September 15, 2008
Sep 15 01:03 The Democrats' Race to Lose? Sep 15 08:10 I'm Shocked: ACORN Accused of Voter Fraud Sep 15 12:00 Aaron Landry & Jason Lewis Deserve Each Other Sep 15 17:31 Democrats' Drilling Poison Pill Sep 15 14:54 Blogger Conference Call- Energy Legislation Sep 15 19:17 Another Ethical Dilemma for Al Franken Sep 15 20:48 A Ringing Endorsement This Isn't Sep 15 23:04 El Tinklenberg Shooting His Mouth Off Again
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
The Democrats' Race to Lose?
In 2004, Bob Beckel, Susan Estrich and other Democratic pundits told us that that year's race was Kerry's to lose. Shortly after starting blogging, I said that it's a good thing that John Kerry, who fought in Vietnam, was more than up to the task. Along those same lines, Bob Beckel, Julian Epstein and other liberal pundits have predicted that it's Sen. Obama's race to lose. Based on the polling I've seen lately, it appears as though Sen. Obama is equally up to the task.
Based on Clive Crook's Financial Times column , I'm not alone in that thinking:
If Barack Obama loses this election to John McCain, something which, for the first time, I regard as a real possibility, history will point to August 29 as the pivotal moment. That was when Mr McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his running-mate, and when livid Democrats and their friends in the media voiced their feelings about her and much of the electorate, and gravely harmed their candidate's prospects.If Democrats lose this election, they'll have themselves to blame for not vetting Sen. Obama better. Sen. Obama was an electrifying orator. He's still an empty suit. He's still the least qualified presidential candidate in my lifetime. By alot.
For Mr McCain to win the election against the odds that faced him pre-Palin, with the economy in the tank and the incumbent Republican president setting records for unpopularity, would be sensational enough. For this to happen because of his vice-presidential pick, a decision that is usually of next to no consequence, beggars belief. The Democrats had to bring all their resources to getting themselves into this fix. They proved equal to the task.
It isn't just that Sen. Obama is vastly underqualified. It's that he's on the wrong side of the biggest domestic issue of the last five years. For that matter, the vast majority of Democrats are on the wrong side of the drilling issue. That's because they're afraid to take on the extremists in their party.
If John Breaux, Zell Miller and Daniel Patrick Moynihan were still in the Senate, they wouldn't put up with MoveOn.org or the environutters that insist on not drilling.
The American people are screaming for Congress to open up the OCS and ANWR. Democrats won't because that'd require a spine. Here's how stupid Democrats have acted:
Certainly, the Democrats can see they are in a hole. Somehow, though, the word has gone out: "Keep digging." Mr Obama is also urged to be less cool and lose his temper. Voters adore an angry candidate, you see. "Dig faster, and be more angry," is the advice coming down from the political geniuses who decided it was a fine idea to laugh at Ms Palin in the first place. A recurring television image in the past few days has been the split-screen contrast between a serenely smiling Republican operative and a fulminating red-faced Democrat about to have a stroke.That's the easy way to lose an election. Just like the Democrats' pool of competent presidential candidates is thin, they're also thin in terms of intelligent political strategists. Their strategists are either bomb-throwing idiots like Paul Begala and Jim Carville or they're shrill proven losers like Bob Shrum. That isn't a great bench to choose from.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 1:04 AM
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I'm Shocked: ACORN Accused of Voter Fraud
Captain Ed highlights another investigation into ACORN's voter
Several municipal clerks across the state are reporting fraudulent and duplicate voter registration applications, most of them from a nationwide community activist group working to help low- and moderate-income families.Ed points out that Barack Obama has paid ACORN to register voters :
The majority of the problem applications are coming from the group ACORN, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now , which has a large voter registration program among its many social service programs. ACORN's Michigan branch, based in Detroit, has enrolled 200,000 voters statewide in recent months, mostly with the use of paid, part-time employees.
