Election 08' The Final Days

CT

In the final days of the election, the Obama and McCain campaigns are stumping hard in key battleground states as well as areas that were carried by the rival party. According to the Wall Street Journal, Obama has made forays into territory that is either traditionally Republican or voted for Bush in 2004. “Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama will pass through Nevada, Colorado and Missouri Saturday, after appearances in Iowa and Indiana Friday -- all states that voted Republican four years ago. He will be in Ohio Sunday, another Bush state, and Virginia Monday, where a Democrat has not won since 1964.”

Obama has also outspent McCain nearly 3 to 1 in a massive advertising blitz in the last days of the campaign. “From Oct. 21 to Oct. 28, the Obama campaign spent nearly $21.5 million on advertising, compared with $7.5 million by the campaign of his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, according to the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project.”This advertising bombardment was mainly concentrated in Republican held states that are key to a Presidential victory. “More than 70% of that combined spending was in Republican states.”

McCain is doing some insurgent maneuvering of his own, trying to attack some long-established Democratic strongholds. This taken from the NY Times states, “Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee who is trailing in national polls, was making appearances in two states that voted Democratic in 2004, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.” Taking one or both of these states will be key for McCain to improve his chances for a victory. For McCain, though, this could be a problem, Obama has a commanding lead in these areas according to pollsters.” Obama leads in every state that Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry won four years ago, which gives him a base of 252 electoral votes of the 270 needed to win.” Victory in these areas is a necessity for McCain to erode Obama’s possible electoral vote count.

Nevertheless, one question remains, why is Obama pushing so hard in key Republican states if his margin of victory is comfortable? The polls in toss up states and states which voted Republican in 04’ are varying. Washington Post, "He also has leads of varying sizes in five states Bush won: Iowa, New Mexico, Virginia, Colorado and Nevada. Were he to win all of those on Tuesday, he would claim the presidency with 291 electoral votes.” There has been talk of internal polling results from both campaigns that has shown quite a different picture than what is being represented in the media. While this reason is somewhat plausible, the more believable explanation is that the Obama camp is leaving nothing up to chance.

Polling data has been less than efficient, but there is no denying that Obama is in the lead. Where there has been a problem is the determination of how much that lead really is. If McCain is in the 2-4% range, he still has a shot of being within the margin of error, anything past that and he is out of the race. Either way, we are going to be seeing history unfold in front of our eyes.

Picture credit to Wall Street Journal.

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The Wurzelbacher Effect

Cross posted on Conservative Badlands.

CT

To say the polls and the economy have been anything less than bipolar is an understatement. Fear and concern about the future are driving this election more than in anytime since the 70's, the reasons for all this trepidation is obvious though. What is not, is why the American population’s perception of Obama and McCain is so erratic? Obama’s lead continues to ebb and flow like the tide.



If you believe the lesser than reputable polling sources or the MSM, Obama has the election in the bag. However, what I don’t trust about their information is the margin of victory they are declaring. Here are some numbers from IBD and Rasmussen from the last eighteen days. I chose these two because of their reputation for accurate polling results, techniques, and continuity.

On Rasmussen, from the 17th-26th, Obama did not have much to worry about, IBD has a similar situation from the 17th-21st. Then, things started changing with people’s acuity of the election, what was it? On or around the 15th of this month was when we met Joe Wurzelbacher. The gentleman who, so unexpectedly but graciously, accepted the mission of confronting Obama on his policies. This encounter revealed Obama's true nature concerning; taxes, wealth, and redistribution.

The effect was not immediate as you can see by the polls. But Joe opened the door for the GOP to be able to hammer Obama with vids, ads, and even on some MSM outlets about his platform on taxation and wealth redistribution. This is the only factor I can see that has some legitimacy where the erosion of Obama's lead is concerned.

While the Ayers controversy is important with the Conservative base and purists, it has not been a concern to most Moderates and Independents. Thus, it has been a somewhat ineffective campaign tactic. However, Obama’s proven wealth redistribution philosophy is the common denominator between the above mentioned groups. You might even be able to include some Blue Dog Democrats in that number also.

There is also a fear that Obama and his Progressive cronies are going to increase government spending and raise taxes. This is a legitimate apprehension, with the bail out and the upcoming proposal of ANOTHER stimulus package, the question arises, “Who is going to pay for all of this?” The average American is not ignorant; they may not understand complex macroeconomic derivatives or know what the GCI (Global Competitiveness Index) is. But, they do know that raising taxes and raucous spending during a recession, or otherwise, is tantamount to economic suicide.

Rasmussen now has some interesting poll results out, it seems that the American voter is changing their mind about McCain v. Obama on taxes, “After several weeks of John McCain’s campaign attacks on Barack Obama’s tax plan and idea of “spreading the wealth around”, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds voters trust McCain more than Obama on taxes, 47% to 45%.”

There is also a slight shift in opinion concerning who they trust more on economic issues, “McCain also has gained ground as the candidate to trust on economic issues. Forty-eight percent (48%) now trust the Republican hopeful more than the Democrat while 47% hold the opposite view.”

This has to be the explanation of why the polls are shifting, further closing the gap between McCain and Obama. Keep in mind, these are national polls, they represent voters on a national level, not regional. Internal state polling still has McCain at a severe disadvantage in key areas. Though, as a rule of thumb, when national polls tend to shift, in time the state polls usually follow. The question is, does enough time remain for McCain to recover the ground needed to be victorious?

Either way, win or lose, I am giving Joe Wurzelbacher credit for shedding some light on this issue. We have been so lost in the torrent of economic flooding I think people have forgotten how much taxation and spending actually effects the economy. This is why I am calling this phenomena “The Wurzelbacher Effect.”

-CT


"Happy Hunting!"

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Pennsylvania voters are allergic to ACORN, it makes them disappear.

Pundit,

Arrrrrggghh, more ACORN bull. Their corruption of these clowns is unbelievable, the levels they have sunk to get a Dem voted into office is absolutely incredible. The American Spectator, a right wing rag, has the full story on the depths of the corrupted nut's depravity in Pennsylvania.

Would seem the little ACORN has been planting its toxic seeds growing faux voters right out of thin air. But this isn't new news, if you ever thought ACORN was anything but corrupt you might believe in the Tooth Fairy or are in need of a full frontal lobotomy.

Justice Sandra Newman, accompanied by Dauphin County District Attorney Edward Marsico and Pennsylvania Republican State Chairman Robert Gleason, expressed her concerns at a Harrisburg press conference this morning. A thick document replete with photo copies of phony registrations and aerial shots of vacant lots used as "addresses" for "voters" was handed out to journalists.

The numbers in Philadelphia county alone were staggering. Keep in mind this is one county, a big one, but just one.

Between March 23rd and October 1st, various groups, including ACORN, submitted over 252,595 registrations to the Philadelphia County Election Board" with 57, 435 rejected for faulty information. "Most of these registrations were submitted by ACORN, and rejected due to fake social security numbers, incorrect dates of birth, clearly fraudulent signatures, addresses that do not exist, and duplicate registrations. In one case, a man was registered to vote more than 15 times since the Primary election."

