I finished 11 to 7 yesterday; man, I hate that shift. I live like a zombie when I work graveyard.

Now I'm playing catch-up and I have a ton of things to do today. But first, morning coffee, blogs, etc.

So what's on the pile for today?

• New year, new schedule of surgical processes ... worst of all, the deductible starts all over for the year. I had surgery in January, I'm having another procedure next month, and damn! I'd just finished paying off last year's medical bills!
  
  I think David summed it up up adequately when he said "Is this real life? Why is this happening to me? Is this gonna be for EVER? AAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!"
  
  But enough bitching about my personal junk.

Some of the internet junk from the past days/weeks that I've wanted to link to and/or comment on but just haven't bothered ...

• Good stuff from Scrappleface:
  

  President Barack Obama has reportedly written another private note to his Russian counterpart offering to halt deployment of a defensive nuclear missile shield in Europe, this time in exchange for Russia’s help in dealing with U.S. talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh.



• I've written before about how much I dislike Rush Limbaugh, but the way the liberals and RINOs are piling on him is triggering a bit of a personal backlash.
  
  I've been praising Mike Steele for ages, but no politician is perfect and I guess it was inevitable that even he would put his foot in a pile of bullshit.
  
  How, Mike, did it make even a little bit of sense to deign to wade into this anti-Limbaugh flap? And to do so from the leftist point of view? You blew the call on this one, buddy... and you handed the left a great stick to beat you with.


• Zo puts the recent Limbaugh BS in perspective, and does a better job than anyone else. Zo always puts it all in a nutshell better than anyone else, so it's not like it's anything new. I've mentioned that Zo rules, right?

  You know what a truth rush is? It's when you hear the absolute truth spelled out in simple, understandable terms that make you feel excited and energized. Whenever I listen to Zo I always get a truth rush.
  
  Rush WHO? When will Zo get a talk program? I'd listen every damn day.



• Comedian Louis CK tells Conan that today's young people are "the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots.... non-contributing zeroes." And he's right. I hate to generalize ... well, no I don't. I do it all the time. And I really tend to believe that damn near everyone born after 1975 or so is a whining, self-absorbed, unrealistic, childish, spoiled moron. (You know who you are.)
  
  Of course I also tend to believe that the baby-boomer generation is just as bad. So, yeah, basically everyone should always ignore everything I ever say because I'm a bitter, miserable old bastard.
  
  Give this clip a couple of minutes to really get going, it's well worth it and it's funny and dead-on. This had me laughing really, really hard and I'll be looking out for this guy from now on. Check it out:

  HT: BlackFive.



• I haven't mentioned the Octomom here because the story just disgusts me. But it ain't going away and more stuff comes to the surface every day. So here's my one Octomom post, let's get this over with.
  
  What do we know about Octomom so far? Well, in no particular order...
  
  
  • She's a psycho who has children by the litter.
  
  
  • She's obsessed with Angela Jolinie (or whomever) and has had her face carved and injected so she can look like her favorite movie star.
  
  
  • She's trying to sell the videotape of the birth of her litter.
  
  
  • She flips out and calls 911, threatening to kill herself in front of her children.
  
  
  • The cops have repeatedly investigated reports that she neglects her kids.
  
  
  • She says she might do a porn move, "maybe in a year, when the baby-fat goes away."
  
  Now, we all know weirdo moms ... flake-jobs who breast-feed in public (and sometimes until their kids are in middle-school) and have their kids sleep in the same bed with them and give their kids names like Armani and Timberland. But this woman is beyond weirdo mom. This woman is a dangerous nut.
  
  My take on it is that the doctor who performed her artificial fertilization ought to be held accountable for the well-being of those children. He knew that this woman was insane and he enabled her in the worst possible way. A responsible medical professional would be advocating that this woman be forced to have her tubes tied. And that's all I got to say 'bout that.

Labels: Links, Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics, You Tube, Zo

This makes me happy: The GOP picked a good man to lead them during these ... ahem ... changing times.

Change, change, change, changididdily changie changaroo. Change, change. Etc.

Nonetheless, Mike Steele is my kind of politician and I hope he's as good for the Republicans as I think he'll be.

Labels: Michael Steele, News, Politics

My guy, Mike Steele, announces his candidacy for GOP Chair.

