No Runny Eggs

The folks at Openleft.com  are getting giddy over general election polls IN FEBRUARY! They seem to think that Obama’s ability for group hypnosis will hold without change until November.

Funny how things can change in just a couple of days.
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Note the round up of Chuck Hagel’s interview this morning on FOX. I can’t do a better job of summarizing it than Mark Kilmer did at Redstate.com:

Third on LE, Chuck Hagel said that he’s out of the process but that he would not support anyone until some later date. (He used to follow John McCain around like a puppy dog but now has wrested the maverick mantle away from the GOP nominee.) He wants to negotiate and to trade with Cuba, calling it a “great country” and comparing it with Vietnam and the PRC. He wants to negotiate the future of Iraq with Iran, and he’s backed away from his QUAGMIRE, QUAGMIRE, VIETNAM rhetoric regarding Iraq, but he refused to say that the surge has worked.

In a previous post I looked at the disconnect between McCain’s lifetime conservative 82.3 and the sense that he isn’t a conservative. In that post I noted how McCain’s recent voting record was a far cry from his lifetime record and that in fact Chuck Hagel recently had a higher conservative score than McCain….Really makes me wonder if this political universe isn’t part of the Bizzaro World of the Superman comics!

The Weekly Standard writes a great article showing the impact that another orgasmic political figure, Pierre Trudeau, had on his country.

Like Barack Obama, Trudeau campaigned on flowery platitudes and nationalistic fervor. Not until he was elected did policies become specific. When they were, it became obvious that Trudeau was probably the first Socialist leading a nation on the North American continent (that is if you can get past FDR).

While a bit before my political awakening, I do have a number of Canadian friends who lived through this era. As we talk about Canadian/American relations, they will point to the Trudeau era as Canada’s tipping point from viewing the US as a staunch ally to a tolerated neighbor. Additionally, it was during Trudeau’s tenure that Canada lost it’s national cohesiveness as Quebec successfully separated themselves socially from the rest of Canada even though they couldn’t get themselves separated physically i.e. a separate national government.

I remain hopeful (no, not H.O.P.E. ful) that Americans will expect some level of  specificity from Barack Obama and in doing so will awaken and ultimately save us from going through the “Socialist experiment” that our northern allies, Canada are still impacted by.

Yes, I’ve stated I’ll vote for McCain but that doesn’t mean I won’t still poke fun at him!

John McCain seems to be getting hooked by some of the nasty FEC regulations. After using the law to his advantage by gaining access to primaries without having to get signatures in each state, he now doesn’t like the imposition of the spending limits that come along with it.

The part of this that I find most ironic is that McCain’s attorney is claiming a constitutional right for McCain to back out of the FEC program.

Shouldn’t John McCain have worried about the the power that the FEC has and the consitutionality aspect before he muddled it further with McCain Feingold?

While participating in the live blogging of last night’s  Democrat debate, I kept thinking (in between the need to swallow the puke that kept filling my mouth following either candidate’s answer) that the differences between Hillary and Barack could be printed on the head of a pin in a 12 point font and still have room to print the New Testament alongside it.  

The only  difference  that the cadidates could gin up any kind of a debate about, was their particular brand of socialist healthcare.   They debated this issue with intensity as if they had 10 seconds left to decide whether the green or red wire needed to be cut to keep a nuclear explosion from destroying Austin!   All I could hear from it was that one wanted to use guns to force you to buy their socialist insurance and the other wanted to use BIG guns.

In general, the debate went on with the two candidates smiling, agreeing and giving each other platitudes.   Without knowing it at the time, Hillary summed up the evening and solidified her position as LOSER with the following quote:

“change you can Xerox.”

The only chance Hillary had of beating Barack was to create some actual difference between them. Without any difference, Barack wins hands down because he is imminently more likeable and has all the momentum. She didn’t create any difference, Barack and Hillary look to be “Change you can Xerox!”

