Here at BMEWS I’ll figure out some way to amp up the Palin Points. Somehow ...

Posted by Drew458     on 09/02/2008 at 02:36 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics • Republicans •  
• Comments (5) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Monday - September 01, 2008

Nice ride

Oh, and the story behind that Harley is pretty great too! Go Elks!

Palin fixation? Who, me?



sorry boys, this one is ‘shopped

GET ME OUT OF HERE ...

Posted by Drew458     on 09/01/2008 at 07:02 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy • Republicans •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Sunday - August 31, 2008

JUST FOR FUN …………. CAPTIONS ANYONE?

From this morning’s Sunday Telegraph

http://tinyurl.com/myqtl

Posted by Drew458     on 08/31/2008 at 10:49 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics • Republicans • UK •  
• Comments (5) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Friday - August 29, 2008

McCain Picks Palin for VP

Republican White House hopeful John McCain on Friday named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, U.S. media reported.  Fox and CNN said that campaign sources confirmed the surprise choice of Palin, 44, just minutes away from the start of a rally here where the Republican will make the official announcement.  The choice of Palin was seen as a bold effort by McCain to attract disgruntled Democratic and independent supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by Barack Obama in the race to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Palin, a telegenic conservative, has led the oil-producing northwestern US state since December 2006 and was the first woman and youngest person to hold that state’s top job.  Known as an anticorruption crusader, Palin studied journalism and is on the conservative wing of her party. A married mother of five, she is an opponent of abortion rights, a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), and supporter of a pipeline to move natural gas across her sprawling state.

Palin is also an avid hunter, angler and reportedly enjoys tucking into a moose-burger.

If McCain were elected in the November 4 presidential election, the choice of Palin as a running mate would make her the first woman vice president in the United States.

Palin, 44, who’s in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state’s top political job.

She catapulted to the post with a strong reputation as a political outsider, forged during her stint in local politics. She was mayor and a council member of the small town of Wasilla and was chairman of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s oil and gas resources, in 2003 and 2004.

Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.

Palin has focused on energy and natural resources policy during her short stint in office, and she is known for her support of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position opposed by McCain but supported by many grass-roots Republicans.

Palin started Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office, an oversight and maintenance agency for the state’s oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure. She created the Climate Change Subcabinet that would forge a climate change strategy, according to the biography.

Palin chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate panel “that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment,” the biography says.

The governor’s biography says Palin’s other priorities have been ”education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.”

The biography touts her other achievements as governor as the investment of $5 billion in state savings, overhaul of educational funding and implementation of a program to help low-income elderly Alaskans. Born in Idaho, she is a longtime Alaskan and a Protestant.

Her husband is Todd Palin, an oil production operator on Alaska’s North Slope. They have five children, including a son who enlisted in the Army last year.

Congressional Quarterly notes Sarah Palin’s other past occupations, including commercial fishing company owner, outdoor recreational equipment company owner and sports reporter.

John McCain will introduce Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate at an event here at noon Friday.  Palin is considered a rising star in the Republican Party. She is the state’s first female governor, the mother of five — and at 44 is its youngest chief executive.

She grew up in Wasilla, just outside of Anchorage, and played on the Wasilla state championship girls’ basketball team. She was crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984 and was a runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant.

Palin studied journalism and political science at the University of Idaho and graduated in 1987. She eloped with her high school boyfriend, Todd Palin, in 1988 to save money on an expensive wedding. She helped out in her husband’s family commercial fishing business and appeared occasionally as a television sportscaster.

Palin won a seat on the Wasilla City Council in 1992 as a new face and a new voice, and by opposing tax increases. Four years later she was elected mayor at 32 by knocking off a three-term incumbent. At the end of her second term, party leaders encouraged her to enter the 2002 race for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Against veteran legislators with far more experience, Palin finished second by fewer than 2,000 votes, making a name for herself in statewide politics. She was elected Alaska’s youngest and first woman governor in 2006.

Sarah and Todd Palin have five children: boys Track, 19, and Trig, 4 months, and daughters Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, and Piper, 7. Track Palin joined the Army last September and will deploy to Iraq on Sept. 11. Palin had kept her pregnancy with Trig a secret as she worked in the governor’s mansion, confirming only weeks before the birth that she was going to have a son who she knew would have Down syndrome. She returned to work in April three days after giving birth.

So she’s an intelligent, photogenic go-getter, pro-2A, anti-abortion, in favor of lower taxes, who successfully made ethical reforms for government while being in favor of energy independence achieved with green means. Not part of the entrenched Old Boys Network, plus has a son in the military. Actually makes an effort to improve things for the poor and elderly. Supports businesses large and small, and actually has experience doing hard physical work. Doesn’t sound like she’s an elitist at all. Plus she’s married to a somewhat hunky he-man oil worker and has a nice looking family. Looks to me like she pushes a whole lot of the right buttons on both sides of the aisle. Almost sounds like the GOP ticket is on backwards, doesn’t it?