You have to respect their dedication to their art.

All of this brings Pennsylvania into focus as yet another key battleground state where a serious effort is being made to, bluntly put, steal the presidency in a move reminiscent of the attempts made by the 2000 Gore campaign in Florida. Just as ACORN's efforts have been directed at key electoral states such as Florida, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico Ohio, and Wisconsin, so within Pennsylvania have its efforts been targeted at key Pennsylvania counties. For decades the internal electoral math of the state for Republicans has been to overwhelm the heavy Democratic vote in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with strong showings in the Philadelphia suburbs, Central Pennsylvania, and western counties outside Pittsburgh.

Tactical minded little bastards, aren't they? If this keeps up we could have a repeat of the 2000 election results being decided by the SCOTUS. I don't want to go through that again, it was like a bad civics lesson brought to you by CNN and FOX. Anyways, if there is any doubt in the American voter's mind that Obama got the election based on this, the validity of his Presidency is going to be at stake. Didn't the Libbies learn anything from GW in 2000? Guess not.

-OmegaPundit


"The last word on everything."

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The Message John McCain is Missing

CT

To put it very simply, John McCain is being about as articulate as George Bush. What he is saying and what he should be saying are two different things. Simply raising questions about Obama's controversial relationships is Sarah Palin's job. All I have seen him do is reiterate what Palin has been stumping, that is not good enough. Explaining why these ties matter to the economy, the government, and leadership is John McCain's job.

This strategy is as easy 2+2=4, Obama has questionable ties to Rezko who helped fund his campaign, Reverend Wright was his spiritual guide for 20 years and is a known leader in the Black Liberation Theology movement, Ayers and Obama worked together on several educational projects in the Annenberg Challenge, and he has fairly strong ties to ACORN. Wow, you can't make this work and you might as well cast a vote for your opponent.

All of this amounts to one of three things; 1) Obama is a naive simpleton who picks his associations with all the candor of a 13 year old trying to hang around the cool kids. 2) He is pathologically ambitious and is willing to sell face time to the highest bidder to get what he wants. That means he does not give a spit about you or me. 3) He is in bed with these goons and is hiding his true political and cultural beliefs because he knows the American public would view them as "extreme."

Anyone of these examples shows a lack of character, judgment, and competence. This is the "albatross" he needs to hang around Obama's neck. He does not need to explain them one damn bit or make the accusations, as I said before, that is Palin's job on the stump. He needs to tie them to Obama's judgment concerning today's problems and crises. A poignant question should be asked, "With the financial crisis, Iraq, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China, how can you expect a man, who does not have the judgment to be able to choose his friends and associates properly, be capable of tackling any of these situations. Let alone all of them at once and lead America out of it?"

Then you make the sale for yourself, stick to your Senate record, the good, the bad, and the ugly. After that, hit Obama on the 1,000 days in the Senate, no executive experience, (Sorry Lefties, community organizing and running a campaign does not make you fit for the Presidency.)and nothing but a Law degree to wave in the face of adversity. Again, this can go back to the judgment and competency issues.

Let's get real here, I am no pundit, I am a guy who writes an opinion on a blog. But this very opinion I have is based on my being a voter as well. This is what I want from a candidate who wants my vote, the reason why the other guy isn't worth it, John McCain is not making that sale. Unfortunately it might be too late to make the necessary changes in order for McCain to turn the election around . But, as I have said before, McCain has had strange miracles happen in his life that allow him to win. Maybe he will get one before November 4th.

-CT

"Happily Hunting!"

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Acorn: The Poison Nut of the 2008' Election

Pundit,




ACORN being the poison little nut it is is just a matter of fact. It is understood like we need air to breath or water to drink. Most of us accept it, unless you are a creepy, little, apologist, Leftie dumbass. Recently light has been shed on how rampant their corruption is, you can say it is comparable to the ass clowns on Wall Street. I have wondered is there anyone keeping an eye on the watchdog (ACORN). Wouldn't you know there is, they are the Consumer Rights League.

Here is some interesting information they have compiled on ACORN which James Terry, Chief Public Advocate for the Consumers Rights League, presented to the House Administration and House Judiciary Committee on September 23, 2008.

First allegation against ACORN.

Their practice of juggling funds and blame between entities has often created good deal of confusion as to which crimes are allegedly committed by ACORN and which activities are those of subsidiaries such as the "non-partisan" 501(c)(3) Project Vote. But, it should be noted at the outset of this discussion that evidence indicates that the non-profit organization known as Project Vote and the political operative organization known as Citizens Services Inc. are wholly owned subsidiaries of the ACORN web of organizations. There should be no distinction between crimes or alleged crimes perpetrated by personnel from Project Vote and those from ACORN.

Moving on, and not in .org fashion, Terry gave the Congressional bubba's this,

2008 Has Been A Banner Year For Bogus Registrations. In 2008 alone, ACORN’s activities have prompted calls for investigations in nearly a dozen states: Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina, with new investigations developing regularly.

Notice the states, quite a few of them are presently or were battle ground states, cred to Hugh Hewitt for pointing that out on Fox & Friends. Here is the list state by state and the allegations, investigations, or covictions from each one. Yeah I know it is lengthy but I suggest reading it.

• In June, the New York Times reported that Louisiana “Election officials have expressed concern that large numbers of people who believe they are registered will show up at the polls in November, only to find that they cannot vote because their application had been improperly submitted.” An ACORN spokesman said that it’s typical for 30 percent of their cards to be duplicates or incomplete.

• In July, Pennsylvania officials charged a former ACORN employee with 19 counts of perjury, making false statements, forgery and identity theft in connection with the voter registration forms in connection with more than 100 suspect cards.

• In August, the Connecticut Post reported that state officials began asking for an investigation into ACORN's registration activities, in which there were errors in 20 percent of the thousands of registration forms the group turned in.

• In August, ACORN was forced to announce that it would begin running background checks on its signature gatherers in New Mexico after it was learned that nine employees had felony criminal records16 ranging from forgery to identity theft to child rape.

• Texas-The Houston Chronicle reported on August 17 that "About 40 percent of the 27,000 registration cards gathered by ACORN from January through July have been rejected or placed in limbo pending the gathering of more information, according to the county" while "about 6,600 were filled out by people already registered, and many others contained insufficient information."

• Nevada and federal officials announced in August that they would form a task force to aggressively pursue allegations of election fraud, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal specifically noting "Clark County officials have said they suspect fraud is occurring in the thousands of voter registrations being submitted by" ACORN.

• In Ohio, ACORN's continuing pattern of voter registration fraud apparently includes the 73 registration cards turned in this year for just one individual. WKYC has reported: "ACORN has already submitted more than 75,000 voter registration cards this year in Cuyahoga County. And now employees at the Board of Elections are triple checking every one."

• The citizens of Wisconsin are among the greatest victims of ACORN's fraud in 2008. There ACORN allegedly offered to bribe citizens with pre-paid gasoline cards or restaurant gift cards to induce them to register. Further voter registration problems include apparently falsified drivers license numbers, Social Security numbers, and similar personal information. By the end of August, Milwaukee's Election Commission Executive Director had referred over 49 individuals to prosecutors for suspected voter registration fraud — of them, 37 were ACORN employees.