"There appears to be a sizeable number of duplicate and fraudulent applications," said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State's Office. "And it appears to be widespread."
The editors chastise Barack Obama for his late revision of campaign finance documents that show extensive connections to ACORN, the GOTV group that faces criminal charges in connection to voter fraud in various areas of the country.It's sickening that the man who promised a new postpartisan brand of politics is resorting to his allies from his community organizing days. ACORN isn't about reform, which is what the R in their acronym supposedly stands for. Based on their past legal history, I'd suggest that the R should stand for Retainer, as in a retainer for an attorney.
This is a purely rhetorical question but here goes: Why hasn't anyone asked Sen. Obama why he's paid this organization almost $1 million?
Yesterday, just like every other day, I read the LTE's in my local paper as well as the comments left for the article. One misinformed liberal was talking about the huge voter registration drives that are happening that will render the polling models obsolete. I told this liberal about polling that showed Sen. Obama's appeal is dropping in all demographic groups.
I should've told him that those numbers won't hold up if ACORN's doing the voter registration. It now appears as though they're heavily involved in those registration drives, which means that the impressive-sounding numbers are likely to get dramatically shrunk before Election Day.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 8:10 AM
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Aaron Landry & Jason Lewis Deserve Each Other
When the SD-16 BPOU endorsed Mark Olson on August 7, I was the first MOBster to blast the SD-16 Endorsing Convention. I'm still proud of railing against the people that voted for Mark Olson. Ten days later, johnny-come-lately Aaron Landry wrote about Jason Lewis blowing a gasket over my friend Michael Brodkorb, Sen. Norm Coleman and the Senate Republican Caucus. Here's what Mr. Lewis said:
This is the pinnacle of elitism. A bunch of elitist, Republican party hacks have gotten together and decided to override your choice. That's what rubs me the wrong way.Last Tuesday, the voters of SD-16 spoke clearly. They picked Alison Krueger. How elitist of those snobbish We The People voters to ignore the will of the SD-16 delegates. How dare they defy the will of the delegates?
I don't have much respect for Mr. Lewis or his KoolAid drinking brigade. With his actions, Mr. Lewis has made it clear that he puts a higher priority on politicians voting right than finding politicians with unquestioned integrity. Mr. Lewis needs to pay attention to the will of We The People instead of the will of Mr. Olson's cronies.
The biggest mistake Lewis made was that he didn't listen to the people of SD-16 before shooting his mouth off. The GOP could avoid lots of problems if they'd listen to We The People first instead of throwing temper tantrums every time they hear something they don't like.
While I don't think Lewis did this as a PR stunt to fire up his listeners, it certainly doesn't hurt his ratings, either. It's curious that Lewis didn't characterize the House GOP caucus as elitist after voting unanimously to boot Olson from their caucus.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 12:00 PM
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Democrats' Drilling Poison Pill
I knew that the Democrats' drilling bill wouldn't come without a poison pill. This article proves me right. Here's what the Virginian-Pilot is reporting:
Even as House Democratic leaders handed Republicans a symbolic victory this week in their long fight for new offshore oil development, critics charged that the fine print in the plan probably will continue to keep drillers out of the Atlantic.Think of what the House Democratic leaderhip is telling "Virginia and other coastal states." They're saying that Alaska can keep reaping the benefits of the Alaskan Pipeline but "Virginia and other coastal states" don't get a penny. Why shouldn't Virginia and other coastal states be upset with the House Democratic leadership?
While lifting a 25-year federal ban on most offshore oil and natural gas drilling, the legislation would block Virginia and other coastal states from sharing in a $2.6 trillion bonanza of tax revenue expected to flow from offshore fields. A Senate bill still in the works would give states part of the money.
Unless states stand to profit from offshore development, they almost surely would exercise their right under the bill to block any drilling within 100 miles of their shores, critics of the House initiative charged.
