The Northern Virginia Conservative

Tito Muñoz goes to the McDonnell/Bolling establishment playbook against Jeff Frederick...

2011-07-04T23:17:00.008-04:00

...and deserves to be taken to task for it.

With the header "In Case You Missed It From Today's Bearing Drift Blog Post:"...the Muñoz campaign emailed me the text of this Hoeft hit-piece on Jeff from Bearing Drift from Friday, followed by "Authorized and paid for by Friends of Tito Muñoz".

I'll start by fisking the piece itself, and then we'll deal with Mr. Muñoz and his campaign.

"Jeff Frederick attempts a recast"

We'll see about that one.

"After being removed from office by the Republican Party of Virginia as Chairman, the once three-term state delegate, Jeff Frederick, is trying to cast himself as an outsider in his bid to become the Republican nominee for state senator."

He doesn't NEED to 'try.' You and the rest of the old-guard and Bob McDonnell's minions were out to get him from the moment he routed Hager at the convention to win the chairmanship. Or, as a friend of mine who sits on SCC related it to me.." It's the same people who have ALWAYS run RPV, and they know how close they were to losing it all, losing control with Jeff as chair." So yeah, I think we can definitively say Jeff Frederick is an outsider.

"In a recent mailing to voters in the 36th District, Frederick says he wants to “End Politics As Usual in Virginia.”

“Our families deserve someone who will stand up to the career politicians. They deserve an honest, independent, common-sense voice.”

It’s interesting to note that Frederick, who did serve for six years in the House of Delegates, wants to serve another four in the state Senate, was chairman of the RPV, and is running for the Republican nomination, is not actually running as an independent candidate; he wants the endorsement from one of the two political parties that dominates our political system to back his bid."

I think Hoeft is showing us a bit of how he thinks... "this guy is trying to be a Republican, therefore he'd damn well better march in lockstep, OR ELSE! No 'independent voices' allowed!" Way to be hyperliteralist, by the way. I'm just going to GUESS that perhaps Jeff means 'independent' in the intellectual sense, not in the sense of being independent of a political party. Quite a shock to you and your friends, no doubt, Mr. Hoeft.

"He writes:

“The career politicians in Richmond have made a mess of our economy and have put future generations at risk.”

Interesting choice of words. So, would that mean that Governor Bob McDonnell and his leadership team who have built Virginia into being #1 for business and balanced the budget without raising taxes have “made a mess of our economy”?"

Well, he just might. Not to break up your circle of RINO-McDonnell-worship, but he balanced the budget using federal money, and has given tax breaks - effective tax hikes for the rest of us - to businesses to move to Virginia. That sounds like standard-issue establishment behavior to me, it's not conservative or honest, and it won't fly with me. I'm sure Jeff meant primarily the current members of the Senate of Virginia, but hey, you brought up your hero McDonnell.

"This coming from the man who almost buried the Republican Party of Virginia? RPV is just now overcoming the tens of thousands of dollars in debt Frederick ran up on the party’s credit card. If you want a Microsoft Office product, just visit the Obenshain building on Grace St. in Richmond.

“Sure, they talk about creating jobs, but, in reality, they vote time and time again for job-killing tax hikes, new regulations and more wasteful government programs.”

If he’s talking about his presumptive Democratic opponent, State Sen. Toddy Puller, then, yeah, he has a point. But Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, the state’s chief jobs creation officer, has done more than talk – he’s delivered. And Virginia has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. It’s still not good enough, because there are people still out of work, but it could be much worse if not for public servants like Bolling."

Firstly, Jeff demolishes the "10 charges" in Mr. Hoeft's linked piece here. Regarding that cute little Microsoft joke, a large amount of MS Office packages were an in-kind contribution to RPV months before Jeff Frederick became chairman. As regards Bolling, THIS is again indicative of the RINO mindset... Government or "public servants" can't create jobs. The main thing government can do is get out of the way and let the private sector create them. Again... you brought these guys up, Mr. Hoeft, not me. Just sayin'.

"Frederick has every right to want to earn votes from the people of the 36th District, but he could try to do so with a little more discretion and credibility."

The only ones lacking in discretion and credibility here are you, Mr. Hoeft... and the Muñoz campaign.

Speaking of the Muñoz campaign, I'll take this opportunity to state I am a Jeff Frederick supporter in the primary and have been since learning of his interest in running in the 36th. Having said, that, I liked Tito Muñoz well enough, having met him a couple of times at events, and would have happily worked to help him defeat the odious Toddy Puller in November had he gotten the nomination. Given the eagerness of he and his supporters to push this hit piece by Hoeft, I'm having to rethink that. If he and they will stoop so low so quickly, perhaps he should question his fitness for public office. I can overlook his stumping for the mediocre (and that's being very kind) John McCain, we were all pretty worried about an Obama presidency, and justifiably so as it turns out. But to instantly seize on this sort of establishment hack attacking Jeff... well, he just hurt himself and his conservative credentials. Badly.

Jeff Frederick for Senate of Virginia, 36th District. That is all.

All good things...

2011-05-09T00:40:00.002-04:00

You know the rest. I've neglected NVC for far too long, and it's time to hang it up. I've enjoyed posting here, but Facebook has gotten a lot of my attention and energy the past couple of years, and I'm just not motivated to give NVC the attention it deserves. You'll be able to find my blog rantings at The Liberty Zone occassionally, or on Facebook. Thanks to my fellow bloggers and readers for all your help and support over the last 3-4 years.

I won't make this blog disappear or anything, but I won't be adding to it for the foreseeable future.

Take care.

I just can't stop myself...

2011-05-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

...from fisking this piece from stereotypical neoconservadouche Chris Malagisi. This guy is one of Newt Gingrich's henchmen, and periodically plugs him, and even started this page on facebook to "draft" Newtie. I, of course, couldn't stop myself back then, either... and this appeared. Whoops.

Anyway, away we go...

"Ron Paul Wins the Democrat Presidential Debate – oh wait!

By: Christopher N. Malagisi 05/06/11 8:49 AM"

My, my, my... aren't we funny, Chris?

"Earth to Rep. Ron Paul and former Gov. Gary Johnson – you are running for the Republican nomination for president, not the Libertarian or Democrat nomination."

They know that, Chris. Do you? Contrary to your views, there's no political party called the "Fusionist Party" or "Neoconservative Party". Hate to break it to you.

"At various times throughout the Republican primary debate last evening, I had to remind myself I was actually watching a Republican debate. Without the interludes of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Rick Santorum, and CEO Herman Cain, you would think that Ron Paul and Gary Johnson were participating in a Democrat presidential primary debate, siding with Democrats on major social and defense policy initiatives. "

Translation: "Hey, wait a minute... not everyone is espousing imperialist foreign policy and authoritarian social policies! Is this some kind of joke? I thought we'd sufficiently co-opted this party and run off the old-school conservatives that these views weren't prevalent any more!!!"

"Why do Republicans let people like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson participate in Republican presidential debates? They are obviously trying to win the “Who’s more Libertarian?” or “Who’s the least Republican” debate as opposed to the actual Republican debate taking place."

Well, gee, Scooter, maybe it just might be possible that there are significant components of the Republican primary electorate who've gotten tired of your Douchebag Conservatism! No, couldn't be...

"For the record, I do not disparage Paul or Johnson from running for president as they have served their country honorably nor do I fundamentally disagree with them that our country is in deep budgetary and economic peril."

Translation: "But now, let me disparage the two guys that were onstage who embrace the philosophy I truly hate and fear, conservatism. Problem is that they're so damn CORRECT on fiscal issues, even a devout neocon stoolpigeon myself is unable to sufficiently shroud the issues in mist! Blast!"

"Nor do I for one minute pretend the Republican Party is a homogenous entity where everyone agrees with everyone. Republicans have always had internal disputes over philosophical emphases and the occasional policy difference."

Translation: "But I sure would like things that way, and guys like me work every day to try and make them so. Did I mention Newt is THE MAN, and the embodiment of everything we'd like to morph the Republican Party into? Speak not ill of him, he is infallible!"

"The Republican Party as a whole though is based on five fundamental principles – individual freedom, limited government, free markets, a strong national defense, and preserving our traditional values and heritage. The modern Republican Party is based on the foundation of the conservative movement."

Okay, Chris, let's look at what the influx of former Trotskyite statists, aka neoconservatives, have done to those supposed "fundamental principles." Incidentally, the former Democrats knows as neoconservatives bear ideas which are neither new, nor conservative in any recognizable form.

Individual freedom: The Republican party has drifted far away from support of individual freedom in many ways. The creation of DHS, TSA and the attendant security theater in airports, which accomplishes NOTHING, other than violating travelers' civil liberties. Support for a greater, more intrusive federal government... medical records, financial records, property rights, the list goes on.

Limited government: What a joke. The Republican Party has been ripped so far off its moorings, it would hardly be recognizable to Calvin Coolidge. The party establishment has given up trying to roll back what the progressives have inflicted on Americans since 1932. They're not even trying to eliminate the Department of Education any longer, one of Ronald Reagan's stated goals! With the bunch in charge now, supposedly the goal is to "fix" massive unconstitutional ponzi schemes known as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare! Either they're guilty of craven ideological cowardice, or they support those programs. I tend towards the latter explanation. Why? Because the GOP establishment came up with huge expansions of government like Bush's Medicare prescription drug boondoggle, the Department of Homeland Security, and "No Child Left Behind." The GOP... slightly less collectivist than those other guys... Vote for us!

Free markets: Also a joke. Support of the cabal known as the Federal Reserve, and its constant monkeying with the markets. GOP-led Congresses and administrations bear some blame for the housing bubble, the dot-com bubble, the farm bill, the bailouts, the stimuli, and many other statist interventions in the economy. They also love doling out corporate welfare.

Strong national defense: Here, at least, the record is decent. The GOP has generally opposed the Democrats' attempts to weaken our military over the past 50 years or so. The real problem here is the GOP's relationships with the various elements of the military-industrial complex. It propagates corporate welfare like the F-35 "competitive engine", and creates a conflict of interest at the highest levels of government.

