MiddleburyRepublican.com

Let Them Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:54:00 +0000

When Henry Paulson began pushing for his $700 billion bailout of the banking industry last month, the first question that came to my mind was, "Where will it stop?" A month later, we still don't know. And with the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Triumvirate pushing now for a $50 billion bailout of the U.S. Auto Industry and the city of Detroit demanding an additional $10 billion of taxpayer money to bail itself out, the total bill taxpayers are getting stuck with from this financial crisis is approaching $5 trillion - and we're not even close to done yet. Having bailed out one industry, others are now demanding similar treatment, and our newly elected leaders are not the sort to say no to "people in need."

Well, I would like to offer some advice to our new president on the subject of these failing institutions: let them fail.

As Americans, we place great value on our homegrown businesses. Over the summer we saw outrage as Budweiser, the last of the great American beer giants, was purchased by a Belgian brewing company. Many felt that losing one of our iconic businesses to a foreign firm was akin to losing a part of our cultural identity. Never mind the fact that Budweiser's generic brew pales in comparison to the rich Belgian beers that have become increasingly accepted over the world over the last several years. Forget that Budweiser as a corporation had put itself in a position where it was vulnerable to such a buyout. Classic nationalist populism demanded that we not let Budweiser go. I understand that there is a sense of territoriality involved in American businesses, but the nature of capitalism is that inefficient businesses are swept away, destroyed, devoured by their competitors. When we impede that mechanism, the system ceases to function.

On the subject of Ford and GM, there should be no doubt: these homegrown American corporations are failing miserably in the 21st Century marketplace. But the reason are obvious - held tightly within the grip of unionized interest, these businesses have quite simply stopped making cars that American consumers want to buy. No one has put a gun against the head of the buyers and demanded that they purchase Japanese or German automobiles. But for whatever reason - quality, price, image - people want to buy foreign cars. It is not the responsibility of the consumer to support American car companies; rather, it is the responsibility of the companies to support themselves by winning the consumers over. Ford, GM, and others quite simply aren't doing this. They have trapped themselves in a failed business model, and without a radical overhaul, they will continue to collapse.

But now the Democrats in Washington want to keep them alive at the taxpayers' expense. The current deal being bandied about - $50 billion in exchange for a government stake in ownership - reeks of socialism. In addition, it is difficult to see how adding another layer of bureaucracy would make these bloated corporations more efficient. Aside from providing an influx of additional funds, what benefit would a government bailout possibly have to these companies? Stuck in their failed business model, these businesses would take the $50 billion of taxpayer money, burn through it, and demand more, which a government with a stake in them would be all too willing to provide. In essence, the bailout would be the equivalent of throwing $50 billion + into a black hole.

And yet it seems that this is the road down which we have chosen to walk. Driven by irrational populist fears and an ignorance of the way economies function, Democrats seem committed to bailing out the auto industry. Instead of letting capitalism destroy these companies and free up space and capital to allow something else to rise and take their place, we have decided to prop up a corpse and demand that taxpayers take care of it.

Let capitalism take her course. Let these businesses fail.

And For What?

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:32:00 +0000

To alleviate some misplaced guilt? To punish ourselves? To appease a fringe segment of the population that doesn't understand what makes this nation what it is? We have set ourselves up for the greatest expansion of government since the Johnson administration, perhaps since the Roosevelt administration. And we will have to pay for every penny of it. The next few years are going to be painful. And when this country wakes up and realizes what it has done... well, don't say I didn't warn you.

In the meantime, we conservatives have a difficult struggle ahead of us, but what we believe in is worth fighting for. For ourselves, our country, and our future, we can never stop our fight to prevent the continuing encroachment of government on our private lives. There is no time to mourn what has gone. Instead, we must now at this moment begin to rediscover what we stand for and why we fight. And if we do, then we can come back from this. We've done it before. We can do it again.

There is always another battle to be fought. There is always a new day to be won.

Well...

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:43:00 +0000

... here we are. Let's see what happens...

A Tolerant Campus? Hardly.

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Even after three years in the wild blue yonder that is Vermont, I am constantly amazed just how blatantly disrespectful seemingly intelligent people can be if given the opportunity. On what is supposed to be a tolerant campus where people of all beliefs can coexist in harmony, conservatives remain a persecuted minority. Tremendous social pressure continually force conservatives of all stripes to conceal our views for fear of alienating an already-hostile community, reducing the so-called open diversity Middlebury prides itself on to the spread between Barack Obama liberals and Hillary Clinton liberals.

