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No Runny Eggs

The repository of one hard-boiled egg from the south suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and the occassional guest-blogger). The ramblings within may or may not offend, shock and awe you, but they are what I (or my guest-bloggers) think.

Archive for the 'Politics' Category

May 7, 2008

Clinton channels Churchill

by @ 6:28. Filed under Politics - National.

This comment from TheBigOldDog on Ed Morrissey’s post asking when Hillary Clinton will drop out has to be the Comment of the Week™…

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in Kentucky and West Virginia, we shall fight on the rally stages and in the dinners, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength on the air. We shall defend our campaign, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the telephones, we shall fight on the Internet, we shall fight in the party backrooms and in the streets, we shall fight in the newspapers and magazines. We shall never surrender!"

As for when I think she’ll drop out, No Sleep Till Denver!

Psssst, Mr. Populist, the Masses Don’t Like it!

by @ 5:00. Filed under Politics - National.

During the last Democratic debate Barack Obama was asked to clarify his position on raising capital gains rates. He’s vacillated between various proposals but during the debate his position was:

Obama has included increasing capital gains rates as part of his populist message of taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Of course the Wall Street Journal quickly dispelled the myth that capital gains came only from the rich with this information:

In 2005, 47% of all tax returns reporting capital gains were from households with incomes below $50,000, and 79% came from households with incomes below $100,000.

Undaunted, Barack Obama continues to talk about increasing capital gains rates and usually wraps some story about evil hedge fund managers in to rally the population into gathering their torches and pitchforks.

Except they’re not.

Rasmussen Reportsasked the masses about increasing capital gains rates and found that 65% opposed an increase in capital gains rates. 85% of Republicans, 62% of unaffiliated and even 50% of Democrats said they did not want the tax increased.

Now Barack may try to enter the general election trying to explain to the masses that the capital gains taxes are just for evil rich people and he won’t raise taxes on the “everyday folks” but it looks like folks already see through that ploy. When asked by Rasmussen, 60% of the respondents said that if a candidate raises capital gains taxes, they would also raise other taxes. 41% of the respondents said their personal taxes would go up if the capital gains rates increased.

As it relates to his tax plans it looks like not only can’t Barack fool all of the people all of the time, he’s having a tough time fooling even some of the Democrats some of the time.  

May 6, 2008

Late-night Indiana live-blogging

by @ 22:09. Filed under Politics - National.

Since I’m not running CoverItLive (it was too late to get it started), do scroll down and hit refresh for updates. The last one went up at 12:12 12:23 am 5/7/2008.

Guess I’m taking over for ST and Ed/Allahpundit. I don’t feel like firing up CoverItLive, but I’ve got my Mountain Dew, and a quick recap:

– With 86% in, Clinton’s up 560,720 to 521,415.
– They’re hand-counting about 11,000 ballots in Lake County (the county closest to Chicago), so no results from them yet.
– There’s also no results from Union County in east-central Indiana, which is Clinton country.
– Obama and CBS have conceded Indiana to Clinton, but nobody else is calling it.

10:09 pm – For those thinking that Lake could deliver the state for Obama, I’m estimating he’ll need about 38,000 votes. Ed noted in the Hot Air live thread that there were about 110,000 votes for Kerry in 2004, so if that’s the base, Obama would need about a 35-point win. The primary numbers are actually running about 30% higher than that statewide, so there’s likely about 143,000 votes out there. That would suggest he would need a 27-point win.

10:21 pm – Karl Rove just ripped Hillary for having a red-faced Bill out there. I guess it has to be said…”Rove you magnificent bastard! Hill should’ve read your book!”

Lead’s now 568,039-528,432, 87% in. Projected pre-Lake (and pre-Union County) lead still holding within a couple hundred.

10:39 pm – Lead’s down to 574,643-536,332, 88% reporting. The memes are already starting for Clinton to drop. I say, “No sleep ’till Denver!”

We’re down to 8 counties with partial or no results:
Lake – no results
Union – no results
Porter (81% in) – Clinton up approximately 16,900-12,300
Laporte (88% in) – Clinton up approximately 13,100-12,100
Hamilton (99% in) – Obama up approximately 25,300-16,500
Hancock (98% in) – Clinton up approximately 6,100-4,100
Marion (98% in) – Obama up approximately 121,900-60,200
Monroe (67% in) – Obama up approximately 8,900-4,600

10:50 pm – Statewide, with 91% in, it’s 587,973-566,988 Clinton. That’s Lake County’s Gary’s effect (that’s from CNN); with 28% in Lake County, it’s 27,991-9,470 in Obama’s favor. Porter’s also all in.