"Preserving our traditional values": Once upon a time, REAL conservatives understood that social mores and cultural traditions were passed down from one generation to the next by the people, not the government. Men like Robert Taft and Barry Goldwater understood this. Regrettably, Ronald Reagan gave the social "conservatives" a seat at the table, and they haven't gotten up.

"The conservative movement is a coalition made up of three disparate, yet amenable groups – classical liberals or libertarians, traditionalists, and anti-communists – or modernly referred to as fiscal, social, and defense conservatives. While each entity emphasizes different issues, they all work together in a political compact of sorts with a shared sense of reason operating within tradition. They also understand that together, as a fusionist coalition, they have the best chance of winning elections and actually legislating their conservative principles."

There are a number of issues here, the most prominent being the inclusion of the social "conservatives" as some kind of integral part of a conservative coalition. The second most prominent is that ANY conservative principles have any chance of "being legislated" with the current gang. This book lays it all out, from the perspective of a REAL conservative.

"In order for any modern candidate to win the GOP nomination, they must embody these conservative principles, or at least appeal to these constituencies. With the exception of primary fiscal issues, Paul and Johnson consistently deviated and at various points were even hostile to the social and defense conservative branches."

I can hear it now: "How DARE those guys get off our script! We NEED to invade third world hellholes every few years for sketchy reasons! We NEED to appease the religious nuts by instituting invasive authoritarian social policies at every level of government! Harrumph! Harrumph!" Well, Chris, the last GOP presidential nominee even resembling a conservative was Ronald Reagan, and he had to compromise with those in the GOP who were, well... not conservative. The last true conservative to obtain the GOP nod was Barry Goldwater, 47 years ago.

"Throughout the debate, Ron Paul stated positions that were contrary to mainstream Republicans. Nearly every response oozed of antipathy towards successfully concluding our military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and utilizing enhanced interrogation techniques, even for the likes of Khalid Sheik Mohammed – the mastermind of 9/11."

Oh my goodness, not positions "contrary to mianstream Republicans'... anything but that! (To be fair, I disagree with Rep. Paul and Gov. Johnson on enhanced interrogation techniques. These people aren't protected by the Geneva conventions, since they're not soldiers.)

"He is against the use of prisons for enemy combatants, humanitarian and foreign aid, the reorganization and consolidation of our homeland security, traditional marriage, the AZ illegal immigration act, wants to get rid of the federal reserve, intonated a return to the gold standard and at one point stated he was for legalizing drugs such as heroin and cocaine – I’m not kidding."

Well, no kidding, Chris... of course he's against humanitarian and foreign aid, DHS, the Federal Reserve, and wants to return to the gold standard and sound money. HE is an actual CONSERVATIVE... unlike YOU.

"The debate moderators at one point had to ask Paul and Johnson how they expected to win the Republican nomination with anti-Republican viewpoints such as these."

What both Chris and the moderators either don't fully understand or don't choose to acknowledge is that political parties are brands, not ideologies. For most of the 19th century, the Democrats were the exponents of limited government, not the GOP. Things change.

"Politically though, no modern presidential candidate has won the Republican nomination being fiscally imprudent, negligent on social issues, and anti-defense. Look at the most recent Republican presidential nominees and how they were able to appeal politically to the three main constituencies."

Oh, THIS will be good.

"While prickly with the conservative base, John McCain knew he had to win over enough people from each of the three main groups to win the Republican nomination. His position of strength was national security having served in the US Navy and was the leading proponent in congress for the Iraqi surge. He was consistently pro-life and appealed to economic voters using the line that government spending like drunken sailors was an insult to drunken sailors."

John McCain won the nomination because everything broke just right for him. Rudy didn't make an effort until Florida, when it was too late; Fred Thompson didn't have a real campaign, Huckabee was rightly seen as a tool of the religious nuts and couldn't get much support outside that base, and the three candidates who could be called conservative in some way, shape or form, Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, were marginalized by the party establishment and media. He won by default.

"George W. Bush unabashedly was a social conservative referring to his reaffirmation of Jesus Christ in his adult life during the 2000 campaign. He appealed to fiscal conservatives touting his plans for tax cuts and appealed to defense conservatives supporting a missile defense shield and a non-nation building approach to foreign policy."

Simply put, Bush had the religious nut vote in his back pocket, along with the establishment types... he then flat-out LIED about a "humble foreign policy" over and over again before pursuing a neocon agenda once in office. Running to the right of John McCain is no big trick.

"Like McCain, Bob Dole had a thorny relationship with conservatives but appealed to defense conservatives having served in combat. He was pro-life and appealed to fiscal voters by promising a 10% across-the-board federal budget cut and selected the tax cut icon, Jack Kemp, as his running mate."

Bob Dole got the nomination because of the weakness of his competition; no other reason. Lamar Alexander? Alan Keyes? Come on. It was "his turn".

"You can see a consistent theme among these candidates that allowed them to appeal not only to the Republican base but to the national electorate as well. Republicans should reassess their standards of participation in nationally televised debates or risk losing or hurting their brand further."

No, not really, Chris. What republicans need to do is re-examine their own priorities, and see if they match the principles they claim to believe in, starting with "limited government." They also need to reassess the standing of self-appointed gatekeepers.

"Again, Ron Paul and Gary Johnson have every right to run for president, but they are not Republican or traditionally conservative."

Hahahahahahahah!!!! What a complete crock! Those guys are each more conservative than you, Newtie, Rick Santorum and John McCain combined on your best day.

"While Donald Trump may have questionable political discrepancies of his own, he recently summed it up best that Ron Paul has zero chance of winning. The Libertarian Party is still looking for their nominee, gentlemen."

The one with "questionable political discrepancies is YOU, Chris. Thanks for playing.

"Christopher N. Malagisi is the President of the Young Conservatives Coalition, a National Review Institute Washington Fellow, and an Adjunct Professor at American University teaching “The History of the Conservative Movement: 1945-Present" and "Campaigns & Political Activism"

Holy hell, THIS guy teaches a class on "the conservative movement"? I'd bet his students barely even hear about "Mr. Republican" or "Mr. Conservative", since they clearly would stand forthrightly against his neocon worldview. No wonder AU is so far left!

Spare me your smarm, your condescension and your arrogance. No sale. Don't you have a Newtie event to go to?

The walking talking stereotypical neoconservadouche in all his glory.

The Coming Fighter Gap

2010-12-01T21:23:00.004-05:00

Once again, Robert Gates has been shown to be wrong, wrong, WRONG on the F-22. And it's going to hurt us. Badly. Today, Mackenzie Eaglen and Lajos F. Szaszdi of the Heritage Foundation released What Russia’s Stealth Fighter Developments Mean for America, a look at what the forthcoming fifth-gen Russian PAK FA stealth fighter, meant to rival the F-22, will do to our hold on air superiority over the next 10-20 years and beyond.

Let's quote Secretary Gates, as per the paper's abstract:

"Defense analysts, officials, and industry personnel have long believed that the U.S. F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter would not face serious threats from foreign fifth-generation fighters for the next 20 years. In September 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates repudiated claims of a looming “fighter gap”—a deficit between the services’ fighter aircraft inventories and their operational requirements. “[T]he more compelling gap,” he argued, “is the deep chasm between the air capabilities of the United States and those of other nations.”"

Whoops. Thanks to Secretary Gates' termination of the F-22 program, ostensibly due to its expense (duh, you kept cutting it back, OF COURSE the price per aircraft is going to go up) at 187 aircraft, instead of the roughly 500 originally planned, and the serious problems with the F-35's various incarnations (none of which come close to matching the stealth or air-to-air capabilities of the F-22 Raptor), including rising costs which may even force the cost per plane near what we're paying for the Raptors. We may as well have bought the 500 Raptors, from a budgetary perspective.

To make matters worse, Eaglen and Szaszdi tell us the Russians will be looking to sell the PAK to people like Algeria, India, Vietnam, Libya, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and yes... the People's Republic of China. Doesn't that sound like a good time? They're all going to have fighters superior to the F-35 and the Typhoon, and the near equal of the Raptor. Maybe a LOT of them. Thanks, Gates!

Hopefully the GOP will do something to resuscitate the F-22, and quick, in Congress after the New Year. But in the current fiscal climate, I doubt it.

Gingrich strikes again... this time on health policy...

2010-11-18T09:22:00.003-05:00

...spouting in this speech about hoe the right needs to move from rejection of federal helath policy (the correct and Constitutional course) to "replacement" (the neoconservadouche, liberal-lite course of action) to modernize conservatism.

PLEASE, someone shut this clown up!

Gerson just won't stop...

2010-11-10T09:19:00.002-05:00

disparaging conservatives every chance he gets, like in this Post piece.

Listen to this clown:

"And even a vast political victory does not change an iron law of politics: The quality of candidates matters. Serious, mainstream Republican Senate candidates could have won in Delaware and Nevada. But Christine O'Donnell was not serious. And Sharron Angle - warning of "Second Amendment remedies" in case of political loss - was not mainstream. Weak, poorly vetted Senate candidates were the main reason that while Republican gains in the House were historic - the largest in 72 years - gains in the Senate were not.

O'Donnell and Angle were gifts of Sen. Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin to their party. Tea Party enthusiasm and shallow ideological purity were supposed to be better than outdated, "establishment" attributes such as achievement, wisdom or qualification. This approach to politics is expected of DeMint, who has gained national prominence by accusing his Republican colleagues of compromise. Coming from Palin, however, it is a threat to the Republican future."

First off, I admit O'Donnell was absolutely nuts and stood no chance. The upside is that she defeated Mike Castle, a Democrat in GOP clothing. Castle immediately had consultations at the White House after losing the primary to O'Donnell. That's a fair measure of his conservatism, or utter lack thereof. Better to have a real Democrat that we can oppose in 2016.

Angle was a Bidenesque gaffe machine at times, butwould have made a fine Senator and is personally a very nice lady. Reid's victrory was a function of his power as Democrat leader in the Senate and his seniority, as well as some ham-fisted tactics by the gaming industry and unions. Fortunately his son got housed in his bid for the state house.