Labels: Michael Steele, News, Politics, You Tube

My long time favorite politician, Michael Steele, is apparently campaigning to become the Chairman of the RNC. There's a lot of buzz about his efforts on the net; there's even a Draft Michael Steele website.

As you might guess, I'm pretty excited about the idea of the GOP having Mike at the wheel.

Other politicians are reportedly interested, too. I've read that Fred Thompson might like the gig. I was an early supporter of Thompson's Presidential bid ... until he proved to me that he was basically too lazy and indifferent to really campaign. Fred doesn't deserve to be the chairman of the RNC (or anything else) at this point.

There are also rumors about Newt Gingrich. Some say he's interested in the chair, some say he's not interested. As of now the most reliable reports seem to be the ones that indicate that Newt isn't interested ... and that he is, in fact, working with Mike Steele on the platform.

I like Newt, but he's not consistent. He opposed the recent bank bail-out at first, and his arguments were solid. Then he reluctantly flip-flopped and supported the thing at the last minute. Plus, Newt would have to shut up about "global warming" before I'd get enthusiastic about his leadership.

Newt and I do agree, though, about why the GOP lost last week's elections. In a nutshell, although I'm not convinced that Newt is the best choice to lead the party, he is usually a reliable conservative and I hope he'll continue to have a voice in the Republican Party's (hoped-for) rebirth.

Meanwhile, Mike Steele kicks ass! I think he'll be a much needed shot in the arm for the Republicans.

Labels: Michael Steele, News, Politics, Thompson 08

Update: I'll apparently be blogging a lot today, I keep finding stuff I want to post. So I'll just update this post occasionally rather than throwing together a heap of little posts.

Update 2: Post surgical pain has just kicked in, pretty damn hard, and mostly out of the blue. The pills ain't touching it right now. The only thing that doesn't hurt at the moment is standing, leaning against a wall. So I'm gonna go do that for a while ... I'm done adding to this post.

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Speaking In Tongues

So now we can't say that socialism is socialism without being racist??

The "socialist" label that Sen. John McCain and his GOP presidential running mate Sarah Palin are trying to attach to Sen. Barack Obama actually has long and very ugly historical roots.

J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, used the term liberally to describe African Americans who spent their lives fighting for equality...

McCain and Palin have simply reached back in history to use an old code word for black.

AAAAGGHHH! I'm ready to start pulling my hair out.

Do me a favor, leftists. Shut the f%$# up. For ten minutes, please, if you can't come up with something useful to say, just shut the f$%# up.

(HT: Ace.)

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Mike Steele on Values

Man, I love Mike Steele. This guy ROCKS. Even when I'm good and pissed off about politics, Mike chills me out by putting it all in perspective:

"Become the blueprint for those who are trying to find their way to the American dream."

I'm telling you, this guy is the new Reagan. I just wish he'd get back into politics and leave the cushy job at Fox News behind. We NEED you, Mike!

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The Emperor's New Smears

Batton Lash gets it right:

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Riot!

Paul the Regular Guy contemplates the threat of "urban unrest" if Obama loses the election ... and remembers the horrific violence that we experienced in our inner cities and metro areas following other recent Presidential elections. (Snicker, snicker.) It's good stuff, go read it.

---

Joy Behar calls Limbaugh a "terrorist"

If you don't know, Behar is one of the hysterical old biddies who makes up the panel at The View. I don't watch the show (unless clips on The Soup count), but from what I've read, there's one sane woman on the program (the young hot one, Elizabeth Hasselbeck) and three neurotic old hens.

Apparently one of the hens has proclaimed that Rush Limbaugh is a terrorist.

Like Joy Behar, I'm no fan of Rush Limbaugh.

Unlike Behar, I'm not a stark-raving, confused old loon. Calm down, Mrs. Behar. Limbaugh isn't a terrorist. He's just one more blowhard with his own personal soapbox who likes to spew his weirdo opinions all over the place. Like you.

Like me, too.

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Obama Watch, Politics, You Tube

Language warning: The closer I follow the news, the crankier I get.

• Barack Obama: Elitist Douchebag
  
  Obama seems to have forgotten who he's running against. I thought McCain was his opponent in the general election ... but he's campaigning against Sarah Palin. Quoth the Chosen One:

  “My understanding is that Gov. Palin’s town, Wassilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month,” Obama responded.
  
  Our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the past couple of years and certainly in terms of the legislation I’ve passed in the past couple of years, post-Katrina.”

