I've finally decided to move my blog to another site.  I have found Townhall to be slow to load at best, totally annoying most times.

Please come and see me at http://sanity102.ipenglish.com/

There is a section for comments and just about anything you'd want...but most importantly, it actually loads and doesn't eat your long thought out comments!

I will be trying to move (as time permits) old posts for your pleasure.  So again, please visit and comment.

 

A note, all those leaving comments will need to register but I promise not to use your email and no real names will be needed, just your handle (whatever you want to be known as).

Hewitt has called for unity.

Ingraham, I've been told is no longer bashing McCain.

Am I glad?  Yes, of course.

Am I surprised?  Not really.

These are not stupid people.  They may have acted with extreme stupidity, but they are not dumb.

They know, KNEW even back then that the bashing of Bush and then McCain may get them headlines...it may make them more acceptable to the MSM, but it was a LOSING deal and would hurt the only viable party that is serious on fighting the WOT.

They even knew that the "base" was not the very vocal people who were calling their radio talk show--or those who had the time and the energy to write hundreds of posts on TH and Red State.  (This was Rush's first piece of advise to Medved).

But the name of the game was ratings--and ratings don't come unless, like the strippers in the movie "Gypsy Rose" say, "you  gotta have a gimmick".  So they went on and on about illegal immigration and twisted words that would make Bill Clinton proud...like "amnesty" and "real conservatism".  Hewitt even told his listeners that Proposition 187 KILLED the Republican party in California and warned that anti-illegal rhetoric could really hurt the GOP.

For MONTHS, the Talk Show Mafia assured their listerners that the majority of Americans were angry about illegals...even after Santorium and Hayworth LOST...even when Hunter and Tancredo was unable to garner any support...even after state after state rejected born-again border control advocate Romney.

People living in California and Arizona assured the "base" that people in their state were going to hand anyone that wasn't as passionate as they, their heads.

Instead...California handed McCain hundreds of delegates.

And made clear that:

The REAL base had other things on their mind...like the WOT and the economy...both of which McCain was strong on.

Hewitt, Ingraham, Hannity, Rush DON'T speak for the "base".

And most importantly, if you don't play nice...you don't get to play.

Right now, I think the TSM is trying to figure out how to get back into the game.  How to regain their credibility and most of all, to be seen as the person with power and influence--everyone likes a winner.

Here is my suggestion.

1-    Take a look at Medved who put intellectual honesty above everything else.  His opinions and his views may not have been popular but they were based on sound logic.  The next time they want to jump on a wagon of bashing and bullying, they need to ask if the temporary hike in ratings is worth destroying the only party that is serious about winning the war on terror.

2-  Look up the words..."loyalty", "support", and for the love of God..."amnesty".  There was a reason that mothers taught their children to "be truthful and faithful".  Lies and treachery ends up bitting you in the butt.

3- If you're going to claim to be a member of a party, try to look for the positives in your leaders and your fellow members...your enemies are all too happy to find and point out the negatives.

4- Above all, FOCUS, as Medved likes to say "a laser beam", on the IMPORTANT issues that effect ALL Americans: the war, the economy, and the courts.

And lastly, remember that whoever becomes the president, becomes the leader of ALL Americans, not just those that agree with your ideology.

Unfortunately...I don't think anything will change.  The TSM and their minions may call for unity.  But if McCain wins, they will spend the next 4 years bashing him as they have Bush.

They do not care if this causes the lost of the WOT or the world crashes and burns...they are no better than their MSM counterpart.  It's all about ratings...THEIR ratings.

In the end, I believe that the only way, the GOP will survive, and because they are the only party serious about the WOT, the nation and the world can survive-- is if the TSM is cut out--like a cancer.

Here's hoping that after the surgery, there's enough time for the party to recover.

The Anchoress wrote a post asking her readers to give her a reason to vote for Romney WITHOUT mentioning McCain.  Many tried, most failed.

I didn't come across the article until late in the game and to be honest, I was going to pass...but she claimed to be torn and wanted some guidance on how to cast her vote Super Tuesday.

Taking her at her word, I offered some food for thought...

A mere month ago, McCain's presidental candidacy was down to, in some places, no one to man phones, to get coffee, or to hold signs.  Many had written him off.

Yet, there he was, 30 some odd days later, leading the pack...and weeding out the Republican in Name Only people and the talk show mafia (Fred Barnes' apt name for Ingraham, Rush, Hewitt and the rest of the gang of would be WH controllers).

I told her I knew that she believed in the "hand of God" and asked if she really believed that all this was coincidental.

Think about it.

 

They threw everything at him...money, media, old innuendos...and like their Liberal counterpart in 2004, FAILED to get the American people to vote their way.

 

In 2004, America...and because she is the sole super power, the world, faced an Islamic threat that had every possibility of going nuclear.  The world couldn't afford a man who had turned his back on his country and his fellow troops 30 years earlier to be CIC.

 

4 years later, America--and the world--STILL faces the same impossible nightmare.  She, they, we, cannot afford a CIC that has zero concept of the threat we face.  An Obama or Hilary is unacceptable.  A man controlled by the talk show mafia is also unacceptable.

 

The latter, it has been pointed out to me, are nothing more than entertainers.

 

Unfortunately for them, American can no longer afford their type of entertainment.

God, I believe, allows humanity to make the most stupid mistakes...and yes, once in awhile, God even allows evil to occur.  But once in awhile, He throws in a hurricane or a tidal wave that gives people all kinds of opportunity to do good and be kind and generous.

