Dearie me, the hayseeds are at it AGAIN!

Poor Prof. Bainbridge!  It seems the hayseeds and what nots keep expressing themselves and it is all so embarrassing!  What can an upperclassman do?  (I was going to insert a T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII reference here but I was beaten to the punch)

DaTechguy does an incredible job of answering Bainbridge's 10 point lament leaving me free to simply vent.

I have little patience for those who believe that participation in the democratic process should be reserved for the elite.  Typically, the process has been left for the "betters" and we see how that has worked out.  No more.

So dear Professor, when you hear the words "Mama grizzlies" does it sound like finger nails on a blackboard?  Good.  Get used the sound because it is going to get louder.  If you are embarrassed then do run along and hunker down with Chuckles, Andy and Kathleen.  Oh, and don't let the barn door hit you on the ass.

Read also:

Left Coast Rebel

Legal Insurrection

American Power

A subject that Conservative and Progressive women should agree on

Donald Douglas at American Power has a post via Blazing Cat Fur on the West's appeasement to Islam.  Of course the example given is the trial of Geert Wilders in Amsterdam currently taking place.  Wilders is on trial for offending Islam.  Considering the Hell that Wilders is being subjected to by the "Religion of Peace" I would say he is only slightly luckier than his fellow Dutchman Theo van Gogh who was stabbed to death in retribution for his offense of Islam.  Closer to home we have the persecution via prosecution of Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant at the hands of our immediate neighbors to the north.  How long will it be before we see these types of lawsuits in the United States? 

The first line of defense against the spread of Sharia in this country should be our women.  The debasement of woman under Sharia is well known and therefore, halting the influence of Sharia in this country should be the one area that Conservative and Progressive women should be in agreement on.  But are we?  Never a peep from Progressive women regarding the subjugation of their sisters under Sharia.  Did you hear about the honor killing in Texas?  Not if you read Jane Hamsher or any other female "Progressive" writer.  Read any good articles on genital mutilation by Ellen Goodman lately?  No, I imagine not.  And be certain, when our liberated sisters on the left talk about "misogyny and the church" they never include the mosque in the discussion. 

Has the influence of Islam spreads to and across our shores, women who refuse to give up their hard won freedoms should be standing shoulder to shoulder.  But when it comes to my progressive sisters I won't hold my breath.

When did "You can succeed" become a radical message?

Over at the aptly name Crooks and Liars Heather Sunday has a problem with Glenn Beck's CPAC speech.  Exactly what the problem is remains a mystery.  Does Sunday object to Beck's message of self-sufficiency?  Is it somehow radical that people actually succeed by their own hard work rather than by the largess of the nanny state?

Progressives seem perfectly happy to cede their individualism to the state.  It is as if they are aware that there are winners and losers in life and the simply more comfortable allowing the government to separate the wheat from the chaff.  They just don't believe that Joe Schmo is smart enough to wander through this life without the guiding hand of an omnipotent and omnipresent government referee overseeing the game of life.

Conservatives know that alot of us will fail, repeatedly, before we succeed.  Conservatives know that life isn't fair and that alot of us will struggle.  But Conservatives also believe that each one of us was endowed with the ability to succeed.  Reaching a personal level of success may not be easy but it is far more satisfying than the false Utopia that Progressives cling to.

For progressives the glass is always half empty

Reading Don Surber's Clavin explains all I came across a comment that triggered a powerful and very happy childhood memory.  Steve commented:

Carol, try re-reading Ratzenburger’s comments. He never said the stage fell apart. He said “when everything fell apart…”

“I was at Woodstock — I built the stage. And when everything fell apart,”

They did have to airlift fifty doctors (by helicopter) to care for the anti-industrialist tribes groveling in the mud. How ironic.

I recommend reading “Apollo and Dionysus” by Ayn Rand to understand the significance of Woodstock contrasted with the Apollo moon launch. Although these events took place just days apart in August 1969, they were light years apart ideologically. In a nutshell, it’s emotion vs. reason or Rousseau vs. Locke…

Today’s “liberal” or “progressive” was born in the primordial ooze at Woodstock. [Someone explain to me how tribalism is "progressive"?]

Today’s tea-partier, or NASCAR dad, would have been at the Moon launch. The Apollo moon launch represented the culmination of rational human intellect.

More than a million people went to Cape Canaveral. They left it as they found it. 300k went to Woodstock. They destroyed it and the surrounding farm like locusts.

For clarification, I am not the Carol that Steve is replying to.  Neither here nor there.  My memory is not of the Apollo launch but the moon landing   My parents threw one hell of a party that day.  We were so proud when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.  I can feel the pride of that moment right now sitting on my porch almost forty-one years later. 

My parents raised me to be proud of America's accomplishments and that while there is always more to be done, and we are far from perfect, the United States of American is by far the best country on this planet.  I learned from parents that the glass is always more than half full.  But progressive always see the glass as half empty.  They sweep aside the country's accomplishments and concentrate on what they perceive as failures. 

