Redstate

Posted at 11:33pm on Jul. 5, 2008 LA-2008: Rundown on Senate and House Races

By Vladimir

Landrieu-Kennedy Senate battle tops fall political lineup

This article provides a decent rundown of this fall's elections, the first regular election in recent history to feature party primaries. The three-day qualifying period opens Wednesday.

The two [Senatorial] candidates both plan three-day tours of the state this week to launch a contest that features atypical juxtapositions.

Posted in 2008 | Louisiana — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:22pm on Jul. 5, 2008 The amazing coalition

By Josh Painter

Imagine, if you can, liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans joining together for a common purpose. I wouldn't blame you if you're unable to coax your mind into conjuring up such an image. But despite the odds against it, such an unlikely coalition has indeed formed and is growing rapidly.

Just what could have happened to produce an amazing coalition such as the one I'm blogging about? Surely it must be some universal issue. Four-dollar gasoline? Child abuse? The end of the run of Battlestar Gallactica?

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Posted at 6:56pm on Jul. 5, 2008 Obama's Snookered

By dglenn

While stumping in St. Louis today, Obama said that his plan for ending the Iraq war had remain unchanged and that he was "puzzled" by the reaction to his statement that he is, "...going to do a thorough assessment...When I go to Iraq and I have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies...

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Posted at 6:31pm on Jul. 5, 2008 The Bloom Is Off The Rose

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

So reports Jonathan Last in considering the state of the Obama campaign:

In the wake of last week's Supreme Court ruling overturning Washington's handgun ban, for instance, the Obama campaign disavowed a 2007 statement it had made about the constitutionality of gun laws as "inartful."

After claiming in May that he would debate John McCain "anytime, any place," Obama declined to participate in a series of 10 town hall-style meetings, which the McCain campaign proposed.

Early in the month, it became clear that the head of Obama's VP search committee, Jim Johnson, was compromised by his ties to the subprime lender Countrywide. Obama called the story "overblown and irrelevant." Two days later Johnson was cashiered.

Of course that's all just campaign mechanics. But Obama has been reversing himself on policy, too.

In October, the Obama campaign promised that the senator would support a filibuster of any FISA bill that would grant retroactive immunity for telecom companies who helped the government with wiretapping. Last week, Obama announced that he would not filibuster the new FISA bill (which contains wiretapping immunity), and that instead he planned to vote for it.

At a dinner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby, Obama promised that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." Later, an Obama adviser clarified that Obama did not mean that Jerusalem should be literally "not divided."

Here's the campaign's confusing explanation: "So [Obama] used a word to represent what he did not want to see again, and then realized afterwards that that word is a code word in the Middle East." It remains unclear what situation Obama sees as preferable for Israel's capital.

There is a lot more in the article. Of course, Last writes for the Weekly Standard so there will be more than a few people who dismiss his critiques as being ideologically driven. But the flip-flops are being noted in ideologically friendly fora as well--like this one--and they threaten to undermine Obama's status as a new kind of politician selling a new kind of politics. It should be noted, of course, that Obama's attempts to shift to the center do exceedingly little to assuage the concerns of centrists and right-of-center voters who are aware of Obama's voting record and his rhetoric during the primary and caucus season--both of which are at variance with his new and conveniently found "centrism." Meanwhile, efforts to shift to the center are increasingly outraging and infuriating Obama's base, a fact that is especially obvious in the reaction of Obama's base to his decision to support FISA reforms. The Obama campaign is paying lip service at best to centrists, moderates and right-of-center voters and alienating its own base; a neat trick and a wholly unexpected one given that until recently, the campaign was operating on all cylinders and carrying out its duties in competent fashion.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Flip-Flopping — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:24pm on Jul. 5, 2008 The Pending Revenge Of Bitter Clinton Supporters

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

One month after the Democratic Presidential nomination basically got decided and settled, former Clinton supporters continue to be unwilling to migrate in significant numbers back to the Obama camp:

One week after Sen. Hillary Clinton made a public show of unity with Sen. Barack Obama, a new survey suggests supporters of the New York senator are increasingly less likely to follow her lead.