• In Michigan, elections officials across the state have been noticing a high volume of problems associated with ACORN's work. A Secretary of State spokesperson recently said "There appears to be a sizable number of duplicate and fraudulent applications ... And it appears to be widespread." In Pontiac, the clerk's office has found numerous applications filed for a given name. In Oak Park, the clerk has been seeing "lots of duplication" from ACORN in recent months.

• Even in the course of preparing this testimony, officials in yet another state announced an investigation into potentially fraudulent activity. Durham County, North Carolina’s elections officials have asked for an investigation of dozens of cards submitted by ACORN. One was for a fourteen-year-old boy.

Terry finished off with this,

ACORN routinely says it will clean up its act. Yet, given its decade-long history of voter fraud, embezzlement, and misuses of taxpayer funds, ACORN’s pattern of fraud can no longer be dismissed as a series of "unfortunate events."

The plain simple question still exists how much of an effect have they had or will they have in this Presidential election. Without a way to quantify the number of fraudulent votes that they have gotten through so far, we will probably never know. Just the fact that you can ask the question legitimately is disgusting. But you want to talk about voter disenfranchisement in 2000, well here is is in 2008, coming from the side who said they wanted to protect everyone's voting rights. Guess that meant dead people, felons, and little kids too.

-OmegaPundit


"The last word on everything."

Worth the download.

“Federal, State and Local efforts to Prepare for the General 2008 Election”

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In the News: October 6th-7th, 2008, A little Johnny Mac and Oboobama

CT

Another day down and more bad news on the horizon. Time for a little humor intermingled with the news to bring up the mood.

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Macho Putin in yet ANOTHER display of masculinity as he releases 'Let's learn judo with Vladimir' DVD

By Mail Foreign Service, Mail Online- First we saw him shirtless while fishing.

Then he was pictured at the wheel of a massive racing truck and shooting a tiger in the Siberian forest with a tranquiliser.

He has also appeared operating a train, sailing on a submarine and co-piloting a fighter jet.

Now Vladimir Putin - the world's most manly leader - has released yet another display of his own masculinity: a DVD entitled 'Let's learn judo with Vladimir Putin. Read more...

Lol, all proceeds will be donated to the Russian markets which just lost 20 points. But here is a great comparison between ole Vlad and our potential leader.

Do you really want this,

versus









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McCain-Palin 'Goes to the Mats'

By staff writers, News.com.au- It's war. John McCain has called Barack Obama a liar, Sarah Palin has stuck to her guns and Democrats have gone personal as the bitter White House race got even nastier today. In a speech to a rally in New Mexico, Senator McCain has suggested his US presidential election rival cannot be trusted and accused him of mudslinging over the country's financial crisis. Senator Obama has claimed on the campaign trail that Senator McCain's support for Bush administration policies make him partly to blame for the Wall St meltdown currently threatening world markets. But Senator McCain has said that is rubbish - and Senator Obama knows it. "I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed," he said. "But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place." Read more...

Figured this was a good to bounce off of the last post. Which brings me to my next comparison. I would rather have this,

versus






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Second debate is in McCain's favorite style

Nedra Pickler, The Politico- Tuesday night's presidential debate offers Republican John McCain one of his last best chances to stop Democrat Barack Obama's recent surge in the race and turn it in his favor.

The debate's town hall format is McCain's favorite style of campaigning. He asked Obama to appear with him in a series of town hall debates this past summer, but Obama wouldn't take him up on the challenge. Read more... Int>

Well the outcome probably will be a little harder to predict than the results. It is as simple as this, if McCain can pull this out against Obama and the polls are indicative of a McCain resurgence, he will probably be in a tie with Obama or a little ahead. Now, that is on a national level, the state to state polling means more in this one. But if Obama beats up on him or has enough moments to garner a success, this campaign is pretty much over.

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Thanks for joining us for the Johnny Mac hour, some of this was too funny to pass up!

-CT

"Happy Hunting!"

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October Polling: CBS, Ras, and Gallup

Pundit,


On Ocotber 1st, CBS Polling reported Obama having a 9 pt. lead over McCain. But in today's CBS Poll that has dropped to a 4 pt. lead. Rasmussen Reports had Obama over McCain by 6 pts. on the 1st and Gallup had him up 4 pts. on the same day.

Alright, that's nice, but what does it show us? As soon as CBS noted the spike in support for Obama the other two polls also indicated it within a day or so. Not that they are following CBS, their polling methods are probably a little more sophisticated and take a day or two longer to show results. Point is I am interested if this is the same phenomena but in reverse? I was having a hard time grasping the fact that the American voter is this fickle. But if there is anything to this CBS poll than I guess they are.

There are a lot of factors to consider here though. Palin has graciously accepted and obviously enjoying her role as VP attack dog and is stumping up a storm with a certain degree of success, the Highway Robbery Bill or Bailout Bill has been passed but the markets are still in turmoil, McCain's attacks on Obama about his suspicious connections, hitting the Democrats with Fannie Mae, and the debate on Tuesday night. McCain's performance in this will definitely have marked effect on these numbers and if what CBS is reporting to be true.

CT has already conceded the election based on the electoral college and state to state polling numbers. His point is logical and hard to argue with, but, I am still in the mindset that it isn't over until it is over. Anything can happen!

-OmegaPundit


"The last word on everything!"

Update: This is interesting; just in from Reuters, via Yahoo

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama has a narrow 3-point lead in the U.S. presidential race on Republican John McCain less than a month before the election, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Tuesday.

Hmmm, seems things are about to get interesting. The old man is coming back swinging, maybe. If this keeps going on CT may owe me a 12 pack of America's finest domestic, Bud-Lite. I am definitely going to be paying close attention to Ras and Gallup over the next few days.

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The DieBate: Obituary for Senator Joe Biden

Pundit,



Here at PCT we are sad to report that Senator Joe Biden received mortal wounds from a Sarahcuda attack. An infamous gaffemeister and long winded blowhard, the Senator from the great state of Delaware will be sorely missed. But, news reports are that the Sarahcuda wasn't very satisfied with her appetizer and now is looking for the entree dish better known as Obamination.

Okay that was for CT, since it looks like his conspiracy theory may have had an inkling of truth to it. If he was right it isn't because he is so sm-u-rt, it is because he is paranoid and we know that only paranoid people can figure stuff like this out, lol. But, he was sweating it especially after posting about it. Maybe ole' Sun Tsu reached out across the ethereal planes and gave him a little Zen about the debate outcome. Good call CT, you dah man on this one.

Let's look at some of the comments fro No Quarter and PoliPundit, both of which were running open threads. I am taking the posters names off.

Polipunidt:

19. FINALLY!! It took Sarah to get after the Dems about the Freddie Fan debacle.

Comment by 10/2/2008 - 9:07 pm

37. Yessssssssssssssssssssssss

Talk straight to the American people!!!!

Comment by 10/2/2008 - 9:15 pm

60. Sarah just SLAUGHTERED Biden on the tax and economy. This is going well.

Comment by 10/2/2008 - 9:21 pm

199. What is it with Biden tugging at his collar. He looks very uncomfortable. The rollercoaster smile comes with a Morse code - is that - I believe he’s telegraphing S O S.

