John McCain | MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Archive for the 'John McCain' Category

(Chronologically Listed)

Johnny’s Mom

I love this video. :)

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Be sure to read Chris’ Mother’s Day post! It’s awesome.

Go visit some of my favorite moms and wish them a Happy Mother’s Day today, okay? (List below the break.) They’re not ALL moms, but they all deserve well wishes today. :)

CQ Politics VP Madness Round 2

CQ Politics has Round 2 of VP Madness up–you’ve got until Monday to get your picks in. Here’s how it looks after Round One:

*click*

Can’t say I agree with ALL of those picks, but whatever. ;-)

(I almost missed this, buried beneath 8000 other emails in my inbox - as it is, it came in two days ago.)

The Next Right

I’ve complained in the past about how ineffectual the right side of the blogosphere is; it’s part of the reason I grumble about how I “hate blogging,” in fact. Oh, yeah, we had Rathergate and the Reuters Fauxtography scandal, and a couple other things that hit critical mass, but that’s just a handful of things in the last four years or so. It’s nothing compared to the things the Nutroots gets done, and I’m not even talking about the enormous amounts of money they can raise compared to us.

The difference: While we talk about how they are negative–and they are–they’re also working FOR something. We’re just generally carping from the cheap seats, playing at punditry and media criticism. They’re getting the nutroots agenda heard on Capitol Hill regularly, and they even were able to take down a Senator who was once a Vice-Presidential candidate (Lieberman) in a primary. There’s no way Ned Lamont could have beaten Joe Lieberman in the primary without the Nutroots. And now, the conservative blogosphere is top-heavy with people who are largely lukewarm (or worse) toward our Presidential candidate, and more against the idea of a President Barack Obama. Well, it’s pretty much our own fault as a collective whole.

Enter The Next Right.

.
The Next Right is a new project started by Patrick Ruffini, Jon Henke, and Soren Dayton, designed to foster political activism using technology like blogs and other Web 2.0 structures. Patrick Ruffini introduces it here:

If you’re looking for pure-play opinion and link bait on sundry topics from Ann Coulter to Jimmy Carter/Hamas, you won’t find it here. What you will find is in-depth (often unabashedly technical) writing about the election, the polls, the strategy, and the issues. Our analysis will track truth and stay true to the numbers. But it will self-consciously serve a greater purpose — educating YOU to be your own political strategist and start doing something — whether that’s blogging about your local Congressional race or Democratic corruption in your state, organizing fundraising drives, and maybe even managing races or running for office yourself. Only a revival of civic engagement at the grassroots level will create a conservative future we want: one that is pork-free and robust in the defense of our country and its values. We can’t call a switchboard and wait for Washington to fix the mess. We have to do it ourselves, from the ground up, in every state.
[...]
We don’t think this alone will solve the activism gap. Anyone who tells you that they alone have the answer is fooling you. This is not “the Daily Kos of the right.” What we’re hoping to do is create momentum and an intellectual framework for action — because action ultimately starts with narratives and ideas. We want grassroots conservatives and libertarians to start believing that they can make a difference again — a sense all too many have lost. Only you – and not some well-funded 527 — can bring the movement into the future. Only when grassroots conservative have a direct stake in the future of the party are we effective. The Next Right is about creating a vision for a 21st century Republican Party and conservative movement.

We need this. Desperately. Go read more about the how and whys of The Next Right, and sign up to be notified when it’s open for business. TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR GOVERNMENT.

THIS MEANS YOU.

Obama on divisive politics: “We will end it by telling the truth”

During last night’s speech in North Carolina, Barack Obama said the following, referring to the divisive way the political game is played:

We will end it not by duplicating the same tactics and the same strategies as the other side, because that will lead us down the same path of polarization and of gridlock.

We will end it by telling the truth.

We will end it by telling the truth forcefully, repeatedly, confidently, and by trusting that the American people will embrace the need for change, even if it’s coming from an imperfect messenger, because that’s how we’ve — that’s — because that’s how we’ve always changed this country, not from the top down, but from the bottom up, when you, the American people, decide that the stakes are too high and the challenges are too great.

FAIL. You’ve been fact-checked, Barry.

You’re going to tell the truth, Barack? What, did you decide suddenly to turn over a new leaf?

