Let's Go Cliff Diving!

I have tried to ignore this story as part of my post-election funk, but now it can no longer be avoided. So here's my take.

I don't care if we go over the so-called Fiscal Cliff. In fact, I think it is preferable to many of the alternatives being kicked around.

Republicans need to hold fast to the first principle that raising taxes on anyone will hurt the economy
This is particularly true when the taxpayer is also an employer.

If taxes are to go up, they should go up on everyone.  Yes, even those making less than $250k.  While  we are at it, let's get rid of income tax credits that allow a large chunk of the population to pay nothing whatsoever.  Let the working poor pay some nominal amount so that they have some skin in the game.

This is the only way that Americans can internalize or even comprehend the true cost of the behemoth government that at present, somebody else is paying for.  Once big government is no longer free, smaller government will look better and better to more of the electorate.  This is the only way Republicans can win.

Going over the Fiscal Cliff, of course, has other consequences, but they are not insurmountable,

You don't like the price of milk doubling? Welcome to the world of government interfering with free markets.

Unemployment benefits would end.  That is certainly a frightening prospect for many.  But truth be told, unemployment is designed to be temporary; these benefits have been extended so many times that they have morphed into welfare. We need to be honest about this fact.

The military will face cuts. Republicans need to acknowledge that there is plenty of fat in the Department of Defense budget.  Our focus should not be on protecting the Pentagon from cuts but rather to make the cuts in the right places.

While we are at it, i like Sen. Rand Paul's idea of cutting aid to countries who want to destroy us. And it's time to resurrect Ronald Reagan's idea that whole federal departments need to be cut, from the cabinet level on down; just abolish them.  Reagan singled out the Departments of Energy and Education; we should look critically at each department to make sure that it serves a function that only the federal government can do.

This will hurt the booming housing market in the District of Columbia -- as with the Hunger Games, things are different in the Capitol --but for most of America, the absence of these bureaucracies will make little difference.

Will going over the Fiscal Cliff hurt?  Yes, it will be brutal.  So is having one's wisdom teeth removed. The pain we will experience if allow taxes to go up on everyone is nothing compared to the pain we can forestall by finally reducing the size of government.

Sen. Roy Blunt Gives Weekly GOP Address

Sen. Roy Blunt n (R-MO) gives this week's Republican address. (Click here to watch.)  His tone on the Fiscal Cliff -- and the possibility of real reform -- is somewhat upbeat, certainly more so than I am.

Here's a sad little factoid from Blunt's speech:  if Obama gets to raise taxes on the top two percent of Americans, that additional revenue will only fund the government for eight days.

The Vanquished

Many Republicans these days are whining and moaning about the way things are going.  They have been defeated and they just do not know what to do.

Republicans should be elated!  In times of old, the victors would have done really bad things to us.  All the Democrats are going to do is raise our taxes and take some of our guns.  We should be thankful that they haven't pillaged our homes, plundered our possessions and put us into slavery.  Cheer up Republicans, it's not so bad.

R.I.P. Robert Bork

I was sad to hear that Judge Robert Bork has died.  What a brilliant jurist and legal scholar. Our country lost out when the Left denied him his rightful seat on the Supreme Court.

The smear campaign that Democrats turned against him was a turning-point for us as a country. The Senate hearings on Bork's nomination and the ensuing spin and coverage,  this was the moment when honor ceased to matter, when any personal attack no matter how baseless became acceptable to Democrats.

What must that have felt like to him, that campaign to keep Bork off the Court at all costs?  What did it feel like to see one's last name become a verb?

Though he never got to sit on the Supreme Court, Bork continued to influence a generation of conservatives.  He was a frequent presence at Federalist Society events and always happy to sign a pocket constitution. Many of his former clerks from the D.C. Circuit carry on his legacy today as conservatives scholars in the Academy, out-numbered but holding their own by sheer intellect.

His books, Slouching Toward Gomorrah and The Tempting of America are must reads for anyone who cares about the rule of law, even non-lawyers.  His many law review articles reminded and encouraged conservative law students that the dribble we were taught by so many left-wing ideologues was not Gosepel; Bork pointed out the weaknesses in liberal legal orthodoxy and gave us the counter-arguments.

As Hot Air notes, the ultimate irony about the timing of Bork's passing is that had he been confirmed to the Supreme Court, Obama would have had the opportunity to nominate a liberal to replace a conservative, thereby shifting the Court to the left.

As we give thanks for the life of this great patriot, let's also pray for the health and safety of Justices Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy.  Live long and prosper!

Barr. Massie Get Committee Assignments

The newest members of Kentucky's Congressional Delegation, Andy Barr and Thomas Massie, just received their assignments to Committees for the House of Representatives.

Congressman-elect Barr will sit on the House Financial Services Committee.  This is considered a top tier committee and is a good fit for Barr's legal background. Barr indicated that he will focus on this committee on freeing from community banks from regulations that inhibit job creation.

Congressman-elect Massie will sit on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Government Reform and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The first committee, Transportation and Infrastructure, makes sense given that the bridge across the Ohio River on which Obama did his big photo op is located in Massie's district.  The later committee suits Massie's background as an MIT grad; I'll bet he has lots of sources to draw upon for Science, Space and Technology.

The 113th Congress convenes on January 3, 2013.

Run, Ashley, Run!

NRO is right:  Ashley Judd can fulfill the Christmas wish of Kentucky Republicans by running for U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell.

The draft Ashley for Senate is the brain-child, to use the term loosely, of Congressman John Yarmuth, who has taken passive-aggressiveness to a new low.

Recall when McConnell spoke at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Ham Breakfast at the State Fair; the entire Kentucky delegation stood up for McConnell -- except Yarmuth.

Yarmuth, back when he was a Republican, was once friends with McConnell.  And his father was one of McConnell's early backers. Over the passage of time, however, Yarmuth has lurched to the left and McConnell has become Leader of his party.

Yarmuth's envy is palpable.

He is desperate to see McConnell defeated, but doesn't have the guts to run himself (because he knows McConnell would clobber him).

So he's looking for a proxy:  Ashley Judd.

NRO lists all the zainy things Judd has said over the years.  The political ads practically write themselves.

Take her stance on coal, for instance:

“It’s important that those of us fighting the coal companies stick together,” she said, according to the Washington Examiner.  “Because they make me feel absolutely and totally crazy.” She also touted The Green Collar Economy, the book written by none other than former Obama administration official Van Jones.

Yarmuth and Judd don't seem to notice that Democrat Congressman Ben Chandler, after January, will be called former Congressman.  He lost because of his opposition to the coal industry.  That was the issue that turned around Andy Barr's campaign and propelled Barr to a comfortable victory.