What's most encouraging is that House GOP leadership has already jumped all over this stunt:
Rep. Thelma Drake, a Norfolk Republican who has taken a prominent role among pro-drilling forces, was even more critical. The new bill "appears to be little more than a political ploy," Drake charged in a prepared statement. Democrats intend to "tell the American people that they voted to go after more American energy while winking to the environmentalists to say that this increased production will never happen," she said.I'd call this a 'show-and-tell' bill. Ms. Pelosi will show the American people the pro-drilling headline, then tell her environutter campaign contributors that drilling won't happen because states don't have a financial interest in it.
The problem for Democrats is that Republicans will undoubtedly attempt to pass amendments that will give Virginia and other states a financial incentive. Democrats voting against that type of amendment will be exposed as being insincere about supporting drilling.
Here's another potential powderkeg for Democrats:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that sharing royalties with the states would force Congress to overhaul the entire budget, an impossible task just three weeks before the beginning of a new fiscal year. Pay-as-you-go rules adopted by lawmakers require them to offset any surrender of federal revenue with cuts in spending, she said.Ms. Pelosi's explanation is 100% spin. It'd be interesting to find out how many times Democrats had ignored pay-go since adopting that rule. I'm just guessing but I'm betting that they've used it to stop Republican bills more than they've used it to keep the budget in check. I'd further bet that Democrats have used this excuse to prevent drilling.
Republicans scoffed at the explanation, noting that Democrats have not invoked "pay-go" in signing off a multi billion-dollar bailout of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
The tax revenues in the Democratic plan actually would be royalties paid by oil companies as part of their leasing of offshore areas. If the take was shared with coastal states, Virginia could realize $200 million annually, state Sen. Frank Wagner, a Virginia Beach Republican, has estimated.
Their biggest problem is the Right Blogosphere and the rest of the New Media. While the NY Times and NBC News ignore the story behind the story, we won't. We'll spread the word that they're playing tricks again. What makes that really tricky is that they're playing tricks on the most important economic issue of the election cycle.
That's as foolish as trying to triangulate on the war was for Hillary. The only benchmark that American consumers pay attention to is whether the price at the pump drops. Everything else is windowdressing.
UPDATE: I posted here about the blogger conference call I participated in. Several noteworthy things were highlighted during the call. To me, the most important thing highlighted came when Rep. Putnam said that the Gang of 10 hadn't written any legislation, that they'd only put together talking points. He then said that it's easy to say that they want bipartisanship but that things might get a little contentious once the legislation starts getting written. I wholeheartedly concur.
It's always easier to agree with a generalized concept than with sticky details like an $85 billion tax increase.
Frankly, I don't think the Gang of 16 will get everything worked out before the recess. I'm betting, too, that their legislation will be filibustered if they put it together.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 5:32 PM
Comment 1 by Walter hanson at 15-Sep-08 09:50 PM
Wow spending is up 8% this year accoding to CBO. Shouldn't spending have been more like 0% if you have pay-go.
Oh Paygo apparently applies only after Democrat items are passed with no problem. The surest way to help them lose seats.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Blogger Conference Call- Energy Legislation
1:59 -- I just got connected to the GOP blogger conference call hosted by House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam. We're scheduled to start momentarily.
2:05 -- Adam Putnam is starting to lay out "what might or might not be" in the Democrats' bill. Reop. Putnam said that the House GOP changed the entire debate.
2:07 -- "They're [Democrats] taking a victory lap" but they know that "responsible governors" won't opt in because there isn't a financial incentive for them to do so. Rep. Putnam says that they know drilling won't happen because of that.
2:10 -- "Ironically, Democrats have submitted a drilling only bill." Rep. Putnam then adds that "they fund their bill with $85 billion in tax hikes."
2:12 -- "Renewable electricity standards will cause price spikes."
2:13 -- " Democrats should hold an open & fair debate."
2:14 -- Stan from Conservatives With Attitude asks why Republicans didn't do more whan thay had the majority. Rep. Putnam is pointing out all that got passed.
