May 29-30, 2007
May 29 03:24 Pelosi the Visionary May 29 12:07 More On the Do Almost Nothing Congress May 29 17:21 Hillary's Socialism May 29 17:46 Fred Thompson Rips Pelosi on Global Warming May 30 02:26 Fred Thompson's Big Step May 30 23:53 Fred's Plan to Overshadow Another Debate
Prior Years: 2006
Pelosi the Visionary
Nancy Pelosi is a visionary, at least as far as global warming is concerned. Here's what that opinion is based on:
Pelosi said she hoped Bush would be open to considering a "different way" in the future. The California Democrat pointed to her delegation's weekend stop in Greenland, "where we saw firsthand evidence that climate change is a reality; there is just no denying it. It wasn't caused by the people of Greenland; it was caused by the behavior of the rest of the world," she said.Ms. Pelosi is spinning President Bush's position, which is what I'd expect from someone who'll say anything to maintain and increase her political base. What she's saying is that humans are the biggest contributor to climate change, an opinion that scientists are question more and more each day.
One of the things that's been mentioned the past couple months is that the temperatures have increased on other planets a similar amount to Earth's. Are we to conclude that human activity is causing the global warming on those planets, too? Would Ms. Pelosi have us believe that we're to blame for everything?
Reputable scientists are questioning whether the climate change that Ms. Pelosi talks about is affected by human activity. Many are saying that the climate change is cyclical. Others are saying that it's caused mostly by the sun's activity.
Meanwhile, Ms. Pelosi hasn't talked about Kyoto's exceptions for India and China. She also hasn't talked about the impact that Kyoto would have on the US economy. That's intentional because she knows that following Kyoto's protocols would destroy the US economy.
I'd further suggest that climate change experts like Michael Crichton have debunked most of the environmental extremists' 'evidence' over the past decade. Serious people no longer are persuaded by the 'Hockey Stick Graph' because it doesn't show the Greenland warm period around 1000 AD or the recent 'mini ice age' of the late 18th century.
As I see it, we have two options with regard to climate change. We either convince Ms. Pelosi to change course or we return Republicans to power so they change course on climate change policy. Personally, I prefer the latter option.
Posted Tuesday, May 29, 2007 3:24 AM
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More On the Do Almost Nothing Congress
Ron Cass has an interesting take on what I'm calling the 'Do Almost Nothing' Congress. He doesn't paint a flattering picture of Democrats.
Democrats, after controlling Congress almost continuously from 1933 to 1995, were the minority party in the House of Representatives for a dozen years and for 10 of 12 years were the minority in the Senate, too. So, perhaps, it's not surprising that they've gotten very good at complaining about how the nation is governed and not so good at actually doing it.If Pelosi, Reid & Company don't start passing and enacting sensible laws between now and the next election, independents will abandon them in droves. This isn't the way to expand their base. The suburbs went heavily for Democrats this last election. If they don't start chalking up significant achievements soon, those suburbs will return to GOP hands in 2008.
But few people have connected that to the performance of the 110th Congress. With Congress out for its Memorial Day break, commentators across the nation are taking stock of its first quarter performance and concluding that the Democrats have come up dramatically short. From left and right alike, observers are drawing the same picture of a Do-Nothing Congress. And, happy or sad, most are proclaiming surprise.
After all, things looked very different last fall, when Nancy Pelosi was promising a Democratic Congress that within its first 100 hours would pass laws that would raise the minimum wage, bring the troops home from Iraq, expand health benefits, reform immigration laws, make college affordable for all, secure energy independence, and address broad taxing and spending issues. She also promised to "drain the swamp" - changing a Congress that failed to address ethical problems of individual members and that used "earmark" provisions to give pork to constituents and favors to lobbyists. Harry Reid and colleagues on the Senate side had similar, though more muted, messages.