Comment by Email Homepage 10/2/2008 - 9:57 pm


NoQuarter, interesting note they had to shut down their commentary I am assuming because there was to much traffic about Sarahcuda.


Comment by 2008-10-02 20:16:26

I like how Palin just said:

“I might now answer the questions how you (Biden) or how the moderator wants me to answer them, but I’m going to talk straight to the American people”

I swear, I can see the contempt on Ifill’s face.

OmegaPundit interruption: If McCain's campaign is saved by one defining moment it was this comment. My predicition, this was her Ronald Reagan moment, again, if it pans out.

Comment by 2008-10-02 20:18:17

ooh, she just got him on the paying taxes is patriotic remark…haha

Comment by 2008-10-02 20:20:52

Go Sarah! She is doing awesome. Call the Commie out, baby… (fairness my a** - why work your butt off so that the welfare cases can benefit???)

OmegaPundit,

Whew!! That was a lot of copying and pasting. Well here is what Drudge had on his poll results.

{{{{DRUDGE POLL}}}} WHO WON THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE?...

BIDEN

22% 9,842
PALIN

76% 34,323
NEITHER

2% 897

Total Votes: 45,062

I think we can say Sarahcuda-1 Plugs-0! Way to go Sarah, you did good, ma'am!


-OmegaPundit

"The last word on everything!"

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In the News: October 2nd-3rd, 2008

CT

Today's headlines are brought to you by Drudge Report , The News Media Journal, & The Politico. These are some of the headlines from October 2nd, enjoy. More coming up once we time travel to the 3rd.
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Wachovia faced a ‘silent' bank run

Rick Rothacker and Kerry Hall, Charlotte Observer-On Friday, with its stock plunging 27 percent, Wachovia experienced a “silent run” on deposits, but the bigger worry for regulators was that other banks wouldn't provide the Charlotte bank with necessary short-term funding when it opened for business Monday, sources familiar with the situation told the Observer.

With Wachovia already looking for a merger partner, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., in consultation with other regulators, required the bank to reach a sale to Citigroup on Monday morning. Read more...

This is why I am for private interests buying out the weaker of the herd. Understandably, there has to be a certain degree of government intervention, but not to the socialistic degree that the Congress and President have pushed. Although many have claimed this is the end of capitalism, I am not going to join the ranks of knee jerk reactionaries. It is way to early in the game to be crying that this is the death of free market capitalism, but it is definitely on life support.
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Aides Promise an Aggressive Palin in Debate

Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post-< GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin plans to launch aggressive attacks against her Democratic opponent Joe Biden tonight, her campaign aides said, in order to remind voters of why she became popular in her home state of Alaska. "Governor Palin is eager for the opportunity to contrast her record of reform to the hollow rhetoric of a politician who has spent the bulk of his adult life inside the confines of Washington, DC," said Palin spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "Tonight will address a critical question; which is more relevant to the office of the vice-presidency -- real-life results or Washington double-speak?" Read more...

Well only a few hours away, I am saying no more on the topic other than it should be very interesting either way. This will either sink the McCain campaign or give them more than a fighting chance for the White House. I would not want to be Sarah Palin right now.

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Palin’s new plan: Go after Biden

Mike Allen, The Politico-ST. LOUIS — Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate, hitting Joe Biden for what she will call his foreign policy blunders and penchant for adopting liberal positions on taxes and other issues, according to campaign officials involved in prepping her for tonight’s showdown.

The Palin camp is projecting surprising self-confidence in the pre-debate hours, despite the vice presidential nominee’s uneven — and, at some points, peculiar — performances in recent television interviews, the officials say. Top advisers to John McCain privately say Palin’s recent CBS interview was a borderline disaster, especially since it played out in several segments over several days. Tonight will be different, they say. Read more...

If she is going to win keeping Joe Biden on the defense is the best tactic. It would fluster him and make him prone to his most notable feature, gaffing. But,I don't expect a blow out either way.

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Check back for updated information on the debate. Good luck to Sarah Palin and Joe Biden both. Give us a good one!

-CT

"Happy Hunting!"

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Dumbowit Failure on Thursday. Could They Be This Stupid?

Pundit,




I gave CT the day off, he has been reading so much his eyes are buggin' out of his head and it was making him come up with all sorts of wild ideas. Well, I was more than obliged to pick up this post for Palin, the VPILF. I liked CT's little conspiracy theory about Schmidt, chief McCain campaign strategist, being a diabolical madman. Schmidt, according to CT, has Palin locked up in a cage and feedin' her raw meat and gunpowder, getting her mean for the debate.

Little off the wall CT, I must say. But here is a clown from the LA Times, Andrew Malcolm, that might agree with CT, just a little.

The upcoming downside for the Obama-Biden campaign is that its supporters became so flustered over Palin's surprisingly explosive popularity coming out of the GOP convention. They have so successfully mocked, derided and lowered expectations for Palin in Thursday night's VP debate that if she doesn't drool or speak in tongues, many millions still open to persuasion will be impressed. [1]

Well, Obamination definitely has a rep for thinking he can walk on water, especially when he is winning. Which according to the last Gallup as Ras. he is doing quite handily. But, the Dumbowits have made the exact mistake CT was talking about before, courtesy of Rove, the evil genius bent on world domination.

Al Gore's campaign made the exact same mistake going into the 2000 debates. So all Texas Gov. George W. Bush had to do was not lose. [1]

Looking at what this clown is saying, maybe my little brain child was close to right. Of course I am just an ignorant peasant so I agree with anything that sounds good. Malcom finsihed off his theory about Palin with this then went on about her parents.

In that sense, Democrats may have played right into a PR cul-de-sac. Biden, for instance, described Palin as merely better-looking than him. A far better communications strategy would have been to insincerely portray Palin with superlatives as a superwoman, making it harder, not easier, for her to impress. Too late now. [1]

I don't think CT got it all right about Schmidt having this great plan. I think that the McCain camp screwed up by being over protective of Palin and now realizes it. The lady is talented, not to mention hot, and to keep her leashed up is a sin. He also got it right about Obambi and his mindless minions being over confident. They might have played into McCain's hands with Palin, but I don't think it was by design, as CT thinks. One other thing that is more important, even if CT and Malcolm are correct, is that the Left has to be wrong about Palin and she has to deliver. No amount of over confidence or Biden making an ass out of himself with help her with that. Guess we will know the truth in a few days, can't wait!


-OmegaPundit

"The last word on everything."


[1] How Democrats set Sarah Palin up to 'win' Thursday's VP debate

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Sun Tsu Cain and the Art of VP Debating

CT

At first I was not going to write this post, because quite frankly what I was thinking made no sense to me. Then thumbing through some old reading material I came across the Art of War, by mythical general, Sun Tsu. A particular quote jumped out at me, Sun Tsu speaking about strategic assessments, "A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective."

