Will the real Barack Obama please stand up?

Finally, we begin to get a glimpse of the real Barack Obama. CNN offers a story on how Obama was able to run unopposed for this first statewide office. Quite different from the kumbaya version. See more on AC360 tonight.

Oh, puleez!

John Kerry: Is he angling for secretary of state?

Can you imagine the chaos? The very idea sends shudders up my spine. I am still trying to figure out how this guy got the nomination in '04 and they're pumping him up for SOS?

They're starting to take notice

From the Washington Post: Obama's Growing Gaffe

All I can say is that is about time the news media started paying attention to what he says instead of constantly hyping what they think he says.

Appalling: Causing dimay, consternation or horror

Listen if you can bear it, to the vision Barack Obama spoke of to Planned Parenthood.



How can anyone claim to be a Christian, reference his faith and still give a speech of this nature?

Shame on them all!

Yesterday Dad and I watched as CNN played Barack Obama's comments in response to President Bush's speech to the Knesset. In fact, we watched it at least three times and saw numerous pundits comment negatively on President Bush's "attack" on the Democrats before we finally saw a clip of what GWB said. Today I can't even find a video of what the President said except one that is heavily overladen with comments by the CNN talking head. Heck, I can't even find a complete quote. Just an article describing Bush's "attack" on Obama with the words "believe we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."

I finally found a transcript of the President's Speech to the Knesset. I encourage you to read it. Not one word about Obama. Not one word about the Democrats.

Shame on you, CNN, FOX News and the rest. Shame on all the pundits who jumped on the condemnation bandwagon. Most of all, shame on you, Barack Obama. It is a pity you are so self absorbed that you see everything as about you. Get over it! But you owe the President and the people an apology for your outburst.

Mississippi On My Mind (Updated)

Governor Huckabee has challenged supporters of Huck PAC to post their thoughts on what the GOP must do to win back the American voter. Read the post and the comments and add your own thoughts.

read more | digg story

November on my mind

Since Governor Huckabee challenged bloggers to post their thoughts on what is needed to rebrand the Republican party, I had to state my case. Of course, I got most of it done and had a problem which lost my post. Aiyeeee!!!! So what follows is not as good as the original, but includes much of what I wanted to say.

1. The War - we need to stop arguing about how we got into Iraq and focus on how we will help the Iraqi government build strength. How we got there is irrelevant at this point and we should not let Democrats get away with taking the high moral ground on this issue. We must maintain a stable Middle East and a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq is not the way to do that. We need clearly stated goals and sufficient troops and equipment to meet those goals.


2. Border security - Secure the borders. Promote a fair immigration policy. Deal with those currently in the US in a compassionate manner while enforcing our laws.


3. Social Security - formulate and promote a plan for how we will handle funding for SS without exorbitant contribution rates for our children. This is important to keep the system viable and is crucial to the ever increasing percentage of people age 65 and up.


4. Health care - Our system needs reform, but not government mandated insurance. We need to find a way to work with providers and insurance companies to make good coverage affordable. Some insurance companies offer incentives for things like health club memberships if one goes regularly. Perhaps a good insurance program should offer incentives or rebates for healthy habits and staying healthy. Goes to MH's comments on how our system is structured.


5. The Economy - here again, we need a plan. We must build new jobs. We need penalties against companies that export jobs and manufacturing. We need incentives for companies to retool and retrain their workforce. We need to rebuild the "Made in America" Brand. We need the modern equivalent of the WPA to put people to work and meet the needs of the nation.


6. Tax Reform - the tax code needs to be overhauled and simplified. We need to be open to any system that would help achieve that, whether it be a flat tax, fair tax or some combination of those. We do need to bring those who currently pay no tax into the system.

How do we win elections? First, by changing our tactics. Instead of negative ads filled with half truths, we need to require honest answers from Democrats. This is the third or fourth election cycle where they have promised "change". We should be requiring them to define that and tell us how they plan to effect it. Barack Obama is running on a theme of change and hope. He is big on lofty rhetoric and short on specific. We should be requiring him to get specific.

We need to key into specific voter blocks and make sure our message is heard. And we need to get the support of voters likely to actually cast a ballot in November. We need our best speakers our on college campuses working with local groups to get new voters registered and excited about our message.

We should be working with unions across the nation. The things we want are the things they want ... jobs, a sound economy, secure borders, a fair immigration policy. We've ceded these groups to the Democrats for too long.

Restore confidence in government by letting people know their opinions matter. John McCain made effective us of town hall meetings early in the primaries. We need surrogates to fan our across the nation, holding town hall meetings and taking the pulse of the voters. And then we need to follow up on that by reporting back to them so they know their concerns are being reviewed and how our candidates propose to address them.

• Be Positive
• Be Proactive
• Be Responsive

McCain's Running Mate?

