to go to Russ Feingold today and ask him to support a Republican bill promising tax cuts, what would Feingold do? He would vote lockstep with the Democrat party. Yes, Reagan worked with Democrats, but he convinced them that his way was correct, not by compromising core principles. A vote for McCain is adding gasoline to the fire devouring your home. The bottom line is that any movement left toward the Democrat party is not rewarded with consensus. They just ask for more compromise. What you get is a blurring of the party lines, and the left wing of the Democrat party edges ever closer to Socialism.

The blame for this lay squarely at our own doorstep. We Republicans did not band together and tell Washington what we expected out of Congress and the Presidency when we maintained majorities. We allowed them to placate us with platitudes on Iraq and they accomplished nothing with the mandate. Spending skyrocketed, government grew and we lost faith. Yes, Iraq and the war against radical jihadism is vitally important, but we have to keep our financial house in order as well. We cannot be lulled into complacency because an elected official has an “R” beside his name. True conservatives must be ever vigilant.

That is why I can’t vote for John McCain. How can I look my three children in the face and know that I voted for a man in whom I have no respect? If I do that, how can I teach them to stand for what they believe? Should I tell them to follow their beliefs only to the point where it is easier “to go along to get along”? I was taught long ago that the only person who can sell your integrity is you.

Back to the practical side of the points raised by Limbaugh and Hewitt in the first paragraph. Rush says that I should cast my vote to stop Hillary Clinton. This is a faulty argument. It is becoming increasingly evident to me that Obama will be the man to beat. McCain is a supremely poor match-up against him. Obama can easily cast him as the old Washington guard- the very reason change is needed. The independent vote on which McCain has so heavily leaned will not support him against Obama. Hewitt says that Supreme Court Justices slots are what matter most. I can’t trust McCain to nominate constructionist judges. He openly criticized Justice Alito for “wearing his conservatism on his sleeve”, and now that it is politically expedient to do so, McCain praises Alito for his performance. And he calls Mitt the flip-flopper!

Also, consider this, Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Hewitt. Let's assume that McCain does win the Presidency. He will likely push for a slightly revised version of the McCain/Kennedy Amnesty Bill. If he does, rather than push against their (Liberal) Republican President and commit political suicide, a Republican congress will go with the tide. The end result is horrible legislation with Republican names all over it. However, if a Democrat is elected President, it is much easier to rally the troops in a fight.

The Republican Party will very likely lose in November. This may not be a bad thing. For four years we will be subjected to Democrat majorities in congress and the Presidency. My only hope is that someone emerges in 2012 to help to give the Republican Party and Conservatism a clarion call. Sometimes we must taste the bitter to truly appreciate the sweet. I am waiting for that knight in shining armor. I am a member of the Party of Lincoln. The Party of Ronald Reagan. I will not vote for a candidate who cannot legitimately claim the same.

HuckaVeep

2008-02-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

Matt Lauer asked Huckabee directly this morning if he would take a VP slot behind McCain. Buried between platitudes and characteristic one-liners he said, "Nobody wants the Vice President job, but nobody turns it down either."

Ouch

2008-02-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

Another not-so-good night for my guy. I have to admit that I’m flummoxed by the way this race is unfolding. I knew that McCain would take a commanding lead after Super Tuesday, but I had expected at least a winnowing out of Spoiler Huck. Unfortunately, because of a little back-alley gerrymandering and some southern sweet talk, it looks like Huckabee is going to stick around long enough to ensure a McCain victory for the nomination.

He came out last night quoting scripture (he wonders why he keeps getting questions about religion) and telling his supporters that it truly is a two man race between he and McCain. I look for his campaign to formally ask Mitt to concede in the next few days. I agree with Huckabee on one count. It is a two man race. McHuckabee and Romney.

Should Romney bow out now? I don’t know. There’s a part of me that says he should bow out gracefully and begin making an “I told you so” case for 2012 in opposition to the Democrat President. I say this because there is no way McCain closes the deal in November. There is also a more visceral part of me that wants to see Mitt plow on through the convention. At this point, I think it is a matter of curbing the political damage that may occur if he keeps going. I think that he will employ a “wait and see” approach through the Potomac Primary coming up to see if there is enough momentum to warrant a run through Texas and Ohio.

Regardless of my humble opinion, look for a major media backlash against Romney. They’ll start the clock ticking on his campaign while Huckabee will continue to spout more of his populist “I’m a Wal-Mart Republican” garbage.

Huckabee has proven that he can win the south. It will most likely continue his defense campaign for McCain and earn him a VP slot. Lindsey Graham will not be pleased. Just to show what the “Huckabee Effect” is doing to the race, I’ve taken a little liberty with the numbers last night to show mathematically how things would have been different without the Gov. of Arkansas. I took Huckabee’s winning vote percentages and re-distributed them among McCain and Romney. Since the prevailing evidence shows that Huck and Mitt are splitting the conservative vote, I weighted the percentages 40% to McCain and 60% to Romney. I tried to balance the anti-Mormon sentiment of the South along with the anti-McCain sentiment of Southern conservatives. This is especially generous to McCain, as you’ll see in WVa. In the calculations below, “Hv” stands for Huckabee votes that would be re-distributed. Again, this is in no way scientific, just thoughts from my noggin.

Tennessee:
Romney: 24 + 20 Hv = 44%
McCain: 32 + 14 Hv = 46% McCain wins

Georgia:
Romney: 30 +20 Hv = 50% Romney wins
McCain: 32 + 14 Hv = 46%

Alabama:
Romney: 18 + 25 Hv = 43%
McCain: 37 + 16 Hv = 53% McCain wins

Arkansas:
Romney: 14 + 36 Hv = 50% Romney wins
McCain: 20 + 24 Hv = 44%

West Virginia:
Romney: 47 + 31 Hv = 77% Romney wins
McCain: 1 + 21 Hv = 23%

I only considered the states that Huckabee won, although you could track similar trends in states that McCain won closely over Huckabee, or in previous states where the "Huckabee Effect" has already taken place. I don’t have the time to do all the math, but it is obvious that if Mike was not running defense for McCain, we’d have a whole different ballgame. McCain owes Huck bigtime.

Another Reason to Pick on West Virginia

2008-02-05T14:58:00.000-05:00

Anybody see what just happened in WVa?? If you doubted the validity of the Huckabee-McCain tag team, there should no longer be any doubt. Here’s the proof- As you may or may not know, the WVa caucuses must come to a 50% winner before the state can be declared for one candidate. The procedure is to take a vote and see where the chips fall. If one candidate does not receive the required 50% threshold, then the candidate receiving the lowest vote total is cut, and the voting is re-cast among the remaining candidates. This “cut” system is repeated until 50% is reached.

Here’s where it gets interesting! These are the results from the first vote:

Romney = 41%
Huckabee = 33%
McCain = 16%
Paul = 10%

Ron Paul was cut as the lowest vote getter with 10%, and a re-vote was taken. Now LOGICALLY, those 10% should have been re-distributed among the other candidates, bolstering support by just a few points to one candidate or another. Is that what happened? Not exactly. Here are the results from the final re-vote count:

Huckabee = 52%
Romney = 47%
McCain = 1%

So, you see that the McCain crowd didn’t have enough votes to get the job done to beat Romney. They saw this clearly. They CHANGED their vote and threw in with Huckabee to spoil the Romney vote. That’s why you see McCain’s vote dwindle from healthy support down to 1%. I guess those 12 people who kept on voting for McCain the second time didn’t get the memo.

Evidence? FoxNews says:

"But before Huckabee’s surprising turnaround in the second round, McCain delegates told FOX News they had been instructed by the campaign to throw their support to Huckabee.
McCain delegate John Vuolo said former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer approached him and other McCain supporters at the convention and told them he had spoken to McCain, and that the best thing to do was to support Huckabee in the hope that Huckabee could beat Romney in this winner-take-all state."

Upon hearing what happened, the Romney Campaign issued this press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390
Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President Campaign Manager Beth Myers issued the following statement regarding the outcome of West Virginia's Republican Party convention:
"Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain's inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney's campaign of conservative change. "Governor Romney had enough respect for the Republican voters of West Virginia to make an appeal to them about the future of the party based on issues. This is why he led on today's first ballot. Sadly, Senator McCain cut a Washington backroom deal in a way that once again underscores his legacy of working against Republicans who are interested in championing conservative policies and rebuilding the party."

Can anyone now deny the dirty politics afoot against Romney? Huckabee should be taking to the airwaves any minute asking Romney to drop out. Hopefully this will be seen for the dirty political trick that it is before California voters get to the polls.

I Just Beat Up Chuck Norris...

2008-02-05T08:28:00.000-05:00

Not really, but that was fun to say. Walker Texas Ranger posted an article on Townhall.com crying about Mitt Romney's bank account. It's truly a hilarious article Read it here. It is yet another reminder why Hollywood (even the B-listers like Chuck) have no business telling us who to vote for. I understand that they are private citizens and have the right to their opinions, but they would be best suited to leave the intellectual heavy lifting to others. I responded back to Chuck with this...

Sour grapes. Chuck, you can’t on one hand talk about how McCain-Feingold trampled the first amendment and then on the other ask legislators to come in and change disclosure laws. Yes, Mitt Romney has vastly outspent your candidate's campaign in terms of spending his own personal wealth. He has also greatly out-fundraised your candidate- and everybody else for that matter. If the shoe was on the other foot and Mike Huckabee had the large bank account, you would not be spouting this drivel. You talk about 527 groups and the $2,300 limitation on direct campaign contributions. If you are so convinced that your candidate is the man for the job, I suggest that you find a 527 group for Huckabee and contribute. Again, we have Senator McCain and Russ Feingold to thank for our current campaign contribution policy, not Mitt Romney. If it turns out that Huckabee’s spoiler campaign for John McCain works out, Maybe Mike can ask John to change the law.

In any case, Mitt Romney is setting himself apart on the issues. His successful experience in the business world is an indicator that he will be an excellent President. As you know, Huckabee has come out with the trite slogan, “I want to be the President who reminds you of the guy you work with, not the guy who laid you off.” This populist, class warfare idiocy sounds like it came straight from the mouth of any of the Democrat candidates. The American people are realizing that a Huckabee presidency would be like electing a pro-life Jimmy Carter. Huckabee is political cotton candy. It may taste good, but it does nothing for you. We need a man in office who has been in the private sector and knows how to get the economy working for us again. Huckabee is sorely lacking in this department.