Surprisingly, I’m not talking about Barack Obama, I’m talking about Mike Huckabee. In an interview this morning, Huckabee claims that he will stay in the race, suprise McCain in Texas and Ohio, and force a deadlocked convention.

According to Real Clear Politics MCcain currently has 975 delegates. 1,191 delegates are required for the nomination. Romney has said that he wants his delegates to vote for McCain. Romney has 272 delegates. Doesn’t that put him over the top?

OK, so let’s say that Romney’s folks don’t follow the leader. McCain is leading polls by double digits in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. A total of 302 delegates are available in these states. Is any clear thinking person believing that McCain doesn’t have this thing wrapped up? A total of 875 delegates are yet to be settled, does anyone think McCain won’t get at least 25% of those?

I’ve said it before, Huckabee is staying in this thing for his ego. He changes his reasoning following each primary to fit some new delusional view of how the world might be. If Mike is able to craft personal delusions for a losing cause as a nominee, what kinds of delusions do you think he could live in if he was faced with a serious security threat to the US? Is this the type of thinking we would want for the man that has his finger on “the button?”

John McCain has now been quoted saying that Pres. Bush should veto the bill that restricts interrogation techniques. McCain is not saying that he has changed his position on waterboarding (a techinque that I can’t find a reason to call “torture”.) He does say that Bush should not allow Congress to restrict methods to those outlined in the army field manual.

Perhaps the most noteworthy piece of this article is:

“If a president disagrees with legislation, he should veto it, McCain said. He said he disapproves that Bush sometimes signs legislation he dislikes, then issues critical “signing statements” outlining his objections.”

If you take this at face value, McCain will actual fight the fight and make it obvious for the American People. Today, Pres. Bush signs many bills and than adds “signing statements” which will attempt to withhold legal authority on some items. This falls short in that it doesn’t always “hold water” as a rule of law. Plus, it doesn’t raise the issue so that the American people can weigh in by hitting up their Representatives and Senators.

This is one instance where John McCain’s straight forward approach may benefit conservative voters by giving them an opportunity to call their representatives to accountability.

While I haven’t had the privilege of blogging here for very long, it’s probably apparent that I have been no supporter of John McCain. I’ve been like a lot of you during this nomination process. I went from not seeing anyone I would vote for to supporting Fred Thompson because he was/is the only person I considered a conservative in the mix. When Thompson dropped out I made my one “deal with the devil” and switched to Romney. He’s not a true-blue conservative but I could find myself dreaming enough conservatism in him to pass muster. Well, Romney is out and the last man standing is McCain…what to do?

Like most of you, McCain really hacks me off! Every time he refers to us as “my friends” I feel the need to shower. On too many occassions I feel like he has gone deliberately out of his way to poke his thumb in my eye and follow it up with some sanctimonious blathering about his principles and looking out for the American people.

OK, deep breath…count to ten…one, two, ten!

Unless your name is Mike Huckabee or Hillary Clinton, it’s obvious that McCain is the Republican nominee and that his likely opponent will be Barack Obama. Are any of us really serious when we say “We want to teach the Republicans a lesson” and by extension that we’re OK risking having Obama as President rather than McCain? Really? You’re OK with that? If you are, I have to question what kind of a conservative you are. In fact, if you’re really serious about that than are you any different than McCain pouting after being shot down on immigration?   Now that I’ve riled you (If I haven’t you don’t need to read the rest of this), let’s look at why we should support McCain.