So I woke up this morning to the radio saying the Washington Post reports that Tim Pawlenty is #1 on the list of potential running mates for John McCain. My first thought was that someone was smoking something bad. :-P

After some digging, I found that the source of the data was The Fix . *WHEW* If it had been a serious news story, I would have had to trot out all my reasons why I would not agree.

All that angst for nothing. :-D

Republican Hoosiers,Tar Heels Echo Pennsylvanians Sentiments

Even with many of the pundits auditioning for the role of the “Fat Lady” and Hillary Clinton riling up her supporters by promising to continue the fight after her crushing defeat in North Carolina and narrow victory in Indiana, the loudest clangor in John McCain’s ears is probably the echo reverberating from PA throughout IN and NC.

read more | digg story

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I'm not sure what this means. Perhaps the base is not energized to get out and vote because they feel the issue is decided. Huckabee and Paul supporters, on the other hand, have taken this opportunity to send a message to McCain and the RNC ... one wonders if they are listening, however.

Mike Huckabee on MSNBC

Mike was asked to comment on the recent public statements of controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright. In the past Mike has said we need to cut Rev. Wright a little slack in view of his prior experiences growing up in a segregated US. Mike expresses concern as to Wright's motives with his present actions.

Heading To Montana

Governor Huckabee heads to Montana to campaign for conservative candidates.

read more | digg story

Huck PAC was founded with the intention of supporting Republican candidates who are passionate advocates for tax reform, a strong national defense, real border security, life, the family, less government and individual liberty.

Just plain dishonest

Barack Obama tries to portray himself as honest and the agent of change. Then he acts like any other politician and is as guilty of spin as the people he points fingers at. I get sick of hearing him say he didn't campaign in Florida as if to imply that Clinton did. He knows she didn't and his innuendo gets picked up and repeated until I would be willing to bet that most of his supporters now believe that she campaigned in defiance of the candidates agreement that they would not. And when he says he wasn't even on the ballot in MI, why doesn't he say why? He wasn't on the ballot because he had his name removed! The statements he makes imply that *he* is somehow more ethical than Clinton. The amazing thing is that it seems to work. Why doesn't the media point out how disingenuous is statements are?

We Are Just Getting Started

Read and learn more about Huck PAC ... Governor Huckabee details the goals and plans for supporting candidates at local, state and national levels.

read more | digg story

It will be fun seeing governor Huckabee shake up the establishment. This is so needed to reform the Republican party so that it once more responds to the people.

Rubber Meets Road

I have often been frustrated by the two party system. I've wondered more than once if it wouldn't make sense to start supporting third (or fourth or fifth) parties that represent my views better than the big 2. I would not hesitate to say that most people probably do not support either the Republican or Democratic party as they now stand. They seem to have become despots, telling us what we will believe and what we will support rather that serving what we believe and support. And winning is all they care about. Being top dog as it were.

I've stated before that most people support the candidate, not the party. And perhaps that is why the whole system seems so dysfunctional. It probably goes a long way toward explaining voter apathy. Why vote when you don't feel you can support either candidate? Perhaps to vote for the lesser of what you see as two evils? "Of two evils, choose neither."* is good advice, but seldom practiced in contemporary politics. Often our vote is a vote against, rather than for, something.

I'm very disappointed that the best qualified candidates in both parties have withdrawn. I'm disappointed overall with the way we select candidates, because the ones who win are not usually the best qualified or even the most likely to win. So how do we address and correct this? How do we make the parties more responsive to what we want? We are, after all, the People, the ones it is supposed to be all about.

I've recently come to see that the only way to change the death grip the party system has on the election process is to change the parties from the bottom up. Rather than going away disappointed when the best candidates don't become the nominees, we have to start changing the whole system. It won't come the way candidates promise. The only way to "change Washington" is to start at the bottom of the political system and build it anew. It is to look for candidates at the local and state level who represent your views and really support them. It is to support candidates for Congress that represent your views. It is to stop letting incumbent Representatives and Senators run unopposed because we think they cannot be defeated. It is to demand that they stop thinking they were elected kings and start thinking they were elected servants of the people.

Good men and women with servant hearts could make all the difference.

*Charles Haddon Spurgeon
(Cross posted to Dei)

What Now?

Of many points made on the conference call last night with Mike Huckabee, perhaps the strongest was the challenge that we not sit and wait for 2012. There are many things that can happen between now and then and we need to be looking for ways to rebuild and reform our politics long before candidates for that election begin lining up.

Mike said he would be supporting candidates at all levels ... local, state and national ... who endorse positions we hold important. He said we need to begin now to change the Republican party so that is is responsive to the needs of people and works for them. It should no longer be considered the party of the rich and elite. With that goal in mind, Mike announced that his web site would be undergoing a redesign and would relaunch on Tuesday, April 15. (/me wonders at the significance of that!)

Maybe that explains why my Ranger link is not working? Nah ... it was something missing in the code. Not sure why, but it is fixed for now.