The pressure on conservatives to remain silent is ever-present and all-encompassing. Just as students begin casual conversations with, "You've got to admit Sarah Palin is an idiot," so too do distinguished professors lecture students on the terrifying dangers of Christianity in America. Discussions and debates are nonexistent; most conservatives are too uncomfortable to talk about politics, and those who try to are inevitably shouted down at every opportunity by an irrationally hostile crowd of four or more - an amateur thought-police determined to crush dissent, lest someone challenge their notion that pacifism, higher taxes, and moral relativism are the ideal tools for building a better world.

These are the people to whose targets are never policies and always people. They don't dislike Sarah Palin because of her conservatism. They dislike her because they've decided that she is "an idiot" because she disagrees with them. They welcome radial Muslims with open arms and insist that they are misunderstand, but are terrified of American Christians because "they're so strange." They refuse to argue points on merit, instead demanding that you acknowledge that their prejudices are correct before they'll even have a discussion. And if you don't, they shout until you just don't care anymore.

As a result, bright young students go unheard and are expected to keep their mouths shut. Middlebury is deprived of an intellectual perspective that could give legitimacy to the campus's pledge of tolerance. And we're left with a school where everyone who speaks out on any issue looks different but says the same thing. Is this diversity? Of course not. It's a disgrace.

Clinton LOVES McCain

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:59:00 +0000

I'll post again soon. I promise.

Back at School

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Apologies for the shortage of posting over the last couple of days, but today is my first day of classes and I'm still in the process of getting organized. I'll start posting regularly again in the very near future.

But I would like to take this time to applaud Keith Olbermann for completely self-destructing at MSNBC. Keith, I always had confidence you could do it.

And So It Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:09:00 +0000

The Convention has ended, and it was a success by any measure. And while John McCain's speech tonight may not have carried with it the historic quality that Sarah Palin's address did last night, I think that he rest assured that his mission was accomplished.

John McCain is not an orator. He doesn't possess the natural skills that made men like Reagan and Clinton great communicators. Fortunately, John McCain knows that, and he didn't reach for the stars with his rhetoric. McCain instead did what he does best - he spoke directly to the American people.

His speech was strange. In the hands of a Reagan, it would have soared. But it was characteristically McCain, and it had a few qualities in particular that struck me.

First, it was oddly specific. McCain took great pains to lay out his tax plan, his energy plan, his education plan, and his overall view of the American economy. National security was touched on, but it wasn't the focus of the speech. This was a kitchen table speech, all meat and potatoes.

Second, it was strikingly personal. McCain laid his soul bare for America to see. I have read his book and was familiar with some of what he was saying, but I never expected to hear the words "And they broke me" spoken. It was a shocking disclosure - one that has been widely known for some time, but shocking for its candor. And yet he tied his lowest point into a greater narrative about the transformative effect that his experiences had on his character.

Third, McCain did something specific that Obama has failed to do in this campaign - he called a nation to service. The theme "Country First" has suddenly become clear. McCain showed the world that he is a man who lives that belief, and more than that, he called on us all to join him in putting our country first. The theme of the speech, and indeed of McCain's candidacy, was revealed in what I believe was as close to a "Thousand Points of Light" moment as we got:

I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.

That's powerful. That is a glimpse into the soul of a man who truly has given his life to a cause greater than himself.

Finally, the end of the speech. It was impossible to hear because of the roar of the crowd, and I think McCain did the right thing by going ahead and plowing through the cheers. Inaudible though they were, his words became a rallying cry for all Americans.

Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what's right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Tonight, for the first time, John McCain articulated clearly his vision for this country, and he gave a powerful testimony to America's inherent greatness. He is not an orator, and his words didn't flow perfectly, but his emotion was genuine and his intentions clear. McCain intends to lead, and he knows exactly where he wants to lead us.

This is not a speech that will be inscribed on monuments or taught in classrooms. But its content was genuine, moving, and utterly American. We couldn't have asked for more.

And now the campaign begins in earnest, and I can say honestly that for the first time during the cycle, the Republican Party is confident from top to bottom.

And to quote that great philosopher Chuck Berry: "Go, Johnny, Go!"

The Next Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Win or lose (and I'm more confident that it'll be the former than the latter these days), I think that it's obvious that John McCain is going to be the last major presidential candidate of his generation. Republicans and Democrats alike are at a turning point, awaiting the next generation of American leaders to step up and take the reigns of this nation. But as I pointed out in a post this past June, the Democrats' bench is looking a little thin these days.

