In his thumping of Creigh Deeds Tuesday night, Bob McDonnell nearly garnered as many votes as . . .
Marriage.
Yup, that’s right. McDonnell’s 1,160,365 votes (as of this posting) fell just 168,172 short of the 2006 marriage amendment. That proposal received 1,328,537 supporters. Talk about a “bipartisan,” “center,” “mainstream” vote, marriage is the model.
We also found some interesting tidbits from Tuesday’s exit polling (yes, I know, exit polling . . . but it makes for good fodder).
According to exit polling from CNN, 34 percent of those voting identified themselves as “Evangelical/Born Again” and, of that block, a whopping 83 percent cast their vote for Mr. McDonnell. Now, if you run the numbers that equates to nearly half of all voters that cast their ballot for McDonnell were of the “Evangelical/Born Again” group. (To our liberal friends, breath, breath . . . there you go, breath. It’ll be ok. Breath . . . .)
So, as all the pundits, experts, campaign consultants, etc. inform us that the campaign Mr. McDonnell ran is the “model” for future GOP candidates, lets all remember that the “model” only works if “the base” is motivated. Otherwise, well, see John McCain. And Jerry Kilgore. And . . . well, you get the idea.
There are 63 House Democrats who represent districts won twice by George W. Bush. Of those, there are 49 such Dems who represent districts won the last three elections by Mr. Bush and John McCain.
A Barack Obama presidency has me scared for a long time for a number of reasons. There’s the pending economic socialism and the disregard for innocent human life, among many urgent issues. During the campaign the many to whom I expressed my concern would respond with the conventional wisdom that he’ll mess it up and the country will swing back to conservatism in the mid-term elections, as in 1994. (That’s a big “if,” predicated on whetherthe so-called conservatives in Congress remain scared of their own shadows and remain addicted to “big-government conservatism.”)
I would reply to those who responded that way, “Not so fast.” Conventional wisdom and the old models don’t apply anymore. With such large majorities in Congress and control of the White House, the extreme, Angry Left will ram through several initiatives to permanently seal its institutional advantages. For example, the liberal media, which crossed from only being biased to all out left wing advocacy this campaign, will be cemented by the passing of the so-called Fairness Doctrine, minimizing (if not completely eliminating) conservative talk radio. Advantage, Left Wing Media.
The union card check bill, if it becomes law (see The Las Vegas Sun, here), will end the secret ballot in union organizing campaigns. This will create countless new union shops. Aside from the economic peril of making American industry less competitive, this bill will add tens of thousands of new union members to union rolls — along with their compulsary dues, which go to union political action committees and used to elect leftist candidates. Advantage, corrupt Leftist union bosses.
The public education establishment, which largely dumbs down children K-12, and the college education establishment, which largely indoctrinates them because, by then, students have been conditioned to feel rather than think, will get new, large amounts of federal grants to run their politically correct campus societies, further preaching liberal doctrine under the guise of teaching, both in the classroom and in campus regulations such as speech codes. Advantage, Leftist educrats and teachers union leaders.
I could go on. But someone else has for me. Give me one more minute.
When I extolled this theory, some saw credence. Some thought the conventional wisdom would magically re-write history in two years. Many thought I was looking for the man on the grassy knoll. My response was that I would write a thesis on it. End of minute. I don’t have to write the thesis. Quin Hillyer, of The American Spectator, has. I don’t know whether to celebrate that my theory has been vindicated or mad that I didn’t publish it and get compensated for the idea first. Regardless, Hillyer’s “Saul Alinsky Takes the White House” (click here) is a must read to understand what Christian conservatives and those who believe in traditional family values and limited constitutional government will face starting January 20, 2009. It is something we need to be prepared for and ready to work against — work very hard against.
Here’s an excerpt:
Watch what Michael Barone called the Obama “thugocracy” use the Justice Department to stifle dissent. Anybody who complains about vote fraud will be charged with “vote suppression.” Anybody who complains about DoJ’s actions will be charged with interfering with an investigation. Anybody who denies having interfered will be charged with perjury. Likewise, anybody who peacefully protests abortion clinics or the use of state-sponsored racial quotas will be charged with a civil rights violation. And the accused won’t be able to look to the Supreme Court for help: Anthony Kennedy’s “evolving standards” of justice will evolve to match the new zeitgeist, providing a 5-4 majority for the administration. Meanwhile, of course, Obama’s other appointments will be filling up the rest of the judiciary at a rapid clip, with nobody able to stop them.
