Cindy Sheehan Watch

We have a website new to the blogroll focused on shadowing America's favorite media whore.

Hey, somebody has to do it.

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Two Announcements

First, this week's edition of RINO Sightings is up at DANEgerous Blog.

Second, Lorie Byrd has joined WizBang Blog!

Whoo-Hoo!

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Will You Still Screw Me, Will You Run Through Me, When I'm 64?

Sir Paul McCartney (my favorite Beatle, BTW) will be facing a bitter 64th birthday next month due to a divorce settlement with his current wife, Heather Mills McCartney (aka "stumpy, the gold-digger"). The settlement, expected to be the largest in UK history, could net the former model upwards of hundreds of millions. McCartney's net worth is believed to be in the ballpark of 800 million British pounds sterling - that's $1.5 billion dollars to you and me. Whew.

Not bad for sucking in a grieving pop culture icon and only putting in 4 years. It actually makes you see Linda McCartney in a new light. At least she was in for the long haul.

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"You Don't Win Elections Just By Preaching To The Choir"

I remember Susan Estrich as Michael Dukakis' campaign manager in the 1988 Presidential campaign. I followed her work closely because back then I actually voted Democrat. In fact, you might say that 1988 was the year I first immersed myself in politics, following the rigors of a Presidential campaign from Iowa to Election Day.

Lately, Estrich is political commentator on FoxNews for the Liberal point of view. And for a long time now, she's been taking crap for it by her friends on the Left. This morning, she has some advice for the peanut gallery:

IÂ’ve taken a lot of heat from the left for working for Fox News, and frankly, IÂ’m a little bit sick of it. The truth is that IÂ’ve been very well treated at Fox: I say what I want; IÂ’m treated with respect; and IÂ’m paid well.

But thereÂ’s an even more fundamental point. You donÂ’t win elections just by preaching to the choir. You win by convincing people in the middle, many of whom actually watch the top-rated cable news network. Some of these people are even over 54 years of age (another of the latest attacks), and not only do they spend a lot of money on purchases, but they vote in higher numbers than any other demographic group (thereÂ’s a reason no one ever dares to touch Social Security).

The way I see my job is to try to present the strongest arguments possible to the most important voters in the country, which I think is pretty critical for my party. Democrats who refuse to appear on Fox News because of their claims of conservative "bias" are in fact foregoing an important opportunity to reach swing voters who might actually decide elections.

The irony is that I find that often, simply by occupying the middle, I can win the fight. And what do I get from my friends on the left? Criticism that IÂ’m not a real Democrat because IÂ’m too centristÂ… How dare I be pragmatic?

My answer is very simple. Unlike Mr. [HuffPost blogger, Bob] Cesca, I not only have worked for every network, I also worked, formally or informally, for every Democratic candidate to run for president in the 1980Â’s and 1990Â’s. I understand the difference between running on the left and losing, and running in the center and winning. I wrote three Democratic Party platforms. I see no honor in defeat. IÂ’d rather win in the middle than lose on the left, and you donÂ’t need to call anyone names to do it.

Words of wisdom, moonbats.

Republicans may bicker and shoot themselves in the foot every chance they get. But as long as Democrats are "running on the left and losing", the GOP can keep winning - despite itself.

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Sour Grapes For The Dixie Chicks

Having completely lost their country music following for disparaging President Bush while on foreign soil, the Dixie Chicks are resigned to fact that their record sales and tours will never return to their previous heights.

"I'd rather have a small following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith," [Band Member Martie] Maguire said. "We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do."

Hmm. I don't recall them complaining that they were "limited" in what they could do when they were on the top of the charts. Lead singer Natalie Maines retracted an earlier apology that she had offered for her comment, saying "I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever".

Then again, the Dixie Chicks aren't owed any record sales whatsoever, either. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

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McCain's Freedom Of Speech

This weekend, Senator John McCain attempted to give a commencement address at the New School in New York. He met with some resistance, to say the least.

"Rude college kids and left-wing professors are hardly a new story. But the ugliness of the New School crowd toward Mr. McCain reveals the peculiar rage that now animates so many on the political left. Dozens of faculty and students turned their back on the Senator, others booed and heckled, and a senior invited to speak threw out her prepared remarks and mocked their invited guest as he sat nearby. Some 1,200 had signed petitions asking that Mr. McCain be disinvited."