See, he can keep repeating this lie and play divisive politics himself by painting all of his opponents as “fear mongers” and racists, but he’s not fooling me with his rhetorical gymnastics. Here’s how he rolls:

* Opponent points out his faults, whether it’s his far-left agenda, his lackluster Chicago Democrat political record (that shows nothing resembling “change,” “unity,” or “hope”), or his history of alliances with radical leftists.
* Obama says this is divisive, and a distraction from the issues.
* Obama lies about his opponent’s record and agenda.
* Obama surrogates pile on, calling opponents racists.
* Obama surrogates/supporters lie about and attack the other candidates, and repeat absurd and demonstrably false accusations about them. (AKA “libel.”)
* Opponents are called “divisive” for drawing attention to Obama’s actual history.
* Obama surrogates claim that it’s all a smokescreen for what’s really just fear of a black President.

You tell me–who’s being divisive, if he and his supporters aren’t?

When IS he going to start telling the truth?

John McCain on Health Care

I admit I’ve sort of been hiding from the health care debate because anything coming from John McCain would be infinitely better for me (and health care is a big part of my life) than what Hillary and Obama are selling, and I’m also sort of avoiding unpleasantries like worrying about how fast socialized health care will literally kill me.

McCain is saying all the right things with his health care agenda. Here’s his intro to it in the National Review.

What exactly is the problem with the American health-care system?

The problem is not that Americans don’t have fine doctors, medical technology, and treatments. American medicine is the envy of the world. The problem is not that most Americans lack adequate health insurance. The vast majority of Americans have private insurance, and our government spends many billions each year to provide even more.

The biggest problem with the American health-care system is one of cost and access, and as a result tens of millions of individuals have no insurance. For example, we currently spend for about 2.4 trillion dollars a year on health care. A decade from now that number, under current projections, will double to over four trillion dollars.

The Obama and Clinton response to these problems is to promise universal coverage, whatever its cost, and the massive tax increases, mandates, and government regulation that it imposes. But in the end this will accomplish one thing only. We will replace the inefficiency, irrationality, and uncontrolled costs of the current system with the inefficiency, irrationality, and uncontrolled costs of a government monopoly. We’ll have all the problems, and more, of private health care — rigid rules, long waits, and lack of choices, and risk degrading its great strengths and advantages including the innovation and life-saving technology that make American medicine the most advanced in the world.

I have a different approach. I believe the key to real reform is to restore control over our health-care system to the patients themselves. To that end, my reforms are built on the pursuit of three goals: paying only for quality medical care, having insurance choices that are diverse and responsive to individual needs, and restoring our sense of personal responsibility.

Read the whole thing here, and then get more details at the Health Care section of his website.

McCain visited the Cleveland Clinic today, and the text of the speech on health care is here.

Be sure to also read what others in the media and punditocracy have had to say about his health care agenda.

Moveon.org & the DNC: 100 Years of Stupid

The Stupid.

That one’s from the DNC, not MoveOn.org, but what’s the difference? Not to worry, though, moveon.org has released their own “100 years” strawman ad called “Candles.” Really, if this “100 years” strawman is the best they’ve got (and it appears to be their election strategy, along with “McSame” - LOL), I’m thinking we’ve got smooth sailing on the horizon. Obviously the libs really do believe voters are too stupid to figure out that it’s dishonest nonsense.

But for the libtards’ benefit (since they apparently are that stupid), a little fact checking is in order. Not that MoveOn or the DNC care about those pesky things called “facts.”

Please, Democrats, do stick with that strawman campaign!

Vote Democrat

Lest you think we forgot about Miz Porky–er, I mean Hillary…

I guess since Hillary hasn’t been able to keep up with Barack Obama in the fundraising game, she’s looking for money to hold her Senate seat. Lots of it, in fact.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has requested nearly $2.3 billion in federal earmarks for 2009, almost three times the largest amount received by a single senator this year.

*gulp* What the hell? $2.3 Billion? With a B? Wow. I guess since it’s too late for the New York primary, she’s just covering her bases. Hey, how’s she going to run in 2012 if she can’t keep her seat in New York? A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do, and what’s $2.3 billion between friends? Errr….oh yeah. Triple what everyone else asked for.

Allah adds:

This would have been a sweet talking point during the general election; too bad she had to go and tank on us in the primary. No matter. Obama’s nicely compromised on this subject as well: $98 million in special earmarks for FY2008 compared to a big fat doughnut for McCain.