11:01 pm – It’s 588,106-567,104 Clinton. American Pundit is also burning the midnight oil (literally).

11:09 pm – Wolf Blitzer really laid into the Hammond mayor (Clinton supporter) for Lake County’s refusal to release partial results. Somehow I doubt CNN will be joining the Drop Hill meme.

Meanwhile, Laporte finished reporting, Clinton up statewide 588,823-568,156 (92% reporting). Still no results from Union County.

11:18 pm – No new numbers, but some back-of-the-envelope math of what’s still left to be picked up in the other counties reporting partial results:
– Hamilton (99% in) – Obama should pick up about 100 votes
– Hancock (97% in) – Clinton should pick up about 100 votes
– Marion (98% in) – Obama should pick up about 1,300 votes
– Monroe (67% in) – Obama should pick up about 2,100 votes

Union County, which still isn’t reporting, should get Clinton about 2,000 net. That would cut Clinton’s statewide lead to under 20,000, which would give the state to Obama if Lake matches Marion (Indianapolis). Lake is the second-most-populous county behind Marion, and is essentially a suburb of Chicago.

11:22 pm – Er, make that even approaches Marion. The rest of the county would need to go 60-40 Obama to put it in the margin of error.

American Pundit, who’s kept an eye on Fox, notes that 6,000 absentee ballots may not be counted tonight. Oh brother.

11:27 pm – Guess I better listen to Fox rather than the Clinton News Network (where a flack is trying to spin) – they’re reporting that Clinton has canceled her morning appearances (thanks again, AmerPundit).

11:37 pm – More numbers from both Lake and Monroe Counties. Clinton’s lead is now 606,497-589,888 with 95% reporting. Will be back with analysis shortly.

11:53 pm – Bear in mind that there are potentially 6,000 absentee ballots that won’t be counted tonight. The freshly-reporting portion of Lake County went 55-45 Obama, putting the county thus far at 65-35 Obama. If the rest of the county reports the way the fresh numbers came in, Clinton should have about a 10,000-vote win. If they report the way the county overall reports, it should be about a 2,000-vote win for Obama.

AmerPundit notes that it came from Merrilville and part of Munster along with the rest of Gary, so those more-familiar with the lay of the land can tell me which way the wind’s blowing.

11:54 pm – Make that 7,000 absentee ballots in Lake County (thanks again, AmerPundit). Also, Monroe County is 98% in.

12:02 am 5/7/2007 (assume the new date) – The Clinton News Network just got done grilling the mayor of Gary (an Obama superdelegate). Also, it’s all-but-official in North Carolina – Obama took it 56.7%-41.9% with 99% reporting.

12:06 am – This is just too rich; the Hammond mayor (Clinton supporter) accusing Lake County election officials of hanky-panky on CNN. Reap what you sow…. AP, you getting this?

12:12 am – Time’s almost out for Obama to declare a sweep. Almost all of Lake is in, and the statewide Clinton lead is now 637,389-615,370. Lake’s at 98% and Obama’s lead is 66,265-53,310.

CNN calling it for Clinton. So is Fox, ABC and NBC. Union County, which won’t report until 2 am, won’t matter.

Good night, good fight.

12:23 am – Meh; call me a pol. CNN got the numbers out of Union, which Clinton won 803-383 (everybody reporting). Statewide, it’s Clinton up 638,192-615,753.

NOW I’m history.

May 5, 2008

Latest doses of stupid from the GOP

by @ 18:00. Filed under Politics - National.

That’s right, doses. Guess almost everybody that voted so far in the latest NRE poll is going to be disappointed if the GOP finds this post, but I can’t NOT comment on this trifecta.

– Item #1 (H/T – Brad V of Try 2 Focus, not to be confused with the Brad V at Letters in Bottles) – John McCain is already tacking heavily to the left to the mutual exclusion of healing the rifts with conservatives. Now, which exhibit is this in the assumption that conservatives won’t bolt (or is this exhibit D in the final betrayal of conservatives by the GOP)?

– Item #2 – Michelle Malkin notes McCain will be going to the convention of a group whose ultimate goal is to separate the Soutwest from the United States. Guess the majority that successfully blocked Shamnesty last year despite the support of McCain and the rest of the bipartisan Party-In-Government doesn’t matter. Bonus mandatory reading – doubleplusundead’s take.

