As always, I like to know what the opposition is up to.
The other day I got an e-mail from Organizing For Against America which asked if I could organize in Salisbury. I’ll come back to that question here in a couple minutes, but if you can stomach this video here’s the One talking about organizing:
I guess the first question is: did you notice anything missing?
It’s back to the routine and now that the Labor Day weekend has passed I’m going to return to my Dossier series. The final of my “non-polling” Republican candidates is former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.
Political resume: After starting his own business, Gary decided to run for governor of New Mexico in 1994. He won and served two terms, wrapping up his tenure in 2003.
On campaign finance/election reform (three points): While his idea of transparency is admirable, I hope he’s joking about wearing the jackets with patches like a NASCAR driver. I’ll give him a point.
On property rights (five points): I would imagine Johnson would oppose the Kelo decision, but when he talks about “civil liberties” he doesn’t speak to private property rights. I’ll grant him one point since he talks about other civil liberties that most GOP candidates don’t.
On the Second Amendment (seven points): If you watch this video at about the 21-minute mark, you’ll see that Gary has a broad view of the Second Amendment. But this line in Slate is the clincher: “I don’t believe there should be any restrictions when it comes to firearms. None.” I believe this will get him a bunch of points. Seven.
On education (eight points): Helping his cause immensely with me, not only does Gary have the right ideas on the educational issue but he explains it very well. He gets the full eight points.
On the Long War/veterans affairs (nine points): This subject in particular is where I differ from Johnson. While I do agree we should bring our troops home from certain areas, I think he’s quite Polyannish on the usage of military alliances (look what NATO and the UN drag us into) and I disagree that “soft power” works with our enemies – that’s what President Obama is trying. He is docked five points.
On immigration (eleven points): I think his immigration approach is naïve, and the idea of any sort of grace period for illegal immigrants rubs me the wrong way. What saves him are some of his ideas about legalizing immigration eventually, such as “one strike, you’re out” – problem is too many already have that strike against them. I’ll call it a wash and keep his point total where it is.
On energy independence (twelve points): Gary has a mixed bag, as he placed his imprimatur on items which would suggest he’s a believer in government incentives for “green” energy but also Tweeted his opinions that we should drill in ANWR and can help our energy cause by drilling domestically. I’ll give him five points.
On entitlements (thirteen points): “Responsible entitlement reform” is his mantra. He wants to “revise the terms” of entitlement programs as well. But I thought he’d be more bold than the tinkering around the edges he seems to be advocating – a better step is doing away with Medicare Part D. I’ll give him eight points.
On trade and job creation (fourteen points): Gary is a free trader, which is a plus. I also like the idea of getting rid of the “mountain of regulation” that the federal government provides and keeping the internet free. I think I can give him eleven points.
On taxation and the role of government (fifteen points): The two things that stick out at me are Gary’s veto record as governor – meaning that he took the job of not growing government beyond its means seriously – and his support for the FairTax. I believe he has the right ideas in terms of limiting government, although I don’t agree with all the terms in his platform. I give him fourteen points.
Intangibles (up to three points): While there’s a lot to be said about his stance on civil liberties, like the legalization of marijuana, it also unfortunately extends to being pro-choice on abortion and for same-sex marriage. It nets out at minus one point.
It seems to me that my readership skews a bit toward the male side of the spectrum based on comments I get. But I know there are a lot of ladies out there who would be interested in hearing about this upcoming event because it’s for a good cause. And I wanted to bring you the news because I support good causes and, perhaps just as importantly, I support my advertisers and one of them is quite involved with this event.
On Wednesday, September 7th at noon, Brew River (502 West Main Street in Salisbury) is hosting a Fashion Show Fundraiser for HALO – Hope And Life Outreach. The cost is $25 and includes a choice of lunch as well as a fashion show presented by The Perfect Dress. (That’s my sponsor tie-in.) Celeste Savage of HALO will also be making remarks at the show, which includes a silent auction as well.
According to the sponsor, seats are limited so the best way to get one would be to contact Ellen at (410) 251-1581.
While I noticed their main website is a bit chaotic, I found the purpose of HALO is “to address the short term needs of individuals and families by providing food, clothing, shelter, and other emergency resources while developing long-term strategies toward permanent change.” Since they eschew federal and state government funding, a primary source of their income is provided through fundraisers like these. It’s the sort of program which deserves support because they’re independent of our tax dollars.
