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Continue Reading May 22nd, 2007
Daniel Imperato, Bob Jackson, Robert Milnes, George Phillies, Wayne Allyn Root and Christine Smith each explain why they should be President of the United States. Listen at The Conservative Show.
Continue Reading May 22nd, 2007
The Constitution Party of West Virginia recently passed the following resolution:
Whereas, the West Virginia Family Foundation has filed a legal challenge against West Virginia ’s new table games law and,
Whereas, the Foundation argues that voters did not mean to allow casinos in West Virginia when they voted in 1984 to …
Continue Reading May 22nd, 2007
Just wanted to “give a shout out” err… a plug… to a side project that myself and a few friends have started. It’s a multi-author, multi-topic blog called Mondito that has a much lighter tone than most of the other stuff I’ve been involved in. Kind of a …
Continue Reading May 22nd, 2007
Special thanks to Phil Pepin of the Texas Republican Liberty Caucus for taking this footage.
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.
KY GOV POLL; McCONNELL & KUCINICH MAY GET PRIMARIED; REID’S PLAN; McCONNELL FOR HAGEL.
KENTUCKY #1: A final WHAS-TV/SurveyUSA primary tracking poll shows Governor Ernie Fletcher appears heading to a large enough win in Tuesday’s primary so as to avoid the need for a June 26 run-off. A candidate must win at least 40% to avoid a run-off. The numbers: Fletcher - 44%, former Congresswoman Anne Northup - 34%, businessman Billy Harper - 17%. The Fletcher-Northup numbers are unchanged since the last poll. In fact, Northup has been stuck at the 34% mark for the past four tracking polls. On the Democratic side, the leader numbers also remain unchanged: former Lieutenant Governor Steve Beshear - 32% and has moved ahead of the pack. Wealthy health care executive Bruce Lunsford is second with 23%, followed by former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry at 17%, State House Speaker Jody Richard - 12%, attorney Gatewood Galbraith - 7%, and businessman Otis Hensley at 1%. Short of Henry closing the gap with Lunsford for second place on election day, it appears Beshear and Lunsford will advance to the run-off.
KENTUCKY #2: Call it Ernie Fletcher’s revenge. US Senate Mitch McConnell (R-KY), portrayed in state newspapers as the godfather of the Kentucky GOP, has his faction of the party heavily backing Anne Northup in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary. That appears to be why a growing movement in the party — led by the pro-Fletcher faction — is looking for payback in the form of giving McConnell a tough primary challenge in 2008. Check out the DraftForgy.com website, urging former State Supreme Court Justice Larry Forgy (R) to oppose McConnell. Forgy was the GOP nominee for Governor in 1991 and 1995. The Draft Forgy website is filled with pro-Fletcher and ani-McConnell sentiments, plus lots of Forgy quotes that make him sound rather interested in the race.
CONGRESS: Annoyed with President Bush’s recent recess appointments of controversial nominees, US News reports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has a procedural maneuver to thwart the White House. “Reid will call the Senate into session [during the summer recess] just long enough to force the Prez to send his nominees who need confirmation to the chamber. The talk is he will hold a quickie ‘pro forma’ session every 10 days, tapping a local senator to run the hall. Senate workers and Republicans are miffed, but Reid is proving that he’s the new sheriff in town,” reported the magazine. The move would legally deny Bush the ability to make any recess appointments.
FLORIDA: Despite threats from both major parties, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) signed into law the bill that moves the state’s Presidential primary forward to January 29, 2008. The bill also forces to end in the state of touchscreen voting machines that don’t produce voter verifiable paper receipts, and ended the state’s “resign to run” law for candidates seeking federal office. That last part was purportedly added to allow Crist to be in contention for VP nomination — although it will allow lots of state senators and local officials to make congressional runs without risking their current seats.
HAGEL: Maverick anti-war US Senator Chuck Hagel (R) and Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) — Hagel’s announced conservative primary challenger — were both present at the Nebraska Republican Party fundraising dinner this past weekend. Also present in town was US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was a featured guest at Hagel’s fundraiser the evening before. According to the Omaha World-Journal, McConnell “praised Hagel as a conservative who voted with his party more than 95 percent of the time.” McConnell said Hagel’s criticism about Iraq were proving true. “Many of the predictions that Chuck made about how the war might go have come true. A lot of us still believe that some of his early predictions — that this was going to be a very tough project — have proven to be accurate,” said McConnell.
KUCINICH: Parma Mayor and former State House Minority Leader Dean DePiero (D) told the Columbus Dispatch he is considering making a primary challenge next year to Congressman Dennis Kucinich. DePiero says he isn’t sure Kucinich is vulnerable in a primary, but the newspaper wrote “many residents of the 10th District are fed up with Kucinich’s quixotic quests for the presidency and grouse that he does not pay sufficient attention to the district.” If he runs, DePiero could present Kucinich with a tough primary contest.