– Item #3 (H/T – Slublog) – House Pubbies are rolling again and again and again on Nancy Pelosi’s attempts to lard up the pork barrel. Scratch one of the two differences between McCain and the ‘Rats. Guess being the permanent-minority half of the ever-bloating bipartisan Party-In-Government is more important.

Revisiting Boomgaard

by @ 16:37. Filed under Politics - Oak Creek.

A commenter over on Greg Kowalski’s post on the alternatives to Boomgaard went and did some research on “Boomgaard”. Somehow, I doubt that this name would have flown had either the steering committee or either Common Council had known what Unfettered Candor found out:

It’s too bad I did not get an email reply from my Dutch friend from

Amsterdam before the public comment site for the Boomgaard District expired.

Several days ago I mentioned the crazy Boomgaard controversy and how there was such a public outcry in opposition to this title.

Today I learned that there is a district in Amsterdam that has been dubbed the "Boomgaard District" as well. It is a homosexual red light district. He said the title "Boomgaard" [fruit orchard] was a lampoon of that area….

Given that the stretch is pretty much bracketed by a sex toy shop and a strip club with a few not-exactly-4-star motels in between (necessitating special attention from both the Oak Creek and Franlkin police departments), I guess that puts another spin on the name.

Do go read Fred Keller’s further comments.

May 2, 2008

Re: We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident

by @ 15:44. Filed under Politics - National.

In case you missed Shoebox’s discussion of a piece that identifies Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as essentially left-of-the-Democratic-center (which is well left of the actual center) clones, do read it. It does illustrate the divide that has happened in the last 20 years, and also identifies McCain as left-of-the-Republican-center.

There is an assumption made by Kevin Poole and company that I do take exception to, however. Take another look at one of the graphics Shoebox borrowed from them, specifically the one comparing the 90th, 100th and 110th Congresses.

It would appear at first glance that the Left hardly moved further left over the last 40 years, while the Right moved quite a bit further right over the same time. However, that assumes that the middle didn’t move either direction. I beg to differ.

Just as a singular example, let’s take a look at Medicare. Back in 1965, roughly half of the Republicans were opposed to its creation (do ignore the error in the House Dems’ “no” vote total; it is a government operation I’m linking to). Of course, since they were in an extreme minority, it passed rather handily.

Fast forward to 2003. In the face of a decade of projections declaring that Medicare was facing a financial time bomb, President Bush (R) proposed a massive expansion of Medicare in the form of prescription drug benefits. Nearly all of the House Republicans and Senate Republicans agreed.

I know, it’s not perfect (neither Congress in the chart was the one that voted on Medicare), and McCain did vote against the drug bill, but it is rather illustrative of the leftward tilt of the Republican Party. I could also mention pork, the shift of the rhetoric of tax-rate cuts from actually reducing the amount of taxes taken in by government to raising the amount of taxes taken in by government, and the utter abandomnent of the idea of getting rid of government agencies.

Before the Lefties start streaming in to say that proves they’ve moved to the right, I’ll briefly touch on why so few Democrats agreed to that expansion of government-run health care. It was not because they didn’t want to also expand Medicare; it was because they wanted to go even farther. Indeed, their Presidential candidates and the last Democratic President wanted to create a “full-coverage” government-run health care system, and saw this as too small a step.

May 1, 2008

NRE Poll – Should I try to get blogger creds for the GOP convention?

by @ 18:19. Filed under NRE Polls, Politics - National, The Blog.

While the state GOP still hasn’t reached out to the blogosphere for the state convention (at least nobody has mentioned any outreach), the national GOP is looking for a few good bloggers. I know I’m a very long shot for various reasons (excessive expletives, a general dislike of McCain, a lack of knowledge of the difference between morons and Morons™ that would cause confusion about a large portion of my readership, not-nearly-Hot Air readership numbers), but it would be an excuse to head up to the Twin Cities.

Here’s where I ask for your help. I won’t promise to listen, but I will definitely take it under advisement.

Should I try to get blogger creds for the GOP convention?

Up to 1 answer(s) was/were allowed

  • Yes (85%, 11 Vote(s))
  • No (15%, 2 Vote(s))

Total Voters: 13

Loading ... Loading ...

We paid the Zizzo Group how much? UPDATE – $329,633?

by @ 17:53. Filed under Politics - Oak Creek.

Greg Kowalski not only recaps the list of other finalists for what’s now the Boomgaard District (DUCK!), but the other names the Zizzo Group came up with.