Democrats seem to only now be considering the very real possibility that Barack Obama is going to lose this election. If that happens, who do they turn to? The obvious choice is Hillary Clinton, but in the Sarah Palin world of politics, Hillary's tired old feminist schtick has lost much of its potency, and despite her deep connections within the Democratic Party, I wonder if some of the guys are the top of the food chain aren't a little wary of giving back to the Clinton's what they worked so hard to take away from them. The alternative, one supposes, is Mark Warner, a business leader and successful governor, but also a moderate and a tax-cutter. In order to make the Warner pick palatable, the Democrats would have to finally silence their Leftist fringe and say goodbye to the Kossacks, and I don't know if they have the fortitude to do that.

But whether they do or not, there are not many people beyond Warner ready to step up. Maybe Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota? Possibly Evan Bayh of Indiana, who the radical left has already turned on? Perhaps Tim Kaine of Virginia, if he could ever prove that he can do something that wasn't riding Mark Warner's coattails? Maybe Jim Webb, if he can survive his reelection campaign against some more competant than George Allen? As Sarah Palin (and Barack Obama before her) has proven, a political superstar can be born almost overnight, but conversely such superstars are born once in a generation. But forget superstars - there are very few Democrats ready to step up if Barack Obama loses.

Republicans, by contrast, have a deep bench. Much as how the early 1980s and then the early 1990s brought a wave of young conservatives to the public's attention, there is now a sizeable number of young Republicans ready to step up and take their place in the spotlight. By virtue of her selection as McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin has become the most prominent among them. By virtue of his leadership during the recent crisis in the gulf states, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is clearly next in line behind her. Tim Pawlenty, who was reportedly McCain's number two choice for the vice presidency, rounds out the trio of bright young governors - all of them are under fifty - who will lead the party on an executive level for the next several years.

But on a legislative level Republicans also have an advantage. In the House, the "Young Guns" of the GOP, including Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy, have been working hard in the spirit of Newt Gingrich a generation earlier to bring committed young conservatives to Washington and restore fiscal discipline to our country. Adam Putnam, Mike Pence, and Michelle Bachmann have been supporting them strongly and taking leadership positions to bring energy independence to this country. And again, all six of these leaders - at least one of which will be Minority Leader and quite possibl Speaker one day soon - are under fifty.

And in the Senate we have a group of older-but-not-old statesmen ready to take over for Mitch McConnell, John Warner, and company. Their ranks include Tom Coburn, who since joining the Senate in 2005 has earned a reputation as one of the great fiscal conservatives of modern times; John Thune, who knocked off Tom Daschle in 2004 and is held in high regard for his stances on social issues; Jim DeMint, who is a staunch proponent of free speech and low taxes; and Richard Burr, one of the chief architects of the 2008 Republican Platform. All four are first-term Senators who have become increasingly prominent as the McConnell-Warner generation has begun to ride into the sunset.

Democrats like to claim that they are the party of the future, but they have bet everything they have on one man who is notable for his consistent inability to close the deal with voters. If Obama lose this fall, his party will have to deal with the consequences for years to come.

Morning Thoughts of Day Four

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:01:00 +0000

Last night was a late one - I got back to the room at about 4 after attending a party held by former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman. The party was, needless to say, full of people far more important than myself. Afterward I went back to the hotel bar with Eric, Todd, and Cyrus and had my first Wasp Sting - that's Guinness and orange juice layered like a black & tan. Fantastic.

Morning thoughts...

Everyone is raving about Sarah Palin's speech from last night. The only criticism's I've heard: her hair isn't distinctly modern. Oh, and Harry Reid called her shrill. Hmm...

Oh, as if we needed anymore confirmation on Palin's awesomeness: her teleprompter was malfunctioning throughout her speech. That would have been enough to earn several minutes worth of "Uhs" and "Ums" from Obama, but Palin handled it like a pro.

With Palin having done her part for the week, the spotlight now turns to John McCain. McCain isn't great off a teleprompter, which is why I hope he will, as rumored, walk away from the podium at certain points during the speech. McCain doesn't need to match Obama or Palin in rhetoric, but what he does need to do is deliver a Thousand Points of Light-style address. For McCain, a little eloquence will go a long way.

Does anyone find it odd that while McCain took great pains to keep the Palin pick under wraps so as not to step on Obama's toes, and even went so far as to air an ad congratulating Obama on his big night, the Illinois Senator has chosen to spend the night of McCain's acceptence speech doing a highly-publicized interview with Bill O'Reilly?

Quote of the Morning:

"Possibly the most depressed liberal in the country today (other than Obama) is Hillary Clinton. She has been dogged, patient. She has spent years preparing to win the presidency. She's weathered public humiliation. She was planning to be the frontrunner for 2012. But last night she saw the future and she's not in it."