Other ways the Obama axis will tilt the playing field: “card check” legislation to eliminate secret ballots in unionizing and to force union victories in contract negotiations. Provision after provision giving favors to the trial bar so it can sue enemies into submission. Copious new regulations, especially environmental, to be used selectively to ensnare other conservative malcontents. Invasive IRS audits of conservative think tanks, other conservative 501 organizations, and PACs.
What Ohio officials did in rifling through so many of Joe Wurzelbacher’s files will serve as ample precedent. (Just watch, by the way: Nobody ever will be effectively disciplined for the violation of Wurzelbacher’s rights.)
And, only when the time is right and the ground (or air) has been well prepared, will come the grand-daddy of all fights, the re-enactment of the misnamed “Fairness Doctrine.”
The coming socialist, one-party state only will be a crazy conspiracy theory if people fully understand what’s at stake and decide to get engaged, stay vigilant, remain active and work hard. Work very hard — starting now.
Tomorrow, the citizens of the freest nation in the world will once again choose their leader. This time, however, it seems certain that the choice is not just about a person or a party, but about the very essence of our nation.Tomorrow, we will choose between a candidate that has a quarter century record of voting to protect human life in its most vulnerable form, or a candidate that believes it is in the nation’s best interest to allow newborn children who survive late-term abortions to simply die.
Tomorrow, we will choose between a candidate that believes the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is worth defending, or a candidate that believes the definition of marriage is malleable.
Tomorrow, we will choose between a candidate that believes parents should have the option to send their children to whatever school they wish, public or private, or a candidate that believes teaching sex education to kindergartners is good for America.
Tomorrow, we will choose between a candidate that believes hard working families should be free to keep more of their hard earned incomes, or a candidate that believes continuing to allow families that freedom is bad for America and that income should be redistributed as the government sees fit.
But in truth, this election is not simply about the issues listed above. It is about freedom. It is about the freedom to make decisions about our families, our incomes and our faith that the government has no business being involved with. It is about whether or not the document that “holds these truths to be self evident” is still relevant in our society.
We are not ready to give up on the Founding Fathers vision! We are not ready to turn our lives over to a bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., to determine what my health care needs are, how we can or cannot live our faith in the public square, how our families’ income should be spent, or how the very institutions on which society is based are defined.
This nation and its Judeo-Christian heritage are worth getting up early, standing in line, bringing a family friend or neighbor or fellow church member along with us, and casting our ballots for the candidates who believe in the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage and the freedom to prosper. This nation is worth ignoring the prognosticators, the polls, and the media’s overwhelming and blatant disregard for facts and truth — and the blatant and below the belt attacks this year on candidates of faith, who respect life, traditional marriage and traditional values.
In short, it is worth your vote. Please, tomorrow, vote. Vote for the God ordained values and truths that our society must protect in order to survive.
After Governor Palin’s last visit to Richmond, the Richmond Times-Dispatch pop music critic thought it necessary to ridicule the Hank Williams, Jr., song “McCain-Palin Tradition” that he sang as a warm up to the governor’s speech (click here to hear). According to the critic, Hank Jr.’s original hit, “Family Tradition,” on which the campaign song is based, has some lyrics not in tune with “family values” voters (see article here).She mentions some Democrat instances as well, but clearly aims for what she thinks is a double standard among conservatives. Apparently, we’re not allowed to have a good time — or at least it has to be good as defined by an elitist standard. But guess what?Even the celebration of Christmas was based on a pagan holiday. Guess we ought to stop celebrating, then. She continues with a litany of liberal recording artists who have demanded of Republicans to stop using their songs. Hard hitting stuff.
What’s funny is this critic’s view of Christians, values voters and conservatives in general — a stereotypical view of the types of people she thinks conservative politicians appeal to. It’s as if she is saying conservatives don’t have fun and live completely cloistered lives. Maybe she’s the one who needs to get out more . . . or at least to more diverse entertainment venues to learn about the folks — that there’s more out there than smokey bars and concert halls — and stop generalizing.