Because progressives view America as a failure they strive to destroy rather than improve.  Health care is a perfect example.  Pretty much everyone agrees that there are problems with our health care system.  The way to solve a problem is to first decide what is working and what isn't.  Then you can build on what works and fix what doesn't.  Progressives want to destroy a system that 85 percent of us are happy with and start from scratch.  Conservatives want to concentrate on the problems while leaving the underlying structure that has worked so well in place.

I don't know how to address the pessimism that is so prevalent among progressives because I don't understand it.  My America is a country of tremendous accomplishment.  Sadly, progressives who have lived with the same advantages that I have had only see the negative.  I strongly suspect that if all that progressives wish for were to come to be, they would still see the glass as half empty.

Good Golly, Miss Molly! Did He Say, "Yield"?

Was Sen. Cornyn sucking on a hookah when he made this ass backwards pronouncement?

"Folks on the right, and frankly I'm one of them in terms of voting record, have to yield to the world as it is and not necessarily how they wish it would be," Cornyn told Reuters for a story about centrist Rep. Mike Castle's (R) bid for Senate next year in Delaware.

If I understand, and I hope I don't, Cornyn is saying that if a voter's candidate of choice does not meet Cornyn's definition of reality, that voter should dump their conscious and yield to Cornyn's reality. If that is the case, why don't we do away with primaries and just let Cornyn's little club just appoint our candidates for us? What a putz.

It is this "I know better than you" attitude that has turned voters in droves away from the Republican party and straight in to the arms of the Tea Party. And the Tea Party doesn't even exist.

I am trying to be a good Republican. I've been a Republican my entire adult life. But don't talk down to me. Don't tell me who to vote for. And by all means, get over any thought of taking me for granted.

That is reality.

My Afternoon at the Glenn Beck Rally

I arrived about hour and a half before the scheduled three o'clock starting time for Glenn Beck's rally at The Villages in Central Florida. I should have arrived hours earlier.

Beck announced that he has a plan, aptly named The Plan. While Beck brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly, he was somewhat short on details as to what The Plan entails.

He said that he has gathered a panel of experts in education, finance, national security and health care and that they will be forming specific policy positions that will be unveiled over time.

Beck will be holding a series of seven "conventions" between March and August of 2010. The first convention will be held in Orlando on March 27th. His website, GlennBeck.Com, has details on the remaining six conventions. All of this will culminate with a rally at the Lincoln Monument in Washington, DC on August 28th.

There was a lot of speculation that Beck would announcing the formation of a national third party. Not exactly. He is trying to build a coalition of fiscally conservative citizens who, regardless of party affiliation, will join together and speak in one voice in opposition to the runaway spending in Washington. Republicans, blue dog Democrats, Independents and Libertarians have all expressed dismay at the reckless spending from Washington as well as the overreaching entitlement programs that are not only driving the country towards financial ruin but also permitting greater government interference and control over individuals lives. Beck envisions these diverse groups joining together and acting as a single group on those issues that we all hold in common.

Here in Florida we are already seeing from Charlie Crist that politicians will alter their positions if they believe that they are losing ground. Fiscal conservatives of all political stripes have turned on Crist because of his embrace of the Stimulus Bill. Beck envisions the Florida model taking off and becoming a national movement.

Time will tell exactly what Beck's "plan" involves but I will say, judging from the enthusiasm I saw at The Villages today, people are ready for a change from the "business as usual" out of Washington that has mortgaged their children's children's future.

More on the rally can be found at Memeorandum.

Defining "Real American

It is very rare that I see the Glenn Beck Show. I am either at work when the show comes on or driving home from work. But when I read at The Daley Gator that Clifford B. of Another Black Conservative would be at Glenn's Friday the 13th show I knew I would have to watch. I had taken Thursday and Friday off from work to attend the Orlando Tea Party so it was "all systems go."

The show was both enjoyable and informative. I love Charles Payne on "Cashin' In" and "Bears and Bulls" so I was thrilled to see that the show began with him. Prior to the show I had never heard of Lisa Fritsch, a radio talk show host, but I was so impressed by her that after the show I googled her to learn more. All and all, watching the show was a very worthwhile experience.

Today I came across a post at No Sheeples Here titled The Dumb White Guy at Crooks and Liars . Much to my surprise (yeah, why would I still be surprised by anything lefties write anymore) David Neiwert took exception to the show. Sigh. Among Neiwart's tidbits:

Glenn asked the audience why they call themselves African Americans!

Personally, I don't care one way or the other. I don't call myself an Irish American (except on St. Paddy's Day) but I also don't sit around worrying about what other people call themselves. We are all Americans. On the other hand, if I were describing someone to a person who was unfamiliar with the person I was describing, I would be more likely to say, "he's the black guy that sings the Tea Party Anthem" than I would be to say "he's the African American...". I'm not sure why Glenn asked the question but I also don't see a problem with asking either.

When white people say "real Americans" they are excluding black people.

