Apparently U.S. Senate Democrats are pushing again (still?) to quit fighting the war and hope the terrorists back off the IED's and stick to their prayer rugs.
Kos has the story.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Lib Judges Can Run, Can't Hide
Marcus Carey's effort to bring ideological accountability to judicial races is causing his opponent to say dumb things.
This is going to get good. Thanks to Trey Walker for passing this along from San Diego.
This is going to get good. Thanks to Trey Walker for passing this along from San Diego.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Iraq, Iraq, Iraq
Here is President Bush's radio address he gave today.
As I read it, what occurred to me is the President's political opponents here at home can take no pleasure in any good things that happen in Iraq -- ever. No doubt they will face a white-hot panic if continued progress mounts as fall draws closer.
What I see happening is both national parties running on Iraq this November.
UPDATE: Kentucky's Democrat opponents for Congress don't have Ben Chandler's advantage of being able to vote this way and that way on this issue. But such flip-floppery won't help him run for Governor.
As I read it, what occurred to me is the President's political opponents here at home can take no pleasure in any good things that happen in Iraq -- ever. No doubt they will face a white-hot panic if continued progress mounts as fall draws closer.
What I see happening is both national parties running on Iraq this November.
UPDATE: Kentucky's Democrat opponents for Congress don't have Ben Chandler's advantage of being able to vote this way and that way on this issue. But such flip-floppery won't help him run for Governor.
Friday, June 16, 2006
I Just Joined Unity '08, You Should Too!
Unity '08 is a political organization whose purpose is to bring people together to move America forward. Let me hasten to add I have not left the Republican party and you don't have to leave your party either in order to get involved with Unity '08. The point is to work with people from all political perspectives who are tired of the status quo.
You might think that Unity '08 is a little late to the two-party party to actually have an impact in 2008. And you would be wrong.
Actually, Republicans and Democrats will be behind in the spring of 2008 when they hold their precinct elections and start the process of rewriting their state and national platforms. Their advantage is they already have people, but the same people show up and propose the same platforms so little changes. What Unity '08 lacks in sheer numbers, in another two years it could make up for in energy and by working the same process in a fresh way. They are bringing the people together first and then working out the ideas.
We all know the environment is ripe for a new movement. It is even okay that partisans like me will be looking for a way to manipulate Unity '08. If it becomes anything like a forum where we can hash out philosophical differences honestly, it will have significantly more power per capita than the Dems and Republicans telling themselves the same things.
I suspect things will get pretty dicey with Unity '08 when the time comes to pick a slate for President. But the most interesting point of a political discussion is where the strength of ideas change open minds. Based on that, Unity '08 is worth a hard look.
You might think that Unity '08 is a little late to the two-party party to actually have an impact in 2008. And you would be wrong.
Actually, Republicans and Democrats will be behind in the spring of 2008 when they hold their precinct elections and start the process of rewriting their state and national platforms. Their advantage is they already have people, but the same people show up and propose the same platforms so little changes. What Unity '08 lacks in sheer numbers, in another two years it could make up for in energy and by working the same process in a fresh way. They are bringing the people together first and then working out the ideas.
We all know the environment is ripe for a new movement. It is even okay that partisans like me will be looking for a way to manipulate Unity '08. If it becomes anything like a forum where we can hash out philosophical differences honestly, it will have significantly more power per capita than the Dems and Republicans telling themselves the same things.
I suspect things will get pretty dicey with Unity '08 when the time comes to pick a slate for President. But the most interesting point of a political discussion is where the strength of ideas change open minds. Based on that, Unity '08 is worth a hard look.
Chandler Joins Bill To Raise College Costs
Ben Chandler's latest move in Washington D.C. deserves a lot of scrutiny.
He has added his name to a bill called "Reverse the Raid on Student Aid" HR 5150, which would cut by half interest rates on student loans for higher education.
In his two short years inside the beltway, Chandler has learned the value of sound-good, feel-good legislation. What the sponsors of this bill want you to believe is that cutting student loan interest rates lowers college costs and helps the poor, struggling college student and his/her family afford higher education.
It isn't that simple.
It would be that simple, I guess, if the Education Fairy paid lending institutions the difference in the costs of the loan and the government-set rate. After centuries of data have demonstrated to everyone else that price-fixing combined with taxpayer subsidies cause artificially high demand and actually increase costs -- a side benefit is creating waste! --, the sponsors of this bill want to clap their hands and believe it won't work that way this time.