Mitt Romney has made a successful career of turning businesses around and helping companies succeed. That’s why the business world is so solidly behind his candidacy. With the establishment of the office supply store, Staples, Romney helped to create over 80,000 jobs. He brought Domino’s pizza back from bankruptcy. Let’s ask these people if they’d rather have a candidate who reminded them of who they work with…

With regard to the repeated references to layoffs by Mitt Romney, Huckabee has said in no uncertain terms that Romney himself has benefitted by laying off employees of the companies he represents. I have an experiment for you Chuck. You’re a successful guy and you have the resources to try it out. Go out and start a company today. Hire a bunch of people to work for you, and then lay every one of them off tomorrow. Let’s see how rich you get. Of course, this is an oversimplification, but it goes to highlight that Mike Huckabee does not understand business. If a company has 100 employees and is failing, does it make sense to let the company die, or to cut back on SOME of the labor so that everyone doesn’t lose their jobs? Personally, I like option two. At least the company would have the potential to re-hire if the business turned around.

Mike’s class warfare argument will hold no water with true conservatives. Huckabee's campaign is flagging badly under the weight of a message that is ill-suited to the Republican party. This is not the fault of Mitt Romney. To put it in terms Huckabee will understand, Luke 6: 41-42 says, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”

Mike Huckabee would be a disaster as President. The American people see it and are beginning to coalesce around the true conservative, Mitt Romney.

All's Fair...

2008-02-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've been saying forever now that the race for the Republican nomination is between Mitt Romney and everybody else. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll no longer refer to McCain, Huckabee and Giuliani in individual terms. They’re all pulling in the same direction, so lumping them together isn’t that big of a sin. Loyal readers (all three of you), I dub the Anti-Romney candidate(s) “McHuckabiani”. Cheesy? Yes. But hey, it worked for Brangelina.

Lest you be deceived by the media in thinking my premise is incorrect, here are excerpts from Time magazine's Ana Marie Cox that came out yesterday. The article, entitled “The I Hate Romney Club” highlights the personal vendetta of the other candidates against Governor Romney. Not to say that it isn’t their prerogative- after all, it’s a free country. However, for purposes of full disclosure, I think that the people who dedicate their hard-earned money and time to these campaigns should know that their funds may be treated as “Spoiler money” and nothing else. Anybody donating to Huckabee right now has got to realize this. Anyway, this is a fantastic article. Read on…

“…this week it was Giuliani who dropped out of the race and endorsed McCain, praising him as an "American hero."

The endorsement was a reflection of the authentic respect McCain and Giuliani have for each other. But that's not all the two candidates share. The endorsement deal was solidifed when both campaigns stayed at the Deerfield Hilton in Florida, following the Republican debate in Boca Raton on January 24. The two campaigns' staff mingled easily over drinks. Acknowledging that his candidate was not likely to survive a defeat in Florida, a Giuliani aide approached one of the McCain senior staffers. Come Wednesday, he said, "Just tell us what want us to do — we've got to stop him."

"Him," of course, is Mitt Romney, the candidate who seems to be uniting his Republican rivals almost as much as Hillary Clinton. "The degree to which campaigns' personal dislike for Mitt Romney has played a part in this campaign cannot be underestimated," says an adviser to one of those rival campaigns.

…At times, this apparent rancor among the other candidates toward Romney has seemed like a schoolyard pact — for example, in the many snarky comments aimed at Romney during the Republican debate on Jan. 5, just before the New Hampshire primary. The campaigns have denied there's any political collusion going on; they insist all of them simply feel the same way about Romney.

To be sure, the candidates' staffs do seem to have bonded in their dislike of Romney. "It was very common for e-mails to be flying around between the Thompson, McCain and Giuliani campaigns," says the former Thompson staffer, "Saying, 'No matter what happens with us, we all need to make sure it's not him.'" The staffer says that campaigns would share opposition research on Romney and offer each other tips on how best to undermine him: "Like, 'Hey, I saw you hit Mitt on immigration — have you thought about going after him on this issue?" In some cases, the attitude even extends to the top of the campaigns. The night of the Iowa caucuses, after getting a congratulatory call from McCain, Huckabee told the candidate, according to aides: "Now it's your turn to kick his butt."

Wasn’t that fascinating? Is their now any doubt about what the Romney campaign is up against? McHuckabiani is going to be tough to beat tomorrow.

Upsets and Huckabee's Conspiracy Theory

2008-02-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I THOROUGHLY enjoyed watching the Patriots get beat last night by teh underdog Giants. I guess the old adage is right, "Cheaters never win". I thought Bill Belichick's early sprint out of the stadium with one second on the clock was the height of poor sportsmanship. The fact that he left his team on the field to lose without him was an affront to the spectacular (although in my eyes, tainted) season that his players bled sweat and tears to assemble.

In the vein of upsets, I look for Tuesday to be a night of upsets as well. Polls are showing Romney pulling closer (and some ahead- Zogby shows Romney by 8) of McCain in California. Also, while McCain is expected to win Arizona, Romney will keep the margin much tighter there than in Massachusetts where Romney is expected to win big. The polls in Arizona show a consistent decline in support for McCain as Tuesday draws closer. From a 23 point margin on 1/17-1/20 to a 9% margin recorded on January 31st. Reliable data? Not entirely, but trends are trends. I don't think there's any way Romney takes AZ from McCain, but if he can at least keep it close and at the same time win MA in a landslide, that gives conservatives a clear message. In the last debate, McCain took great pleasure in noting that the Boston Globe had endorsed him over Romney. If AZ doesn't give McCain a decisive victory, a liberal newspaper's endorsement will mean nothing. RealClearPolitics is also showing a one point advantage in Georgia, where just last week he was getting creamed by both Huckabee and McCain. It is evident that Romney is surging.

Huckabee also continues his rant against Romney, without nary a word against the "frontrunner". Huckabee, now a conspiracy theorist apparently, says that the talk show gurus have been bought and paid for by Romney- Hannity in particular. Mark Levin came out with this:

"Huck Looks for Black Helicopters [Mark R. Levin]

This is incredible. Mike Huckabee accuses Sean Hannity, who has announced he will vote for Mitt Romney on Tuesday, of being influenced by Bain Capital, which Huckabee says owns Sean's network — Clear Channel.

First, the facts. Bain is trying to buy Clear Channel, or parts of it. Clear Channel does own many radio stations. Sean appears on many of their stations, as do many of us. But Sean's syndication partner is ABC Radio Networks, which was recently acquired by Citadel Broadcasting.

So, not only does Huckabee get his facts wrong, like most conspiracy kooks, he makes a scurrilous charge — in his usual matter-of-fact way — and then admits he really doesn't know. Here's the video.

Not enough attention is given this tendency we've seen from Huckabee. In South Carolina, where the Confederate flag issue was largely settled, he brought up during campaign stops to agitate for support. It was utterly irresponsible act. And then there was his devil-worship line about the Mormon faith, which was intended to raise questions about Romney's religion.

This is disgraceful stuff."

Huckabee's flippant remarks and blatant disregard for truth have been humorous at best. Romney, in response to similar diatribes from Huckabee recently said the following, "Gov. Huckabee is always good for a good chuckle... I think the presidency is about something very serious."

The Reign in Maine Didn't Fall To McCain...

2008-02-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

How's THAT for a blog title! Did you know that Maine had a caucus yesterday? No? Neither did most people. Do you know who won? No? Neither do most people. It was Romney. Quite handily, I might add. Of course, it was buried deep below the fold of all the liberal newspapers who are all but rabid in their desire to coronate McCain. Wanna read about it? Check out the story here from the AP.

I Told You So...

2008-02-02T07:09:00.001-05:00

Let the "I told you so's" begin! I've been saying now for quite a while (and so have conservative hawks like Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Hewitt and even Coulter) that the MSM has been propping up a paper candidate in John McCain. We are already starting to see that the "Footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution" may have no clothes. Yesterday, the AP came out with an article about the Obama campaign just SALIVATING for the chance to run against McCain. Obama’s been hoping for months that McCain would be the nominee for the Republicans. He's even using the same argument that the conservative wing of the Republican party has been using- that Hillary and McCain aren't that far apart politically. Read on...

"LOS ANGELES (AP) - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama sees one of the best arguments for his presidential candidacy in the rise of Republican Sen. John McCain. McCain has become Obama's favorite punching bag, an easier mark in front of partisan audiences than the rival Obama will have to beat first to get to the general election—Hillary Rodham Clinton. But he also likes to lump the two of them together as co-supporters of the war in Iraq.

Obama advisers have said privately for months that McCain would be their preferred opponent among all those who sought the GOP nomination. They said a race between Obama, 46, and McCain, 71, would provide the starkest contrast between old vs. new, the future versus the past. It's an argument that Obama also has been using against Clinton, but his campaign feels it would be even stronger against McCain.

Clinton and McCain have worked closely together—one source of their shared reputation for working across party lines on common interests. The two serve on the Armed Services Committee and were drinking buddies at least for a night. The New York Times reported that Clinton challenged McCain to a vodka drinking contest during a congressional trip to Estonia in 2004.

Repeatedly during a debate with Clinton Thursday night, Obama brought up McCain as if he were the presumptive GOP nominee. McCain has yet to lock up the race, but a recent win in Florida has made him the front- runner.
He also argued that he would be more electable in a general election matchup against McCain than Clinton.
"I am attracting new voters and independent voters into the process in a way Clinton cannot do," Obama said at his news conference. "I think that'll be particularly important if Senator McCain is the nominee on the Republican side."

There you have it, folks. Straight from Barack Hussein Obama’s mouth. Remember how the McCain camp has been saying that they have the ability to win over Democrats and Independents? Not against Obama. In this race, the conservatives stay home, the independents previously claimed by McCain vote for Obama, and the Democrats stay true to their party. The end result is an Obama landslide, and a Republican party sitting on the sidelines wondering how they were so easily duped. Need I remind you that even Bill Clinton said Hillary’s potential run against McCain would be civil one since they are old friends?

Also propping up McCain, although not for the same reason, is the Huckabee camp. What a sad candidacy his has become. He knows that victory is beyond his reach, so he continues to rail away against Romney and use the money of his contributors in a selfish vie for VP. If I had contributed to Huck, I’d be demanding a refund right about now.

Republicans, you have a clear choice here. It is not too late. You can select the Democrat’s choice for the Republican nominee in John McCain (Hillary’s drinkin’ buddy). You can vote for an “also ran” in Huckabee, who is staying in the race to siphon off votes for McCain as well. Option three is the best. Mitt Romney.

