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Monday, November 03, 2008

Hello Cleveland!

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 11:29 AM

Obama just said he is in Ohio (he's in Florida)...

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Monday, November 03, 2008

The Democratic Agenda

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 10:13 AM

If Obama does win tomorrow, the Democrats will be pushing through an unbridled liberal agenda in the next Congress.

Democrats are giddy with excitement, but there's an internal debate within the Democratic Party about how far to push an Obama Administration. Obama has not laid out any official 100-day plan, but has campaigned on ending the war on Iraq, increasing taxes to give the middle class a tax cut and investing millions into alternative energy and infrastructure. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will naturally have plans of their own. At this point Democratic leadership is unsure if they should use their political capital early to pass something big like universal health care or to focus on smaller measures to avoid any immediate backlash. Obama would certainly be able to negotiate with them, but Pelosi and Reid are the ones who schedule votes.

Here is what's tentatively on deck, most of which are items the Democrats have unsuccessfully pushed for since they were ushered into power in 2006.

-End the war in Iraq, by cutting funding and/or mandating a date certain for withdrawal.
-Universal health care. A less ambitious alternative could be an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program
-Another stimulus package
-Legislation ironically titled The Freedom of Choice Act, to eliminate the secret ballot process required to unionize, therefore making it easier for unions to organize. This is informally "card check."
-Legislation to increase subsidies for alternative energy and decrease energy consumption
-Increase taxation on the rich and capital gains to reduce taxes on the "middle class"
-Increase funding for stem cell research
-Increase funding for higher education

Update: One of our commenters points out that I missed amnesty and cap and trade. Duly noted. If John McCain wins, the Dems will probably tee up those two items first since he supports them, too.

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Monday, November 03, 2008

What's Hot Monday?

Posted by: Townhall.com Staff at 9:35 AM

What are the most popular stories around the web this morning? Townhall does the surfing so you don't have to.

ABC News: Not Just Economy and Bush; Palin Trouble For McCain

Wall Street Journal: McCain's Honor

Politico: The Repudiation of Karl rove

US News & World Report: John McCain, POW:First-Person Account

Time Magazine: A Long Campaign, and a Changed Obama

Houston Chronicle: Turning a Nightmare Into a Dream

Philadelphia Inquirer: Democratic Era Coming? Possibly Not

Los Angeles Times:5 Found Dead Near the 405 in Long Beach

CNN: Def Jam Exec Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot

Slate: If Obama Loses, Who Gets Blamed?

Chicago Tribune: Your Guide to the Obama Grant Park Rally

New York Post: Great Sex Before Long Lockup

Newsweek: But Words Will Never Hurt Me

FOX News: U.S. Navy Intercepts Ballistic Missile Shot From Hawaii Base

New York Times: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Boston Globe: Palin Takes Prank Call from Fake French President

                On Townhall.com
                Burt Prelutsky:America's Last Will and Testament
                Mike S. Adams:A Downright Mean Country
                George Will:All Shall Not Be Lost
                Bill O'Reilly:The Fear Factor

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Monday, November 03, 2008

The Future of the GOP: 5 Predictions...

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:32 AM

While I am hopeful John McCain can pull this out tomorrow, it is never too early to begin thinking about the future of the Republican Party. Even if McCain wins, the GOP faces an identity crisis. But in crisis, there is opportunity.

Following are my five predictions for how we get the GOP back on track:

1. Republican politicians will make a comeback. The GOP bench, going forward, will be deep.  It will include Romney and Huckabee (who have both been through a primary campaign), Sarah Palin (who has now been through a general election), and Bobby Jindal (who will have experience as both a congressman and as a governor). 2010 also offers opportunities. For example, we may have a Pennsylvania governor Pat Toomey! And don't forget Michelle Bachmann in MN... Growing young new conservative leaders is key, and in that regard, the future is bright.

2. Republicans will study how the Democrats re-built themselves after the 2004 elections. Post-2004, a few things happened: Howard Dean became Chairman and implemented a 50-state strategy, Daily Kos and MoveOn became more prominent, "insider" consultants like Carville and Begala became less important, "moderate" writers like Peter Bienart lost credibility, etc. ... Republicans will study the '94 Revolution, as well as the Democrats' turn-around, and replicate many of the changes (which I outline below)...

3.   Republicans will elect a Powerful New GOP Chairman. While there are some very good state chairman out there -- Katon Dawson (SC), Tina Benkiser (TX), and Saul Anuzis (MI) come to mind -- my money is on picking someone who already has a large national profile, this time around. How about Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, or Fred Thompson? The new GOP Chairman will be the de facto face of the GOP, so it stands to reason we need someone with the stature, the intellect, and charisma to make some dramatic changes.

4. As the Peggy Noonans of the world continue to age (and become more and more out-of-touch), a new generation of conservative writers and bloggers will replace them, in print and on TV. New media will replace both the consultant world and the media world.  In short, new media will replace the Bob Shrums and the Bob Novaks.

5. There will be an even starker difference between Republicans and Democrats. The NRCC and NRSC will replace their moderate Chairmen. Likewise, there will most likely be a new House Minority Leader in the future (is Speaker Cantor that far away???). Also, assuming Republicans lose some senate seats, we should at least take solace in the fact that these are mostly moderate seats. While we never want to lose Republican votes -- especially because of the importance of Supreme Court picks -- there is an up-side to being able to regain the GOP brand. Meanwhile, the Dems (who could potentially control the Executive and Legislative branches) will predictably over-reach and show themselves to be too liberal for the nation.

