Amusing, Riveting, Saddening, and Disgusting

The John Edwards affair in detail, from the upcoming book "Game Change" that has everyone talking.

The moral of that story is that neither John or Elizabeth Edwards can be described as "likeable", among other things.

Dem Backstabbing, Back Room Dealing, and Backing Off Promises

HA! This is kinda funny. The Dems were backstabbing each other all over the place when it came to the 2008 election and the run-up to it. For instance, the Obama campaign kept Joe Biden out of the loop intentionally.

"The relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden grew so strained during the 2008 campaign, according to a new book, that the two rarely spoke and aides not only kept Biden off internal conference calls but refused to even tell him they existed."

Hillary supporters in Congress undermined her by channelling support through the endorsements of other Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen.

"Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and a group of other senators who would back Hillary Clinton’s candidacy encouraged Obama to run for the White House as early as 2006. The concern over Clinton was that she would be a weak Democratic standard-bearer while Obama could energize the party. In late summer 2007, Schumer – using an Obama ally, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), as a back channel – pushed the candidate to “take a two-by-four to Hillary,” as the authors put it."

Gets better...apparently Bill Clinton still hasn't managed to keep it in his pants...

"Members of what the authors call Clinton’s “war room within a war room” became convinced in 2006 that Bill Clinton was having a serious extramarital affair, prompting Hillary Clinton to instruct her aides to be prepared to combat the story."

...and Hillary thought Bill would be a distraction to Obama.

"Following the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton was shocked to have been offered the Secretary of State job and decided to reject the offer. She prepared a statement explaining why she would turn the new president down and remain in the Senate. But in an after-midnight call between Clinton and Obama, he persuaded her – only after Clinton expressed concerns about the problems posed by her husband, the former president."

Not to mention, Harry "The Weasel" Reid's revealing choice of words.

"Reid said Obama could fare well nationally as an African-American candidate because he was “light-skinned” and didn’t speak with a “Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.” Saturday, the majority leader said he had used “poor choice of words” and called Obama to apologize; the White House issued a statement indicating that the president had forgiven Reid."

There are others incidents regarding the Democrats, and some with the Republicans (which really were due to the McCain camp not handling Sarah Palin well, and Palin being caught completely off-guard with the whole process due to their mishandling).

One-Vote Wonder...

Out of all of the manually-recounted ballots cast in Minnesota, this is the only one that Al Franken is challenging...? As if there is some kind of debate about the voter's intent?

I'm wondering if he's thinking to himself "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, but doggone it, this guy didn't like me."

No Humility in Victory, No Graciousness in Defeat

Just like we saw a total and complete lack of graciousness from the left in 2004 when John Kerry lost, I'm now starting to see a complete lack of humility in victory amongst Democratic supporters.

There's the continued attacks on McCain and Palin, the hate-filled speech towards Republicans as if we were early in primary season, the "seance" comments by Barack Obama towards Nancy Reagan (which actually better apply to Hillary Clinton, but is still a misnomer of a term).

Tonight, we have another good example...my wife (who has a McCain/Palin bumper sticker) was harrassed for several miles on I-81 by a couple of college-aged kids holding up handwritten signs that said things like "Ha Ha You Lost!!" and "McCain Sucks".

Pathetic. No humility or decorum in victory at all.

Novak: "No Mandate"

Bob Novak lays it out that Obama's victory, while solid, did not provide the lopsided congress and paradigm shift in American politics that some would like to think has happened.

I Will Not Take The Same Road as the Opposition

While I will remain very critical of Obama's policies and decision when I do not agree with them (which I hope will not be as often as I fear it may be) I WILL be something that Democrats/liberals have not been.

I will remain loyal opposition. I will put my country first. I will not suffer a conservative version of the "Bush Derangement Syndrome" that has plagued the left for 8 years. You won this election, I concede that easily, because there is no point in doing otherwise.

If you think that this will dampen my spirits and leave my objective to promote my beliefs daunted...think again. However, I will not desert my nation because I believe they make a mistake in selecting a leader. I will work my tail off to promote a better America.

Now let's get to work on this country, shall we?

Change? Not Right Off the Bat...

Apparently, Obama has now officially offered the position of White House Chief of Staff to Rahm "Republicans can go f*ck themselves" Emmanuel.

Why do I see this as a bad omen for any hopes of bipartisanship?

David Kahane GETS IT...Period

K-Lo from The Corner posts some truth from David Kahane regarding this election and what needs to be done going forward from the death of this prosperous period in American history...