Mitt and McCain in a One-on-One Debate

2008-02-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

We've all heard that Mitt Romney has challenged John McCain to a one-on-one debate a few times. Up until this point, McCain has declined- until now. I have in my possession an exclusive transcript of a recent debate between the two. It has been buried by the media long enough. Here it is...

MR: I believe that our next commander in chief should have a solid understanding of the American economy. I have 25 years experience in the private sector building business, fixing companies that were broken and creating jobs. I helped to start Staples Corporation, and created 80,000 jobs with that company alone. Senator McCain, what economic expertise do you have?

JM: Governor, my record speaks for itself.

MR: Concerning the issue of illegal immigration, I believe that we must secure our borders, create tamper-proof biometric identification and a database to identify and track aliens in the country. We should penalize businesses who hire illegal aliens, and start the process of deporting illegals from the country. Amnesty is out of the question. What are your plans, Senator?

JM: I have learned my lesson. The American people say we must secure the borders first.

MR: What do you do after you have secured the borders?

JM: I just told you. I have learned my lesson. The American people say we must secure the borders first. We will secure the borders.

MR: What about the illegal immigrants that are here now?

JM: We will secure the borders first. Let's not deal in hypotheticals. We're not debating the Immigration Reform Bill again here. It's not on the table. We will secure the borders first.

MR: With regard to Iraq, we will not leave until we are victorious and Iraq can stand as a sovereign nation. We will not give our enemy a timetable for withdrawal.

JM: You just said "timetable". You're a Democrat.

MR: I said we WON'T give the enemy a timetable for withdrawal.

JM: There you go. You said it again. Timetable. My friends, Mitt Romney is a Democrat. I was endorsed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

MR: On the abortion issue, I was governor in one of the most liberal states in the union, and I have a 100% pro-life voting record. It is not easy to have this kind of political position in Massachusetts, but I did it. I came down on the side of life every time. Senator, you voted in favor of embryonic stem cell research. This is not a pro-life stance to take. What is your answer to this?

JM: My friend, I was a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution, and a prisoner of war.

MR: Also as Governor, I favored a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. You don't endorse this same approach. As a matter of fact, in 2000, you received the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans, a national gay and lesbian Republican grassroots organization. What is your stance on this issue?

JM: My friend, I was a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution, and a prisoner of war.

MR: I believe that the McCain/Feingold bill flies in the face of the first amendment.

JM: I was a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution, and a prisoner of war. I was a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution. A footsoldier!

MR: Senator, You were one of only two Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts, and now you want to make them permanent. Why the change of stance?

JM: My record speaks for itself. You can spend all your millions and it won't change that fact. I was also a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution. Did I tell you that?

MR: Senator, you're not answering any of my questions.

JM: You said "timetable.”

As you can see, it was quite a lively debate. I look forward to the next one.

Mitt Asks for Your Vote

2008-02-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

This is the ad that Gov. Romney is going to run in California. You will notice that it is a positive message that highlights his strengths. I applaud him for not getting into the character aspersions that are becoming commonplace from McCain and Huckabee. I hope that the American people are smart enough to have a solid debate on policy.

Click here to see it for yourself.

By the way, McCain is big on the endorsement game. Romney picked up a few himself today. One is US Representative Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, one of 21 states with Republican contests on Tuesday. "A Georgia GOP primary works as a filter -- only a true conservative can get through one," he said in a statement issued by the Romney campaign. "It appears that we are now down to a two-person race and Georgians can help winnow the field and protect our party's conservative values and principles."

The other endorsement is from former US Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, which doesn't vote until April 22. McCain hopes to have the nomination wrapped up by then.
Santorum, however, appealed to Republicans voting on Super Tuesday. "In a few short days, Republicans from across this country will decide more than their party's nominee. They will decide the very future of our party and the conservative coalition that Ronald Reagan built. Conservatives can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines in this election, and Governor Romney is the candidate who will stand up for the conservative principles that we hold dear," Santorum said in a statement. "Governor Romney has a deep understanding of the important issues confronting our country today, and he is the clear conservative candidate that can go into the general election with a united Republican party."

McCain Doesn't Have My Vote.

2008-02-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hey! What happened! The blog is blue now! I got some constructive criticism about a black background with white lettering. Apparently it can give you a headache. At this point, I'm not sure if it's the lettering or the content. If you find that you're still having headaches while reading this, it may be better for you to stick to the NY times. Anyway, on to the important stuff and the reason for today's rant.

I keep hearing the MSM say the only viable Republican candidate is John McCain. Their reasoning is that he has the (perceived) ability to win over independents and Democrats. That very well may be the case. However, McCain would also LOSE a huge voting bloc of his party's base, ie. the "true" conservative. We conservatives are not willing to forget the liberal legislation carrying his nameplate beside liberals such as Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold. We are also not willing to forget the Keating Five or the Gang of 14. Mr. McCain says that he is "Proud to be a Conservative, but will put his country ahead of his party every time." This is code-speak for being a turncoat.

If McCain wins the nomination, it is true that it will be on the back of independent and moderate Republican voters. This will cause a de facto shift to the left for the Republican party, and further fracture a group that is searching for its soul. McCain constantly refers to being a "footsoldier in the Reagan revolution", and repeats the tired old mantra that Reagan reached across the aisle to work with both parties. McCain has that partially correct. Yes, Reagan did work with Democrats. The difference is that he brought Democrats over to HIS way of thinking, not the other way around. You are no Ronald Reagan, Mr. McCain. You may claim to be a footsoldier in the revolution, but your positions have been treasonous. To keep up the military analogy, I believe that if Reagan were alive, he'd be recommending you for court martial.

I will not vote for John McCain if he receives the nomination. Sour grapes? Hardly. I am a proud Mitt Romney supporter as you have seen, but I would happily vote for a candidate other than Mitt if I felt that conservatives would be well represented. Case in point- During the Reagan Library debate, Anderson Cooper asked if John McCain would vote for his own immigration bill if it was re-introduced. John McCain sidestepped the question, stating in essence that he would not deal in hypotheticals. He then said that he’d secure the border first. That’s all fine, but what does he do next? I wish either the moderators or another candidate would have asked, “After you have secured the border, are you going to keep Z-Visa legislation? How will you deal with the millions of illegal immigrants that are in the country right now? Will you allow them to stay?” He owes the American people this answer. If he answers honestly, you will see that McCain has not learned as much as he claims. His presidency would yield another amnesty bill, and I’m afraid this time it will pass since the Republicans are sure to lose more seats in the house and senate. That’s the “Straight Talk” he’s trying to avoid giving. Why isn’t the MSM asking this question specifically? Simple. They are dying for a McCain nomination. You will find that as soon as he has the nomination wrapped up, the MSM support will evaporate like fog on a sunny day.

Sen. McCain says the reason that the immigration bill was rejected is because the American people had lost trust in Washington- that much is true. McCain has been in Washington for 25 years, and I do not trust him. Equally true is that the bill itself is fundamentally flawed. It is estimated that the cost of amnesty for 12 million illegal immigrants will cost 2.6 trillion dollars over 20 years. This research can be found on the Heritage foundations’s website here. Personally, I think that figure is low. The numbers are based upon 12 million illegals, and doesn’t take into account that there may be as many as 25 million here. It also does not allow for the mass exodus that would occur as soon as the bill is passed.

With the reasons mentioned above and the personal experiences I had in Florida, I cannot and will not vote for John McCain if he receives the nomination. I refuse to sell out my party to a Democrat in Republican clothing. It may be that America needs four years of Hillary Clinton so that they can appreciate the real contrast between conservative and liberal ideas. Sometimes you have to taste the bitter to appreciate the sweet. I still hold our hope that lightning will strike and my man will get enough delegates to pull through- I'm going to continue to work for him until he throws in the towel. If Mitt concedes, for the first time since I was old enough to pull a lever, I will stay at home. As with other true conservatives, I hope that our silence will be deafening.

Last Day in Florida...

2008-01-30T09:22:00.001-05:00

Well, as I'm sure you've seen in the results, our guy did not come out on top Tuesday night. It was a heartbreaker for all of us who worked so hard for Mitt, and it made for a long bus ride home. In four days, our group made almost 37,000 personal phone calls, 600 door-to-door visits, hundreds of street contacts and covered Duval county with Mitt signs. We also hosted a highly successful rally to help the Florida race to be as close as it was. I take comfort in knowing that our group won every county we targeted by an average of 15 points.

I think what saddens me the most were the shady politics I observed from competing campaigns. I'm not too naive to know that these things occur, but to see it bandied about without regard for the truth was a little jarring. Some of this you may have heard in the mainstream media, such as McCain's attacks claiming Mitt wanted to remove troops from Iraq. What you probably didn't hear about were the robo-calls from the McCain camp saying that Mitt Romney wanted to "take God out of America". These attacks were focused on areas like Bay county in the panhandle where evangelicals are prevalent. These were also tag-teamed by the Huckabee campaign, who we confirmed was using our call list to "spam" potential voters with messages from Mitt Romney. The aim was to anger the many undecided voters and turn them to other candidates. If you'd like to know how Huckabee did it and how we found out, I'm happy to explain, but it's a little too geeky to cover in a short blog post. E-mail me. In any case, it became evident in a hurry that the three major camps competing with Romney have been doing a little "talking" behind the scenes. Again, I'm not surprised by this, just disappointed in the lack of integrity. If McCain wins the nomination and the Presidency (which I doubt), don't be surprised to see Attorney General Giuliani and Vice President Huckabee. Sorry Lindsey Graham, you just got put at the kids' table for dinner...

Here are a few pictures from yesterday. I didn't take many because we barely took time off to go to the bathroom. Enjoy.

Members of the "Keating Five" watching the initial results come in on my laptop

Jacksonville Campaign Headquaters watching the results come in

This is a funny picture. Next door to our HQ, there was a tanning salon owned by a rabid Rudy supporter. They must've had 10 signs in the window display. Above, you will see an uninteded metaphor for what happened to the Giuliani campaign. Note the juxatposition of the porcelain throne to Rudy's sign. The purple flowers are nice though...

Day Three in Florida continued...

2008-01-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, looks like the video from the rally just isn't going to upload on this connection. In its stead, here are a few pictures from the event. I'm going to have to upload the video from home. Incidentally, McCain had a similar rally at another airport in the area. Reports show that he had about 50 in attendance. The final headcount for OUR group was 1,200. GO MITT!!!

Washington is broken!

Students for Mitt. Great to see young people involved in the political process, isn't it? What a bright future...