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Monday, November 03, 2008

McCain Returns to NH

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 8:48 AM

Townhall's John Hanlon attended last night's New Hampshire townhall. The above photo was taken by his dad. John emailed me this report late last night:

Peterborough, NH: This evening, Arizona Senator John S. McCain held his last New Hampshire town hall meeting in a place of special significance to him. The Peterborough Town Hall (where the event was held) was also the location of the last New Hampshire town hall meeting in the 2000 and 2008 primaries, held right before McCain went on to win those battles.

Tonight, McCain, hoping to replicate his previous successes in New Hampshire, held his last town hall meeting in that same location, hoping that New Hampshire would give the Arizona Senator its four electoral votes, a victory that could tip the presidential election in his direction.

Tonight's town hall meeting featured speeches by New Hampshire senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu (who is running for re-election this year in a hotly-contested battle). The meeting also featured speeches by Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and hopeful first lady-to-be Cindy McCain.

At the town hall meeting, McCain asked for the support of New Hampshire voters and as usual, he answered questions from the audience. The topics of the question and answer session included voter fraud (and the infamous registration of that mouse named Mickey), financial aid and McCain's controversial stance on comprehensive immigration reform. One audience member garnered a standing ovation when after noting that, although he was early in saying it, he addressed Senator McCain as "Mr. President."

In less than fifty hours, we will see if New Hampshire is able to help make that possible title a reality.

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Monday, November 03, 2008

PA GOP Airs Wright Ad

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 7:23 AM

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

God Bless John Ripley

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 10:29 PM

All American hero and Retired Marine Col. John Ripley passed away today.

Ripley was given a grave "hold and die" order during the 1972 Easter Offensive to blow up a pair enemy bridges by crawling under them and rigging up to 500 pounds worth of bomb materials to bring them down. He did this in part by hand crawling, monkey bar style, under the bridges while carrying the heavy bomb equipment.

His brave feat helped stop 200 tanks from rolling in South Vietnam and miraculously, he lived to tell the tale.

Ripley recounted his mission for the U.S. Naval Institute in the clip below. God bless you, Col. Ripley! Hoorah!

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Martinez: McCain Was a 'Thorn in Bush's Side'

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 2:27 PM

On a conference call today with Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Mel Martinez, Martinez said that, having served in the Bush Admin., as well as with McCain in the Senate, he is "incredulous" over the notion that McCain is a continuation of the Bush presidency. He described this as a "terribly unfair" charge which is "too often repeated," and compared it to negative campaigning.

Martinez went on to say that McCain was, "a thorn in Bush's side," and specifically cited McCain's opposition to Rumsfeld's strategy, and his early support for the surge.

I asked Martinez a follow-up question regarding why McCain has failed to make this same point, and he implied that McCain wanted to be respectful of the President of the United States. Martinez followed-up by adding climate change and immigration into the mix as examples of McCain's independence from Bush. In addition, Martinez used these examples as further evidence that McCain is the one most likely to bring Republicans and Democrats together.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

McCain's Last Chance

Posted by: Jonathan Garthwaite at 2:12 PM

Get 62% of the undecided voters in the latest IBD/TIPP poll.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Missing Bush

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 1:47 PM

George W. Bush is not a conservative, but he is a good and decent man. Today, the NYT op-ed page asked writers to share things they will miss about Bush. It seems they will most miss his direct talk, his kindness, and his loyalty. This is largely a sincere effort, and I recommend reading it. I do believe that Bush's legacy will, in many ways, get better with age...

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

VA GOP Lit Drops Churches

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 12:00 PM

The Virginia GOP is active in Northern Virginia today. They have been lit dropping a flyer on the windshields of cars parked at churches, titled, "Vote Your Values." The piece compares and contrasts Barack Obama with John McCain.

You can view the flier here and here.

Update: I'm told this piece was likely distributed state-wide. A friend in Richmond received it, too. Also, I'm told this is the exact piece BC/'04 used. All that has been changed is the names and dates...

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Obama Will Bankrupt Coal

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 11:55 AM

Barack Obama has tried to pretend that he's a friend to clean coal, but now this San Francisco Chronicle interview resurfaces courtesy of our friends at Newsbusters.

Go ahead, build new coal plants he says. He'll just bankrupt them later through the tax code.

OBAMA: I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year. So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Retarded Uncles for Obama!

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 11:26 AM

"Get your retarded uncle. Get him to vote. Anybody you know with an arm, bring him down."-Get out the vote advice comedian Chris Rock gave to Obama supporters in Tampa Bay, Florida this weekend.

Hmmph. Mr. Rock could have at least said "Special Needs Uncle." Call me fussy, but I don't think "retarded" is appropriate surrogate speak. Even if you're a comedian.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Redistributing Wealth: An Experiment

Posted by: Katie Favazza at 10:47 AM

My brother passed along a great letter to the editor in the Chicago Tribune, and I thought it was worth sharing here:

On my way to lunch recently, I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama; I need the money." I laughed. In a restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" tie. Again I laughed. Just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came, I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Barack-Obama-redistribution-of-wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need—the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

—A. Hart, Forest Park

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Prayers

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 9:07 AM

Sen. Richard Durbin's (D.-Ill.) oldest daughter, Christine Ann Durbin, passed away this morning from complications due to a congenital heart condition.