I have been puzzled by the shielding that Governor Palin has been receiving from the media by the McCain camp. After Dick Cheney was annouced as the Republican Vice President candidate he did five interviews in his first week. Palin has done three in about three weeks. Why? Was the Left correct about her being a boob and incompetent? Maybe they were right about her experience and intelligence level, this didn't make sense either.

This woman successfully ran against a very corrupt and somewhat powerful Republican establishment in Alaska and won. She managed a budget of some $11.7 billion and negotiated a very lucrative deal for a natural gas pipeline when no one else could. Bill Clinton has stated that he sees in her a great deal of "political intuition." Or maybe he just thinks she is hot, I dunno, it is Bubba we are talking about. Jokes aside, the evidence of her talent as well as her pragmatism and intelligence is there, she seemingly has it. Not to mention she scares the hell out of the Left.

I am only able to draw two conclusions, because of the media onslaught against her, maybe the McCain camp is purposefully protecting her and her family. Keeping her on message, with talking points and not allowing her to get into her feelings on matters and if this is what they are doing it is a grave mistake. Or, they are a little smarter than I am giving them credit for.

There is one other possibility and it is a very enormous stretch and maybe even hard to believe. Taking into account what Sun Tsu wrote on strategic assessment, could this be what the McCain camp is trying to accomplish? They are notorious risk takers, but those risks are always calculated, not rash. Sometimes they work out better than others, but they are usually successful. McCain's camp has twice been on the ropes and twice has comeback. So, why not?

By sequestering Palin and having her appear as naive and inexperienced in an interview is risky for perceptions sake. But it gives her distinct advantages she will need going against a masterdebator, yes that is a joke, like Joe Biden. First, interviews that are given prior to debates are used to gain insight into tactics and strategy, like a football team or a boxer uses. They can gain you and idea of how your opponent might play in a certain situation. Secondly, Steve Schmidt is a student of Karl Rove and Rove is notorious for using deception and feints in his political strategies. Thirdly, it would possibly make the Obama camp become over confident before the debate.

With that in mind, the Obama camp is known for dropping their guard when they think they have victory in their hands and whining when losing. Right now, advantage Obama, the stage is set for his victory. If they form a certain strategy for Palin and she comes out with something totally different I do not think Biden could handle it and would certainly be prone to losing his temper and gaffing up a storm. That would ensure a Palin victory which would definitely reignite McCain in the final stretch as well as keep Obama off base in the upcoming debates.

I realize there are alot of "ifs" with this hypothesis and it may be way off base. But, just in case I am right, I wanted to be able to put my name in the, "I told you so category." If I am wrong then I get the, "You are a moron category." One, I am sure that Opie would love to see me in.

CT

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Debating the Debate

CT

Well the debate is over, the dust has settled, and the results from both sides are in. We will look at two websites from each corner of the ring and then try to and make an assesment on how this will effect the election.

First the Libs, from my favorite bunch of socialist loonies, the KosKids.

A lot of pundits and commenters and some Diarists are abuzz over why John McCain didn't look at Barack Obama even once during the debate Friday night.

Rude, say some. Arrogant, say some. Condescending and contemptuous, say others. Passive-aggressive outrage, say still others, a lack of eye contact meant as an insult to Obama - not a planned insult, but because McCain is just that kind of person who can't bear to think of others as equals, who was pissed off that this other person was even allowed on the same stage as him - a king, having to mingle with the commoners.

Probably, to some extent, all true. But none of those counts as the real reason.
The real reason is that every time Barack Obama says "...when I am President," John McCain knows in his heart that this will soon be true [1]

Arrogant, ccondescending, and contemptuous? Uuuuh, guys there was a debate on tonight. Maybe in between reciting mantras from the Communist Manifesto they could have realized their attention was required so they could have given some good socialist interpretation of events as they unfolded. Highly disappointing guys, you are getting fat and overbloated.

Fire Dog Lake did much better. They, unlike the National Enquirer..oops...I mean the Kos, at least tried to give some analysis.

McCain controlled the debate tonight. He came off as a brittle, grumpy, mean-spirited old coot, but on the economy -- which should have been Obama's strong suit -- McCain managed to divert the conversation to tax cuts and kept Obama off the kitchen table issues where he excels [2]

The good news? Well, McCain sounded bitter and looked hunched over and mean. He wasn't likeable, and most of the Monday morning quarterbacks on my teevee seemed to agree. Obama can definitely recover in the next debate -- he didn't have any kind of a major falter. [2]

Second article,

McCain might have arguably done a better technical job of debating and the transcript may look like a victory for him, but he came across horribly: brittle, old, condescending and downright mean. You wouldn't want to have beer with this guy, that's for sure. [2]

Now, on to their Conservative counterparts. First up, Michelled Malkin,

I’m giving it to McCain — and you know I’m a tough grader on him.

He was slow out of the gate — a broken record on earmarks and spending — but Obama failed to turn the bailout debacle against him. McCain hit his stride in the second half, schooling Obama on counterinsurgency, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia.

McCain made no major soundbite-able gaffes. It was more a matter of a few missed opportunities for McCain than the commission of any major errors. Major omission of the night from McCain: Did he say a single word in defense of conservative principles and free-market economics? [3]

From Powerline,

Both campaigns have furiously spun last night's debate, and "who won" polls tell us nothing, so far, except about the readership of the web site or publication sponsoring the poll. Clearly neither candidate made a major blunder that has become a news story in itself, so the issue comes down to one of impression: which candidate made more sense and looked more Presidential to the majority of undecided voters. My guess is that by holding his own, Obama helped himself with a lot of fence-sitters. [4]

The reactions gauged are mostly typical of what you would expect from the supporters of each candidate, except for Powerline. That is the one I tend to agree with, for the most part.

John McCain won, no doubt about it, but it was not a "slam dunk." Stunningly, he almost did better on the economy than foreign policy, not that his display of international affairs was weak. But, McCain being the grizzled veteran in this arena was expected to hand Obama his ass. Mac did not deliver in that category.

McCain had more to lose than his weaker opponent, all Obama had to do was dance around the issues and in lawyerly fashion that is exactly what he did. There were minor moments when one candidate got the better of the other. But there were no definitive moments of substance that actually defined them positively or negatively.

So, the final analysis coming out of this is; McCain won but advantage Obama.

CT

[1] Daily Kos
[2] FireDogLake
[3] Michelle Malkin
[4] Powerline

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Rabid Intellectualism and Sarah Palin

CT

In a scathing review of Sarah Palin and elitism,presented in his piece When Atheists Attack, Sam Harris has exemplified all of the flaws of the intellectual movement from contradictions, short sightedness, to a platitudinal attitude towards most “ordinary” people.

Starting his diatribe off, Harris says, “The point is that she (Palin) comes to us, seeking the second most important job in the world, without any intellectual training relevant to the challenges and responsibilities that await her.” What are the exact intellectual requirements for the job of Vice President, or for that matter, President? I would like the criteria. Realistically, there is no amount of education, training, or experience that can get you ready for the enormity of these jobs. What you can judge is the experience of the life that person has had and what potential do they bring to the table.