- Peter Kirsanow, National Review

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Palin pick is this: everyone has thought from the beginning that this election was about Barack Obama. If Americans were comfortable with him, they'd elect him. If not, well, there was John McCain. McCain was the fall-back. But with Palin on the ticket, the election isn't about Obama anymore. It's about bringing real reform to Washington and which ticket is more qualified to do that. It's easy to see why Republicans are so excited this morning.

The Speech - Sarah Palin is the Real Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:59:00 +0000

We've heard since the beginning of this campaign about how the Democrats have been making history. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I was privileged to be a part of a different kind of history. I am proud to be able to say that I was there when Sarah Palin changed the world of American politics.

But first...

It really struck me how the speakers throughout the night established a narrative that built to Palin's address. First we heard from small businessmen, city council members, state senators, and concerned citizens. Afterward we were privileged to hear from two successful female business leaders - Meg Whitman of eBay fame, and Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard. The storyline was established: Republicans are the party of average Americans and strong women.

Then the superstars hit. Michael Steele, the former Lieutenant Governor from Maryland and the most prominent African-American in our party gave a speech in which he coined a new catchphrase for proponents of energy independence - "Drill, Baby, Drill." Mitt Romney brought the crowd to its feet with talk about... business? I actually clapped for Mike Huckabee, who was magnificent. And Rudy... well, he was the Rudy of old tonight.

But none was the star of the evening.

Whether John McCain wins or loses this election, the speech that Sarah Palin gave tonight will be long remembed. In a way that no woman - and yes, I am including Hillary Clinton - no woman has ever done, Sarah Palin has fundamentally changed American politics with her address tonight. As she took the stage, the room was euphoric, but the joy was tempred with caution. After all, our only exposure to Palin had been her well-delivered but not outstanding speech last Friday. Could she stand on stage with the big boys?

The question has been answered.

The answer is a resounding yes.

We all held our breath for a minute, but when she leaned into the mic, cracked the first joke, and smiled the beauty queen smile, we all fell in love with her. She grabbed the bull by the horns and never let go. The crowd loved her. The pundits are raving. The critics are silent.

Tomorrow it'll start again in earnest, because the liberals of this country now have no reason to doubt that Sarah Palin is an immediate threat to their left-wing vision of the future. The attacks will get slimier. The reporting will get shoddier. They will do all they can to destroy Sarah Palin and everything she stands for.

And the Governor will smile and America will applaud.

I overheard someone at the Convention say something as he pinned a McCain-Palin button to his shirt. He told his friend, "I'm voting for Palin. I guess I'll take McCain, but I'm voting for Palin."

I think it's safe to say that he's not alone.

Midday Update

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:40:00 +0000

All right, we're still about 3+ hours away from showtime here, but the day so far has been a blast. I attended a brunch earlier sponsored by RedState which featured an appearance by California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, one of the three GOP Young Guns founders (along with Virginia's Eric Cantor and Wisconsin's Paul Ryan). McCarthy spoke briefly about the need for Republicans to resist the urge to play defense and instead undertake an offensive strategy to unseat Democratic Congressmen in vulnerable districts.

After McCarthy spoke, I attended a lunch sponsored by Ed Morrissey - he of Hot Air fame. The lunch was held at a restaurant owned by a Kurdish refugee who had fled Saddam's Iraq in 1991. Last year he returned finally to his home country to visit relatives now living in peace, free from Hussein's tyranny. In addition to meeting Ed, I also had a chance to chat with David All of Tech Republican and Mary Katherine Ham, formerly of Townhall.com and currently writing for the Washington Examiner. The lunch was informal, with little in the way of policy and a lot in the way of annecdotes.

I'll upload photos later, but I'm getting ready to run off to a press conference being held by House Republicans. I'll report back later.

Morning Thoughts on Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Good morning, all! Here are some thoughts that I've had since we last tangoed.

I can't emphasize enough how magnificently I thought Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman performed last night. I have great difficulty believing that an undecided voter could hear their testimonies to John McCain's character and resolve and not think to themselves, "How did I ever consider voting for Barack Obama?" Fred, for those of you who may not know, replaced Governor Schwarzenegger, who is occupied with a vicious budget battle in California. Honestly, Fred did better than Schwarzenegger possibly could have in defining John McCain.

It's a shame that all of this was overshadowed by more media smears of Governor Palin. According to some reports, certain media outlets didn't even cover the Thompson and Lieberman speeches, and instead talked smack about Sarah Palin. Liberals are now quietly spreading rumors that McCain is going to kick Palin off the ticket - which absolutely NO ONE outside of the media is considering. I'll be in attendance tonight when Palin addresses the Convention, and I sincerely hope that she both knocks it out of the park and gets covered by the media for it. I expect the former; I won't hold my breath for the latter.