Mitt, Monica Whitlock and Cydne Watterson (These two are true Mittens)

Anne Romney, our future first lady, and a true class act.

Here are a few members for our group preparing for the rally.

Day Three in Florida...

2008-01-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Today we had a rally for Governor Romney at the Jacksonville International Airport. With the polls as tight as they are, we really need a good push to get Mitt over the hump tomorrow. We had a goal to get 600 to 700 people to the rally, and we had easily over 1000. The crowd really got into it, and I feel very good about things. If turnout for voting is anything like we saw at the rally, we may surprise a few McCain backers! I was fortunate enough to get a front row seat as he addressed us. I taped the entire video, but my internet connection is spotty here. I'll try and upload it tomorrow. It is definitely worth the wait.

I can't wait for tomorrow. On to Victory...

Day Two in Florida...

2008-01-27T23:17:00.000-05:00

Another busy day in the Sunshine State. We began the day by making posters for the upcoming election rally on Monday night. It’s going to be at the Jacksonville International Airport. We'll be joining the Governor there tomorrow to help set up and to operate a phone bank from the rally. Our objective is to get as many volunteers as possible to assist with the final push through the Florida Primary on Tuesday.

We continued to aggressively work the phones today, and the response as always has been generally positive. The callers I spoke to who happened to back Romney are very vocal in their support, and many have asked how they can help. Campaign materials such as bumper stickers, lapel decals and yard signs are leaving the office in droves. The polling data is also trending our way, even in the face of some pretty heavy endorsements for McCain. Most notable among these are Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, Mel Martinez and the current Gov. of Florida, Charlie Crist. Latest data on RealClearPolitics shows an aggregate lead of .1% for Romney. That's hardly a reason to call it in Mitt's favor, but the numbers have been trending consistenly better ever since the most recent debate. Today’s Rasmussen poll shows Romney with a 6 point advantage, and Intrade shows Romney trading at 56 with McCain trailing at 43. Personally, I prefer accuracy of the Intrade numbers- since people are literally "putting their money where their mouths are", I think it is as good an indicator as any. In any case, the mood around our little neck of the campaign is one of cautious optimism.

Another noteworthy thing happened this evening. I'm reporting this second hand from two members of my group who were in attendance. It is no secret that the Christian Right is has largely considered Mitt Romney to be a jagged pill to swallow. He shares many of their values, but there's that dreaded "M-Word" to contend with- you know, the one that rhymes with Norman? Anyway, I need to introduce Jay Sekulow, Famed director of the American Center for Law and Justice (click here for the site), a conservative religious organization founded by evangelist Pat Robertson as a counterweight to the American Civil Liberties Union. Sekulow also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC. He is also a convert from Judaism to Christianity- a self-proclaimed “Messianic Jew.”

Mr. Sekulow spoke this evening at a local Baptist church. What is significant about him is that he is widely regarded for taking on issues that are near and dear to the hearts of Christian Conservatives, ie. prayer in schools, free speech rights for religion and various other causes that he took to the Supreme Court. He has also endorsed (wait for it… wait for it…) Governor Mitt Romney for President. He told the crowd from the Pulpit that he was tired from a ride on the "Mittmobile" and that the would answer questions about it after the service.

After the preachin’ had concluded, a large group gathered around Sekulow as he took questions from an adoring throng. One gentleman was heard to say, “I can’t support Mitt Romney because he doesn’t know the Lord.” Sekulow replied, “I have known Mitt Romney for five years, and I can tell you that he does.” Another said, “Last time I voted for a guy with my religion, I ended up with Jimmy Carter and an 18% mortgage rate.” Sekulow went on to explain why Governor Romney was his choice in the tight Republican Primary. I am told that many who heard him were left with a much higher opinion of Governor Romney and that fears of the dreaded M-word were at least partially allayed. Hopefully this can translate into votes, and for this proud Mormon boy, maybe a few minds were opened to a religion that I hold dear.

Staying in the “Changing of Hearts” theme that has taken over that latter half of this post, I had a great experience with one voter on the phone this afternoon. He was a registered Democrat, married to a registered Republican. As I talked to him, I kept seeing visions of Mary Matlin and James Carville. What a pair! As I spoke to his wife, she put me on speaker phone so that we could all speak together. She told me with a laugh, “I’m already going to vote for Romney. Go get my husband!” Well, after a short discourse on the merits of conservatism and an explanation of Mitt’s platform, one more Democrat is leaving the Dark Side and coming into the fold. I just hope he has time to change his party affiliation before Tuesday!

More to come tomorrow from Jacksonville International Airport. I’m planning on shooting a little video for the blog. Until then, sleep well and have sweet conservative dreams…

Day One in Florida...

2008-01-26T23:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a very eventful day! Cydne Watterson, Ashley Monroe and I met up with our bus at about 2:00 AM Saturday morning and arrived in rainy Jacksonville, FL around 8:30 AM. Pretty uneventful bus ride, although sleep on a charter bus is not all that it is cracked up to be. The makeup of our group is very interesting. It is comprised mostly of college students from Southern Virginia University, along with the school's President, Rod Smith. What a great group they are! They came ready to work, and it is wonderful to see that the spirit of conservatism is alive and well in the younger generation. The rest of our motley crew are a few retirees and some semi-empty nesters with an itch for politics.

Upon our arrival in Jacksonville, we met up with the Florida Romney team- Matt, Ryan and Dave Mroz- the guy who organized the on-the-ground Michigan campaign that kept Romney '08 alive to fight another day. Our "Operation Headquarters" are two adjoining spaces in a strip mall. Very spartan in their furnishings, but suited to our purposes.

We were divided into smaller groups and spread out among two locations in the Jacksonville area. The ones remaining with us have formed little sub-groups to work with, and a little friendly competition has started to pop up. Cydne Watterson, Ashley Monroe and I joined up with Richmond's Paula Rogers (sister of Jacqui Gilmartin- a long time church friend) and Monica Whitlock. We have dubbed ourselves "The Keating Five" with regard to our favorite amnesty-loving Senator. The mood in the group is electric! We all hit the ground this morning immediately with phone calls. Our message was to call attention to Gov. Romney's proven record as a fix-it artist, and to invite potential supporters to a rally to be held Monday night for the Governor at the Jacksonville Airport. Mitt will be there, and I plan on recording it for the blog. In addition to phone calls,we're also participating in a targeted door-to-door campaign. The Keating Five didn't get this opportunity today, but we burned up the phone lines all day long.

I had very good experiences on the phone today. Apparently, the Romney campaign is the only one using live callers instead of the "robo-dialing" style of calls. We've found that people are much more receptive if you actually sit down and invest the time to talk. We were able to make a case for Governor Romney, and hearts & minds have been touched by his message. We even convinced one caller to come and join our campaign! He'll be with us starting in the morning. All told, our assembly made 8,940 phone calls and knocked on 600 doors. Not bad for a 12 hour workday on no sleep. I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a cause. It sounds cliche, but what a great country we live in that allows us to actively participate in choosing our leaders. With all of its flaws, you'll still have to agree that freedom and a representative republic is the best experiment in government ever attempted. Thank God for our forefathers and their collective desire to leave us an inheritance of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...

Here are a few pictures from today's travails. More to come...

This is the bus- taken as we pulled to a stop in Jacksonville this morning.

Jacksonville call center- this place was leased to the campaign just last night. It's a pretty nimble organization.

Another pic of the call center.

Dave Mroz- The Mastermind

Happy callers...

This is Matt Waldrip- one of the organizers of our bus trip. As you can see, he's very good at multitasking.

These ladies are what Rush Limbaugh calls "Mittens"

The Keating Five

Hard at work for the Governor...

Marilyn Taggart's graffiti

Bound for Florida...

2008-01-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

I have a new favorite excerpt from the debate last night. For me, the best part was when McCain denied he ever said that he was not well versed in economic issues. Russert almost laughed in his face! Maybe McCain truly doesn't remember seeing the article- makes sense since it was written in the WALL STREET JOURNAL in 2005. Apparently people who don't know much about the economy read other publications. I hear that the Oprah magazine is very nice. I'll have to ask Mr. Obama.

I sit here blogging while waiting anxiously for 12:45 AM to roll around. That's when I go to meet my volunteer group that's headed to Florida for the Romney campaign. All told, there are two busloads associated with us; one originating in DC and the other from PA. My group is headed down to Jacksonville, where we'll stay through the victory party on Tuesday evening. After this, we'll make the long trip home and I'll arrive in Charlotte just in time to stumble in to work on Wednesday morning.

Have to admit that I am very excited to get to work down there. I've been trying to find ways to volunteer with the campaign, and this Florida trip is a perfect fit. I'm still not sure what we'll be doing, but whatever it is, I'm ready to get started. For the three of you that read this blog, I'll be posting nightly about the day's events- hopefully with photographs and video. I hope that it will be a fun read. If nothing else, I'd like to show my Father a few things on this trip. He and I had a conversation last night about his dissatisfaction with the Republican party, and I had to agree with him. He's now threatening to vote for the Wicked Witch of Chappaqua out of sheer spite and frustration. Oh well, On to the Sunshine State...

