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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Palin Punditry (Part Deux)

C.T.

Okay, I admit, I have been way wrapped up in the Palin frenzy. Nor, do I apologize for it. It was a cathartic release of years of frustration with the Republicans. If I had a dime for everytime I heard a Conservative say, "We need a darkhorse to get the GOP back on track," I would be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. For many of us we thought that it was Fred Thompson, message good, messenger, not so. (Still love yah Fred!) Then, ironically, out of the wilderness of Alaska steps Sarah Palin. But, why were so many drawn to her instantly? Realistically no one, before a week ago, knew anything about her. I had read some other bloggers and pundits saying , that she would be a great pick, not many but a few. Well, they were on to something.

But the question still remains, why are we so attracted to her? Is it because she is a very attractive woman? Her intellect? Her presence or philosophies? Her family? A little of all that, but, I think there is one more factor that plays out in this more than anything else. She is an underdog and the average American loves the underdog, especially one that fights back to win.

Americans, by nature, like a winner, but they love a winner who is not supposed to win even more. This is Sarah Palin and she was thrust into that role almost immediately. The MSM attacks on her are only going to strengthen support for her in the GOP and potentially among swing voters, Indies, and Hillary supporters. Add that to McCain's, "Country First," motto and you could have yourself a very successful campaign. Everyone might just be getting the message.

Palin seems to be someone we can identify with, especially right now. People feel the government is kicking them around and the media is lying to them. She is representative of those feelings and the more they attack and the more she fights back the more popular she will become. Sarah, if you make it don't forget where you came from, keep that attitude and the American voter will always stand by you.

C.T.

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The Best Analysis of Sarah Palin's Speech Anywhere.

C.T.

Wow!!!

C.T.

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Brain Drain Media Eating Its Own, Lol!

C.T.

Seems Peggy Noonan was the latest victim of, as Rush Limbaugh puts it, an MSM drive by. Peggy Noonan, for those of you not familiar with her, is a Conservative writer who is a columnist in the Wall Street Journal, worked for the Reagan administration, Bush I speech writer, producer at CBS, and a published author. Peggy Noonan Biography Yesterday, she was misquoted, ambushed, or whatever you want to call it, by her "colleagues" in the Brain Drain Media at MSNBC. Wow, I would have never expected anyting like this from such a reputable news outlet.

This is how Ms. Noonan relates the story in her Wall Street Column.

On air:

Wednesday afternoon, in a live MSNBC television panel hosted by NBC's political analyst Chuck Todd, and along with Republican strategist Mike Murphy,we discussed Sarah Palin's speech this evening to the Republican National Convention. I said she has to tell us in her speech who she is, what she believes, and why she's here. We spoke of Republican charges that the media has been unfair to Mrs. Palin, and I defended the view that while the media should investigate every quote and vote she's made, and look deeply into her career, it has been unjust in its treatment of her family circumstances, and deserved
criticism for this. [1]

Off air:

When the segment was over and MSNBC was in commercial, Todd, Murphy and I continued our conversation, talking about the Palin choice overall. We were speaking informally, with some passion -- and into live mics. An audio tape of that conversation was sent, how or by whom I don't know, onto the internet. [1]

What was said and its context according to Ms. Noonan:

I got on the subject of the leaders of the Republican party assuming, now, that whatever the base of the Republican party thinks is what America thinks. I made the case that this is no longer true, that party leaders seem to me stuck in the assumptions of 1988 and 1994, the assumptions that reigned when they were young and coming up. "The first lesson they learned is the one they remember," I said to Todd -- and I'm pretty certain that is a direct quote. But, I argued, that's over, those assumptions are yesterday, the party can no longer assume that its base is utterly in line with the thinking of the American people. And when I said, "It's over!" -- and I said it more than once -- that is what I was referring to. [1]

Whether this is true only Ms. Noonan knows. I must first admit I love Peggy Noonan's writing and think she is a brilliant woman. But how irresponsible is it to not know who the enemy is, when that enemy is in your midst, and above all be cautious what you say around them. MSNBC will lie, cheat, and steal this election for Barrack Obama if they are allowed to. They have many little hair brained flunkies floating out there to generate garbage and lies when given the opportunity. Jesus, they are doing to Sarah Palin, it isn't like Ms. Noonan was ignorant to that fact.

I do believe Peggy Noonan and her explanation, but, I am miffed about her lack common sense on this particular issue. She is a consummate professional and has been around these people long enough. She should know what is at stake for them if they lose, the Liberals are going nuclear on this one. If the Republicans lose this it is the malaise that you can see in Peggy. The, "Oh, I can't believe they did this to me." I am wondering if there are many more up top, in the Republican movement, who suffer from this same malady. Some evidence says, "No," while circumstances, like this one say, "Yes."