McCain submitted a copy of the speech for publication on the WSJ's Op-Ed page. The title of the piece is "Let Us Argue: The speech the Angry Left tried to suppress." I read through it this morning and it's a good speech. A very good speech. In fact, here's one of the best parts:

"We have our disagreements, we Americans. We contend regularly and enthusiastically over many questions: over the size and purposes of our government; over the social responsibilities we accept in accord with the dictates of our conscience and our faithfulness to the God we pray to; over our role in the world and how to defend our security interests and values in places where they are threatened. These are important questions; worth arguing about. We should contend over them with one another. It is more than appropriate, it is necessary that even in times of crisis, especially in times of crisis, we fight among ourselves for the things we believe in. It is not just our right, but our civic and moral obligation."

Sen. McCain is talking about free speech - free political speech. So how hypocritical is it that these words come from a man who was the chief sponsor of legislation (McCain -Feingold) that severely curtailed the freedom of political speech in this country?

Note to Sen. McCain:

i-ro-ny n., pl. -nies.: An expression or utterance marked by such a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

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Lamont Crashes Party

CT businessman Ned Lamont garnered 33% of Democrat delegates at the party's State Convention on Friday, higher that the 15% needed to force a primary vote on August 8th.

Sen. Christopher Dodd nominated Lieberman, acknowledging his own differences with his colleague. Unlike Lieberman, Dodd was willing to wage a filibuster to fight the Alito nomination.

But Dodd, his voice hoarse, shouted from the podium that those differences do not outweigh Lieberman's strong record on bedrock Democratic issues.

"You may disagree with Joe on a particular issue. Despite those differences, Joe Lieberman is a valued member of the U.S. Senate," Dodd said. "Joe Lieberman takes on the Bush administration. Don't ever forget it."

Now that actual non-politico party members get to have a say. Even the Kos-fueled "insurgency" backing Lamont acknowledges that his hopes are slim. But that's not the point with these folks. Losing has become second-nature to them. They want to make a statement. And now that Lamont has his foot in the door, we'll be hearing a lot from the angry, anti-war Left here in CT.

Either way it's a win-win for Republicans. On the one hand, it will create a schizm between moonbat Democrats and moderate Democrats as they wrestle for control. And it will tie up precious resources and media coverage that could be better spent promoting lower-level Democrat candidates in tight races.

And if by some freak aligning of the stars Lamont were to win the nomination, a Senate seat that seemed a lock for reelection comes into play for the GOP. I think I'll go buy a package of mentos, and giggle myself silly on the way to the store.

Posted by: Gary at 08:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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New Poll

As Phil Collins said, "It's.no.fun...being an illegal ay-lee-uh-un."

Go vote about the proposed barrier for the U.S.-Mexico border in the newest weekly poll.

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The Seven-Minute Life Lesson

This is so good, I had to create a new category called "Must Reads". I thought about making one called "Inspirational" but that means so many different things to different people.

Anyway, here's a commencement address that hasn't been given but should be. It's a seven-minute speech packed with more valuable, practical, real-world advice than you could ever learn in seven-years of college (the "Van Wilder" plan).

Go read it now! It won't take long, and you'll be glad you did - whatever your stage in life.

And special thanks to BullDogPundit for calling our attention to it.

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English Only

The Senate has passed a provision making English the official "national language" of the United States.

I think the Congress is aiming too low here. I'm all for passing a law making English the official "international language" of planet Earth.

Hey, it would have at least as much validity as any other bogus unenforceable "international" law. So why not?

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CT Senate Ad Just A Tad On The "Creepy" Side

Joe Lieberman, the Senator from my home State of CT, has a challenge from the Left for his seat this year - from the far Left. His opponent Ned Lamont has about as much hope of defeating him as Howard Stern does of being invited to Buckingham Palace. But the Kos Kids have made Lamont their number one poster boy for this interim election.