The Debate

2008-01-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

Let me first start off by saying that I was wrong. I fully anticipated WWIII against Romney last night. Instead, the debates were very civil. Some even called it boring. I have to disagree with that last opinion. I thouroughly enjoyed the debate, largely because I thought my guy did very well. I'm not alone in this appraisal. Here are some others who agree:

> MSNBC'S Chuck Todd: "Romney looks good and sounds confident tonight." (Chuck Todd, "Romney Starting Off Well Tonight," MSNBC's First Read, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/, Posted 1/24/08)

> Captain's Quarters'/Heading Right.com’s Ed Morrissey: "Florida voters got their final head-to-head look at the Republican presidential candidates tonight, and the winner of the debate was Mitt Romney." ... "He looked presidential, poised, and factually prepared." ... "In a debate that spent the first two-thirds with everyone doing well, Romney not only broke out on his own in the last stanza, he successfully parried some strange attacks from Tim Russert as well." (Ed Morrissey, "Florida Debate: Romney Scores, Rudy Close Behind," Captain's Quarters' Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted 1/24/08)

> Morrissey on a different blog: "Romney just delivered a hell of a punch against Hillary Clinton, Bill, and the Democrats." (Ed Morrissey, "Romney Lapping The Pack," Heading Right Blog)

> Michelle Malkin: "Romney's being treated like the front-runner and he's acting like it." (Michelle Malkin, "GOP Florida Debate: Show Us The Conservatism," Michelle Malkin's Blog, http://michellemalkin.com/, Accessed 1/24/08)

> Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "Mitt Romney should send a thank you card to Tim Russert and Brian Williams. They threw hard balls at the former Massachusetts governor and he hit them all, many out of the park. Romney's allocation of time had to be disproportionate, but that was the Williams/Russert choice, and Romney made the most of it." (Hugh Hewitt, "'General Hillary Clinton' And 'They're Doing It In Europe Now,'" Townhall Blog, http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/, Posted 1/24/08)

> Hewitt: "Democrats watching tonight have to be very worried that Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee." (Hugh Hewitt, "'General Hillary Clinton' And 'They're Doing It In Europe Now,'" Townhall Blog, http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/, Posted 1/24/08)

> American Spectator's Wlady: "Terrific Romney answer to Russert's nosiness about how much he's spent in Florida. Russert's mistake: his insinuation that he was asking the question on behalf of the people's right to know. Romney instead let it be known he'll report his spending on Jan. 31, as required by law; and there's no reason to give his opponents a competitive advantage." (Wlady, "Rich Man, Poor Man," AmSpec Blog, http://www.amspec.org/, Accessed 1/24/08)

> ABC News' Rick Klein: "Romney gets an initial question on the economy -- this is tailor made for him. He sounds authoritative and in control on this subject." (Rick Klein, "Live Blogging During GOP Debate," ABC News' Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted 1/24/08)

> National Journal's Jennifer Skalka: "Winners? Mitt Romney -- Mistake-free night." (Jennifer Skalka, "No Battle In Boca," National Journal's On Call, http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/, Posted 1/24/08)

> Townhall's Matt Lewis: "If one had to assign a winner tonight, Mitt Romney would probably get the nod." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08)

> Lewis: "The debate focused more on the economy than it did on any other topic, and I think he is more adept at talking about this topic than is his primary opponent, John McCain." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08)

> Lewis: "He also did a good job of going after the Clintons -- something that McCain should have actually done more of." (Matt Lewis, "GOP Debate Analysis: Florida Now A Two-Man Race," Townhall Blog, www.townhall.com, Posted 1/24/08)

It was a good night for my man Romney. Glad to hear it.

McCain, Sweetheart of the Media

2008-01-24T10:19:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why McCain has been able to bring his campaign back from the dead? He's had a little help from his friends. Willing to bet $$$ you'll never see this article in the mainstream press...

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2008/01/23/mccain_again,_a_media_darling

With regard to the debate tonight, look for another gang fight against Romney. Mitt will come out swinging with the economy. Here are a sample of the responses to watch out for from various and sundry candidates:

1. McCain, who has a decidedly "Deer in the Headlights" stance on economic issues will say what boils down to: "The economy will take care of itself. Can we get back to my war record, please? I was a POW." Wonder if he's finished Greenspan's book yet...

2. Huckabee will get off a few tasty one liners at Mitt's expense and reprise the asinine refrain, "I want to be the kind of president who reminds you of the guy you work with, not the guy who laid you off. By the way, McCain was a POW."

3. Rudy will lisp his way through a littany of "Mitt-flops".

4. Ron Paul: "War BAD"

At some point, the candidates will attempt to gang up on Romney's record in the private sector and paint him as a slash and burn venture capitalist. I certainly hope that they attempt this argument, because it is one that Mitt can easily turn to his advantage. My only concern is that Mitt doesn't get the chance to speak and make his case. That will be in the hands of the moderator. Keep your fingers crossed...

Dem Debate

2008-01-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

Don't know about you, but I found it frightening that many statements last night from the debate seem like they came straight from John McCain's campaign. Edwards talked praisingly about the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill and Campaign Finance Reform. Obama talked about claiming Republicans who had "lost trust in their government". That line is one that McCain has used repeatedly throughout the campaign. Obama used it verbatim. Granted, we HAVE in many instances become distrustful of what the Bush administration has done, but I find it very telling that the Democrat candidates are using the exact same phraseology as McCain to appeal to voters. Something to think about.

Thought for the Day

2008-01-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."
-General Colin Powell, one of his 13 Rules to Live By

Very Interesting...

2008-01-20T09:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a spreadsheet of the cumulative raw data collected thus far. Note that Romney not only leads in states won and delegate count, but he also wins on the aggregate total of votes cast. Mitt is in good shape. Don't let the media tell you differently. Florida is a closed election, so Indies and Dems won't be a spoiler. This time Republicans will choose...

Also, Check out Gov. Romney on the Tonight Show back in May 2007. Enjoy!

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Tonight_Show

Romney takes NV, McCain takes SC.

2008-01-19T22:18:00.001-05:00

Let the spin begin. Already the media has labeled Mitt's 39 point victory in NV as window dressing, while McCain's 3 point victory as the doorway to the nomination. Oh well. We do what we can. Looks like Fred is getting out of the race. There is speculation that he will endorse McCain due to their long-time friendship. I don't see how Fred can do that in good conscience. I have a lot of respect for Fred Thompson, and I consider him a true conservative. Politically speaking, there is so much distance between the two men, I don't see how this is possible. Time will tell, I guess. If Thompson DOES endorse McCain, it will be interesting to see how many FredHeads follow suit and how many consider that move as a slap in the face. Florida is going to be fun to watch.

By the way, I made a post the other day talking about how Lindsey Graham was bouncing all over the stage like McCain's little lap-dog. Ever since then, I've had an old Looney Tunes cartoon seared into my brain. Do you remember which one I'm talking about? Well, thanks to the miracle that is Google, I found a picture of 'em.

My friends, (the ever-present McCain salute), I give you Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier. Said Chester, "Where we goin' now old buddy? (bounce) Old Pal? Huh? (bounce, bounce) Where we goin'? Gee, Spike, You're so Strong!"

On to the Sunshine State... GO MITT!!!!

The Real John McCain- You'll See Him in Florida.

2008-01-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

The Straight Talk Express will be veering hard left tomorrow. Conveniently, John McCain has not mentioned much about his amnesty bill unless absolutely pressed by the other candidates in recent debates. Even then he downplayed his support of the Z Visa which allows illegal aliens to stay in America indefinitely. It has been a carefully orchestrated strategy to get past SC without having to deal with an amnesty issue that most South Carolinians decry. Tomorrow, after the SC Primary, we'll see a decidedly more pro-amnesty McCain as the attention turns toward Florida.

From NakedPolitics.com:

"A source working with the John McCain campaign says U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez is set to appear with him in Miami-Dade on Monday, swinging crucial Hispanic support to his fellow senator who suffered with him in trying to push an immigration reform bill that was despised and decried by many on the right as "amnesty."
Updated full story is here.

Putting aside the strange-sounding hatred of an otherwise noble-sounding word, the "amnesty" attack won't have good legs in Miami-Dade where 70 percent of Republicans are Hispanic, and many are concerned with the tenor of the debate over immigration.

A Martinez endorsement could help pull Hispanic supporters away from Rudy Giuliani because the senator, though he's from Orlando, is revered by many abuelas. Consider this: Martinez got almost 10 -- that's right TEN -- times as many votes as opponent Bill McCollum (now the state's AG and a Giuliani supporter) in their 2004 primary. Martinez helped drive Miami-Dade's otherwise low turnout up to 37.5 percent.

Martinez has refused to say whom he will endorse. And Melissa Shuffield, a Miamian who has worked for both senators in their offices and on the campaign trail, wouldn't comment.

Gov. Charlie Crist, meantime, has been asking advice from others on the campaign trail over whether he should endorse McCain, who was an early-and-often Crist supporter. Crist also has close ties to Martinez, whose election he strongly backed in 2004. It's more likely that Crist sits this one out." (end quote)

These two gentleman have been coy concerning their support, but I expect them to be hitching onto McCain's tour bus soon.

McCain has largely received a free pass from the media concerning his stance on illegal immigration, largely touting his supposed "Maverick" status in the Senate. The spin continues to be that he has strong support among independents and can bring Democrats from the other side of the aisle. The truth is that John McCain is a foil for the Republican party and a poor steward of conservative ideals. I don't understand why people don't seem to recall that John Kerry wanted McCain as a running mate in 2004. The only REAL reason McCain turned down the job was to keep his 2008 hopes alive.

Bottom line- if you are a conservative, John McCain cannot be counted on to uphold these (your) principles. His record shows that he will sell out the party and call it "collaboration". If you want to preserve the birthright of your children and maintain the United States of America as a sovereign nation, John McCain is not your candidate. We need a President who is not willing to hand over the keys to our borders. McCain is far too eager to do so.

The Evangelical Vote

2008-01-17T12:52:00.001-05:00

Been reading up on the importance of the coveted Evangelical vote for the Republican party, assuming that it would eventually prove to be Romney's Achilles heel. I was under the assumption that Huckabee had this demographic sewn up. There's some interesting data that shows that this hasn't proven to be the case so far. Lookie here. We'll see how SC goes. The only caveat to this is that SOUTHERN Evangelicals have not voted yet, who from my experience are much more prejudiced toward any non-protestant religion. For what they're worth, many polls show Romney and Huckabee in a tight race for second place, or in the vernacular that the media hates, SILVER.

What's in a Name?

2008-01-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

As you know, I troll the blog sites daily looking at all the hubbub concerning Election ’08. It’s fun to see all the witty commentary, spin and conspiracy theories that are out there. Admittedly, I spend most of my time on the Republican side, since it is way too early to worry about end-game election strategy. What has been truly entertaining is seeing all the clever nicknames that people have devised for the candidates they don’t like. I’ve compiled a little list of the best ones. As you can see below, some names yield themselves easily to witty alliterations. You can slap “Hucka-“ or “Mc-“ in front of any word you don’t like to disparage McCain or Huckabee. Pretty unfortunate for them. My personal favorite was a combination of the two. I saw this a few weeks ago after one of the debates where Romney was tag-teamed by McCain and Huckabee. One clever blogger called them “Mac & Cheese” in reference to McCain’s attacks and Huckabee’s cheesy one liners. I laughed for 20 minutes over that one. Anyway, here’s the list. Feel free to add your own:

McCain: Juan McAmnesty, McCManiac, McChicken Hawk

Huckabee: Hucklebuck, Huckleberry, Upchuckabee, Hickabee, Huckabaptist

Romney: Mittster, Rombot, Mittbot, Ken Doll, Mitt Flopper, Mittster Plastic.

Giuliani: Rude-y

Possible VP Picks

2008-01-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

Jeeyum asked me today who I thought the candidates would choose for VP. I don't want to throw my hat into that ring yet- A few months back, I though Huckabee would have been a great running mate for Romney. How WRONG was that? In any case, I thought about it and put together a few ideas. Let me know what you think...