As a result, Yarmuth is now the only Democrat in Kentucky's Congressional delegation.  A run by Ashley Judd will assure that his status as the lone Kentucky Democrat in Washington will not change -- unless Republicans can find someone to run against him.

Rand Paul on DeMint

For Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. DeMint's leaving the Senate must be particularly poignant:  DeMint was an early supporter or and mentor to Paul, and even backed Paul in the Republican primary.

Paul and DeMint (with Sen. Mike Lee) also have the bond of founding the Tea Party Caucus in the U.S. Senate.  That was no easy thing to do.  Aside from grumbling within their own party, the Tea Party Caucus faced institutional challenges the likes of which one would associate with Junior High.  As Sen. Paul told me at the Louisville Federalist Society luncheon last February, the Democrats literally locked the door on the conference room so that the Tea Party Caucus could not meet.

Here's Paul's statement:

I want to congratulate Senator Jim DeMint on becoming president of Heritage.  We will miss his strong voice for the Constitution in the Senate, but I believe that his voice will still resonate throughout the country. He leaves the Senate with more constitutional conservatives than when he came, and those of us he helped are forever grateful. Because of Senator DeMint’s tireless efforts there now is a significant voice for Liberty in the U.S. Senate. 

McConnell on Jim DeMint's Resignation

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell had the following reaction to the resignation of Sen. Jim DeMint, who is leaving to head the Heritage Foundation:

I thank Senator DeMint for his uncompromising service to South Carolina and our country in the United States Senate. Jim helped provide a powerful voice for conservative ideals in a town where those principles are too often hidden beneath business as usual.  There is no question in my mind that he raised the profile of important issues like spending and debt and helped galvanize the American people against a big government agenda. I am confident that he will continue to advocate for conservative principles in the next chapter of his service to the American people.


Conservatives are losing the battle of ideas, pure and simple.  This is not just a question of messaging (although we could do much better there, as well).  Conservative think-tanks, writers and citizens need to get creative about how to offer real alternatives to government dependency.  We need to make the case for market-based alternatives to hand-outs and paternalism. 

DeMint brings the creativity and energy to once again make the Republican Party the party of ideas.  

As for the Senate, someone else will be appointed to take over his job, but he will not be replaced. 

Too Many Bureaucrats to Count

This past weekend at the Federalist Society National Convention in Washington, I became aware that some (who knows how many?) political appointees from the Bush administration are still on the government payroll.

One man, who works for one those cabinet-level departments that many conservatives would abolish, was appointed as Schedule C political appointee. After Obama's inauguration, this Republican expected that someone would thank him for his service and show him the door.

It never happened.

Four years later, the Obama appointees assume that he is a fellow "progressive" -- because he has been there so long.  Consequently, he hears candid discussions among Democrat political appointees.   For example, he knew, in advance, that the labor statistics before the Election would understate unemployment by not counting California's numbers.

That's the back-drop for the Fiscal Cliff negotiations:  we have so many people on the Federal payroll that people can get lost, for years.

Post Mortem

It is one week since the re-election of Barack Obama and an increase of Democrat numbers in both houses of Congress.  While many seemed shocked at the result, many of us knew in our gut that Mitt Romney and other Republicans did not stand a chance.  It does not take a political genius to figure out the cause of the defeat: the allure of European socialism was just too great for a majority of the electorate.

The notion that a beneficent government will protect us from all hazards of life, financial or otherwise, is an appealing one.  It is especially appealing to those of limited resources or opportunity, and those having greater resources and opportunities need to understand that appeal.  With its many and growing entitlement programs, the country has been trending in the direction of European socialism for decades, but in the last few years that trajectory has accelerated.  The people have spoken and they like that trend.

The tragedy of course is that  a government can only tax or borrow so much in an attempt to provide the protections that socialism pretends to provide.  Once the money is gone, the populace will face far more hardship and poverty than they would have with a more limited, less "compassionate" government.  Europe provides a textbook example of the failure of socialism.  Unfortunately, we have a significantly large portion of our population whose greatest concerns are saving money for a new tattoo or catching the next reality TV show.  Such people have little concern for social or economic history.

America is still a rich country and it will take awhile to kill the golden goose of limited government and free enterprise, but the goose may get to the oven sooner than we think.

Many dream of a European vacation.  Save your money, Europe is coming to you!

Kentucky Secession Signatures Double Since Yesterday

Yesterday, we noted that 4,573 Kentuckians had signed a petition to secede from the United States.  The petition, at Whitehouse.gov, now has 12,656 signatures.  It's half-way to the point where the White House will respond  to the petition, under its own rules. Voters from a growing number of other states, meanwhile, are filing their own petitions.

Here's the link if you want to sign.

At this rate, there will be enough signatures to require a White House response by the end of the week. What form might that response take?  I am reminded of when my son wrote to Obama last year with serious concerns about the amount of federal debt that the administration is saddling his generation with.

Obama's response:  a photograph of his dog, Bo.

All you signatories of the secession petition should be on the lookout for something similar, paid for with your tax dollars.

Still, the beauty of the secession petition is to give a grassroots, organic reminder to the Obama administration that despite reelection, it has no mandate.

No Worries About McConnell Going Wobbly

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell gave a must-read interview to Stephen Moore from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board over the weekend. It is blistering. Some of McConnell's tone might be attributed to a bad week, first the election and then his beloved Cards love to Syracuse. The interview is well-worth reading as the closest thing we have to a crystal ball on how the next two years will play out -- particularly for your taxes.

Some highlights, quoting McConnell:

• "Let me put it very clearly," says the five-term Republican senator from Kentucky. "I am not willing to raise taxes to turn off the sequester. Period." 
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•  The smart way forward, Mr. McConnell says, "is pretty simple. Let's extend the current rates for another year for everyone—a bridge—and get busy working on the comprehensive tax reform that we need to do. There's bipartisan support for that."
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• "The speaker and I spent an endless amount of time in the first half of 2011 trying to get the president to do what we all know has to be done if we're going to save the country," Mr. McConnell says. "Until we adjust the entitlement programs to fit the demographics of today's America, you can't fix the problem. You can't tax your way out of it. You can't cut health-care providers as a way out of it. But Democrats laughed at those ideas even when we offered a quarter-trillion of higher revenues largely taken from high-income people."
• 
  
• The senator's top priority is long-term entitlement reform. "Changing the eligibility for entitlements is the only thing that can possibly fix the country long term." He wants means-testing for programs like Medicare. "Warren Buffett's always complaining about not paying enough in taxes," he says. "What really irritates me is I'm paying for his Medicare."
• 
  
• The other unresolved mega-issue is what to do about the scheduled sequester cuts of $110 billion for 2013, half coming from defense and half from discretionary domestic programs. Much like the president, he wants to shut it off, but with a caveat: "I don't think we should just forget about the spending reductions we promised. We ought to achieve exactly the same amount of spending reductions," with targeted cuts that the two parties have already agreed to. When pressed on whether he could live with the sequester, as some Republican budget hawks have suggested, the senator dismisses that drive-off-the-cliff option as "Thelma and Louise economics."
• 
  
• But don't Messrs. Obama and Reid think they've just been given a mandate to raise those tax rates? "Yes, well, we Republicans in the House and Senate think we have a voter mandate not to raise taxes."