She also needs to learn some history. She claimed Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign theme song was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” Wrong. It was Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To Be An American.” Then again, he’s just a values guy. No one relates to his music, right?
If you haven’t heard, the Internet, and even some of the Mainstream Media, is buzzing over a satellite television interview between Democrat vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and Orlando, Fla., WFTV news anchor Barbara West. It was conducted last week but only now is getting recognized outside that market. Ms. West asked, among other things, how can Barack Obama not be called a socialist when he wants “to spread the wealth around.” Biden scoffed at the socialist suggestion and attacked Ms. West personally.
Ms. West, who once worked for the late ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings and had the typically normal credentials liberals love about the MSM. “Had” because not anymore. Not after she asked the hard, legitimate questions so many have for the most liberal national ticket ever assembled, but which have gone begging for months.
In fact, after the interview, the gruff Senator Biden, not at all acting as the compassionate and pastoral type as he did when he redefined the faith on Meet The Press several weeks ago, must have whined about his treatment to the “messiah” himself (not sure whether he whined that the “messiah” put him in such a untenable position with his policy pronouncements or whether he whined about getting beat up by someone seeking the truth) because the Obama-Biden campaign immediately cancelled all interviews with WFTV, including one already scheduled with Mrs. Biden.
If Senator Biden thinks these questions were tough, there are several more we’d like to hear asked of him. For example, when he sarcastically asks Ms. West “Who is writing your questions?” in response to her “socialist” question, we would have replied to the caught and admitted plagiarizer, “Senator, who is writing your answers?” Look at this old NBC News report from Biden’s first run for president in 1987. Oh yeah, one of the men mentioned in the report, then-British Labour Party Leader Neil Kinnock, whose speeched Biden plagerized . . . is a socialist!
When he completely contorted his remark from last week that Barack Obama is not ready to be Commander-In-Chief to somehow mean he was saying John McCain wasn’t ready because, as Biden put it, Senator McCain had been wrong on some foreign policy issues, we would have asked him about how many times his views were disasterously wrong. Never mind that Senator Biden’s charges are false, let’s look at “wrong” by the man chosen by Senator Obama because of his so-called foreign policy expertise:
Wrong on the nuclear freeze.
Wrong on aiding freedom fighters in Central America.
Wrong on deploying missles to NATO countries.
Wrong on giving in to the demands of the Soviet Union.
Wrong on missile defense.
Wrong on the Gulf War.
Wrong on the troop surge in Iraq.
Wrong on partitioning Iraq.
Wrong on drilling offshore.
Wrong on the initial phase of Operation Enduring Freedom.
How much more wrong can one be and still run for vice president?
But that’s just us. Ms. West more than held her own. Now, the Obama-Biden campaign, the epitome of tolerance, won’t give any more interviews to this WFTV. That’s the way to take your ball and go home!
Here’s the interview in its entirety. It’s about 4:30 minutes long.
There is a lot of talk about the economy these days by candidates, commentators, journalists, financial professionals and anyone else with a camera, microphone or Web page. These issues are important for families who are stressed with providing for their children and even their older parents. One complaint people have is that many types of jobs once prevalent in America now are done overseas. This is true and it makes the corporations that move those jobs overseas easy targets for demagogues who do not understand economics or the purpose of a business enterprise, which is to make a profit (creating jobs is byproduct of profit, not the other way around). The big target lends to the easy caricature of certain companies as villains, and demagogues always look for villains to prey upon the fears of people who are uncertain about their futures.
So, how to slay the villain? In a political/economic sense, it’s to hit them with higher taxes — that’ll teach’em. Besides, “paying taxes” is the new “patriotism,” according to Joe Biden, and you better learn that now (See YouTube video here). Nothing could be more misguided and nothing could be a more serious threat to the economic well being of the country and American families looking to improve their lives. Understanding why it’s misguided is something we all understand at heart, though it gets lost in the anxiety of troubled times and easy to strike out at undeserved blame and believe in false solutions.
Everyone knows (or should remember) that corporations don’t pay taxes — they simply pass the costs they incur through taxes to the price of their goods and services — which we pay at the pump, the store, the restaurant (see this short list of prices affected by taxes). It’s that simple. So companies look at taxes as an expense, just as they look at energy, machinery, maintenance, supplies, etc., as expenses. If it can lower expenses by moving a factory near a supplier, companies do it. We see it all the time. So doesn’t it make sense that if their tax expenses are greater here, than say in Ireland which has a low, flat tax, they will move where they can cut costs? Raise the corporate tax all you want to get even with those evil businesses and not only will you lose more jobs, you create more inflation by jacking up the prices they inevitably will charge. So we get hit from both sides.