Republicans:

Giuliani: Bernard Kerik, or some guy with a nickname like "Jimmy the Toucan". (From "The Freshman")
Huckabee: Jimmy Swaggart. Don't make fun or Chuck Norris will roundhouse kick you in the face.
McCain: Ted Kennedy. Or Juan Valdez.
Paul: Dennis Kucinich
Romney: The entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir (see, I can make fun of my guy, too)
Thompson: No running mate, just a tape recorder that plays that Law and Order "Duh Duh" sound.

Democrats:

Hillary: Bill (so maybe this isn't a joke, after all)
Obama: Al Sharpton
Edwards: Undecided. He's got more people to consider since he can choose from TWO Americas.
Kucinich: Still awaiting response from the mother ship. He'll get back to me on that one.

Let me know if you agree. It's a work in progress.

Clinton's MI Win

2008-01-16T13:56:00.000-05:00

I’m writing this post in response to an astute observation my Bro. Jeeyum just made concerning the MI Democrat primary.

Not much is being said about Hillary's "Victory" here. The fact that there was such a high uncommitted turnout is very telling. I don't think she would have won had Michigan not moved their primary (this was Jeeyum’s point). HOWEVER, the Clinton campaign did achieve their objective. Back when MI decided to play around with their primary date, Hillary was viewed as the all-but-eventual candidate. That was before the Obama boom. The move was a back alley deal designed to cement her victory with an overwhelming "shock and awe" kind of tactic. It still worked, but now not quite as effectively. I see the Clintons focusing on delegate count a lot more closely since the race is so tight on the Dem side. Yes, I know that there were no delegates awarded in MI for the Dems, but if it remains tight throughout this process, MI may be screaming for their delegates back…

ROMNEY WINS!!!!!!

2008-01-15T21:31:00.001-05:00

Game on, kids. Game on. This win is significant on so many levels. First and foremost, it gives Mitt's candidacy a much needed boost. Almost as importantly, it shows that Romney is eclipsing McCain as the conservative candidate. I'll turn to the exit polls to illustrate my point. Romney easily beat McCain among registered Republicans, 40 percent to 26 percent. This same story played out in New Hampshire. Tonight, Independents chose McCain over Romney 36 percent to 26 percent. No surprise there, but what is surprising is that independents didn't show up nearly as forcefully as expected. This would lead me to think that the independents who gave McCain a resounding victory in 2000 aren't as enthused about their candidate as his press releases suggest.

Also significant is this: "McCain captured 41 percent of Democrats who voted in the Republican primary, 10 points more than Romney. Mike Huckabee meanwhile, only captured 14 percent of Democrats.

Though the Democratic primary race was rendered essentially meaningless after party sanctions, few Democrats decided to vote in the Republican primary — according to the exit polling, Democrats only constituted 7 percent of the vote in that contest." (Alexander Mooney, CNN) Looks like the spoiler vote campaign didn't work in Michigan.

This all bodes well for future state primaries that have closed voting- ie. where voters can't cross the aisle to vote for non-party candidates. Granted, if a candidate is to be elected to the Presidency, he must win over voters from both parties- especially since the country is seemingly split down the middle along party lines. The time for this debate will come, but tonight at least it showed that Republicans are going to choose the Republican candidate who espouses conservative principles. Conservatism works!

By the way, did anybody else besides me think it was in poor taste that neither McCain nor Huckabee stayed in Michigan tonight for the primary results? If I was McCain's Michigan campaign team, I would feel cheated after all the effort I had put in- especially watching from afar as South Carolina's Lindsey Graham hopped around the stage like a crazed lap-dog before McCain's concession speech in balmy CHARLESTON. Boy, talk about being left out in the cold! Michigan, he hardly knew 'ye.

"Straight Talk" from McCain? Factcheck.org Says NO.

2008-01-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

By now all of our SC friends are probably getting McCain's attack ad where he bashes Romney's record as Governor. Even though McCain repeats that he is above such politics, and says that negative ads, "Don't work". Fair enough. But are the attacks true? This article from Newsweek is a must read for anyone potentially casting a vote for the Senator from AZ. Read on:

"McCain is sending out a postcard mailing in South Carolina that is misleading on more than one point.

It says that "Romney provided taxpayer-funded abortions," a distortion. Romney's health-care plan faced a court order requiring abortions to be covered.
It says Romney "refused to endorse Bush Tax Cut Plan," but fails to note that McCain himself voted against it.

It says, "Hillary tried to spend $1 million for a Woodstock museum" until " said NO." In fact, McCain wasn't present for the most important votes on the project."

Believe me, it gets better. Check out the whole article here.

Michigan Calling...

2008-01-14T20:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, the title is not entirely accurate, it was ME calling MICHIGAN. Just thought it would be cool to do a nerdy political rip off of the old Clash tune. I think politics is starting to get to me...

Tonight was understandably the last night of calling for Romney's Call at Home campaign in Michigan. Here are my results from tonight ranked in order of percentage:

44% - for Romney
28% - Undecided
12% - for Juan McCain
12% - Democrat
4% - for Fred Thompson
0% - Huckabee

Again, the caveat here is that I was calling registered Republicans, and I only counted people who would answer questions on their potential votes. I would not consider this scientifically accurate because of hang ups or refusal to discuss the issue, and there was a good percentage of that type of call. All I can say is that the results are moderately encouraging. It's going to be tight tomorrow, I have no doubt.

One interesting call tonight- Let me preface this by saying that I think I have a strong enough grasp on the contrast of candidates to speak to anybody, but there was one respondent that truly baffled me. She was from one of the Northern counties in Michigan. She was well spoken, intelligent and pleasant in every way. We small-talked briefly and then I read her my script about Romney's platform as a fiscal conservative. Here is a synopsis of our conversation:

Me: “Can Governor Romney expect your support tomorrow in the Republican Primary?”
Her: "No"
Me: "Fair enough. What candidate are you most likely to support?"

Here's where it gets interesting, kids...

Her: "Well, I'm torn. I can't decide between John McCain or Hillary Clinton."

VERY pregnant pause...

Her: "Ashley, are you there?"
Me: "Yes... uh... WOW! I can't say that I've ever heard that comparison before in a REPUBLICAN primary. You said McCain and Clinton?"
Her: Yes."
Me: "Okay, tell me a little about what has you undecided between the two?"
Her: “I just like them both. I’m just going to leave it at that…”
Me: “Okay, I can respect that. Have a great evening! This call was paid for by…”

What does it all mean!?! I don’t know. Maybe the some of the good folks of Michigan don’t see a lot of breathing room between McCain and Hillary’s platforms. Maybe Hillary’s message is crossing the aisle. Maybe MCCAIN’S message is crossing the aisle. Maybe some people aren’t paying attention. Maybe some people ARE paying attention. What do you think?

McCain Today on the Trail...

2008-01-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

Proof that I'm not the only one booing McCain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-nVJGsTdKU

One of these days I'm going to figure out how to embed these stupid links...

Straight Talk from McCain?

2008-01-14T09:13:00.001-05:00

In today's article from Robert Novak entitled, "Not Straight Talk", we see John McCain waffling on his voting record for the Bush tax cuts. Seems like he's guilty of the very behavior he's trying to pin on Romney. Here's an excerpt:

"In contesting for the 2000 nomination, McCain sounded more like Teddy Kennedy than Jack Kemp by decrying Bush's "tax relief" for "the richest 1 percent in America." That attracted independents and even Democrats, but not enough Republican voters to catch Bush. Nearly a year ago when I breakfasted with McCain, he was -- albeit temporarily -- the Republican establishment's choice to lead a party in which tax reduction is an immutable article of faith.

McCain told me: "I may have changed some of my views. You learn over 24 years." Explaining then as he does not now that he opposed Bush's tax cuts because there was "no commensurate restraint in spending," he said, "I am glad the tax cuts had the effect they did." Why he did not leave it at that goes to the nature of John McCain that makes him both frustrating and magnetic.

So, did McCain regret his "no" votes? He replied, "I can't tell you that I cast exactly right votes over the years." Based on more than half a century talking to politicians, I took that as a "yes." He also advocates making the tax cuts permanent because letting them lapse would constitute a tax increase that he opposes.

Shortly after New Hampshire voted, a national leader of the Democratic Party telephoned me. Asking that our conversation remain confidential, he said he considers McCain the only electable Republican in what looms as a Democratic 2008 and indeed capable of defeating either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. But, this Democrat asks, how can McCain explain and defend his votes against tax cuts that the Republican president and Republicans in Congress are trying to make permanent?

The answer to that would be for McCain to publicly repeat what he had told me over breakfast a year ago. But that probably would not be John McCain."

Do I hold this against McCain? Yes and no. I agree with him that you do learn things over time and that better decisions can come from life experience and more information. Anyone who disagrees with this should always remember that when you were 5, eating paste seemed like a good idea. I have a problem with the fact that he would vilify and other candidate (Romney specifically) for having the same opinion.

If you want to read the whole Novak article, you can check it out here.

Separation of Church and State...

2008-01-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

Looks like Huckabee is leaning on pastors in Michigan to get out the vote. Here's an excerpt from a story on Politico (sorry Jeeyum):

"He's (Huckabee) leaning heavily on an informal network of pastors. It may not be enough to win, but reports like the one below indicate that he could surprise people.

Huckabee's event last night at the Birch Run Expo Center — held with only a little over 24 hours notice — drew a crowd of nearly 1,000 very enthusiastic supporters. At this morning's rally in Grand Rapids, Huckabee addressed more than 600 people and received the endorsement of Michigan state Rep. Fulton Sheen, a former faith and values committee chair for Mitt Romney's Michigan campaign. Prior to this morning's rally, Huckabee addressed a dining hall full of more than 100 church leaders, during which he implored the group to use their contacts in the community to get out the vote for him on Tuesday. "

This is HIGHLY unethical. I am in ecclesiatical leadership in my area. I have been counseled by my other leaders that my position should never be used to promote a political idealogy, much less a specific candidate. I can't and don't use church rolls for any other purpose than official church business. This is specifically why there is a separation between Church and State.

At the very least, the IRS and Federal Election Committee needs to get involved. While I know Gov. Huckabee is trying to press the influence he has here, he does not have the right to cross these boundaries because he doesn't have a paid political apparatus in Michigan. This type of behavior is disgusting and manipulative. The relationship between a religious leader and a congregant is sacred, and should be limited to spiritual matters only. When a church leader (while speaking as such) says that they should believe in God and Mike Huckabee, that is a serious breach of trust and a violation of law. Any church that espouses this type of behavior should have their tax-exempt status revoked.