– Citygate – Yeah, that worked real well in DC </sarcasm>
– Twin Corridor – There is no trace of the old 41 Twin drive-in anymore. Other than that, and an otherwise-complete lack of originality, it actually isn’t too bad.
– Metro South – Yeah, that’s going to go over real well with those that think the metro area ends at the Menomomee River valley or Oklahoma Ave.
– 27 South – Welcome to the jungle, fellow gangbangers.
– Root River Junction – Honestly, I like it. However, do you really want a harsh focus on what most of those on either side of the Root River consider an impenetrable barrier?
– Orchard Station – Station? STATION?
– Orchard Six – Juuuuust a bit too cute by half (literally).
– SouthCorr – Real attractive name…NOT!
– SoCol – See Root River Junction and Metro South, and add in a dash of Orchard Six.
– 27 Stretch – I’m sure the On the Border guys love it. I’m not so sure about anything else.
– Lower Six – There’s exactly one “Lower” that’s been successful, and we’re not in Manhattan.

I may not be creative, but I know butt-ugly names when I see them. The ad hoc committee and ultimately the Common Councils should’ve gone back to the drawing board.

Revisions/extensions (6:30 pm 5/1/2008) – $329,633 for this load?

Summarizing the Rats in 7 minutes

by @ 17:30. Filed under Politics - National.

(H/T – Mary Katharine Ham)

I’m as jaded as the next guy, but Slate has a killer video distilling the ‘Rat campaign to 7 wicked minutes…

April 30, 2008

Operation Chaos/NRE Spring Hill campaign resuming fire

by @ 15:38. Filed under Politics - National.

Just in case you missed the announcement in today’s Scramble, Operation Chaos has now resumed, and the NRE Spring Hill order is to make sure the flat-spinning Obama campaign augers into the ground. A word of caution; since we are in a 2-v-1 the hard way, do not lose track of the other target.

Al Franken, funny as ever

by @ 12:03. Filed under Politics - National.

I knew Al Franken was an alleged comedian but I thought he was serious about running for a Minnesota Senate seat.   Turns out Franken was just telling a long, expensive joke.

I wrote hereabout Franken’s tax troubles.  

Yesterday, the latest shoe dropped as Franken admitted that he had unreported income in 17 states. He remained quick to point out that it was his accountant that made the mistake not Al himself.

Like most liberals, Franken has been running on a platform of corporation and CEO bashing. He continues to wail about unaccountability and how corporations take advantage of the common folk. It now appears that Franken has been speaking from experience. Not paying workers comp insurance for his common folks and signing off on false returns seems to be just the kind of thing that Franken has been decrying.

I had never found Franken particularly funny. His material struck me as more mean spirited than witty. It now appears that I had been looking for humor in the wrong place. It turns out that the joke is actually Al Franken.

April 29, 2008

NRE Spring Hill campaign holding fire

by @ 15:40. Filed under Politics - National.

In case you missed the update from the Southern Command relayed through the 10,000 Lakes Observation Post, Rush Limbaugh (CinC-EIB) has called for an operational pause on Operation Chaos. In accordance with that, and at the suggestion of Shoebox (see that link), the NRE Spring Hill campaign is now in a holding pattern awaiting the next target. Instant review of the mission objectives:

– Obama not the inevitable nominee – CHECK
– ‘Rats at each others’ throats like it is 1860 – CHECK
– No sleep ’till Denver – TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY

I still have ammo, avgas, and an itchy trigger finger. It’s now a balancing act to keep this pot boiling and not exploding until August.

The Rock vs The Big Chill

by @ 15:00. Filed under Politics - National.

(H/T – Asian Badger)

Yes, it has come to a cheesy Flash game from the New York Post. It’s just like real life; s/he who hits the hardest with the mostest wins.

April 28, 2008

Down goes the legal impediment to voter ID requirements

by @ 14:24. Filed under Elections, Politics - National.

(Now, who do I give this H/T to; I could go with Brian Fraley or Matt Lewis, but Katie Favazza and Sister Toldjah have them easily beat in the looks department, I haven’t linked to them in a while, and ST has the link to the decision from SCOTUSblog)

The Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s voter-ID requirement 6-3. In a bit of an oddity, Mark Sherman, the AP reporter who wrote that piece, pointedly noted that the author of the opinion of the Court, Justice John Paul Stevens, was a dissenter in Bush v Gore in 2000.