The Republican leadership in the House has done a lot worthy scorn lately, but the coming showdown on this -- and the unceremonious death of this bad bill -- will underscore once again that as bad as the GOP might have been, the Democrats are worse. It's hardly a campaign slogan, but cutting off our noses to spite our faces is a luxury we can not afford now.
He has added his name to a bill called "Reverse the Raid on Student Aid" HR 5150, which would cut by half interest rates on student loans for higher education.
In his two short years inside the beltway, Chandler has learned the value of sound-good, feel-good legislation. What the sponsors of this bill want you to believe is that cutting student loan interest rates lowers college costs and helps the poor, struggling college student and his/her family afford higher education.
It isn't that simple.
It would be that simple, I guess, if the Education Fairy paid lending institutions the difference in the costs of the loan and the government-set rate. After centuries of data have demonstrated to everyone else that price-fixing combined with taxpayer subsidies cause artificially high demand and actually increase costs -- a side benefit is creating waste! --, the sponsors of this bill want to clap their hands and believe it won't work that way this time.
The Republican leadership in the House has done a lot worthy scorn lately, but the coming showdown on this -- and the unceremonious death of this bad bill -- will underscore once again that as bad as the GOP might have been, the Democrats are worse. It's hardly a campaign slogan, but cutting off our noses to spite our faces is a luxury we can not afford now.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Anti-War Party Exposes Rear Flank
The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to support the War On Terror through to victory. This means, of course, that the majority of Americans will not join the Culture of Quitters who want to cut and run -- head-in-sand-like -- in hopes the terrorists won't kill us if we just stop doing things that might hurt their feelings or conflict with their deeply held non-Christian religious beliefs.
It should go without saying, but the Democrats voted against this.
It should go without saying, but the Democrats voted against this.
Terrorists Know Something Democrats Don't
Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, John Edwards and all their corndog friends have been yammering nonstop about how poorly our effort in Iraq has been going.
A document retrieved from al-Zarqawi's hideout suggests an amazingly different picture. Check it out here. Kind of makes you wonder what else they have been lying to us about.
One line line of reasoning and its conclusion that jumped out at me from Zarqawi's suggestions was that he thought the "resistance" would benefit from sparking a war between America and Iran. He cited "The possibility of acquiring new weapons from the Iranian side, either after the fall of Iran or during the battles." He also suggested pitting a wide variety of other groups against each other (all Arab) in order to benefit the terrorist insurrection.
So the terrorists in Iraq knew that if we took on Iran we would defeat them, they just wanted a chance to steal their weapons. That should go over well on the Arab Street. It isn't rubbing it in -- or spin or whatever -- to say this is bad news for Democrats. They have chosen to become the anti-war party. Hope they enjoy it while they last.
A document retrieved from al-Zarqawi's hideout suggests an amazingly different picture. Check it out here. Kind of makes you wonder what else they have been lying to us about.
One line line of reasoning and its conclusion that jumped out at me from Zarqawi's suggestions was that he thought the "resistance" would benefit from sparking a war between America and Iran. He cited "The possibility of acquiring new weapons from the Iranian side, either after the fall of Iran or during the battles." He also suggested pitting a wide variety of other groups against each other (all Arab) in order to benefit the terrorist insurrection.
So the terrorists in Iraq knew that if we took on Iran we would defeat them, they just wanted a chance to steal their weapons. That should go over well on the Arab Street. It isn't rubbing it in -- or spin or whatever -- to say this is bad news for Democrats. They have chosen to become the anti-war party. Hope they enjoy it while they last.
"Improving Education" Liberal Style
I can't believe some people are getting so plugged up over how Kentucky schools read a calendar.
This wasn't about improving education. This was about moving our state one inch closer to the ACLU. We can do without that. You want to make kids aware of the new terms? Here: "Hey kids! Some liberals say B.C.E. when they mean B.C. and C.E. when they mean A.D. Got it? Good!" Now, if you want to talk about improving the schools, let's talk about school choice. If a parent could take the tax dollars we spend on each child and direct those dollars to another school of his choosing, don't you think our schools would get more serious about results and spend less time on left-wing propaganda like all this B.C/A.D B.C.E/C.E. BS?