1. Supreme Court Justices – It is possible that during the next Presidential term 2 – 3 Supreme Court Justices could retire.   Do you really want Barack Obama picking up to 3 Justices?   McCain may not be fond of Alito but he is of Roberts.   Do you have a problem with 3 additional Justices with the ideology and thinking of Roberts being appointed?
2. War on Terror – Barack Obama has vowed to remove troops from Iraq by ’09.   He has stated on numerous occassions that his approach to International issues including the War on Terror is to talk to people.   Talk to people????   Isn’t that pretty much what got us into the situation we’re in today by Bill Clinton talking to people?   Do you really want another Jimmy Carter in the Whitehouse?   I’m not suggesting that we go and blow nations off the map but without a credible threat of force, talk will only result in additional talk.   Do you have any question of McCain’s resolve to keep America safe?
3. Fiscal – OK, McCain didn’t vote for the tax cuts.   I’ll even give you that I don’t believe his tap dance about not voting for them because he wanted spending cuts to go with them.   However, he has stated on numerous occasions lately that he will make the tax cuts permanent.   Also, he has been a hawk on earmark reform and budget accountability.   On the other hand, have you taken a look at Obama’s economic policies?   I believe Obama’s policies can be summed up  as “Everyone’s a victim of something.   I’m going to give you all money so you feel less like a victim and become more beholden to the Democrats.”   Is that something that you would be OK with?
4. House and Senate – If the conservatives sit out Obama will likely win in a landslide fashion.   If he does, his coattails are likely to be very long.   Conservative government begins in the House.   Remember Newt Gingrich?   Remember what that congress was able to accomplish?   Remember who was President?   Do you think McCain is more liberal than Clinton’s natural tendencies?   If Obama wins, I fear that not only will we be House minorities but with 24 Republicans retiring, we might run the risk of deteriorating to a veto proof minority.   Would you be OK with that?

I don’t know if McCain can win even if he gets the conservative support.   I know damn sure he can’t win without it.   If McCain loses we may get a momentary emotional satisfaction but we will have a long term physical reality of the negative consequences.  

It’s time for those that claim conservative  ideology to quit whining and move forward.   With McCain we  may not have a perfect situation but it gives us a chance to improve on it.   Without McCain we will be voices in  a wilderness  for a period that could make the forty years of the Hebrews a mere blink of an eye.  And yes, I include myself in that group.

I suspect this was the last thing that Mike Huckabee thought would happen; Mitt Romney endorsing John McCain.

I had actually been contemplating the effect of Romney’s endorsement earlier this week. I saw it as the one thing, prior to sometime in late April or maybe May, that could call Huckabee’s bluff about remaining in the race. Huckabee has been continuing to say he was in the race not for himself but to make sure that people had a vote. Even though the math showed that Huckabee had a slim or nothing chance of winning he would reply with a pat answer, “I know the pundits and I know what they say — that the math doesn’t work out,” he said. “Folks, I didn’t major in math, I majored in miracles, and I still believe in those too.”

If this announcement proves true and Huckabee still remains in the race, all the kids on “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” will be able to do the math!   If Huckabee does not bow out, it will show his true colors; he’s in it for his ego and to sell books.

Rumors are out that John McCain will resign his Senate seat to focus on the Presidential campaign.

As I continue to look for the silver lining of a McCain candidacy or Presidency, this may be one! It would be almost impossible for a Rat to take McCain’s seat. Even with Bush’s anemic support in ’04, he carried Arizona 55%/45%. I don’t purport to know all the names on this list but you won’t find a better borders person than JD Hayworth.

I know this may be a bit challenging time wise but…

I propose that we quickly amend the constitution so that the next President is picked only by Super Delegates. We also have to make sure that ALL Super Delegates are males between the age of 21 and 25.

Crazy idea? Who do you think would be more successful at influencing their vote?

This daughter

or this daughter?

Oh, and just for the record, I do not think sending your daughter to visit a 21 year old Super Delegate is pimping. I don’t think there’s ever been a Clinton that has been exploited…..exploitive yes, but never exploited.

The noise of nails being pounded into a coffin should be keeping Mike Huckabee from getting a good nights sleep. Unless all the polls and the Intrade markets are wrong, today’s Potomac primaries should be a clean sweep for McCain. If so, McCain will pick up an additional 119 delegates putting him at 843, just 348 short of locking up the nomination.

But wait! Huckabee is expecting a miracle! He’s said he’s staying in the race until it’s done!