1) We got this the old-fashioned way: we earned it. The other side took the fight to us, and we never took the fight to the other side, except coyly and obliquely. That's not a mistake we should make the next time. "Honorable campaigns" are for losers. Next time, call 'em as they really are, not as you wish to see 'em.

2) Where was Bush? Once again, and right to the bitter end, he let his passion for "loyalty" supersede what was stragetically right for the party, not to mention what was best for the country. I think his reputation has nowhere to go but down; yes, he got one big thing right,
but he got everything else wrong. Enough of this family in our
country's politics!

3) Good riddance to Liddy Dole, the woman who gave us the national drinking age of 21 and a host of sozzled underage college students. She won't be missed.

4) Hillary comes out smelling like a rose, plus unbloodied. She and Bill are already scoping out 2012.

5) Time to clean house. McCain should have been president in 2000, not in 2008. No more "it's my turn" for the last loser. We need to be looking for our candidates in the ranks of returning war vets — think Eisenhower in '52 as the model — and let the Dem's shifty lawyers run the country for a couple of years. Then hit them across the board with people who know how to lead. Gen. Petraeus might be a good place to start. Lots of junior officers, too.

6) You know what? McCain never did sell himself as a leader. He sold himself as a maverick.

7) One upside: McCain/Feingold is now dead, as is public financing. Talk about being hoist with your own petard!

8) That Gang of 14 thing really worked out well, didn't it? Say good-bye to the courts. And we were so close...

9) Joe Lieberman was worse than useless. When he could have made a difference, he didn't cross the aisle to caucus with the Republicans.
Now, it doesn't matter. Thanks, Joe.

10) Age matters. McCain ran an "honorable campaign" because he never really understood in his heart that the other guy had no intention of doing so; he didn't "get" Obama's generation, or Axelrod's.. Obama would lie about public financing, "oppose" gay marriage but also oppose Prop. 8 and never see it as morally contradictory. The world that McCain understood and operated in is vanishing, and tonight is visible evidence.

11) Unlike the Democrats, let's show some class in defeat. That doesn't mean lie down and roll over: it means fighting for what we believe in, doubly so now. But their sneering childishness is not for us; and now that they've won, they won't be able to control it even in victory. This is an unlovely party filled with unlovely people, as America's about to find out once the Obama pixie dust wears off.

12) Understand, once and for all, that the old media is part of the Democratic Party now. Ignore it. Never send Michele Bachmann onto Hardball again. Never send Sarah to play nice with Katie. We need to develop and create our own work-arounds — Fox, talk radio, NRO, etc. — and use them. Don't play by their rules: make our own.

Truth, my friends, is occasionally a hard pill to swallow...but there isn't much to argue with above.

Far From a Mandate, Remember That...

Democrats, don't get too overjoyed. A 2% win with everything going in your favor does not mean a "mandate for change", it means you slipped through the cracks and won in spite of yourselves.

America, brace yourselves. Welcome to the land of mediocracy, forced attempts at one-party rule, and the end of your ability to freely pursue happiness...because your ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness will be redistributed to those who lack the impetus to pursue it themselves.

Congratulations, you have now earned yourselves 4 years to screw things up beyond recognition.

Welcome to a land where the majority of black voters can vote for Obama because of his race, and it's OK...but if you're white and you supported McCain, you were a racist and a bigot. Welcome to a land where the economy will not grow at all. Welcome to the end of blue collar work. Welcome to 4 years of nothing productive. Welcome to the end of the ability to defend yourself. Welcome to the end of the optimistic, bipartisan spirit of the Reagan-Clinton era. Welcome to the statist supermajority.

However, while you Democrats get drunk on power, you will turn a blind eye. You will forget that the American public can only stay fooled for so long. Meanwhile, true conservatives, libertarians, and moderates will be working hard behind the scenes to bring America back to where it should be. Back to her principles. Back to our Constitutional basis. Back to the ideals of individual liberty.

Enjoy your victory tonight, because all you are doing is setting the groundwork for the return of true American, democratic (small d), capitalist, freedom-based ideals.

Mid-Election Night Thoughts...

- Gerry Connolly is VASTLY underperforming so far against Keith Fimian in VA-11. Honestly, with 56% of precincts in, he is only up 52%-45% in what should have been a 10-15 point victory for him.

