Archive for December, 2006
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.
GILMORE FILES, WHILE OBAMA PONDERS.
Former Virginia Governor and former Republican National Chairman Jim Gilmore unexpectedly returned to the political stage last month, telling reporters he was considering either running for President in 2008 or running again for Governor in 2009. On Wednesday, after making visits to Iowa and New Hampshire to gauge his prospects, Gilmore filed federal paperwork to establish a Presidential exploratory committee. “There is not a committed conservative in the field who can put together a national campaign. I am and I can. I have people on the ground right now in Iowa and in South Carolina,” said Gilmore to the AP. In his comments, Gilmore took shots at the Bush Administration and Republican Congressional leaders for fiscal irresponsibility in recent years. “I am not someone who has to evolve as a conservative. I don’t have to evolve my position,” he said, in a thinly veiled shot at Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) … US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is spending the holidays on vacation with his family in Hawaii. He expects to announce his decision on a 2008 White House run shortly after the holiday season.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 12.21.06 | Permalink | COMMENTS (4)
FREE SPEECH ZONE (AKA: “SAVE FERRIS RON!”).
I’m going to be rather candid here. As I’m writing this, I’m just angry. Really, really angry and seething … with the seething anger directed at a recent write-in candidate for New York Governor. He’s suing in federal court (Southern District of New York) George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, the State Board of Elections, the City Board of Elections, Yahoo, Ask.com and me with a variety of bizarre claims. Yup, that’s right, I’m apparently in not-so-bad company as part of his delusional conspiracy that somehow kept him from being elected last month. I’m confident I’ll prevail (especially as his claim against me is such a patently laughable lie he’s trying to perpetrate on the court) and maybe even get Rule 11 sanctions imposed against him for filing a complaint he knew to be false when he filed it … but still I’m really pissed that he’s suing me for $5 million. He’s also suing Rudy, Bloomberg, and others for $10 million apiece. The whole thing has got me so pissed off that, at least for now, I really am considering pulling the plug entirely on Politics1 if the price of running it is having to defend myself in lawsuits against jackasses like him. But — just so this lying clown can share my misery — feel free to email him and tell him what you think about his ridiculous lawsuit that threatens to kill Politics1.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 12.21.06 | Permalink | COMMENTS (7)
December 20th, 2006
I posted a version of this on my own blog, but I think the sentiment is important to some recent discussion here.
Today’s Huffington Post included an entry by David Russell, in what appears to be his first Huff: “When the National is Really Local.” Russell is the writer-director-producer who was responsible for a couple of favorites, Flirting With Disaster and I Heart Huckabees. He has a new film planned for 2008 (The H-Man Cometh) starring Vince Vaughn as a radio personality who identifies too much with his listeners.
Russell briefly rants about the disconnect between the jet-setter interest in hobnobbing with politicians and political issues and the actual issues as they affect their own neighborhood, such as a six-month construction project to widen a highway. As Russell writes:
This is exactly the type of ‘quality of life’ issue that the Clinton administration focused on to great effect, ways that government can make people’s day to day lives better –precisely the kinds of things most politicians (and Brentwood liberals) find too small or boring to get into.
This post resonates with me for two reasons.
First, I wholeheartedy agree with the observation. I’ve clicked my share of insta-faxes from organizations like MoveOn.org in my time, but all it does is prevent a personal critical mass from forming. It is passive activism. The effects are nice for those whose local neighborhood access involves Congress. For the rest of us, it has the unintended effect of allowing individuals to be less involved than they might otherwise be.
The second point, though, is the nature of Russell’s post itself. It has a bit of griping and astute observation, but offers no solution. He doesn’t suggest action readers could take, instead implying that the Hollywood movers-n-shakers should make an adjustment in some non-specific manner. As any good Informatician knows, knowledge itself doesn’t change behavior.
So here, as I gripe about what’s missing in the Russell entry, I’ll try to to avoid a follow-up self-critique here by offering some ideas for local engagement:
- Figure out who your City Council representatives are, and ask for a meeting with one you don’t know. Or, if you know them all, introduce a councilperson to one of your friends who doesn’t.