This wasn't about improving education. This was about moving our state one inch closer to the ACLU. We can do without that. You want to make kids aware of the new terms? Here: "Hey kids! Some liberals say B.C.E. when they mean B.C. and C.E. when they mean A.D. Got it? Good!" Now, if you want to talk about improving the schools, let's talk about school choice. If a parent could take the tax dollars we spend on each child and direct those dollars to another school of his choosing, don't you think our schools would get more serious about results and spend less time on left-wing propaganda like all this B.C/A.D B.C.E/C.E. BS?
Fletcher Speaks To National Health Group
Governor Fletcher will serve as keynote speaker to the Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition in Washington D.C. He has been asked to discuss Kentucky's success with electronic medical recordkeeping to give other governments insight into duplicating what we have done here.
Hold your applause. He is just getting warmed up.
Hold your applause. He is just getting warmed up.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Liberal Lexington Judge Writes New Law
Fayette Circuit Judge Gary Payne must believe in fairies.
That is about as reasonable an explanation as I can come up with for why Payne would unilaterally change a local election law today pertaining to the collection of candidate petition signatures. The law in question, when applied to any city council candidate other than Mayor Isaac's pal Julian Beard, requires 100 petition signatures for a candidate's name to be on the ballot. Signatures appearing also on opposing candidates' petitions are not counted and no one has had a problem with this for the last three decades.
That all changed because Beard's petition for this year's race, minus duplicate signatures, left him with less than 100 names and, therefore, not legally eligible to run.
His own personal shortcomings should be sufficient to keep him from winning election anyway, but Beard is now "legally" on the ballot to face businessman Bill Roberts in the 4th district council race.
That is about as reasonable an explanation as I can come up with for why Payne would unilaterally change a local election law today pertaining to the collection of candidate petition signatures. The law in question, when applied to any city council candidate other than Mayor Isaac's pal Julian Beard, requires 100 petition signatures for a candidate's name to be on the ballot. Signatures appearing also on opposing candidates' petitions are not counted and no one has had a problem with this for the last three decades.
That all changed because Beard's petition for this year's race, minus duplicate signatures, left him with less than 100 names and, therefore, not legally eligible to run.
His own personal shortcomings should be sufficient to keep him from winning election anyway, but Beard is now "legally" on the ballot to face businessman Bill Roberts in the 4th district council race.
Governor Fletcher Flies To Washington
When Kentuckians think about the shameful behavior of Paul Patton, what comes to mind is, of course, Tina Conner. But don't you remember Governor Patton crying about Medicaid and tossing people out of nursing homes? A huge part of the "mess in Frankfort" was the deplorable state of the Medicaid program. Its exploding deficits put much of the rest of the state at risk.
Governor Fletcher has righted that ship with very little fanfare. Today, he will be in Washington D.C. to talk about some of his success.
UPDATE: Liberal Blogger Mark Nickolas picks up the story and goes ballistic because Governor Fletcher is talking to conservative people in D.C. Horrors!
You know how they talk about momentum shifts in politics? When we see the Left getting all bunched up about something like this, it suggests that we are seeing just such a shift in Kentucky. If hatred of Republicans and conservatives is the closest thing to a party platform the Democrats can pull together, things are definitely looking up for the GOP.
Governor Fletcher has righted that ship with very little fanfare. Today, he will be in Washington D.C. to talk about some of his success.
UPDATE: Liberal Blogger Mark Nickolas picks up the story and goes ballistic because Governor Fletcher is talking to conservative people in D.C. Horrors!
You know how they talk about momentum shifts in politics? When we see the Left getting all bunched up about something like this, it suggests that we are seeing just such a shift in Kentucky. If hatred of Republicans and conservatives is the closest thing to a party platform the Democrats can pull together, things are definitely looking up for the GOP.
Education Liberals Target Calendar, Still
Good grief. While Frankfort education bureaucrats continue to try to remove any reference to Jesus Christ from everything, we still wonder why our schools fail to make the grade.
Right after the left goes down today on their B.C.E/C.E nonsense, we need to turn the conversation around to school choice.
Right after the left goes down today on their B.C.E/C.E nonsense, we need to turn the conversation around to school choice.
Why National Democrats Won't Be Celebrating Christmas In November
While Americans want to win the war, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry still hope to turn Iraq into Vietnam. Keep talking guys!
