Secret Service: "Kill" Claims Are False

Hat tip to Nick on this one. I posted an article yesterday decrying the antipathy and extremism that is gripping some corners of the GOP, as they look defeat square in the eye in the presidential election. Among those signs were multiple reports of people yelling "Kill" at McCain/Palin rallies. The Secret Sevice is now saying the claims are wrong. They have investigated them, and so far the only witnesses to the cry are the reporters who posted the stories. Something that made such a splash at the debate last night should be better investigated.

Honestly, I would have liked to hear McCain be a little more strong in his condemnation the allegation, either way. There has been too much extremism on both sides the last 4 years.

Reminder: We are in a Democracy!

I have been saddened and angered by recent reports of people shouting "Kill!" regarding Obama at McCain/Palin rallys. It is also becoming more and more common to hear disappointed or angry Republicans (or Libertarians or Green Party people) saying something to the effect of "Obama won't be *MY* president." There seems to be some sense going around that the choice for President is a personal issue, and that if your preferences are not met, then you have no obligation to offer respect and support to the man in the office. This site has up an excellent write-up that reminds us we that under our system, the man with the most (electoral) votes wins, and thus ends the argument.

And whether Obama wins – if he wins – by one vote or millions shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you believe the reason he won was because the press was in the tank for him, or ACORN cheated, or McCain didn’t get a fair shake, or any other legitimate or illegitimate reason you can think of. At the very least, Barack Obama will deserve our acknowledgement that he is the legitimate elected president of the United States.

That doesn’t mean we have to slavishly follow him or join his cult like groupies. What it means is that where what he proposes to do is reasonable and doesn’t conflict with our principles, he should expect our support. It means that we don’t have to delegitimize his presidency to oppose him either. People of good will and good conscience can disagree without tearing each other and the country apart. And in this day and age, such an outcome would be unbearable.

I hope to hear statements from both candidates decrying and condemning the "Kill" shouts at the rallys. And I hope that people on both sides can tone down their personal rhetoric and realize that if Obama is elected, he is the President and is due our respect. Even Nancy Pelosi stood behind President Bush on 9/11. If, God forbid, there is another attack during an Obama presidency, we need to stand behind him then.

(I am) Voting for John McCain

Much has been said on this Blog on why people are not voting for John McCain this election and are instead trying to find a 3rd party candidate to vote for. I am voting for John McCain and the main reasons have more to do with Barak Obama than with John McCain. I am no fan of John McCain (Some of you will remember the post I wrote during the primary season of why I was not voting for John McCain then.) but the thing he wants to accomplish can be reversed if they do not work. Barak Obama is proposing things that will fundamentally alter our country and the expectations of its citizens in the future. This is why I can not vote for Obama.

The first and most important issue that Obama wants to change in America is Healthcare. If elected along with a Democratic controlled congress, Obama will enact a Universal Healthcare system. It may not start out as all encompassing, but no one can dispute that government entitlement plans only get bigger and more costly as time goes on. (See Social Security and Medicare.) Once the government is providing healthcare, employers will most likely make the choice to stop providing health insurance to their employees as they won’t have to worry about hearing how they took away this coverage and left millions of people without health insurance available. So the program will grow. Eventually, the cost of the program will grow so big that there will be calls to overhaul or end it. But just like social security, no one will have the guts to really either tackle the problems with the system or to abolish it. At that point, health insurance will be looked at as a right, not a benefit or privilege. In America, we already have the right by law to health treatment. Anyone, regardless of the ability to pay, can go to an emergency room and be treated for illness or injury. We should be very careful before enacting any plans that will be almost impossible to get rid of if things go badly.

The second issue important issue is taxes. I know my taxes will go up under Barak Obama and a Democratic controlled Congress. Bill Clinton raised taxes in his first 2 years as President before the Republicans took control of the House and Senate. Obama and Congress will do the same. There will be little incentive for Obama to stand up to the Congress on taxes as long as they enact his other major initiatives in return. And when Obama and congress increase taxes on corporations, that cost will be passed on to consumers as that is how it always works. Working for a small business, I know that when our costs go up, we pass that cost on to our customers as we need to do that just to keep our margin of profit at its current level.