Interestingly enough, by his argument, Harris automatically disqualified Obama from seeking the Presidency. Obama is a lawyer, by trade, a legislator; he does not fit the intellectual mold for being President. He does, however, fit the intellectual requirement for a Senator. Palin, on the other hand, is an executive officer by trade, a decision maker. The only difference between the two is that Obama is running for the office that requires the greatest need for experience as a decision maker, experience he does not have, and Palin is running for 2nd in command.

Another point that is quizzical is Harris’s angst, in existentialist terms, towards the electorates’ support of Palin. Harris states, “The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin's lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country.” As noted above, if Palin is an exercise in mediocrity I would not even venture to think what the Obama candidacy is.

Ironically, while trying to make a point about Palin’s supposed dogmatic beliefs, Harris contradicts himself on his accusation of her mediocrity and half of America’s love affair with it. “It is easy to see what many people, women especially, admire about Sarah Palin. Here is a mother of five who can see the bright side of having a child with Down syndrome and still find the time and energy to govern the state of Alaska.” So, on one hand, it is wrong to admire and support her but, on the other, you can see why people admire and support, her. Which is it? The other point of contention is that this is a direct contributor to her intellectual capacity to govern, she is a multi-tasker and generalist, able to shift gears at a moments notice. As, Vice President, or maybe even President one day, she will be required to take on different responsibilities at the drop of a hat, she has already proven her capacity to do this successfully.

Harris also seems obsessed with presenting evidence that paints Palin as some sort of religious zealot and nut, teetering on the brink of insanity. Harris states, “I care even more about the many things Palin thinks she knows but doesn't: like her conviction that the Biblical God consciously directs world events.” He draws this ridiculous conclusion based on this particular statement, “that our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God; that's what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan.” One of the greatest men in US history made a similar quote as Sarah Palin, “.Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.” That man was George Washington.

Closing out Harris asks this very poignant question, “Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence.”

Every example that Harris has made is one which requires a specific area of talent or study. The office of POTUS deals with a myriad of issues ranging from economics, national security, infrastructure, cultural issues, science, technology, and everything in between. I do not want an intelligent specific elitist running this country, I want a pragmatic generalist, which Palin actually might be. I want someone who is familiar with all the issues but has enough common sense to know when they might need the opinion of a particular expert in that field. In other words, I want a leader.

CT

[1] When Atheists Attack

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Governor Sarah Palin is No Reformer...What is She Then?

CT

What we have been hearing from the MSM and the Left is that John McCain and Sarah Palin are liars, especially when it comes to Sarah Palin's record on fiscal reform. Most notably the infamous, "Bridge to Nowhere" and earmarks. Do they have a point or is this a partisan attack? The problem is neither side is offering anything more than surface evidence to back up their claims, that is just annoying. Well here is some sound evidence you decide. First, "The Bridge to Nowhere."

Palin had this to say while running for governor in September 2006, Palin assured the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce she was all for the bridge. “The money that’s been appropriated for the project, it should remain available for a link, an access process as we continue to evaluate the scope and just how best to just get this done,” Palin said then, according to a story in the Ketchikan Daily News. “This link is a commitment to help Ketchikan expand its access, to help this community prosper.” PoliFacts.com

October of 2006, Palin was asked directly, “Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?” Her answer: “Yes. I would like to see Alaska’s infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now — while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.” PoliFacts.com

Palin took over as governor in December 2006. "In February 2007 her proposed state budget didn't include state funding for the Ketchikan bridge. A spokesman noted that Palin's proposed capital budget focused on projects that could draw federal money, too. At that point, according to the Ketchikan Daily News, the cost of the bridge had risen $67-million and former Gov. Frank Murkowski had recommended putting $195-million in the state budget for Ketchikan's bridge." PoliFacts.com

This was from a September 2007 article which appeared in the Anchorage Daily News "Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," Gov. Sarah Palin said in a prepared statement. "

This was taken from Anchorage Daily News concerning confusion about her stance, "One year later, Ketchikan's Republican leaders said they were blindsided by Palin's decision to pull the plug. "

Here is something that is very interesting. "Congress eventually removed the earmark language but the money still went to Alaska, leaving it up to the administration of then-Gov. Frank Murkowski to decide whether to go ahead with the bridges or spend the money on something else." Anchorage Daily News

This brings up two points of contention for me. Congress still gave the money to Alaska even after the upheaval the bridge caused, essentially they left it up to the state of Alaska to decide what to so with the money. Congress fulfills the role of Pontius Pilate in this one. They give the money to Alaska but the earmark language is removed, Alaska still gets the money for the bridge, and if they build it Congress can claim no responsibility in the matter.

Secondly, if this statement is true it would explain why Palin blindsided them by not going through with the bridge project. The money was allocated, Alaska had the choice, and Congress was protected. But, inevitably she did not. Reason, the bridge was getting over bloated to about $400,000,000. Now, here is something else that I came across.

This is also from the Anchorage Daily News, "Local leaders shouldn't have been surprised when Palin announced she was turning to less-costly alternatives, Leighow said. Indeed, Leighow produced a report quoting Palin, late in the governor's race, indicating she would also consider alternatives to a bridge." Funny, you aren't hearing about this.

Now onto her record on earmarks and fiscal responsibility. It is common knowledge that Alaska is first in the Federal dollars spent in the state versus federal dollars it returns in the form of taxes. per captia. Although, Alaska is only 44th in the nation for the amount of federal expenditures it receives as of FY 2005. AAAS Palin has claimed to be against earmarks and wasteful government spending.

Earmarks: "For the 2007 federal budget year, the administration of former Gov. Frank Murkowski submitted 63 earmark requests totaling $350 million, Palin's staff said. That slid to 52 earmarks valued at $256 million in Palin's first year. This year, the governor's office asked the delegation to help them land 31 earmarks valued at $197 million." Anchorage Daily News

But the Citizens Against Government Waste tells a little bit different tale. (2005) Alaska again led the nation with $985 per capita ($646 million), or 30 times the national pork average of $33. 2005 Pig Book Summary (2008) Alaska led the nation with $556 per capita ($380 million). 2008 Pig Book Summary

Now, this is not just earmarks, this is total federal expenditures including grants etc. The total savings to Alaska, since Plain entered office, is a difference of $266,000,000 totally, with a $197,000,000 savings just in earmarks alone. Still a ways to go, but some remarkable improvement.

Budget: This was taken from the Anchorage Daily News concerning the FY 2008 Capital budget. "Gov. Sarah Palin cut $268 million from the capital budget on Friday. That's a lot of money, but still less than 10 percent of the entire $3 billion capital budget."

In my opinion Palin is no reformer. She is, as Fred Barnes put in his Weekly Standard article, a pragmatist. Again, this is my take on her. She did quite a bit of good in her 20 months a Governor of Alaska and has displayed a willingness to go against the system and try to improve it, despite the controversy. From her time as mayor of Wasilla to Governor of Alaska there has been an interesting development of pragmatism and growth, both politically and personally.

CT

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Obamania, Palinmania, it's all still mania.

CT

One of the worries I have about the election, as of late, is the flip flopping going on. I don't mean on positions, either. It is the flip flopping on perception by the American public concerning Palin. This is not an admonishment of her or me saying I have found something in her past that I just cannot get over, it is a critique of all of us, the voters.