A quick, non-lawyer review of Justice Stevens’ opinion of the court and Justice Scalia’s concurrence reveals the idiocy of opposing photo ID from both the liberal and conservative perspective. While I prefer Scalia’s reasoning, Stevens’ broad repudiation of the arguments against a photo ID requirement, specifically including the “partisan”, “undue burden” on the poor, and “undue burden” on the elderly arguments, ought to have Wisconsin’s Democratic Party reconsidering their staunch opposition to a voter ID requirement. Then again, I’m not hopeful that the ‘Rats will give up their permanent advantage of vote fraud made easier by the lack of a voter ID requirement.

Revisions/extensions (11:38 am 4/29/2008) – I would be remiss if I didn’t point you in the direction of a lawyer’s take, specifically Rick Esenberg’s take. He notes that, because it is Justice Stevens’ opinion that is the controlling one instead of Justice Scalia’s, the door is open ever-so-slightly for future challenges to voter ID requirements.

One Senate seat the Dems won’t get

by @ 12:17. Filed under Politics - National.

Democrats were hopeful that the Senate seat of Norm Coleman from Minnesota, would be one that they could get in their attempt to get a 60 vote,  filibuster proof majority.   The Dems felt that by running Al Franken, a candidate with high name recognition and strong liberal politics they could turn the seat in a state that recently elected one of the most liberal members of the Senate Amy Klobuchar.   It’s not going to happen.

Last month SurveyUSA released this survey  showing that Coleman was up by 10% with momentum in his direction.   This poll was taken around the time that it was revealed that Al Franken hadn’t paid workers compensation insurance for his employees in New York.   At the time Franken’s team had numerous and changing reasons for why the payment of the insurance, was an “oversight” (including “he wasn’t home”) but in the end agreed to paying a fine.

Team Franken thought that paying the fine would let them get back to running for Senate but they were wrong.   A new issue was raised alleging that Franken hadn’t filed California state income taxes for a period of years.   Again Team Franken moved into spin mode  alleging that it was another “oversight” and that Franken’s California corporation was to have been terminated as he hadn’t done business in California during that time. Once again Team Franken thought they could get pass the issue by paying the back tax and penalty.

Case closed.

Um…..not quite.
(more…)

April 26, 2008

Support McCain

by @ 10:17. Filed under Politics - National.

After my rant yesterday telling McCain to “shut up” about the North Carolina ad, I now feel compelled to atone and offer to you this suggestion for showing your support for John  McCain.   From David Hinz over at RedState:

I propose that each and every Conservative demonstrate his or her support for Senator McCain for President by purchasing a “McCain for President,” bumper sticker, or better still, two. Then we should all affix those bumper stickers upside down — as a clear message to the senator. As a former Navy flier, Sen McCain will understand that message only too well. As explained below, displaying an ensign or the American flag upside down is a message of danger. It means, “…a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”

As one of the posters at RedState mentioned, you’ll probably want to use two stickers because if you have just one upside down, people will just think you’re an idiot!

Update:   I forgot to mention that you can buy your stickers at www.JohnMcCain.com.   I bought 4 window variety this morning for $5 each.

April 24, 2008

Method to McCain’s No-Negative Messages Madness?

by @ 22:42. Filed under Politics - National.

Jim Geraghty figured out why John McCain is trying to silence anybody and everybody that hits the Democrats hard; he’s running very hard to the mushy middle as Mr. Clean. 16 years ago, that might have worked, because that is precisely how his BFF Russ Feingold overcame a massive money and name recognition disadvantage to first win a 3-way primary battle and then win his Senate seat. However, this isn’t 1992, and frankly, most of the country isn’t Wisconsin. That mushy middle doesn’t really exist; at best it represents 10% of the electorate, and it’s been shrinking every election.

Sean Hackbarth pointed out a potentially-significant flaw in McCain’s plan; he’s not been consistent on the lack of use of the Wright-Obama connection. Actually, let’s drop the “potentially”; it’s certain tha McCain’s former friends in the LeftStreamMedia will use that inconsistency against him to further shrink the mushy middle.

Moreover, every open step toward the mushy middle, especially in the form of a repudiation of the GOP base (or at least what, up until recently, was the base), further weakens him in the eyes of said base. This specific case reinforced my opinion that the current “leadership” of the GOP really wants to be a permanent minority center-left party. I’m all-but-ready to abandon the See-Dub plan and follow doubleplusundead in saying, “Screw McCain.”

Re: Nero Fiddles

by @ 9:00. Filed under Corn-a-hole, Politics - National.

That is a real head-slapper, Shoebox. I originally was going to just do this as a comment, but there’s simply too much to say, partly because Matt Lewis pointed to something in today’s Wall Street Journal that causes me to radically extend the time frame that the Neroes have been fiddling.