Here's the kicker- Huck knows he can get away with it because by the time the FEC got around to looking into the problem, the primary will have already occurred. What does he care if a few old ladies get their faith trampled on in the process. Slimy politics.

Today's dialing results...

2008-01-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

Good evening sports fans, just letting you know how today's "Call at Home" program went- at least from MY home. Here's the breakdown:

42% Undecided
29% Mitt Romney supporters
13% John McCain supporters
8% Huckabee supporters
8% Democrat supporters

On the surface, this looks really good, but the disclaimer here is that there were quite a few callers who either hung up immediately or refused to complete the call to the point where I could determine their presidential leanings. This could mean that they just weren't interested in politics, like the guy I spoke to who was watching basketball with his adult beverage. It could also mean that they had selected another candidate and didn't want to hear what I had to say.

This was a great experience overall. I talk to some wonderful Michiganders, and I heard their stories about the economic hardships of the state.

In any case, there is much work to be done. If you are interested in participating in the Call at Home program, just log on to www.mittromney.com/callathome. From that point, you'll submit your name, phone number e-mail address. Log on to that website during the hours of 3:00 to 8:30 on Sunday or Monday, and you're in! GO Mitt!!!!

How you can help...

2008-01-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

If you want to help Gov. Romney in the Michigan Primary this Tuesday, here's a way. I have excerpted an e-mail I received this morning from PJ Wenzel, Regional Political Director for the campaign. Take a look:

"Spread the word to your teams about our call from home weekend into Michigan. Michigan is a much larger state than New Hampshire, the primary on Tuesday, January 15, and as most of you know the stakes are high. Please have your volunteer networks join us in making calls at the following times by emailing "count me in" to CallAtHome@MittRomney.com:"

>Saturday, January 12, 3pm – 8:30pm - EST
>Sunday, January 13, 3pm – 8pm - EST
>Monday, January 14, 3pm – 8:30pm - EST

I've said that I had a wonderful experience with calling for the campaign. If you're the kind of person who wants to be part of a group, then come on over to my house and we'll have a call party! Bring your cell phone!

Also, Mitt just picked up a mighty fine endorsement from the Grand Rapids Press and the Oakland Press. Lookie here http://www.mlive.com/elections/michigan/index.ssf/2008/01/press_editorial_board_endorses.htmland here http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/011108/opi_20080111161.shtml .

Let's win one for the Mittster in Michigan!

Dialin' for Romney

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone! As I told you at the tail end of my last post, I joined about 14 other Mitt Supporters last night at a phone bank to do some campaign calls for Gov. Romney. What a wonderful experience! Here’s the unvarnished breakdown of the data from my calls:

47 total calls:

14 – For Mitt Romney
12 – Undecided
1 – For Barack Obama
1 – For Fred Thompson
10 Messages
8 Nobody Home.

It was amazing how micro-targeted these phone lists were. My list was aimed at registered Republicans with a hot-button issue of financial conservatism in the York and Union counties of SC. Others called lists that were targeted toward the issue of illegal immigration. There were a few other lists as well. Over all, it was a wonderful experience that I will definitely participate in again. As you can see from my results, Mitt did EXTREMELY well. I am not naïve enough to believe that he did equally as well in other counties and demographics, but it was definitely uplifting to hear that there is some support for the Gov. Interestingly, out of the 14 who were pro-Mitt, most were fervent in their support. One lady in particular kept me on the line for 10 minutes talking about how she had won over her family and now was talking to people in the checkout line at the grocery store. Bottom line is this- Mitt has a following here in the south.

On to the debate! I think that overall it was pretty flat. Thompson was terrific in his dismantling of Huckabee, finally calling him to the carpet on his liberal/populist record. Huckabee answered well, but some of the “flak” he took definitely stuck. I wish this version of Thompson was around 6 months ago. He coulda been a contender.

I also thought that Mitt was somewhat marginalized in the debate. He had less speaking time than any other candidate, and never got off a good shot at McCain’s weak immigration stance. He did take a shot at Ron Paul, but it was unnecessary and could be viewed as a net negative. There were a few salient points he didn’t touch on as well as I would have liked, so I’m going to make them here. Read on…

1. Let’s start with McCain: Romney really needs to stay on McCain’s amnesty bill. Check out this video that shows the true ins and outs of McCain’s attempt to sell the birthright of our children. It highlights every major flaw in the plan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V7Tp8ZfBj0 McCain said that the American people didn't go for comprehensive immigration reform because they didn't have trust in government. While this is true in GREAT measure, the main reason the American people shot it down was BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE PLAN. McCain has made it clear that he's going to push the same piece of junk legislation through again. It is imperative that we don't give him the chance. Let’s also not forget one of Mr. McCain’s favorite taglines for his performance in congress since 1994. He said, “We came to change Washington, and Washington changed us.” Who’s the candidate of change now, Juan? Let’s put McCain out to pasture…

2. Don’t forget Huckabee: Mitt needs to stay on task and keep hammering on the liberal record of Gov. Huckabee. He also could ratchet up chatter on his pardon record. Look at this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFTdif_Lvsk&feature=related

Keep up the good fight!

Mr. Positive may be in trouble...

2008-01-10T15:51:00.000-05:00

My astute colleague Mark forwarded me this latest article on Huckabee's chances in SC. It shows McCain opening a pretty commanding lead. Check it out here:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U3788O1&show_article=1

Speaking of Mr. Positive, have you seen Huckabee's latest ad in Michigan? Laughable. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMaJ0KtTcr0

Gotta love the blatant back-handed slap at Romney there at the end. Let's break that one down, shall we? Huckabee wants Americans to have a President that "reminds them of the guy they work with, not the guy that laid them off." Look around your workplace. Do you want a President who reminds you of these people? I work with a lot of wonderful people and not ONE of them is qualified to run the country. I know it's an insane argument, but if you parse out all the "feel good" oratory by this guy and look at what he MEANS, you're left with a populist vacuum. Huckabee has based a campaign around a smart mouth and trite little one liners. I'd rather have leader, not a laugh track.

Anyway, back to SC for a minute. All indications are that South Carolina is going to be brutal between Huckabee and McCain- some in the media even calling it a "knife fight" between the two. And you thought South Carolina was only about guns? HA! I think that Mitt did the right thing by pulling ads and money from the state. The thought being that Every time he comes in second, the media boilerplate is as follows, "Romney suffers a crushing defeat despite spending millions in (insert state here)". He is absolutely right to let Huckabee and McCain duke it out. My guess is that things are going to get nasty between them, and at least this way they can't pin it on Romney. I don't think Mitt can win SC, but I feel that he can put up a good showing and stack the delegate count. Delegates matter more than anything at this point.

That's it for this post. Tonight, Shannon and I are going to a Phone Bank to make some calls for the campaign. I'll post a few pics and various other experiences from the evening ASAP. I urge you all to get out there and get involved!

I think I stepped in some pundit...

2008-01-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

McCain won in New Hampshire last night with a 5 point margin. No real surprise there. The question we should all be asking is, “why?” McCain admitted himself that his candidacy would live or die with NH. He was a one-state candidate who had an 8 year history in NH and a 19 point victory over Bush in 2000. He came to familiar territory and a ready-made framework for his platform. You can say all you want about Romney’s financial investment in NH, but you can’t buy the type of history that McCain has in that state. This was always a McCain stronghold.

His victory should not be viewed as a McCain mandate, but an "I told you so" barb about the current administration. So, should Romney take his ball and go home? I think not. Honestly, the fact that Romney came so close is extremely commendable, but many of the pundits still report that he’s done. Huckabee was saying just yesterday morning that he would view even coming in 5th as a victory, and this didn’t seem to have any affect on his perceived frontrunner status. Clearly, they’re still propping up a paper candidate for an easy Democrat win in November. Lest we all forget, Romney is leading the pack in delegates right now.

To further illustrate my point, Lou Dobbs said this today on CNN.com:

“Many of our political savants and pundits took one in the teeth last night. I couldn't be happier about last night's surprising results, and not because I favor one candidate or another. I'm just glad the so-called experts in the national media were wrong about their premature assumptions that the Democratic and Republican nominations for president were a done deal….”

“Forty-seven states to go, and now the national media must wait to declare the winners they'd been waiting all week to crown. The American voters are aware, of course, that Iowa, Wyoming and New Hampshire make up only about 5 million of the 300 million people living in the country, and until last night, the mainstream media didn't like to point out that only less than half of 1 percent of our nation's voting-age population has taken part in the primary process as of today. So how was this is a done deal? Give me a break.

At this point, all of the geniuses in the mainstream media, mainly in television news, need to summon the courage to tell their audiences that there are a few important issues to be discussed and a few important facts to be collected before permitting a public coronation of any candidate based on dynasty, momentum, charisma or, God save us all, likeability.”

Let’s not count our political chickens before they hatch. Michigan awaits…

McCain takes New Hampshire, but...

2008-01-08T22:39:00.000-05:00

Hey, I know it's a cheap shot, and there is no room for this kind of thing in serious political discussion, but when I saw McCain's victory pic on Politico, I couldn't help myself. The resemblance is remarkable. Anybody see Poltergeist II?

John McCain

Reverend Kane (Julian Beck from Poltergeist II)

Oh well, On to Michigan...

McCain and Huckabee- Conservative Saviors?

2008-01-08T13:37:00.001-05:00

Not that it's going to matter much in the primary today, but it's not all a rosy picture for John McCain and Mike Huckabee. I am dismayed by the insurgence of “Heart over Head” politics that seems to be winning the political day. “Change” is the buzzword, but nobody can define it. This summer, the population overwhelmingly shot down the idea that Johnny Mac proposed- de facto amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. Now he is the supposed front runner for the Republican nomination? Is anybody else flabbergasted by this? Here is an excerpt from an article I read from Thomas Sowell on RealClearPolitics.com:

“John McCain trails the pack in the temperament department, with his volatile, arrogant, and abrasive know-it-all attitude. His track record in the Senate is full of the betrayals of Republican supporters that have been the party's biggest failing over the years and its Achilles heel politically.

The elder President Bush's betrayal of his "no new taxes" pledge was the classic example, but the current President Bush's attempt to get amnesty for illegal aliens, with Senator McCain's help, was more of the same.

President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon probably cost him the 1976 election and cost the country the disastrous Carter years.

