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Sunday, October 04, 2009

Praise for Hewitt, Medved & Bennett

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 12:43 PM

Steven F. Hayward has written a very smart piece in today's Washington Post, titled, "Is Conservatism Brain Dead?"

I also wanted to point out this graph:

... it is perfectly possible to conduct talk radio at a high level of seriousness, and several talkers do well at matching the quality of their shows to their intellectual pedigree. Consider Hugh Hewitt (Michigan Law School), Michael Medved (Yale Law School), William Bennett (Harvard Law and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas) -- all three of these brainiacs have popular shows on the Salem Radio Network.

Read the whole thing.

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Saturday, October 03, 2009

Ed Hubbard's Plan for Harris County, TX

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 6:28 PM

Those of you who follow this blog, know I'm interested in Texas politics. Houston (which is in Harris County) is the 4th largest city in the nation and until last November, Harris County had been the largest Red county in the country. What happens in Houston, can affect change across the country.

Ed Hubbard is currently running for Harris County GOP Chairman and has created a plan that goes beyond just party building, it goes to a concept he has termed "Renewing the American Community", in which the Republican party is a vital part of developing long term relationships in all communities and addressing the problems of those communities with more than window dressing.

During the "Rebuilding the Party" movement of this past winter, we had essentially a national discussion regarding the proper role of an RNC chairman, and I think that Hubbard brings up some interesting points regarding the role of an effective county chairman.

Though I can't claim to be an expert on Harris County, TX politics, I am keenly interested in the subject of Party leadership, especially in lieu of the recent RNC Chairman's race. As such, Hubbard's plan -- which is more detailed than most anything you normally find on a campaign website -- should be read by anyone interested in the topic. Check it out here.

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Saturday, October 03, 2009

Meet the Depressed

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 12:29 PM

... You won't find a lot of philosophical diversity on Meet the Press this week. The panel will include such conservative luminaries as David Brooks, E.J. Dionne, Rachel Maddow and Mike Murphy.

Is it asking too much to have at least one conservative fill in as the token conservative??? I suppose Brooks and Murphy are what passes for conservative in some circles, but come on. Do Brooks and Murphy really pose a philosophical counterbalance to the extreme liberal positions of Dionne and Rachel Maddow?

Aside from the lack of philosophical diversity, I have another question: Why the same faces week in and week out?

I'm quite confident I could put together a list of fifty (50) fresh and qualified conservatives who would do well in this arena. If I can do that, why can't an NBC producer???

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Friday, October 02, 2009

ACORN Eyed Sooner State

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 5:32 PM

Andrew Griffin of the blog Oklahoma Watchdog has a good post up detailing ACORN's uncovered "Power Plan" to take over Oklahoma.

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Friday, October 02, 2009

The Week in Blog: Kardashian Edition

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 4:05 PM

Eyeing 2012, Tim Pawlenty imitates McCain’s blog strategy (08:11)
Weighing T-Paw’s chances (03:39)
Conservatives turn against GOP candidate in NY special election (03:59)
Is this race worth an intra-party schism? (08:16)
Newsmax.com calls for American military coup—should we care? (06:26)
Dave to liberals: Quit wasting time being outraged by the right (05:34)

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Friday, October 02, 2009

Rush Limbaugh: "I'm too famous to be on Twitter."

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 3:55 PM

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/ontheair/media/limbaugh.jpeg

In response to a caller on his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh said, "I'm too famous to be on Twitter."

Later, though, he conceded that he frequently instant messages with friends during events such as Obama speeches -- and that the humorous content might be good for Twitter.

He ended by saying that Twitter may need him because it is currently a "vast wasteland." Ultimately, he said he would "ponder" tweeting...

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Friday, October 02, 2009

The Jack Kemp Foundation to Launch

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 11:04 AM

http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2009/0905/jack_kemp_0503.jpg

To honor the life and work of Jack Kemp, the Kemp family is planning to launch a living legacy to Jack's memory -- (a "do" tank not another "think" tank.)