Sign Your Kentucky Secession Petition?

The Daily Caller reports that citizens from 20 states -- including Kentucky -- have launched  secession petitions on the White House's web-site.

It gets even more bizarre:  as of this writing 5,373 people have signed the Kentucky petition -- since November 10.

That leaves 19,627 signatures needed before the petition triggers an "official response" from the White House, and only one month to compile the signatures.  This is not a constitutional provision but rather something that the White House web site "We the People" program invented. (Hey, this administration invented a fake presidential seal in 2008, so coming up with rules for seceding from the Union is nothing.)

The text of the Kentucky petition essentially tracks the Declaration of Independence.

It seems you cannot sign the petition without creating a Whitehouse.gov account, which I declined to do for fear that unmanned drones would start circling my house.

 I could not see who had signed the Kentucky petition. If someone wants to sign it and let me know whether you can view who else signed, let me know. The website apparently does not reveal last names, but we're a small state, we can figure out who's who.

We need to make sure that people from other states aren't signing our petition for us, to get rid of us! That could be how California and New York finally escape their mortifying association with  us flyover states, although frankly, it would be their loss.

Sure, many of us are disappointed with the election. But I'm not so certain that Kentucky should secede.  If we do, who will pick up the tab when our state pension plan goes bust?

It's Subpoena Time

House Republicans initially requested David Petreaus and Hillary Clinton to testify before Congress voluntarily. It is clear that they will not come voluntarily, but no matter:  Congress has the authority to issue subpoenas, and should do so here.

That's the only way the public has a chance of learning the truth about what happened in Benghazi.  And even with the testimony, under oath of Petraeus and Clinton we may still never know the entire truth.

The Petraeus affair is giving rise to all sorts of conspiracy theories. I do not think that Petraeus was falling on his sword for the administration by resigning.  To the contrary, he has more freedom to speak the truth about Benghazi now that he has admitted to the affair.  Had he not, he could have been subject to blackmail.  We know that the FBI has been investigating this for months, and if the information had made it to Eric Cantor, it probably made its way to various people in the administration, as well.

The timing is, to say the least, peculiarly coincidental.

Regardless of his testimony about Benghazi, Petraeus and his family need our prayers. He has served his country brilliantly for many years, like another David who lived three thousand years ago and fell subject to the same sin.

I'm not condoning the affair, but just putting it in context,  He is a patriot.  He deserves our thanks, particularly on Veteran's Day.

But he really needs our prayers.

It's Not All Bad

Andy Barr won; that's a good thing.  I found him to be smart yet humble, and he is a true conservative.  He will be a great addition to the Congress. And the House of Representatives has never been more important; it will save us from God knows what.

Republicans picked up five seats in the State House.  That, plus the exit of David Williams, give us an opportunity to accomplish some things that could really improve the standard of living for Kentuckians.  We can revisit gaming, and perhaps stop losing out on tax revenue that now flows to every state surrounding us.  We can simplify the tax code so that we stop missing out on companies relocating here. We can reform state pensions before it's too late.

Kentucky Democrats, meanwhile, are on the ropes. It's hard to see how they can survive another four years with Obama as their titular head.

Chris Christie is Toast

Chris Christie did more to reelect Barack Obama than even Bill Clinton's help on the campaign trail. We saw a peek of this side of Chris Christie in the convention:  it was all about Chris Christie.  The man's ego, and self-absorption, interferes with his ability to play nicely with others in the Republican Party.

What was particularly upsetting about his bromance with Obama, and his endorsement of Obama's handling of the hurricane, is that Romney had been campaigning for weeks on bipartisanship, based on his record as governor of Massachusetts.  The strategy was working ; Romney was closing the gender gap.  Until Chris Christie undid all that hard work, all those inroads, with strolling arm and arm with Barack Obama down the beach. (Kind of reminded me of Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford in The Way We Were.)

 He is a traitor.

He is also up for reelection this coming year, one of the very few national elections in 2013.

Chris Christie needs a primary challenger. And I will donate to whoever steps forward to take on that role.  Frankly, I don't care if this means that Republicans lose the governor's race in New Jersey, because Chris Christie is no Republican.

Let the Impeachment Hearings Begin

The one silver lining in Obama's reelection is that he will now be held accountable, as a sitting president, for Benghazi.

Obama lied, people died.

The CBS tape proves that Obama lied to the American people, on the stump and in the debates.  The fact that CBS sat on the tape until the Sunday before the election shows that we can no longer count on  the media -- with the exception of Fox and Foreign Policy magazine  -- to get to the truth of what the administration knew and when it knew it.

Look for Hillary Clinton to stick around as Secretary of State just to do damage control.

Our military is entitled to know if their Commander in Chief has their back. And by the way, if he truly does, in addition to answering their cries for help, how about delivering their ballots in a timely manner so they can have a say in picking their Commander in Chief?

I Just Voted For Love of Country

And now we pray.  No one knows what is going to happen. My best guess is 52 percent for Romney, 311 electoral votes.

Peggy Noonan makes a great point -- that the polls have distracted us from the reality of the yard signs, crowd size and even the demeanor of the candidates.  Romney looks peaceful and happy; Obama looks angry and exhausted.

I'm betting on the joyful campaign.

Andy Barr Will Win

Andy Barr is getting national attention; RedState and Fox News's Dana Perino predict he will unseat Ben Candler, who Eric Erickson described as one of the last "Blue Dog phonies."

Given that Kentucky's polls are among the first in the nation to close, this race will be heralded as a bellwether to measure the length of Romney's coat tails.

Barr will win despite the attempts to gerrymander the district to ensconce Chandler. And the key issue -- coal -- will similarly propel Romney to victories in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Chris Christie Robocalls for Brooks Wicker

The only Robocall that could have been worse for a Republican is Michael "hold the trans fats" Bloomberg.

I feel so sorry for Brooks Wicker. They guy is running a campaign on no money, and he takes what little he has to Robocall with Chris Christie, right after the guy man hugs Obama.  We all get that Christie needs federal money for New Jersey.  Still, the bromance was enough to make a conservative retch.

By praising the president this close to the election, Christie has disqualified himself from national office.