McCain's betrayals include not only the amnesty bill but also the McCain-Feingold bill that violated the First Amendment for the illusion of "taking money out of politics." His back-door deal with Democrats on judicial nominations also pulled the rug out from under his party leaders in the Senate. The White House is not the place for a loose cannon.”

I mentioned at the beginning of my post that there is presently a movement toward “Heart over Head” politics. If this is the case, then Mike Huckabee must be the poster child for it. Dick Armey said just today:

“With his jokes and folksy patter, he (Huckabee) presents himself as affable and friendly, but only by sowing discontent and disunity can he hope to split off enough of the party's base to win the nomination. Yes, despite the sunny rhetoric, Huckabee's act is little more than another strategic political ploy. Thus, he has worked to make his small-minded populism a credit by pitting his socially conservative supporters against the GOP's business wing. One of his favorite lines is that he represents the interests of "Main Street, not Wall Street." But this assumes that the interests of the two are not in alignment, that somehow, one group can only gain at the expense of the other - never mind that the jobs and livelihoods of America's workers and small towns are tied inexorably with the larger economy. It's a dark form of class warfare shrewdly masked by his sunny chatter.

Of course, his genial demeanor and willingness to overlook both principle and fact is indicative of a distinct and disturbing trend in American politics. Huckabee seemed to come from nowhere in the race, but he is not just a lonely, surprise candidate, but a symbol of the new wave of feel-good conservatism, which seeks not to deal in policy that works so much as policy and rhetoric that provide emotional gratification.

Huckabee comes off as the self-esteem candidate, in which merely feeling good is the core of the message. He's not the only Republican making a practice of peddling cotton-candy bromides. As FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe recently pointed out, former Bush speechwriter and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson has been pushing a similarly foolish agenda: inspiring, heartfelt--and utterly ineffective.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I predict that whether or not Romney wins today, he will push hard and be victorious in Michigan. The love-fest between Huckabee and McCain will end after today since they both need to win SC. Thompson is also going to take the gloves off. The bottom line is this- if you think the fight for the Republican nomination has been tough so far, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Romney's Home Run for the NH Home Stretch...

2008-01-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I was SEVERELY disheartened after watching last night's debate on ABC.- and I do use the word “debate” as loosely as the English language will allow. It was more of a gang fight against Mitt Romney than a true discussion of the issues. Even Fred Thompson woke up from his perennial slumber to throw barbs at Mitt. George Stephanopolous came out after the close and remarked, “These guys REALLY don’t like Mitt Romney”. No joke, George.
Republican Candidate A (take your pick from the group) kept Mitt on his heels with a rebuttal to an attack, while Candidate B (again, your choice) interrupted with more personal attacks to detract from Mitt’s response. It was so perfectly timed that it couldn’t have been choreographed any better. The net effect was that Romney came off looking like a bobble-head doll.

Tonight, however, was a different story. Can you say, “sweet redemption?” This was a clear and decisive victory for Mitt Romney. He was articulate and able to get his points across effectively. It is clear that Huckabee and McCain are doing their best to tag team Romney out of the race early before he breaks their purse strings. Huckabee's inane left/right/up/down sound bites are drivel, and McCain is still an angry Campaign 2000 wannabe. Speaking of McCain and money, he must find it a cruel irony that his campaign is strapped for cash. The McCain-Feingold bill must have worked, huh?

I am nervous beyond words about the New Hampshire primaries. This is a must win for Romney and McCain, and while it makes for good political fodder, it has my ulcers growing new ulcers. I honestly don’t know who is going to win. I obviously hope that Romney gets a much needed bounce from this debate, and since this is the last wide scale showing from all the candidates, I am cautiously optimistic that the citizens of New Hampshire will take this last side-by-side comparison to heart. When Romney is allowed to speak about his position, it is plain to see he has the right message on economic policy, national security, and immigration. Conversely, McCain has shown us his true colors on immigration- they are Red, White and Green (seen the flag of Mexico lately?).

Huckabee is also a political train wreck. He has spun a confusing populist message that is anything but conservative. It is inconceivable to me to think that a true conservative would vote for a man who says that, “A nation will forgive you if you move right or left as long as you take them up.” What he doesn’t understand is that you CAN”T take the country UP by moving LEFT. He has made a campaign out of charm and trite slogans like this. I don’t understand why people don’t see through this “aw shucks” demeanor. I also have a major problem with Huckabee’s manipulative (mis)use of deity in his campaign. In Iowa, he all but implied that God wants him to be President. The Evangelical Christian base in Iowa ate it up like candy corn (get it? Candy + corn + Iowa? Insert rimshot here). We didn’t see this version of Huckabee last night or this evening because he knows that New Hampshire voters don’t wear their religion on their sleeves. Anecdotally, if Huckabee is dripping with such religious fervor, I think it is disingenuous of him to drop this persona with a different audience. They call this pandering, don’t they? If his most important campaign backer is his creator, why does he so readily mute it when the audience changes? The ease with which he slips in and out of “preacher mode” is a reason to question his convictions and motivations. To me, this is more deceitful than any flip-flop that he tries to pin on Mitt.

So, what now? Two days till Tuesday. I’ll wake up tomorrow and read the news, blogs and spin that will inevitably belch forth from my computer screen, and somehow do that pesky “work” thing that keeps food on my table. I will discuss the debates with my wife and discuss how this thing is going to play out. I’ll trade e-mails with Bill and Mark, and plan ways that we can help Mitt locally. In any case it’s going to be a fun couple-o-days. Anybody got any Tylenol?

More Pictures from the Party...

2007-12-16T20:17:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from our Christmas Party this past Friday:

Monica, Meredith and Ning. Say cheese!

Oliver and Bernie: Turkey connoisseurs, and guys that have cooler cars than you do.

Jeremy doin' it up turtle style...

Matt and Kevin discussing Matt's declared status of "World's Greatest Dad".

Christmas Party with the Rabons

2007-12-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics from our Christmas party. Our home was packed and we had a wonderful time!

Here's Bill and Kelly. He must've sat on something...

Cozy on the Couch...

Food!!! Yeah, that's my HOT woman at the bottom of the picture!! More images to come in the next post...

Romney's Religion speech

2007-12-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

I must admit that when I heard that Gov. Romney was going to give a speech on Mormonism, I was a little dismayed. My thought was that there was no "up-side" potential to the address. I felt certain that he would further galvanize the evangelicals who dislike him and confuse those who don't see religion as an issue to begin with.

After watching and listening to him speak today, I could not have been more wrong. It was a masterful discourse on the role that faith should play in the governance of the United States of America; ie. that acknowledging the hand of the Almighty and preserving human sovereignty should trump nitpicking over a particular flavor of religion. I believe America is better than that.

I concede that there is a movement (however bigoted) that will never vote for a Mormon, but I think that Gov. Romney may have touched a few hearts that were on the fence about his faith and the role it will play in his Presidency.

On a different note, I also still believe that a Romney/Huckabee ticket would be powerhouse. That's a story for another blog entry...

Here are a few of the salient points from the address- I'm going to try to link a .pdf version to the blog, but I'm not that savvy with this thing yet:

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adam's words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. ... Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people.' "
___
"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
___
"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
___
"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."
___
"It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter — on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.
___
"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America — the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
___
"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.
___
"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders — in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our Constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"
___
"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements."
___
"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the selfsame as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."
___
"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.
___
"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion — rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

Ashley who?

2007-12-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

To the vast audiences who view my blog with rapt attention daily (both of you), fear not. More is forthcoming...

Conversations with my Children

2007-10-30T08:16:00.000-04:00

Lately the girls have been extra funny with their opinions on ordinary life. Here are a couple of our recent favorites:

1. After bathtime, Ellie said to Shannon, "Riley smells like watermelon, I smell like lipstick, and Hannah smells like a horse."

2. Tonight at dinner, Shannon told Hannah that she was having a Parent/teacher conference with Ms. Searcy, her kindergarten teacher. Here's the conversation:

Shannon: "Tomorrow I have a conference with Ms. Searcy."
Hannah: (with noticeable apprehension), "Why?"
Shannon: It's just a meeting so that she can tell me how things are going at school. Have you been a good girl?"
Hannah: "Uh... Uh... Reasonably."

You heard it here first...

2007-10-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, maybe not FIRST, but maybe one of the first few... I predict that when Gov. Romney wins the republican nomination, he chooses Mike Huckabee as his running mate. Why you say? Check out this article from Politico.com. Soon, I'll figure out how to imbed these links without having to navigate off the page. Sorry, I'm still new at this.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6606.html

What did you think? I believe that Gov. Huckabee's platform will do much to woo the Christian Conservatives who can't bring themselves to vote for a (collective gasp) Mormon candidate...

Romney's Great Morning...

2007-10-29T15:06:00.000-04:00

Romney's polling well in Iowa so far. Check out the link below and make sure you read the disclaimer in the middle of the page. Romeny also picked up a key endorsment in NH. Check it out...

http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2007/10/romney-crushes-field-in-iowa-democrats.html

First Post... Kind of...

2007-10-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

This is my second foray into the blogosphere. Hopefully this one will stick. I'm undecided about the "theme" my blog will take, but my current interests have taken a decidedly political slant. I must say that I am enjoying the current election cycle to the point of addiction. Healthy or not, "it is what it is" (By the way, that's the title of Shannon's blog. Check it out). It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I am a Conservative. I have been increasingly dismayed with the current batch of Republicans, and while I am still registered as such, I have chosen to drop the moniker until I see Republicans acting like Republicans.

Gosh! I sound almost like a Ron Paul backer, don't I? Not so. While I respect Dr. Paul and his strictly constitutional philosophy, I think he is a fringe candidate at best. At worst he could become the next Ross Perot and ruin the election as a third party candidate. The Clintons should have sent Mr. Perot a thank you card.

As you can see from the picture, I am a strong supporter of Mitt Romney. This picture was taken at a recent “Ask Mitt Anything” event he hosted in Tega Cay SC. There were a relatively small amount of people there, and we were able to ask questions and receive answers in a very intimate format. I was able to shake his hand and look him in the eye. I found him to be very sincere and forthright, and his political views align very closely to my own. Ralph Norman (SC contender for Congress in ’06) introduced Governor Romney as, “The only candidate in the field who has signed both the front and back of a paycheck.” That struck a chord with me. It will be good to have a person in office who has had both political and private sector success.

I will be posting a video I took of Governor Romney at the event. He was asked a question about trade policy. I posted it on Youtube. Now if I can just figure out how to stick it on my blog…