 A growing number of Clinton supporters polled say they may stay home in November instead of casting their ballot for Obama, an indication the party has yet to coalesce around the Illinois senator four weeks after the most prolonged and at times divisive primary race in modern American history came to a close.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Friday, the number of Clinton supporters who plan to defect to Republican Sen. John McCain's camp is down from one month ago, but -- in what could be an ominous sign for Obama as he seeks to unify the party -- the number of them who say they plan to vote for Obama is also down, and a growing number say they may not vote at all.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey completed in early June before the New York senator ended her White House bid, 60 percent of Clinton backers polled said they planned on voting for Obama. In the latest poll, that number has dropped to 54 percent.

In early June, 22 percent of Clinton supporters polled said they would not vote at all if Obama were the party's nominee, now close to a third say they will stay home.

In another sign the wounds of the heated primary race have yet to heal, 43 percent of registered Democrats polled still say they would prefer Clinton to be the party's presidential nominee.

As I have continually written regarding this subject, I expect that eventually, the number of former Clinton supporters backing Obama will go up. But it may not go up all that much and if it does not, the apathy of former Clinton supporters may work to make all the difference in what is increasingly shaping up to be a closer election than many pundits have expected.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:58am on Jul. 5, 2008 Tim Mahoney (D-FL) spends Independence Day in Canada after honoring Soviet vets in taxpayer-funded mailer

By Jeff Emanuel

Democrat Congressman Tim Mahoney (FL-16), fresh off the embarrassment of getting caught being so out of touch with America's military that he sent out a taxpayer-funded mailpiece "in honor of those who defend our freedom" featuring a photo of a Soviet veteran, decided to get out of the spotlight for a few days during the Independence Day recess.

Unfortunately for Mahoney, while a Congressman may be able to leave the country for a few days, the spotlight is rarely far behind -- especially when the time you choose to leave the country and chill at your second house in Canada coincides with America's Independence Day, and your constituents -- and your opponent -- are dedicating time and energy to celebrating that most special of holidays.

Further, Tim Mahoney's Web site contained no acknowledgment of the 4th of July in any way.

Perhaps Mahoney is far more in line ideologically, and patriotically, with The Progressive magazine's Matthew Rothschild, who wrote:

Why I’m Not Patriotic

By Matthew Rothschild, July 2, 2008
(In memory of George Carlin.)

It’s July 4th again, a day of near-compulsory flag-waving and nation-worshipping. Count me out.

Spare me the puerile parades.

Don’t play that martial music, white boy.

And don’t befoul nature’s sky with your F-16s.

You see, I don’t believe in patriotism.

It’s not that I’m anti-American, but I am anti-patriotic.

Love of country isn’t natural. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s an inculcated kind of love, something that is foisted upon you in the home, in the school, on TV, at church, during the football game.

Yet most people accept it without inspection.

In fairness to Mr. Mahoney, he may not agree with this; however, he was in Canada on July 4 and therefore unavailable for comment. Perhaps Mahoney simply doesn't believe in patriotism -- or his vision of "the New Patriotism" is so far out of touch with mainstream America's, and with the citizens of FL-16, that he thinks escaping the commemoration of what is the most important patriotic holiday of the year is something his constituents will neither mind nor notice.

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Posted at 11:59pm on Jul. 4, 2008 McCains Real Problem

By rcov092

Crossposted at http://www.smear-the-fight.com

So I have confessed that John McCain was not my first or my second choice as Republican nominee for President. But as the parties nominee, I will vote for him. But at this moment, I am not feeling warm and fuzzy for his chances.