And sometimes, he reaches down and puts something annoying beneath our feet, so we'll stop and take the time to see which way we are going.

McCain, the Republican that the talk show mafia is telling us is not a Conservative jewel, may be God's bit of rock that reminds conservatives that the road of America belongs to the Left, the Middle, and not just the Right.

 

 

Yep, they actually have a name for it...MDS or McCain Derangement Syndrome.

A guy, obviously suffering a grand case wrote this:

McCain is an absolute abysmal imbosol!! He’s a RHINO republican and tried to shove amnesty down our throat 2 times with "HIS OWN BILL". HE IS FOR TAXING USA companies only to solve a so called GLOBAL warming problem. Well what about the rest of the WORLD? You people drink the kol-aid of the press and are completely UNINFORMED. ROMNEY is this COUNTRYS BEST HOPE. You want to know something else, STUPIDY BREADS ITSELF. You will believe anything someone tells you if you are uninformed and that is what the liberal media is counting on. DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK! John McCain should be renamed as JUAN McCain. Have you noticed who his heading up his HISPANIC outreach group for this race. If not, Google "McCain and Dr. Juan Hernandez. I WILL NOT, SHALL NOT AND CAN NOT VOTE FOR JUAN McCain, I would rather the Republican Party dissolve, period! TOP TEN REASONS JOHN MCCAIN IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE: 1. John McCain teamed with Ted Kennedy and attempted to give amnesty to every illegal alien in America, and even wished to grant them access retroactively to Social Security benefits accrued under illegally used numbers while here against the current law. 2. John McCain (along with the regular cohort of lefties) removed your right to speak out against political candidates (including him) through advocacy ads in the 30-60 days before a primary or general election. The infamous McCain-Feingold legislation proves he couldn't find an originalist judge if the man was sharing a pair of pants with him. 3. John McCain considered leaving the GOP to become an independent caucusing with the Dems, and only balked when Jeffords beat him to it. Daschle and others swear its true. 4. John McCain proved himself to be a populist anti-capitalist when he called the pharmaceutical companies "the enemy" during the most recent South Carolina debate. George Will is even wondering why John is a Republican and hasn't switched yet. 5. John McCain has swallowed the "Man Made Global Warming" pill whole. He has teamed with Lieberman to offer legislation to create a carbon cap and trade system that the Congressional Budget Office believes will add energy costs to each family of between $560-1800 per year, with the money raked in dispersed out in R&D grants, or government pork barrel goody contracts as I interpret it. 6. John McCain voted against the "Bush" tax cuts more than once, voted for amendments to keep the death tax alive, and along with our faithful Governor Pawlenty calls huge tobacco tax increases "fees". 7. John McCain believes waterboarding for US Servicemen is normal during training for capture situations, but calls it unconscienable torture when applied to important organizational terrorist figures caught plotting to kill Americans. This American serviceman disagrees. 8. John McCain supported gun control measures with rules that would have effectively shut down gun shows and gun sales between private parties. He teamed with Andrew M Richard | 02.03.08 - 4:34 pm | # And here was my reply...

Do your own homework...YES, please do. 1- First please check the dictionary definition of amnesty. You may not have liked the bill but that gives you zero right to make up your own definition of the word. 2- What's more important..a bill that is so irrelevent that NO ONE has tried to repeal it or a bill that would have shut down radio talk show? The latter right? Well guess who was right there with a bill to SAFEGUARD the first ammendment of the radio talk show host that were bashing him? 3- Geez, you mean like Joe Lieberman who DID go Independent after his own party refused to allow him to have his own opinion about the war? The guy conservatives said was the only Democrat they would vote for? 4- Again, funny how having a different opinion than the popular one makes you a "populist"...again PLEASE check that dictionary you're using. 5- Guess who has the NEVER voted for pork spending or ear marks record? If this is your "interpretation", maybe you ought to check your whole library. 6- Do you have any idea WHY McCain voted against tax cuts? It may have something to do with Reagan having to rescind HIS tax cuts and McCain wanting tax cuts to be WITH spending cuts...geez, cutting spending, not at all a very liberal concept is it? 7- Well, American serviceman, please tell me when and for how long YOU were tortured? The FACT is that MOST service men that saw active duty are against torture. Civilians and those whose "military experience" are not video game based seem to think it's a necessity. 8- And Romney ran ads that talked about a family member that had a back ally abortion...and supported a woman's right to decide...and vowed NEVER to change his support. But Romney can be forgiven and be the "man" but McCain, who gave 20 plus years service, who's father and grandfather served, and who's son is on active duty now...can't? And ah, you listed 8 under the heading of 10...sigh, perhaps you need more than a dictionary.

I have long held that in order for the nation to survive, we must fight and win the War on Terror. 

In order to win the WOT, we must have the people running the show be from the ONLY party that WANTS to win the WOT.

The Democratic party doesn't even think there is a war, much less see the need to win it. 

It is as simple as that.

I have also long held that nothing can survive if it is being eaten from within.

For 7 long years, we have seen the MSM put their hatred of Bush above the need to fight Islamic terrorism.  4 years ago, the Republican In Name Only media...Ingraham, Rush, Hannity, Hewitt joined them, placing their hatred of illegals from the Mexican border above the GOP keeping power to fund and pursue victory on the WOT.

The near blinding insanity of the "I" issue cost the GOP Congress--and threatens to cost us the LAST bastion in the fight on the WOT.  So much so that mere months ago, Hilary was seen as the inevitable occupant of the White House.