What will they do next, complain about how terrible the economy is?
What will they do next, complain about how terrible the economy is?
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Liberal Judge Protection Act Faces Scrutiny, Cronies To Go Crazy
A lawsuit filed by a conservative Kentucky Supreme Court candidate has liberals upset that people might be allowed to ask judicial candidates if they are liberals.
Marcus Carey has a strong case and should be commended for standing up to the status quo here. We don't need liberals hiding behind a wall of secrecy in the name of bogus judicial "ethics." Allowing them to continue to do so could only make sense to a radical left-winger with something to hide.
The people with something to hide should make a spectacle of themselves on this one.
Marcus Carey has a strong case and should be commended for standing up to the status quo here. We don't need liberals hiding behind a wall of secrecy in the name of bogus judicial "ethics." Allowing them to continue to do so could only make sense to a radical left-winger with something to hide.
The people with something to hide should make a spectacle of themselves on this one.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Fundraising Challenge Might Help GOP
The power squabble on the first floor of the Capitol is affecting state legislative candidates. It is noteworthy in that it is mainly a minor irritant and not a catastrophe. The end result could be a less-centralized Republican party next year. That would be a good thing.
Apparently, someone in the administration is calling candidates who have booked LG Steve Pence for fundraisers and suggesting they would do better to have Robbie Rudolph appear instead.
The answer to this is simple. GOP candidates should be looking way outside the Governor's office for fundraiser support. Most already are.
Apparently, someone in the administration is calling candidates who have booked LG Steve Pence for fundraisers and suggesting they would do better to have Robbie Rudolph appear instead.
The answer to this is simple. GOP candidates should be looking way outside the Governor's office for fundraiser support. Most already are.
Ben Chandler: Kingmaker?
Ryan Alessi quotes Congressman Ben Chandler saying he hopes a strong Democrat candidate for Governor comes forward. If Rep. Chandler isn't going to run, his stamp of approval on one of his fellow Dems could have an interesting impact on the race.
The way it is shaping up now, the most important races in 2007 are for Attorney General and Auditor. If the best the Dems can do is Steve Henry for Governor, the real action will be in Republican primaries. Either way, I think we are looking at the most boring Fancy Farm in years this summer. The moves that matter will all come after the November elections.
The way it is shaping up now, the most important races in 2007 are for Attorney General and Auditor. If the best the Dems can do is Steve Henry for Governor, the real action will be in Republican primaries. Either way, I think we are looking at the most boring Fancy Farm in years this summer. The moves that matter will all come after the November elections.
ACLU To The Rescue
It is a shame that less than a week after we changed Zarqawi's religion we are facing a renewed effort by American leftists to go ahead and surrender Iraq.
Once again, they are overplaying their hand. Today, the ACLU court case against NSA wiretapping of potential terrorists begins.
Just another reminder that this is what you get when America supports its left wing.
Once again, they are overplaying their hand. Today, the ACLU court case against NSA wiretapping of potential terrorists begins.
Just another reminder that this is what you get when America supports its left wing.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
It Must Be June: Democrat Implosion Begins
Congressman John Murtha wants to ride his left-wing stance on Iraq into House Leadership, starting now.
Friday, June 09, 2006
A FairTax Opportunity Presents Itself
The Senate vote this week on a Definition of Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution failed to reach the needed 60 votes for passage. Some conservatives started immediately calling for a constitutional convention.
This could get interesting.
While there may be some disagreement with protecting marriage (some call it the HATE amendment), I have a thought about a possible constitutional convention that should have very broad appeal.
First, we only need 34 states to call for a constitutional convention on marriage. That should be relatively easy. Second, once such a convention starts, anything can happen. What needs to happen is repeal of the 16th amendment (that's the one that allowed the federal government to start taxing incomes through the IRS).
That clears the way for real tax reform. That clears the way for the FairTax.
This could get interesting.
While there may be some disagreement with protecting marriage (some call it the HATE amendment), I have a thought about a possible constitutional convention that should have very broad appeal.
First, we only need 34 states to call for a constitutional convention on marriage. That should be relatively easy. Second, once such a convention starts, anything can happen. What needs to happen is repeal of the 16th amendment (that's the one that allowed the federal government to start taxing incomes through the IRS).
That clears the way for real tax reform. That clears the way for the FairTax.
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