But listen to Gerson... "shallow ideological purity"... You mean ACTUALLY STANDING FOR SOMETHING, YOU DOUCHE??? Please, shut up, Gerson. As much as you try and snow people, "Roman Catholic social thought" is never going to be an impetus of conservatism. Ever. It's liberalism wrapped in a religious shroud.

Jim DeMint is currently America's finest Senator (pending the arrival of Rand Paul) and has been for several years. Gerson could learn a thing or thousand from him. But, let's move on...

"This election season called that perception into question. Palin's support for O'Donnell showed poor political judgment. But Palin went further, also endorsing Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo in Colorado, one of the most divisive figures in American politics.

Tancredo has made a career of fanning anti-immigrant resentment and lobbing ideological grenades. The people who voted Barack Obama into office, in his view, "could not even spell the word 'vote' or even say it in English." The National Council of La Raza is "a Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses." Miami is a "Third World country." Pope Benedict's embrace of immigrants is all about "recruiting new members," in an attempt at "faith-based marketing." "The guy sitting in the White House," says Tancredo, is a greater threat to the Constitution than al-Qaeda. "If his wife says Kenya is his homeland, why don't we just send him back?"

It was one of the best outcomes of Election 2010 that Tancredo was exiled from any position of public trust. But it is disturbing that Palin found Tancredo to be the "right man for the job." Her endorsement raises the question of whether Palin has any standards for her support other than anti-government rhetoric. Either as a power broker or a candidate in the 2012 election, Palin's increasingly erratic political judgment should raise Republican concerns."

Guess what, Mikey? Tom Tancredo is not "divisive" (a word liberals whip out to imply racism or whatever when they're losing an argument badly) and is positively correct about all of the above. Go ahead..bring some logic, you DC loser. No? That's what I thought. I'm no fan of Sarah Palin, but she made a fine choice in endorsing the Tank. My only quibble is his not seeking the GOP nomination from the start. If he had, he'd have won easily.

This election cycle is a repudiation of Gerson and all his little GOP establishment friends. I can't wait for the day when McConnell and his ilk are cleaned out of leadership, both in Congress and the GOP itself. But hey, Gerson will insist on some kind of excuse. Douchebag conservatism at its finest.

Karl Rove, establishment tool.

2010-09-15T08:45:00.002-04:00

Here he is ripping on the victorious Christine O'Donnell.

This guy sucks in every way, shape and form. It makes me vomit that his book is subtitled "My life as a conservative in the fight" when he's spent the past 10 years tearing down conservatives and boosting moderates and neocons. Please, go away, Karl.

My favorite DC rears his head again...

2010-09-13T00:01:00.003-04:00

...and I somehow just came across it a week and a half later.

Fear not, friends, I must and shall deliver the smackdown Gerson so richly deserves. Again. Still.

Back in the first post ever on this blog... I demolished him for his attempt to pervert conservatism into... well, whatever it is he believes it should be. The man is still at it. He even does his best impression of a race-baiting, guilt-ridden liberal with his "questions" for tea party candidates.

But hey, being the nice guy I am... Let's give Mikey the answers to his questions, shall we?

"First, do you believe that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional?"

YES. And Ronald Reagan did not "move Republicans past Alf Landon's resistance to the New Deal and Barry Goldwater's opposition to federal civil rights law, focusing instead on economic growth and national strength." He tried to eliminate whole federal departments but was prevented from doing so by Tip O'Neill's gang and Republicans like YOU, Gerson. You even seem to admit you're wrong, that a "consistent Constitutionalism" would preclude all the social tinkering rubbish you so love. But you're so lost in your own demagoguery that you brush that aside as unimportant. Do you even realize your own nihilism?

"A second question of Tea Party candidates: Do you believe that American identity is undermined by immigration?"

Look at him trying to conflate all immigration, legal or illegal. Classic open-borders racial demagoguery. Mike, just leave the party and go be the Democrat you so clearly are at heart. So let's take apart the answer. LEGAL immigration, no. But we have the absolute right as a nation to decide who gets in, who doesn't , from where, how many, anything. No one can say otherwise. ILLEGAL immigration, YES. It must be stopped. It does incredible social, economic and political damage to the republic. Not that you care.

And Mikey's third and final "question"...

"Question three: Do you believe that gun rights are relevant to the health-care debate?"

Again with the leftist demagoguery, this time used against Sharron Angle. I think the Second Amendment exists to prevent the government from having a monopoly on coercive force, and yes, to allow the people to resist said government over overreaching garbage like socialized medicine.

The tea party's ideology is NOT "incompatible with some conservative and Republican beliefs." It's at odds with your big-government douchebag conservatism. But Mikey goes on...

"It is at odds with Abraham Lincoln's inclusive tone and his conviction that government policies could empower individuals. It is inconsistent with religious teaching on government's responsibility to seek the common good and to care for the weak. It does not reflect a Burkean suspicion of radical social change."

Lincoln is NO model of conservatism in any way, shape, or form. He was a disciple of Henry Clay and an enemy of Constitutional government. And for the umpteenth time, it is NOT the responsibility of any level of government to "care for the weak." As for "radical social change"... we're just looking to undo what you and your liberal friends have done to us, Mikey. Best of luck stopping us. We're coming. Douchebag.

Lindsey Graham strikes again...

2010-07-02T08:38:00.001-04:00

Yet more evidence of why this guy needs to go.

He's worse than John McCain.

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-02T08:33:00.002-04:00

...a bit early, since I know many of you will be leaving to spend time with family and friends this long weekend.

A quick shout out to everyone who's ever worn the uniform. Thanks. No matter how many idiots and moonbats try to run you down, know that most Americans love you and appreciate everything you do, so we don't have to.

Much ado about nothing...

2010-05-30T10:02:00.002-04:00

...is how I see the tempest over Patrick Murray's views on abortion. This is the 8th district people. This issue is NOT a priority for most of the voters in the 8th one way or the other. Can we please focus on more important issues, like fiscal issues and defense issues? Maybe even the competence and experience of the candidates? There is a real chance to beat Jim Moran this year, let's not waste it. Patrick is the more broadly-experienced, articulate, personable candidate by a large margin. I like Matthew Berry, but have you seen him speak in public? Seen the debates thus far? I have concenrs about how he'd handle the stage with Jim Moran. No concerns with Murray. The worst thing you can say about the Murray campaign is that they haven't updated and fact-checked their mailers. While bad, that's a common mistake.

Dick Black enters the 33rd District race...

2010-05-29T11:35:00.002-04:00

...for keeps, it appears. That makes it apparent he's challenging his friend Patricia Phillips, as well as Michael "Spike" Williams (pending what the Dems do with Hunter Mill in redistricting, of course.)

He's been to multiple events promoting his candidacy now, and given his reputation there's no going back.

As discussed at Too Conservative and Renaissance Ruminations, Dick Black CANNOT win a general election. He allowed himself to be vastly outspent in his 2005 reelection campaign, even when it was clear it wasn't good year for Republicans, got beat, tried to carpetbag his way down into the 1st Congressional seat in 2007 (and then ended up advising Bob Berry NOT to be a "perennial candidate" before he jumped into the U.S. Senate contest!) and now, plastic fetuses in tow, he's going to try and bump off Patricia, a much better candidate, for the sake of his own ego. No, thank you, Dick. Please, do the smart thing, stay on the sidelines, help Patricia raise money, and relax.

Patricia Phillips for Senate. Still.

The evangelical types dislike the tea party activists because...

2010-03-14T23:36:00.003-04:00

...they're not focused on ridiculous issues like abortion and stopping gay marriage.

Theocons are a cancer on conservatism, and by nature are NOT conservative because they want to use the power of the government for social engineering just like the left does. They simply have different goals. I'm glad they don't like us.

RINOs jumping on Beck's CPAC speech

2010-03-07T20:00:00.002-05:00

It's a couple weeks on, and the RINOs and DCs are still upset about Glenn Beck's amazing keynote speech at CPAC. It started with Bill Bennett, who has always been a huge RINO in my estimation, like his friends Jack Kemp (RIP) and Newt Gingrich. Then Limbaugh and Levin surprisingly piled on, basically saying the GOP needs help right now. As Beck essentially said, it's no longer good enough to be just slightly less socialist than the Democrats. If that's their sole justification, we're sunk. We need to be FOR something. Glenn Beck did well by real conservatives.

Cuccinelli takes on the EPA ruling and the IPCC

2010-02-18T08:32:00.005-05:00

This is another example of why I support this man. He is doing everything he said he would do. Not least was his promise to take on the overreaching federal government. The Washington Post has the story on his filing a petition in federal court Tuesday against the Environmental Protection Agency (as well as one with the EPA itself...good luck with that one) for a review of EPA's decision to brand carbon dioxide a danger to public health, and thus subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. All of this stems from the politically motivated, demonstrably false 2007 report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has mainly been in the news lately for the errors in it and the attempt to cover them up ("Climategate") by left wing global warmists.

Here's hoping Ken is successful and gets this ruling thrown out.

UPDATE: (via RWL) Ken had a press conference yesterday where he ripped the IPCC and the "science" as "unreliable, unverifiable and doctored." Good times. Predictably, the environmental nuts showed up, including the VA Sierra Club, and talked about how bulletproof their "science" is. Keep right on thinking that, guys. AS RWL points out, the DCPost reporter, Helderman, makes a lot of excuses for the IPCC and slants the story. THIS is why no one regards them as neutral. It's not an opinion piece, is it?

Gary Johnson: Conservative Rock Star

2010-02-17T21:30:00.003-05:00

Have a look at former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson here on Freedom Watch with Andrew Napolitano today. He lays out what the real problems are with our government. He'd be an amazing President. He's speaking at CPAC this weekend. Everyone should familiarize themselves with this champion of liberty, he is one of the few.

As of now, he's the leader for my endorsement in the 2012 presidential nomination race, should he run.