One pissed off C.T.

[1] DECLARATIONS

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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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GOP Geurilla Fighters and Insurgents

C.T.

Politics up to a month ago was down right boring. Yes, we heard the droning on about Obama and how he is NeObama( Guess that makes Biden, Borepheus.) and he is going to take down the Repub-a-matrix.

Then something interesting happened, Nancy Pelosi would not let the Congress vote to reverse its moratorium on offshore drilling. It started a little rebellion in the House by the Republican representatives. Of course, it did not get much coverage, the media shyed away from the "energy rebellion." Names like Hensarling (R-Tex), Foxx (R-NC), Stearns (R-FL), and many others started appearing and forming a little geurilla unit of pissed off Repubs. Unfortunately, they did not get much coverage or credit for it.

Then things lulled again and we were all wrapped up in Georgia getting invaded by Russia, this demanded our attention. But it started showing chinks in NeObama's armor, the big and bad national security weakness reared its ugly head once more. McCain struck hard an quick, I would think actually worrying the Obama camp for the first time since Rev. Wright. Then we got Borepheus (Biden) to counter balance that attack and that worked fairly well.

The DNC comes and goes, with NeObama giving the glowing and rhetorical speech of a lifetime. Delivered to us not from Zion, but, a cheezy 6 million dollar Greek backdrop, created by Britney Spears' stage designer. Then Sarah Palin enters and everything gets thrown on its backside.

Fiscal reformer, took on her own corrupted party and won, saved Alaskan taxpayers billions, etc.
Not exactly the person who is high on the hill with the Country-Club-Republican-Blue-Bloods. The only thing blue about Sarah Palin is her collar and that is what Joe and Josephine Six-Pack can relate to. She is an insurgent, on a state level, in her own party. A reminder of the way things used to be and could be again.

Couple her with John McCain, Maverick, start playing some Kenny Loggins, and change her call sign to Goose, sorry Sarah. She is a perfect fit for the old man, they are alike in many ways and different in some. McCain, like it or not, used to piss of the Conservative base with his constant running across the aisle to the "enemy," Palin's "enemy" was the Republican Party of Alaska. But nevertheless, McCain has led fights against pork and high taxes and that, even at times, has had him at odds with the GOP. But, both have fought their party to clean it up and now they are at the top of the heap, because of this insurgent mindset.

This is what the face of the GOP is starting to look like; McCain, Palin, Jindal, Hensarling, Coburn, DeMint, etc. Even if the GOP loses in 08' the Republican party is not dead. It was said that the Repubs needed to go back into the wilderness to find themsleves. Funny, I guess they did it in Alaska.

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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BHO Experience vs. Palin Experience for Prez: Darn, I Forgot She is Running for Veep

C.T.

Well the attacks are in, "Palin has no experience, she was only a mayor of 9,000 and a Governor for 2 years!" "You can't have her one step away from the Presidency!" "Yeah and it negates the experience issue about Barack!" Oh, really?

Actually, it doesn't. I think the Obama campaign and the MSM must really think we are a bunch of boobs. Newsflash Barry, Sarah Palin isn't running for the Presidency, John McCain is. Did the Obama camp forget about that?

Okay, so let's look at Palin; she presides over a state that encompasses 570,374 sq.mi, has a population of 670,053 people, the GDP of Alaska is $41 billion, along with the state House and Senate, she filled Alaska's coffers with an extra $5 billion dollars for FY 08, to accomplish this feat she had to reach across the aisle to Democrats as well as some bull headed Republicans, stands in command of 1,850 Alaska Army and Air National Guardsman (Small, yes, but still military.), her state is about 50 miles or more away from Russia and is bordered on the other side by Canada, so she has never dealt with a foreign nation. She understands the energy crunch and what to do about it better than anyone. She was the Chairwoman of the State's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas resources. I don't think she is qualified to even work in fast food with this resume.

Besides voting on legislation, what has Barry managed and led? Let's take a look at him...............Wow!! That was quick.

Does managing a campaign for 2 out of the 3 years you have been in office count? What about counting the Greek backdrop at the DNC as an infrastructure project? Maybe helping out the local pot dealers in Denver by attracting Moonbats to buy from them can be thought of as a community outreach program with economic implications.

Moving on.

Evidence presented, Palin has demonstrated more potential for leadership and reform in her short 2 year bid as Alaska's Governor. She has done what she said she was going to do, kept her promises, and fought hard for her constituents well being. I would even take her record as a lowly Mayor and put it up against Obama's "lengthy resume" as a US Senator. I think that alone would make her a better candidate than the whine and blame candidate.

C.T.

PS How long do you think it will take Joe "Foot-in-Mouth" Biden to say something stupid about Governor Palin? I would really love your predictions.