Oh, and Rush made the call ... way back in February.

UPDATE: Here’s a list of links of the things Sarah Palin stands for and has accomplished. Response time is rather slow ... I think the Alaska Governor’s Office server is a bit overwhelmed right now.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/29/2008 at 10:38 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics • Republicans •  
• Comments (30) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Wednesday - August 27, 2008

Bobby Jindal is no fool

Unlike his predecessor, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal went ahead and declared a state of emergency for his state before hurricane Gustav arrives. Just in case, you know. Four or more days before the storm might even arrive.

Tropical Storm Gustav’s impending arrival in the Gulf of Mexico, potentially as a major hurricane, has prompted Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to declare an emergency for the state.
“We are going to hope for the best, but we’re preparing for the worst,” Jindal said Wednesday.

The move puts Louisiana in position to receive federal disaster assistance. Jindal also said 3,000 National Guard members will be deployed to vulnerable areas in Louisiana on Thursday to assist with securing shelters and preparing for possible evacuations.

Jindal cited forecasts that Gustav, which killed 22 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week, could become a Category 3 hurricane in the coming days and hit the Gulf Coast by late Monday morning.

I wonder if he’s making sure the school buses are all tuned up and ready to go?

Alluding to Katrina’s disastrous aftermath, Jindal said Louisiana is “better prepared than before” and has hundreds of buses and thousands of shelter beds lined up in preparation for another storm.

He urged residents to fill up their cars, stockpile three days’ worth of food and water, and refill prescriptions in case evacuations become necessary.

The state has requested a “pre-landfall” declaration from President Bush, asking the federal government to release personnel, ambulances and other assistance to prepare for the storm.

Still, Jindal stressed that “our people also have personal responsibility” to prepare for the storm.

Damn, I guess he is!

Mayor Ray Nagin said he planned to cut short his trip to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, to return to New Orleans by Wednesday night.

Is that idiot still around? Oy vey. Well Ray-ray, get out your sack and start packing up yo chocolate, it soon be steppin time agin.

I read through almost the whole article and didn’t see any mention of what political party Jindal might belong too ... and you know what that means!

Jindal is scheduled to speak next week at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, but he said Tuesday that he’ll change his plans if the storm warrants it.

“As long as there’s a chance that we’ll be in this storm’s path, I’ll be here in Louisiana,” he said. “I’m going to make sure I’m here personally to help lead the preparation efforts and, if necessary, any recovery efforts that are necessary after the fact.”

Yup, there ya go. Preparedness, responsibility, a usable plan, some pro-active measures ... sounds like a Republican to me. Let’s hope the storm clobbers central Mexico instead.

Posted by Drew458     on 08/27/2008 at 09:08 PM   
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather • Republicans •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Friday - July 18, 2008

Cry baby quits after speaking the truth

“We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline,” the former Texas senator said, “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession.”

A day after making the comments, Gramm said he was referring to America’s leaders, not the public. He stood behind the “mental recession” comment, though, saying, “we don’t have measured negative growth. That’s a fact; that’s not a commentary.”

McCain responded that day to the comments saying during a campaign stop: “I believe that the person here in Michigan who just lost his job isn’t suffering from a mental recession. I believe the mother here in Michigan or around America who’s trying to get enough money to educate their children isn’t whining.”

Hey old man! Yeah you, McShame. Never heard of loyalty? Never heard of context? Pussy little shit bird.

The correct response to the dems and the media is “What, are you stuck on stupid? This is the greatest country in the world, the greatest country that’s ever been, and our citizens enjoy the highest standards of living, employment, freedom, security, and opportunity in the world. And while it’s always a good thing to try and make things even better, there are an awful lot of people who take that for granted. People who feel put upon because they only have 2 cars, 3 TV sets, a riding lawnmower and a lawn to ride it on, so much food that half of the country is overweight, secure banks they can safely keep their money in, etc.  Get some perspective already.  More than half the world goes to bed hungry, and lives hardly any better than their ancestors did 5000 years ago. That’s terrible, and those people have real complaints. America isn’t perfect, but we are a young country and we’re making progress all the time. Complaining that this isn’t utopia is whining. America has not lost its competitive edge and we are not in decline. Saying so because you can’t get what you want the very instant you want it is whining. And it’s not the same as an honest complaint. Or a real grievance that needs redress. And it’s not the same as crying out for help because life has turned against you. And if you can’t tell the difference without my laying out a dozen examples, you really are stuck on stupid.”