2:16 -- Brian Faughnan from Redstate is worried about Gang of "10 or 16 or 20 or whatever it is." Rep. Putnam says that that is a concern. Rep. Putnam then says that the House GOP leadership has been in contact with the Senate GOP leadership on this. Most importantly, Rep. Putnam says that the group hasn't "put legislation forward, just talking points." Rep. Putnam is skeptical of their ability to put it together with this little time but they're keeping their eyes open on this.
2:20 -- I ask about whether the House GOP would offer an amendment that gives Virginia, Louisiana and other states a financial incentive in opting in. Rep. Putnam said that the GOP hasn't settled on a specific strategy yet but, depending on what's in the bill, they'd likely take that opportunity. As a followup, I asked "Shouldn't the benchmark be about what's done, not what's talked about?" Rep. Putnam's response: "That's a great way to frame it. Yes, that should be what we demand."
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 2:57 PM
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Another Ethical Dilemma for Al Franken
Al Franken must feel like he's got big red bullseyes painted on his back and chest. Just when he was hoping his troubles were over, the Minnesota Republican Party is asking for an explanation of his role in the Gloria Wise scandal :
At a State Capitol press conference today, Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Ron Carey called on Al Franken to provide more detailed answers to his role in the cover-up involving nearly $900,000 that was stolen from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club by Franken's Air America company.I remember this scandal because it was so despicable in nature. I remember thinking that it was pretty repulsive that Franken would negotiate a big contract when Air America was financially strapped and likely appropriating funds from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. I remember thinking that Mr. Franken didn't have a shred of integrity.
"Al Franken did nothing to help return nearly $900,000 to the New York Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club while his employer, Air America, continued to use the money to possibly pay Franken's salary and benefits," said Carey. "At a time when Franken's temper tantrums and bad behavior could have been put to good use by publicly demanding and threatening to expose his employer's role in this massive fraud, Franken remained silent. But, while he negotiated for a multi-million contract, he was well aware that his nearly bankrupt Air America employer had stolen money from the Boys and Girls Club and he did nothing and said nothing to get the money returned."
To re-inforce Chairman Carey's statement that "Al Franken did nothing to help return nearly $900,000 to the New York Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club while his employer, Air America, continued to use the money to possibly pay Franken's salary and benefits", I refer you to Brian Maloney's initial post breaking this scandal. Of the many questions Brian Maloney asks in his article, this one stands out the most:
Are the network's hosts, such as Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, willing to apologize for the severe damage done to community programs for inner-city youth and seniors, as a result of this sleazy scandal?Here's another noteworthy question several updates later:
Did any of Air America's hosts address the scandal today, or are they trying to pretend this didn't happen?Thirty-eight months later, I'm confident in answering that at least one Air America host didn't address the scandal then because he'd rather ignore it now.
At this point, I have to think that Al Franken feels like the character from Li'l Abner who has the rain cloud permanently positioned overhead. Franken must think that he'll never get out from underneath this cloud of scandals.
The good news for Franken is that these clouds will lift a day after Norm Coleman defeats him. That defeat will free Franken to return to being one of the least funny comedians in show business.
This is the most damaging part of Chairman Carey's official statement:
"Al Franken said his company had no legal obligation to pay back the money they stole. So, while kids, senior citizens, and thousands of people who were looking for services from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club weren't getting them, Al Franken remained silent, and never once called for an audit, or an investigation or any type of oversight in the matter. Why did Franken stay quiet? Was he afraid of jeopardizing his contract negotiations? Or, was it because he didn't want to raise any suspicions about how deeply involved he was in the station's financial situation? He needs to answer these questions."Here's what Maloney posted on January 25, 2006 about Franken's contract negotiations :
Happily waltzing through the middle of this mess nearly unscathed, however, is Franken himself. Fawning press coverage almost everywhere was the result of his recently-completed book tour.Not only does Al Franken owe the people of Minnesota an explanation but he also owes the disadvantaged children who otherwise would've benefited from the programs that should've been run as a result of the initial $875,000. That isn't all, either. Mr. Franken also owes the seniors who would've benefited from the programs that were supposed to be part of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club.