The third reason I am voting for John McCain is that I think he will do a fine job. I do not think he will be a great president, but I also think he will not be a failure. That is all that is required for him to be a reasonable alternative to the other candidates running for president. By voting for John McCain in 2008, we are not locked in to him being the nominee in 2012 if either his has lost some of his ability to govern or has done a poor job as president.

John McCain may not be the perfect candidate, but his policies do not lead us down a road of no return.

Jib-Jab strikes again

I know this is supposed to be funny, buy honestly it may be the most depressing thing I have seen since the iPhone checker announced CT was clean out of 3G iPhones.

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Give me a POSITIVE REASON to vote for you

It is no secret that I am not a fan of John McCain. I have posted several of the articles that make me wonder about the man. But there is something else that destroys any attempt I make to get interested in the election for his sake. He has never given me a positive reason to vote for him. Consider the last 5 e-mails I got about this election which tried to motivate me to vote for John McCain:

1. Vote McCain or else Iraq will fail.
2. Vote McCain or Iran will get a nuke.
3. Vote McCaon or taxes will go up.
4. Vote McCain or the economy will stagnate.
5. Vote McCain or abortion will never be overturned.

Not one which says "Vote McCain because he has this GREAT idea to change the world."

Let's face the facts that every reasonable American knows. If Barack Obama (or Hillary Clinton, if Obama stumbles) wins the presidency, America will survive. It will even improve in some ways, because America always advances - sometimes because of politicians, sometimes in spite of them. It is no horror to have a Democrat in the White House. And there are positive effects to showing that the reins of power do not last long in one set of hands in our nation. The peaceful transfer of power may be expected in this age, but it was not long ago that it was nearly unheard-of.

Obama brings many positive reasons to vote for him: a new approach to foreign policy, a focus on economic issues, a chance for the next step in racial reconciliation. If John McCain wants to win, he needs to start bringing out the positive reasons to vote for him, as well. Otherwise, he may have convinced me NOT to vote for Obama, but he sure won't have motivated me to get out of my chair in November to bother to cast a vote for him.

John McCain: I never learned how to double-click!

I have been discussing with some Mod-Bloggers offline how dissatisfied I am with John McCain as a candidate. There are lots of little reasons, but still I have to admit he represents my views better than any of the alternatives.

But I am really scared to be considering voting for a man in the 21st century who admits he is a "computer illiterate." Especially as a techie who is afraid of the loss of freedom on the internet.

John McCain's First Wife

A lot of people in John McCain's life like to point to his "impaccable character" as the strength that will take him thru to the White House. But his supporters need to be ready to speak to the fact that he divirced his first wife when he got back from Vietnam in order to marry a rich beauty queen. Divorce is common these days, so why is this one problematic? Because he was walking away from the woman who stood by him while he was a POW, when she had a car accident which robbed her of her looks.

I am not saying this should disqualify the man for the presidency. The ex-wife says she is not bitter, and that he has promised to pay her medical bills for life. But I think it shows a side of his character that we need to consider before he takes on the nuclear suitcase.

Hillary Supporters Key to a McCain Victory?

Most of us have seen the video of "screaming woman" at the RBC meeting saying that if Obama is the nominee, all of Hillary's supporters will go over to McCain. I have been reading several left-wing bloggers and they seem equally split between those who decry the sentiment because McCain is Pro-life and those who support the sentiment because... well... their priority is getting a woman - any woman - elected.

This makes me wonder if it is possible to find a GOP woman to serve as McCain's VP who can both be enough of a feminist to please Hillary Clinton supporters, and Pro-Life enough to satisfy (please note I did not say "please") Conservatives. I could not think of anyone offhand - most of the likely suspects are too tightly linked to GWB - but if so, this could be the key to a McCain win.

McCain on SNL

One negative McCain post, so one positive one, I guess.