And the next day, when your boy Phil tries to cover and says he was referring to government leaders, you give them both barrels: chapter AND verse of all the moronic statements, bills, beliefs, belligerent actions and genuinely un-American behaviors of the Democrats. A mere 300 to 400 examples should do. Again, that’s called loyalty. That’s being a stand up guy, and that’s being a good politician who can fight on his feet. Characteristics we want in a leader, by the way. Turn lemons into lemonade and bitch slap your opponents with the rinds at the same time.

Instead Numero Juan plays the cowardly Obama Bus-Toss game. What a coprolite. Way to take the fight to the enemy there, Mr. Navy. Fight? Oh, no, no, we can’t have that. This has to be the padded kid gloves campaign, each finger lined with seasonally shed chinchilla fur. No criticism, no conflicts, no vigor, no strength, no loyalty. Son of a bitch. I mean, I expect Obama to act like a gutless pouting little fancy nancy, because he is one. But Mr. War Hero? No. Ach, crivens, tohellwivit!

Don’t worry, I’m not letting Philby off either. Ever hear of taking one for the team Phildo Dildo? Did you ever stop and think that letting the dems and the press gang up on you for a while takes the heat off your guy? After all your centuries in government you can’t beat off this attack, or just ignore it, or find some way to shift the blame? Gosh, so glad we elected you, tough guy. What, about 38 times, wasn’t it?

In a written statement released Friday, Gramm said his comments had become a distraction for McCain. 

“It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country,” Gramm said. “That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain’s ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country’s problems, it hurts the country.”

Nonsense. Tell the press to take a hike. Tell the dems to get a life. Ask yourself, WWDCD? (what would Dick Cheney do?), and act accordingly. With one finger on each hand. Man up. For goodness sake, you quit/got fired because these jokers were complaining about a remark you made that said they were complaining. Well, duh, hello?

Posted by Drew458     on 07/18/2008 at 10:38 PM   
Filed Under: • Republicans •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Thursday - June 19, 2008

Happy Juneteenth!

UPDATE: The vast majority of this post has been REDACTED. What I posted was, I thought, an email sent to me. Apparently the author, MICHAEL ZAK is most adamant about not having more than a single sentence of his work pasted up anywhere else. His blog recieves perhaps 100 hits a day, and I have now been told in no uncertain terms TWICE not to use more than a single sentence of his stuff. This time I was instructed to make these corrections WITHIN THE HOUR. Plus instructions to permalink to his website, instructions to link to Amazon for his book, instructions to display a picture of his book, etc. Becuase he gets 100 hits a day thank you, and people pay him money to come and talk about the history of the Republican Party. Really. Who? And why?

I don’t think there will be any more History of the GOP posts. And I think that’s all I’ll say for now. And no, I won’t be bothering to do a review on his book. It’s nearly a decade out of date anyway.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/19/2008 at 06:24 PM   
Filed Under: • History • Republicans •  
• Comments (5) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Sunday - June 15, 2008

Today in GOP History

Some interesting things in there too, as little factoids.

Do you know who hillbillies really are? I didn’t. Everybody knows that during the Civil War the southern soldier was ubiquitously called “Johnny Reb”, the same way a British soldier was Tommy Atkins during WWI. But less widely known is that “Johnny Reb” was fighting “Billy Yank”. And that the “northern” and “southern” attitudes were not universal; New York City was strongly “reb”, and parts of the south - many parts of the south - were pro-Union. As an aside, this often got people killed; 44 folks in Texas were hung from the same tree at one time for their loyalty to the union. Texas Governor Sam Houston was kicked out of office for opposiing secession. There were Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi regiments in the Union Army during the war. So things weren’t exactly homogenous. And one place they weren’t was up in the mountains of Appalachia, in the border states. So the Billy Yanks who lived up in the hills ... were hillbillies. I did not know that. Course, that was long before NASCAR.

Let me get another few days of reading done on this one, and I’ll put up a review. No question that this is a history book, but it is a good bit more interesting than what we got in school.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/15/2008 at 04:56 PM   
Filed Under: • History • Republicans •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Friday - June 13, 2008

Today in GOP History

What, the Democrats have a guy running for President, and he’s half black? Shucks, that ain’t nothing.
The Republicans had that one beat ... 80 years ago!

Senator Charles Curtis (R-KS), Vice President under Herbert Hoover, was 3/4 Native Amercian, and grew up on a reservation. Read a little bit more about it. Curtis was the first, and so far the only “non-european” to get elected to one of the Top Two positions in DC. Go here, and read a lot more about him.

When Curtis was a Senator, he and fellow Kansas Congressman, Republican Daniel Anthony, Jr, introduced the first attempt at an Equal Rights Ammendment. In 1923.

Curtis is also the guy who invented the five day work week, as a way to reduce unemployment at the beginning of the Great Depression.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/13/2008 at 01:04 PM   
Filed Under: • History • Republicans •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Wednesday - June 11, 2008

Today in GOP History

On this day in 1924, Henry Lincoln Johnson, a prominent African-American lawyer, led the Georgia delegation at the Republican National Convention. Read the rest at Grand Old Partisan.