But if she does her job tonight, Sarah Palin may well win this election for John McCain.

Links for the morning are in the Twitter feed. I'll update again later. Until then, adios!

Update: Reports are now swirling that liberal blogs have gotten hold of Sarah Palin's Social Security number. Why? For no good reason. This constitutes a gross invasion of privacy.

Day Two Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:12:00 +0000

After the challenges that delayed the start of the Convention yesterday, I was interested in seeing what the mood would be today. I wondered what the reaction of the crowd would be to the ridiculous stream of smears that the Left and the media have been slinging toward Sarah Palin. I was curious which Fred Thompson we'd see - the energized Federalist who teased us during the summer or the drab one that showed up during the fall. And I wondered whether or not Joe Lieberman could actually hold a Republican crowd.

To answer the first question, the crowd was ready.

To answer the second, everyone in the building was 100% behind Sarah Palin. Granted, the Republican National Convention isn't exactly the most unbiased crowd, but I have yet to see or hear anyone speak out against Governor Palin and her family outside of the media.

Third, Fred brought his A-Game. If you didn't see him, here's the full speech.

He had the entire crowd in the palm of his hand as he told the tale of John McCain's life and character. Fred made a magnificent case for a McCain presidency, and took the opportunity to defend Sarah Palin, attack Barack Obama, and take shots at the country's media - all worthy causes, I must say.

And to the fourth, I never thought that Joe Lieberman could enthrall a Republican crowd quite like he did. Joe isn't the speaker that Fred is, but he came out and made an impassioned plea to his fellow Democrats and independents to cross the aisle for the good of the country. I would hope that a lot of undecided voters were watching tonight, because between Fred and Joe, I can't imagine a better case being made to vote McCain.

Highlights of the day for me: pre-dinner drinks with Amanda Carpenter of Townhall.com (pictured above); the hugely positive reception Karl Rove received when he appeared in the Fox News booth; the unexpected arrival of President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, which received a standing ovation; video presentations tying great Republican presidents, including Roosevelt, Reagan, and Bush I, to John McCain through the overarching theme of "Country First"; a testimony by a friend of John McCain who adopted a girl that Cindy McCain found in the custody of Mother Teresa; and most movingly, a tribute to Medal of Honor winner Michael Monsoor, who threw himself on a grenade in Iraq to save the life of two fellow soldiers, that had the entire arena in tears.

Tomorrow's schedule is still fluid, but everyone is anticipating Governor Palin's address. Given the nature of the media coverage on Palin since the announcement last Friday that she is McCain's running mate, everyone is hoping to see her walk through the curtain with confidence and tell the American people who she is.

(On a personal note, and I covered this yesterday and then again this morning, I continue to be absolutely disgusted with the sheer malice of the mainstream media and the attacks that they are employing to not only discredit but destroy Sarah Palin and her family. These people are insulted that neither Governor Palin nor her daughter would abort a child, and have decided that it is their civic responsibility as Obama supporters to destroy Sarah Palin and all that she represents - that is, they have decided to try to destroy the image of a woman who can have both career and family. Liberals have finally and definitively forfeited the moral high ground with their shameless assaults on Palin and her family, and I hope that it comes back and bites them hard this November.)

I'll be in attendance tomorrow to hear Palin's speech, and I'll report back with scattered thoughts tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy these pics!

Class!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Says Fatimah Ali of the Philadelphia Daily News: "If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war."

But only conservatives play the Politics of Fear™.

Day Two Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Points to ponder over morning coffee...

Why does Team Obama continue to refer to Sarah Palin as a "small town mayor" and ignore her term as governor? It's the equivalent of calling Obama an Illinois state senator instead of a U.S. Senator.

Has anyone - ANYONE - outside of the media blowhards unleashed on Sarah Palin over her daughter's pregnancy?

What does it say about some people that they believe that someone's child getting pregnant disqualifies the grandparent-to-be from a high office?

Furthermore, what does it say about some people that they take glee in brutally slandering a seventeen year-old facing a serious situation with tact and grace?

Does Barack Obama really think running for president qualifies him to be president more than running a state qualifies Sarah Palin to be vice president?

If people's intimately personal issues are now fair game for the media, why haven't we seen more stories about Obama's radical ties, such as those documented at BarackBook.com?

I'm no Pat Buchanan fan, but is calling him a Nazi sympathizer in a press release for the purpose to sullying Sarah Palin, who once as mayor welcomed Buchanan when he made a stop in her home town, really wise strategy for the Obama campaign?