This is basic economics and it is a direct reflection on the travesty of public education that more people do not understand these simple, basic concepts, which leaves them open to persuasion by the play to emotional demagougery by liberal politicians. In 1972, George McGovern ran on a similar platform to Barack Obama’s: Raise taxes on the rich and corporations and give everyone else a paltry redistributionist check of a few hundred dollars. He lost 49 states to Richard Nixon. Just losing to Richard Nixon was an accomplishment. To get comprehensively dismantled by Nixon shows how out of touch McGovern was (and there was an unpopular war, then, too, that people wanted over). That Obama’s almost cloned economic plan has not made him a laughing stock is remarkable. Has America’s economic IQ disintegrated that fast? (See short, but instructive blog post from the Cato Institute, here.)
Obama showed his utter lack of economic IQ in the second debate when he responded to John McCain’s (see here) charge that his plan to tax people who make more than $250,000 would kill small businesses by saying, “there are only a few small businesses” that make that much. Really? Many small businesses are incorporated so that the owner’s income is the business’ gross income. That’s why expensing deductions and low taxes are essential for this sector of the economy which produces 70 percent of American jobs. Obama’s retort was one of a man who’s never worked in the for-profit world. If a small business isn’t grossing $250,000, it’s not in business at all — at least, not in the hiring/job creation part of business (i.e., it’s a self-employed, individual contractor or consultant).
In fact, according to Americans for Tax Reform, three out of every four businesses in the top 5 percent tax bracket is asmall business. There are 26 million small businesses that employ 116 million Americans and hundreds of thousands of those businesses — sole proprietorships, partnerships, S-corporations and family farms — who pay taxes at the individual or joint-filing rates would get hammered under his “tax the richest 5 percent” plan. Forget their employees. The families of the family-owned businesses, who are paying for college, a car payment, a mortgage, etc., would face real devastation. (National Review adds more light to the conversation, here.)
We’ve all heard the expression we get the government we deserve. When it comes to the economy — and therefore opportunity and financial security for families — it comes down to this: When the Chinese communists undertand tax policy better than Americans, we deserve the economy we get.
Welcome to part one of our exclusive interview with United States Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS).In this first part, we get the senator’s thoughts on how to win “red” states, the financial crisis, the Supreme Court and his thoughts on Republican presidential candidate John McCain. We hope you enjoy reading through this and leave us your comments. Part two will appear tomorrow.
familyfoundationblog.com: Senator Brownback, thank you for taking our questions today. It is a real honor to have you appear on www.familyfoundationblog.com, as it were. We’re not quite a year old, but already are one of the most read Virginia public policy and politics blogs, and we know thousands of voters are looking forward to reading this interview. You are the first federal office holder to do an interview with us and the first non-Virginia politician. Congratulations . . . a couple of career firsts you probably never expected. ; – )
Hope that doesn’t add any pressure . . . are you ready for some questions?
Senator Brownback: I am ready for some questions, and I thank you for talking with me today.
familyfoundationblog.com: What is at stake for pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional values voters in this election?
Senator Brownback: Much is at stake for values voters in this election. For example, let’s consider the courts. People need to look at each candidate and assess the type of judges he will appoint to the Supreme Court. John McCain will nominate conservative judges who will not legislate from the bench. I think values voters understand how important it is that the next president might nominate as many as 3-4 new justices to the Supreme Court. Who sits in the Oval Office may determine whether Roe v. Wade is finally overturned.
familyfoundationblog.com: Are the stakes higher than normal given other significant issues, including the economy and the Wall Street financial crisis? Can you give us an outline as to how you think the final legislation will look when eventually passed? (Note:This was asked before the final votes in the House and Senate.)
Senator Brownback: Negotiations over legislation to help ease the credit crunch are still on-going so I won’t speculate on what the final package may look like. I will say that the stakes are always high when electing a new president. Each voter must be informed about the issues and truly understand the power of his or her vote. Our nation is facing financial hard times, and John McCain has proven over the years that he has the leadership experience to lead America through such difficult times.
familyfoundationblog.com: Why do you think states such as Virginia, which normally are safe “red” states, are up for grabs this campaign?