Well, imagine that. A black man. From Georgia. In 1924, the height of the second Klan era. Who’da thunk it?

Michael Zak, author of Grand Old Partisan, also has a book out on the history of the GOP. I have a copy on order, and I’ll do a review once it gets here. But if you like where he’s going, you could order your own copy anyway ....

You can find out a bit more about Henry here, and about his wife, the rather famous poet Georgia Douglas Johnson, over here.

UPDATE: Even more history. Today is the day that Alabama Governor George Wallace, Democrat, in 1963, blocked the doorway to the University of Alabama to keep black students from registering. Thanks again to Grand Old Partisan for reminding us.

If you are too young to remember, or a product of government schools that neglected to tell you that Wallace was the Dixiest of Dixiecrat Democrats, here’s a link to more info.

Forty Five years ago today, Alabama Gov. George Wallace stood at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in a symbolic attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling at the school. The drama of the nation’s division over desegregation came sharply into focus that June day. NPR’s Debbie Elliott reports.

It was the same year that civil rights marchers had been turned back with police dogs and fire hoses in Birmingham, Ala. { ya’ll remember Democrat Bull Connor, don’cha?} The year began with Wallace vowing “segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever” in his inaugural speech.

So when a federal judge { Drew458 - Republican judge Johnson, whom we mentioned the other day } ordered Malone and Hood be admitted to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa that summer, Wallace had the perfect opportunity to fulfill his pledge, Elliott reports.

the incident catapulted the governor into the national spotlight and he went on to make four runs at the presidency.

* that’s because they’ve seen the light and done been uplifted.

In October 1996, the George Wallace Family Foundation selected (Vivian Malone) Jones to be the first recipient of its Lurleen B. Wallace Award of Courage. Jet (28 October 1996) reported a meeting between Jones and Wallace in Montgomery prior to the ceremony, at which the former governor apologized. At the ceremony, Wallace said, “Vivian Malone Jones was at the center of the fight over states’ rights and conducted herself with grace, strength and, above all, courage.”

Wallace’s son, George Jr., later called Jones “a true American hero.”

So you can understand why they all went crazy when Obama got the nomination. Because it was all about the content of his character, not the color of his skin. Riiiiight. Guilt projection much?

Posted by Drew458     on 06/11/2008 at 12:05 PM   
Filed Under: • Republicans •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Monday - June 09, 2008

Today In GOP History

On this day in 1964, Everett Dirksen (R-IL), the Republican Leader in the U.S. Senate, condemned the
Democrats’ 57-day filibuster against the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Leading the Democrats in their opposition to civil rights for African-Americans was Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). Byrd, who got into politics as a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan, spoke against the bill for fourteen straight hours. Democrats still call Robert Byrd “the conscience of the Senate.”

In his speech, Senator Dirksen called on the Democrats to end their filibuster and accept racial equality.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/09/2008 at 01:13 PM   
Filed Under: • History • Republicans •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(1)  Permalink •  

   Saturday - June 07, 2008

McCain: Yes, I am a Dork

What, you thought he was a RadioHead fan? Metallica? Just be glad his campaign staff hid all his Pat Boone records.

Ok, I have to admit, I’m pretty sure all the ABBA albums were around my house when I was growing up. And if you’re over 40, you probably know the words to every single one of their tunes. Every one. Ok, except for the 2 songs that didn’t hit #1. But. You. Know. ALL. The. Words. to the rest of them.

So maybe we should give old McC some props for admitting what the rest of us try so hard to hide?

*** to get to The McCain Report, go to the John McCain website, then click on the News & Media pulldown. Select News. When the page comes up, head all the way to the bottom and click on the banner that says

Otherwise you won’t find it. Because it turns out that there are actually two blogs on his website; the Blog pulldown takes you to the other one.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/07/2008 at 08:08 PM   
Filed Under: • Republicans •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Wednesday - May 07, 2008

Congrats to Jenna

I guess I’ve been living under a rock. Not only did I not know Jenna Bush was getting married, this Saturday!!, I didn’t even know she was engaged. Heck, I didn’t even know she was dating anybody. But you know what? I’m kind of glad I didn’t know, because it’s really none of my business. I’m glad that someone in the billion watt glare of the media spotlight has been able to actually live a bit of a normal life.

Aww, isn’t he just so squeaky clean looking? So young, so innocent. I haven’t the slightest idea who Jenna Bush is. I don’t know a thing about her. But she photographs well, and somehow I thought she’d go more for the bad boys. Guess I’m a dope, and her parents raised her better than that. Well done then, Ms. Bush. No Britney or Paris she be. Good.

(AP) Talk about hush-hush wedding planning. First daughter Jenna Bush was the last in the family to know she was getting married.

