Poll: McCain should answer the 3 am phone call

Acc. to Zogby:

Who Do You Want To Answer 3am Phone Call

John McCain 55%
Hillary 37%

John McCain 56%
Barack Obama 35%

Hillary 48%
Barack Obama 38%

This poll was done March 13-14 among 1004 likely voters.

Obama fares badly against McCain and Clinton--perhaps his 20-year lapse in judgment regarding his radical reverend is the reason. Can you imagine the radical Rev. Jeremiah Wright (instead of Obama) on the other end of the phone line spewing racist vitriole to world leaders such as Nicholas Sarkozy and Harmid Karzai? Obama's failure to address and distance himself from this offensive hate monger is very troubling. After all, it was Obama who said that "words do matter..." in responding to the Clinton campaign. For a campaign that has stressed judgment, this is a debilitating blow.

The PC Police Strike!

Be careful what you say...according to a local Democratic blogger, calling a black person articulate is racist because it suggests low expectations. I hate to be the one to turn the tables, but this insinuation is troubling: basically, the blogger is saying you cannot praise a black person. I find it highly offensive that some bloggers on the left would suggest any praise of a minority is racist and not allowed, even though white people are praised in the same manner. Why does this blogger and others want us to have different standards for white and black--this strikes me as a form of segregation. Remember "separate but equal"?

Webster's Dictionary defines the word articulate in several ways, including:
1. using language easily and fluently; having facility with words: an articulate speaker.
4. expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness: an articulate thought.
5. made clear, distinct, and precise

That's funny, but I didn't see any mention of race in the dictionary definition. In fact, it's a color-blind word with a distinct, race-neutral definition.

Let's see: another descriptor for articulate I considered using was "good communicator." How is that any different? Oh, what a racist term--how dare I suggest that a black person is a good communicator! How about "Mr. Steele speaks with clarity and conviction." Oh, no--am I suggesting that it is exceptional for a black man to have conviction and be clear?

Let's see: out of the candidates for VP, Michele Bachmann is definitely not articulate (in my opinion), and the others are somewhat articulate to varying degrees, but Steele is the most articulate (I would even say he is more clear and articulate than most of the pundits on TV, on the left and the right).

George W. Bush? One of the most inarticulate politicians. Ron Paul? Very inarticulate. Joe Liebermann? Very articulate--but still not as articulate as Michael Steele, in my view.

I would find it humorous, except that I also find it very degrading and offensive that some on the left would try to limit praise of minorities by banning positive descriptors that have been in use in everday language for hundreds of years and have no racial undertones.

For the record, I've know Mr. Steele and I'm sure he would find this entire situation to be very humorous.

McCain's best choices for VP

Everyone's buzzing at the possible choices for VP--the list is almost limitless, but several figures stand out and could provide a good contrast to McCain either in age, gender, race, or ideologically. Here are some of our top picks:

#1: Michael Steele

Pros: the African-American, former lieutenant governor of Maryland and current GOPAC chairman is a rising star in the party, articulate, and charismatic. Plus, as a dedicated social and fiscal conservative, he would please McCain's critics and doubters on the right

Cons: None that we can see

#2: Condoleezza Rice

Pros: the current U.S. Secretary of State has a great life story to tell and her foreign policy credentials, along with McCain's experience, would make the ticket an unstoppable force. Plus, she's African American and a woman. Whether it's Hillary or Obama, the Dems won't be able to top that historic double-grand slam

Cons: Little is known about Rice's positions on domestic and economic policy--basically most issues other than foreign policy. Her ties to the Bush administration would also prove problematic.

#3: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Pros: this relatively young (for congress) workaholic congresswoman serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee. She's intelligent, bright, and solidly conservative

Cons: very few. She's made a few controversial statements, but which congressional representative hasn't?

#4: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Pros: only Republican to win an open seat in 2006, Bachmann is solidly conservative on all accounts and hails from a critical swing state McCain needs to win in '08

Cons: a few controversial past statements and associations, but nothing glaring.

#5: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Pros: commonsense, conservative Republican governor of critical state of Minnesota, site of August GOP convention. Well-liked and popular governor

Cons: some positions on climate change and taxes have irked conservatives

#6: Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)

Pros: the young, 36-year old made history by becoming the first Indian-American to be elected governor in 2007 in Louisiana. He's conservative, charismatic, and described as the next Ronald Reagan

Cons: None, except Jindal was just elected to governor and hasn't served out his first term; may be too focused on state politics to consider a run for VP

#7: Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Pros: Young, attractive, beautiful, and savvy Alaska governor ran on ethics reform and has helped clean up the corruption of former GOP Governor Frank Murkowski. She was also the most popular governor in the nation--last summer, her approval rating hovered in the low 90s.