Senator Brownback: I think we do ourselves a disservice when we think that any states are ‘safe.’ Each election cycle, both parties need to actively demonstrate to the voters what they stand for and how they will help the county. I hope Virginians take a good look at the two candidates and recognize that John McCain really would best represent them, both in social policy and fiscal policy.
familyfoundationblog.com: You are recognized as a prominent national leader in the pro-life movement. When you ended your own presidential campaign earlier this year, you soon endorsed John McCain. What is it about Senator McCain that makes you think he is the best man to be our 44th president?
Senator Brownback: John McCain has proven time and again that he is a great leader who always puts country first. He is a brave war hero, who even as a young man demonstrated a very strong sense of patriotism. And during his tenure in the United States Senate, John McCain has shown that he is a man willing to reach across the aisle and work with is colleagues on the other side. I’ve seen first hand John McCain’s willingness to lead and stand up for what he thinks is right. All of these are very important qualities for the next president.
familyfoundationblog.com: You are national co-chairman of Catholics For McCain. At one time, Senator McCain and some pro-life Christian leaders in Virginia didn’t see eye-to-eye. Are pro-life Christians comfortable with Senator McCain now? Why should Catholics and other pro-traditional values voters vote for Senator McCain?
Senator Brownback: Pro-life voters should vote for John McCain because John McCain is pro-life. Unlike some who talk about promoting a culture of life, Senator McCain has the record to prove it. He has voted to confirm strong conservative judicial nominees like Justices Roberts and Alito.
In just a few hours, live at 7:00 from Roanoke’s new Taubman Museum, former governors Jim Gilmore, the Republican nominee, and Mark Warner, the Democrat nominee, will have their only live televised statewide debate in their campaign for Virginia’s open U.S. Senate seat. (George Allen and Jim Webb even debated on NBC’s Meet The Press.) It will be worth watching. Record it if you must. In some areas it will be replayed later and C-SPAN is televising it and may repeat it as well. Others are Web streaming it.
Since Jim Gilmore has repeatedly asked for several live debates, as is the Virginia tradition, and since Mark Warner bailed out of one and only agreed to this one late in the game, we’d like to hear any one of these questions to Mr. Warner:
1. Mr. Warner, you claimed at the time, and still do, that your record setting tax increase was necessary because you had cut state government spending as far you could and needed the state revenue to keep the budget in balance. If so, why does the State Department of Planning and Budget Web site (click here) show that state spending under your administration went from $12.1 billion in Fiscal Year ‘03 general fund spending to $12.4 billion in FY ‘04 and then to $13.8 billion in FY ‘05. What exactly did you cut before you burdened Virginia’s families with higher taxes?
2. If you tax increases left Virginia in such great fiscal shape, why has Governor Tim Kaine felt it necessary to try to raise taxes still more every year since?
3. Mr. Warner, when you were governor, you vetoed a bill to allow off shore drilling in Virginia. Now you say you are for it. Why should we believe you are for meaningful off shore drilling that will create thousands of jobs and bring in millions in revenue for Virginia?
4. Mr. Warner, you say you are a “moderate” who is willing to reach out and be bi-partisan. Yet you have not shown one area of disagreement with Barack Obama, who was listed as the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate by the non-partisan National Journal (more liberal, even, than the avowed socialist Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Please list some major policies where you disagree with Barack Obama and agree with John McCain.
5. To both: What year was Franklin Roosevelt elected president and when did he first go on television?
We’re not expecting any of the questions to be asked, but the candidates are welcome to come here and respond.
Stations Showing The Debate Live Tonight
Charlottesville: WVIR 29 NBC
Johnson City, Tenn.: WJHL 11 CBS
Harrisonburg: WHSV 3 ABC
Norfolk: WVBT 43 Fox
Norfolk: WHRO 15 PBS
Richmond: WWBT 12 NBC
Richmond: WTVR Digital 6.2 CBS (Comcast Channel 206)
Roanoke: WBRA PBS
Roanoke: WSLS 10 NBC
National: C-SPAN
Streaming live online at News8.net
Streaming live online at NBC4.com