Months ago, her fiance, Henry Hager, told Jenna’s twin sister that he wanted to propose. Then at the Camp David presidential retreat, Hager asked President Bush and first lady Laura Bush for their daughter’s hand in marriage.

For weeks, the president and Mrs. Bush kept their lips zipped.

Then on Aug. 15, 2007, Hager rousted Jenna at 4 a.m. to go hiking on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine. “It was freezing,” Jenna recalled. “But we got up, and we hiked in the dark for an hour and a half, and then when we got towards the top - with the sunrise - he asked me.”

Officially, the wedding is a private, family affair. The White House has issued no press releases, but the president and first lady have gradually dribbled out details about the nuptials Saturday at their 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Here’s the lowdown: Jenna, 26, will wear an Oscar de la Renta gown with a small train. More than 200 friends and relatives will attend the outdoor ceremony with dinner and dancing. A tent is being erected at the Western White House. The bride has 14 attendants, who are known not as bridesmaids, but members of the “house party.” Barbara Bush, Jenna’s twin, is the maid of honor. She helped Hager make decisions about the ring. The diamond, a Hager family heirloom, was reset in a ring that also features sapphires.

On Monday, the president disclosed that Jenna will say “I do” near a lake at the ranch - in front of a giant cross made of Texas limestone that will serve as an altar. The cross will be a landmark at the ranch for years to come. The president said that was his contribution to the wedding that the Bushes are trying to keep a low-key affair.

Jenna, the 22nd child of a president to marry while their fathers were in office, has come a ways from her dad’s first year in office when she had a run-in with the Texas law for underage drinking. It was her second offense. Then, during her father’s re-election campaign in 2004, she was photographed sticking her tongue out at the media at a campaign stop in Missouri. The widely circulated photo reinforced the playful side of her personality.

The groom, son of the head of the Republican Party in Virginia, met Jenna during her father’s 2004 re-election campaign. Hager, who graduated from Wake Forest University, worked as an aide to Bush’s former top political adviser Karl Rove and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. Hager, who will turn 30 the day before the wedding, is set to receive a master’s degree in business administration later this month from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

After the wedding, the couple plans to live in a two-bedroom, two-bath town house on the south side of Baltimore where she plans to return to teaching and he will work for Constellation Energy, a power supplier based in Maryland.

Jenna’s mother said Monday that she’s not nervous - and the president isn’t, either.

“I’m very, very excited,” the first lady told reporters. “It’s a very interesting passage of life when you get to that time in your life when your child - first child is getting married. And we’re getting, for us, our first son.”

Wow, a simple affair in Crawford, with a mere 14 attendants. Well I hope it’s a heckuva party, and the young couple get off to a perfect life together. Aide to Karl Rove ... yeah boy, I betcha Henry is a power player in the making. Cool.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/07/2008 at 07:35 PM   
Filed Under: • News-Briefs • Republicans •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Tuesday - May 06, 2008

Is Newt’s Plan 2 little 2 late?

I got this in my email this morning, as I’m sure many of you did:

My Plea to Republicans: It’s Time for Real Change to Avoid Real Disaster
by Newt Gingrich (more by this author)
Posted 05/06/2008 ET
Updated 05/06/2008 ET

The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November.  The facts are clear and compelling. Saturday’s loss was in a district that President Bush carried by 19 percentage points in 2004 and that the Republicans have held since 1975.  This defeat follows on the loss of Speaker Hastert’s seat in Illinois. That seat had been held by a Republican for 76 years with the single exception of the 1974 Watergate election when the Democrats held it for one term. That same seat had been carried by President Bush 55-44% in 2004.


Two GOP Losses That Validate a National Pattern

These two special elections validate a national polling pattern that is bad news for Republicans. According to a New York Times/CBS Poll, Americans disapprove of the President’s job performance by 63 to 28 (and he has been below 40% job approval since December 2006, the longest such period for any president in the history of polling).  A separate New York Times/CBS Poll shows that a full 81 percent of Americans believe the economy is on the wrong track. The current generic ballot for Congress according to the NY Times/CBS poll is 50 to 32 in favor of the Democrats. That is an 18-point margin, reminiscent of the depths of the Watergate disaster.


Congressional Republicans Can’t Take Comfort in McCain’s Poll Numbers

Senator McCain is currently running ahead of the Republican congressional ballot by about 16 percentage points. But there are two reasons that this extraordinary personal achievement should not comfort congressional Republicans.

First, McCain’s lead is a sign of the gap between the McCain brand of independence and the GOP brand. No regular Republican would be tying or slightly beating the Democratic candidates in this atmosphere. It is a sign of how much McCain is a non-traditional Republican that he is sustaining his personal popularity despite his party’s collapse.

Second, there is a grave danger for the McCain campaign that if the generic ballot stays at only 32 % for the GOP it will ultimately outweigh McCain’s personal appeal and drag his candidacy into defeat.