His campaign remains in disarray. This is nothing new. It is what put him in the position of being declared dead before the primary season began. It is to his credit that he arose from the ashes to reclaim the nomination. However, we stand at another crossroads. The Democratic nominee is set, he is a formidable fundraiser, an astute campaigner with a strong organization and a willingness to attack the jugular with surrogates while Senator McCain stands there wishing for a gentler, kinder type of campaign.

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Posted at 6:45pm on Jul. 4, 2008 Paul Krugman Gets It Wrong -- (Ok, I Realize This Is Not News)

By David Hinz

In an Op-Ed in today's New York Times entitled, Rove's Third Term, Paul Krugman does what he does best -- he completely gets it wrong on the issue of Gen Wesley Clark, Barack Obama and John McCain.

In true Klugman fashion he manages to see neither the forest, nor the trees, instead embarking on a fantasy cruise to Krugman Never-Never Land, where the Mainstream Media acts in coordination with Republican strategists to further the goals of the Right. If only Mr Krugman's Chimera bore some resemblance to fact.

Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn’t scream. Hillary Clinton didn’t say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn’t impugn John McCain’s military service.

The American people did not, in fact, see these Democrat luminaries spout these words on their television sets. The American people, confronted with the evidence of their own eyes and ears, were merely duped by a Rovian conspiracy.

What's more, Mr Krugman, Sen Kerry never accused the US Military of committing war crime atrocities, Rep Murtha never accused the US Marines of cold blooded murder, and Barack Obama had no idea that his pastor of 20 years had ever uttered a single word in condemnation of the very nation he seeks to lead. And the American people did not see the evidence with their own eyes.

In your world of fantasy, it is Neo-Con idealogues like Karl Rove who lie and steal elections; the George Bush's of this world who deliberately lead this country into "illegal" wars of aggression in search of American Hegemony over the Middle East; and the Dick Cheney's of this world who diabolically pull the puppet strings behind the scenes. It is too bad that "Illuminati Bankers" can't find their way into your delusions, but that would be just too much self-loathing for even you.

In the world of Paul Krugman, as in much of the far lunatic left, their own candidates, and their out-of-touch-with-America ideas are simply misunderstood by the public; dishonestly portrayed by a press eager to mimic the Conservative message. Is it possible to be more wrong? I think not.

Come with me on a journey through Never-Never Krugman Land as I deconstruct Mr Krugman, paragraph by weakly constructed thought, turning his diatribe against Karl Rove and Sen John McCain back onto the left.

First posted at The Minority Report

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Posted at 12:37pm on Jul. 4, 2008 Will Obama win a war in order to win an election?

By Soren Dayton

John McCain has famously said that he would rather lose an election than lose a war. He seemingly sacrificed his Presidential ambitions in favor of our national interest.

In Barack Obama, it seems that we have the converse. He had declared the war lost and withdrawal an imperative when it was politically expedient. Now it seems that the reality on the ground (both polling in the US and the security in Iraq, in that order) has shifted, and Barack Obama is about to change his position.

Where John McCain put the war above his election, Barack Obama puts the election above the war, and everything else.

The lesson here is that Barack Obama is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for his political ambitions. No friend is too close, no promise so (seemingly) heartfelt, no principle so great will get in the way of his election.

Now there is a contrast with John McCain.

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Posted at 8:00am on Jul. 4, 2008 In Praise of Barack Obama

Giving credit where credit is due.

By Leon H Wolf

Via the AP comes this news that Barack Obama has changed his mind, and is rejecting at least some of the extremism of NARAL, Emily's List, and other radical abortion organizations. The money graf:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says "mental distress" should not qualify as a health exception for late term-abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.

In an interview this week with "Relevant," a Christian magazine, Obama said prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain "a strict, well defined exception for the health of the mother."

Obama then added: "Now, I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term."

Read on...

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Posted at 12:04am on Jul. 4, 2008 Walking Back The Cat

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Of all of the major Presidential candidates, Barack Obama has been the one who most consistently opposed the war and most consistently garnered the approval of antiwar voters with his promise to end American involvement in Iraq in 16 months after his inauguration, should he win the Presidency. Indeed, several times in debates and on the campaign trail, Obama was asked whether he would reconsider his Iraq policies in the event that General Petraeus or other members of the military asked him to in light of what the conditions on the ground might be. And each time, Obama refused.

However, when it comes to his Iraq policy, Obama may now be softening:

Senator Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence in Iraq, but added that he would be open to "refine my policies" about a timeline for withdrawing troops after meeting with American military commanders during a trip to Iraq later this month.

Mr. Obama, whose popularity in the Democratic primary was built upon a sharp opposition to the war and an often-touted 16-month gradual timetable for removing combat troops, dismissed suggestions that he was changing positions in the wake of reductions in violence in Iraq and a general election fight with Senator John McCain.

"I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed," he said. "And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."

Of course, the practical translation of the above is "get ready for the antiwar movement to be thrown under the bus." Just as Obama has cut his ties with longstanding political supporters--thus embittering some of them and just as Obama has decided to support FISA reform--thus embittering the netroots, Obama has now pledged to "refine" his Iraq strategy after having initially pledged not to.

Look, I understand that there are practicalities involved in politics. And Barack Obama now appears to be embracing those practicalities. That's fine and good as it goes but with each passing day, it becomes clearer and clearer that while Barack Obama is an eloquent man with a winning campaign trail style, there is nothing special or extraordinary about his brand of politics.

He's just another Democratic party politician. And because Obama has been selling his politics as some extraordinary new batch of leadership and policies, the more people realize that Obama is just another Democratic party politician, the more pronounced their sense of disillusionment with him is likely to be.

Oh, and see this, this and this. The Obama campaign had to call a press conference to try to kill any talk that he is changing his position, but you can tell that the press is not buying it and that they are calling him on a whole host of inconsistencies between his prior position and his current one. He also accuses the McCain campaign of "prim[ing] the pump" to somehow mislead the public on Obama's position, which is bizarre and unsupported. It is difficult to see how Obama can "refine policies" concerning a troop withdrawal without potentially refining the 16 month timetable that he set for himself so his claims that he would leave the timetable untouched even though he might "refine policies" makes no sense and can't even plausibly be offered up as promises. I realize there is a need to spin this as not being a big deal, but it just isn't going to wash, as this story indicates.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Flip-Flopping | Iraq — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:05pm on Jul. 3, 2008 Obama a Foreign National?

By mycountryfirst

Hello all:

I'm a dem who will be voting McCain...I don't post here much but have vowed to give you all whatever you need to defeat Obama. Perhaps you already have seen this information.

Not a prolific blogger, but I do read a lot. Many of us who know Obama is a threat to the US are doing what we can to expose him. An important recent discussion is going on regarding Obama's duel citizenship or, his actually not being a "natural born citizen" (canada or kenya) as required for POTUS.

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Posted at 9:56pm on Jul. 3, 2008 On Obama's Latest Nuance...

By Neil Stevens

Time-Life presents: Barack Obama's positions on the issues.

• Volume 1: The Illinois Years
• Volume 2: The Senate Years
• Volume 3: Iowa
• Volume 4: Before Wright
• Volume 5: After Grandma
• Volume 6: Before Labor Day
• Volume 7: October
• Volume 8: Election Day

Each volume is luxuriously bound in leather, with the official seal of the Obama campaign embossed. Plus, if you order now, you get a deluxe desk shelf, expandable for future volumes as needed.

Posted at 8:40pm on Jul. 3, 2008 Fred's Remarks to National Right to Life: A Message to all Patriots [annotated]

By kiana

[Try reading the site before posting sometime -- especially if you're doing a three-line link dump that involves no analysis or commentary, and therefore simply wastes space that other, thoughtful writers could be occupying on the User Diary list.