First most people were so wrapped up in the Obamania, frothing at the mouth for the center piece of "Change," most acted like 2nd rate wrestling fans. Then everyone started getting glib, save his most ardent supporters, about Obama when the "winds of change" started to subside and the truth started coming out.

Now, enter Sarah Palin. People have put her on a pedestal so far they are dooming her for failure if she doesn't come through on these lofty expectations. They are making her out to be a Conservative icon,which she may become one day, before she has had the chance to serve as VP. Let's look at Ronald Reagan for a moment, history and his actions painted him as the modern day cornerstone of the Conservative movement. Although he was loved and respected by many Americans, while President, I do not think the average person figured he would rise to the levels that he has ascended to. He was given a chance to succeed or fail and he succeeded. This is how we should approach Governor Palin, if we are realistic about her, she just may surprise everyone, even those on the Left.

With this in mind, I simply do not understand why it is so hard for the American public, news junkies included, to get off of the American Idol trip with our candidates. They are not gods, they are not celebrities, they are not movie stars, they are politicians and hopefully leaders. They are not to be revered and have faults, that is okay, I like knowing that they are still human. It keeps me grounded in my perceptions of them and their actions.


CT

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McCain's Shadow Weapon and It Isn't Sarahcuda.

CT

All to often we give credit, bad or good, to what we see on the surface and never investigate into the backroom dealings and power brokers who live in the shadows. Yup, this sounds ominous and foreboding, but, it is the truth. Who are the real players behind the scenes that never get credit for their contributions. Obama has David Axelrod, who takes every opportunity to run his suck on national tele. Who does McCain have?

This is a CNN article from July 11, 2007 after the McCain campaign shakeup.

Campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver announced their departures in joint statements released by the campaign.

Several sources tell CNN that McCain met with Nelson and Weaver on Monday to discuss the campaign's direction. [1]

It was on July 2, 2008 that Steve Schmidt was appointed Chief Strategist and controlling interest of the McCain campaign. Here is a little background on the "evil genius in training." Look for a particular name in his mini-bio and you will understand the evil genius reference.

Steve Schmidt is an American campaign strategist and public relations expert for the U.S. Republican Party. He specializes in political "message development and strategy".[1] A protege of Republican strategist Karl Rove, Schmidt is currently the senior campaign strategist and advisor to the 2008 Presidential campaign of Senator John McCain. [2]

Schmidt, IMHO, is the reason there has been so much of a change in the campaigning tactics and the slow erosion of the Democratic anointment to the Presidency. Schmidt, brings some big guns to the table as well as a decent resume.

On July 2, 2008, Schmidt was appointed to head up day to day operations of the McCain campaign in response to concerns that the McCain campaign was losing ground to Barack Obama. Schmidt's career highlights to date include a stint in 1998 as Communications Director for the Senate campaign of Matt Fong, chief White House strategist in charge of the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Samuel A. Alito[3] and Chief Justice John Roberts, and Counselor and spokesman for Vice President Dick Cheney. He worked on the re-election campaign for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[3] Schmidt was a member of the exclusive "breakfast club" led by top White House adviser Karl Rove that ran President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004. [2]

This man knows how to campaign and take calculated risks. That is painfully evident by the chancy pick of Sarah Palin, which is proving to be wildly successful. Schmidt may have come in the game very late, but, he is making up for lost ground with the speed of an gold medal winning sprinter. He has changed McCain's campaign message 180 degrees, has revitalized McCain's maverick image, and most of all brought Sarah Palin on board. He is truly a genius of Rovian proportions. Axelrod, who?


CT

PS Just a little something for Karl. If the Republicans win and after the dust settles, the Left might figure it out that Karl Rove, via Steve Schmidt, got the better of them one more time. I am sure they will cry foul.

[1] McCain's Top Political Strategists Forced Out
[2] Steve Schmidt

Edit: Not sure why I missed putting July 11, 2008 instead of 2007 for the article date from CNN, but I overlooked it in the edit. I apologize and would like to thank Barbara Schmidt, do not know if she is related to Steve, for pointing out my error. But it has been corrected.

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Oprah and Sarah: Is Oprah Snubbing Her?

C.T.

Is Oprah snubbing Sarah Palin? First off, let me state this; As Conservatives we have to remember that our philosophies are not just inclusive to people who are Conservatives or vote GOP. Echoing Senator McCain's, "Country First." At the end of the day we are all Americans and our Conservative views about liberty and individual freedoms apply to everyone, not just a select few.

Now, my opinion will probably be a lightening rod but you have to be objective about this. First off, Oprah is a hard core capitalist, I like that about her. I despise her political views and opinions, but that is a non-issue. Secondly, it is her right as a business owner to have whomever she wants to have on her show. Thirdly, trying to force her to have Sarah Palin on is a violation of my beliefs. Remember, the show is hers and is fueled by her viewers, if they want Sarah Palin on then I would suggest to Oprah, have her on. If she doesn't it would be an idiotic business move driven by political ideology, but, that is Oprah's financial choice and right as the controlling interest of Harpo Productions, not ours. If she wants the perception of fairness, one week have Senator Obama on then the next week have Governor Palin on. In the end, it is her right not to have her on, but, it is your right not to watch.

C.T.

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Palin Fact Check about Fiscal Conservatism

C.T.

Okay, let's look at the facts about Governor Palin in a realistic non-partisan view. Difficult with all the partisan rhetoric floating about, but not impossible. You have to be cognitive not emotional, like everyone, including myself, has been about Governor Palin. Let's start with the claims about her being a fiscal reformer. We are going to whom I consider the experts on fiscal reform, conservatism, and small government, CATO and the Libertarians. (No Brookings or Heritage on this one.)

Let's start with the "Bridge to Nowhere," first.

Palin has come under fire for supporting the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Ketchikan before she was against it. Aides said the cost of the bridge soared from $223 million to almost $400 million, prompting her to consider alternatives. [1]

My opinion of this assessment is that her support of the Bridge, at first, is a semantic that is being made into the main issue. If you want to claim a difference in ideological motivation go right ahead, but, it still does not change the end result that she blocked it because of wasteful and unnecessary spending. But because of her support and justifiable ideological criticism from Libertarians, I will give her a "B" on this one.

At best, Palin has been a convert on earmarks (and perhaps not a full convert). As governor of Alaska, she has requested 31 earmarks worth $197.8 million for next year, according to indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens’ website, the Los Angeles Times reported. As mayor of Wasilla, Palin regularly traveled to Washington to request earmarks. The city obtained funding for several projects, including a bus depot ($600,000) and a water and sewer project ($1.5 million), according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. [1]

On this I do not like the earmark requests for her city, but what I do like is what she did with it, infrastructure. People are missing the concept on being a "fiscal reformer." It doesn't mean you will never accept money from the Federal government, it means you will eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse. It means you will only accept money for or request what your constituents need and use that funding responsibly. Also, by the mainstream Libertarian philosophy the Federal government should only be involved in three areas, 1)National Security 2) Enforcement of Common Law 3) Infrastructure. To me this qualifies for the last. I will giver her a "B" again because of some ideological considerations.