The Anti-Obama, Anti-Wright, and Anti-Clinton GOP Model Has Been Tested—And It Failed

The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti- Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail.
This model has already been tested with disastrous results. In 2006, there were six incumbent Republican Senators who had plenty of money, the advantage of incumbency, and traditionally successful consultants. But the voters in all six states had adopted a simple position: “Not you.” No matter what the GOP Senators attacked their opponents with, the voters shrugged off the attacks and returned to, “Not you.” The danger for House and Senate Republicans in 2008 is that the voters will say, “Not the Republicans.”


Republicans Have Lost the Advantage on Every Single-Issue Poll

A February Washington Post poll shows that Republicans have lost the advantage to the Democrats on which party can handle an issue better—on every single topic.  Americans now believe that Democrats can handle the deficit better (52 to 31), taxes better (48 to 40) and even terrorism better (44 to 37). This is a catastrophic collapse of trust in Republicans built up over three generations on the deficit, two generations on taxes, and two generations on national security.


House Republicans Should Call an Emergency, Members-Only Conference

Faced with these election results, the House Republicans should hold an emergency members-only meeting. At the meeting, they should pose this stark choice: Real change or certain defeat. If a majority of the House Republicans vote for real change, they should instruct Republican Leader John Boehner and his team to come back with a new plan by the Wednesday before the Memorial Day recess. This plan should involve real change in legislative, communications, and campaign strategy and involve immediate, real action, including a complete overhaul of the Congressional Campaign Committee. The House Republican Conference would then vote for the plan or insist on its revision.

If a majority of the House Republicans are opposed to acting then the minority who are activists should establish a parallel organization dedicated to real change. This group should focus its energies on creating the changes necessary to survive despite a conference with a minority mindset that accepts defeat rather than fights for real change (which is what we had when I entered Congress in 1978).



Nine Acts of Real Change That Could Restore the GOP Brand

Here are nine acts of real change that would begin to rebuild the American people’s confidence that Republicans share their values, understand their worries, and are prepared to act instead of just talk. The Republicans in Congress could get a start on all nine this week if they had the will to do so.

• 1. Repeal the gas tax for the summer, and pay for the repeal by cutting domestic discretionary spending so that the transportation infrastructure trust fund would not be hurt. At a time when, according to The Hill newspaper, Senator Clinton is asking for $2.3billion in earmarks, it should be possible for Republicans to establish a “government spending versus your pocketbook” fight over cutting the gas tax that would resonate with most Americans. Lower taxes and less government spending should be a battle cry most taxpayers and all conservatives could rally behind.


• 2. Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market. That oil would lower the price of gasoline an extra 5 to 6 cents per gallon, and its sale would lower the deficit.


• 3. Introduce a “more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill” as a replacement for the Warner-Lieberman “tax and trade” bill which is coming to the floor of the Senate in the next few weeks (see my newsletter next week for an outline of a solid pro-economy, pro-national security, pro-environment energy bill). When the American people realize how much the current energy prices are actually a “politicians’ energy crisis” they will demand real change in our policies.


• 4. Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009. The American people are fed up with politicians spending their money. They currently believe both parties are equally bad. This is a real opportunity to show the difference.


• 5. Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically. The recent announcement that the Census Bureau could not build an effective hand-held computer for $1.3 billion and is turning instead to 600,000 temporary workers to do a paper and pencil census in 2010 is an opportunity to slash its budget, shrink its bureaucracy, and turn to entrepreneurial internet-based companies to build an information-age census. This is an absurdity that cries out for bold, decisive reform (see my YouTube video “FedEx versus federal bureaucracy” for an example of what I mean).


• 6. Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. The problems of the Federal Aviation Administration are symptoms of a union-dominated bureaucracy resisting change. If we implemented a space-based GPS-style air traffic system we would get 40% more air travel with one-half the bureaucrats. The union has stopped 200,000,000 passengers from enjoying more reliable air travel to protect 7,000 obsolete jobs. This real change would allow the millions of frustrated travelers to have champions in congress trying to help them get places better, safer, faster.


• 7. Declare English the official language of government. This real change is supported by 87% of the American people including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Latinos. It is an issue of national unity that brings Americans together in a red, white, and blue majority.


• 8. Protect the workers’ right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people against the union power structure.


• 9. Remind Americans that judges matter. Senate Republicans should mount an ongoing fight (including a filibuster of other activities if necessary) to get the American people to realize that liberals want to block all current judicial appointments in order to maximize the number of left wing radical judges they can appoint if they win the White House. This issue has three advantages. It reminds people that judges matter and that a leftwing radical Supreme Court would be bad for the values of most (70 to 90 percent, depending on the issue) Americans. It shows the Democrats are not engaged in fair play. It arouses the activism of those who have been disappointed by Republicans and have forgotten how bad a liberal Democratic Presidency would be.