- VA-02 is fluctuating, but staying in Glenn Nye's favor. Just like 2006, Thelma Drake is close to losing her seat.

- Bob Goodlatte, Eric Cantor, Randy Forbes, Rob Wittman, and Frank Wolf all going as thought...big GOP victories...those are districts 6, 7, 4, 1, and 10.

- 90% of precincts reporting, and Tom Perriello is up on incumbent Virgil Goode by less than 3,000 votes in VA-05. Most of this is because Goode is his own worst enemy at times.

- I think it's WAAAY too early to call Ohio for Obama.

Pre-Return Thoughts...

- If anyone thinks this will be some kind of a "historic blowout" for either candidate, you're HIGHLY delusional. Neither candidate will win by more than 2-3%. The electoral college will be close for McCain if he wins, like a "less than 20 electoral votes victory" kind of close. If Obama gets the nod in the toss-up states, he will have a victory in the electoral college that looks like Clinton's wins in 92 and 96...solid, but nothing spectacular.

- The throwing out of Republican election officials, and the intimidation of GOP voters by Black Panthers and other groups in Philadelphia is despicable...but the left won't say a word about it.

- The exit polls that showed a Kerry blowout in '04 will show an Obama blowout in '08. Ignore them, and watch the ACTUAL RETURNS.

- If the networks call the election for Obama before the polls close in the Mountain Time Zone, then the networks have reached a new low in how far in the tank for Obama they are.

- If Obama wins, consider the positive, prosperous eras of both Ronald Reagan AND Bill Clinton to be over and done with...and an economic and social malaise, brought on by socialist policies, will set in by 2012.

- I think the fact that the leftist bloggers call white people voting for McCain "racist", but 95% of black people voting for Obama (many of which cite his race as the deciding factor) is "OK" with them. I also abhor the fact that my being a hispanic who supports McCain makes me a "race traitor" of some kind, in the eyes of a few bloggers.

We'll see how things go as the returns roll in, most Eastern Time Zone polls close in 24 minutes...

Why NOW???

First, the Sunday before the election, we get Obama stating he will bankrupt the coal industry and raise electricity prices, and today we finally get Sarah Palin cleared of any ethics violations or wrongdoing in the "Troopergate" non-scandal.

Of course, this could not have been released (or made public by the MSM) say, oh, a week ago?

Ok, I get that the clearing of Palin's name was only made official today...but can anyone tell me (beyond their own bias) why the San Francisco Chronicle would keep those Obama tapes from being released?

Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction

If Obama wins, this blog will swing even more libertarian in nature.

I only disagree with certain LP subsects on a few issues, but those subsects are the most vocal subsect of the party. Considering I'm a conservative-leaning libertarian (or a libertarian-leaning conservative, depending on the issue and your own perspective), I'm going to have to take a harder line against a quasi-socialist, ultra-liberal Obama administration...should he win.

Palin to Obama: "Ship Happens"

Palin wearing the "Ship Happens" shirt at Shippensburg University, my almost alma-mater.

Mind you, she had already spoken to a crowd across the street in another, much larger building. This picture was taken in a building where the overflowing crowd was placed. They weren't supposed to get to see Sarah Palin, but Palin donned the "Ship Happens" shirt, walked across the street, and visited these people who came to see her...much to their surprise.

I used to love south-central PA...from Gettysburg to Lancaster, north to Harrisburg and back down through Chambersburg. These are some of my old stomping grounds, and they LOVE Sarah Palin. So do I.

Another Good Laugh

Roanoke Valley Republicans has an interesting twist on Obama's plan to redistribute wealth.

PUMA-GOP Solidarity???

Apparently so, as I can see from this post at Hillbuzz...

Republicans, this is directed at you. Hillary’s Army remains strong, and committed to putting McCain/Palin in the White House. Do not listen to the media. Ignore the trolls. Corral your Eeyores and put them on the endangered species list. Because by our most conservative estimate, you’re going to get 4 million Hillocrats on your side next week, with roughly another 3 million Democrats who voted for Kerry staying home or throwing their votes to McKinney or Nader. That’s 7 million votes Obama has lost from lifelong Democrats — because we love this country more than Republicans have ever given us credit for.

This is the greatest nation on Earth and we Democrats never fail to wake each morning deeply thankful and grateful for the opportunities we have here. We know what socialism is, and know we want no part of this here. Obama’s mission is to weaken this country and put us under the thumb of the UN, like a European socialist state. That’s not what we want.

We will fight tooth and nail to stop him. We’ve sunk everything we have into this — because McCain/Palin are worth it. We believe they will serve this country well, and will work with our champ, the new lion of the Senate, Hillary Clinton, to make us energy independent, to secure good solid jobs for all Americans, and to strengthen and grow our economy in a world stressed and tried in these times.

We do not intend for this alliance to be of only this moment — we’ve worked alongside all of you for months now and see we all have more in common than we ever had apart. We will never agree on everything, but let’s all start with our love of country. Our pride in America. Our willingness to work hard together to give everyone opportunities — not hand outs. Europe calls Obama’s plans socialism. We call it welfare. Obama says this is change. We paraphrase the McCain campaign because, much to our initial surprise, Clinton Democrats find more in common with McCain/Palin than we do the socialists the current Democratic Party revealed itself to be.

So, all of us centrists stand strongly with you. Please work hard in every way you can this last week. Join us in Ohio if you can — or in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Virginia. Let’s make sure socialism is defeated once and for all.

We can do this together. If we work hard, we will win. And after our victory, we will work hard to find other commonalities going forward.

Of this, we promise you, our new friends.

Elephants and pumas together, now and going forward.

WOW

Obama, you may have a problem...

Three Strikes, and My Support of Mark Warner is Out

Mark Warner, the only Democrat I was endorsing for this election, has struck out with me.

I liked Warner. He's a pragmatic problem-solver for the most part, and I believe that successful businesspeople solve economic problems better than most politicians of a different career background. I also liked that he rubbed the DNC the wrong way by making a fairly bipartisan speech at a very blue lovefest in Denver because he wouldn't follow the party line and doctrine in slamming McCain and holding Obama up as a God amongst peasants.

However, he had some flaws with me that rubbed me the wrong way, and now he's hit that third strike that loses his endorsement from me.

Strike One: His lack of support for 2nd Amendment rights has always bothered me.
Strike Two: He supports the fairness doctrine, which would force many radio stations to drop any kind of a "talk" format because they would be forced to give liberal talk shows airtime, even though liberal talk shows garner next-to-nothing in the ratings.

And now...

Strike Three: He supports the "card-check" proposal, which would FORCE unionization amongst workers in all industries. My father was a unionized worker, but that was by choice. Everyone should have the choice to join a union, not be forced to do it. EVEN GEORGE-FREAKIN'-MCGOVERN IS AGAINST THIS, BUT WARNER IS FOR IT!!!

I think not. Mark Warner, you're OUT! These are 3 things I cannot truck with at one time.

Due to this, the Podium is rescinding it's endorsement of Mark Warner, and will now support Former Governor Jim Gilmore for the United States Senate, Virginia Delegation.

A Breakdown of Obama's Lies on Taxes

Done by a small business owner at the ARFCOM forums.

A brief synopsis...

Obama Tax Lie #1 - By letting the Bush tax cuts expire, this is a de facto tax increase for 100% of Americans, because 100% of Americans received a tax cut under George W. Bush.
Obama Tax Lie #2 - Obama plans to lift the inflation-adjusted cap on the Social Security tax in a manner that will impact anyone making up to $249,999.99 a year.
Obama Tax Lie #3 - Obama wants to increase the capital gains tax from 15% to 20%. He claims it is to get those "Wall Street fat cats", which is about 1% of the population...however, 50% of the population invests in the stock market. So for 50% of the population, this is a tax increase.
Obama Tax Lie #4 - Obama wants to increase taxes on big corporations. However, as this gentleman points out, corporations do not "pay taxes"...they simply collect the money from the customers and give it to the government. When Obama raises their taxes, the corporations will simply increase the price of what you're buying from them, which will cost you money.

The poster also has a tax table comparing your current tax liability as opposed to what it will be in 2010 with Obama letting the Bush tax cuts expire.

Compassion Is Not Socialism...

...but the forcible redistribution of someone else's wealth that they have earned, and the punishment of self-made success, IS socialism.

Period, end of story, it's part of the definition of socialism. C'mon lefties, let's call things for what they are.

GOP/McCain Volunteers Attacked by Obama Supporters in Galax

This is the lack of civil discourse and forcible attempts to shut down opposition that comes from the Obama side of this election.

We've seen it over and over again, and I while I once laughed off those who said that this was an omen of things to come in this country, I begin to second guess my confidence that democracy, free speech, and opposition to Obama will not be suppressed...as it's already starting to show.