Before I get to the fresh material, I do have to comment on the Pelosi (lack of) plan:

– Filing lawsuits against OPEC acting as a Cartel"¦.

It’s not a new idea. I took a whack at it back when Herb Kohl (D-Nobody’s Senator) introduced it as a bill last year, and those words still stand. Do note who voted for it in the Senate; 2/3rds of the Three Nominating Stooges voted for it (McCain wasn’t around).

– Continuing to chase gouging Bogeymen"¦
– Chasing more gouging Bogeymen"¦.

Bogeymen is precisely the right term. I’ve lost count of how many times “Big Oil” has been exonerated in those witch hunts.

Forcing renewable energy into the marketplace…

I’ve taken so many whacks at the bad effects of “renewable” energy mandates, I’ve lost count.

That serves as the launching point into the fresh material. Back in 2000, then-Illinois state Senator Barack Obama pushed through a sales-tax holiday on gasoline sold in Illinois. The WSJ article failed to state why this was an issue back then. In 2000, Chicago and Milwaukee were the only two areas selling a particular formula of reformulated gas. The spring of 2000 saw a convergence of that and three factors that drove gas prices up above $2/gallon when the average price was $1.52/gallon:

– A switchover between the winter and summer blends of that extra-special Algore Memorial RFG, which included, going into 2000, the only widespread use of ethanol.
– The extended shutdown of one of the two refineries that made said RFG.
– A brand-new mandate by California that MBTE be replaced by ethanol.

Ed Morrissey also notes that these factors were never addressed. Hence, we are where we are.

I will say that the gas sales tax holiday indeed worked in reducing gas prices for the summer of 2000. The prices in northeast Illinois were, for a time, significantly lower than that in southeast Wisconsin, and were roughly the national average. Because the Illinois Legislature made it a statewide holiday, prices downstate were close to the lowest in the nation. However, once again, Ed notes that it was and is a temporary fix.

April 22, 2008

New players in the VP sweepstakes

by @ 18:21. Filed under Politics - National.

(H/Ts – Mary Katharine Ham, Matt Lewis, Amanda Carpenter and Professor Stephen Bainbridge)

Bob Novak tossed former Ohio congressman/former Bush OMB director/former Bush special trade repesentative Rob Portman’s name out there, while RNC deputy chair Frank Donatelli floated former HP CEO/Team McCain economic advisor Carly Fiorina’s name.

First, Portman. He’s moderately-conservative (89 ACU rating in his time in the House), was part of the House leadership (not necessarily a positive in my book), and a tax-(rate-)cutter. The bad news is he is rather tied to the Bush administration, not only as a member of his administration, but as a member of Congress (thanks, fellow FReepers). Moreover, he’s been at times rather accomodating to the Democrats, at least according to the archived Columbus Dispatch article.

Next, Fiorina. She was once the darling of the business media, but as the Professor notes, she wasn’t exactly successful at HP; indeed, she was fired by the board. She does have the advantage of being a member of a key Democratic demographic that may well be “disillusioned” by the results of their nomination process, and she also is a blank slate on non-economic issues (both a blessing and a curse, depending on how the slate gets filled).

Given the comments in both Matt’s and Amanda’s posts, I may as well collate a couple of earlier thoughts on why being John McCain’s VP nominee is the ultimate high-risk/high-reward. I’ve previously noted that, since 1956, the Republicans have gone to the next person in line. In order, that would be sitting President, sitting Vice President, second in the previous contested Presidential primary, an ex-Vice President, and family member. That is a pretty powerful argument to be the Vice Presidential nominee if McCain were to win in November.

Conversely, there is the fate of a Vice Presidential nominee on a losing ticket. I’ve also noted that only 4 times since the 12th Amendment separated the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections did a failed Vice Presidential candidate become a Presidential candidate. The last two who did so, and the only two in the “modern” era (post-22nd Amendment), had other extenuating circumstances. Walter Mondale was previously Vice President, and thus fell into the less-rigid Democratic version of the “next in line” scheme. Bob Dole had to wait until the two people in front of him each had their turn as the Presidential nominee, and then work to earn his own place in the Republican “next in line” scheme.

Polar opposites on phone taxes

by @ 11:28. Filed under Politics - Milwaukee, Politics - National, Taxes.