But I am a strong believer in God's design (although to be honest, there are times when I prefer a simplier and easier way of making it all work out)--and out of no where McCain becomes the front runner of the GOP presidential candidates.  How improbable was that? Last week, a strong anti-McCain local radio talk show host, mentioned that McCain was so down in the possibilities of presidential hopefuls that in some places, he had no one, ZIP, to handle signs or get coffee or make calls.

And if you had asked me before the holidays last year, I would have told you no way McCain.  In fact, my British partner J.D. did.  He has for a long time held that McCain was the ONLY candidate that could stop a Clinton comeback. 

I laughed at him--and got angry.  J.D. may be brilliant in many areas, but he did not know the AMERICAN voter. 

Obviously J.D. was right--again.  He had been into politics for many years, way before 9/11 which had been my day of reckoning.  He knew a political heavyweight when he saw one--and had for some time judged McCain to be one of the only few that was exactly that.  The others, perhaps with the exception of Hilary, were "flavors of the month", who would come and go--and be soon nothing more than a foot note in some history book.

McCain has, to put it bluntly, managed to divide the GOP party.

And in so doing, revealed what many had suspected: the party of Republicans had been taken over by people calling themselves everything but Republicans.  These conservatives with a capital "C" were as ideologically unhinged as their "move on" counterpart.  For months they have driven out 9/11 Democrats, Independents, and Pro-lifers who couldn't stomach their intolerant bullying.

McCain's win in NH, SC, and Florida also revealed the irrelavancy of the RINO media.

They may be able to whip up their listeners to speed dial members of Congress, but in delivering actual votes, Ingraham, Hannity, Hewitt, even the great Rush...has very little power.  As J.D. love to say, these ex-lawyer turned talk show hosts are really entertainers...people listen to them to be amused, but more people listen to music or sports.  Their influence on the American Republican is quite minimal.

Now this comes as good news; I have long believed that the only party that is serious about winning the War on Terror can not afford the Republican In Name Only people.  It is time that conservatives that will not call themselves Republicans stop trying to tell the party of the Republicans what to do.  It is way past time that talk show hosts and pundits that couldn't make it as lawyers or politicians stop trying to control the WH and beyond time that they STOP finding every possible opportunity to bash the choice of the Republicans.

But here comes the real question--one that I believe will be discussed in the coming weeks if McCain wins Super Tuesday...can we win if the RINOs are purged from the party?

Political genius behind Clinton (Dick Morris) and Bush (Karl Rove) has said that about 20% of the nation votes Democrat...20% Republican.  15 to 20% lean to the Left on issues and 15 to 20% lean to the Right, leaving 20% that will vote Left on some issues and Right on others.  Neither counts the 3% fringe voters (LIbertarians etc.)

I am adding a whole new set of numbers.

Of the 40% that vote Republican and lean toward Republican on issues, are there as much as a fourth (10% of total voters) that will drop out or cross to the Hilary zone if Republicans choose McCain?

J.D. believes that it is more like 1.7% (from the fringe voters).

If J.D. is right, we are trading 1.7% for a possibility of gaining that 20% truly middle.  If others are correct and it is as much as 10%, it might be an even trade.

Interesting.

In any event, there really was no choice.  The party of Republicans was being eaten by people calling themselves anything but Republican and a RINO media that was doing more damage than their MSM counterpart.

They are like a cancer that was slowly killing the body and the treatment might well be fatal...but at least now, it has a fighting chance.

It is the new spin.

For months, the Republican In Name Only media...Ingraham, Rush, Hannity, Hewitt...has assured everyone that they spoke for the base.

So when they annointed Romney, the Reagan heir apparent...the previously unknown candidate that changed his mind on a half a dozen key issues...from when he was governor of Kennedy-Kerry liberal Massachusetts to now born again conservative for a national audience--should have swept through the Iowa primary.

But a no money ex-preacher won.

Ok, ok so maybe the base just didn't get the message.

For days, the RINO media told them all about Huckabee and explained ever so carefully that while the man is nice, he isn't a REAL conservative, certainly not one to step into the hallowed steps of  the reinvented Reagan.  Painstakenly, they pointed out the wonderful man that THEY had chosen and instructed REAL conservatives every where to vote accordingly.

Then McCain took New Hampshire...and South Carolina!

And once again, slowly, strongly, they explained why the choice of the people is not the right choice.  In fact, since all the elections up to then had been opened, the Independents and the Liberals must be trying to hijack the party of Reagan!

Then came Michigan and even though Romney had to revert to the old liberal trick of promising that government would bail out the auto workers and turn out was extremely low...a win was a win...and surely now the base was getting the right idea.

Only, in CLOSED conservative Florida primary...conservatives voted for McCain, the guy they had CLEARLY told the base NOT to vote for.

WHAT IS GOING ON???

Today came the answer...

The Republican party has been hijacked...by Independents!

Thus, none of the Republican In Name Only media believe they have an obligation to vote for McCain if those registered as Republicans should choose him to represent them.

In fact, many have expressed taking their marbles and going third party--or as in the case Ann Coulter--to take their marbles and go to the Liberal camp.

One blogger told Steve at Campaign Victory 08 that he/she wouldn't vote for McCain if Billy Clinton himself was running against him.

In other words, it's THEIR way or no way.  Gone are the principle of winning the WOT.  Gone are the principle of loyalty.  Gone is the idea that we can trust the people to make choices and to accept the will of the majority.