Point of note: the response to Hurricane Gustav has been light-years ahead of what was done during Katrina. How much of that is coincidence and how much of that is Bobby Jindal?

And could any right-winger get away with anything coming close to the blatant sexism that the entire leftist media has shown toward Sarah Palin?

Links of the morning can be found in the Twitter sidebar or by clicking the new "Twitter" link in the menu.

Today's confirmed speakers include Senator Joe Lieberman and former Senator Fred Thompson. A more complete schedule will be released later today.

More updates as the day goes on. Adios!

Thoughts on Day One

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:50:00 +0000

Well, there wasn't much of a day one, to tell you the truth. With the arrival of Hurricane Gustav and the Bristol Palin hullabaloo, the limited activities of the convention got drowned out. I did get to take a trip around the Xcel Energy Center, and thought that the crew has just done a bang-up job with the set-up. It's a fundamentally different look that we've come to expect from national conventions - very simple and clean, and a far cry from the cluttered, over-theatrical style that the Democrats employed in Denver. I did give in and buy my first bits of merch - a McCain-Palin hat, a McCain-Palin shirt, and a McCain-Palin button.

Obviously every candidate leaves his or her mark on the convention, but John McCain's fingerprints are particularly noticeable. There is a simplicity and a directness to everything here - in many ways, the convention's design is the embodiment of McCain's crusade against waste and extravagance in government.

Highlights: meeting Karl Rove. Sharing a cab with Rep. Heather Wilson. Seeing all the press areas at the convention.

Tomorrow's speakers should include Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Michael Steele, and potentially Joe Lieberman. I'll do everything I can to bring you first-hand accounts of them all. Until tomorrow, adios.

Day One Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:59:00 +0000

Click here to see them.

Palin's Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:29:00 +0000

As many of you are no doubt aware, Sarah Palin announced today that her daughter Bristol is pregnant. Palin said that she chose to inform the public to defuse rumors spread by the liberal blogosphere that Bristol had actually given birth to Palin's youngest son Trig. Bristol is going to have her baby and will marry the father.

Unfortunately, despite the intimately personal nature of this topic, there are those who will use this as some sort of evidence that Palin herself is unqualified for the office of the vice presidency. I think that these people are missing the point of what is happening.

You could question Bristol Palin's judgment for putting herself in this situation. But faced with the decision of having the baby or aborting it, she is taking responsibility for her actions and keeping the child to raise with the father.

Sarah Palin and her husband said in their statement that, "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support." The Palin family is united in helping to bring a new life into this world, and they are handling this unexpected development as best as one could expect.

By contrast, Barack Obama once defended abortion by saying, "If [my daughters] make a mistake, I don't want them to be punished with a baby." Faced with Obama's hypothetical, the Palin family is not treating the child as a punishment; they're treating it as a blessing. The contrast is stunning.

This situation has become more and more common in the twenty-first century, and I admire the Palin's for handling the situation with class and dignity. I don't know how voters will react to this news, but I expect days of snarky coverage from the Olbermann crowd.

I think that Sarah Palin is too good for this to hurt her, and in a just world, it wouldn't. I hope I'm right. But if this is the bombshell that the liberals wanted to bring the Governor down, I think she'll be okay.

Update: The proper perspective.

Update: The more I think about it, the more I think that the crux of this issue will be how much people project responsibility for her daughter's pregnancy on Palin herself. Personally, I think that the pregnancy is Bristol's responsibility, and she seems to agree - if she didn't, she wouldn't be keeping the child. I think that it's great that the Palin family has decided to support her through this, and that the decision to embrace their daughter and her new child reflects their character positively. And I think that despite the media blitz, most sensible Americans will agree with me before the week is out.

Update: Much of the response to the issue has been surprisingly muted. I wonder if it's not because of the potentially sexist missteps that have already been made by Palin opponents. Since her unveiling as McCain's VP, Palin has been subjected to questioning by a number of media talking heads about whether or not it is appropriate for a woman with a newborn child to take on the position. The response: would such a question be asked if the candidate were a man? It amazes me that after spending years trying to convince Americans that Hillary Clinton's gender was irrelevent, the Left has suddenly decided that Sarah Palin's double-X chromosome is a serious liability.

I'm looking forward to hearing Palin speak on Wednesday. Along with the VP debate, it's the best opportunity she has to assert herself and put the questions about her to rest.