Patricia Phillips for Senate

2010-02-11T11:48:00.003-05:00

Now that some blogs have picked up the race and Spike Williams is in, I should state my unequivocal support for Patricia Phillips in the 33rd district. She has the right mix of fiscal and Constitutional conservatism to appeal to a broad base of voters in both Loudon and Fairfax. I like Spike Williams just fine, having met him a couple times when he ran for Supervisor in '07, but Patricia is the conservative choice here.

Cuccinelli nails it on federalism...

2010-02-11T10:13:00.006-05:00

... in his brilliant op-ed in the Washington Examiner. He lays out the basics of why federal power is limited, and why any sort of "individual mandate" is illegal and unconstitutional. THIS is why I worked for him, putting out signs, making calls, etc. That's actually extremely unusual for me to explicitly support a politician. Now that he's been elected to statewide office, he's rewarding my faith.

In stark contrast, read this Politico article on the same issue from Tuesday. Waxman is so impossibly arrogant. He, along with avast majority of Congress (both parties), just don't get it. They think "federalism" means supremacy of the federal government in all things, all the time. Please, people, TRY and read the Constitution, The Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers before you run for public office.

Go, Ken, go!

EDIT: And Connolly, too, in that Politico piece.

Newt Gingrich... Neocon

2010-02-05T19:03:00.001-05:00

This article by the NewAmerican, the magazine of the John Birch Society, really lays it all out. The sooner conservatives dissociate themselvesfrom him and others like him, the better.

Patrick Murray For Congress, 8th District

2010-02-05T18:28:00.003-05:00

Met him at the Advance, was very impressed. Read on his background, including his interviews. I'm sold. No intentional disrespect shown to Berry or Ellmore (Socci is a complete tool and should withdraw) but I'm endorsing Col. Murray in the 8th district primary, and will be voting for him.

Vote!!!

2009-11-03T10:04:00.001-05:00

Just wanted remind everyone to get out and vote today! I voted this morning for Tim Nank for Delegate, Bob McDonnell (had to think about it, but I did) for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General. (Woohoo!) I'd ask everyone to vote for these statewide candidates. We need to take this republic back from the left, and it starts today here in Virginia.

The Democrats show their true colors...

2009-09-26T13:07:00.003-04:00

...supporting punk-level vandalism of campaign signs. Not that I'm a big fan of Bob McDonnell, but I think he's going to hold off Deeds.

Nice job, guys, what's next, throwing that fake blood at campaign offices again. Winners, I tell ya.

Sarkozy lays it out on Obama's "no nukes" crusade

2009-09-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

I don't agree with him all the time, but this guy may be the linchpin of Western leaders against the Islamic threat right now.

Well done, President Sarkozy.

Yet more evidence of why the 'stimulus package" hasn't worked

2009-08-23T12:06:00.001-04:00

Mark Steyn destroys the porkulus.

McConnell Must Go

2009-07-29T11:16:00.005-04:00

To follow up on what Mason Conservative had to say earlier, McConnell is terrible. He's a former conservative who's just in there to go along to get along these days. He should not be the Minority Leader. How he treated Jim Bunning, a REAL conservative is unconscionable, and I admire Bunning for calling him out on it Monday. Jim Bunning has been a better Senator than McConnell ever has been. Maybe he didn't run a great race six years ago, but he fights for the ideals he supposedly believes in, in contrast to McConnell, who's done little of interest to conservatives since he fought "campaign finance reform" lo, these many years ago.

McConnell, of course, refused to own up to crippling Bunning's fundraising ability over the last year or so. H even recruited his minion Trey Grayson to run against Bunning in the primary. With Bunning out, Rand Paul is the man that needs to win that seat. Every good conservative and libertarian needs to ensure he wins.

Tim Nank For Delegate

2009-07-29T11:12:00.004-04:00

Tim Nank came by our house with some literature the other day, so I took the opportunity to have a look at his website. Excellent candidate, and those of us here in the Groveton/Kingstowne area who appreciate individual liberty and spending restraint sure won't be sad to see the back of Mark Sickles. This is an easy endorsement. It's good to see strong candidates playing offense against seats the Dems think they own.

Tim Nank for Delegate, 43rd District.

Obama and his "Health Reform" road show

2009-07-28T13:10:00.002-04:00

The GOP and/or the conservative movement needs to dog Obama at every stop on his tour. Remember what the Dems did to Bush when he tried to reform Social Security? They followed him to every stop. The socialized medicine plan is in some trouble, now that it's slipped out that the House bill eliminates any new private plans after a certain date. They need to be stopped. No compromise.

McDonnell still leads in cash race, but...

2009-07-15T11:08:00.002-04:00

...Deeds is catching up. Our erstwhile attorney general needs to do better, considering how he once remarked he spends "75% of his time fundraising."

As most of my readers know, I'm not sold on Bob McDonnell. Not even a little. I'll likely support him, but given his stances on taxes and guns, and the way he started running for governor the moment he eked out a win over Deeds for the AG slot, I'll have to think about it first. He'll finish behind Cuccinelli and Bolling in terms of votes on our ticket.

We could have done better.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-04T17:10:00.001-04:00

... enough said. I attended the March For Liberty earlier, and am headed out in a while to catch the fireworks. Enjoy, everyone.

Heritage and the CBO on "cap and trade"

2009-07-01T18:28:00.003-04:00

Heritage's view of the "cap and trade" national energy tax scheme is proven right by the Congressional Budget Office.

The Senate has GOT to stop this blatant power grab by the greens and the left, it's despicable.

Ken Cuccinelli in National Review

2009-07-01T11:27:00.002-04:00

This is what we need, national exposure for a guy who actually gets what the conservative movement is supposed to be about.

Money quote:

Shannon currently leads in fundraising. But Cuccinelli insists that victory is just a means, not the end. “The point is to accomplish the agenda,” he says. What is the agenda? “I’m running to advance a more limited-government, pro-family agenda. The founding fathers would approve.”

THIS is why he's going to get the most votes of anyone on our statewide ticket this fall.

HR 2454 passed... what now?

2009-06-28T00:59:00.004-04:00

... I'll tell you what, keep fighting. We have an excellent chance to keep this piece of unconstitutional social engineering garbage from passing the Senate.

A bit of a rundown on just HOW bad it is...

Firstly, there is no version of the bill that was passed (yet)... and it contains placeholder provisions, which are categorically unconstitutional.

Secondly, it won't have the purported effect on the economy. Not even close.

Thirdly, despite the administration's sticking its fingers in its ears and screaming "I can't hear you!!!", it won't create any jobs. That has been tried elsewhere.

Obviously all this only scratches the surface, the worst of it is the sheer hubris of its supporters to think they can ignore the Constitution on an even greater scale than the federal government already does, and how they label skeptics as "deniers", as if this was akin to denying the Holocaust.

These people are going to do their worst to force us all to live how they want, where they want, the way they want. This is only the beginning. Health care, right to work, all sorts of things are in their cross hairs. I just wish conservatives could move half as fast as the liberals have since Obama was sworn in. You have to almost admire them on that level. Having said that, this is war, and we libertarians and conservatives have to win.

Call your Congressmen & Senators...

2009-06-26T01:24:00.002-04:00

and demand that they vote against HR 2454, better known as the "Cap & Trade" national energy tax bill. It's based on alarmist "global warming" junk science pushed by leftists with a vested interest in reaching certain scientific conclusions. Absolute rubbish. This is just another piece of social engineering manufactured by socialist wackos. Stop it in its tracks.

And...

2009-06-25T08:39:00.003-04:00

...in other news, yes, I live. I'd abandoned my post here due to a combination of being dispirited and just being busy. I'll rededicate myself, as things are just too bad on all fronts politically.

On the plus side, how exciting was it to see Foster and Brownlee come out to make a motion for acclimation at the RPV convention? Ken Cuccinelli is the best things happening in politics right now. Our gubernatorial nominee is mediocre, and started running for governor the moment he became attorney general by a razor-thin margin, but Ken will motivate me to get out to support our ticket this year. We NEED to win all three statewides and gain seats in the House.

Seriously, what is going on with high profile Republicans...

2009-06-25T08:34:00.003-04:00

...and cheating on their wives?

First John Ensign, which was bad enough, and now the guy who I was behind for President in 2012, Mark Sanford. Unbelievable. I will now, needless to say, NOT be supporting him in the primaries, as the hypocrisy here, with him being a big social issues guy, is unbearable. Just crazy. I'm becoming convinced that Obama is going to have his way because the GOP is too busy either destroying itself with stuff like this, or too timid to really take on Obama on his leftist collectivist agenda.

Tom Tancredo coming to GMU this evening!

2009-02-25T09:45:00.004-05:00

Found out about this thanks to BVBL.

Tom Tancredo is being hosted by the Mason chapter of YAF at the Johnson Center tonight at 7:00, Meeting Room E. I will be there to show my support, hear what he has to say about patriotism and assimilation, and show my Patriot pride. Rep. Tancredo has been an absolute hero on immigration issues. He founded the House Immigration Reform Caucus, and played a huge role in stopping John McCain and George W. Bush's collaboration with the left in 2006 and again in 2007 to ram through amnesty bills. I have met the man twice and both times he was extremely personable, very unlike the rhetoric you hear about him from the left. I would encourage all of you to come out and attend.

I have also heard that our "friends" at certain racial student groups and leftist organizations are going to try and disrupt the event. So let's get a ridiculous turnout and show them they have no chance, not now, not ever. I will make it a point to... express my appreciation to these moonbats and race-baiting charlatans should they put in an appearance.

See you all there.

Afterward, I'm going to either the Damon's in SUB 1 or Brion's to catch the end of GMU finally notching a win down at Trask.

The Utter Folly of Keynesianism

2009-02-17T11:24:00.004-05:00

Over at Crystal Clear Conservative, my far more eloquent colleague once again rips Keynesian theory wide open. While I can't match her in detail, I feel the need to take the Congress and the economic "chattering classes" to task in the wake of Obama's signing of the socialist porkulus today.