McCain vs McCain

I have never been a big fan of John McCain. While I do think he is firm in his beliefs, we have seen over and over again that his beliefs are not quite the same as the average American or even the average Republican. I would rather have had more an idealist and a statesman.

Now that the Clinton/Obama contest is for all intents over, attention will turn toward the weaknesses of Senator McCain. This video is one such attempt, by a clearly anti-McCain website. Get ready. This is only the beginning.

McCain/Clinton 2008: Not Gonna Happen

I used to respect Mike Gallagher in his early days in WABC radio in NYC. He was a talk show host who tried to keep the perspective of the common man, but with a Conservative spin. Unlike Rush Limbaugh, he did not engage in theater for its own sake. And unlike Shawn Hannity, he did not lapse into shtick when he got bored or annoyed. But after he was paired with a particular partner, Mr. Gallagher decided that the "honest, common man" approach was not paying the bills, and began a career of constantly shooting at easy targets to get a reaction via cheap shots.

http://townhall.com/Columnists/MikeGallagher/2008/05/09/the_ultimate_conservative_nightmare

This newest article is another attempt at the cheap shot. He asks the what-if question (which he claims a caller brought up first) of a McCain/Clinton ticket for 2008, and speculates that such a ticket would be unbeatable. But the reality is that such a ticket would be unelectable for a number of reasons. (1) Only hard-code McCain and Clinton supporters could stomach such a ticket. The base of the GOP (Conservatives) could never vote for any ticket with a Clinton on it, and the base of the Democratic Party (Liberals) could never vote for a ticket that includes someone who opposed their nominee. Without either base, you're in a minority. (2) John McCain's draw is as a man who sticks by his guns, even if his ideas are sometimes at odds with his friends. Hillary Clinton is opposed to John McCain in nearly every important issue. (3) While McCain is known for crossing the aisle and working with Democrats, Hillary Clinton has not been known for the same kind of spirit. It would be one thing to embrace Joe Lieberman, but another entirely to embrace an extreme partisan. (4) Hillary Clinton has seen what Vice President meant for mean like Al Gore, and that being a losing running mate can end your career. She wants power, not position, and would only take VP in an administration she knew she could have considerable control over. (5) Hillary Clinton has ambitions beyond the presidency. If she loses this nomination, she would be a front-runner for New York Governor. And even if not, she has considerable power in the Senate. Why give all that up for a political stunt? (6) Whatever John McCain does in this election is his last political Will and Testament. Do you really think he wants his last memorandum to history to be "I'll hitch my wagon to anyone to win."

So, if you hear this meme on Talk Radio, see it on Drudge, or get forwarded it by a well-meaning panicky friend, recognize it for what it is. It is a cheap shot at a showman looking for ratings. It has no connection with reality.

McCain on Disability

One of the downsides of being the oldest man ever to seek a first term in the Presidency is that people are always wondering if you are up to the job. Rumors that Ronald Reagan was already succumbing to Alzheimer's-related dementia only make things worse for John McCain. But he has steadily proclaimed his good health and vital nature. But this may have been undermined by a new report that he is receiving Disability benefits from the Navy because of significant impairment.

On Monday, McCain's staff identified the retirement benefit as a "disability pension" and said that McCain "was retired as disabled because of his limited body movements due to injuries as a POW."

McCain campaign strategist Mark Salter said Monday night that McCain was technically disabled. "Tortured for his country -- that is how he acquired his disability," Salter said.

Certain types of military and veterans pensions are either partially or completely tax-exempt, depending on the seriousness of the disability. In McCain's case, the exemption is 100%.

Now, FDR served ably without the use of his legs and JFK served while suffering from crippling back pain. So, this is not to say that a person can not be a good president while having disabilities. But I think it is fair to ask in this case whether John McCain would truly be able to serve out his term if elected. It makes his choice of VP all the more important to his viability in the general election.

Time to go, or time to surge again?

If John McCain's view of the Iraq War is to prevail, he needs many articles like this one. From an embedded reporter, it calls upon Congress to learn the lessons of the war and send MORE troops not less.