Once upon a time, conservatives watched as liberals tore apart Joe Lieberman for his stand on the WOT.  I remember hearing all the talk about allowing those within your party to disagree and how intellectually bankrupt the Left was to be afraid of dissension.

Yet, here they are...months later, doing the SAME thing.

The RINO media was right...the Republican party HAS been hijacked.  For many years, it was taken over by extremists, absolutists, sanctimonious bullies that called themselves Constitutionist, Libertarians, Reaganites, everything but Republicans.

In 2008...Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida...and with God's help, 20 plus states come Tuesday...is taking the REPUBLICAN party back.

What does Santorium, Hayworth, and Tancredo have in common?

All three are what the Illegal Immigration absolutists consider "real conservatives".

All three ran on the idea that anything less than the rounding up and deporting of a tenth of American's work force and sending them back home (to Mexico mainly) is Amnesty.

All three LOST.

Romney has found his "real conservative" roots and have joined the new definition of anti-amnesty cause; so much so that Tancredo has endorsed him.

Romney has spent tons of money letting people know that Huckabee supported higher education for worthy children of illegal parents.

He then went after McCain for a bill that McCain and the most conservatives of Republicans in Congress supported.  A bill that was going to card illegals and penalize employers who hired illegals.  This bill was also going to charge illegals fines, make them go thru background checks, and a whole host of penalties--the complete OPPOSITE definition of amnesty. 

And Romney LOST...to Huckabee in Iowa...to McCain in New Hampshire and Southern Carolina.

Wait a minute.

Isn't the illegal immigration issue supposed to be THE issue?

The one the majority of Conservatives/Americans care about?

The one defining issue that separates the "real conservatives" from the RINOs?

The one the majority of talk show hosts insists are so important to the American people, that nothing, not the WOT...not the economy...not the courts...matters?

As I and a good number of bloggers have been saying...ah, no.

And right now, many of the leaders of this truly stupid miscalculation of the American people are clearly confused...and angry...and immensely frustrated.

Let me explain why the "I" issue is a loser.

And why, if people don't start getting with the program, this issue will cost the ONLY party that is serious about the WOT to lose the White House...and with that, a host of other issues that WILL effect the lives of most Americans..and the rest of the world.

1- We are a nation of immigrants.  For most, we are a generation or two away from unwanted people who came to America for the same reason illegals cross the borders. Many do not make the distinction between uneducated and unskilled laborers that came here BEFORE there were laws that make it almost impossible if you do not have the wealth or the connections--and those that will sell everything they have to buy a coyote's passage.

--When you go after immigrants, people see grandpa and remember stories of the old days.  And they look at what they have and the possibilities of their children, and feel uncomfortable at best.  Talk of being the bottom of the "wanted" barrel hits at their family members and their family worth...and they resent old feelings of being ashamed of people in their family who came from the old country.

2- We are a nation that has spent the last 30 years apologizing for the treatment of one race of people.  And I don't mean slavery.

--When the talk of Hispanics is vile, this nation that has been striving for racial equality bristles--and brings back every racial slur against every race ever perpetrated by White people.

3-We are a nation that grew up believing that walls are the antithesis of freedom which is why Reagan's call to Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" resonated with the American people.

--Talk of a wall, even if this wall is to keep people out rather than in, smacks of old time bad guys vs. good...and America this time is not the "good guys".  And the fact that the talk is for a wall "for security reasons" on the "poor, non-White" Southern border and not the "affluent" and very Liberal sympathetic to anti-American would be terrorists North does not help.

4-Most Americans are NOT conservatives...they do not know who the Vice President is...they may turn in by the millions to American Idol, but radio talk show or even Fox, ah no.

---They haven't heard the propaganda--and it is exactly that--of millions of illegals crossing the Mexican borders using up all the social services.  They see people--just like them--waiting in ER rooms.  They know how hard it is to get social security benefits--that the government has no problem in taking contributions but makes people jump thru hoops to get their money back.  They see Americans living in the streets, on drugs and begging for hangouts and Mexicans working two, three jobs and paying taxes they will never collect on.

Once upon a time, America lost her pride thru a "born again" Christian intellect that believed that you could reason with terrorist.

And got it back with a has been actor who still believed in John Wayne's America.

She lost her moral bearings with a "didn't inhale" snake oil skirt chaser who cared more about being adored than about America's security.

And lost her innocence on a September morning.

Then America went back to flag waving, hero worshiping of people in uniform.

And conservative values and ideals.

But from the ashes of 9/11 arose messagers who thought that they were more important than the message.

Who thought the message could be added on to and twisted.

And in so doing lost touch with the people to whom they were trying to send the message to.

People of immigrants...who love freedom, equality...and being the "good guys".

In their heyday, Ingraham, Hewitt, Rush, Hannity used to tell their listeners that the old media was afraid.

New media (aka radio talk show and Fox) was challenging their supreme ability to manipulate public opinion.

Of course they didn't say "manipulate public opinion"...I think they called it "getting the truth out".  But the fact was that each host had about 3 hours to push and maneuver "public opinion".

And let's be honest, we all fell for the "them" against "us" song.

Reagan went from a likeable old man to a god-like statesman--and everyone of the new media seemed to have worked for and knew the man personally.

"Amnesty" (except for the 1986 one that Reagan got conned into supporting) meant anything less than rounding up Mexicans and shipping them across the southern border.

They even changed the meaning of "conservative" to mean less conservative and more Libertarian, extreme, intolerant and farther to the Right than a Reagan that appealed to Democrats would have dared to go to.