Just when I thought there were no real differences left in the two halves of the bipartisan Party-In-Government, Sen. and certain Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and the tag team of Milwaukee mayor John Norquist, Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm, and governor Jim “Craps” Doyle (WEAC/Potawatomi-For Sale) prove me wrong. First, the local ‘Rats from Sunday’s Journal Sentinel story:

Barrett, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and Police Chief Edward Flynn are asking Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature to give municipalities control over the 911 telephone surcharge that is supposed to expire Nov. 30. They’re hoping to add that provision to the budget-repair bill now under consideration….

The surcharge on cellular telephone users was created in 2005 to cover the costs of technology to pinpoint the locations of cell phones during calls to the 911 emergency number. Montgomery said that technology has saved at least 15 lives statewide.

The fee started at 83 cents a month, rose to 92 cents in 2006 and then dropped this year to 43 cents.

But before the fee expires, Barrett wants lawmakers to authorize municipal governments to retain the surcharge and expand it to cover all telephones, including land lines provided by both telephone and cable companies. Milwaukee would be able to boost its charge to a maximum of $1 a month in 2009 and $1.50 a month in future years.

Revenue from the surcharge would help fund the emergency services that respond to 911 calls, a technique that city officials say is also used in Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco and other major cities. At 50 cents a month, the surcharge would generate more than $2 million a year for Milwaukee, rising to $5.2 million for a $1 charge and $7.8 million for a $1.50 charge….

So, rather than find a way to cut $7.8 million from the bloated city budget, Milwaukee’s idiots want to raise taxes by radically expanding both in scope and amount upon something that is supposed to expire. Excuse me while I hurl, and note that these same Gorons want to keep the Miller Park tax past its supposed sunset date in 2014 so they could play with trains.

Revisions/extensions (4:42 pm 4/22/2008) – Fred notes in the comments there already is a 911 surcharge on landlines. That brings me to another reason why I hate these “small” and numerous charges; it’s all too easy to say, “Just a few shekels more for the chilrun/the elderly/the sick/the pooor/insert ‘disadvantaged’ group here.”

Meanwhile, McCain at least doesn’t like new taxes. From this morning’s Wall Street Journal:

Among the better ideas John McCain announced last week is a ban on new cellphone taxes. For America’s 257 million wireless subscribers, the GOP Presidential candidate is advancing a sensible policy with political punch.

A recent analysis by economist Scott Mackey in the journal State Tax Notes shows that the average monthly tax burden on wireless customers is more than 15% – double the average sales tax burden. In some states, such as New York (big surprise), the total tax bite is more than 20%.

If the pols were exercising even modest restraint, wireless consumers would now be enjoying a reduced tax bill. That’s because in 2006 the IRS stopped applying the Federal Excise Tax on Telecommunications to wireless services. The feds weren’t being generous. After the IRS suffered a series of defeats in federal court, then-Treasury Secretary John Snow ordered the bureaucrats to stop gouging consumers. The language of the law, passed in 1898 to fund the Spanish-American War and rewritten in the 1960s, clearly did not apply to today’s digital services.

But even though that 3% IRS levy has been knocked off the monthly bill, the overall cellphone tax burden is the same 15% it was in 2003. Increased Federal Communications Commission fees to underwrite universal service plus higher state taxes have offset the potential relief for consumers.

The WSJ editorial goes on to note there is a bipartisan (not Party-In-Government, surprisingly) propsal to put a moratorium on new cell phone taxes after listing a few other bizzare attempts by the PIGs to dig deeper into the pocketbook.

Jimmy and the definition of Legitimacy

by @ 7:00. Filed under Politics - National.

Jimmy Carter says that while he will talk with an organization that launches attacks against unarmed civilians and is listed as a group responsible for terrorist attacks by most western countries, Hamas, he doesn’t  “see any redeeming features” of another terrorist organization, Al Qaeda.  


I can’t seem to get the link to work correctly so here’s the low tech connection :   http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=81983

According to Jimmy, the difference between Hamas and Al Qaeda is that Hamas has the support of their constituents.   To Jimmy an elected  government is legitimate and should be accepted regardless of what it’s policies are.

Using Jimmy’s logic, Jimmy should also agree that the Civil war was unjust and just the North imposing it’s will on the South.   After all, the Confederate States of America had the support of its constituents.

If only Abraham Lincoln had had the benefit of Jimmy Carter’s logic the country could have avoided the war and the  loss  of 620,000 American lives.   It would have been so much better for everyone……except for the 4,000,000 slaves that were emancipated.

Revisions/extensions (10:59 am 4/22/2008; steveegg) – I think I’ve got the right embed code. Still, I like the folks at Breitbart, including the absent-from-blogging Ian Schwartz, who if memory serves is one of the main guys behind the TV version of Breitbart.