I only wish Christie had really been on the phone so I could tell him off.

Of course, none of this is Brooks Wicker's fault. Republicans owe him gratitude for running in a district where he is so out-registered as to have no chance. It is essential for the strength of the party that we field a candidate for every contest, even where the odds are this long. Thank you, Brooks, for taking on this Herculean task.

Cables From Benghazi Put Administration On Notice

Fox News should -- but won't -- win a Pulitzer for its reporting on Benghazi. Today's Fox exclusive details cables that the U.S. consulate in Benghazi sent to the Office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. One cable, sent an entire month before the attack, notifies the administration that:

• al Qaeda had ten (10) training camps in Benghazi. (While Obama simultaneously told voters on the stump that "al Qaeda is on the run").
• the Consulate did not have enough security to fend off a coordinated attack, "due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support, and the overall size of the compound," according to the cable.
• the Libyan government had lost control, so its security forces and police could not be counted on to protect the Consulate.

Fox also reports:

While the administration’s public statements have suggested that the attack came without warning, the Aug. 16 cable seems to undercut those claims. It was a direct warning to the State Department that the Benghazi consulate was vulnerable to attack, that it could not be defended and that the presence of anti-U.S. militias and Al Qaeda was well-known to the U.S. intelligence community.

In a three-page cable on Sept 11, the day Stevens and the three other Americans were killed, Stevens wrote about “growing problems with security” in Benghazi and “growing frustration” with the security forces and Libyan police. The ambassador saw both as “too weak to keep the country secure.”

 Fox News asked the State Department to respond to a series of questions about the Aug. 16 cable, including who was specifically charged with reviewing it and whether action was taken by Washington or Tripoli. Fox News also asked, given the specific warnings and the detailed intelligence laid out in the cable, whether the State Department considered extra measures for the consulate in light of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks – and if no action was taken, who made that call.

The State Department press office declined to answer specific questions, citing the classified nature of the cable.

GOP (Grand Old Pumpkin)

Polling By Yard Sign

Admittedly, the presence or absence of yard signs is an unscientific way to measure a candidate's support. But especially when the same area is considered over time, it guages enthusiasm.

My neighborhood leans to the right.  In 2008, however, the number of Obama signs startled and alarmed me. I had never seen that many signs for a Democrat in this area.

Obama ended up polling better in our neighboring precincts than any other Democrat (on a national ticket) in the last dozen years, to my recollection. The big up-tick in yard signs pre-figured the vote tally in these precincts.

This year, I have not seen a single sign for Obama in my neighborhood. Not one. The composition of the neighborhood has not changed in four years, but support for the president has.

I made a point of driving by homes of die-hard progressives. No Obama sign. Now, it's hard to imagine some of these people voting for Romney.  It's also hard to imagine these voters staying home on Election Day.

What I think has happened is that (1) Obama's support has shrunk and (2) even among his hard-core supporters, there is a certain embarrassment to publicly support him. (And no, this has nothing to do with his race; voters didn't suddenly notice he is half-Black.)

It's possible, of course, that what I perceive as embarrassment -- for incompetence and a lousy record -- could be disappointment that he let the base down by not governing far enough to the left.  There are those progressives who continue to insist that the problem with the Stimulus is that it wasn't big enough.

The cause is less important than the effect. Whether it's from embarrassment or disappointment, there is a big drop in suburbanites willing to post an Obama sign in their yard. That cannot be a good sign for the president.

What Did He Know and When Did He Know It?

Benghazi is now the word that will define the Obama presidency.  If he wins, he deserves to be impeached over the death of four Americans at our Libyan consulate.  Indeed, impeachment is probably the only way that we will ever learn what happened.  Heaven knows the MSM, in its efforts to ignore the story, is committing journalistic malpractice.

The administration cannot keep its story straight.  That old adage about sticking to the truth because its easier to memorize, someone should have shared that with the president before he became president.

Bing West at NRO highlights these growing inconsistencies.  For several weeks, the president said he ordered increased security to our embassies in the region the morning after the attack. This past Friday in Denver, however (October 26), Obama said "The minute I found out what was happening . . . I gave the directive," Obama said, "to make sure we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to do. I guarantee you everybody in the CIA and military knew the number one priority was making sure our people were safe."

Note the shift in the timeline.

The fascinating thing about Benghazi is that it reveals a thirst for the truth on the part of ordinary Americans. Thus, as the facts of the story come out -- thanks to Fox News, Talk Radio and the blogosphere -- the story is shared by social media. Facebook and Twitter are serving a role that the New York Times once did.  It is sad to see the great media institutions of this country so determined to not do their duty; it is downright unpatriotic.

Of course, we knew that the MSM idolizes Obama and wants to protect him, and ensure his reelection.  But people died.  Americans, on U.S. sovereign territory, died while their pleas for help were ignored. Some would call that newsworthy.

Andy Barr Has Pulled Ahead!

In the most competitive race in the Commonwealth, Republican challenger Andy Barr has pulled ahead of Congressman Ben Chandler.

According to Pure Politics, Barr is leading for the first time in the race. Barr leads 45 to 41 -- just a bit more than the margin of error (3.49 percent).

For those of you in the 6th Congressional District who have supported Barr in the past -- because he votes like a Republican -- it is time to step up and add a Republican to Kentucky's Congressional Coalition.  It won't make a difference in who controls the House of Representatives, not this time.  But it could in the future.

This district was gerrymandered to make it safer for Barr. Therefore, it is that much important that all Republicans and conservatives turn out to vote for Andy Barr.

Hipster Obama Returns to Leno

The Obama of Old was back last night on Jay Leno.  After watching three debates, 90 minutes at a pop, it was startling to see an Obama who was not seething with rage at being called to account for his lousy record..  Plainly, Jay Leno evokes a different reaction in the president than Mitt Romney.

No more President Petulant -- just smooth, oily smooth confidence: Hey, I hang out with Beyonce and JayZ!  Hollywood is my second home! I belong here! He looked so at home, in fact, that it was unpresidential.

The contrast between Hipster Obama and Debate Obama made me appreciate a quality in Mitt Romney I had overlooked:  his constancy.  Romney's demeanor stays much the same regardless of context.

Obama, on the other hand, has been revealed in the debates as a phony.  That laid back guy, so cool, is at his core mean and condescending.  That ugly side was tucked safely away last night.

And no wonder.  Jay Leno was just shy of fawning.  To be sure, we expect him to be respectful of the President of the United States, no matter who holds the office.  Leno, however,  had the first opportunity to ask Obama about Donald Trump's offer.  Instead, Leno opened the segment with a lame joke:  I guess you're here to ask NBC to sell the network to Donald Trump, or something along those lines.