For near 4 years, these people have worked tirelessly to carve their little niche of power among what they consider the REAL media.  They have done it at the sacrifice of Bush and Congress...and now they appear ready and willing to sacrifice the only party serious about winning the WOT.

What they have forgotten is what they all told us during the Rathergate incident...

"Old media", they said with a gleeful rubbing of their hands, "doesn't realize that they no longer hold the power of distributing information...that thanks to the internet and bloggers in pajamas...people can find opposing view points and make up their own minds."

It sounded so free...so American...so intellectually inspiring.

Now, years later, the new media is seeing their mountain of influence fall by the wayside of bloggers pushing for an ex-preacher they never annointed and a man they hate with the kind of hate Liberals reserve for Bush and Chaney.

They are like the Dan Rathers who thought their word was golden...that no one would DARE question their elitist opinion...after all they were the "smart guys"...the ex lawyers who went to ivy league schools.  And like Rather, they have their audience who will go on believing that there was truth in the lie that was told.

And some hot shot guy and gal, more in tune with middle America, will take their place.  They will rise up and gain influence and come to believe their own press agent.

Until like Rather and Hewitt, they overstep.

Freedom of the Press, we have been told, is essential to keeping the government from tyranny.  Perhaps time has added that bloggers are essential to keeping the media in check.

Ok, Hewitt has gone too far.

Did you know that McCain's "black" daughter was "given" to McCain and his wife to adopt by Mother Theresa?

Did you know that the war in Iraq would never have turned around if McCain had not pushed for the surge?

Did you know that if his "gang of 14" had not agreed to being reasonable, there would be no Alito, no Roberts, No great judicary picks on the Appellate Courts because the Dems would STILL be filibustering.  And if the GOP had used the "nuclear option", the now Democratic majority would be able to do the same?

Did you know that the reason McCain fought against the tax cuts was because he wanted what MOST Conservatives complain that Bush and Company DIDN'T do...cut spending at the same time?

Did you know that while most civilians think torture is ok, MOST of those serving, especially in combat, do not?  That part of the reason for McCain's disapproval of torture for prisoners is because he spent years during the Vietnam War as a POW and experienced first hand torture.  And unlike Hewitt whose connection to the military is a wife's father, McCain served his country for over two decades.

Did you know that his father and grandfather served?  And that at least one of his sons is serving now?  Can any of the major candidates claim that type of dedication to our nation?

Did you know that as a border state senator, he has pushed for funding for border security and REASONABLE method of dealing with illegals...and that his border state has returned McCain to Congress 4 times...the last 6 year run in 2004...2 years AFTER 9/11 (the year that the border situation was supposed to have become vital).?

Did you know that McCain was pro-life before Reagan, Fred Thompson, and Romney was pro-life?

Yet...today Hewitt pointed out that the next president would appoint 4 maybe 5 judges to the SCOTUS...and asked, "do you TRUST McCain over Romney and Rudy to appoint strict constitutionists?"

EXCUSE ME??

I've written this via email but I'll go on record.

My prediction:

Romney will lose Michigan which will put him out of the running.

Hewitt and Ingraham, fearing McCain, will throw their support to Rudy.

IF Rush, Hewitt and Ingraham FINALLY get it that the illegal immigration issue is a loser and understand that their 'base' is NOT the base of the GOP nor do this "base" make up the majority of voting Americans--and stop trying to tell their listeners who to support, Rudy will take the GOP nomination.

If their pride makes them attack McCain, the Independents who love the underdog will reject Rudy as they have Romney.

This will open the field to either McCain or Huckabee.

Obama will offer Hilary the VP or vise versa (depends on who wins Michigan) which will make the Dems the attractive choice for Independents that are tired of negativity.

If Hilary gains the top seat, we will have 8 years of military chill, bad foreign policy, spin type economics--and judges that will take America to a godless socialism that will doom future generations.

If Obama gains the top seat, we will have one Dem term because his shining city on the hill stupidity will result in a city being blow away by a dirty bomb--let us hope it isn't our city or the city of one of our loved ones.

Then America will come running back to the GOP. The Right will make us safe again and spend decades trying to undo the courts...until of course some "conservatives" decide that their "truth" is the only truth and start trying to tell our elected leaders how to run the country again.

The one hope is that the people turn against Republican In Name Only ex lawyers-now talk show hosts and insist on uniting behind a viable GOP candidate.

Once a long shot, it is becoming more possible by the day.

Blogs on the Right are starting to complain about the heavy handed manner of the RINO media...they are offended by Hewitt and Ingraham and Rush's demand that THEIR opinions are the ONLY VIABLE viewpoints of true conservatives.

Most of all, they are starting to question the Reagan legacy and to bristle at the idea of long time Republican McCain trying to take over the party of Reagan and Bush. (Notice how Bush got thrown in there, all of a sudden.)

And finally, Ingraham made a telling comment: she said it was rather ironic that after all the hard work "all of you" did to destroy the amnesty bill, the man most responsible for that bill may be representing the GOP party.

....Not quite as "ironic" as telling the world that you KNEW the hearts and minds of the GOP and the public.

And having them prove you wrong.

Friday was fun.

Laura Ingraham kept asking that Conservatives ask themselves what they did wrong in the Iowa primary.

Oohh, oohh, I know!

DROP THE "I" WORD.

For near 4 years, the illegal immigration issue has dominated the conservative talk shows and columns.  Political pundits from Ingraham to Hewitt to Rush INSISTED that this was the BIG issue.