  OK, one sentence at a time ...

  "Wassilla has I think 50 employees..."

  Yadda yadda yadda, we all know the contempt you feel for small-town America, Barry. Spare me your bullshit.
  

  "I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month..."

  Oooooh! Look at Mr. Big Political Man strut around! Just like a big ol' banty rooster! Does this guy have any clue how his pronouncements play in the heartland?
  
  Sarah Palin, as governor of Alaska, has been responsible for at least fifteen thousand state employees. That's well over three times the size of Obama's campaign. And Alaska's fiscal year budget for 2008 is more than eleven billion dollars. So let's do the math: Twelve million dollars for Wassilla's budget, times three for one month of Obama's campaign, divided into eleven billion dollars, equals shut the f@#& up, Barack.

  "Our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the past couple of years..."

  Oh, absolutely. In terms of manufacturing a successful brand-name you've left Coca Cola and McDonnalds in the dust. But you ain't no leader. You spent twelve years in the Illinois state legislature voting "present" and you've spent most of your time in the US senate out campaigning for President. So, once again, shut the f@#& up.



• Steele on Obama...
  
  My longtime personal pick for PotUS, Michael Steele, says that the media coverage of the Obama campaign is "a joke" and calls it an example of "white liberal guilt."

  The money quote: "If (Obama) wins, he's a media creation. He's a brand. America doesn't need a president who's a brand. America needs a president who can lead."
  
  America needs you to run for President, Mike. Quit screwing around on Fox News and get back out there into the political arena. Please?




• Google Chrome
  
  A few days ago Microsoft debuted IE 8. I downloaded it and it sucks. Now Google has debuted their own browser, called Chrome, which you can download at this link.
  
  I downloaded it and tried it today for an hour or so. Miraculously, it actually runs in Vista. It runs much better in Vista than Microsoft's own sorry browser does.
  
  I won't be switching from Firefox to Chrome, but I'll use Chrome before I'll use IE whenever possible.
  
  Kick ass, Google.



• Firearm Education
  
  There are two things you need to know about McKenzie: One, she's eleven years old. Two, she's awesome:

  This is one child who'll never be involved in a tragic accident because she "finds her father's gun." And I bet you that she has more self confidence and better self discipline than most people twice her age.
  
  HT: Geekologie.





• Scott Ott rules
  
  From Scrappleface:
  

  As news broke of the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s eldest daughter, Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama pleaded with the GOP vice presidential candidate...
  
  “Gov. Palin ... you tried to teach your daughter about morals and values, but she made a mistake, and she shouldn’t be punished with a baby.”
  
  As a goodwill gesture, Sen. Obama offered to pay for Bristol Palin’s abortion “at any time between now and the scheduled moment of birth.”

  
  
  And, hey: If the child manages to be born in spite of an attempted abortion, good ol' Barry will still arrange to have it rubbed out.
  
  After all, nobody should have to deal with the cruel and unusual punishment of accountability.



• Please just stop...
  
  I liked Jamie Lee Curtis a whole lot more before she became obsessed with bowel movements:

  This commercial runs at least twice an hour on the news channels. Game Show Network is popular in this house and, I swear, I hear Jamie Lee telling me how much this yogurt will help me poop about twenty times a day. Please, just stop. Just stop.

Labels: Links, Media, Michael Steele, News, Obama Watch, Politics, You Tube

George Allen conceded today, and I'm glad. The election is officially behind us now. I'd hoped that the Senator would offer an apology to all of his supporters, the ones he'd let down by running a terrible, misguided, petty campaign. You know, supporters like me … but he didn't. He did, however, concede gracefully, saying, in part:

"I do not wish to cause more rancor for a recount that in my judgment would not alter the results… I see no good purpose served by continuously and needlessly spending money and causing any more personal animosity…

Sometimes winds, political or otherwise, can blow the leaves off a deep-rooted tree. Stay standing."

There's something admirable about a graceful and upbeat concession speech. I had to admit two years ago that I was impressed by John Kerry's concession speech, when he said:

" Thanks to Democrats and Republicans and Independents who stood with us, and everyone who voted no matter who their candidate was…

So with a grateful heart, I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater meaning to me now that I have come to know our vast country so much better thanks to all of you, and what a privilege it has been to do so.