How do these people not get that THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T HELP THE ECONOMY, IT CAN ONLY HURT IT?? It's intrinsically obvious to any serious student of history. From the Peloponessian War to World War II, wars have rescued stagnant economies where government tinkering failed. Is that what we're going to need this time once the Keynesians exacerbate the recession into a depression? We need to rid ourselves of the Federal Reserve and go back to a tight, sound currency backed by gold or other precious metals. You can't print money, it devalues the currency to Weimar Republic levels. That's where these people will take us. Just wait. THIS may be the single biggest reason I could never be a Democrat. Socialism... Er, Keynesianism.

Free markets and capitalism WORK. If the government can just manage to keep its grubby little hands off.

Stop the sales tax hike!!!

2009-02-13T00:27:00.002-05:00

It's all up to McDonnell and/or Howell to stop this thing now. Frederick appears to be doing his part. Contact your Senator and tell them to oppose any bill containing pre-payment of sales taxes, including the current one. (Hat tip: RWL)

The Frederick/Griffith/Northam brouhaha

2009-02-13T00:11:00.002-05:00

I won't blame Jeff Frederick for this since he was given leave by Griffith and other GOP Senators, but to the whole group... how about we just keep quiet about such things until we can make them actually happen next time, mmmkay? I would have loved to have seen Kaine and Saslaw make excuses for that. Now that won't happen, at least until they drive Northam off again.

Arlen Specter...

2009-02-12T23:52:00.003-05:00

is an absolute disgrace. AGAIN. Or still. He betrays the party every single chance he gets on close votes, yet Jorge Bushito and his gang came and rescued him from Pat Toomey in 2004. If a credible challenger emerges to Specter in the Senate primary next year, not only will I contribute to that campaign, I will offer my consulting services and otherwise do everything I can to oust that guy. He could have been a hero and stood with every other Republican Senator outside of Maine against the porkulus bill, but instead, he helped provided the losing margin against the American people. I will address Collins and Snowe another time, but let me say at least you know where they are going to stand on just about every issue, and they don't pretend to positions they don't actually hold. Specter plays Republican long enough to get party support and keep his chairmanship/ranking position, and then knifes us in the back again. He must go. Yesterday. He is a big government liberal tool of the trial lawyers and labor unions. He was also one of the primary exponents of amnesty for criminal illegal aliens.

Liveblogging the RebuildTheParty.com/RNC/Google event

2009-01-28T22:18:00.002-05:00

Arrived 5:30, and they couldn't find my name on the list. Signed up a second time at the registration desk, with the aid of the two staff people. Very friendly & courteous. Hopefully I won't start getting duplicate emails from Rebuild The Party. We shall see.

5:45. Announcement that the program is about to begin. "Everyone please find your seats." No one is, they're all standing about as I sit here hammering away on the Crackberry. Introduction by Patrick Ruffini and the two other co-founders of Rebuild The Party whose names I don't catch.

5:50. Sharon Day, candidate for RNC Secretary, talks about Twitter and how quickly she got up to speed with it, and how technology helped the Dems win down in Florida. Says she's gotten more Twitter activity than four of the chairman candidates. If she wins, she says we will close the new media gap.

5:55. Several RNC members talk, as do the Rebuild The Party founders.
Guy from Google, Peter Greenberg, sitting right in front of me, comes up, talks about how he wants to invest Google on the right, not just the left. Patrick Ruffini talking about the youth vote and the internet, and not surrendering it. Why did they start RTP? Just two years ago, we were way behind, running an outdated campaign model. Fundraising through bundlers is not scalable in the internet age. Didn't work out, using the old model, whereby sending the most mail and making lots of phone calls, you raise more money. Talks about arguments within campaigns to actually zap online presence as ineffective. Video content, specifically YouTube, offers a huge opportunity. YouTube is not just kids in their basement, it's a very powerful tool.

6:15. Why did we lose, the internet? NO. We were out of touch. Failure to adapt across board. We need to get to work immediately. What did the Dems do? They built a movement first, then got the money. Shows a huge Obama rally early in the game, like summer 2007. There, they got email addresses. Those were used to ask for not just money, but time and support. Simple message of "change." Trusted supporters. Use the two-way web. Flood the zone. Amazing multimedia web and net presence. Committment matched with resources. Huge online disparity. 46.9 million raised off 1700 youtube videos. 500 million total raised online. 13 million email
addresses. 2 million website members. 27k local Obama groups. Much bigger pie than McCain in terms of fundraising. Online made the difference. Obama used that to run more TV than anyone else ever.

6:28. Old playbook is dead. Dean made the blueprint for Obama. GOP didn't learn. Internet and new media needs to bw #1 organizational priority for RNC and state parties and campaigns. Change the way we do things. New generation of candidates. Challenge every house race. Make
it about the supporters, not the candidate or the staff. Always be ready to adapt and reallocate resources. Things will change. Talks about mobile platforms and what Obama did with Google Earth.

6:40. Wrapping up presentation. Talking about smaller effort of email fundraising vs. Old school events. Rearrange priorities around new media. Lost young voters 2-1. Not good. They are reached through new media. Working on board of advisors for rebuild the party, to feature elected officials. Rob Willington is point man for that too. I immediately think of Bob Marshall and Ken Cuccinelli.

And video, food, networking. All in all, reasonably impressive. Bright, dynamic, articulate crew, who just might shake up the party establishment if we have the right people in charge, and they listen. It really is all up to us, the activists to force the old-school types to listen.

Herrity for Chair

2009-01-22T17:08:00.003-05:00

It is absolutely, vitally important to keep Sharon Bulova, Connolly's sidekick, out of the county chair. We have a terrific candidate in Pat Herrity, who will put a stop to what Hanley and Connolly have done to the county over the past few years.

Support Pat Herrity

Mason beats Tulane, but...

2008-12-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

doesn't look good doing it. Goff has it here and concurs. Tulane, despite their pedigree, is not very good, particularly on offense. I felt bad for that Puckett kid, the crowd at the Patriot Center was all over him. The Patriots should have blown that team out, but instead scraped by with their worst performance of the season.

If they play like that against the Dayton Flyers, mark it down, they will get HAMMERED. On the plus side, we now get some support in the AP Poll, via Kish at George Mason Basketball.

Q and O thumps the New York Times... HARD

2008-12-22T00:10:00.002-05:00

Chris linked this at Mason Conservative, but I just can't help but pile on. Q and O hammers the NYT trying to defend Dodd, Frank and Raines, and pin it all on Republicans.

Not so fast, weasels.

Caroline Kennedy

2008-12-21T20:10:00.001-05:00

All kidding aside, can anyone name one credential this woman has for being a United States Senator beyond her last name? Bueller... Bueller... Anyone?

That's what I thought.

Katon Dawson for RNC Chair

2008-12-16T23:08:00.004-05:00

He's wildly successful as the South Carolina chair, and he has the ideas we need. Read this.

Other candidates include Michael Steele and Saul Anuzis, both "neoconservative" Bush types. Witness their assaults on Ron Paul during the primaries. We've had enough of that sort of thinking. Mike Duncan, unbelievably, is seeking another term after leading the party over a cliff as Jorge Bush's hand-picked guy. Now that takes cajones. Ken Blackwell is a recent entrant. I like him a lot, although he's not the most exciting or dynamic leader.

But Dawson, to me, stands head & shoulders above the rest.

Katon Dawson for RNC Chair.

Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor

2008-12-16T22:50:00.003-05:00

Since it appears that the quixotic Muldoon campaign isn't going away any time soon, I'm going to once again state my support for Bill Bolling. Frankly, I wish he were going to be the gubernatorial nominee. I would have supported him over Bob McDonnell, who is still suspect in my eyes. I could understand Muldoon opposing McDonnell, but this is just nuts.

He has a snowball's chance at best, but let's not take any chances.

Hat Tip: Bearing Drift

Bush: I had to kill economic freedom to save it!

2008-12-16T22:16:00.004-05:00

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. THIS is his excuse for bailout madness.

Really, George? Really? REALLY?

He's the worst president since LBJ. Yes, worse than Nixon or even Carter. This man cannot be gone soon enough. He had a united Republican government, with a chance in 2002 to end things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Energy, Commerce, HUD, HHS, Education, Labor, and any other number of unconstitutional expansions of the federal government. He made an abortive attempt to reform Social Security. Beyond that, he dragged us into an unnecessary war in Iraq, spent money like a Democrat, exploded the deficit, devalued the currency, and is now giving out money like candy to his corporate friends, courtesy of Hank Paulson and his robber baron friends from Goldman Sachs. If he'd given half the effort to fiscal conservatism that he did to that Schiavo nonsense, he might at least have been decent.

As it stands, he has been an unmitigated disaster for conservatism, and for America. Thanks for nothing, Jorge. At least we stopped your immigration amnesty. I bet your corporate friends are still pissed at that.

Mason hoops, VT football victorious; Caps get shut out

2008-11-30T14:03:00.003-05:00

GMU handled the Ohio Bobcats yesterday. If they'd shot better, it could have been a 30 point win. Next up: Liberty, who look like they might be a handful this year.

Virginia Tech beat UVa 17-14. Now on to Jacksonville, and for the second straight year, a rematch with the Boston College Eagles. Let's go... HOKIES! Get those Yankees again this year.

Sadly, the Washington Capitals got blanked by the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on the road. Come on, Caps.... You have to start doing better away from home if you want to win in the playoffs.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I'm off to my dad's place in a few hours.

The mystery GOP Senator...

2008-11-25T23:01:00.004-05:00

in this Politico piece says we need to become more like the Democrats to get Hispanic and moderate votes. I place in nomination the names of Lindsey Graham, Arlen Specter and Richard Lugar for this particular outbreak of Douchebag Conservatism.

This goes back to my Coke and Pepsi analogy... if we change Coke to be like Pepsi, aren't people just going to buy the freaking Pepsi? And what's the point of having a political party if you don't have organizing philosophy? Just let the Democrats run things; at least they have the courage of their convictions.

Whoever this is... please... resign.

Mason moves to 4-1...

2008-11-25T22:33:00.002-05:00

by beating the Mount 72-60. And it could have been worse if the outside shooting were better. I am really pleased with Monroe. Very mature, composed, tough on post defense, everything you could ask of him.The year off looks like it's done him some good. Dre and JV still need to step up a bit more if this is going to be an NCAA season.