And why shouldn't Franken be smiling? While repayment was delayed until it was too late to save Gloria Wise and its afterschool programs for disadvantaged youth, Al got everything he wanted and then some.
Did his greed greatly contribute to the problem, by keeping Air America financially-drained and unable to return the money? Quite possibly, according to newly-obtained documents.
At minimum, it's safe to say that Mr. Franken isn't a man of integrity. It's equally safe to say that this information puts into question what Mr. Franken's priorities would be if elected. It isn't a stretch to think that Mr. Franken puts Mr. Franken first, everyone else second.
Mr. Franken's record can't be compared with Sen. Coleman's record of compassion and integrity and putting Minnesota first.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 7:24 PM
Comment 1 by CommonSenseRambler at 16-Sep-08 10:20 AM
Who vetted this guy before letting him run for office? With all the problems the GOP has had lately with ethics scandals, it's really nothing compared to Al. He lifts the dems to a new level of unethical leadership.
That's not what Minnesotans are looking for, in either party.
In politics, Integrity Matters.
Make sure you remember that in the voting booth.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 16-Sep-08 10:38 AM
Rambler, Check back later today. This is just the beginning of Franken's, & the Dems', ethical problems. It's just the tip of the iceberg.
A Ringing Endorsement This Isn't
After yesterday's performance, Tarvaris Jackson needed a sincere vote of confidence from Coach Brad Childress. He didn't get it :
Childress was asked about the perception that he has tied his future to Jackson without looking at other options. Childress said he will play the quarterback who gives his team the best chance to win.It's pretty clear that Coch Childress doesn't have much confidence in his hand-picked quarterback. If Childress' review were just a bit more harsh, Mr. Jackson might've gotten frostbite.
"I'm always looking at what's giving us the best opportunity to win," he said. "If it's Tarvaris, it's Tarvaris. If it's Gus Frerotte, it's Gus Frerotte. J.D. Booty, it's J.D. Booty. I know I was asked a question yesterday, is that the guy who who's going to be the quarterback at the end of the week? That's something that is ongoing. You don't crown a guy king and then the king doesn't have any clothes on and you say, 'Hey, he's still the king.' You just need to make sure you're doing the right thing there. We're chewing on a bunch of things right now and making sure he's the best guy for us to go forward."
By the end of yesterday's game, 3rd and 5 became a running down. I can't blame the coaches' decision for that. What I will blame them for is investing so much in him. It's charitable to say his mechanics are inconsistent. One play, his passes are exactly where the ball needs to be. The next play, the same route, the pass sails 10 feet over the receiver's head.
Let's go back to the beginning. It's draft day, 2006. The Vikings have 2 second round picks, 2 third round picks. With the first of their second round picks, they pick Cedric Griffin. With the pick they stole from Miami for Daunte, they picked Brian Cook. I figured it'd be awhile before the Vikings picked again so I went and made a steak and took a short nap.
When I retured, I learned that the Vikings gave up thier original third round pick plus the third rounder they got from Seattle when Seattle signed Kevin Burleson to Pittsburgh to move up to the last pick of the second round. They used that pick to get their guy, Tarvaris Jackson.
One of the Vikings beat writers asked why they traded up for Jackson. The writer was told that another team was planning on taking Jackson early in the third round. Upon reading that, my reaction was "So what"? I'm guessing that the reporter's reaction was similar, though I'd guess that his reaction was done with a better poker face than mine.
Now we stand here 3 seasons later and I'm still wondering if another team really had planned on picking Tarvaris Jackson early in the third round. I wish the Vikings had been smart enough to pass on their trade and found out.