That prayer is very simple: God bless America. Thank you."

It was a rare moment of raw, honest humility from a guy who simply isn't known for being humble, and I appreciated it. It almost made me feel bad for having superimposed his image into Doom 3 a day or two before.

Concession speeches like Allen's, and like Kerry's, make it all the more obvious what a sore loser and big brat Al Gore was in 2000. For starters, he drug us through, what? About 90 pointless recounts? And then, when he finally got around to admitting that his lawyers couldn't figure out a way to finagle him into the White House, he gave a "concession speech," during which he said:

"What now? Let me tell you what now. I'm gonna call a couple of hard, pipe-hitting n****rs who'll go to work on the homes here with a pair of pliers and a blow torch. You hear me talking, hillbilly boy? I ain't through with you by a damn sight. I'm gonna get medieval on your ass."

Oh, no, wait … I'm sorry. That was actually Marsellus Wallace's concession speech.



What Al Gore actually said was, in part:

"The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken. Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it. I accept the finality of this outcome which will be ratified next Monday in the Electoral College...

I know that many of my supporters are disappointed. I am too...

And now, my friends, in a phrase I once addressed to others: it's time for me to go."

He then sulked off screen in slow, shuffling steps with which his feet never left the ground, head hung as far down as possible, and lower lip puffed out until it was actually touching his tie. Poor, poor, poor Al.

Luckily, he's found a new career in Hollywood. His production, An Inconvenient Truth, about global warming, is the most entertaining and important Power Point presentation ever. Many people who've seen it report having watched all of it.

Anyway, goodbye, George. Thanks for the memories.

And you better keep straight, Jim. We're watching you. If you succumb to the liberal culture in DC, we'll remember it in six years.

Meanwhile, if Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, or Michael Steele of Maryland, would like to try their luck in Virginia, we'd be happy to have them.

And now for something completely different. Comedian Brian Posen's ode to modern metal, Metal By Numbers. This comes to SouthCon courtesy of my pal, The Governor:

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics, You Tube

9:30 PM or so...

I gotta crash … it's early yet, but I have to get up super mega-early.

Just a few things …

• It looks like Joe Lieberman is holding on in Connecticut. Good. Let's hope it's a message to the Democrats. This far-left crap isn't working. Besides, I like Joe Lieberman and I'm glad to see that twisting the knife into his back has backfired on the Democrats in Connecticut.



• If the projections on Fox News turn out to be accurate, I want to extend my sympathy to my friends in Pennsylvania. You're losing a damn good man in the Senate … but he's also young and he's too tough to wilt and die. He'll be back somehow, someday.



• Fox News, by the way, is making me CRAZY! I hate it when they do the early projections, for one thing. For another, the crawl along the bottom keeps changing. One minute they're saying that it's 1% of the precincts in Virginia reporting … the next minute it's 4% … then, the next minute, it's 1%. WTF?



• Speaking of Fox News, Bill Krystol gave a succinct and perfect explanation of why George Allen is struggling so badly in a Senate race that should have been a cake-walk. He's run a bad campaign. He's campaigned with personal attacks against Jim Webb instead of focusing on the issues and the ideology. It's been painful to watch the Allen campaign struggle this way. As I prepare to hit the sack, it's still neck-n-neck. I have no idea who'll be my Senator when I wake up early in the morning.



• The very sight of Charles Schumer makes me want to punch him.



• Did you know that Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd were up for reelection this year? Did you care? Me neither.



• Howard Dean looked so restrained talking to Chris Wallace! Hillary has him on a short leash. I got the feeling that there were electrodes taped to his inner thigh ... one slightly moonbat phrase and Howard would have gotten a good jolt from the junior Senator from New York.



• I love Michelle Malkin ... but she just isn't that hot when you actually see her on TV.



• Corker looks solid, that's good. The other race I'm following, Michael Steele, is doing well early on. With one or two percent reporting in Maryland, Steele is actually leading. Of course, Fox is STILL calling the race for Cardin based on the polls, which pisses me off and has Wendy yelling at the TV.

Really, I gotta crash.

Dude, for political junkies like me, the first Tuesday in November is the Super Bowl … especially for political junkies who don't care about sports. When it's a Presidential race it's the Super Bowl and the World Series rolled into one. WHEEEEEEEE!