Update: Final thought on this topic for today - what is the gap between the media class and the American people? I'm a firm believer in the inaccuracy of polls; after all, if polls were reliable, we'd be talking about President Kerry and/or President Gore. There may or may not be some reaction in the numbers, but the extent to which this affects actual voters' view on the subject depends on the gap they desire between their leaders and themselves. One of Sarah Palin's greatest strengths is her reputation as a citizen-governor, someone who is a person first and politician second. The challenges she finds herself facing now could be humanizing, and there could be a backlash against the Obama-supporting elites if they continue to push hard on Palin, partly because of the average American person's reluctance to turn violently on one of his or her own, and partly because there is no way for anyone to justify the sickening attacks being made by liberals not only on Sarah Palin, but on her seventeen year-old daughter. The American people will abide many things, but they will not abide a bully.

The timing of the revelation is unfortunate, as the country is just getting to know Sarah Palin, and despite her ample strengths, all we're hearing about are the private challenges that many people face. By all accounts, the Palins are a tight-knit family, and they are facing this issue together. I think that too often we labor under the misconception that the government and the people are two separate entities, forgetting that the government is nothing more than a collection of people, with the same faults and challenges as everyone else. In an age where we seem to expect our politicians to be perfect, it's a shame that the media and the leftists should try to destroy the first serious outsider in some time and the first serious woman we've ever seen on a major ticket simply because she and her family are human beings.

Republican National Convention, Day #1

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Look who the first guy I saw this morning when I stepped out of the elevator was!

Reporting live! News as it comes, folks.

I've Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:24:00 +0000

All right, folks, I am reporting live from Minneapolis! Today's mainly about organization, but tomorrow the event kicks off in earnest, and I'll be updating the blog regularly from the Xcel Energy Center. Stay tuned!

McCain-Palin '08!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:41:00 +0000

WOW! Talk about a surprise! I went to bed last night convinced that the ticket was McCain-Pawlenty, and while I would have been satisfied with that, this is just so much more electrifying! I'll write again after the speech, but I am enthusiastically behind this ticket! McCain-Palin in '08!

Update: Good words from Kathleen Parker at National Review.

One things that some people have been expressing concern over is how she'll fare in the debate against Biden. I'm honestly not worried about it. I think that Biden will let his mouth run away from him, as it is wont to do, and he'll come off as bullying.

Update: Waiting for the speech. Here's another thought: this is a Silent Majority Pick. College students and radical activists might sneer at Palin, but your average middle-class mom and dad are going to look at this quite differently. And lest we forget, college students and radical activists don't decide elections.

Update: Palin is making her speech now, and she is handling herself magnificently. It's an introduction more than anything else at this point, defining her as a reformer and a normal American. But unlike Obama, she's the real deal.

There's something else striking about her speech, though. My dad and I were talking last night, and he mentioned that in his lifetime there have been only two politicians that when giving speeches sounded like they were just talking to America - Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Palin does not sound like she's giving a speech. She sounds like she's talking. She comes across as incredibly down to earth - a citizen (and a mother) first, and a politician second.

Update: Say, you know who no one is talking about today? Barack Obama. It is a testament to the McCain campaign's brilliant design that the day after Obama gave his historic speech, it's John McCain that controls the news cycle.

Update: The Left's line of attck on Palin is that she's too inexperienced to be one heartbeat away from the presidency.

Sarah Palin has held executive office in Alaska for two years. Barack Obama has been in the United States Senate for four, two of which have been spent running for office.

In her two years as governor, Palin has developed a reputation for challenging corruption and fighting pork. She got rid of Alaska's private jet and killed the fabled "Bridge-to-Nowhere," ousted the corrupt Republican Party chair in that state and currently has a 90% approval rating. In his four years in the Senate, Barack Obama has given some nice speeches. And... that's about it. Not only is being an executive more difficult than being one of a hundred legislators, but Palin has accomplished far more in her two years as governor than Obama has in his entire political career.

Obama wants to say that his number two has foreign policy experience, while Palin does not. But our number one, John McCain, has foreign policy experience, which the Democratic nominee is sorely lacking himself. Does Obama really want to make experience the center of his attack on Palin? Because I think that's a fight that Republicans are ready to have.

Update: Here's something else that I saw on Hugh Hewitt's blog that struck me as interesting. Obama wants to criticize Palin for a lack of experience in foreign relations. But Palin has worked closely with Canada for the whole of her term as governor. Not exactly Iraq, to be sure, but it's certainly more experience in international relations than Obama can claim.

Update: Erick Erickson at RedState agrees.

Final Update: I went to bed last night convinced that McCain had settled on Tim Pawlenty. I was woken up this morning by a telephone call from my dad saying that Pawlenty had denied his being picked. Over the course of the next couple of hours, as it became clear that Sarah Palin had been chosen, I began to feel more energized than I have at any point in this campaign cycle. And when she took the stage in Dayton, I couldn't help but get a little emotional.