Obama later made a similarly lame joke that the reason Donald Trump doesn't like him is because when they were boys growing up in Kenya, they played soccer, and Trump wasn't very good.

Leno is no journalist; he doesn't pretend to be a journalist.  But comedy is about truth. He had an opportunity to get at the truth and he didn't even make an attempt.

I will not watch Leno again.  He's no conservative; we never thought otherwise.  I did, however think that he was fair, and patriotic.  Last night he proved me wrong.

Awaiting the Last Debate

Tonight will present the electorate two distinctly different views of America:  a land of Exeptionalism, or a land  which seeks to appease the bullies of the world with apologies.

Mitt Romney needs to hold his own tonight to preclude Obama momentum. It would be preferable, of course, for Romney to seal the deal.  Romney always shows up to his debates. But after the first debacle of a debate, we can expect that Obama will also show up.

We know that Romney will raise questions about Benghazi. This is a real problem for Obama, because assuming one believes that he and his regime have been honest about what happened, they still look incompetent for allowing the murder of four Americans to take place in our embassy, which is our sovereign territory.

Now that we know that the terrorist attack stretched on for seven hours, questions are being raised -- by CBS, no less -- about why our military didn't rescue our diplomats.

Could it be that helicopters rescuing Americans off the roof of the embassy would look too much like the Fall of Saigon?

Obama will drop the names of all the foreign leaders he's met; this is when a president can appear most presidential.  Romney will, or should respond, with how Obama dissed Netanyahu to go on the View or whatever banal celebrity show.

Look for Obama to make fun of Romney's comments about the state of security for the London Olympics.

Romney's probably too much of a gentleman to raise the point, but speaking of London, recall when the Obamas gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod? That was shortly after they gave the British Prime Minister dvds -- in the wrong format!  It would be hysterically funny but for the fact that this is our president, our country, embarrassing himself (and all of us).

Obama will try to equate Romney with George W. Bush.  We saw a precursor of that in the last debate, and Romney handled it superbly.  The point Romney needs to make is, as Reagan put it, peace through strength.  We are safest we are strongest.  That strength deters aggression and makes war less, not more likely.

Here's what we need to do between now and the end of the debate:  pray for Mitt Romney.  Pray for America.





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Andy Barr Closing On BenChandler

The C-J  ran two pieces yesterday on the Andy Barr - Ben Chandler race in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. (I'm not providing the link because that rag does not deserve the traffic.)  Even the liberal apologist C-J concedes that the race is very tight.

But for the deal Hal Rogers cut with Greg Stumbo to gerrymander the district in favor of Chandler, Barr would be winning.  He still might win it, depending on turnout and Romney's coat-tails.

This is the closest race in Kentucky. Regardless of your Congressional district, this is a race where your donation could affect the outcome.  And if you have any time, contact the Barr campaign to see if you can help with turnout. Click here to help.

NRO Gives Andy Barr a Shout Out; Let's Give Andy Some $

National Review has plugged Andy Barr in a piece that makes Ben Chandler look desperate.  The NRO article, called  Lying in Kentucky,  highlights the dueling campaign ads over coal.

Here's the background. Barr ran an ad that featured coal miner Heath Lovell; this ad made the point that Democrats' anti-coal policies are killing the coal industry in Kentucky and causing the loss of thousands of good jobs. Chandler responded witha n ad alleging that Lovell is not a coal miner..

In point of fact, Lovell has been a coal miner since age 18.  He has also moved up the ladder of his company and is now CEO. In that capacity, he still keeps up his miner certification and goes underground at least weekly. Lovell threatened to sue the Chandler campaign for defamation.  Chandler ultimately pulled the ads.(Disclosure:  I represented Lovell in his demand letter to the Chandler campaign, discussed below.)

Here are excerpts from the NRO article:

Oscar Wilde once said that the “greatest of all sins is stupidity.” Certainly, knowing of what you speak is at a premium these days, and it appears from their reaction to Lovell that the Democratic party has perhaps spent a little too much time constructing cartoon villains. This, combined with a perfect cast of progressive bogeymen — “a CEO,” “donations to the Republican candidate,” “coal,” “mining corporations,” etc. — pushed Ben Chandler and his coterie prematurely to the fainting couch.. . .

And he’s [Lovell] not lying when he says that he is a third-generation Kentucky coal miner who has been working the mines since he was 18 years old: “That was my hard hat in the video,” he told theNew York Times. “That was not some costume that I’ve put on. I still go underground and keep up my training.” In honesty, he added, “I still consider myself a coal miner.” So, for that matter, does the state of Kentucky, which confirmed that Lovell is a “Kentucky Certified Underground Coal Miner,” a “Kentucky Certified Mine Foreman,” a “Kentucky Certified Mine Instructor,” and a “Kentucky Certified Electrician.”

At this, Chandler shifted his attack. Oh, he said, did I say you weren’t “a miner”? I meant that you weren’t an “Estill County coal miner.” This time Chandler was right, although, given that there are no mines in Estill County and that Lovell had never claimed to be any such thing, one can hardly blame him for being guilty on both counts.

These unfortunate facts having been excavated, Barr asked the Chandler campaign if it wouldn’t mind removing the “false and defamatory ad,” and Lovell sent Chandler a strongly worded “cease and desist” letter.” Under intense pressure, Chandler agreed and pulled the ad in late September, quickly shifting his focus to the more traditional Barr-wants-to end-Medicare approach and, in doing so, restoring harmony in both the political universe and the sixth district of Kentucky — for now, at least.

What is significant here is that the Andy Barr race is again getting national publicity-- as it did when he lost by a few hundred votes two years ago.

Notwithstanding gerrymandering of the district lines to shore up Chandler, Barr has a real shot at winning -- particularly if Romney's coattails are long enough, which I think could happen.

It is therefore time for conservatives, whether or not you live in the 6th District, to donate to Andy Barr. Click here to contribute.

Why Romney Will Win

An old friend said something that made me realize that Romney will win, and why.  She said that as an ideological liberal -- who had presumably voted for Obama four years ago -- she wanted to vote for him.  From the standpoint of pure ideology, she wanted to support him again.

But when she looked at the reality of her family's finances, she realized she could not.  She looked at how their insurance premiums had gone up, and the financial pressures that Obamacare will put on her husband's small business.

She looked at what the rising cost of gas is doing to the family budget as she tries to shuttle her kids to school and activities.  She looked at the unemployment rate and what that does to her children's prospects for finding a decent job. She considered the amount of debt that her children and grandchildren will have to shoulder, and the fact that Social Security and Medicare will not be there for her retirement unless something changes.