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics

• Otis's Stupid Girlfriend
  
  Bad news about the girlfriend of my gay friend Otis: Scarlett Johansson has signed a record deal and may have an album on the shelves by next year.
  
  This puts Scarlett on the list of actors and models who've recorded groundbreaking, awesome, enduring music. I, for one, can't imagine going more than a week without listening to the work of musical geniuses such as Minnie Driver, Naomi Campbell, Eddie Murphy, Paris Hilton, John Travolta, William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan, Tony Danza, Jennifer Love Hewett, Joey Lawrence, Hilary Duff, Bruce Willis, Patrick Swayze, porno star Tracy Lords, Russell Crowe, Gwyneth Paltrow, Billy Bob Thornton, Tracy Ullman, Kevin Bacon, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey, Jr., Steven Segal (really, and his album cover is priceless), Peter Gallagher, Keanu Reeves's and his rockin' band Dogstar, Corey Feldman, and, of course, David Hasslehoff. Whoo hoo. Yay.
  
  What's worse, this empty blonde is recording an album of TOM WAITS material. Tom Waits, of course, is one of the best songwriters ever.
  
  If Scarlett even attempts a single song from my favorite Tom Waits album, Bone Machine, I will track her down and smack her.



• Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Marketer
  
  I also saw this great video at Otis's blog:
  




• Positive Political Ads
  
  Hot Air gives props to a few political ads that are not only positive but actually try to be harmlessly funny. Political ads, of course, usually turn into a mud-slinging competition. Right now in Virginia there's an extremely ugly battle going on between Senator George Allen and his challenger, Jim Webb. It might, in fact, be the nastiest political battle I've ever seen. It's nice to see a few ads that aren't blatant smear campaigns. And it's nice, too, to see my current favorite politician (Maryland's Michael Steele) in the mix as well.



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• Who Shouldn't Christians Pray For?
  
  One of the most difficult and challenging passages of the New Testament is First John 5:16, which reads as follows (or thereabouts) in most translations:
  
  

  If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray.

  
  
  So, then, we shouldn't pray for certain sinners?
  
  As is often the case, there is much lost in the translation.
  
  Jimmy Akin analyzes the passage from the point of view of a Catholic apologist, and helps me make some sense of it:
  
  

  This verse is notoriously difficult for people of all theological stripes to interpret, and one of the reasons for this--at least in the English-speaking world--seems to be that it does not come over into English that smoothly, leading translators to fudge a bit of what the Greek says in order to better fit the idiom of our speech John does not literally refer to someone whose sin is "not deadly." That's an attempt (a guess, really) at what John meant by the Greek phrase he used (mE pros thanaton).
  
  My own thought is that the verse is easier to understand if you stick with a more literal translation…

  
  Read the rest of Jimmy's thoughts at this link.

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics, You Tube

I suppose I should offer something of an apology to my left-leaning blog friends… and to my blog friends who just hate politics in general… and to my blog buddies who're just a little slow… but there is an election little more than a month away and I'm currently obsessed with politics.

Yes, that means the irresponsible, ignorant, baseless, fanatically extreme and grossly misleading right wing rants will continue for a while. I'll go back to writing about Metallica and The Simpsons and religion and popular culture about mid-November.

Anyhow...

Nationally, I don't think this is going to be a good year for conservatives. We're going to lose seats in both houses of congress. The question now is how many. My precise prediction is a bit odd, but I correctly predicted that Bush would beat Kerry in '04 by two points ... and that here in Virginia, Tim McCain (D) would beat Jerry Kilgore (R) in the Governor's race by at least six points. So I'm feeling a little confident with the prognostications and I'll throw this out there: I think that the Republicans will narrowly retain the Senate and that the Democrats will get the House. Yes, I'm predicting that rarest of rare birds, a congressional split.

I also predict that the subsequent gridlock will do more to damage the liberals than the conservatives, and that, in the end, it will be beneficial to the Republican Presidential candidate in 2008.

Now here's where my predictions get a little hazier. I'm less confident of these predictions, but I'll throw them out there because they just "feel right," right here, right now.

The presidential race in 2008 will come down to Barak Obama Vs. George Allen, and Allen will win decisively.

Read that again. I know, you think I'm crazy, but read it again and think about it.

Both parties will run their mass appeal candidates, and that's Allen for the Republicans and Obama for the Democrats (Hell, even I like Barak Obama, and I disagree with him about almost everything).