ENVIRONMENT: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell (R) co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post blasting the EPA’s failure to enact tailpipe emission standards. They described current EPA policies as “more of the same inaction and denial.” The two continued: “We are far from convinced that the agency intends to follow the law and grant us our waiver. If it fails to do so, we have an obligation to take legal action and settle this issue once and for all.” The EPA was quick to respond: “EPA initiated the statutory process for reviewing California’s waiver request used for all waivers, and the agency must complete that process before making a decision. By the end of this month, the agency will hold two public hearings….”
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.22.07 | Permalink | postCount(’052207a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily free speech zone.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.22.07 | Permalink | postCount(’052207b’);
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.
IOWA POLL; GONE-ZO SAGA CONTINUES; CARTER-BUSH INSULTS FLY.
IOWA: A new Des Moines Register poll of likely Iowa caucus participants shows Mitt Romney’s weeks of TV advertising in the state have produced results. The results: Romney - 30%, John McCain - 18%, Rudy Giuliani - 17%, Tommy Thompson - 7%, Sam Brownback - 5%, Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo tied with 4% each, and all others at 1% or less. On the Democratic side, John Edwards holds a six-point lead. The numbers: Edwards - 29%, Barack Obama - 23%, Hillary Clinton - 21%, Bill Richardson - 10%, Joe Biden - 3%, Dennis Kucinich - 2%, and all others at 1% or less.
GONZALES: The US Senate’s “no confidence” resolution on on Attorney General Al Gonzales is looming, with a likely vote sometime this week. US Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) predicted on CBS’s Face the Nation that Gonzales will resign before the vote is taken. “Votes of no confidence are very rare. Historically, that is something which Attorney General Gonzales would like to avoid. I think that if and when he sees that coming, he would prefer to avoid that kind of a historical black mark,” said Specter. Appearing on ABC’s This Week, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) signalled further problems when he declined opportunities to defend Gonzales. Instead, McConnell said it would be up to the President to decide if Gonzales could continue to be effective in his job.
“I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?”: After former President Jimmy Carter lobbed yet another round of sharp criticism at President George W. Bush this weekend, the White House responded in kind. “He is proving to be increasingly irrelevant,” said a White House spokesman.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.21.07 | Permalink | postCount(’052107a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily free speech zone.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.21.07 | Permalink | postCount(’052107b’);
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.
NH POLL; IMMIGRATION COMPROMISE; DOBSON HATES RUDY; GONE-ZO; GORE’S LOST LOVE.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new Zogby telephone poll of New Hampshire voters shows Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton leading for their respective primaries. On the GOP side, Romney led with 35%, followed by Rudy Giuliani and John McCain tied with 19% apiece, Fred Thompson at 6%, Ron Paul at 3%, and all others each scoring 1% or less. The numbers indicate Romney’s recent TV buys in the state are working, as he jumped up 10 points since last month’s poll. McCain is down 6 points, while Giuliani’s numbers are unchanged. On the Dem side, Clinton narrowly led Barack Obama by a 28% to 26% vote, with John Edwards third with 15%, Bill Richardson is at 10%, Dennis Kucinich had 4%, and nobody else scored above 1%. Obama has shrunk Clinton’s lead by four points since the last NH poll.
IMMIGRATION: US Senate leaders and the Bush Administration reached a compromise on last year’s immigration reform bill — a deal that will likely guarantee the bill’s passage. Under the compromise, the revised Kennedy-McCain bill would allow undocumented workers who arrived in the US before January 1, 2007, to be given immediate work authorization to remain in the US, be granted a “Z” visa and placed on a path to permanent residence. Heads of household would have to return to their home country within eight years but would be guaranteed the right to return, in exchange to paying a $5,000 fine. In a trade-off for immigration opponents, the bill would double the number of Border Patrol agents, strengthen the border fence with Mexico, and employers who hire undocumented workers would be fined. “The agreement we just reached is the best possible chance we will have to secure our borders [and] bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America,” said Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). “This is the first step, but important step, in moving forward with comprehensive, overall immigration reform … This is what bipartisanship is about. When there is a requirement for this nation and its security that transcends party lines, I’m proud to have been a small part of it,” said Senator John McCain (R-AZ). “This bill secures our borders, has tough enforcement of our immigration laws on the border and in the interior, brings the 12 million undocumented workers in our nation out of the shadows and creates a real immigration system for the future,” said US Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO). US Senators Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) were all staunch opponents of the Kennedy-McCain bill last year, but announced they are satifsfied with this compromise version. “From my perspective, it’s not perfect. But it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem … So, to my constituents who said do something about this problem, I can say I have tried my best to craft a bill that won’t repeat the mistakes of the past and will deal with the problems of today,” said Kyl. “This bill is a two-step process. And the first step is cure the problem: Stop the insecurity on the border … And [second] let’s return to respect America’s dream of a legal immigration system that works,” said Isakson. Other appearing at the press conference to endorse the compromise plan included US Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Bush Cabinet members Carlos Gutierrez and Michael Chertoff. Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), by contrast, told Fox News he strongly opposes this compromise deal as “instant amnesty.” Tancredo blamed President Bush for bringing about the compromise: “The President is so desperate for a legacy and a domestic policy win that he is willing to sell out the American people and our national security.” Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) also denounced the compromise, saying it “will make a bad situation worse.”