After 140 days, however, congressional Democrats left town with no significant accomplishments, one long-delayed bill finally enacted into law, and lots to make fun of. There was no increase in morality, no magically bipartisan era, no sweeping enactment of a coherent agenda for change, akin to what Republicans promised in their Contract With America in 1994. Instead, the 110th Congress has been a combination of "now I'll get mine" and "now you'll get yours!"
One thing that they'll have to do better on is in dealing with Washington corruption. Democrats upped the ante by campaigning hard on that issue. If they don't do something serious about corruption soon, people will start thinking that they were sold a bill of goods. Rest assured that organizations like the Club for Growth will attack them for voting for the biggest tax increase in history by simply letting the Bush tax cuts expire.
Imagine the difficulties Democrats would face campaigning after not passing serious anti-corruption legislation and after passing the biggest tax increase in history. They'd be greeted with brickbats, not applause. (And I'll gladly incite the people.)
It hasn't been pretty. And it isn't likely to get better. Only those who were paying very careful attention last fall saw this coming.There were lots of people who saw this coming. Unfortunately, nobody listened to conservatives like me. That's their loss. Next time they'll learn that we know what we're doing.
Given the sources of the victory last fall, the story of this Congress has to be told in three parts: ethics, Iraq, and everything else. Ethics concerns included the misbehavior of individual congressmen as well as the systemic problems with earmarks and lobbyists.I used this post to highlight Murtha's 'legacy' of corruption, both recent and ancient. I'd also argue that making him their "number one voice on war policy" will backfire.
From the very start, things got off on the wrong foot. Nancy Pelosi's first act as Speaker was to push anti-war activist and vocal critic of all things Republican, John Murtha, as her choice for House majority leader, despite serious issues respecting Murtha's ethics. The Democratic Caucus helped Ms. Pelosi out by rejecting her choice, but Pelosi has made Murtha her caucus' number one voice on war policy.
If the practice of earmarking hasn't ended, it has changed a bit, for the worse. House Appropriations Chair David Obey, Democrat of Wisconsin, says he has so many requests for earmarks to add to major legislation, over 30,000 in five months, that he has no choice but to tack them on after work on the bill is complete and won't reveal them until after both Houses vote. The other real change is that not all earmarks are put in writing; now Democrats who don't want anyone to know what they're doing can simply phone in the instructions on where to send the money (a practice Washington insiders now call "phone-marking"), as Harry Reid did in a call to the Energy Department.Republicans should talk about phone-marking in every stump speech they give this summer. They should start that conversation immediately. Part of their stump speech should be spent talking about John Murtha's and David Obey's willful avoidance of earmark transparency. Conservatives all across the nation should condemn their shameful actions as unethical and unacceptable.
It's also important to point out that Ms. Pelosi promised that this would be the most ethical congress in history. By pointing out Obey's and Murtha's avoidance of transparency, we open the door to asking why Democrats don't believe that "sunlight is the greatest disinfectant" to the political process.
Democrats still haven't learned that people expect more from them than diatribes and investigations now that they're the majority party. They expect solutions to their biggest problems. Thus far, Democrats have failed miserably. The fact that Congressional Democrats have lower approval ratings than President Bush suggests that people have noticed how ineffective this 'Do Almost Nothing Congress' has been.
That should scare sane-thinking Democrats heading into 2008.
Posted Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:08 PM
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Hillary's Socialism
I didn't think I'd ever see the day when a major party presidential candidate proposed a socialist economic policy. That day has now come with this Hillary article. Howard Wolfson is certain to spin this as not being socialism but he's lying through his teeth. Here's what I'm talking about:
Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity. The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an "ownership society" really is an "on your own" society that has widened the gap between rich and poor.The minute that a Democrat starts talking about fairness, it's time to hide your wallet. It's that simple. Implicit in Hillary's statements is her opinion on your ability to make wise decisions. I'm perfectly comfortable making my own decisions. I suspect that most people think that they can prosper with a minimum of governmental help. I further suspect that most people don't think in terms of the gap between the rich and poor widening. I'm betting that most people focus solely on being prosperous.
"I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society," she said. "I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none."