Cons: She's not from a state that would be in play, but otherwise she's an attractive choice (in more ways than one)

#8: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

Pros: experienced, long-time senator who adds gender balance and exertise on wide range of domestic policy issues

Cons: tolerated and even liked, but not loved by some social conservatives. Doesn't herald from a critical state McCain needs to win; having another senator on the ballot wouldn't be a plus--having a governor would be better

#9: Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Pros: former Mass. governor would put a solidly blue state into play and help bring conservatives on board with McCain's campaign

Cons: Romney is loathed by some on the right and accused of switching positions on many issues. Wouldn't necessarily solidify support from the conservative base

#10: Sen. Joe Liebermann (I-CT)

Pros: former Democrat, now turned Independent, Liebermann is conservative on national security and defense and a staunch McCain backer. Could make CT a swing state and turn it red for the first time in decades. Lots of opportunity for crossover Democratic support possible if Liebermann is chosen

Cons: Not a conservative and would not engender conservative base to McCain

Lawmakers take a stand against earmarks

UPDATE: Both Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins have taken the pledge to not use earmarks. Kansas Progress has more. This positive development is an encouraging sign that the Republican Party has learned some lessons from 2006 and some candidates are prepared to run on the core principles of limited government that helped propel Reagan to the White House in 1980 and led to the GOP takeover of the house in 1994.

25 congressional representatives and 5 senators have signed a pledge to stop receiving earmarks. Not suprisingly, only 2 of the 25 congressmen and 2 of the 6 senators are Democrats.
GOP Presidential nominee John McCain tops the the list, along with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, but sadly, Kansas' delegation is completely absent.

Kansas Progress has more about the effort to encourage KS to step up and take leadership on the issue of earmarks.

Most Americans think U.S. will succeed in Iraq

A new Pew poll shows 53 percent of Americans think we will succeed in Iraq, up 6 points from a year ago. 48 percent believe things are going well, a 12 point increase since Feb. 2007. The surge is definitely working and the American people are recognizing that--there have only been 25 combat-related deaths in Iraq this past month, a 64 percent drop from this time last year.

Thornburgh building support for gubernatorial run

Two weeks ago, KS Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh mailed out brief letters to Republican committeemen and women who attended Kansas Days. In the letter, Thornburgh thanked them for attending the annual GOP event and chastised Gov. Sebelius for the growth in state spending and Kansas' dubious distinction of being 1st in the nation for government job growth and dead-last for private sector job growth. Thornburgh reitereated the need to elect Republicans to all offices in 2008 and "working together to defeat the governor," ending his brief and general letter by saying he hopes to return Republican leadership to Kansas.

Any doubts now that Thornburgh has entered the Governor's race for 2010? He's building support early, beginning with his fiery motivation speech at Kansas Days that sounded more like a campaign speech than the traditional policy speeches from elected officials.

One thing's for sure: Kansas will have many good Republican candidates to choose from in 2010--including Thornburgh, one of Kansas' most popular and well-liked Republicans. Rumors are also swirling that Sen. Sam Brownback will run for governor too--fueled by refusals from his D.C. office to deny or confirm the possibility. Brownback was re-elected to the Senate in 2004 with 69 percent of the vote and has a solid voting record in the Senate. The Democrats, however, have a very short list of viable candidates: Paul Morrion's scandal ends his political career and a "golden-boy image" that was developed for a potential gubernatorial run. Mark Parkinson faces hostility in his own party, which leaves only Dennis Moore--who may lose to Nick Jordan in 2008 and who will face Kansans west of Douglas County who look skeptically upon Johnson Countians who run statewide and claim to have a platform that represents all Kansans.

With a full slate of potential candidates, Kansas will finally be able to return responsible leadership to Topeka and install a Republican in Cedar Crest.

The Real Barack Obama

Why Barack Obama should NOT be elected President:

1. Obama is the MOST LIBERAL U.S. SENATOR. According to National Journal's 2007 vote analysis, Obama's voting record is more liberal than Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and every other Dem. He may talk a good talk, but Obama's record shows that he rarely if ever deviates from the party line.

2. Obama's lack of substance and emphasis on his cult of personality distracts voters from the vast expansion of government he champions. None of this is "change": increased taxes and increased funding from everything to welfare to education with no accountability mechanisms--it has all been tried before and failed. Outside estimates of the cost of all of Obama's "changes" range from tens of billions of dollars to hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending.

3. Sen. Obama has been endorsed by: Ted Kennedy, MoveOn.org, and all-time famous racist and anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan ("Farrakhan praises Obama as hope of the entire world"). With friends like these, does he really appeal to Republicans and Independents?