In sum, she realized that she could not afford four more years under an Obama administration. He was a grand experiment -- she had believed in hope and change.  But the real-life consequences were, as Joe Biden put it, burying her and the middle class.

So with great sadness, disappointment and regret, she will not vote for Obama again.  Will she vote for Romney or just stay home?  The tone of her remarks leads me to believe that she will hold her nose and vote from Romney.  But even if she stays home, the evolution of this past Obama supporter tells me that Romney will win.

This is not so much a vote for Romney, or a vote against Obama.  In the British Parliamentarian sense, it is a vote of No Confidence in Obama.

The so-called Republican War on Women -- all the Obama talk about Lady Parts -- ignores that many women voters are mothers, and stewards of the family budget. This segment of electorate has come to realize that another vote for Obama will carry a price tag they can no longer pay, even if the ideological purist in them wishes they could.

Romney Won On the Libya Question

Many conservatives were disappointed that Romney did not hammer home the fact that Obama was obfuscating on Libya during Debate No. 2.  I was not worried, because we have an entire debate geared to foreign policy next Monday.

Further, the news coverage all day yesterday focused on the issue in a way that made Obama and his cronies look either incompetent or dishonest, depending on how charitably one views this administration.

It didn't help Obama that a Muslim terrorist wannabe tried to attack the New York Fed yesterday.  The notion that Obama has al Qaeda on the ropes now has been disproved -- thank God, without the loss of more innocent life in a city that has lost too much to terrorists.

That whole concept of the re-set button did not work  Democrats get mad whenever conservatives use Obama's middle name, Hussein.  In point of fact, however, Obama banked on his name making the Islamo-fascists feel all warm and fuzzy about America.  It did not work:  they still hate us, want to kill us and want to destroy our way of life.
In addition to Libya, Romney must focus in next week's debate on what Condi Rice has called the greatest threat to our national security:  the deficit.Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recognizes that the American cannot remain a super-power with our deficit.

Finally, Romney needs to reiterate that he will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel. Obama's treatment of Netanyahu has been a disgrace. For anyone who cares about the survival of Israel, that should be reason enough to vote against Obama. 

You Don't Have to Settle

I thought last night's debate was pretty much a draw.  Obama started off strong, but after about forty minutes, Romney was clearly getting under his skin. He looked petulant for the remainder of the debate.

Obama's response on Libya was a demonstrable falsehood, as anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens well knows. The debate schedule is working to Romney's favor:  the final debate is on foreign policy.  With each passing day, the terrorist attack in Libya and the Obama administration's incompetence and obfuscation of it looks worse and worse.  Romney will have ample opportunity to make that point next week.

Of course, most voters are focused on the economy.  Libya, however, is Exhibit 2 in why this administration needs to go.

I hope that in the next debate they use podiums.  I found the stalking around the stage off-putting.  That moment when the candidates got in each other's faces was uncomfortable to watch.

The selection of questions was tilted to favor Obama.. (Pay equity?  Really?)  But as Republicans, we're used to that.

Romney had the best line of the night:  You don't have to settle.  It summed up the mediocrity and incompetence of this administration, and the patheticness of its so-called recovery  It reminded Americans that we can be great - it evoked American Exceptionalism in a way that was Reaganesque.  Romney and Ryan need to hit that theme relentlessly between now and the election.

Vice Presidential Debate in Pictures

Click on any picture to view it in full screen.

Pictured above is a crowd surrounding the MSNBC stage.

This is the closest Centre will ever get to hosting a College Game Day.

Through all the commotion, Lincoln remained in one place reading his book.

"I always feel like somebody's watching me."

Chris Matthews walking to the stage.

Chris Matthews with Michael Steele

With all of the Obama and Romney signs is a Gary Johnson sign

The Crowd is taking their places for the debate until...

An unknown man climbed into a tree and began shouting anti-abortion comments.

In a short amount of time, hundreds of people were surrounding the tree. 

A ladder was put up to the man; however, no one climbed up it.
I guessed they hoped he would come down...

After some time, everyone eventually sat down to watch the 

debate with the man in the tree shouting his commentary.

As of the end of the debate, the man was still in the tree.

Joe Biden is a Mean SOB

We went down to Centre College to watch the  Vice Presidential debate. Joe Biden disgraced his office. Now, I expected him to be all smiling geniality, to try to make Paul Ryan feel good about getting stabbed.

What I did not expect was him baring his capped teeth, seemingly grinning at oddly inappropriate times -- like a discussion of  greatest threat facing the world:  the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran.

Biden's incessant interruptions made him look downright thuggish. I wished Paul Ryan had pushed back harder on the interruptions -- or that we'd had a real moderator, as opposed to a stooge.

Nonetheless, for Ryan to remain as calm and focused as he was in these circumstances was extraordinary.

Joe, as we expected, just sat there and made stuff up. Some of his lies were so blatant that we didn't need to wait for the fact-checkers. Iran does indeed have weapons to deliver a nuclear payload to Israel-- has for years. And Obamacare does infringe upon the free exercise rights of Catholic institutions, as set forth in the complaint in Notre Dame's lawsuit.

Scoping Out the Veep Debate

I just returned from Danville, KY, where the Vice Presidential debate takes place tomorrow night at Centre College. I can't speak for the candidates, but Centre and Danville are ready.  The town and campus looked spectacular:  flags and bunting waving in the October breeze, chrysanthemums everywhere. Not too many students to be seen, as this is the last day of mid-terms.

Meanwhile, we learn that the debate moderator, Martha Raddatz from ABC, hosted "Barry Obama" at her wedding reception. It's true that Raddatz divorced and remarried, but still:  by what measure can she pretend to be objective?  I will assume, for sake of argument, that the Commission on the Debates was unaware of this fact.  Nonetheless, the conflict of interest is so manifest that one wonders why Raddatz even threw her name in the hat.  She's a good foreign correspondent; she should have known better.

So what should we expect tomorrow night?  Joe Biden will try to balance geniality with attack dog mode.  We'll hear that he's just a blue-collar boy form Scranton.  He'll refer to the Republican War on Women (the Violence Against Women Act is one of his signature pieces of legislation.)  He will tell us that Paul Ryan is going to end Social Security and Medicare because he has no compassion for the disabled and elderly.  And he'll try to drive a wedge between Ryan and Romney on the budget and entitlements.

Ryan needs to keep drawing the debate back to the Obama-Biden record.  He needs to call Biden out for distorting how Republicans would reform entitlements and health care.  And that's exactly where the brilliance of Ryan's selection will become evident.  Had Romney selected a governor as his running-mate, he or she would not have the command of the budget Ryan has and therefore would have a much dicier time spotting when Joe Biden is making stuff up (which he will). Ryan is so well-versed in the budget that he can spot the lie and call Biden out with confidence.  The trick for Ryan will be to do this in a way that doesn't look ugly.