"There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed," she said. "Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."TRANSLATION: Free markets work best when we micromanage them to the Nth degree. We know that the rich will abuse the working class people if we don't micromanage them into submission.
There's no more destructive economic force than a liberal with a pro-regulation agenda and a micromanagement mindset. What isn't fair about keeping taxes low on everyone? Why shouldn't we assume that people will prosper if government stays out of their way?
This is just another facet of Hillary's "it takes a village" agenda. That was just a gussied up term for nanny state, the goal of which was to indoctrinate children.
Originally posted Tuesday, May 29, 2007, revised 30-May 8:55 AM
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Fred Thompson Rips Pelosi on Global Warming
This guy is so smooth that he slices and dices people while not raising his voice. That's the mark of a great communicator. Check out this Fred Thompson slice and dice of Nancy Pelosi while she's on her climate change vacation:
Some people think that our planet is suffering from a fever. Now scientists are telling us that Mars is experiencing its own planetary warming: Martian warming. It seems scientists have noticed recently that quite a few planets in our solar system seem to be heating up a bit, including Pluto.Talk about sliced and diced. I've gotta come clean on something though. This Thompson shot at Nancy Pelosi wasn't written today. In fact, I can't promise that it was originally intended for Ms. Pelosi. Sen. Thompson wrote this back on April 13, 2007. It's most likely to have been directed at Al Gore.
NASA says the Martian South Pole's ice cap has been shrinking for three summers in a row. Maybe Mars got its fever from earth. If so, I guess Jupiter's caught the same cold, because it's warming up too, like Pluto.
This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air-conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle.
For those still wondering about what's causing the climate change on Mars, Jupiter and Pluto, I'm still waiting for confirmation on whether their climate change is being caused by gas-guzzling SUV driving aliens or if it's simply America's fault. You can never be too sure.
Posted Tuesday, May 29, 2007 5:47 PM
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Fred Thompson's Big Step
According to this USA Today article, Sen. Fred Thompson has taken a big step in running for the GOP presidential nomination.
Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson hasn't formally announced he'll run for the Republican presidential nomination, but today he did begin raising money for a prospective bid, USA TODAY Washington bureau chief Susan Page writes. She continues:During a conversation I had with a friend last weekend, my friend said that Thompson pulled 40 percent of the vote in a Georgia GOP state convention straw poll. My friend said that McCain drew 2.8 percent in that same straw poll. I think that Sen. Mattingly is exactly right in saying that Sen. Thompson "'will be just like a magnet' who can attract conservative Democrats and Republicans."
In a conference call with about 100 people, many of whom have urged him to jump in the race, Thompson asked for their help in raising funds for a testing-the-waters committee, which is likely to be formed next week. That money could be used for a campaign when and if he's ready to run.
"I'm not saying anything against any of the candidates, but I think he can fill the vacuum that has not been filled yet on the Republican side," Mack Mattingly, a former U.S. senator from Georgia who was on the call, says of Thompson. He predicts the actor and former senator "will be just like a magnet" who can attract conservative Democrats and Republicans.
As I noted here, Sen. Thompson is already garnering significant grassroots support from Christian conservatives:
"It's not 'if' but 'when,' he will announce," one Protestant evangelical leader says of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering for position in the 2008 race. A prominent Roman Catholic social conservative says the three Republicans who have raised the most money and have led the polls, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, fall short of social conservatives' expectations, but Mr. Thompson doesn't. "He's right on the issues,He's better than all of the above."As I said then, this isn't the type of thing that will put a smile on the three supposed frontrunners' faces. Of the trio of Giuliani, Romney and McCain, the only candidate with frontrunner capabilities is Giuliani. Sen. Thompson is a social conservative. Sen. Thompson believes in Supreme Court justices like John Roberts, whom he shepherded through the Senate prior to his confirmation hearings. Most importantly, Sen. Thompson's got the most coherent and appealing position on immigration reform.