The next series of Republican primaries and delegates at stake are: Wisconsin (40), Ohio (88), Rhode Island (20), Texas (140) and Vermont (17). Unfortunately for Mike, all but Rhode Island are winner take all states. Further, unfortunately for Mike, the only state he’s “close” in is Texas.    By “close” I mean he’s trailing by low double digits in the polls. I suspect after today’s whipping a low double digit gap may be something for the Huckabee campaign to aspire to!

Giving mike the benefit of the doubt in RI and saying he gets a split, that still puts McCain at 1148 delegates, 43 short of the lock, by March 4th.

Hucakbee may be able to stave things off until April but why? There’s no way he will get enough delegates to contend for the Pres. spot. I don’t even see how he gets any delegates that makes him a more meaningful choice for VP. He’s either on McCain’s short list already or he isn’t…the remaining primaries aren’t going to change that.

Everybody thinks Huckabee is staying in the race for the VP slot but a rational look at the delegate race just doesn’t support that.   Hucakbee is staying in the race for some other reason. Maybe he wants publicity for his recently released book. Maybe he’s gotten used to being in the limelight and just wants to extend his fifteen minutes of fame.

What ever Hucakbee’s reason for staying in the race I’ve got a news flash for him: It’s over!

Mike, between now and whatever date the official tally moves over the magic number of 1,191, all you’re doing is giving the Rats more talking points to use in the general election. We don’t need that. Mike, if you really care about defeating the Rats in November than step aside. We need to figure out what to do with McCain and you’re staying in the race just muddies that up.   After the results of today’s primaries come out, meet the cameras with the smile and optimism that are your trademarks and as part of your concession speech tell folks that you’ve  suspended your campaign; that today is the first day of the rest of your life!

 Update:   Intrade predictions swung hard to Huckabee this afternoon with some buys in the 60%+ of winning VA.   Regardless, it may only change the timing of, not the resulting outcome.

I’ve now moved through the five stages of grief  following Blooper Tuesday.   I’m ready to move forward.   I have accepted the fact that John McCain will be the Republican nominee and the next move is up to me.

What to do?????

I think the next step is one that we conservatives have learned well from McCain over the past few years.    We  say how much  we respect and admire “Our friend” John McCain and then use him and all that he stands for to accomplish  our goal of electing a Republican majority in the House and make sure that the Senate stays near an even split.

At this point you may think that my fifth step was “delusion” rather than acceptance.   Hear me out.

In ’06 the Republicans lost 31 House seats while the Democrats lost none. Admittedly, these elections occurred during a large downdraft on the Republicans that came from the continual play of bad news from Iraq. While the Democrats want you to believe that the House turnover was some kind of a mandate, reading through this summary of the 31 races that were lost by Republicans in ’06, one sees that rather than a mandate, the races were lost due to issues that were largely specifc to the various districts or candidates.   Couple the situational nature of these loses with the fact that nearly all of these districts lean Republican, they now have a first term Democrat from a  Congress with nearly historical low ratings  and I think we have a recipe for turning this back to the good guys.

So where does Hill come into this?   In the few days since Blooper Tuesday, Hill has dropped and BO has increased by over 10 points in their likelihood of being Democratic nominee. I think this plan works only if McCain is running against Hill in the general.   As I’ve said before, I think a Hill/McCain election will bring a number of Democrats who can’t stand Hill to vote for McCain.   It may also cause some Dems to sit it out because of their disdain for her.   If McCain gets solid support from the Republican base I believe he can win with something that approaches a landslide margin.

Of course there’s no guarantee that a strong showing by McCain will extend to House races.   However,  most of the 31 “lost” districts have a history of voting Republican.    I would expect that we should at least see a rebalancing of traditional R/D voting breakdown versus the abberrance we saw in the ’06 elections.   Also, ’06 is the first time since 1948 that no Dem lost a seat!      These factors  should allow the 31 “lost” disctricts a fighting chance of returning to the R column with maybe a bit of cushion from a couple of “unexpected” Dem loses.

As odd as it may seem,Let’s regain the House!  join Team Hillary! (but only through the primaries!)