- Look at an agenda from your County Council meetings, and Google up on the issues involved with one of their items.
- Find a volunteer organization and invest some time to understand the nature of a local need.
These actions aren’t going to make the Huffington Post anytime soon, but imagine what would happen if more people did them.
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
Bob Barr, the newly appointed LNC Regional Representative from Region 4, is better known to most Libertarians for his hard line stances as a drug warrior… many may even remember a Libertarian campaign in Georgia years ago that was created with the sole purpose of attacking Bob Barr.
While Barr …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
The Onion has a hilarious piece up about third-party cola manufacturers.
Claiming the American consumer is in crisis, third-party soft drink Royal Crown Cola called for an end to two-brand dominance, demanding an equal playing field for all and urging sweeping restrictions on the amount Coke and Pepsi are allowed to …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
John Newby has returned to blogging with yet another call for the Libertarian, Constitution, America First, and Reform parties to merge. He says he is going to going to “contact the leadership of several of the independent Parties and propose a meeting of representatives from each party …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
And I thought I didn’t mince words…
Looks to be that there’s a backlash against the recent electoral successes of the Greens in Massachusetts, with an op/ed in FrontPageMagazine.com attacking them.
The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts didn’t do badly in the state’s November elections. Although its candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
Looks like a good year for third parties.
While the Greens managed to beat back duopoly power in Illinois and the Libertarians set records in Texas and Georgia, the Constitution Party is cementing its base in the intermontane West.
Of course, there’s Jore. But just as worthwhile are the close finishes, …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
It appears that the mayor of the tiny town of Paynesville, Minnesota has given the Constitution Party reason to celebrate.
Jeff Thompson has been the mayor of the town, with a population of about 2,300 people, since first being elected in 1996.
Although the post is non-partisan, Thompson does have a …
Continue Reading December 20th, 2006
Big news for the LP. The National LP has officially announced that former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr has joined the Libertarian Party. Barr has also accepted the position of Region 4 representative to the Libertarian National Committee. LNC Chair Bill Redpath expressed the following:
Bob Barr’s willingness to …
Continue Reading December 19th, 2006
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
ARI CONSIDERS; REDRAWING HEATHER; ROMNEY BASHED REAGAN; FBI LOOKS AT MURPHY.
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer (R) — a lobbyist and former longtime GOP congressional aide — is considering a 2008 run for Congress against newly-elected Congressman John Hall (D) in New York’s CD-19, according to Human Events and The Hotline … Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is the new DCCC Chair for the next election cycle … New Mexico Democrats have had enough of losing close fights to Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R), so they’re ready to take a page from Tom DeLay’s playbook. According to Roll Call, State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D) plans to introduce a bill that would redraw the state’s congressional districts before the 2008 election. The plan would significantly increase the number of Hispanic and Native American voters in exchange for shifting a large GOP agricultural community into CD-2. Dems currently control the NM House and Senate. Governor Bill Richardson (D) said he’d be “willing to consider” the proposal … Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) says he intends to serve out the new term he won last month at the polls. However, speculation is flying that he plans to resign well before the end of his next term. If true, that would set up a special election. State Representatives Pat Lindner (R), Tim Schmitz (R) and Linda LaVia (D), and State Senator Chris Lauzen (R) are all reportedly interested in running if a special election occurs … KDKA-TV reported the FBI is investigating Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA) to determine if he had his congressional staffers perform campaign work on government time. Both Murphy’s spokesman and the FBI declined to comment on the report … Forget Mitt Romney’s pro-gay rights comments from 1994, as that is so two weeks ago. National Review is much more worked up now, and so apparently are other conservatives, over another Romney line from a debate against Ted Kennedy during that same campaign. “I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush,” said Romney, in response to Kennedy’s barbs that Romney was a conservative. The magazine says Romney now has “serious repair work to do” if wants to survive the early primaries.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 12.20.06 | Permalink | postCount(’122006a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 12.20.06 | Permalink | postCount(’122006B’);
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