I cheerfully admit I don’t have a lick of fashion sense and unfortunately my work schedule for Wednesday is pretty full. But this is an event worth attending if you have the time to do so and the resources to make a generous donation to the cause.
And while I don’t necessarily want this website to be the clearinghouse for local charitable events – seemingly that’s territory suited for other local websites – in seeing Mark McIver at the WCRC Crab Feast yesterday it reminded me that he plays host to a charity event for Habitat for Humanity this coming Sunday, September 11. More details can be found on the Habitat site here.
Now that summer is over and we begin to edge toward the holiday season, the needs will become greater. Let’s see how many of us can dig into our pockets and help out our fellow man, without the government telling us how to spend it.
Well, I suppose those of us who like summer can heave our collective sighs and recall the time it was.
Of all the holidays which dot the calendar, Labor Day is probably my least favorite. Sure, I appreciate the day off work but look at all the other things going on:
But today is the day which Big Labor calls its own, allocating the celebration of the American working person despite the fact that the vast majority of workers don’t belong to a union. An area which is a union stronghold (like the city of my birth) is quite likely to have a Labor Day parade, and it irked me to no end that the Labor Day parade was much better attended and had greater participation than the Memorial Day parade which was often moved to the Saturday before. Something is amiss with those priorities.
I realize this is Labor Day weekend, but thanks to Hurricane Irene the Wicomico County Republican Club was forced to reschedule its annual Crab Feast from last weekend to yesterday. It worked out for me because I had plans last weekend, but these guys – well, they weren’t going to interrupt their fishing.
Still, we had a pretty good crowd.
Those that did attend were feted with crabs (of course), hamburgers, hotdogs, sweet corn, watermelon, and a little bit of political talk.
It’s Labor Day weekend, so I’m not going to delve into politics a whole lot aside from going to the Wicomico County Republican Club Crab Feast later this afternoon. (If you’re wondering why they scheduled it during Labor Day weekend, it’s because we had this uninvited house pest named Irene last weekend when it was originally supposed to occur.)
But I wanted to point out something I find a little bit disturbing as a Shorebirds fan. Unless they draw a little over 13,000 fans to their final three home games of the season Delmarva will have their worst attendance since they began play in 1996. The 2009 club drew 214,525 and that’s the lowest number I’ve found.
Admittedly, there’s no suspense of a pennant drive to bring fans out because we’re mired in last place. A season that began with a promising 16-9 start faded to a middling 35-35 first half and threatens to be the worst in the league as they are 55-82 going into tonight’s game. But we should try and support our hometown team, for there’s a lot of cities and towns dotting the countryside which would love to have the opportunity to have their own minor league franchise. What else would explain the drive for independent baseball teams and leagues?
So come on out and support the boys in orange and black this weekend. Cheer them on so they can at least escape the SAL basement. Game times are 7:05 tonight, 5:05 tomorrow, and 2:05 on Monday – those players have a long drive home so they’ll want to be out by Monday night. After that it’s cold turkey until April 12, 2012.
Let’s not go the way of the Kinston Indians. Remember, we were once the Albany Polecats until people stopped showing up there.
Political resume: McCotter began his political career in the late 1980s, serving in local offices before being elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1998 and the House of Representatives in 2002. He’s in his fifth Congressional term representing the Detroit suburbs. McCotter entered the Presidential sweepstakes on July 2.
On campaign finance/election reform (three points): He voted for voter ID on the federal level, but also voted for restricting 527s as well. I’ll give him two of three points.
On property rights (five points): Thad has a reasonable record on property rights by the look of things, so I’ll give him three points of five.
On the Second Amendment (seven points): Considering the guy plays in a band called The Second Amendments and has an ‘A’ rating from the NRA, I think McCotter should get all seven points. Don’t you?
On education (eight points): It seems to me that Thad doesn’t mind federal involvement in education, whereas I do. He doesn’t go overly far, but doesn’t reverse the trend either. I think he only gets two points here.
On the Long War/veterans affairs (nine points): A strong advocate of American exceptionalism and not “leading from behind,” McCotter says on his campaign site, “We must and will win an unconditional victory in the war of freedom against terrorism.” All nine points for Thad.
On immigration (eleven points): Couched in somewhat soothing language, the approach McCotter takes seems to be pretty sensible. My biggest objection is his caution not to “stigmatize” illegal immigrants – why not? They are flouting the law. His voting record assuages me somewhat, but I’m afraid he may get squishy when push comes to shove. So I’m only giving him five points.
On energy independence (twelve points): I suppose my biggest question for Thad is how do we “responsibly transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy” when those methods are nowhere near ready for prime time? Well, he wants to use the tried-and-true big government trick of tax credits and deductions, which rubs me the wrong way. Add in a vote for “Cash for Clunkers” and I think he may have been seduced by Washington’s ways on this issue. He gets just five points, a big disappointment.
On entitlements (thirteen points): There’s a lot to like about the approach that McCotter takes, but he has the same basic flaw Newt Gingrich does – he maintains entitlement programs with some tweaking. If the current systems are “unsustainable” I don’t think making a few fixes (which could be wiped away at any time) is the answer. Only weaning people off dependence is. He’ll get five points.
On trade and job creation (fourteen points): McCotter doesn’t seem to be a free trader in one respect as he talks about “ending Communist China’s mercantilist trade policy.” I can live with that as long as he doesn’t begin being too protectionist. He also wants to cut corporate taxes and “preserve and grow” manufacturing jobs, which would help to some extent. I think he’s got some good ideas, although they may not go as far as he thinks they may so I’ll grant him nine points.
On taxation and the role of government (fifteen points): I find McCotter to be an enigma on the whole scope of government subject. Taking one example from his issue page, he knows Social Security as it exists now is “unsustainable” but also says “we must not reduce medical benefits to anyone over the age of 55.” He talks about “stealth practices (which) infringe on our property rights” in the same breath as wanting tax credits for “homeowners who increase their energy efficiency.” All in all in terms of reducing the size of government, I think McCotter would do little more than rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. He’s going to get three points here for his efforts.
Intangibles (up to three points): McCotter doesn’t speak much to the issues which tend to make up my intangibles, with the exception of voting mostly pro-life. That means he gains one point.
This is a tough time of year for me. Not only is baseball season coming to a close, I run out of Shorebird of the Week slots when a number of players are deserving of the honor. But I try to give it to players who are up-and-coming, and John Ruettiger fits that bill as the first 2011 draftee so honored.
Sure he has a famous uncle but the younger Ruettiger is looking to succeed in his own right in a different sport. And after a slow 3-for-29 start with the Shorebirds John has picked up the pace in a big way, batting .538 (14-for-26) over his last six games. It raised his average from under .100 to its current .309 entering tonight’s contest.
John’s young career now spans just 17 games, as he played 3 games for the GCL Orioles (going 6-for-13) before joining the Shorebirds in mid-August. He was an eighth round selection out of Arizona State University back in June and the 21-year-old hails from Joliet, Illinois.
While John has improved his batting average, the parts of his game we haven’t seen blossom yet are power and ability to steal bases. So far Ruettiger has only 6 extra base hits (all doubles) and is only 1-for-5 on the basepaths. Still, it’s quite possible we’ve not seen the last of John after this week unless the Orioles see fit to promote him to Frederick next spring. My guess is that John will begin the season here despite the fact the organization is a little weak in the outfield position overall.
Next week I’ll wrap up the Shorebirds season with a look back at what was and my Shorebird of the Year selection, with the following week devoted as usual to my picks and pans as a Shorebirds fan. The next Shorebird of the Week will be selected on Opening Day next season – April 5, 2012.
Political resume: Roemer failed in his initial bid for Congress in 1978 (as a Democrat) but won election in 1980 and served in the House from 1981-88. He left after winning election as governor of Louisiana, where he served from 1988-92. In 1991 he became a member of the Republican Party, but lost the gubernatorial election later in 1991 as well as a 1995 comeback bid.
He formally entered the 2012 Presidential race on March 3.
On campaign finance/election reform (three points): He has a key point right on his current home page: “(W)e will talk about a lot of issues in this campaign. But we will start by tackling special interest money that impacts all the rest.” Roemer claims he won’t take any contribution greater than $100 nor will he take PAC money.
It’s a very populist position to take, but it’s the wrong one. I equate money with speech, and placing an artificial restriction on contributions is a limit on speech in my eyes. (It’s also suicidal when you figure Barack Obama to raise $1 billion from special interests.) I’m deducting two points only because he’s consistent with this stance since his days in Congress.
On property rights (five points): This video explains how he feels about “imminent” (sic) domain. I essentially like what he says, but that 1% and blowing the spelling will lose him two points of the five. Give him three.
On the Second Amendment (seven points): I have the feeling I’m missing something, but the limited amount I can find on Buddy (like saying “I’m a Second Amendment guy”) would make me guess he won’t trifle with the Second Amendment. Three points seems fair enough.
On education (eight points): As governor, he linked teacher pay to performance and enhanced accountability standards. But that’s all I know and he hasn’t really touched on the subject yet in his one-man debates. So I can only give him one point.
On the Long War/veterans affairs (nine points): He is half-right on Libya, but seems to have a pretty good train of thought on the Long War in general. It’s perhaps his strongest issue to date. He gets six points.
On immigration (eleven points): This video gives a pretty good summary of Roemer’s viewpoint. There’s a lot to like, although it’s still a bit short on specifics. He gives the Chamber of Commerce some necessary criticism as well. I think six points is fair.
On energy independence (twelve points): “No more subsidies.” That’s at the heart of his energy remarks. And while it sounds like he’s foursquare for more drilling (after all, he comes from an oil state) I worry about the tariff on Middle Eastern oil he’s proposing because that sets a bad precedent. So I’m only giving him three points.
On entitlements (thirteen points): Like many others, he will ‘reform’ items within the system rather than change a flawed paradigm. He likes the Ryan Plan, “but it’s not good enough.” I like his idea of the opting out of Medicare option, though, so I’ll bump him up seven points. Maybe we can get Medicare to ‘wither on the vine’ yet.
On trade and job creation (fourteen points): Here is where I have some issues with Buddy, since he’s speaking about protectionism. The problem with this approach is that we cut ourselves out of other markets as they ratchet up a trade war, and the jobs won’t be created. I can’t give him any points.
On taxation and the role of government (fifteen points): Buddy has a pretty unique feature on his website where he takes and answers reader questions. In reading some of these, I can see where he would cut a number of unnecessary departments, and that’s a good start. He would also simplify the tax system but doesn’t go as far as to support the consumption-based tax system. I think I can give him ten of the fifteen points.
Intangibles (up to three points): Buddy is pro-life and believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, which are definite pluses. So he nets two points.
We’ve heard the taunts:
“(S)ome of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.” – Congressman Andre Carson, D-Indiana, quoted in Politico.
“(A)s far as I’m concerned — the tea party can go straight to hell.” Congressman Maxine Waters, D-California, quoted in The Daily Caller.
Fellow Congressman Allen West, who is the lone Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus, today released a letter which called on CBC leadership to condemn these remarks, or else West will “seriously reconsider” his membership in the organization. Somehow I don’t think CBC head Emanuel Cleaver is going to be in any hurry to tell Carson and Waters to hush.
It makes West’s freshman cohort Republican Congressman Tim Scott look wiser every day. Back in December Scott, who is black, announced he was declining the CBC’s invitation because “my campaign was never about race.” Needless to say, Scott is a TEA Party supporter who understands the movement is not about race and is more or less colorblind.
I know it’s a rhetorical question to ask, but imagine what would have happened to a Republican who substituted the phrase “NAACP” for “TEA Party” in these statements. To Congressmen like Carson and Waters that would have been a worse offense than the underage sexting of Rep. Anthony Weiner and the underage “unwanted sexual encounter” of Rep. David Wu, combined, times ten. Resignation wouldn’t have been good enough for that mythical scoundrel; they would have wanted him banned from the planet.
And for the record, Congressman Carson, I am a proud member of the TEA Party movement yet I have no desire to see you swinging from a tree. Booted out of office at the next opportunity? You betcha. But that’s the extent of the harm I wish to see upon you.
As for Congressman Waters, I’m not going to hell (and I don’t think a collective movement which has as many committed Christians as the TEA Party does can either) so you can scratch that demand off your bucket list. Like Carson, I wish upon you the purgatory of being disowned by your electorate although the ethics investigators might just get to you first.
And they say the TEA Party is the home of extremist and dangerous rhetoric? Riiiiiiiight. As I said earlier, I don’t believe Congressman West is going to get the satisfaction of having the Congressional Black Caucus condemn two of their own loyal liberal members. But I’ll bet the TEA Party Caucus (of which both West and Scott are members) has their backs.
By the way, when I looked up the TEA Party Caucus to see if either Scott or West were members, I noted a curious omission: where’s Andy Harris? I’m disappointed, to say the least, that he’s not part of that group although he is on the Republican Study Committee.