Frankly, at this point, I'm hoping that this season ends poorly, forcing Zygi to fire Childress and trading for Brady Quinn so we can have a real offense next year. Anything short of that will be a bigger disappointment than Jackson has been thus far.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 8:48 PM
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El Tinklenberg Shooting His Mouth Off Again
I don't usually pay attention to windbag politicians like El Tinklenberg. Then again, politicians like Tinklenberg don't often cite their experience of running MnDOT as proof of their competence. Mr. Tinklenberg's blogger posted this today:
Today we honor those who lost their lives or suffered injury in the tragic 35W bridge collapse on August 1, 2007. We are thankful to the dedicated responders who so bravely participated in the recovery and those who have since worked to ensure the future safety of the 35W Bridge. This efficient rebuilding effort would not have been possible without the help of many people, including the Minnesota Congressional delegation.When it comes to the I-35 Bridge collapse, few people had the opportunity of preventing it that Mr. Tinklenberg had. Mr. Tinklenberg doesn't deserve all of the blame but he can't argue that he didn't have the opportunity to prevent it :
But let's not forget that not all of our representatives were united on this effort. While today Congresswoman Michele Bachmann took credit for supporting the 35W bridge bill, the facts tell us that she voted twice to keep it from coming to a vote.
First, she voted to adjourn Congress before the bill could be voted on; and subsequently, voted against allowing the bill to come to the House floor. These votes clearly demonstrate the extent Representative Bachmann will go to put party loyalty before Minnesota's interests.
Seven years before the Interstate 35W bridge fell, a consulting firm sent Minnesota officials a proposal to shore up the aging structure that included examining its gusset plates, the connections that federal investigators now believe likely played a role in the collapse.It's time that Mr. Tinklenberg acted like a man and took responsibility for what he didn't do. It's time that Mr. Tinklenberg admitted to the people of Minnesota's Sixth District that his tenure as Transportation Commissioner was deserving of the scorn that Carol Molnau got. It's fair to ask why, aside from Mark Kaszouba's solid reporting, Mr. Tinklenberg isn't getting the negative attention that Carol Molnau got.
The preliminary plan from HNTB Corp. of Kansas City, which was buried among hundreds of documents released at a recent legislative hearing, has gone largely unnoticed in the debate over the disaster. The company did its study at no cost in an attempt to gain a state contract for the bridge work but, in the end, wasn't hired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
A series of follow-up memos in 2000 and 2001 featured drawings of how HNTB planned to strengthen areas immediately surrounding the gusset plates and included renderings of "supplemental plates" and a "new oversize gusset." Other drawings called for adding supplemental supports in the vicinity of the gusset plates.
Here's another thing that I won't let Mr. Tinklenberg get away with:
Clearly, we cannot afford two more years of Representative Bachmann putting political gain before the needs of Minnesotans. As a former mayor and former Minnesota Commissioner of Transportation I can assure you that I understand that when it comes to the safety of our citizens there should be no such thing as partisan politics.The Lady Logician's response nails Mr. Tinklenberg pretty well:
Were you thinking about the safety of our citizens when you said "no" to fixing those gusset plates? Or are you eschewing "partisan politics" when you got in front of the Channel 9 cameras to blame Lt. Governor Molnau for your failure to fix the gusset plates?Mr. Tinklenberg, We want answers and we won't take no for an answer. It's time you stepped forward and explained why you didn't do what you should've done. If you refuse, then we'll simply assume that you aren't willing to take responsibility for your decisions.
We can't afford to elect a politician who won't take responsibility for his actions.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 11:04 PM
Comment 1 by George at 17-Sep-08 07:00 AM
Hey moron, you didn't address the fact that Michele Bachmann voted to ADJOURN Congress before voting for the 35W replacement money. What about that? Great statesmanship and representation for the 6th CD? Or more political grandstanding by our do-nothing congresswoman? Where is Michele, by the way? She's dodging debate invitations right and left. What's Michele afraid of? Debating Tinklenberg? I thought he was just a windbag? Michele's afraid of a windbag? Some candidate.