Nevertheless, the team looks good. Good, not great, but it's early.

GMU 3-1 after a road win over East Carolina.

2008-11-25T01:25:00.004-05:00

Now let's beat Mt. St. Mary's tonight and make a statement. The Hampton loss is forgivable this early, given how badly the guards shot. But note to Dre Smith and John Vaughn: This is YOUR team, at least early on. Own it.

Props to Darryl Monroe, back and better than ever.

The effort to remove Jeff Frederick as RPV chair, and why it's wrong

2008-11-25T01:12:00.003-05:00

Having been out of circulation as far as the blogosphere goes lately, I'm simply amazed at the hue and cry to remove Frederick. True, he's pretty much fallen flat on his much-ballyhooed effort the revamp the RPV website and coordinate more effectively with conservative blogs here in Virginia. He's also not shown any sort of inclination towards financial transparency. Nevertheless, it is WAY too early to be calling for his head. Surprise,surprise, the people in the forefront are the minions ofTom Davis, led by Ken Klinge.

It's not a surprise that the RINOs dislike Frederick, given that his wife (at least) was a big Ron Paul supporter, and Frederick himself has always stood against big government. It IS surprising that they would misread the bad news in these past elections as an opportunity to blame Frederick for everything. We had a completely pathetic Senate campaign that couldn't raise money and couldn't compete, and a Presidential nominee who no one seemingly wanted, but was all but inevitable after South Carolina. There was absolutely nothing Frederick could have done to change the dynamic in either case. Virgil Goode's loss is bad news, but didn't exactly run the greatest campaign, either.

I say give Jeff Frederick at least until the convention. If we need to make a change, make it there, or after.

WAAAYYYY too early 2012 speculation

2008-11-09T16:32:00.003-05:00

I'm thinking of former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, or Bobby Jindal. Possibly Sarah Palin, but she needs to let the social conservative stuff take a back seat to kitchen table, limited gov and economic issues.

BNN Va.

2008-11-09T16:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the good folks at BlogNetNews Virginia for adding me to their rolls.

O Glorious Day...

2008-11-07T10:03:00.003-05:00

The Caps came from behind to beat the Hurricanes, Virginia Tech thumped the dirty turtles of Maryland in Blacksburg, and the Broncos beat Cleveland.

That is a complete sports day. The people are pleased.

That is all.

The way forward...

2008-11-06T11:26:00.003-05:00

I went to bed somewhat depressed Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. America had elected a rabid black nationalist socialist to the Presidency, and expanded the majorities in Congress of the radical liberal Democratic leadership. I'd seen that Senator Ken Cuccinelli was the speaker at the monthly "Wednesday Wake-Up Club" breakfast at the Leadership Institute a couple of weeks before, so I'd made it a point to register. Needless to say, I was NOT looking forward to getting up early after a night like that.

Then I showed up, grabbed some breakfast and sat down to hear Ken speak. He laid it out fairly clearly: What happened Tuesday was largely self-inflicted. The leftists did not win, we lost. What does it say that I was unable to support the Republican nominee for President? That's the first time that's ever happened. We need a return to the message of Robert Taft, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Smaller government, lower taxes, more liberty. As Ken pointed out, it starts right here in Virginia in 2009. Other than New Jersey, we are the only state up in 2009. Let's get the turnaround started right away by making Sen. Ken Cuccinelli the next Attorney General of Virginia. It's time.

President-Elect Obama

2008-11-05T00:20:00.003-05:00

We can get into the ramifications of his victory later. For now, I'll just congratulate him on an amazing campaign. I did my best for Jim Gilmore, but it wasn't to be. Now it's all up to the remaining Republicans in the Senate to hold the line.

The homestretch...

2008-11-01T22:37:00.004-04:00

Yes, folks... I've been severely, severely remiss in my posting. I put it down to the sheer revulsion I've been suffering. Republicans supporting the bailout, the coming Congressional bloodletting... you name it. I should mention there will be some Republicans losing whom I'll be glad to see gone, such as Chris Shays, Gordon Smith and Liddy Dole. But the real danger is that in the Senate, it gets so ugly that there's not enough resistance to filibuster things like the Orwellian "Employee Free Choice Act"... second only to the moniker attached to the bailout, "economic rescue" in terms of misrepresentation.

Despite my unhappiness with our House candidate, Mark Ellmore, I'll be voting to hold the odious Jim Moran accountable. Those of you who can, please, please, please support Keith Fimian and keep Connolly out of Congress. And I cannot possible overstate the need to make Jim Gilmore our next Senator. Mark Warner, there's no other way to put this, is a liar and schemer of Clintonian proportions. Say what you will about Gilmore, but he says what he means and means what he says. Throw in the fact that Warner will be a vote for EFCA and every other piece of socialist rubbish the Democrats want to pass, and this is probably the most important choice voters in Virginia will make Tuesday. Jim Gilmore for Senate.

As to the top of the ticket, I will be supporting the best conservative choice. And that is Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia. He is absolutely honest, hardworking, and actually has the nerve to believe that the government should be responsible to the taxpayer, unlike the two spendaholics being offered up by the major parties. He opposed every bailout from Bear Stearns on, unlike John McCain and the rabid black nationalist socialist.

That about covers it.

Bailout Fallout

2008-10-12T11:32:00.003-04:00

After over two weeks of silence and frustration over the passage of the Great Bailout, I'll return to blogging and and vent a bit. Then, back to business as usual. I expected the Senate to pass it.

Let's face it, the Senate Republican caucus SUCKS. Badly. It features a bunch of Senators who aren't even recognizably Republican, let alone conservative. Arlen Specter (here's hoping Pat Toomey challenges him again in two years, I'll go up there and work for him), Lindsey Graham, Lamar Alexander, Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski, Mel Martinez, Thad Cochran, John Warner,and yes, John McCain, among many others, aren't worthy of membership in that caucus. McConnell is debatable, as is Liddy Dole. Despite the efforts of conservative heroes like Bunning, DeMint and Sessions, crap like this always passes in the self-congratulatory "World's Greatest Deliberative Body." It's why I stopped giving to the RNC years ago, and have NEVER given to the NRSC.

But my real anger is reserved for the House GOP. Harry Reid mentioned "sweeteners" in the bill to get some House votes. That's code for buying votes with pork. And it worked. Let's look at the House leadership. Roy Blunt has long been a disgrace. He was Tom DeLay's point man on arm-twisting good conservatives into voting for that Medicare drug boondoggle in 2004. He's been at the forefront of every sellout of conservatives principles just like this one. And he led the charge on this. If he resigns today, it won't be soon enough.

Boehner is perhaps worse, because he was once a conservative, and KNOWS BETTER. He called the amnesty bill a "piece of s**t", and made sure it got out that he said that, even though he'd promised Jorge Bush he'd help get it passed. But now he's sold out on the bailout, and along with all the other failures of leadership, he needs to go. I refuse to buy any of his BS excuses for pushing this. He sold out.

Last, but sadly not least, is our own Eric Cantor. He introdued an alternative bill with Hensarling, then flipped and supported the Paulson bill. Both times. So much for Cantor being the GOP hero of the House, and potentially the first Jewish Speaker. So sad. I will never support the NRCC again.

Everyone, without exception, who supported this crap at all, needs to go.

The Great Bailout may be stopped after all...

2008-09-25T22:10:00.002-04:00

Per Politico, the one group I thought had a shot at stopping this unconstitutional rubbish may just pull it off... The House Republicans. Pelosi won't push the Democrats to vote for a bailout without the House GOP on board to a great degree, and therein lies the opportunity. Here's hoping that Bush and his minions don't arm twist good conservatives and thereby leave us one final kick in the unmentionables before he leaves office. McCain, with his behavior and choices the last couple days, has ended any chance of my supporting the GOP ticket. Sorry, Gov. Palin.

Bunning hammers Bush and his cronies on The Great Bailout

2008-09-24T18:18:00.000-04:00

If nothing else, at least small-government conservatives feel free to hammer away at The Compassionate "Conservative" (cue the laugh track) over his coming to the rescue of his friends on Wall Street. Sen. Bunning crushes it out of the park.

$86 Billion??? Are you SERIOUS?

2008-09-17T16:55:00.006-04:00

$86 billion dollars. That's what our friends at the New York Federal Reserve Bank are shelling out to save AIG. When the Fed turned down Lehman Bros. when they showed up rattling their tin cup, I foolishly hoped we'd seen the end of bailouts as we knew it. No such luck.

Deplorable. "Too big to fail." You cannot be serious. Keep in mind that AIG spurned a private equity rescue led by Flowers the other day, hoping to get money from the Fed with no strings so current management could stay on. Sure enough...

D.C. United embarrasses itself in Champions League debut

2008-09-17T00:29:00.004-04:00

It was as if Soehn surrendered. Thompson? WELLS? McTavish? This is the biggest competition United is playing in. Saprissa knows it, they brought what they had, their best lineup, and smoked us in our own house, and brought lots of fans with them. Kudos to them.

United, wake up. I expect our best lineup against Cruz Azul, and at least ten points in the group stage.

This was just pathetic.

Russell Brand (whoever he is)

2008-09-11T22:12:00.003-04:00

I just can't let that crap at the VMAs go... I have no idea who he is, but Mr. Brand... please shut the f**k up and mind your business, you stinking emo Europansy. Nice hair too, jackhole.

Biden puts his foot in...

2008-09-09T22:49:00.002-04:00

Did Obama just slip up? Or was it a direct insult to the GOP Vice Presidential nominee?

It doesn't matter, because, just as I figured would happen, Joe Biden has opened his trap and said something disgusting.

Nice one, Joe.

I'll be at the McCain-Palin rally

2008-09-09T22:46:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow at Fairfax High School. Okay, Sen. McCain. This is your shot to get my support. Show me.

Would I be there without Sarah Palin on the ticket? No.

Update: Make that Van Dyck Park. The rally got too big for the high school.