This leads us to the most out-of-date aspect of the Senate debate: the argument about the pace of troop withdrawals. Precisely because we have made so much political progress in the past year, rather than talking about force reduction, Congress should be figuring ways and means to increase troop levels. For all our successes, we still do not have enough troops. This makes the fight longer and more lethal for the troops who are fighting. To give one example, I just returned this week from Nineveh province, where I have spent probably eight months between 2005 to 2008, and it is clear that we remain stretched very thin from the Syrian border and through Mosul. Vast swaths of Nineveh are patrolled mostly by occasional overflights.

The problem, of course, is that American patience for the war is almost spent. Fighting any war is always a balance between the needs of the war and the resources of the people. A war between "good enough", and the perfect solution. Some charge the reason we're here now, is an unwillingness to accept "good enough" and an attempt to impose American Ideals on an Iraq without an American history to build upon.

I am not sure which is right, but I think now is the time for McCain and Obama/Clinton to truly have the debate. Otherewise, it will be more politics where neither side can compromise with the other. And compromise in Iraq is a good part of what has turned this War around.

McCain vs Letterman

Is it just me, or does John McCain look older in this clip than in any other recent appearance? I think it shows both what people love about the Senator AND what they hate.

McCain March Madness

McCain has gotten into March Madness. Perhaps this is due to not having to fight against an opponent right now and needing to keep the spotlight on him. Perhaps this is McCain trying to show he can identify with the common man and is not too old. Either way, you can sign up on McCain's website. First prize is a McCain fleece; second prize is a McCain hat; third prize is a McCain pin.

McCain used Facebook to notify me of this. The message below:

McCain Basketball Brackets
2:01pm Today
Head over to www.JohnMcCain.com/brackets to join in the McCain 2008 Basketball Brackets. John McCain has made his picks, and this is your chance to compare your picks with his. You'll also be eligible for great McCain 2008 prizes.

Click here to sign up and fill out your bracket - www.JohnMcCain.com/brackets

Picks must be made before the start of the first games on Thursday, March 20th so make your picks today! After you've signed up, send your friends a quick note to invite them to join in the fun.

We're also offering another way to join in the bracket fun this year and get your friends involved as well. When you make your picks, you can select your favorite college or university and your points from your correct picks will go to your school. The school with the most points will win - so the more people you get to play, the better chance your school will have! Whether you're an alumni, current student or a fan, every correct point will help show your support for your school, even if they're not still playing in March! Be sure to spread the word to all of your friends to make sure they sign up today.

We're all looking forward to some great games in the weeks ahead, but even the excitement of March basketball doesn't compare with the excitement of electing the next President of the United States! While you're watching the games with your friends or lamenting your busted bracket over the water cooler, don't forget to tell your friends about your support for John McCain. We want to invite everyone to join our team as we continue our campaign to elect the man who has the experience, judgment and character to lead as commander in chief from day one, and your help building our team is critical.

Good luck with your bracket and don't forget to click here to make your picks before Thursday - www.JohnMcCain.com/brackets

It's good to see McCain working on his image to appeal to the younger crowd and the "common man". He'll need it if he's going to have to fight Obama.

Red Phone Choices

McCain makes it official

Last night's wins finally clinched the Republican nomination for John McCain. It had been obvious since Mitt Romney dropped out, but now the obvious has become the mathematically determined. And, as promised, Mike Huckabee has dropped out of the race once the math proved even a brokered convention impossible. Now, the question comes whether McCain can get ANY media coverage while the Democratic race remains so close and exciting.

Cute Rebuttal of the McCain vs NYTimes Kerfuffle

Well done in the model of the UPS ads. And, as Shadowmom would notE, this girl has MUCH better hair than the UPS ads guy does. Check it out. I have a feeling that the media doesn't yet realize with McCain vs Obama, they have two tigers by the tail. Both will be fun to cover, but will not necessarily be predictable or vulnerable to the usual tactics of newscasting that sell papers/tv ads/magazine/web banner ads.

This is pretty much how I see the endorsement

I think this sums up the fears of most Conservatives