John McCain has made far too many enemies to have a serious chance of being the GOP's guy. Hillary Clinton isn't a serious candidate, and once the heartland has a good look at her, the Democrats will drop her like a hot potato. Jeb Bush might want to run, but he won't try so close to the second term of his unpopular brother. Colin Powell is perceived as having the wrong stance on Iraq by both sides. Condi Rice simply doesn't want to run. My personal pick, Michael Steele of Maryland, is bogged down in an ugly Senate race and I don't see him making a Presidential bid in '08. Charles Rangel and Nancy Pelosi both want to be President, but they're both unmarketable outside of their decidedly liberal home bases.

All that's left for 2008, baring something unforeseen, is an Allen / Obama race. Fortunately, for conservatives, Allen is an outstanding choice.

George Allen will win in '08 because his policies are simply better than the unified, blind stubbornness of the Democrats.

The Democrats realize that even now, which is why they have nothing to attack him on during the current Virginia Senate race. Nothing other than trumped up, phony bologna charges of racism. Honestly, the current debacle is just funny. This is, after all, Geraldo level stuff. Not serious politics at all. The libs are desperate; can't attack Allen's stance on the actual issues because they realize that his stance on the issues makes more sense than theirs.

In case you're unaware, here's the deal: George Allen called one of his opponent's campaign workers a "Macaca," a nickname he apparently had in the back of his mind because he'd heard someone on his staff apply it to the same guy. (I wrote about that in the last entry of this news roundup.) Allen used the word "Macaca" in a taped, public setting… so it's obvious that he didn't realize that the word is a racial slur in some parts of the world. Nobody with half a brain would think he'd intentionally use a racial slur in public. Only Democrats are allowed to do that and get away with it.

Would Allen use a racial slur knowingly in private? I don't know and I don't care. I don't expect the guy to be perfect, I just want a President with a good head on his shoulders.

Besides, I'm sick of the double standards. Black liberals are allowed... even encouraged... to attack white conservatives simply because they're white. It's just silly, and it's a non-issue in my opinion. I just do NOT care.

Now, Allen stands accused by others of having used the word "nigger" at some point in the past. Others accuse his Democratic opponent of having done the same thing, and the issue has turned into a joke. This is the way Democrats campaign. It's a desperate attempt to get blacks and other minorities to vote based on a negative gut reaction rather than considering the issues themselves and voting for the best candidate. It's insulting, and I'm sure that I'd feel all the more insulted if I were black.

And, if you're wondering how the racism charges against Allen are playing here in Virginia, here's the deal: We Virginians aren't stupid, we know a bait-and-switch racket when we see one. Allen will win the senate race decisively, with only the Tidewater and Northern Virginia areas leaning away from him.

Bet on it.

The libs will abandon the racism charge after this November when they see how disastrously it failed them in the Senate race. They'll then be forced to attack Allen on his actual voting record and leadership abilities, all of which are rock solid. Allen will come out smelling like a rose. He is consistent with the same common-sense policy POV that kept Dubya in the White House in 2004, but he has a much better ability to convey it. George Allen is downright Reganesque, and he'll win 2008 decisively.

I mean, after all, we reelected Dubya in spite of his difficulties "working a room." We reelected him because we realized that his administration's stance on foreign and domestic issues simply made more sense than the Democratic party's muddled meanderings. That hasn't changed since 2004. The Democrats are still miles away from any actual ideas in '06… and they'll still be a mess in '08. Obama, likable as he is, will lose the election because his initiatives simply aren't as good as Allen's are.

I'll credit Obama this, though: he's a serious candidate. He's no dummy, he comes as close to common sense as anyone in the Democratic party is capable of, and he'll run a damn good race.

I don't think he'll allow personal attacks of Allen as a racist to muddle the waters, either. I get the impression that he's going to be above that. Obama's has campaigned on race relatively few times, and mostly in relevant ways. One of the few areas where I'm familiar with him having made charges of racism, off the top of my head, is the death penalty. I happen to agree with him on that matter. Not only is the death penalty morally wrong, it really is applied to blacks far more frequently than to whites who are convicted of the same charges. Just look at the numbers.

Obama may disappoint me and run a campaign based entirely on the color of his skin, but I honestly think the guy is beyond that. I may be a fool. It may be that, from my perspective, he's simply rose colored.