Ultimately, the Vice Presidential debate is unlikely to change much.  We will wait in suspense to see if Joe gives us one of his gaffes. He's been practicing and practicing to reduce the odds of  that happening.  But any time Joe Biden opens his mouth, the possibility of him inserting foot is ever present. I'm reminded of Dr. Seuss:  "Left foot, left foot, left foot, right!  Feet in the morning, feet at night!"  Here's hoping the Vice President brings two left feet to Danville tomorrow.

Rand PAC Presses on Foreign Aid

Senator Rand Paul's political action committee, Rand PAC, has launched a wave of ads against Democratic Senators.

Specifically, Paul's ad takes issues with Democrats who insist on giving taxpayers' money to regimes that want to kill us and destroy our way of life.

Good for Paul for not only doing his part to help Republicans attain a majority in the Senate, but for pressing for a reform to our foreign policy -- and budget -- that is long over-due.

The Daily Caller notes:
The first two targets are Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Bill Nelson in Florida. Ads in other battleground states may be forthcoming.

“While they tear down and burn the American flag in Egypt and shout ‘death to America,’” the narrator in the West Virginia spot intones, “Joe Manchin votes to provide U.S. taxpayer aid to Egypt.”

“While Pakistan imprisons and tortures the hero who helped us get Osama bin Laden,” the ad continues, “Joe Manchin votes to send billions of our taxpayer dollars to Pakistan.”

“While radical Islamists burn our embassy and kill our ambassador in Libya, Joe Manchin votes to send more taxpayer money to Libya.”

B.O's Bingo

Update: looks like we can cross off a few. (Refresh for more)

1.   Uh, I, Uh, Ummm (x?)
2.   Worst Economy Since The Great Depression (x3)
3.   Back From The Brink
4.   I, Me, My (x?)
5.   Inherited (x2)
6.   Crisis (x3)
7.   Historic (x3)
8.   Previous Administration (x2)
9.   Saved or Created
10. You Can Keep Your Own Plan

Huck to Help KY House Candidates

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee  will be the guest of honor at a fundraiser for Republican House Caucus. Irv and Cathy Bailey will host the event at their home this Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 6:00

At $ 50 a person, the event is priced low enough to draw a younger crowd than some of the more expensive events. You can pay at the door.

Here's the part that sounds fun:  the event will include a blue grass band and Huckabee is rumored to be bringing his guitar!  It will be the Kentucky equivalent of Huckabee's "Little Rockers," the garage band of Fox News employees that play on Huckabee's talk show.

It's a great cause. The future of the Commonwealth has languished for too long by the Democrat House Caucus. It's time to send enough of them packing for Republicans to take the majority.

Suu Kyi Inspires at U of L

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spoke this morning at the McConnell Center at University of Louisville.It was one of the most inspiring and moving speeches I have ever seen.

Suu Kyi has worked for more than 20 years to bring democracy to Burma.  She was under house arrest for twenty years.  During that time, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has done all he could to pressure Myanmar -- the junta name for Burma -- to allow democracy and to release Suu Kyi.

Perhaps McConnell's most important contribution is that he would not let the world forget Suu Kyi -- no matter how many years she was imprisoned.

When it comes to democracy, Suu Kyi is like George Washington on steroids.  For so long, it was almost unimaginable that she would ever be released from captivity alive.  Now, she is an elected member of the Burmese Parliament and a Nobel Laureate. It may be overstating it to say that none of this would have been possible but for the help of McConnell, but not by much.  He was pivotal to bringing democracy to Burma.

Suu Kyi cautioned that democracy is fragile there.  They have no rule of law, no independent judiciary.  She voiced a hope for making Burma a safe haven to which Burmese refugees can return, if they so desire.

There were, in fact, many Burmese refugees in the audience at U of L.  Their love for their homeland and gratitude for Suu Kyi touched all of us who witnessed it.

What I learned from Suu Kyi is that courage and good will confer unparalleled dignity.  Suu Kyi said that the best thing about non-violence -- and not hating one's adversary -- is the amount of time and energy it frees up.  She said that she never hated the military that imprisoned her. The daughter of a great military commander, she hated many actions that the military took to suppress democracy, but she never hated her opponents.  Indeed, Suu Kyi made the remarkable statement that she does not know what it feels like to hate. And I believed her.

What an extraordinary woman.

Romney Was Right About the 47 Percent

Mitt Romney was caught on hidden camera speaking the truth:  it is a disgrace that 47 percent of Americans pay no federal income tax. Indeed, in addition to not paying in, many of these people get grants and payments from the federal government.

That is why this election is so consequential:  we are close to the tipping point of this group who pays no federal income tax becoming a majority. When that happens, the party that advocates bigger and bigger government will always win. That's because those who do not pay any federal income tax have no incentive to resist the next big entitlement problem:  someone else will pay for it, not them.

Michele Bachmann made this point powerfully in the primary debates.  She said that all American citizens should pay something -- even if just a dollar a year -- so that they have some skin in the game.  Each citizen, no matter how poor, should pay a nominal part so that they fund, even to a tiny extent, things that we all need and benefit from:  federal highways, national defense, federal courts.

What Romney needs to clarify is that Republicans want to move the 47 percent into prosperity.  Let's help people who are not working get good jobs that allow them to pay federal income tax, and not in a nominal sense. Romney wants to do this by repealing Obamacare, simplifying the tax system, and setting tax rates that encourage entrepreneurs to take risks and develop new businesses.

If Romney made any mistake on the Secret Tape, it was conceding the 47 percent to the Democrats.  He needs to explain why his five point economic plan will help all Americans, including the 47 percent.

Rand Paul Responds to Libya Killings

Sen. Rand Paul makes a good point in response to the Libya killings:  let's suspend foreign aid to Libya until they turn over the monsters who perpetrated this crime.

Here's Paul's statement:

“I am heartbroken and outraged by the murder of four U.S. citizens, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, during the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost loved ones in this tragedy.

“The perpetrators of this senseless attack must be brought to justice. I, therefore, demand that until the Libyan police hand over suspects to U.S officials, any U.S. foreign aid to the government of Libya be contingent on their full support in this matter.”

The whole incident is making the Obama presidency look like a sad re-tread from the Carter presidency.  He failed to keep U.S. citizens safe.  Obama's policies of appeasement and apologies has made the world less safe.  