Santorium believed them.

Hayworth believed them.

Congress believed them.

Tancredo believed them.

And finally, geez, even Romney believed them.

And ah, where is Santorium, Hayworth, Tancredo, the GOP Congress...and Romney in Iowa?

Hunter had his not yet finished 14 year old fence as his "border control" credentials.

Tancredo backed Romney.

And where was that OVERWHELMING majority that tanked the bill that was going to fine employers who hired illegals, card and identify them, and fund the fence on the southern border?

They may have been loud.

They may have had the time and energy to speed dial and blitz email the media and their representatives...but they had zip power to deliver victories for those that believed that the illegal immigration issue was as important as say...gas prices, employment, and the war on terror.

They couldn't compete with Oprah or church going, bible thumping pro-lifers who voted for an ex-preacher who didn't want to penalize children for the "sins" of their illegal parents.

Ingraham, Hewitt, and the rest of the so called political experts...do you REALLY want to know what went wrong?

You are "preaching" to the choir...your readers and listeners mostly agree with you...in fact, I will go as far as to say that I believe that many of "your opinions" are shaped by the mood and opinions of your audience.  This makes perfect business sense.  But like the star that surrounds himself/herself with fans/staff, you cannot afford to believe the hype.

1- The illegal immigration issue should be avoided period.  It is a loser because like it or not, America is a nation of immigrants and many are offended by the vitriolic rhetoric that is being used when this issue comes up.  YOU may hear tales of illegals breaking laws and sucking up social funds, but the rest of voting America's experience with illegals are people desperate to work and send money home.  They work hours and do jobs most Americans find beneath them and will gratefully accept whatever pay they can get.  This makes them hugely attracted to both employers and the public needing baby sitters and yard men.

2- Most Americans are NOT in the best of health, well off, or well educated.  They like people who know what a battle it is to lose weight, who didn't get full scholarships to ivy league schools. Drop questions to listerners like...what do you do for a living or what is your educational background.  The wisest people are waiting tables and driving trucks. Try asking "what makes you excited about Huckabee/McCain/Ron Paul?

3- The discussion among the GOP candidates should about out doing each other on plans and ideas and criticisms should be directed toward the Democrats and their unrealistic and many times, dangerous ideas.

4- The focus should be on what UNITES the party, not on what divides them.  And the first person who uses words like "real conservative" and "the party of Reagan" should be reminded that none of the presidential candidates are running for commander and chief of Reagan Conservatives...they are running for leader of ALL Americans, many of which do NOT HOLD conservatives ideals or beliefs.

5- Somewhere along the line, the realization that the continuation of Bush Bashing is like an employee that continues to bad mouth his company--and then wonders why no one wants to buy what their company is selling--and why they are in danger of losing their jobs.

Want a GOP congress?  Want to win the WOT?  Want to have constitutionalist judges?

Then try reminding the public that THIS Republican president and his policies has kept this nation safe for near 8 years...that this nation recovered from a 9/11 and dot com crash and went on to have one of the best economies in near 50 years.

Try reminding them about the sanity in the courts with Alito and Roberts.

Try reminding them about the ghost towns of Disney and Vegas and the fear of flying.

And flags that flew and people in uniform that were heroes again.

Remind them when God was thanked and the ACLU told to respect the rights of the other 80% Christian worshiping citizens.

Remind them of how great it felt to be an American and do all those sappy, John Wayne things like look up to parents and teachers and the generation who fought Hitler.

Tell them that the party of Republicans offer not just hope for a wonderful future but a gratitude for a past that was glorious in it's goodness.

Hugh Hewitt is wrong.

And fit to be tied.

For almost 3 hours, Hewitt ranted about the take over of the "party of Reagan" by the Huckabees/McCainites; neither of whom are conservatives aka Reaganites.

First off, the GOP is the party of REPUBLICANS.

That's right.

They are NOT the party of Constitutionalists.

They are NOT the party of Libertarians.

They are NOT the party of Conservatives with a capital "C".

And they are NOT, read my words...NOT the party of Reagan.

The REPUBLICAN party did not begin and end with Reagan.  They believed in God, Capitalism, and less government control LONG before Reagan traded his union card for membership in the same political party that LIncoln belonged to.

Honest.

Reagan spent tons of money--and we weren't a nation in war at the time.

Reagan gave REAL amnesty to illegals--something Hewitt "understood" after watching Proposition 187 ( a bill to deny social services to illegals  in California) put the GOP party in political wilderness for over a decade.

Reagan went after one small FEDERAL union--the air traffic controllers--but left the rest of unions in California to near bankrupt the state he was governor of.

In fact, if Reagan was to be judged by today's "Conservative" standards...every honest person would have to say that Reagan himself was NOT a member of the party of Reagan.

I sometimes wonder...what does Nancy Reagan think?  She was there when the media made fun of her husband's Star Wars talks and his foreign policies.

Does she feel vindicated?

Or is she disgusted with their hypocrisy?

And perhaps sadden.

For in his name, they will destroy the party he loved so much, he created an eleventh commandment...

"Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican."

Republicans...like Huckabee and McCain...

A couple of posts ago, I told the story of how Giuliani had won my support.

This is a tale of a candidate, who I firmly believe, should NEVER be president. 

Now most of us have had this "funny feeling" about Romney.  He came across as slick as a used car salesman.  He appeared to be a man the media could manipulate. Some didn't like his religion, but I honestly believe that for most, his mormonism made people uncomfortable as JFK's catholicism gave people pause but it DID NOT disqualify him.