As such, The Jack Kemp Foundation is set to host their kick-off event on October 21. For info about the October 21 event, click here.

Also, become a Facebook fan of The Jack Kemp Foundation here.

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Thursday, October 01, 2009

Michelle Bachmann: Crazy (or Crazy Like a Fox)?

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 7:07 PM

I was on MSNBC today discussing a statement made on the House floor by Rep. Michelle Bachmann. What made the segment of note was that my opponent, Adam Green, referred to Bachmann as "crazy" three times during the short segment ...

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Thursday, October 01, 2009

Club for Growth PAC Supports Conservative (Over GOP) Candidate

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 1:58 PM

The upcoming special election in NY-23 is a three-way Congressional race between a Democrat, a liberal Republican, and a candidate on New York's Conservative Party ticket.

The Club for Growth has decided to back the Conservative candidate. Here's the ad, which essentially argues there is no difference between the Republican and the Democrat ...

Here's the press release ...

Club PAC Launches TV, Radio Ads in NY-23

Washington – Club for Growth PAC began a $250,000 television and radio ad campaign today in the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District. The campaign follows Club PAC's recent endorsement of Doug Hoffman, a Republican running on the Conservative ticket, over liberal Republican Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens.

“At a time when 100% of House Republicans did the right thing in opposing President Obama’s big spending 'stimulus' plan that has failed to boost our economy, and a time when House and Senate Republicans have the unity and the votes needed to defeat big labor’s odious Card Check bill, it is outrageous to think that the New York Republican Party would offer up a nominee who supports the Obama/Pelosi stimulus and Card Check,” said Club President Chris Chocola. “There's hardly a distinction between the Republican and Democratic candidates in this race.”

Club PAC's television ad (seen below) will run in all three of the principle TV markets in NY-23 and asks the question, “Who's more liberal: Dede Scozzafava or Bill Owens?” In the State Assembly, Scozzafava supported Governor Paterson's massive tax-and-spend budget, while Scozzafava and Owens both support the union-backed Card Check bill and President Obama's budget-busting "stimulus" plan.

A Club PAC radio ad (available below) will also run throughout the district and focuses on Scozzafava's liberal voting record and her support of the Democratic agenda.

“Doug Hoffman offers voters an alternative to a big tax and spend Democrat and a big tax and spend Republican,” added Chocola. “On the question of which candidate in this race would consistently and strongly support policies that grow our economy, Hoffman is the only choice.”

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Thursday, October 01, 2009

Tim Pawlenty Announces “Freedom First” PAC

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:52 AM

Showing early signs of a likely presidential run, Tim Pawlenty today filed forms with the FEC to create the Freedom First political action committee.

According to a release, "The new federal PAC will offer financial support to candidates committed to putting freedom before government, and provide organizational support for Pawlenty to promote his innovative, conservative message. The new PAC will have an unprecedented approach to citizen engagement, and features a website at www.TimPawlenty.com, where supporters can add their voice to Pawlenty’s message."

Pawlenty's PAC is already supported by an impressive and distinguished list of leaders. It will be co-chaired by William H. Strong, the Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, and Vin Weber, former Minnesota congressman.

Freedom First PAC Minnesota Co-Chairs include:

Al & Cathy Annexstad, Shorewood, Minnesota
Bill Cooper, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, TCF Financial Corporation, and former Chairman of Republican Party of Minnesota.
Mark Davis, Chairman, Cambria
Megan Doyle, Founder, Hope for the City
Jeff Larson, Former CEO, 2008 MSP Host Committee and Partner, FLS Connect.
Susan Marvin, President, Marvin Windows
Tim Owens, CEO, Voyager Bank
Tom Stauber, President & owner, Edwards Sales
Bob Ulrich, Former CEO, Target

Senior advisers will include campaign veterans like Phil Musser, President of New Frontier Strategy and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association; Terry Nelson, Partner, Mercury Public Affairs and former RNC and Bush-Cheney 2004 political director; and Sara Taylor, President of BlueFront Strategies and former White House political director. Former FEC Chairman Michael Toner of Bryan Cave, LLP will serve as the PAC’s counsel.