Got that? A big fat doughnut. None of that drunken sailor spending for McCain, which should make even the most anti-Mac conservatives happy as well, at least. (”Should,” but I usually choose not to read the often-deranged chatter in the Hot Air comments.)

Maybe Hillary’s buying everyone in New York State their own flak vests and helmets to protect them from sniper fire. Probably a fleet of armored personnel carriers, too.

Think I was kidding about Paultards hijacking the Convention? See Nevada.

Thankfully, the Paultard push to take over the North Carolina delegation failed. But listen up: these people DO NOT CARE about the will of the voters. They’re already creating havoc, this time in Nevada.

After a super-majority of Ron Paul supporters captured control of the Republican state convention Saturday, state party officials abruptly canceled the event without electing delegates to the national convention.

Early in the day, state delegates supporting Paul’s continued pursuit of the Republican nomination voted through a rules change that forced the state party to abandon its preset ballot of potential national convention delegates and open up the race to the rest of the state delegates.

The vote followed a rousing speech by Paul of Texas, who said his presidential campaign will continue as long as he has support.

But as the convention continued into the evening, chairman Bob Beers said the party’s contract for the hall at the Peppermill Resort Casino had expired and the event would be rescheduled.

“Due to a rules change that left us on an overtime basis, we will recess the convention until a date that we are going to announce next week,” Beers told a shocked crowd, which stood silent for a few seconds before erupting in boos.

As Beers was escorted out of the building, a short-lived effort to rescue the convention was launched by party activist Mike Weber. Although several hundred Paul supporters stayed, they weren’t strong enough to make a quorum to continue the convention.

Throughout the confusion, hecklers battled for the attention of delegates who supported U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Look, I appreciate the Paultards’ organizational ability - I wish “we” were better at it ourselves. But this is ridiculous - Ron Paul was on the ballot and the VOTERS DECIDED. John McCain is the choice of the majority of Republicans, and that is the party for which we have chosen a nominee. Not The Ron Paul Party.

Paul, who came in second in the Nevada caucuses, actively worked to ensure his supporters attended both the county and state conventions.

His contingent came to the state convention prepared for battle. They had a row of printers to print ballots for their supporters to the national convention. They set up a communications network using text messages to cell phones to make sure everyone voted correctly on motions that would benefit their effort. And they scoured the rules for opportunities to level the playing field.

“On the one side you have a candidate with principles, on the other side you have Tammany Hall,” said Kelly Edinger, a Reno Paul supporter. “I’m in it for Ron Paul. I still believe he can win.“

Do you really want crazed, delusional hooligans raising hell at the convention?

If you care about this, get active. If not, be prepared for the National Convention to be overrun with anarchists. We have our nominee and that isn’t going to change, but they will do everything they can to hijack, subvert, and disrupt the formal nomination process at the convention. Keep your eye on your state’s delegation, because things could get stupid really fast.

Patrick Ruffini knows what can happen.

But by far the biggest impact delegates can have is through floor demonstrations. In some ways, their reactions to the speeches set the tone for the convention, amplifying messages from the stage. Remember how Pat Buchanan enraptured the floor at the 1992 convention but lost the country? Or how the Texas delegates turned their backs on gay Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe in 2000? Now, imagine, Paul loyalists get 20-30% of the seats on the floor in St. Paul, controlling delegations like Missouri, with a significant presence in Minnesota, with closest promixity to the stage. Can the speakers safely voice a pro-victory message in Iraq without a significant amount of boos and catcalls? How will this look on television? And don’t forget, national conventions are also heaven for reporters trolling for off-message quotes from delegates.

It’s our own fault, y’all.

I can’t fault them, can you? Dodging on loyalty oaths aside, all they are doing is Grassroots Organizing 101. Even the social conservatives who traditionally filled this role have punted, drifting into lifestyle-based forms of self-identification. What is remarkable is that this is being pulled off by an historically smaller and smaller base of people using the Internet. All because the regular Republican organization across the country is demoralized, demobilized, and eviscerated.

Read the whole thing. Get off your butts and take back the party. Quit complaining about how it’s too “RINO” if you aren’t willing to do something. If you don’t take back the GOP, real RINOs will.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again until it sinks in: when you disengage and do nothing, you GET nothing. That goes for your level of support for John McCain, too - if you do nothing but hold your nose and vote, how on earth are you ever going to have your voices heard? People have complained for years about the influence of the “Religious Right” on the party (whether you agree with that or not), but they’re organized and at least until now, have reliably made their views relevant by donating, organizing, and activism - at a level disproportionate to their numbers. And now we have the paleolibertarian truthiness wing of conservatism speaking up. If they were to get behind McCain, they’d have a voice in a McCain administration too (of course, they won’t get behind him, because just like RP, they’re ineffectual absolutists). We of the “Silent Majority” can afford to be silent no more, not in the age of the internet and instant communications.

Pinging Nice Deb and This Ain’t Hell so they get this update to their posts.

stein hoist Thanks to my friend Ralph, for the tip on the news from Nevada.

Paultards trying to subvert the National Convention for their guy

I saw this at Digg (where else?) last week, but ignored it after burying it. It seems, though, that Paultards are quite serious about hijacking the Republican Convention. If you don’t want to see the “plan” at the Paultards’ blogs, read it here. Snip:

*The Strategy:*

The strategy therefore must be to get as many Ron Paul delegates selected to represent their states at the National Convention.

That means our delegates need to stay low-key.

Resolutions are a dead giveaway, especially when they are fought over things like opposition to the war, or abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS, all signature issues of Ron Paul.

So, the best plan is to shut up, move along, do what you have to do to get selected, sign the pledge to “support” McCain (it doesn’t say you promise not to abstain!) and just get in short of outright lying, of course.

If there are any ethical concerns about this supposed “stealth tactic,” think about what ethical concerns you may have if you allow McCain to become president by your inaction. [Continue reading...]

Ethics? We don’t need no stinkin’ ethics! It’s REVOLUTION! Forget about the sheeple’s votes, this is a coup!
/vomiting

At least one person is fighting back. Heather Johnson of Moms4Mitt.com:

I am a Mitt fan and have a blog for his support. But I have also pledged on my blog my support for McCain as a our GOP nominee. I am trying to do my part in stopping these Ron Paul fans from overtaking the convention with their agenda nonsense and just get McCain officially nominated.

Heather is trying to just GET to the convention, but she needs help (financially) getting there. If you can drop a few shekels her way, you’ll be doing your part to shut up these asshat Paultards. Make no mistake, they are extremely well-organized (online activity and caucus results should tell you that much) and you can be sure they’ll make their presence known at the National Convention. Unless you want to see the GOP have an even more f’d up convention than it looks like the Dems will have, the Paultard kiddies must be stopped.

Ron Paul has even given tacit support to this idea (or that’s how it’ll be read by his fanatic supporters), while leaving his options open for a third party run:

“I’ll be very cautious about what I do,” he said, noting his effort to encourage his supporters to get involved with their local Republican committee.

And you know Ron Paul–he’s a stickler for the last letter of the Constitution. If it can be interpreted to allow this “loophole” that can get him nominated–or at the very least, create chaos–it’s A-OK. He’ll say this is exactly what the Constitution was designed for. (Nevermind the votes for the candidates–the votes for delegates matter more? LOL.)

Please help Heather out - I absolutely vouch for her honesty and ethics 100%. She needs help getting to the Convention, and we need to put the final nail in the Paultard coffin of crazy once and for all.

Ron Paul Revolution = OVER

John McCain Blogger Call

Unfortunately, I missed it (ARGH!), but there will be others. Fausta called in, though, and has a summary of what was discussed with questions and answers listed.

He first started by talking about his recent speeches, and restating his proposed tax cuts while contrasting them to Obama’s proposed increases in capital gains tax rate and the cap on wages subject to social security taxes: “Anybody who wants to raise taxes during hard times is lacking in understanding of economics.”

He also praised Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who he visited yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to ask questions (as it turns out both Michael Goldfarb and Jim Geraghty asked the question I had) so I’m linking to the posts of the bloggers who did. Most of the comments had to do with the North Carolina ad, and Bill Ayers.

I particularly like that he said, “It’s clear who Hamas wants to be the next President of the United States.” Yes, it is, and it’s no wonder why. It seems he also hammered the subject of the other terrorist, William Ayers. If Obama thinks that issue is going to disappear, he’s out of his mind.

John McCain in New Orleans

My good friend Greta got to go to John McCain’s town hall meeting today at Xavier University–and she got front-row seats! Lucky! Just as I’d have predicted, after being at the town hall, she’s completely sold. I’m telling y’all, if you listen to him during one of these things, or have the opportunity to call in for one of the blogger conference calls he has, it will make a difference. You’ll *want* John McCain to be President of the United States.

Go read about it at Hooah Wife!

Democrat Kier O’Neil sets up phony “Nazi Skinheads for McCain”

Jaw-droppingly stupid stunt.

A political group registered last week with the Internal Revenue Service, “Nazi Skinheads for McCain 2008,” is aimed at skewering the presumptive Republican nominee, not backing him, an organizer said yesterday.

“I’m not a Nazi skinhead. I’m not a McCain supporter, either,” an unemployed software designer from Jacksonville, Fla., Kier O’Neil told The New York Sun Tuesday. “I’m kind of a disaffected Republican. I would rather have pretty much anybody in office than to have a Republican back in office.”

“Disaffected Republican.” Riiiiiight. What an idiot. Hello, Kier O’Neil. How’s that volunteer work for the Democrats working out for you?

Facebook profile
LinkedIn profile (I imagine this stunt won’t be good for his employment prospects in the real world)

stein hoist TC

Barack Obama is a dishonest hack, Part 8,549

“Unity” and conducting a “positive” campaign, my ass. Barack Obama is full of shit.

New York Times Endorsements = “We don’t want you to win”

Just as the New York Slimes “endorsed” John McCain and later launched the Most Ridiculous Smear Campaign of the season on him, they’ve done it again–this time with Hillary. Remember they endorsed her? LOL.

The Low Road to Victory

The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

Gaze at their confusion.

By staying on the attack and not engaging Mr. Obama on the substance of issues like terrorism, the economy and how to organize an orderly exit from Iraq, Mrs. Clinton does more than just turn off voters who don’t like negative campaigning. She undercuts the rationale for her candidacy that led this page and others to support her: that she is more qualified, right now, to be president than Mr. Obama.

She’s not qualified to be President because she isn’t worshipping at the altar of Teh Obamessiah!

HAHAHAHAHAHA. FAIL! Poor, innocent widdle Prince Barry. Everyone’s picking on him, and he’s playing so nicey-nice! Not. He talks a big story about “unity” and other bullshit platitudes, but in the same speeches he bloviates these things, he’s as divisive and negative as anyone else, and far more gloomy and prone to exaggeration, if not outright lies. Obviously, the NYT editors and others in Obama’s Amen Corner are too blinded by his dazzling halo to comprehend plain English. Hot Air has video of Hillary’s response to the NYT hit.

Make no mistake–Hillary won big last night, but she isn’t going to win the nomination. Period. I think she knows it, too–and has for a while. Rich Lowry points out what should be obvious to anyone by now.

She’s preparing the demographic ground for McCain, by getting white working-class Democrats used to (if you will) not voting for Obama. And she’s softening Obama up for McCain, prodding at and exposing her fellow Democrats’ weaknesses.

If you’ve paid attention at all to Dick Morris over the last several years, regardless of your feelings about him (he’s got Hillary Derangement Syndrome in a bad way), you know why she’d do this. She knows–or should know, unless yesterday Pennsylvania made her overconfident–that her campaign for 2008 is effectively over, and she’s preparing for 2012. She can’t win in 2012 if Obama is President. Not that she will win in 2012, but you can be sure she’ll die trying.

I wonder, will the New York Times be willing to call attacks on John McCain the “Low Road?” What about their own attacks? With all the money being raised by the DNC and the lib 527s, is there any doubt that the Dems are going to throw everything they can imagine at McCain, hoping something will stick? They all talk about wanting a substantive campaign, but what they’re really saying is that they want to be treated with kid gloves, while they fling poo at the Republicans. Hypocrisy is the hallmark of the Left, and the New York Times is the chief propagandist arm of all that hypocrisy.

Day 1 of McCain’s “It’s Time for Action Tour”

Day one was spent right here in sweet home Alabama, which I appreciate, because usually after the primaries, Alabama is pretty much written off by both parties. Even better, John McCain went into Democratic territory. I’ve always been annoyed that The Black Vote™ is always sort of ceded to the Democrats by default, and our candidates generally don’t really make an effort to take a bite out of that vote. Of course, I understand it–we conservatives see “black issues” as the same issues everyone else has, and that we all have the same basic goals. We’ve done a crappy job of selling our solutions to minorities, though. Good for McCain for reaching out and letting people know he’ll work for their votes.