Patrick Mara apparently has upset Carol Schwartz

2008-09-09T22:44:00.003-04:00

That's right... a REAL Republican on the D.C. City Council. So says the data thus far.

Good for him. And good riddance to Schwartz the RINO.

US Open Cup champs!!!

2008-09-03T23:51:00.002-04:00

And in other news, my boys United defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 at RFK tonight to become the 2008 U.S. Open Cup champs. Hell. Yes. National champions. This competition deserves the utmost respect from every team in America. It needs to become like the F.A. Cup, Scottish Cup or Copa del Rey, a prestigious national championship competition. Honestly, the MLS Cup really feels unimpressive in comparison.

Bonus: D.C. United punched their ticket to the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League with this win.

And her speech was tremendous!

2008-09-03T23:33:00.003-04:00

Sarah Palin just finished hitting Barack Obama and the Washington political and press elite just about as hard as she could. Tremendous. This is clearly a woman not to be trifled with. She hit them on their big government plan for the United States, and on Obama's clear disdain for small-town America. Keep this up and this ticket may get my vote. She is nothing short of amazing.

Sarah Palin!!!

2008-08-29T21:25:00.002-04:00

At long last, John McCain throws the ball into the end zone, into a crowd. takes a big risk. And comes up HUGE.

This resuscitates the chances of my voting for him, but he needs to show me a lot more. As of now, I still stand with Bob Barr, but this really got my attention. And observe the rage of the liberals over a strong conservative woman violating their code of identity politics.

Georgia

2008-08-27T13:24:00.004-04:00

And as if we didn't have enough foreign policy problems... Thanks, Vlad. Let me take this opportunity to thank President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rice for their strong support for Georgia. I think we can all pronounce freedom in Russia dead. The place is no longer the fledgling republic it was under Yeltsin. Putin and his goon squad have completely transformed the country over the past 6-7 years. And the bear is hungry.

I'm going to depart from my normal libertarian/paleoconservative foreign policy worldview here. We need to do everything possible to guarantee the sovereignty and integrity of not only Georgia, but Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and every other former Soviet/Russian satellite. Yes, up to sending troops there. I wonder how Vlad would like a U.S. Air Force base in Georgia, and a U.S. naval base at Kerch?

Two observations... The silliness of Kosovo just came back to bite us. Everything the Russians and Serbs said on that was right on.

And secondly... maybe if we weren't screwing around in Iraq we could really deal with the Georgia crisis.

The Dems as of Tuesday evening...

2008-08-27T13:14:00.003-04:00

During my hiatus, I knew that I would have to rant about the freakshow that is the Democratic National Convention upon my return. Our own Marky Mark delivered the keynote last night. RWL, in his best post in a long time, feeds it through the Translator. Classic stuff. Then we have the spectacle of Ted Kennedy, everyone's favorite longtime socialist alcoholic murderer, trying to demand that Barack Obama be elected President in his memory. Spare me. Maybe this is too far, but I'm going to say it anyway. Please, just die, Ted. You've inflicted plenty enough damage on our country already. Failing that, at least resign and shut up.

Hillary Clinton just looked upset during her whole speech. You get the feeling she thinks this was somehow "stolen" from her. Let's see, you and your husband controlled your party for the last 15 years, you had almost the entire Democratic establishment in your back pocket in January of '07 (besides Howard Dean), and you still couldn't come through. Maybe it's because people finally figured out you're a walking, talking pillar of pander, and will say anything to win, and haven't really accomplished... well... anything in the United States Senate. Or, really, ever, besides getting rich at other peoples' expense. Just saying.

Just say "NO" to New Coke

2008-08-03T19:57:00.004-04:00

Over at The Oath, we have an email discussion posted of his debate with a friend over whether to support John McCain. I have to agree with The Oath. No, thank you. As I have in private discussions many times, let me make the analogy of McCain and neoconservatism to "New Coke" circa 1984-85. For years, good ol' Coke (Goldwater conservatism) had been serving the nation and the Republican party well. Freedom, less government, lower taxes, personal responsibility. But about 25-30 years ago, here come Wolfowitz, Kristol the Elder and Younger, Richard Perle and the like, Democrats all, fleeing that party and joining the GOP.

They bring with them New Coke (neoconservatism/big government conservatism), which they claim is new and different and better and more advanced than the old Coke. In reality, its syrupy sweetness likens it more to Pepsi (the Democratic party) than any type of Coke. In the face of public uproar, at first the exponents of New Coke continue to insist, against all evidence, that the new formula is superior, even taking an increasingly insulting tone. After a sustained period of outrage and dropping sales (McCain 2008), the switch is made back to the old Coke ("Coke Classic.")

One hopes the GOP takes a lesson from this after the impending rout, and returns to real conservatism.

Chichester and his RINO brethren

2008-08-03T16:37:00.004-04:00

Over at Bloggers for Gilmore, Justice Leaguer brings up one of my favorite topics, the group of RINOs that have been festering in the GA, and particularly the Senate, for years. I cannot abide Chichester. I grew up in Stafford County, in his district, in the 70s and 80s and watched his rise. Now he's helping Marky Mark's campaign. He is an insufferably arrogant, pompous so-and-so. I'm glad he's gone, along with Potts, Callahan and the like. I hope guys like Emmett Hanger, Bill Howell, Dave Albo and Tommy Norment follow him out the door in years to come. If you aren't for minimizing the state government to only things the citizens and their local governments can't do, and correspondingly shrinking the tax burden, we don't need you. Scram, RINOs and DCs.

One more reason to support Jim Gilmore.

Resign, Senator Ted Stevens. Now. Please.

2008-08-03T15:41:00.002-04:00

It's bad enough that this guy may be the biggest porker in the history of Congress. It's bad enough that he regularly cajoles and threatens to keep stealing money from the taxpayers of the United States and sending it home to Alaska and to his friends. But now he's been indicted... yes, indicted, this past week for accepting gifts and favors for doing so. He is a walking, talking avatar of everything wrong with the Senate, the Congress, and the federal government in general. Resign, Ted, and save us some taxpayer dollars.

Bonus, we'll get ourselves a better Senator from Alaska, no matter if it's Dave Cuddy (hopefully), Vic Vickers, or even Democrat Mark Begich.

STD Fact Checks Mark Warner's "Fact Check"

2008-07-17T21:37:00.002-04:00

Warner tries to pander to "conventional wisdom" about the effect of drilling on oil prices, but subsequent events cause it to blow up in his face. Funny how supply is linked to demand... especially since commodities trading has nothing in common with the stock market, where perception is reality, right? Where is the Washington Post on this now? How about the Richmond Times-Dispatch? No? Got nothin'? STD is right on.. if this were George Allen or Jim Gilmore, it would be front-page news.

I have no doubt Warner will just pretend he never said any of that, but we need to hold him responsible, since the MSM clearly will not. Well done, Spank.

Mark Warner must be stopped

2008-07-16T15:14:00.003-04:00

Not only will he vote with Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Bob Byrd, but I can already see the excuse-making, the talking past people's objections, and the outright lying in his campaign, particularly about the massive tax increases and unrestrained spending increases during his term as Governor. This is not a man we need representing our state. Say what you will about Jim Webb, but at least you know exactly where he stands. Not the case with Mark Warner. It is absolutely vital to make Jim Gilmore our next U.S. Senator.

Cross-posted at Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore.

Right Wing Liberal comes aboard...

2008-07-16T15:11:00.002-04:00

Better late than never. :)

There's just no comparison between Cuccinelli and Foster/Brownlee.

The Transportation Mess

2008-07-07T23:34:00.003-04:00

Let me begin by saying I do not support ANY of the plans put forth by the Governor or the General Assembly. However, we MUST recognize that we need a dedicated revenue stream for transportation, for everything from Metro to correcting the myriad shortcoming of our state infrastructure. Over at Mason Conservative (by way of Jim Bowden), there is an excellent post about Bob Marshall's heroic efforts to straighten out this mess, with no help from our hero Bill Howell. Bob doesn't just immediately seek 'compromise' on any given issue, he looks for the best, no-nonsense, conservative solution. I LOVE his idea to do away with the federal ethanol mandate. That is high in the running for most ridiculous federal boondoggle of the past 10 years. Eat corn, don't burn it.

I would be in favor of a dedicated gasoline tax to pay for transportation. The big caveat is we can't have the state government "pulling a Mark Warner" and absconding with the transportation money for other purposes. We could also find things to eliminate in the budget to pay for transportation, but then guys like Howell and Albo and Norment will tell us there's nothing more to cut, right?

Yet another reason why Bob Marshall needs to be the next Speaker.

Cross-posted to Bloggers 4 Bob Marshall 4 Speaker

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-04T13:46:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone keeps safe and enjoys their long holiday weekend. I know I will.

Bob Barr for President

2008-06-25T23:54:00.003-04:00

And so due to McCain's unpalatability, I support Bob Barr for President of the United States. He is by far the candidate with the best conservative credentials.

He has a bit of a blind spot on the war in Iraq, true. But I agree with him that it was a politically motivated move by the neocons to take us in there, I just disagree with his call for withdrawal. The REAL bad guys are there now, Al Qaeda and their ilk, as well as al-Sadr, and we can't leave before we wipe them out.

But by and large, he is head and shoulders above John McCain, to say nothing of Barack Obama. I stand with Bob Barr. The national GOP needs a wake-up call on spending and civil liberties. This is it.

Bye bye, Cannon!!!

2008-06-25T22:52:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Jason Chaffetz. He just did the party and the nation a BIG favor... Chris Cannon has been an unabashed amnesty hound since he got to Congress. Now don't get me wrong, Cannon was great on some things, but he's the kind of "conservative" that needed to be sent a message.

Perhaps the most overlooked element about illegal immigrants is the costs. Everyone likes to point out the sovereignty, security and cultural problems they bring, but the clincher is they cost us a lot of money. The remittances leaving our economy, the social services they absorb, the jobs they take and devalue, the list goes on...

This by itself is enough to prevent me casting my vote for John McCain.

The Convention

2008-05-31T22:39:00.003-04:00

was an interesting, uproarious time... much more so than 2001.