No, Romney's biggest problem was that he touched that part in all of us that KNOWS when something is not quite right.

Today, I got that "something."

In 2004, the Right seemed poised to change the world.  The Left threw everything it had against Bush and the GOP and lost big time.  America under Bush had not only marched into the MIddle East and taken down two of the biggest terrorists strongholds, it manage to recover and prosper with little or no financial hardship. 

Then Bush--can't run again for President--did something truly unforgivable.

He did his job.  He nominated someone to the SCOTUS.  Someone that was NOT, I repeat NOT, on the ex-lawyer, talk show hosts "wish list". 

OMG.

Now the ONLY man American parents could trust to send their sons and daughters to war could do NOTHING right.

He was the only leader willing to take on the problem of social security--but failed to get the rest of the country to go along.

He turned around a post dot com stock market crash and spent LESS in time of war than Reagan--but he spent like a drunken sailor.

He got two of the best and the brightest judges on the SCOTUS and has a plus 75% rating for judiciary picks--but he nominated someone who helped him make those appointments--and again, she WASN'T on THEIR wish list.

OMG.

He tried to fix the illegal immigration issue with the only workable solution: guest worker programs and stiff penalties for illegal employment--but it was called amnesty and he was called an illegal lover.

And so the battle lines were drawn.

And people like Anchoress and Sistatoldya and Captain's table went up against those who forgot the good Bush had done--and that there is only one other viable party if we turn our backs on the GOP.

2 years later, Congress went to the Democrats...who won't fund our troops...who wants to raise taxes like there is no tomorrow.

The Right watches with fear, anger, and maybe guilt.  For that was the price of the anti-illegal hysteria.
 
For a bit, it seemed that the Right got it.  Efforts to get them all upset over some China deal and sea treaty failed.

Then Romney heard that despite the money and the backing of Hewitt, Ingraham, and the rest of the RINO media, Huckabee and Giuliani was leading the polls...brought up the "I" word.

Huckabee, as governor, he told the public, was for illegals getting college tuition....Rudy is also against rounding up the illegals and shipping them out; preferring laws that can be enforced.

And so here we are...poised for another round of illegal immigration rhetoric and vitriolic speeches that comes across racist as all get out.

What Romney and his handlers don't get is that while the Right may turn against Huckabee and Rudy...they may turn against the whole darn party period.

Which means that when the Dems want to cut and run...when they give illegal drivers licenses....find gay rights in the constitution to go along with the right to kill babies...and create laws that ban smoking and control gun ownership so that the 2nd amendment is practically useless--they won't have someone in the White House to stop them.

The following was sent to me by a friend. A note here. I knew one of those "suited vets". He was the president of a major company in town and in the days following 9/11, he told me about his own homecoming from Vietnam. He was from a small town in California where everyone knew everyone. Most were bitter and sad memories pressed between the pages of shrugged shoulders--it was a time of stupidity when youthful elites tried to excuse their selfish refusal to serve their country by denying honor to those that did.

His one piece of pain that still remained, like a paper clip that once in awhile catches and reminds that not everything is solidly held and filed away... is that of his mother...crying to hear that her son is a monster and a baby killer...

I watched this powerful man cry--and promised myself that if this nation should ever forget 9/11, I would do what ever I could to make sure another brave soldier's mother didn't cry.

All,

In honor of Veteran’s Day, I would like to pay tribute to the Vietnam Vets out there who are turning the tide in the current war against Islamic Radicalism. Please pass this along.

V/R

Trower

Vietnam Veterans: Turning the Tide in the War Against Islamic Radicalism.

They come wearing motorcycle leather and business suits. They sport crew cuts and ponytails, some wearing long un-trimmed beards, others clean shaven. They park their Harley’s, Gold Wings, and three wheelers in rows flying the Stars and Strips and the black POW/MIA flags. Many bear scars and tattoos commemorating their service in Vietnam.

They often come to stand guard over the memorial bearing the names of their comrades who fell during the long years of their generation’s war to prevent the anti-war protesters of today’s struggle from defacing it, again.

Upon meeting veterans of the current war against Radical Islam, many of whom are young enough to be their grandsons, they wrap them in bear hugs and say “Welcome Home, Brother.”

They are now the older brothers of our Brotherhood of Arms. These are the men who so many of my generation looked up to as the heroes who were betrayed. They fought an unpopular and ugly war that did have a purpose in the world wide struggle against communism, against an enemy who remained faceless in the jungles of a far off land. But that purpose is so often hidden or disregarded in the movies, history books, and writings since. They bear the unseen scars of coming home from their war only to be welcomed in San Francisco and New York and many college campuses with protests and taunts of “Baby Killer!” and “Murderer.” The anger of having one of the most famous starlets of their generation go to the home of the enemy they were fighting and provide aid and encouragement to that enemy runs deep. The hurt of having one who stood among their ranks for a short period of time, sit before the Congressional Committees and lie about atrocities they did not commit, be rewarded with election to the United States Congress and Senate and a run for the highest office of this land, runs deeper.

The fruits of their spilled blood, lost brethren, and military victories against the communists in the TET Offensive of 1968 (when they effectively destroyed the Viet Cong), the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) led Offensive in 1972 (when they destroyed the offensive capability of the NVA) were lost to the political defeats here at home which led to the fall of Saigon in 1975. The anti-war movement, combined with the fall out of the Watergate scandal led to the election of a strong anti-war Democratic majority in the House and Senate in 1974. Those majorities cut off all funding to the South Vietnamese government and prevented any reinforcement by American forces. The results were the footage of American Marines pushing back the last hopeful refugees atop the US Embassy building in Saigon as the last helicopter headed out to sea, the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese in “re-education camps,” the flotillas of millions of “boat people,” and the murder of millions more in the killing fields of Cambodia.

But once again, the real heroes of that generation are stepping up and are looking out for their little Brothers and Sisters who are fighting in a far off land. They know this enemy here at home and they are watching the backs of their younger siblings. They are not allowing this anti-war movement to go unanswered. They are stepping up to speak the truth about the self described “heroes” of their generation, and prevented one from becoming President. They are standing on street corners near Walter Reed, in West Chester, PA and Berkley, CA to counter Code Pink and other anti-war protesters. They form the core of groups like the Patriot Guard Riders, who ride in processions to welcome home the fallen and protect their families from the most despicable of anti-war protesters who show up at the funerals. The Free Republic “Freepers” stand vigil outside Walter Reed to cheer our Wounded Warriors on Friday nights to let them know the Code Pink protesters across the street do not speak for the people of this nation. The Gathering of Eagles organizes pro-troop counter protests to the anti-war protesters and stand toe to toe with them. Then there are the motorcycle clubs like the Rolling Thunder and the Nam Knights who stand vigil over the memorials to prevent further defacement and insults to their fallen brothers and sisters. And there are the USO volunteers who greet service men and women returning from overseas at airports across the country to let them know they are appreciated.

Their war was lost to the betrayal of so-called peaceniks, who by design or default, played into the hands of the enemy and gave away victory. They will not allow the terrible results of such a betrayal to be visited on their younger Brothers and Sisters. So they come and they stand for them on the National Mall with Gold Star Parents and Spouses among their ranks, where our Soldiers in uniform cannot show up to face down the anarchists, socialists, and misguided angels of the “peace” movement. They welcome us home with cheers, hugs, goody-bags, and tears at Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, and Baltimore and so many other airports. They send letters and care packages to our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen at sea and in hostile theaters. They fly the Stars and Stripes proudly and will not stand by idly to watch it burned. Finally, they pray for victory and safe return of the new generations of Warriors. The Veterans of Vietnam are ensuring the safety our nation and its soldiers in the current fight by not allowing this war to be lost at home. As the current generation fights to protect our nation from physical attack, the Vietnam Veterans are engaged in the struggle for our nation’s heart and soul, and they are turning the tide.

Just as my older Brothers in Arms welcomed me and so many of my Brothers and Sisters of my generation home, I want to say to them as individuals and as a group: “Thank you for being home, Brother, and watching over me.”

William T Russell

William Russell is a veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom, Desert Storm, and the Pentagon on 9/11. He recently left Active Duty with the Army to run against John Murtha in Pennsylvania. www.williamrussellforcongress.com.

Relating to Hilary's rant on the War in Iraq, Rudy Giuliani reminded the listeners that Saddam had been trying to build his own nuclear bomb.  In fact, it is fairly certain that if we had not taken him down, we would be facing not just the Iran threat, but Iraq AND Libya; Gaddifi surrendered after pictures of captured scruffy Saddam having his teeth inspected was shot around the world.

Those who continued to whine about the Iraqi war didn't understand the threat, Rudy said, and shouldn't be Commander in Chief.  (I am paraphrasing).

At that moment, the man EARNED my vote.

Let me explain how momentous this is.

I am not just pro-life; I lectured in schools, meetings, testified in front of legislative committees. I am the person that the most feminist opinionated person has been warned not to take on.

I can tell you about each procedure and how and why each came about.

This is the "principle" upon which I have stood election after election.

It is the first and last question I have asked each candidate seeking my vote.

No, I haven't always voted for someone just because they are pro-life...I'm much too practical for that.  But this issue has guided my vote for if a person will not see the evil in the killing of humanity's future, then for me, that person's vision of a future is flawed.

--Then one day, on a September morning...all that changed.

I realized that people I don't even know could destroy the world I knew.

I realized that America alone stood between a world of horror and a world of freedom.  Yes, we need allies and partners in finance and trade, but let's face it, the world had come to rely on the military might of one nation--OURS.

I also realized that all the "principles"...all the "causes"...are but facets of the greatest sin...that of pride. 

When we stand up for what is right, all too often, it is for what makes us look right...and good...and better than everyone else.

And America makes it so easy to be sanctimonious and self-righteous.  We can call our representatives and write comments on TH.  We can picket companies and email sponsers.

The next morning we go to our jobs and watch that we don't say anything too political or offend anyone with our opinions.

Every day, we understand and draw the line between our "principles" and "hard reality".

And it works...as long as America continues to survive and win.

Once upon a time, America understood this.  But people forget.

And many have forgotten.

They have watched the Commander in Chief of the world's greatest military fight a war not just with terrorists but with the media.

And many have joined the war...standing on the principles afforded by America and her troops.

I have prayed constantly for these "principled" people to understand the nature of war and what we risk if we continue to forget, but I am practical enough to know that America may have to fall before these people get it.

So, I am endorcing the only man that I believe can win ON BOTH FRONTS...the war on terror and the war on our sanctimonious pride.

I pray that he picks someone like Palin to soothe us pro-lifers.

But most of all, I pray that he fights to keep America a place where when "pride goeth before a fall"...one can survive the fall.