What Is at Stake
No Republicans should kid themselves. It’s time to face up to a stark choice.  Without change we could face a catastrophic election this fall.  Without change the Republican Party in the House could revert to the permanent minority status it had from 1930 to 1994.  Without change, the majorities of Americans who support the Republican principle of smaller, more efficient, smarter and fairer government will be in for a rude awakening.  It’s time for real change to avoid a real disaster.


The “May Day Massacre”: Can Liberals Govern in a Global Economy?

Despite the poor outlook for conservatives in our elections this November, there is encouraging news from across the Atlantic. The conservative wave sweeping Europe hit England last week when the liberal Labor Party suffered its worst local election results in 40 years.

Boris Johnson became the first Conservative Party member elected mayor of London when he defeated Labour candidate “Red” Ken Livingstone. In contests for more than 4,000 local seats across England, Conservatives captured 44 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for the Liberal Democrats and just 24 percent for Labour.

This Conservative victory in England comes on the heels of a history-making rout of the Communists and the Greens in parliamentary elections Italy two weeks ago. And the Italian results follow center-right victories in France (Sarkozy) and Germany (Merkel). The countries of so-called “old” Europe are turning away from the liberal high tax, big government policies that have crippled their economies and are turning toward pro-growth, pro-competitive center-right solutions.

All of which raises the question: Can the Left successfully govern in a modern, global economy? The voters of Europe seem to be saying no.



Your friend,

Newt Gingrich

I like Newt. He’s smart, well spoken, and pretty much fearless. And it’s always so much fun to watch him bitch-slap Alan Colmes around whenever he appears on Fox’s Hannity & Colmes show. Human Events dot Com sends out these Letters From Newt every week or so, and they all follow a similar format: Gloom & Doom, followed by I Have Some Ideas, followed by But There Is Hope. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It gets your attention and makes for a good read. But I’m wondering if what Mr. G. is proposing here isn’t much more than a suggestion to pick the low hanging fruit a day before the whole crop spoils. This letter tastes like a wake up call for GOP politicians to Make It Look Like You’re Doing Something when what we really need is politicians who are actually Doing Something. Better yet, we need politicians who are Doing The Right Thing, Always.

Repeal the Gas Tax for the summer: Well, WTH, why not? Federal revenues are already much higher than projections, so why not scale them back a bit? But it’s low hanging fruit. Why not eliminate federal tax on fuels forever?

Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market: This one you have to look at very carefully. He is not saying we should empty the national reserve, only stop putting more in for the time being. Putting more oil on the US market will ease the supply a tiny bit, which will keep the prices from escalating so fast. Is there enough oil going into the national reserve so that a redirection would cause a “glut” on the national market, enough to drop prices? I don’t know, but every gallon helps, right? But this is also low hanging fruit. The bold move would be to overturn idiotic enviromental laws - easy to do if you label the ‘gas crisis’ a National Emergency - and get some drilling and pipeline building going. Yes it would make for a big old fight in DC. So what? You want to push it to the limit? Put the question to the American people in November as a national referendum. But spend the summer battling it out in Congress, and whip your press monkeys into getting the word out - the right word - each and every day. That’s a lot of work, but it’s work that needs to be done. DO IT. More nukes, more drilling, more refineries. Toss the greenies a sop or two and fund a wind farm and a solar farm somewhere. That’s money down the hole, but in the grand scheme of things it won’t amount to much. Add the Exploit Our Resources plank to the GOP platform and nail it down good and hard.

Introduce a new bill to replace another new bill: Um, whatever. Isn’t this how Washington works anyway? Maybe Newt’s bill is better than the Warner-Lieberman bill. Duh, how can it not be, seeing who the authors of the other one are? But if you just substitute one dreary bit of paper for another, nobody is going to notice. Get the word out, get the word out, get the word out. Most people don’t have a clue about which bill says what, and even those of us that make the effort to look them up have a hard time reading them. GovSpeak is a very hard language for outsiders to understand.

Establish and earmark moritorium for one year: One year? Geez Louise, talk about low hanging fruit; this apple is sitting on the ground already. How about Eliminate Earmarks Forever? How about Total Transparency For Earmarks? How about changing the culture in DC from all the reps trying to steal as much of the pie as they can to hand it over to their lobbying masters, to a much better and far more patriotic culture of sweating bullets trying to figure out the right thing to do, then doing it, and getting rid of all the bullshit?

Overhaul the Census: Ok, why not? This $1.3 billion failure to develop a handheld computer is an embarassment, when every mid-size or larger store in America already has such devices for taking inventory. And what is the census if not an inventory of the citizens? I’d bet the solution could be as simple as a single piece of paper with some bar codes on it that reflect race, age, income bracket or whatever the Census folks feel the need to collect. And old Newt is missing the point here I think. Just who would be using that hand held computer if not the 600,000 temporary workers who will be executing the Census? Um, duh? Or did I misunderstand this one? But it does point out the fact that even the more obscure branches of the government are spending huge amounts of money, often to no avail. We’re not getting that $1.3 billion back. It’s already been spent on a fruitless (sorry) attempt to re-invent the wheel. Again.