There are two new ads up at Lamont's webite. One is a thirty-second spot that has a dog barking at a "Lieberman For Senate" sign. The voice-over refers to Lieberman in terms that are familiar on the Left such as "George Bush's lapdog" (and you just know the moonbats would have preferred to use the phrase "George Bush's bitch"). Pretty amateurish, pretty lame.

But the creepy one is the sixty-second ad. Lamont starts off as a normal looking guy who believes that the President is wrong (on pretty much everything) and he comes across as a typical credible Senate candidate. He's sitting in his living room, talking to the audience with tempered enthusiasm about his campaign.

Then, all of a sudden you see this weird stalker-looking guy come up to the bay window behind him and peer inside. Your first impression is "WTF?". Turns out it's none other than the Grand Poobah Moonbat himself, Markos "Screw Them" Moulitsas Zuniga (aka Kos). He then bursts into Lamont's living room with a handful of people wearing "Ned Lamont For Senate" t-shirts and they're all cheering. Come to think of it, it's probably the first time that these people have smiled since before the 2004 Presidential election.

It's probably meant to be irreverent and funny but anyone familiar with Kos and his boisterous band of bitter Bush-haters gets the message: Lamont is Kos's lap-dog and his only base of support comes from this fringe MoveOn.org group of Left-wing kooks. Anyone not familiar with Kos will look at this ad and think "Who the freak are these people? They look like some kind of cult."

Actually, that would be a pretty apt observation.

Check out AllahPundit's "remix" version of the ad at HotAir.com. Hysterical!

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The Beginning Of The End Of Repeats?

As a fan of the TV show "Lost", I've heard fellow viewers vent their frustration all season about repeat episodes. Television has always followed a sweeps formula designed to get the biggest bang for the buck in the months of November, February and May. Lately, however, it's gotten ridiculous. Basically, with the exception of a season's first month or so, the only time it seems that there are new episodes is during or near the three sweeps months. In December, much of January, March and April, the networks seem to use these months as dumping grounds for repeat episodes - many of which are shown out of sequence.

What's made it worse is that the number of episodes per season for a given show has dropped from 26 to - at most - 22 (the show "24" is the obvious exception). So in the last five to ten years, networks have been stretching 22 new episodes over 35 weeks or more - from September through May - while airing the bulk of new episodes in the sweeps months. more...

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Happy Birthday To Me

39 years young today. Yikes!

I GOTTA HAVE MORE COWBELL!!!!!

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If You Build It, They Won't Come

At least that's the theory.

The Senate just voted overwhelmingly to build a 370-mile triple-layered fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition, there will be 500 miles of vehicle barriers.

Construction of the barrier would send "a signal that open-border days are over. ... Good fences make good neighbors, fences don't make bad neighbors," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. He said border areas where barriers already exist have experienced economic improvement and reduced crime.

"What we have here has become a symbol for the right wing in American politics," countered Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. He said if the proposal passed, "our relationship with Mexico would come down to a barrier between our two countries."

Um, that's right Dick. Right now, our relationship is based on Mexico encouraging thousands of its citizens to cross the border illegally every day and the U.S. looking the other way. Finally saying "no" to Mexico is not "right-wing", it's just right (and smart).

Considering the tone of the House version of the immigration bill, I'd say this provision will be a keeper as it goes through committee. Any chance we can get this sucker electrified?

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Get "Lost" Tonight

Questions Need To Be Answered!

What happened to Michael when he went to look for "the others"?

What is that facility called "the Pearl" that was marked by the big question mark?

What would happen if Locke didn't input the numbers into the computer at the hatch?

Do the show's creators have ANY idea where they are going with this?

Hopefully we'll get answers to at least the first three on tonight's episode titled "Three Minutes"!

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"Poseidon" Review

Well here's a movie that was well hyped and was not only slammed by critics but fell well short of expectations for its opening weekend gross.

So, of course, I had to see it.

Let me start off by saying that the original, "The Poseiden Adventure", is my all-time favorite 1970's-era disaster flick. And one of the biggest reasons is Gene Hackman. I even own a VHS copy. That being said, I had adjusted my expectations down in the hope that they would be exceeded.

Here's the bottom line: It's "Titanic" without the two and a half hour build-up. more...

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Blogroll Addition

For quite some time, I've included Polipundit.com in the main blogroll. One of the things I've appreciated about the site was that it is a group blog in that the primary proprietor, the Polipundit, has allowed four regular guest bloggers. Diversity of opinion has always been that blog's strength. Now it seems that the immigration issue has driven a wedge between the site owner and some of his contributors and one in particular. As such, Lorie Byrd is no longer going to be allowed to post on that site.

Lorie has her own site, Byrd Droppings, that for some strange reason I've never blogrolled. Perhaps it's because I've usually read her stuff on Polipundit. Now that Lorie's contributions will no longer be available at Poli, I not only wanted to alert readers of her site's addition to the 'roll but to encourage traffic her way - not that she needs my help in that respect.

Polipundit continues to be a regular stop for me, but I have to say I'm disappointed in how this issue has resulted in many Conservatives taking a "my way or the highway" attitude. There are two sides to every story and Polipundit has responded in kind. Hey, I agree that it's his sight and he has the right to set whatever editorial policy he sees fit. But, frankly, I find this whole thing a little disturbing. Is this the kind of division that some Conservatives and right-leaning folks are going to have to endure?

Look, I'm not one to talk. My comment policy makes it pretty clear that I have very little interest in disagreement on this site. It's one of the reasons I don't have guest bloggers unless I'm on extended vacation. But Polipundit.com owes its popularity in large part to it's group format and open debate. It's a shame that it has come to this.

Good luck, Lorie!

UPDATE: 2:20pm
Actually, it looks like all four "guests" at Polipundit have been cut off at the knees. I'm not aware if Jayson or Alexander McClure have other web "homes" or not, but DJ Drummond's site is Stolen Thunder. DJ's now on the blogroll as well.

I really hope that Polipundit will take some time to cool off over this one. It would be awful if he's become "Kos-ified".

UPDATE DEUX: 3:00pm 5/19/06:
All week I've been heading back to Polipundit to see how things are going. Bottom line is that without Alex, Lorie, DJ and Jayson, the site has become pretty static. Basically, Polipundit has become a one-issue blog and since I generally don't agree with him on that issue (not to mention his continuous deriding of the President as a liar and a sell-out) I don't really have a reason to read it anymore. He's starting to sound like a broken record and illegal immigration has become an all-consuming obsession with him. Too bad.

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The Danger Of Absolutism

Well, the President gave the speech. I didn't see it. We were trying to quickly and efficiently get my kids ready for bed so that the Mrs. would be able to sit down at 9pm watch her much-anticipated season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" without distraction or interuption.

I haven't even read the text so I can't comment on it yet, but from what I understand there wasn't anything said that we haven't heard before. Like most everything else, the President has been consistent about what he sees as a compromise solution to this hot-button issue.

Some of the heavy-hitters on the Right side of the blogosphere, however, are - at best - not pleased and - at worst - enraged. That's to be expected. This is an emotional issue. But it's also a complex one that will not be solved without some sort of compromise. Dafydd at Big Lizards warns bloggers like John Hinderaker of Powerline:

For the love of God, people... compromise means you must give a little. There is a middle ground. And if I'm wrong, if there is not, then we are all lost -- because John's side does not have the support of the American people and will never win.

Here are our choices:

1) We settle on a reasonable compromise bill that includes both border enforcement and also immigration reform, a guest-worker program, and some eventual normalization; and we try to make it the best bill we can, given those constraints; or...

2) We rend the party, the Democrats win, and then you'll find out what "amnesty" and "open borders" really mean. And minor things like the entire war on jihadi terrorism will trampled underfoot by the Democratic thugs who seize control of our country.

And all for the want of the simple art of giving a little to get a lot.

Think. Think. Think two times, three times... and don't throw away this magnificent opportunity -- just because you only get three-quarters of a loaf instead of the whole bloody thing on a golden plate. [emphasis his]

Hugh Hewitt points out that the White House has its work cut out for them:

Memo to Tony Snow: The blogosphere/talk radio callers/e-mailers are turning against this speech in a decisive fashion. They simply do not believe the Administration is really committed to border enforcement, and the spokespeople sent out to back up the president's message aren't doing that job. Period.

Let's take a breath here. At the risk of sounding like (a parody of) another President Bush - overreaction "would't be prudent...at this juncture".

UPDATE: 9:15am
AJ Strata has an extensive list of "thank you"s to the President in response to those in the base who are asking "what have you done for me, lately?".

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Conservatives Stay Home = Conservatives Defeated

Jim Geraghty at NRO's TKS Blog sounds the warning to those on the Right who are considering sitting this one out in November: you'll only hurt yourselves.

"WhatÂ’s really stunning is this absolute certainty of angry conservatives that A) Republicans will learn the right lessons from the defeat, and not, say, respond in a panic by embracing their inner RINO and flailing around for MSM approval and B) that the Republicans can easily win back Congress in 2008, just by stiffening their spines and pledging to return to their conservative roots.

I have my doubts on both counts. For starters, why would Republicans get the message that “we need to be more conservative” in a year that conservatives were knocked out?

Who are the Republican lawmakers most angering the conservative base? Well, let’s say Sens. Trent “I’m tired of hearing about Porkbusters” Lott, Ted “Bridge to Nowhere” Stevens, John McCain for cosponsoring Kennedy’s immigration bill and campaign finance reform, Arlen Specter for being a pain in the tushie over judges, Chuck Hagel for being the New York Times’ favorite Republican senator to criticize Bush, and other minimally-conservative Republicans like Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Well, they’re not going to lose in 2006. Most of ‘em aren’t even up for reelection this year."

A quick look at the races in contention this year have to make Conservatives think long and hard about who'll likely be turned out without their support.

An important read.

Posted by: Gary at 03:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Gas Prices And Adjusted Expectations

$3.09/gallon this afternoon at my local "bargain" gas station. Eh, what can you do? Drive less, sure. But how much less? I don't think I drive all that much to begin with.

Oddly enough, despite the pain of filling up SUVs are in higher demand than ever. These huge vehicles keep sucking down gas at alarming rates but it hasn't stifled America's desire to drive them. Doesn't this kind of fly in the face of logic? Not if you consider that fact that most drivers seem to be getting used to the new price level. According to a Newsweek article today, $3.00 or more per gallon doesn't send shudders down our spines the way it used to.

Detroit once thought $3 gas would be our ultimate pain threshold, forcing us to finally give up the keys to our big rigs. But it turns out our oil addiction is harder to kick than anyone expected. Although pump prices have nearly doubled in the last three years, we're driving more than ever. Today's cars average 12,190 miles on the road annually, up 24 percent from 1980, according to federal statistics. And the models we buy now have more horsepower and heft than those of a generation ago, which explains why gas mileage is headed in reverse. Today's new cars and SUVs average just 21mpg, down from 22.1mpg in 1987. When it comes to paying up at the pump, Americans have proved they can rationalize just about anything. "When prices are lower in June," says energy analyst Tom Kloza, "people will brag, 'I got my gas for only $2.75'." Now Detroit is recalibrating its threshold. The new CW: "Prices have to get to $4 and maybe even higher—and stay there for at least a year—before we'll see a substantial shift in what we drive," says J.D. Power's Tom Libby.

Before Katrina hit last fall, people payed on average just over $2.00 a gallon (let's say, $2.25 for argument's sake). A fill-up would go for about $30-35. Nowadays it's more like $45-50. So let's say, on average, we're paying $10-15 more a week (or $40-60 more a month) on gas. It looks like we, as Americans, have found out we can make up this amount by "sacrificing" other things that aren't all that important to us. Think about all the little things you routinely spend small amounts of cash on - a breakfast sandwich, a bottle of water or soda, candy or gum, a bag of chips with lunch, a video rental, impulse-purchases in the supermarket, a Dunkin' Donuts Smoothie or an Iced Coffee. There are lots of little "rewards" that we give ourselves all the time. These are nice-to-haves. Gas is something we need to have. It sucks to have to pay more for it and there'll still be plenty of bitching to go around.

But it seems that our overall expectations - not to mention our lifestyles - have changed to the point where rising gas prices don't seem to affect us as much as we thought they would. Or maybe I'm totally off the mark.

There's currently a poll in the sidebar about how gas prices are affecting your behavior (if at all). Take a scroll over and register your vote.

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