She slashed her salary and cut property taxes by 40 percent because of booming sales tax revenue from new stores. [1]

But Palin also increased the budget by spending on roads and sewers, left the town nearly $20 million in debt and raised the city sales tax by half a percent (she said the money was needed to support construction of an indoor ice rink and sports complex and a police dispatch center). [1]

Again, spending on infrastructure I have no problem with. Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisisana just depleted the state's $1.1 billion surplus on infrastructure repairs. His concern is spending money on highway and port repairs and upgrades will bring in more revenues later. This is sound free market thought applied to government. What I mean is that Governor Jindal and Governor Palin both realized that in order to attract investments you have to make your area appealing and very easy to do business in. A very important part of that is infrastructure development. No one wants to do business in a dump. I give her a "C" on this one because of the "Ice Rink to Nowhere," though.

One of her signature accomplishments as governor was a $1.5 billion tax increase on oil production, infuriating oil companies, according to The New York Times. She accused oil companies of bribing legislators to keep taxes low and, soon after, passed a $1,200 “energy rebate” to each Alaskan from the state’s budget surplus. [1]

I am against overt tax increases on any form of business, but, if the oil companies were up to the shenanigans, I do not blame her for punishing them and then returning the revenues to the people. But, this does smack a little of "stimulus package thinking." On the other hand, it could have been a symbolic gesture for protection of the individual family as well. On this one I will give her an "A-," for thinking about the little guy and gal.

I particularly agree with the phrase I have put in quotes, it sums up how Libertarians should view Palin.

Libertarians should be "cautiously optimistic" about Palin. She has shown a dogged willingness to go to war with the worst elements of the Republican Party, but her missteps on some tax and spending issues means that libertarians should aggressively pressure a McCain-Palin administration to toe the small government line. [1]

Yup, they should view her as "cautiously optimistic," she is not a Libertarian, she is a Conservative Republican. There will be differences as well as common ground. But the idea that they have to keep pressure ratcheted up on McCain and Palin to keep the government small is silly. They will keep it small, but, it will never be small enough for the Libertarians. That is alright,though,because the core of there argument is correct just not lengths they are willing to go with it.

Finally, my overall grade for Sarah Palin is a solid "B," for being a fiscal conservative and reformer. Based on the 1(A), 2(B's) and 1(C) I gave her. In my opinion the Liberal argument is worthless, they gloss over details and are nowhere near the authority on fiscal responsibility, then again neither are the Republicans these days. She fits the old school Conservative Republican and even the Libertarian mold for a fiscal conservative and a reformer. Back in the
80's she would have been just another run of the mill typical Conservative (This is not a bad thing at all). Now she is super star because there are very few like her.

C.T.

Edit: Did a little more research into the Plain Earmark controversy and low and behold, the boys at Q&O, a Neo-Libertarian website, as usual come through with some amazing information.This is an response to an editorial that appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on (March 2, 2008). Her response (March 5, 2008) on earmarks. The article.

This year, we have requested 31 earmarks, down from 54 in 2007. Of
these, 27 involve continuing or previous appropriations and four are new requests. The total dollar amount of these requests has been reduced from approximately $550 million in the previous year to just less than $200 million. [2]

Bam! Halved earmarks in one year. Sarah, you just got yourself an "A" on fiscal reform. Cause this kid can admit when he didn't have all the facts.

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Obama Blitz, Effective Weakness

C.T.

With all the media blitz against Governor Palin and John McCain a few things have been seriously overlooked as weaknesses on the part of the Left. I am left to wonder why the McCain camp has not exploited them.

1) The first is the Obama has seemingly invoked the "nuclear option" with Palin. What I mean is that the effectiveness of Obama's speech diminished within almost 12 hours of it presentation. Palin stole the headlines and continues to, even though most of the press is negative. This put the Obama camp into a precarious situation where they had to fire off in a vicious rapid succession, through the MSM, their own camp, and Liberal attack dogs such as the KOS. Whether they were effective cannot be measured on a day to day basis, but in weeks, and whether they shot the wad or not still remains to be seen.

2) The position that Palin is not the one running for President has already been made. But no one has even made mention of why the Democratic Presidential nominee is constantly being compared to the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee. That right there shows the weakness of experience an character on the part of Obama as a viable candidate. His resume pales in comparison to McCain and therefore he has to relegate his attacks on the experience issue to Palin.

3) Concentrating on the experience issue, no one has even bothered to bring up the fact, what if something happens to Joe Biden while Obama is in office? The gap he supposedly fills in Obama's resume re-opens. Then there is the point that it is not the Vice President's job to "fill in gaps" on the President's resume. The nominee for President should be a generalist and have all the boxes checked. I do realize that some areas on a candidates resume will be stronger than others, but there shouldn't be a gap as big as the Grand Canyon, like Obama has. Palin is not serving in this capacity to McCain, the Veep job is one you can have some OJT, not the Office of President.

4) Everyone in the Left Brain Drain Media has opted to make the "burden of proof" lie with Governor Palin on all of these issues and lies brought up by the Left's bloggers. There has been little to no admonishment of the Kos or even anything that resembles an apology being issued publicly. The issue of the KOS has been conveniently glossed over and we are expected to forget about it. To bring this issue to the forefront, the Palins should sue the KOS for libel. Even if they decided to drop the charges, it would generate a lot of publicity to keep the issue alive and well.

Unfortunately, we all want results right away. But, the effects of the horrible and irresponsible media blitz against Palin and her family remains to be seen. They will have either Quayleified her, thus negating her effectiveness to the ticket. Made her a sympathetic victim, this could bring some votes but probably not enough to shift the outcome in favor of McCain. Finally, depending on how she holds up could be the deal maker or breaker. If she stays tough, she and McCain sould have it. This is the best outcome for McCain/Palin, it will show she is ready for the national and international stage and categorically display her ability to maintain her poise while under serious scrutiny and fire. That would be a real vote grabber.

C.T.

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Unborn Palin: The Real Power Broker in Election 08'

C.T.

Yup, strange title, I agree. This is theory, hypothesis, and conjecture, not to mention opinion. But, if the Left continues this attack on Sarah Palin, Bristol Palin, Trig Palin, and Britstol's unborn child it could spell devastation for the Obama campaign if this hits the national level harder. If you look at three of the names presented as victims in this potential onslaught, they are all under eighteen and two of them cannot defend themselves, at all. It could potentially galvanize and give the Right something to rally its base, which really has already happened, Hillary supporters, and females in general to the McCain/Palin camp.

Philosophically, it fits great if the Right wants to go on the offensive with the Libs (Obama). With abortion being such a hot potato topic it is perfect that the Left would use Bristol's out of wedlock pregnancy as a weapon against Palin's credentials. Therefore, they are going after Bristol Palin's unborn child. As noted above the consequences for the Left could be devastating. That is why I say, potentially, this unborn little one is the real power broker in the election. Couldn't think of a better person to bring down Obamarama.

C.T.

PS I do know that the child's last name will not be Palin. Since I do not know the father's last name I am simply using Bristol Palin's name until it can be corrected.

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