April 21, 2008

More Mortgage Mangling

by @ 7:02. Filed under Politics - National.

I wrote earlier  about  a study  by the NYFED, that provided insight as to what the average subprime loan looked like.   The study laid out the horrific terms of these subprime loans but didn’t talk about the people or circumstances that caused the subprime loans to be enticing.   Sunday’s Star and Tribune chronicles one such circumstance.

Bradley Collins Jr.  is a painting contractor.   He averages an income of $60,000/year and supports his family of 5 on that income.   According to the article, about 3 years ago, Collins and his wife thought they would take advantage of the real estate boom occurring in the NW part of the Minneapolis metro.   With the encouragement of two salesman from a “property management company,” they bought 4 houses for a total price of $1.2M.   The story as we all know, continues with the real estate market busting, the resales of the homes not occurring, the owners failing as landlords and the homes falling into foreclosure.
(more…)

April 18, 2008

McCain’s so old,…

by @ 13:24. Filed under Politics - National.

(H/T – Jim Geraghty the indispensible)

If you’ve been hearing the meme flying around the Leftosphere, you know they’re trying to say John McCain is too old. David Benzion at the Lone Star Times has your retort. A couple that I like from there:

– John McCain is older than betraying national security secrets on the front page of the New York Times.
– John McCain is older than having to explain to your children why everyone on the TV is talking about the President’s penis.
– John McCain is older than politicized CIA agents distorting a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program because they don’t like the President’s (i.e., their boss’) policies.

Jim chimed in with a few winners as well (I’ll “borrow” a couple of them):

– John McCain is so old that when he was born, Obama’s neighbor and donor William Ayers hadn’t tried to kill anyone with a bomb yet.
– John McCain was born in those long ago days when if you went into church, you could count on the pastor saying “God bless America!”
– When John McCain was a toddler, the national average tax on a gallon of gasoline was under four cents.

I’ll take Jim’s invitation to play:

– John McCain is so old, when he joined the Navy, the only federal health care was in the armed forces.
– John McCain is so old, he outlasted four dictatorial states that viewed America as its “class enemy”.
– John McCain is so old, he remembers a time when Wisconsin government was clean.
– John McCain is so old, he was born during a time when the Panama Canal Zone was American territory.
– In John McCain’s day, a high school diploma meant something.
– John McCain is older than Red China.
– John McCain is older than the UN.

April 17, 2008

Unborn officially subhuman according to the US Senate

by @ 16:15. Filed under Politics - National.

(H/T – Kate, so I’ll try not to swear)

Usually, resolutions to commemorate public figures fly through Congress. However, one Senator, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is so deep in the pockets of what Rush Limbaugh calls the NAGs she could not abide the following words in the resolution honoring Pope Benedict XVI:

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the weak and vulnerable, witnessing to the value of each and every human life;….

I honestly don’t know what’s worse; the fact she held up the resolution for a couple days, or the fact the RepubicRATs caved. Do note the pro-death-penalty crowd didn’t have a real problem with the language, even though the official position of the Catholics, at least the last time I checked, is there should be no death penalty.

April 16, 2008

The “Brotherly Love” Dem debate – Live drunk blog

by @ 13:34. Filed under Politics - National.

How appropriate is it that this one’s going to come from the city that booed Santa Claus? If you’re in, near, or west of the Rockies, this may well be a spoiler thread. Stephen Green noted that his drunkblog will be late because his ABC affiliate is tape-delaying things. That’s right, it’s on free TV, but most of the stations in the West will be tape-delaying it to show it in prime time. The live version kicks off at 7 pm beer time, so I’ll start the drinking about 6:45.

I really thought about simply simulcasting Skye’s liveblog (she’s a friend of Mike from Mike’s America, so he’ll be co-producing), but I’m going to need copious amounts of alcohol to deal with this one, and that’s almost certainly going to be more genteel than my mood can stand. I’m sure the usual suspects will also be liveblogging, and I’ll try to put the links up in this space.

For the 2 people still in this thread, I’ll quickly review things because it’s been a while since I liveblogged a debate and longer since I drunkblogged one. Since it’s the ‘Rats, and it’s a drunkblog, I’ll probably be taking many gratuitous shots along with the non-gratuitous ones, I paraphrase a lot as I’m not the fastest typist on the planet, the questions will be in italics, the answers in plain text, and my comments in-line with either a question or an answer will be in parentheses.

– Ace
– Allahpundit/Ed Morrissey
– Michelle Malkin
– The Lizards
– The Freepers

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