GIULIANI: Religious right leader James Dobson of Focus on the Family really, really hates Rudy Giuliani (R-NY). Here is an excerpt from a column Dobson drafted for the conservative WorldNetDaily website: “Speaking as a private citizen … I cannot, and will not, vote for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. It is an irrevocable decision. If given a Hobson’s - Dobson’s? - choice between him and Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama, I will either cast my ballot for an also-ran - or if worse comes to worst - not vote in a presidential election for the first time in my adult life. My conscience and my moral convictions will allow me to do nothing else.”
GONZALES: The US Senate appears likely to schedule a “no confidence” vote next week on Attorney General Al Gonzales. US Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) on Thursday became the fifth Republican Senator to call on Gonzales to resign. US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is leading the drive for a no confidence vote, said he is confident at least 60 Senators will vote for the resolution.
GORE: Former Vice President Al Gore told Time magazine he has “fallen out of love with politics.” Time reports Gore has played no part in encouraging his former aides and draft movement activists. “I can’t say [what it would take for me to run for President] because I’m not looking for it. But I guess I would know it if I saw it. I haven’t ruled it out. But I don’t think it’s likely to happen,” said Gore.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.18.07 | Permalink | postCount(’051807a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily free speech zone.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.18.07 | Permalink | postCount(’051807B’);
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.
SO, WOULD THIS MAKE THEM “CUT-AND-RUN REPUBLICANS”?
How badly do some vocal Republican supporters of the Iraq War want to find an excuse that will allow them to call for an quick withdrawal of US forces? Just check out all of these comments, as reported by The Politico. The comments were offered in response to AP’s report that a bill proposed in the Iraqi Parliament — which reportedly has the support of 144 of 275 members — would call for the US military to leave Iraq. The bill is backed by supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sad and others. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki opposes the bill, and it it is not clear if or when it will come up for a formal vote. The vote may be postponed until after the two-month parliamentary recess. However, if the bill is approved, many prominent, pro-war GOP Members of Congress say it would change their position. Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL), the third-highest member of the GOP House leadership, said “I suspect we would respect their wishes.” Said US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “I want to assure you, if they vote to ask us to leave, we’ll be glad to comply with their request.” US Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) said the Iraqi Parliament “should heed McConnell’s words” or they will likely get what they wish for. “If the government of Iraq decided by a vote of the majority, obviously it would have a tremendous effect … I don’t think we’d throw our hands up and say adios, but it would have a major effect,” said US Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS). US Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that “Iraq is a sovereign nation. If they were to do that, we’d be happy to allow them” to get what they say they want. “I do respect democracy with all my heart, and I think that will change the equation,” said Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ). “That’s what the White House has been saying it wants. They stand up, we stand down,” said Congressman Scott Garrett (R-NJ).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.17.07 | Permalink | postCount(’051707a’);
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
Yup, short posting today. After a full day of work, I did an 8-mile skate at the beach … then went for an ocean swim at sunset (and got to surf a few waves) … home for dinner and some nice wine … and now I just don’t feel like spending that much time writing tonight.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 05.17.07 | Permalink | postCount(’051707b’);
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
History has not been kind to third party candidates.
The last third party candidate to successfully turn a party into a political force: Abraham Lincoln, who was elected president as a Republican in 1860.
Since then third party candidates have made small strides.
Vermont resident Bernie Sanders was elected to the U.S. Senate …
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
Howard Phillips, the Constitution Party’s presidential candidate in 1992, ‘96, and 2000, recently interviewed Jerome Corsi, whose name has been floated as a possible Constitution Party presidential candidate in ‘08. The subject of the interview is the proposed North American Union.
Source: Stop the Security and Prosperity Partnership
…
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
This is an interesting opinion piece from Carl Milsted Jr. from over on Free Market News…
America needs a real libertarian party – one which gets freedom-lovers elected to partisan offices. Unfortunately, the existing Libertarian Party was set up for different purposes: to educate the public about a very narrow and …
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
The day after being elected to the Massachusettes State House as an independent, Paul McMurtry has switched his registration and will serve as a Democrat in order to have a maximum amount of influence. He believes that by being a member of the majority party in the legislature …
Continue Reading May 21st, 2007
Independent candidate Paul McMurtry was elected to the Massachusettes State House last week in a special election. He defeated a Republican and a Democrat, winning 38% of the vote.
From the Westwood Press…
Paul McMurtry, who pitched himself as the local candidate while campaigning for the 11th Norfolk District, needed the …
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