Fix the FAA air traffic control system: Um, sure. But I think Newt has put on his rusty armor, saddled up old Rozinante, and is aiming at the local air powered grain grinders. Updating the ancient air control computers has been an issue for, what, 20 years now? Would GPS work? Yes but. What happens if a plane’s transponder fails? What about the little planes or the older ones that don’t have GPS? How is this going to identify and track enemy aircraft, or hijacked aircraft that have turned their transponders off, like on 9-11? What’s wrong with actual radar? The military has radar systems that can track and analyze incoming mortar rounds, and a mortar round is about the size of a loaf of bread. Surely that level of tech could be scaled up and integrated to make a much better system? And honestly, what’s wrong with having a few thousand air traffic controllers, at least as backup for the computer system? I want them around, especially if Microsoft has a hand in any new software design. Blue Screen of Death and a forced reboot is not acceptable here, not ever. But this is another Newt example of a relatively small scale fix of another often overlooked part of the overwhelming octopus of government. It’s an expensive fix too, but some kind of overhaul is desperately needed. I think that’s his point: DO SOMETHING. And let the people know you’re doing it.

Declare English the national language: Hey Newt, national referndum time again. But it will pass with at least 85% of the vote. Get the word out, especially about the cost savings. And they’ll be legion.

Protect the Worker’s Right to a secret ballot: Huh? What? Oh, I remember. This is the bit about people in a business voting on whether they want a union or not, right? And the Dems are in bed with the unions (what else is new?) who want such a vote out in the open. Low hanging fruit. Secret ballot will always sell to the American people, but you have to get the right word out: look how the Dems want to take away even more of your privacy, what would the next Presidential election be like if they got their way on this one? Again, it’s his call to Congress to Look Like You’re Doing Something Right. But it’s a call that’s really needed. This bunch hasn’t got a damned thing done it seems, and they’ve got the lowest approval rating of any Congress ever. Lowest. Ever. Half the approval rating that Bush has. Half!! Both sides of the aisle.

Remind Americans That Judges Matter: Well, no shir shitlock. But there’s a problem here. The Dems have been blocking judicial nominations for 7 1/2 years now, and now you want to do something about it? Yes, it’s a good idea. But finally doing it now, right at the edge of the electional abyss, might just backfire. The time to do it was Day 1 and every day since then. And get the word out that you were doing so. Funny how the Dems could block these nominations even back in 2002 when the GOP had majorities in both Houses and held the Oval Office. If you shout about this now people will only be reminded of how bloody spineless and useless this crowd has been for the past nearly 8 years. It’s a great idea, but you’re going to have to take your licks on this one, because up to now y’all get a great big FAIL for your efforts.

Without change, the majorities of Americans who support the Republican principle of smaller, more efficient, smarter and fairer government will be in for a rude awakening.

Newt, we’re awake and we’ve been awake. And after watching your buddies turn into pork covered fat ass Socialists for these past years we’re feeling very rude.  You’ve got an uphill battle here, trying to get this crew to turn over a new leaf in a believable way. Hell, you need to turn over the whole damn tree. And to do that you’ll have to uproot it. Seeing as how your main man McCain, who now HAS to be seen as the voice of the party, is perceived as little more than an angry mainstream Democrat at best, you’re going to have to do more than come up with a handful of milksop ideas that make it look like the GOP folks are getting things done. Because most of us are having a damn hard time even believing that they’re even Republicans. And an even harder time believing that they’re at all effective.

My advice is to vote them all out at the primary level. Get rid of every incumbent GOP Congressweasel and Senacritter and vote for the new guy IF he’s running on a real Conservative platform. And if your party is merely backing the incumbent because they’re the incumbent, then that chump is going to be out in the cold. Sorry. But most of us don’t see a difference any more between the RINOS in office who act like Democrats, and the Democrats vying to replace them. Too Little Too Late Newt. Maybe we’re cutting off our nose to spite our face, but the current “leadership” has got to go. You’ve had two full years since the 2006 debacle to figure this out and I don’t see that happening. So buh bye. It’s really hard to believe the Dems could be any worse, though they will be. So it’s downhill either way, which is why an unknown empty suit named Obama is doing so well with his empty message of Change. Because ANYTHING seems to be better than what your cronies have given us. ANYTHING. Picking a couple apples out of the mud and calling yourselves farmers isn’t going to wash. Real Change, Smart Change, Real Fast, Right Now. Or else you’re all history.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/06/2008 at 09:23 AM   
Filed Under: • Republicans •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner