No Runny Eggs

(H/Ts – Sister Toldjah and Matt Lewis)

The NYT reports the ‘Rats are salivating over the prospects of getting a filibuster-proof majority in the 111th Congress to go along with the Oval Office. The numbers seem to suggest that it’s possible; while they hold a 51-49 advantage now for the purposes of caucusing, there are 18 Republican incumbents (including 2 freshly-minted ones) and 5 Republican open seats up for election, while there are only 12 Democratic incumbents up for election. It currently is unlikely they’ll actually get to 60, though it is likely they will pick up 3.

Matt says that a filibuster-proof majority would really change things. Versus the current political/philosophical situation, perhaps a bit, though I tend to believe that is more a function of whether they (or the Pubbies) get a clean sweep rather than whether one party or another gets a filibuster-proof majority. What would really change the operational dynamic is if they fail to get to 60, especially if they get the White House. Unlike the Republicans of the 109th Congress, they may well not hesitate to jettison the filibuster in order to push their agenda through, especially if they do get an absolute majority without Joe Lieberman’s caucusing help.

Conversely, if they do get to 60 (or depending on how the chips fall, simply get close), they won’t need to get rid of the filibuster to get their agenda through. Therefore, they would keep it around as a hedge against the next time things don’t go their way.

Jim Geraghty has the perfect response to the NYT/McCain spat Shoebox highlighted below:

Call me when McCain drops the F-bomb or recommends anatomically difficult forms of mating.

To that I say, that would probably make me more inclined to insert the noseplugs and vote for McCain.

The AP, amongst others, is trying to drum up a story about John McCain and his temper.

A New York Times reporter attempted to ask John McCain questions about his conversation with John Kerry re: the possibility of being his VP for the 2004 election.   From what I can see, the reporter was trying to do a “got ‘cha” over some dates.

I’m no John McCain acolyte.   I’ve watched this, I’ve listened to it without the video and I’ve read the transcript.   Maybe there is a story here, I don’t know.   But if the reporter isn’t able to frame the question in a way other than “let me try and trip you over dates,” she needs to find another occupation.   Other than another attempt to create a front page piece over nothing, I don’t see any HERE, HERE. I’ve seen more pointed responses in church meetings.  

I think this is one time I’m glad McCain doesn’t suffer fools gladly!

We might have a slight problem with the NRE Spring Hill campaign, which finally yielded fruit last night in Ohio and Texas. It seems Hillary Clinton, fresh off those wins, is talking a unity ticket with Barack Hussein Obama. While a quick stroll through Memeorandum and my feed reader (those not showing up in the Memeorandum “instant reaction” links include Freedom Eden, Ace of Spades and bRight & Early, with obligatory links to Michelle Malkin and VodkaPundit) shows both the right end and the Obama half of the left end poo-poohing the prospect, the Clinton half of the left is openly cheering it. Even though it didn’t sound very serious as she only discussed the possibility of her at the top of that, it was enough for Fox News to get Michelle and Kirsten Powers together to chew this over (once again, thanks for being the blogosphere’s DVR, AP).

I’ll ignore that it probably isn’t serious on her part, and that Obama isn’t ready to discuss it yet, and cash in my E ticket. A Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket would be a nightmare for the country. The modern Democratic Party is, at its core, a group of aggrieved constituencies united only by their hatred of uniquely-American aspects of America (i.e. conservatism and Republicans), and they represent the two largest of those constituencies. Given there are rather few in the voting pool that truly are non-partisan, and given there is a not-insignificant portion of that undecided that can be persuaded to particiapte in identity politics, a “unity ticket” would be more than enough to push them over the top.

Another consideration is preserving the Dems’ money advantage. With the Republican race for all intents and purposes over, John McCain can now conserve whatever money is left for the general election and the Democrat nominee. Meanwhile, we’ve got at least 6 more weeks of Democratic winter after Clinton saw her shadow in the bright spotlights of Ohio and Texas, and Pennsylvania has a couple of rather expensive media markets.

However, preventing that “unity ticket” is one of the goals of the NRE Spring Hill campaign. As Amanda Carpenter pointed out, Clinton has been throwing the kitchen sink at Obama. It’s just going to get uglier, and while politicians have an innate ability to forget personal attacks in the primary, there is an upper limit to that ability.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Abraham Lincoln

Apparently you can fool a majority of the people every two years!

Both Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich won thier primaries last night. Kucinich won with 50% of the vote. Paul got 70% of the vote in his primary.

Both of these guys have held office since 1996.

With folks like these (and I could list a number of others) is it any wonder there is such a division in American politics?

It’s still way early but why not join in the fun of speculation about who John McCain will pick for VP.

A new name on the list is Senator John Thune.   John who?   Well for starters, he’s reportedly a good friend of John McCain’s

John Thune is the junior Senator from South Dakota.   As far as Republican politics though, he’s no junior.
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Mike Huckabee dropping tonight is the word on the Hot Air open thread. Fox and CNN have called the nomination for John McCain as he swept all 4 states.

Revisions/extensions (8:20 pm 3/4/2008) – Huck quotes George Brett wanting to bounce weakly to 2nd for his last at-bat, calls for party unity.

R&E part 2 (8:34 pm 3/4/2008) – I did not hear him release his candidates, so we’re safe from Ron Paul being #2 there once we get to the convention.

R&E part 3 (8:47 pm 3/4/2008) – The hot rumor is that he will run for Senate. Shoe, guess you will be paying for those tattoos after all.

Last revision/extension (6:23 am 3/4/2008) – As always, Allahpundit has the video…

Really, last R&E (8:17 pm 3/9/2008) – It seems sevenload.com is a major performance hit, so I pulled the video. You can watch it over at Hot Air.

Today, the UN Security Council voted to increase sanctions on Iran over their nuclear program and concern that it is being used to develop weapons.   I thought the National Intelligence Agency said they weren’t a threat anymore?

Looks like another instance where Hillary voted to support  President Bush, but was duped to do so! Or was she duped and then reduped?

Cue the cherubs, cue heaven opening, cue the music…now watch:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_X0ZwwJDY8[/youtube]

Something to think about….is it time to consider somekind of a mass intervention for these people?   This looks like they’ve moved past messiah and have arrived at deity!

Hattip The American Mind

This endorsement from the Dallas News makes me wonder why they even bother to endorse a Republican.   I guess it’s so no one would think they are biased! (more…)

Like many of you, I’ve heard several reports about Michelle Obama’s comments at the Zanesville Day Nursery.   Some of the more amazing and highly reported comments included ironically, her encouragement to give up hope and not pursue a lucrative job:

"Don’t go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we’re encouraging our young people to do that. But if you make that choice, as we did, to move out of the money-making industry into the helping industry, then your salaries respond."

Michelle also spoke about the difficulties of living with the consequences of her choices:

Mrs. Obama complains about the lasting burden of student loans dating from her days at Princeton and Harvard Law School. She talks about people who end up taking years and years, until middle age, to pay off their debts. "The salaries don’t keep up with the cost of paying off the debt, so you’re in your 40s, still paying off your debt at a time when you have to save for your kids,"

Finally, Michelle tells us just how expensive it is to keep kids in extracurricular activities:

"I know we’re spending "” I added it up for the first time "” we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we’re spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth,"

Michelle Obama’s economic views are the kind that have created the subprime mess: (more…)

Wasn’t the New York Times all heated up about John McCain writing a letter to the FCC?   As I recall, that letter didn’t suggest to the FCC how to decide the issue but rather to JUST DECIDE?   So………how come, after the article that the New York Time’s wrote about John McCain, an article that had no facts and tried to create a controversy from something that didn’t rise to the level of hear-say, they haven’t had a chance to write a front page store on Obasmic securing $855,000 in fees for a political contributor who wasn’t even a constituent?

At the risk of asking a rhetorically squared question (that’s a question that is so rhetorical it hurts to ask):

Am I missing something? Obviously the New York Times is; an ability to investigate NEWS!

It’s hard to know how to read this one. On the one hand, Pawlenty was advocating a position that would align with McCain’s goofy gorebal warming perspective. On the other hand, getting shot down by the National Governor’s Association, an association Pawlenty leads, can’t help on the credibilty front.

I think Pawlenty may be in trouble as this is the second time he’s been thunked this week. Earlier in the week, Pawlenty was unable to hold  his minority, Minnesota House Republicans together to sustain his veto on the largest tax increase in Minnesota history.    This  could spell the end for Tim Pawlenty’s VP aspirations.

2/28/08 update: This portrayal of the NGA meeting makes it sound really bad for Pawlenty.

Phil Kerpen at National Review online suggests that Mike Huckabee ought to cede the presidential race and run for a Senate position.  The article reports Huckabee’s response as:

Huckabee denied any interest in such a run last week, saying he would more likely "get tattooed and go out on the town with Amy Winehouse" than try for the Senate.

Frankly, Hucakbee needed to be out of this race a few weeks back. If someone can get me Amy’s phone number, I’ll pop for the tattoo!

So….Barack Obama doesn’t like working with the press.   I guess that’s best when you have a fragile shell  and nothing inside!

The Des Moines Register released a poll on Sundayshowing the Iowan preferences in a McCain/Clinton and a McCain/Obama head to head. In the poll, McCain beat Hillary 49% to 40%. However, Obama beats McCain 53% to 36%.

As I’ve posted before, it’s hard for me to discern much policy difference between the two Democrats. However even with my disinterested review, I can tell that while both candidates are Socialists, Hillary is Socialist lite.
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While I’m sure it wasn’t on his “things to do this week” list, John McCain got some of the Republican base rallied last week as he turned the tables on the New York Times, junior high smear piece….”Psst, do you know who I saw with John McCain?   I think they LIKE each other!”

Now that the House is back in session, McCain should use his position as the assumed Republican Nominee (sorry Huck folks) to explain to the American people why the FISA bill, as passed by the Senate, is important to American security and should be passed without delay.   In doing so McCain will accomplish 3 things:

1. Get important intelligence tools back in place.
2. Define the differences between Republican priorities for the nation and Democratic priorities i.e. Security for the American people versus security for the American trial lawyers.
3. Build upon the base awakening that was caused by the NYT and give them a rallying point for another week.

McCain can only win the general election if he gets the base to not just tolerate him, but embrace him.   Issues like FISA give him the perfect issue to work towards that goal.

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.