Advice For Republican Candidates

Former House majority leader Dick Armey has two pieces of advice for Republican candidates: don’t self- identify as a tea party candidate and stay off of MSNBC. This advice makes sense.Why would anyone in their right mind self-identify as a member of a band of people who have no understanding of the issues and limit their thought to simplistic bumper-sticker slogans? As for the second, it makes sense that Republican candidates avoid difficult interviews which would show they have no understanding of the issues and limit their thought to simplistic bumper-sticker slogans.

While the fundamentals work in favor of the Republicans in the upcoming off-year election, it is likely any gains will be a dead cat bounce unless Republicans take some additional action. Here’s some more advice I’d like to offer to them:

• Don’t call yourself a supporter of small government and then support policies which increase the influence of the government in the lives of individuals.
• Don’t call yourself fiscally conservative and then increase spending on credit while simultaneously cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
• Don’t run on national security credentials until you understand that going to war should be reserved as a last resort, and should not be done based upon lies.
• Don’t talk about socialism unless you are really talking about socialists, and not centrist politicians such as Barack Obama.

Majority Want Democrats To Control Congress

It has become very easy to find polls which show that whichever party you prefer now has the momentum going into this November’s elections. I tend to discount such polls as I don’t believe the vast majority of people (as opposed to blog readers) are even paying that much attention to politics yet or have made up their minds. That said, for those who are looking for good news for the Democrats, an Associated Press-GfK Poll shows that a majority want the Democrats to retain control of Congress by a 46 percent to 39 percent margin.

While I don’t believe such polls are terribly predictive, this does help counter the conventional wisdom of a Republican resurgence. This is the second straight month in which the Democrats win a majority compared to April when when 44 percent preferred Republican control as opposed to  41 percent for the Democrats.

The Main Blog Has Moved

The main blog reopened on the old site this morning. This evening I have moved to a new host. As it sometimes takes time for such changes to propagate it is possible not everyone will see the new site immediately. The old site will probably be closed Wednesday morning, and hopefully by then most people will be picking up the new site.

Main Blog Down

The main blog is now down due to problems with the hosting company. I’m currently working on moving the blog to a new company but don’t know how long this will take. New items will temporarily be posted here until the old url is moved and working, and as time permits I will also copy some of the recent posts to here.

The posts from the main blog may include links to older blog posts which will not work correctly until the blog is restored.

Update: I have the main blog temporarily back up on Tuesday but it will be down as of  Wednesday morning, and possibly sooner if I can get things completed to make the move.

Quote of the Day

“One thing’s for sure: Palin did not have brain implants.” –Andy Borowitz

SciFi Weekend: Doctor Who, Torchwood Returns; True Blood Returns With More Vampire Sex

There’s just a quickie edition of Scifi Weekend this week while I’m out of town. American viewers of Doctor Who saw the first of a two part story in which the Doctor met some beings from down under. The BBC had the doctor try to fit in among normal people, including a game of soccer. This was far more fun than the World Cup.

Next week (BBC): The Pandorica opens.

The big news of the week was reported in a separate post: Torchwood to return with a bigger budget as a joint venture between the BBC and Starz.

True Blood returns, meaning more hot vampire sex. Anna Paquin discussed her nude scenes with Entertainment Weekly:

Anna Paquin (who plays Sookie Stackhouse) is certainly used to getting naked on the show, but says the graphic love scenes are the least of her concerns. “It doesn’t really bother me,” she admits. “I’m really close with all of our cast, and we’ve all seen each other in various compromising and odd situations.” The actress is, of course, particularly close with fiancé Stephen Moyer (who plays Sookie’s vampire lover Bill), and Moyer says their real-life romance definitely adds to their love scenes. Jokes the actor, “I think that one great bonus is we don’t need a fluffer.”

Quote of the Day

“Remember the good old days, when ‘tea bagging’ just meant dropping your balls into someone’s mouth?”
–Wil Wheaton

Support For Tea Party And Republicans Diminishing

At the beginning of the year the conventional wisdom was that many Americans were backing the tea party movement as well as the Republicans and the Democrats were in serious trouble. Several news reports and polls suggest that the right may have peaked too soon.

The Washington Post explains that tea party candidates were hurt by the lack of organization in the movement. Like most horse race stories in the mainstream media, the story gets it partially right but misses the major problems faced by the tea party: they are ignorant on the issues and hold extremist views which most Americans would find repulsive if  news reports provided more than a superficial description.

While the media has done a poor job of describing what the tea party really stands for, at least this report does show that more Americans are catching on. They cite a Washington Post-ABC News poll which found that 50 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the tea party movement, up from 39 percent in March. This number will grow as more people understand what the tea party actually stands for.

Other polls also show a trend away from the right wing. A new Public Policy Polling survey shows that the Democrats have taken a small lead on the generic Congressional ballot for the first time this year. Another poll shows that Obama leads all opponents in  hypothetical 2012 match ups. The margin is small in some cases, but the advantages of incumbency as well as potential loss of support as the opponents come under greater scrutiny will probably increase this spread further. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney currently come closest while Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and Ron Paul trail by large margins.

Quote of the Day

“Even though I’m president of the United States, my power is not limitless. So I can’t dive down there and plug the hole. I can’t suck it up with a straw.”

--Barack Obama

Mike Huckabee Swears To Continue The American Taliban Movement

Mike Huckabee wants to keep the culture wars alive and doesn’t like the suggestion from Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels that the next president should drop the social issues and concentrate on fiscal problems. Huckabee responded:

Apparently, a 2012 Republican presidential prospect in an interview with a reporter has made the suggestion that the next President should call for a “truce” on social issues like abortion and traditional marriage to focus on fiscal problems.

In other words, stop fighting to end abortion and don’t make protecting traditional marriage a priority.

Let me be clear though, the issue of life and traditional marriage are not bargaining chips nor are they political issues. They are moral issues. I didn’t get involved in politics just to lower taxes and cut spending though I believe in both and have done it as a Governor. But I want to stay true to the basic premises of our civilization.

Are you ready to stop fighting for traditional marriage?  I cannot.  I will not.

Can you let the tragedy of abortion go unchecked while we get our financial house in order?  I cannot.  I will not.

What would the Republicans be without the culture wars–their attempt to fight the modern world and impose their religious views upon everyone else? As Joe Klein pointed out earlier this week, the whole Republican fiscal conservative line is a farce which they have neither the interest or ability to carry out. However using the power of government to impose their perverse moral code upon others is something which today’s Republican Party can stand behind.

Really cut the budget–will never happen under the borrow and spend Republicans. Have government control the bodies of women–Republicans are all for it.

Actually pay for their wars–never. Tell others who they may or may not legally marry–a “right” Republicans will fight to defend.

Conservatives like Mike Huckabee will makes sure that the American Taliban does not go away.