Sen. Thompson also understands terrorists better than everyone else except Giuliani. Here's what I'm basing this on:
"Al-Qaida have a 100-year plan," Thompson said. "We have a plan until the next election."Patrick Poole wrote something about the Muslim Brotherhood's 100 year plan, known as The Project. Though I haven't heard of al-Qaida's 100 year plan, I'd be surprised if they didn't have one. Based on that Thompson quote, I'd say that he understands what President Bush means when he calls the GWOT "the Long War."
This isn't just another step for Sen. Thompson. It's a large step, one that's leading to his announcement. This Ryan Sager article in the NY Sun offers a more detailed insight into the process:
A "testing the waters" committee is a step before the more familiar presidential exploratory committee. It allows the former Tennessee senator to raise money and hire staff. But it also prevents him from doing a number of other things: advertising his candidacy, referring to himself as a real candidate (presumably just in public, he can say whatever he likes in front of the bathroom mirror), raising money that could be transferred to another candidate, or raising money to get on the ballot.This provides another advantage to Thompson in that he isn't obligated to participating in the cattle shows that the Agenda Media refers to as debates. The winner of the last two debates has been Fred Thompson because he hasn't participated in either of them.
The Thompson adviser I spoke to yesterday wanted to downplay the significance of the forthcoming announcement ("Don't expect huge fanfare," were the adviser's exact words). But for the Republican Party, this is clearly huge.Mr. Sager is exactly right. Thompson's candidacy is huge. He'll be instantly recognized as the true conservative in the race. While Romney's religion isn't an obstacle that can't be overcome, Romney's past statements will cause people to wonder if he's an election year convert or if he's sincere. Sen. McCain has been a stalwart on Iraq. He's been solid on earmark reform and spending restraint. His hopes at the nomination were dashed several times, most recently by his collaboration with Ted Kennedy on the immigration non-reform reform bill. His selling out President Bush's judicial nominees is something that conservatives will never forgive him over. His stubbornness on BCRA is another issue that conservatives won't forgive him over either.
That essentially leaves Giuliani and Thompson. May the
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2007 2:29 AM
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Fred's Plan to Overshadow Another Debate
You've gotta love the media savvy that Fred Thompson has shown thus far. He upstaged the second debate by doing taking on Michael Moore in the Breitbart video. Now he's got new plans to be the center of attention without debating:
Thompson advisers point out that the new testing-the-waters entity is not quite a campaign committee, though it will officially begin accepting contributions on June 4. On that day, the First Day, as it were, the campaign will take in donations that it can then tout as an impressive one-day haul. A corollary benefit will be that news reports about Thompson's non-entry entry will run on June 5, when the declared candidates will meet in New Hampshire for their third debate. (Thompson won't be required to disclose his donors and the amounts they give to the Federal Election Commission until September.)In other words, Sen. Thompson will send a 'fundraising shot' across the frontrunners' bow the day of the New Hampshire debate. The next day, the debate will have their headline, Fred Thompson will have his. And he won't have to deal with Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo.
Simply put, Fred Thompson is setting the terms of his engagement and he's benefiting from it. These aren't debates. They're an opportunity for fourth tier candidates like Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul to spew their purist blather to a big audience.
Former Georgia Senator Mack Mattingly, a First Day Founder who was on the conference call, says that he has chosen to back Thompson for two reasons. "First, he's a conservative. Second, he's a leader." Mattingly believes that the creation of the new committee will change the dynamics of the race. "I don't want to say anything bad about the other candidates," he says. "There'll probably be people who were supporting some other candidates who will be joining us. We'll welcome them, too." (Tennessee Representative Marsha Blackburn last week announced that she was switching her support from Mitt Romney, whom she endorsed in January, to Thompson.)Sen. Mattingly states the obvious that Thompson's entry into the race changes the dynamics of the race. That's illustrated by Rep. Blackburn shifting her support from Mitt to Sen. Thompson. I suspect that she's merely the first to switch allegiances from other candidates to Sen. Thompson.
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:55 PM
Comment 1 by jroosh at 31-May-07 12:55 PM
where do I send my check on the 4th?