Edit: I just came across this via A Second Hand Conjecture and man oh man, this does not bode well for our junior Senator. Governor Palin visiting her own Guardsman in the desert. How many Senators from Illinois do this and not just for a photo-op or through prodding from a rival candidate? The more I investigate her the more I see her potential for greatness.

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Palin Punditry

C.T.

In the past 2 days I think I have changed my posts about four times. It started with the Barackopolis, to some speech I think he gave, to McCain's response to this alleged speech, to this bombshell. Boy is she a bombshell, too. Governor Palin is the epitome of everything good in the American woman; intelligent, wise, tough, successful, driven, family oriented, grounded, uber-Conservative, and not mention absolutely beautiful. I think I am in love. (As I posted on another site, I sound like a Lib swooning over Obama, oh well.) But, not only does she possess all these remarkable qualities, she can serve as a role model for young women in America today who are often so lost, not saying the guys aren't either. She shows that you can still be wildly successful, have a great family, and still be you. She shows that you do not have to abandon traditional family values and sacrifice them for success. She is the mother of five, her most recent addition has Down syndrome and has one child is serving in Iraq, a wife, she is a Governor, and a leader. She is someone to look up to. Not one article I have read on this amazing woman has even touched on this potential yet. Governor Palin goes totally against the status quo. She is not exactly what the Washington elite, both Repub and Lib, think a woman should be and the best part is she is not apologetic for it. Got to love this choice!!

C.T.

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GOP: Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome

C.T.

With the way Republicans have been the past few years I hate giving them any credit on some apparently successful actions. Usually they suffer from dementia, that has long plagued the Democrats, and end up shooting themselves in the foot.

While the Liberals/Poptards/MoonBats run amok in Denver, claiming to be healing rifts while their power players make new ones, the GOP is in a strategic mind set. They are dealing with their rifts behind closed doors and are apparently meeting in the middle, not the centrist middle, the reasonable middle.

Steve Spruiell, for the National Review, had this to say about the GOP's crafty energy policy that will be presented at the convention.

The global warming vs. climate change debate was part of the effort to find a common ground between McCain, who believes that warming is an urgent threat that requires an aggressive reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, and Republicans who are skeptical of such claims. [1]

The expected fissure between Mr. Maverick and the GOP conservatives popped up and I am sure a lot of people were thinking, " Oh great, here we go again." But, everybody took a breath and seemed to rely on their intelligence, not their emotions.

The chair and co-chair of the subcommittee told the delegates with the biggest concerns to work together on alternative language rather than file a bunch of separate amendments. “Essentially, we re-wrote the first paragraph,” says the delegate I talked to. “We decided to strike the whole thing and come up with something better.” [1]

This led to this draft being used for the climate change agenda.

The new version dropped the sentence that attributed warming to human activity. It also added a line after “measured and reasonable steps” that stated, “Any policies should be global in nature, based on sound science and technology, and should not harm the economy.” [1]

What can I say? I applaud the energy sub-committee, this little piece of semi-genius is simple and eloquent. They did not try and over complicate the message with legal rhetoric, scientific drooling, or McCainisms. This is a solid conservative way of approaching this issue.

Although not all the delegate committees were sitting around at the end of the day singing Kumbyah. Ironically, the national security group had trouble. One would think that this would be the one area where the GOP would excel and climate change would be where they falter.

Delegates were split into different subcommittees and it was in the national security meeting where members got into heated discussion surrounding the issues of amnesty and English as the official language of the United States. [2]

The debate was filled with words such as a “friendly debate” and “respectful disagreement” but it was clear that behind the friendly terminology there was real dispute among the members, especially with the thorny issue of illegal immigration. [2]

Yes they are having problems in certain areas, but they are being forward thinking about issues, how they construct their stances, and not thumbing their noses at new ideas. I found this very interesting, the GOP is listening to their voting base.

The RNC calls this platform drafting process the most transparent and open in their history. They received over 12,000 submissions from the public via YouTube addressing concerns people wanted to see in the platform. [2]

The GOP does have its challenges, but I think the overall attitude is that they are preparing for battle. Not in the traditional sense of Rovian smears, overwhelming their opponents with money, and lip service. These are the tactics that the Dems are practicing these days, and why not, it is what defeated them in 2000 and 2004. But, the playing field has changed for the GOP; they are more streamlined, they are listening, and they might be applying some good ole organic conservative thought. They seemingly, have adapted.

C.T.

[1]Cooler Heads in the GOP
[2]The RNC Meets to Draft Their Platform: Sparks Fly on the Issue of Illegal Immigration

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Obama Thuggery, Trying to Shut Down the AIP's Ad

C.T.