Hillary Clinton was absolutely right about the 2:00 a.m. phone call.  He is not up to the job and needs to go,

9/11 Anniversary 2012

This is One World Trade Center which stands in the place of Six World Trade Center, one of the buildings destroyed on September 11, 2001. When it's completed at the end of next year, each of the 104 stories will mean much more than than the offices that occupy them; they will serve a reminder of that day eleven years ago that changed everything. It will represent the bravery of the men and women who risked their lives to save strengers from a building on the verge of collapse. But most importantly, it will show our strength as a nation, where we can rebuild from the most devastating act of terrorism in my lifetime, and perhaps in the entire history of the world. 

9/11 has left scars on our nation that will never be healed, but we as a nation can find hope in this skyscraper that will serve as a reminder to the greatest tragedy our nation has every seen. 

Never Forget

DNC's Totalitarian Touch

The most clarifying moment at Thursday's convention did not occur in prime-time.  It wasn't the abortion-fest rant by Sandra Fluke. Or Elizabeth "Fauxahontas" Warren's tirade. Or even Bubba's 50 minute contribution to global warming.

It was the vote to reinsert God and Jerusalem back into the Democrats' platform.

It is hard to know which is worse, the form or the substance of the episode.

As to the form, it took three votes to declare the amendment to the platform passed. I say "declare the amendment passed" rather than "pass the amendment" because it is clear from the video that the amendment -- even on the third try -- never secured the two-thirds voice affirmation necessary to pass. Indeed, it did not even receive a majority vote, let alone two-thirds.

Nonetheless, the chair declared the amendment to be passed. By fiat. This wasn't democracy in any sense of the word. It was democracy in the style of a tyrant, worthy of Kim Jong Il or Joseph Stalin.

Then there is the matter of the substance. A majority of delegates at the Democratic National Convention oppose any reference to God in their platform, and similarly oppose the proposition that the capitol of Israel rightfully belongs in Jerusalem. It is worse than even a caricature of left-wing hostility to faith and Israel.

This is how out of touch with America's Judeo-Christian frame of reference the leaders of the Democratic Party have become.

I do not believe that most Democrats agree with dropping God and Jerusalem from the platform of their party.  To be sure, the delegates of either party will always be more ideological than the rank and file members. But this lurch left is nonetheless stunning.

Michelle Inadvertently Reveals Truth

Michelle Obama's speech last night confirmed what most of who have not been conned already knew:  that Barack Obama is completely, totally, absolutely, irretrievably out of touch with the American people.

Michelle, in telling a story that was meant to elicit respect and admiration, revealed what a clueless man her husband is.  She related that Barack spent many nights reading letters from people talking about their struggles and hardships.  Barack was said to have commented on how "unbelievable" many of these situations were.

Our President needs to read letters from us to understand our suffering?!?!?!?!  23-million people unemployed and he needs to read letters from us to figure out that a few of us might be struggling?!?!?!?  When you have no job, no money and no hope, it is unbelievable that you are suffering?

Barack Obama is one of the most arrogant, elitist, out of touch Presidents that our nation has ever had.  Obviously, the First Lady is his equal in this regard.

Clint's Commanding Performance Against the Commander-in-the-Empty-Chair

Not since Charlton Heston parted the red sea of delegates had Hollywood created such a stir at a national Republican convention.  When Clint Eastwood sauntered to the podium in Tampa last night, one sensed unbridled excitement in the arena, even from a television in Louisville.  It was like a few Derbys ago, when Jack Nicholson dropped by the paddock at Churchill Downs.  An A-list celebrity spotting in a most unexpected place.  Like Jack, Clint is a guy who wins over a crowd just by showing up.  The kind who exudes a coolness that stirs up a red hot frenzy.

Today's word for Clint's speech from the liberal media is "crazy".  That's reason enough to watch the speech on YouTube if, by chance, you missed it last night -- or to watch it again, as I did this morning.  True, Clint was mumbling and bumbling at times.  But that just added to the brilliance of the performance.  For Clint was, in a way, a metaphor for America, waking up in a stupor, asking what happened to us?  How in the world could we have voted for that man?  An America who finally got a chance to interview "the One" who has been its "employee", to use Clint's better chosen word, these past three and a half years.  The President answered as you would expect from an empty chair on the stage.  

Clint gave the speech with no teleprompter -- an absent prop that was as much a dig at Mr. Obama as the empty chair -- and with creativity and wit that, even with Oprah's coaching, the President will never have.  Clint did have to think creatively to come up with the name of another actor with enough guts to show up at the Convention (Jon Voight), and Clint's claim that there are many conservatives and libertarians in Hollywood seemed more hopeful than true.


But other seemingly ad libbed  lines played to the crowd with more authenticity:


"I remember three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change and they were talking about, yes we can, and it was dark outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles.  They were saying, I just thought, this was great. Everybody is crying, Oprah was crying.I was even crying. And then finally -- and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country."

Ouch.

"Well, I know even people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn’t close Gitmo. And I thought, well closing Gitmo -- why close that, we spent so much money on it. But, I thought maybe as an excuse -- what do you mean shut up?  OK, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown New York City."

Thanks for reminding us of that early bone-headed idea from the Obama Administration.

"I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that’s okay. But you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You know, I mean -- you thought that was something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how did it -- they did there for 10 years. But we did it, and it is something to be thought about, and I think that, when we get to maybe -- I think you’ve mentioned something about having a target date for bringing everybody home. You gave that target date, and I think Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question, you know, he says, 'Why are you giving the date out now? Why don’t you just bring them home tomorrow morning?'”

And the Ron Paul delegates went wild.




"See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to the president, anyway.  I think attorneys are so busy -- you know they’re always taught to argue everything, and always weight everything -- weigh both sides...  They are always devil’s advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that. You know all that stuff. But, I think it is maybe time -- what do you think -- for maybe a businessman. How about that? A stellar businessman. Quote, unquote, 'a stellar businessman.'"

Not since Ronald Reagan had an actor flipped an argument on a lawyer so well.


"And I think it’s that time. And I think if you just step aside and Mr. Romney can kind of take over. You can maybe still use a plane.  Though maybe a smaller one. Not that big gas guzzler you are going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that. You are an -- an ecological man. Why would you want to drive that around?"

More flipping of -- and off -- the Left's arguments.


"You’re crazy, you’re absolutely crazy."

Clint's chastisement of the empty chair.

"You’re getting as bad as Biden.  Of course we all now Biden is the intellect of the Democratic party."

 Another ouch.



"Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we -- we own this country.  We -- we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.  And -- so -- they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

Who needs Donald Trump as a speaker when you've got Clint Eastwood to deliver the message, "You're fired"?

And by this point, if the empty chair had not gotten the message, it was confirmed by the speaker's most famous line:


Clint:  "But OK. You want to make my day?"

(APPLAUSE)

Clint:  "All right. I started, you finish it. Go ahead."

Audience:  "Make my day!"


The Great Communicator couldn't have communicated it better.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.