Anyway, just felt like ruminating on politics a bit today.

I'll wrap with a slight change of topic from Jay Leno. I got a real kick out of this:

Labels: Michael Steele, News, Obama Watch, Politics, You Tube

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an entry about Michael Steele, who's running for the Senate in Maryland, where he's the Lieutenant Governor. The focus of what I wrote was the racial attacks that have been launched on Steele by his political opponents. Steele, who is a black Republican, has been targeted as an "Uncle Tom" and as an "Oreo" by liberals (black and otherwise) who disagree with his politics.

Of course, were he a black Democrat, and were he the target of racial attacks by conservatives, the liberal media, the NAACP, and PC moonbats in general would be climbing the walls in outrage. Since he's a conservative, though, these kinds of race-based attacks are just fine and dandy with the hypocrites on the left.

I suppose it was somewhat implied in what I wrote that I supported Steele's Senate bid, at least on principle. Since I wrote that first bit, however, I've learned a lot about Michael Steele, and I want to make it clear that I don't support his run for the Senate.

I don't support his run for the Senate because I don't want him wasting his or our time legislating. I don't support his run for the Senate because I really hope Micheal Steele will run for President in the next election.

The more I learn about Michael Steele, the more I realize that this guy is exactly what I look for in a leader and exactly what I think we need in a President. A lot of the time I end up voting for the lesser of two evils, or for the guy who comes the closest to my beliefs. Usually, that's the Republican. If Michael Steele ran for President, however, I'd have a Presidential candidate I could support enthusiastically, since I've yet to find an important issue or a position that I disagree with him on.

For me, Mike Steele is the best of all possible Presidential candidates:

He's Pro-Life
For me to support him, that's a given. I'd never vote for anyone who approved of the murder of unborn babies. Steele opposes abortion on demand, and even the issue of abortion for victims of rape and incest isn't something he's comfortable simply glossing over. Some politicians favor abortion in those instances without qualms. From what I've read, Steele even sees that issue as complex and difficult. In short, he might even be more pro-life than I am. That's exactly what I want in a candidate; somebody who's more likely to err on the side of life.

For the record, I do support a woman's right to have an abortion in instances of rape, incest, or a threat to her health. I think that Steele does, too... But he seems to recognize that, even in instances of rape and incest, the issue is complex. Of course, anyone who ever sees abortion is a cut-and-dry issue is a nutjob, anyway.

He Opposes The Death Penalty
YES! YES! Finally, a conservative politician who feels the way that I do about capital punishment! I don't have to tell you, Republicans who appose the death penalty can be few and far between. Steele is one of those few. It was learning that about him that made me first think I should educate myself a little more on the guy.

He's Catholic
Look, don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that I'd only vote for Catholics for the rest of my life... but it's nice to think I have an idea where a politician is coming from, what forms his guiding principles, and why. Now, of course, Catholicism isn't the trump card. That moron John Kerry is a Catholic, after all. From what I can tell, though, Steele seems to be a "practicing Catholic" instead of a "Kennedy Catholic." As a young man, Steele even seriously considered the Priesthood.

He Is Committed To Rehabilitation For Prisoners And Drug Users
This is another area where I part ways with some of my Republican friends. I don't know why I have the feelings I do on this matter... maybe it's just the Johnny Cash fan in me. I don't think I've written much at this blog on the subject, except to say that I thought people should leave Martha Stewart the hell alone once she got out of the joint.

I believe that once somebody has been sentenced for a crime and done their time, it is incumbent upon society (especially for Christians) to do all we can to help them make a new start. The prison system doesn't work if it's seen as a closed circuit. If, once someone goes to jail, they're ostracized from society forever... what's the point of calling it rehabilitation? What are jails for? Are they for punishment and rehabilitation of the criminal... or are they simply cages for criminals, where the last of their humanity is destroyed and their role as a lifelong criminal is cemented? Once released from prison, it's the former prisoner's task to rejoin society as a law-abiding citizen. It's society's task to help him or her do just that. Steele seems to agree with me on that issue, too.