The Obama camp seems to be trying to smother an ad that was run by the AIP (American Issues Project) concerning Obama's notorious Ayers connection. Ben Bauers, general counsel for Obama sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding the investigation and potential prosecution of the AIP and its founder, Dallas billionaire, Harold Simmons for allegedly violating the individual aggregate contribution limits. [1]

But before you make a judgement on Obama or the AIP, you have to understand what the AIP is, what they represent, and the Obama campaign's claims against them. The American Issues Project is by their own definition:

American Issues Project is a 501(c)4 organization representing a
coalition of conservative activists committed to raising important issues that
deserve deeper examination given their impact on policy and politics. [2]

What is a 501(c)4 organization?

A 501(c)4, by definition is, "A common type of non-profit organization that can engage in lobbying or political campaigning." [3] The IRS goes a little bit deeper, take a look.

501c4s are a common type of non-profit organization that can engage in lobbying or political campaigning.

• “civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated
  exclusively for the promotion of social welfare,
  
• "or local associations of employees, the membership of which is limited to
  the employees of a designated person or persons in a particular municipality,
  
• "and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable,
  educational, or recreational purposes.” [3]

Bauer is basically making two claims against AIP 1) The group is engaged in political activities that a 501(c)(4) organization may not engage in. 2) The group, by engaging in express advocacy against Sen. Obama and engaging in no other activities, is a political committee. But it has not registered as a political committee and has not followed the rules applicable to political committees. [4]

But going back to the definition of a 501(c)4 are they really doing anything wrong?

501(c)4s can engage in political campaign activity, so long as this is consistent with the organization’s purpose and is not the organization’s primary activity. [3]

AIP is a conservative activist group, anything that the Obama camp would try to do would diametrically opposed to what this group stands for. So, opposition to the Senator's Presidential bid falls right in line with their mission statement and purpose. Also, as a 501(c)4, AIP is allowed to participate in the campaigning process which includes bringing to light viable and truthful information about the opposing candidate. If there was a lie or lies present in this ad, then it is up to the Obama camp to bring legal action against AIP in the form of a libel suit.

The second issue is whether or not the organization's prime activity is campaigning against Senator Obama. If it could proven that this was the case then they would qualify as a political committee. This would mean they are subject to FEC contribution rules that limit private donations to $5,000. Simmons, the founder of AIP, made a $2.9 million donation, which would be illegal and make him subject to prosecution. As a non-profit organization, AIP must publicly disclose all of its financial activity. Unless Mr. Bauer or the Obama camp has presented this to the DOJ (Department of Justice), this is a baseless claim. To date I have not come across anything indicating that they have this proof.

From looking at the evidence that has been presented and understanding what a 501(c)4is allowed to do, I do not see a problem. What I do see is an attempt to suppress first amendment rights on the grounds that the Obama camp has nothing to refute these claims. All that is left to assume is this is ad is working and that this baseless attack is an attempt to silence an effective assault by the Right, anyway possible.

One final note, this is not the first time the Obama campaign has used this form of legal thuggery. They were successful against the Clinton and Edwards campaigns during the primaries. [1]

C.T.

1) Obama camp: Prosecute Simmons
2) American Issues Project
3) What Is a 501c4 Organization?
4) Is the American Issues Project Breaking Campaign Finance Law?

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Obama: Please get to know me. You might like me.

C.T.

Well, the Convention of the Cult of Obamafornia is going to be underway. All the crazies, loonies, socialists, hippies, enviro-whackos, and elitists will be there for their messiah, participating in Obamania I.

What is even crazier is what ole Barry is trying to accomplish with people who have not yet made their decision. Check this out.

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama says this week's Democratic National Convention would help give voters a better "sense of who I am" -- and Obama could get some unexpected help. [1]

A sense of who I am? What in the bloody, blue, blazes has this ego maniac been trying to do for the past year and a half? I thought the convention was about, the pomp and circumstance of receiving the nomination and generating energy for your base. Maybe, someone should tell the Obaminator that this not August 07', people should already have a "sense of who you are."

Obama said Sunday he hopes those voters will conclude from the four-day convention that he is "sort of like us. He [Obama] comes from a middle-class background. He went to school on scholarships; he had to pay off student loans. He and his wife had to worry about child care." [1]

Again a little late, don't you think? Obama is campaigning in reverse. People should already have a clear picture of who you are and what you stand for. I think that is the problem for Obama. The nation is finally getting over the hype and the Hollywood style marketing blitz. Most are realizing that there is not much more there than an empty suit with some catchy speeches. Now, this is not an indicator of a loss in November, but it is showing the cracks that have developed in the Obama campaign over the past few months and how weak he really is.

C.T.

[1] Get to know me, Obama says going into convention

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