Democrats will spend the next few weeks trying to cut her down. Expect to hear some nasty things said about her. Radical feminists will accuse her of not being a real role model for women. Radical pro-choicers will say that she should have aborted her youngest child, who was born with Down Syndrome. (Don't believe me? They've already started.) The media will question her ability to lead and her qualifications for the vice presidency, while applauding a less qualified man who wants to be president and seems to resent his having to pick a vice president at all. Obama himself will, of course, try to have it both ways. He'll try to appear courteous for fear of offending Hillary voters, but he'll also try to marginalize Palin and her accomplishments - forgetting, of course, that his own list of accomplishments couldn't fill a Post-It note. (Doubt that he will? He's already started.)

Expect tirade after tirade from the likes of Olbermann and Matthews. Expect sneering pieces about how a middle class citizen-governor can't handle Washington. Expect stories making her out to be a hick with no place in the high-stakes world of politics.

And expect Sarah Palin to smile politely before tearing these smears apart.

For the first time since we settled on our nominee, Republicans are energized. McCain raised $3 million today after the Palin announcement. Obama's legendary speech from last night has been booted from the headlines. And for the first time, people are starting to realize that we could win this thing.

I can't think of a better way to go into the convention.

The Aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Expect a bump. It was, as always, well delivered, but the substance of the speech was ludicrous. Obama fundamentally does not understand the way this country works.

This is a man who thinks that unions are the manifestation of the American dream. This is a man who thinks that America's greatest trait is that we are supposedly "our brother's keeper." And yet he feels that he is equipped to lecture us on individual responsibilty? Obama's entire political philosophy is based on the subjugation of individual responsibility to state responsibility.

Maybe some undecideds will be swayed. Maybe not. I don't think that this will matter as much as the debates, when America will be forced to watch the two candidates side by side. We'll see how people react then.

Over the next couple of days you can expect gushing from the media, but once again, I can't think of a single line that will be remembered for more than a week.

The Speech Itself

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:49:00 +0000

Snap-shot thoughts via Twitter. Full post afterward.

On The Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:29:00 +0000

I've got a hold of a full copy of the text. Here are a few excerpts.

***

"This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work."

Aren't we all one illness away from disaster, regardless of age, financial security, and any other outside factors?

***

"We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes."

Obama is operating under the false assumption that it is the government's responsibility to monitor and protect citizens financial situations, and never questions the reasons why people slide into poverty, nor does he ask them to take any responsibility in the situation.

***

"It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road."

Obama fundamentally doesn't understand the way businesses work. He just assumes that they are all run by deceivers.

***

"Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime – by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less – because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy."

Obama's own advisers have already said that he can't pull this off without raising taxes on the middle class - something he's pledged not to do.

***

"The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first."

First part is nice, but just recycles what he said four years ago. The second is whiny and defensive, something that a high school student would say if he was trying to get testy with a rival - if this were the 1950s.

***

Does not mention MLK by name, but CLOSES HIS SPEECH WITH HIS WORDS! "We cannot walk alone [...] And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

***

He'll deliver it well, and the media will eat it up. He's more negative than I thought. He plays the class warfare card repeatedly. And there is no memorable line, no one things that sums up the speech. There is no "New Frontier," no "Rendezvous with Destiny," nothing. The content of this speech will be forgotten by Monday.

Thoughts Before the Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Stefan) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:01:00 +0000

Obama's greatest enemy tonight is his own ego. By making the speech on the forty-fifth anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, he is inviting the comparison. There's no way he'll let the evening pass without mentioning that he is the culmination of Dr. King's speech. This might strike some viewers as presumptuous; at any rate, it won't help with the growing perception that Obama's candidacy is less about what his positions and more about him.

Expect soaring rhetoric and vague policy. After scanning some excerpts that the campaign released ahead of time, I noticed that Obama now says he supports cutting capital gains taxes for some businesses. That's a bit of a change from earlier this spring, when Charlie Gibson school him on the subject during the final debate of the Democratic primaries. Don't be shocked if more contradictions like this pop up - after all that's what happens when you try to be all things to all people.

Also expect him to try and maintain a positive tone. Remember, in his mind this is all about him, and I think he's more likely to talk himself up than talk McCain down. That's not because he's got any aspirations to maintain a positive tone in the campaign; it's just because he won't even be thinking of McCain, as he'll be too busy basking in the adoration of his screaming fans.

Lastly, expect a speech that makes people feel good for about two days and then fades from all memory. It'll be Berlin or the Philadelphia Race speech all over again; people will fall all over themselves praising it, but when it's all said and done, there won't be one line that people remember unless they're mocking it.