Congrats to Jim Gilmore.It was very close. The 7th saved him at the end.

And BIG congrats to Jeff Frederick.

Gilmore does his Hillary "inevitability" impression

2008-05-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

in an interview at the Washington Times earlier this month, apparently:

..."I think I'll be the nominee of the party, I don't think that that's gonna be an issue," Mr. Gilmore told editors and reporters at The Washington Times earlier this month. "But we have to get our people to the convention and make sure that they're there, and that they're voting. But we see no indication that I won't be the nominee."...

Keep telling yourself that, Gov. Gilmore.

Jeff Frederick for RPV Chair

2008-05-29T22:47:00.002-04:00

I was hoping to avoid this moment, but I just can't.

Hager's people are apparently using official RPV resources to help him win re-election as party chair. Chris Beer and Waldo Jaquith (!) have the story. I should point out I got the same email Waldo did.

I've been leaning towards supporting Jeff Frederick lately anyhow, and on Wednesday I got a nice call from Mrs. Frederick asking for my support. It's time for the old bulls to step aside and let there be a new birth of conservative leadership in the party and in the Old Dominion. I like John Hager, but this tips the scales. Jeff will be getting my vote Saturday.

Cuccinelli for AG

2008-05-26T14:28:00.002-04:00

With Mr. Brownlee's entry into the race, I thought it appropriate to make it official.

We need a principled conservative in the AG's office for the next four years. Let's elect him.

Bob Marshall For Senate

2008-05-24T11:09:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I endorsed Jim Gilmore's Senate candidacy on this blog. This campaign has shown me that he is NOT the man for the job. He is a classic glad-handing establishment politician. The Republican party, particularly here in the Old Dominion, is at a crisis point in terms of not only electoral success, but in terms of its identity. We have lost our way very, very badly the past few years by pandering to a very loud, very boorish social conservative minority, while at the same time making a Faustian bargain with people who are anything but conservative for the sake of winning. The worst part is that we keep losing despite that.

It's time for a change. Bob Marshall actually took the time to call me personally a week or two ago, and spent half an hour making a powerful case for his candidacy. I part ways with him on some social issues, but he is absolutely right on on just about everything else from fiscal issues to border security and immigration. He does not ever compromise his fundamental principles. It's just not close.

Bob Marshall for Senate. I plan to support him at the convention next week. Join me.

Death to the Farm Bill

2008-05-24T11:00:00.005-04:00

As readers of this blog know, I have my problems with President Bush on a great many issues ranging from Iraq to faith-based programs. However, by vetoing the farm bill, he took a tough and unpopular (thus far) stance against the exact kind of federal government handouts we need to put a stop to for good. The mistake of leaving out part of it gives conservatives (and anyone else who believes we shouldn't be subsidizing particular sectors of the country for no good reason) a second chance to rally against it. Let's not waste it. Everything from ethanol subsidies and mandates to food stamp programs (clearly what the federal government ought to be doing, right?) are in this bill, and none of it is good. The pressure is on the GOP leadership, particularly McConnell, to step up to the plate and fight this.

Support the President's courageous stand and sustain his veto, Congressional Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats.

The Tanc backs Bob Marshall

2008-05-23T09:11:00.001-04:00

Per the DCPost blog...

I always liked the Tanc a lot... he calls it like he sees and has been an absolute American hero for his work on immigration issues.

Congresscritters Strike Again

2008-05-14T22:26:00.004-04:00

Anyone still wondering why the GOP Congress was such a disappointment for the 12 years it had power? One (more) reason is guys like Kit Bond. The Air Force would like to continue purchasing the F-22, the most advanced air superiority fighter in existence. But Sen. Bond would rather see obsolete F-15 Eagles produced simply because they're built in his home state of Missouri. This is a classic case of a Congresscritter, to use a term from days gone by, dulling the edge of the American sword just for the sake of some jobs (votes, perhaps?) back home. The job of every defense appropriator should be to give the armed services everything they need to be successful in their mission. That means buying as many Raptors and JSFs as the Air Force needs, not ramming old aircraft down the throats of our military and risking the lives of our pilots and the security of our nation. Kit Bond is an example of exactly what we DON'T need in the Republican caucus.

Energy Policy & the Senate Race

2008-04-30T14:27:00.004-04:00

In a post the other day, Mason Conservative talks about energy policy, including things like alternative energy, drilling, the works. To me, this is not a complicated problem.

1. Drill. Everywhere we might find domestic sources of petroleum.

2. Build refineries, for the first time in a long time. For too long, the federal government and the state governments have stood in their the way of new domestic refineries. It's time for that to end.

3. Build nuclear power plants as fast as possible. The French have figured it out, getting a vst majority of their electricity from yes, nuclear power. It's limitless, incredibly safe, and lasts a long, long time.

This will solve our energy independence problem. Not exactly rocket science.

I should also address the Senate race. As I see it, the likelihood of stopping Mark Warner shrinks by the day. Jim Gilmore, who I endorsed on this blog a few months ago, still comes off as arrogant, blinkered, and blind to the difficulty of the race he's in. Bob Marshall is running a great race, but as MC says in the post linked above, hasn't really played ball with national issues like energy earlier. Bob Berry simply has not made a serious effort. There is a CHANCE Marshall upsets Gilmore at the convention, but I'm not betting on it. Whether it's Gilmore or Marshall, I expect the tidal wave to sweep over our nominee this year, I'm sorry to say. The good news is, Jim Webb is very vulnerable next time around.

Bob Barr

2008-04-08T09:15:00.001-04:00

I'm seriously considering supporting his candidacy, what does everyone think? Unless Hillary Clinton is the Dem nominee, there is no way I will support McCain.

A MUST-READ for conservatives

2008-02-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know who Barry Goldwater was or how he defined real conservatism, you REALLY need to read this. For those who do, it's a refresher on what we're supposedly all fighting for, how our coaliion came together and why it's coming apart. Victor Gold skewers DCs, neocons and RINOs in grand style, and takes some shots at the sound-bite politics of today being practiced by the establishment of both parties and the media. If we truly want a conservatism worth fighting for, the ideas put forth in this book are the place to start. Also gives some examples of why Jorge Bush and his handlers Rove and Cheney, as well as McCain, are NOT conservatives. Go buy it. Now.

Back after a hiatus...

2008-02-06T00:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's been quite some time. Much has changed. To state the obvious, almost every palatable Presidential candidate is out. My friends, associates and readers all know I share RWL's complete distaste for Huckabee. I simply don't buy Mitt Romney, even for a second. He's only become conservative since he started running for President. He is an elitist county club RINO who thinks he can sell us on his new persona. He is wrong. John McCain is John McCain. Enough said.

That leaves Ron Paul. Yes, I realize his great yawning weakness on foreign policy and the war. But he stands foursquare against the neoconservatives and the DCs, and opposes just about every unconstitutional federal expenditure or powergrab I can think of offhand. Domestically, he is what our founders had in mind. For now, Ron Paul for President. I plan to support him on the 12th. I encourage all of you to do the same. If he is out, and given his performance today, that's possible, I may cross over and vote in the Dem primary for Barack Obama to stop Hillary Clinton. I disagree with the extremely liberal Obama on nearly everything, but he's a good man trying to do good for America. The same cannot be said of the Clintons. Their campaign must be stopped.

In other news, Mason got the key win over VCU to compensate for the loss at UNCW. We've drawn Ohio as our BracketBuster opponent as a reward. Winning in Athens will be extremely difficult, but I think this team can do it. Realistically, we cannot afford another regular season loss, and need to make it at least to the semifinals in Richmond if we want at-large consideration. Focus, gentlemen. Focus. Do that, and we will dance.

Meghan Cox Gurdon in the Examiner

2008-01-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

Get a gander at this.

I'll lay aside for the moment my ideological opposition to Frum and his ilk. Cox Gurdon is essentially endorsing Frum from the standpoint of "Wow, we got away from our principles and let some power-hungry incompetents lead our party for a while. Let's get with the socialist program since the Democrats just won with it. Never mind what we're supposed to stand for. It's more important to win than to stand for anything."

UTTERLY REPULSIVE.

If that is where the Republican party continues to go, I will wholeheartedly vote Democrat. Better to put the pedal to the metal and go to full-blown socialism and have the nation crash sooner than later, and start the rebuilding process. Being slightly less socialist is no strategy or ideology. The whole point is to be FOR something, isn't it? Words cannot describe how disgusted I am with this kind of thinking. Must be going around those dinner parties she and Frum go to.

And now DELAWARE???

2008-01-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

Blowing another big second half lead on the road is inexcusable. This team has regressed big time since the Old Spice Classic... I'm worried about the complete inability to win a significant road game. Jordan Carter, never one of my favorites, looked terrible. I think it's time to look at Cam Long as the point man, or least split those duties between he and Folarin Campbell. I think we can lose again in conference, maybe 1 or 2, and certainly not at home, and still hope for a decent seed or at-large slot.

Georgia State and Iowa...

2008-01-03T01:07:00.000-05:00

First tings first... That loss to Georgia State today was UGLY.. big time. Choking away a 13 point halftime lead against a bad team, even on the road, is just unacceptable. Between that adn the ECU loss, we took all our juice and poured it right out. We can afford perhaps 2 more losses in conference, and need to smoke our BracketBuster opponent just to have a viable at-large shot.

Secondly... everyone who supports Duncan Hunter needs to do everything they can to help him show well in Iowa. Those administration-worshippers at Fox News are in the tank for Giuliani, so they've excluded Congressmen Hunter and Paul from the forum with Chris Wallace on Sunday up in New Hampshire. Disgraceful. Prove them wrong by contacting the Hunter campaign and asking what you can do to help.

Beat Hampton!

2007-12-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be watching at Bennigan's over at Seven Corners. Let's just hope that terrible performance against ECU on Sunday was a wake-up call. I think this team got to reading their own press clippings and failed to bring it, something you rarely see out of a Larranaga-coached team. GMU should have crushed those Pirates by 35. Now let's take it out on another crew of Pirates tonight.