4. Sen. Obama attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago, whose pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright espouses rhetoric dangerously close to black separatism while meeting with people like Louis Farrahkhan and Moammar Gadhafi. The church requires members to commit to upholding the "Black Value System" and pledging loyalty to the black community, black family, and black work ethic. Obama himself has said he has questioned the "idolatry of the free market" because of his faith. Pastor Wright has also preached that 9-11 was a "wake-up call" to "white America" for "ignoring the concerns of people of color." As Wright says, "we are an African people, and remain true to our native land, the mother continent."

Since a person's religious background and faith community affects their outlook on life and personal value system, Obama's choice of a radical church outside mainstream Christianity is alarming to say the least.

5. Obama has no reservations about speaking to leaders of Iran, North Korea, and other leaders that do us harm. His policy of "talk first, worry about human rights later" would undermine U.S. foreign policy hamper anti-terrorism efforts and support of reformist groups around the world.

6. British-Iraqi millionaire Nadhmi Auchi donated millions to Obama's former campaign manager and Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko, who then negotiated a land deal with Obama two weeks later, in which Obama purchased a house. This is relevant because investigators believe Auchi's loan was part of a kickback scheme that enabled Obama to buy the house at a greatly-discounted price. In return, Rezko and Auchi are alleged to have solicited favors from state government, and both men have criminal records and are facing investigations. The Syrian-born Rezko attempted to obtain political favors from state government officials in Illinois and served time in jail on corruption charges. Auchi (a personal friend of Rezco's and business associate) was responsible for the largest corruption scandal in post-war Europe and was convicted in France. Auchi attempted to gain visa entry to the U.S. and approached certain unnamed Illinois officials for help in obtaining the visa. Obama has also admitted to writing letters on Rezko's behalf to help the landlord obtain state funding for developing a senior living community. For more on this sordid and complicated story, read this Chicago Tribune article.

7. Obama not only supports partial-birth abortion, as an Illinois state legislator he opposed the Induced Infants Liability Act in 2002, which mandated life-saving medical treatment for babies born accidentally as the result of failed late-term abortions. Even NARAL, NOW, and the most strident pro-abortion groups supported this measure, which clearly had nothing to do with abortion and had everything to do with killing a living, breathing human being. This puts Obama to the left of 99 percent of his Democratic colleagues on the issue.

8. Obama supports drivers licenses for illegals, dispite the fact that nearly 75 percent of the American people oppose such a disasterous and dangerous policy.

9. Obama served as director to a charity organization when it donated thousands of dollars to the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), an anti-Israeli group supportive of Palestinian terrorist organizations. AAAN Co-founder Rashid Khalidi, an anti-Isreali, pro-PLO activist who has indicated support for suicide bombings and labeled Israel a "racist" state, serves as a fundraiser and personal friend of Obama. Khalidi said he supports Obama for president "because he is the only candidate who has expressed sympathy for the Palestinian cause" and because Obama "supports talks with Iran. If the U.S. can talk with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, there is no reason it can't talk with the Iranians."

10. As mentioned above, Obama's supporters gleefully allude to the fact he would be the first president to deviate from America's long-held commitment to Israel. Despite his attempts to downplay the pro-Palestinian sympathies he expressed as a Illinois state legislator (recently reiterated by Green Party candidate Ralph Nader), the Obama phenomenon seems to be causing unease in Jerusalem and among American Jewish and Israeli groups.

11. Contributers and supporters Bernadette Dohrn and William Ayers aided Sen. Obama's Illinois campaigns by providing strategy, money, and influential liberal backing for his candidacy. Both individuals were part of a radical anti-war, 1960s domestic terrorist group known as the "Weather Underground" which carried out several bombings of federal buildings and corporations that resulted in dozens of deaths. Dohrn served a year in jail, and an unrepetent Ayers told the New York Times in 2001 that not only did he not regret setting off bombs, he feels that they didn't do enough.

12. Obama has broken several campaign promises already: Obama told Tim Russert on on "Meet the Press," Jan. 22, 2006 that he would serve out his full Senate term and not run for the presidency in 2008. Also, Obama pledged to use public financing for his campaign and now seems to be backing down

13. Michelle Obama twice said that "for the first time in my adult life I'm proud of my country." America bashing is always in vogue with the far-left--it's a shame a potential first lady can not see the incredible opportunity her country has provided her.

14. Michelle Obama recently gave her husband advice on the campaign trail "Barack. Feel--don't think!" Wow...how scary and dangerous for our democracy, but it accurately describes the Obama phenomenon as women faint and men cheer as Obama blows his nose (Der Spiegel, a German publican, calls Obama the "Messiah"). Every disasterous and destructive populist movement--from failed American presidencies to Communist revolutions--relied on emotion, perception and the cult of personality over substance of ideas and policy. "Feel--don't think" has always been the mantra of those who peddle their own opium in the attempt to control and manipulate the masses.