The PAC’s communication director will be Alex Conant who most recently served as the RNC's national press secretary and senior advisor.

Pawlenty has also landed a top-notch crew of online experts.

Online strategy and outreach will be led by former Townhall blogger Patrick Ruffini and Mindy Finn -- both of the firm Engage.

Liz Mair and Patrick Hynes of Hynes Communications will handle online communications outreach. As you may recall, Hynes served as blog outreach consultant for McCain’s 2008 Presidential campaign, and Mair served as the RNC’s online communications director during 2008.

Trisha Hamm, who was previously the political director for Pawlenty’s gubernatorial campaign, will serve as the Minnesota Finance Director and Annie Kelly, who formerly served as the deputy campaign manager for Pawlenty’s campaign in 2006, will be responsible for PAC operations, and Don Stiles will serve as Treasurer.

Make no mistake, this is the kind of move one makes if they are planning on running for president. The impressive list of names included in this roll-out implies, to me, at least, Pawlenty is planning on running an aggressive and serious campaign. Moreover, the amount of online talent implies Pawlenty will be extremely formidable online.

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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Don't Stop Linkin' About Tomorrow...

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 5:03 PM

Some links you may have missed ...

When the census asks your race, Say Anything's Rob Port urges you to write in "NASCAR".

Andrew Griffin blogs that grocery store tabloid The Globe is reporting that Toby Keith is on an "enemies list," allegedly compiled by President Barack Obama.

Rachel Motte asks the question, "Is your church killing you?"

And finally, check out my recent column, "Mitt Romney's Enemies, Gearing Up for 2012 Fight" -- and then see Christopher Lorelli's take on it over at Race42012.

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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Obama Must Decide if Afghanistan is Still a War of Necessity

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:31 AM

How do you gin up support from liberals by attacking George W. Bush's war in Iraq without coming off as another effete liberal dove?

If you are Barack Obama, you simply argue that Bush picked the wrong war.

And so, Obama constantly preached that Iraq was a war of choice, while Afghanistan is a war of necessity. In this manner, Obama used his hawkish stance on Afghanistan to his great advantage.

For example, accepting the Democratic nomination in Denver, Obama declared: 'When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights."

Americans who had grown skeptical of weak liberals (see Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry, et al) were relieved to finally have a liberal who was smart and tough. He was smart because he was for the right war.

But a year later, after winning the presidency, Obama was sounding a bit less pugnacious, when he told ABC this summer: "I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur."

Read More...

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Monday, September 28, 2009

Regarding Defamation of Religions

Posted by: Matt Lewis at 5:50 PM

As World Magazine has noted, Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN's Human Rights Commission, Ken Blackwell, delivered an excellent speech in Mexico City last week on “Defamation of Religions”.

Following is an excerpt:

The [Organisation of the Islamic Conference, a collection of 56 Muslim-majority countries that first proposed a "Defamation of Islam" UN resolution in 1999,] has stated its main complaint is the stereotyping of Muslims around the world, especially post-9/11. Although the grievance of harmful stereotyping of Muslims as ideological extremists is sincere and factual, the current effort by the OIC to alleviate religious stereotyping with an international legal protection against the “defamation of religions” is misplaced and counter-productive. Conceptually, the claim of “defamation of religions” is inadequate as a legal cause of action. Traditional defamation laws are meant to protect individuals from false truth claims and do not extend to the protection of ideas, philosophies, or religions. Therefore, “defamation of religions” turns the purpose of defamation laws on its head. Human rights are also meant to protect individual persons only. Not only do “defamation of religions” laws fail to protect individuals, but they are also used to harass individuals. Unfortunately, the vague notion of “defamation of religions” laws allows government to use such laws to suppress minority religious individuals and voices of dissent.

The symposium was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (for which a family member of mine now consults).

You can download the entire pdf by clicking here).