Minority Incentive, Not Minority Dependence
Steele is very focused on Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise Program, an initiative that has it's critics and boosters, just like any other government program. I've read several articles about the MBE Program, and the more I read, the less certain I am that I understand it. I think, though, that I understand some of the philosophy behind it. The point seems to be that the program encourages members of minorities to get pro-active, to make something of themselves, and to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that are available in this country. That's refreshing, especially considering how many minority leaders preach the exact opposite to their default constituents. It seems to me that most minority "leaders" ensure their position by creating an imaginary need for themselves. They keep minority members convinced that they don't have a fair chance, that "the man" is keeping them down, and that the field is not and never will be balanced, racially, in this country. Of course, that's BS. It's refreshing to see a prominent black leader who focuses on opportunity instead of "oppression."

There are, of course, a few things that I disagree with Steele about. The main one is that he seems to have done a little rationalizing and "gotten on board" with the current Governor's plan to allow slot machines at Maryland horse racing tracks. That's not really that big a deal, though. It's not like he's in favor of allowing slot machines at Wal-Mart. We're talking about race tracks, here... it's not like nobody's gambling there.

That's a small item, though... and, so far, it's the only thing I've seen that even gives me a slight gripe with the guy.

So here's hoping that Michael Steele will reconsider his bid for one of Maryland's Senate seats. It's not that I don't want him in Washington. I want the guy in the White House.

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics

This is a picture of Michael Steele. He's the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, and he's running for the senate. You might have noticed from the picture that Michael Steele is a black man. Now, like any politician, Michael Steele has his friends and he has his enemies. There are those who support him, based on shared ideology, and those who oppose him because they don't share his ideology. And, like any politician, Michael Steele has had to put up with mockery and vicious attacks from his enemies. What makes his situation unique is that many of Michael Steele's political enemies are attacking him because of his race. That's right. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina and the death of Rosa Parks, there are those who feel perfectly justified in attacking Steele because he is a black man.

Steele has been called an "Uncle Tom" by some of his enemies, including Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., President of the Maryland State Senate.

Some people, in what I suppose is supposed to be a symbolic protest, have taken to throwing Oreo cookies at Steele during campaign stops.

Blogger Steve Gilliard posted an entry about Steele entitled "Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house." Below a picture of Steele, Gilliard has a caption that reads "I's Simple Sambo and I's running for the Big House." (Gilliard, by the way, also insists that conservative bloggers don't allow comments at their blogs.)

As you might imagine, members of the NAACP and racially "progressive" liberals everywhere are.... wait a minute. What you might actually imagine, as I did, is that the NAACP and progressive liberals are outraged about this kind of racial hatred. Turns out, they're fine with it.

Did I mention, by the way, that Steele is a Republican?

"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

OK, so the NAACP's best known name let Steele down. But, what about other black politicians who've had to endure this same kind of treatment? People from Steele's own home state? Surely they know wrong from right, and will speak out against it? Right? Wrong.

State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.

"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said.

So race-based attacks against a black man are OK, then, if they're motivated politically? According to the liberals, yes.

Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.

"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."

Calling Steele and Uncle Tom is "not racial. If they call him the "N' word, that's racial," According to Marriott.

The definition of racism I was taught as a kid is out of date, I suppose. I was taught by my parents that it was wrong to judge people based on their race, or to discriminate against them because of their race.

I guess that's no longer the case. Now, it's OK to discriminate against people based on their race if they don't think and behave exactly as the liberal members of their race think and behave. Racism, as it turns out, is not really about race... it's about philosophy. It's about ideas. It's not about unfair bigotry because of the color of a man's skin. It's about that man's stupid refusal of good ol' ideological conformity. Racism, as it turns out, is not about judging a man based on the color of his skin. It's about despising a man because of the content of his character. Right? Right?

Bullsh!t. Don't you believe it. We've come to far now to accept this kind of behavior from anyone. Too many good people, black, white, and otherwise, have made far too many sacrifices for this to be tolerated.

Bob Parks says it better, and far more passionately, than I can:

...you who like blaming everyone else for your laziness, your shunning of the very FREE education that could have made you something other than a 40-drinkin’ welfare recipient, it’s time we left you behind. You are racists and we don’t want to hear it no more. The real ignoramuses and racists are you.

Despite their love and acceptance of Ebonics, Democrats fear blacks that slip through their cracks and learn to read. Liberals hate those of us who dare think without their direction. Democrats denied blacks the right to vote before and hate those of us who utilize the gift of choice when voting now for more than the one party they so authorize.

(Thanks to The Write Jerry for bringing this story to my attention.)

Labels: Media, Michael Steele, News, Politics