How so? What is Neiwert basing this on-his own prejudices? Does Neiwert think that white people have a pecking order or how exactly does the whole thing work. For instance, are Anglo-saxon Americans more American than Mediterranean Americans who are more American than Asian Americans and so on until we reach African Americans, who we, the real Americans, don't include? I've got news for Mr. Neiwert, it is the Left who labels and pigeon holes everyone. On my side of the fence, if you love this country, you are an American.

Glenn Beck, as well as all white people, are idiots for quoting Martin Luther King.

Dr. King's own words lay waste to that argument. The next time Neiwert reads Dr. King's words I suggest that he take a moment to actual think about the words.

The MSM treats Conservative Blacks (and Conservative Women) like sideshow freaks. I applaud any effort to show that the Conservative movement isn't white, black, brown, or as my uncle would say, "sky blue pink". Sadly, people like Neiwert are too entrenched in their own narrow vision to realize how broad the Conservative Coalition is. His loss.

Reaction:

No Sheeples Here
Another Black Conservative
Left Coast Rebel
Memeorandum

Conservatives vs Moderates: Who is Purging Who?

Via Memeorandum:

Politico is calling it "an uncivil war." To understand why Conservatives are no longer in a civil mood one need look to further than the Marco Rubio/Charlie Crist primary race here in Florida.

...former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a conservative who is challenging Crist for the Senate nomination. “They want us to vote for their candidates, but they don’t want us to run for office.”

The boys over at the NRSC came in to Florida and chose Charlie Crist as their man without giving the voters in Florida a voice. They told us that Rubio was a great candidate with a bright future but that Florida needs someone with broad appeal (read: moderate) who could carry the state against Kendrick Meek, the presumed Democrat candidate. How's this for broad appeal: of the twelve straw polls taken in Florida, Rubio has beaten Crist in all twelve by wide margins.

But can Rubio beat Meek? The NRSC says no, but the most recent Rassmussen poll taken says, "YES, he can." The poll taken October 20, 2009 shows Rubio leading Meek 46% to 31%.

As Rubio said above the GOP wants our support. They want our donations and our votes. They don't want our voice. They don't want our vision. They don't want our candidates. Who is "purging" who? Conservatives have been shut out of the GOP.

Conventional beltway wisdom is that Conservatives can't win. We've shown otherwise in NY23 and we will continue to show otherwise in Florida and elsewhere. Conservative candidates offer voters a clear choice and energize elections. Conservative candidates embrace their principles, the GOP runs away from them.

If there is a civil war within the GOP party it lies solely on the shoulders of the party's tone deaf leaders. Conservatives are comfortable with the decisions they've made, it is up the party to decide what direction they want to take.

You Know What Happens When You Assume

According to The Left Coast Rebel : Dede Scozzafava guilty of bestiality, screwing RINOs repeatedly. I assume he's not referring to these:

And speaking of ugly, Rick Moran. Rick assumes that he knows all about Conservatives. Rick thinks that Conservatives are stupid. I am tempted to give him a great big "right back at ya" but Smitty has done a masterful job of undoing Mr. Moran.

h/t Memeorandum

Planned Parenthood Director Chooses Life

Via Memeorandum:

From KBTX.Com:

Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Johnson.

Could you watch an ultrasound of the baby pictured on the left as its life was taken from it? Could you watch as the instrument was plunged in to the baby's skull? The child to the left is shown at eighteen weeks gestation. The late Dr. Tiller plainly stated that he performed abortions right up until the due date.

I can't imagine what that moment must have been like when the full realization of what she had been a party to struck Abby Johnson. A Gallup Poll conducted in May of this year showed that for the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1995 the majority of Americans, 51%, consider themselves "pro-life" as opposed to 42% who identify as "pro-choice". When broken out by political ideology the trend looks like this:

Clearly, both Conservatives and Moderates are turning away from abortion while Liberal support continues to run very high. Liberals simply do not place the same premium on children as Conservatives which in the long run means that Liberals lack of breeding will eventually put them out of business.

American Power has Ms. Johnson's story as well as a video.

Linked as well by:

Gateway Pundit
the blogprof
Left Coast Rebel
Sister Toldja

Who Calls the Majority "the Minority"?

Via Memeorandum:

Consider the following from the Politico post Conservatives take aim at leaders, Charlie Crist, other races:

Numerous GOP officials have told POLITICO they worry that the party has been hijacked by a noisy and powerful minority that will keep the GOP in a noisy and not-so-powerful minority for a long time.

So, are we fringe conservative wackos really the minority or, is it simply a matter of GOP officials believing that if they say it often enough it may come true? I can understand why they would want us to go away and let them get back to business as usual but are they really so delusional that they believe that the Conservative movement represents nothing more than a "small but vocal minority"?

The latest Gallup poll tells a different story:

On the question of political ideology, 40 percent of those surveyed said they were conservative, 36 percent were moderate, and 20 percent liberal.

Conservatives, contrary to the GOP line, are neither the fringe or the minority. We are vocal, we are activists and we are a force that the GOP needs to deal with. The least of the many lessons that the GOP should take away from NY23 is that they need us more than we need them.

The GOP's assertion that Conservatives may push the Republican party in to a permanent minority status only shows how little attention they are paying. We are more than willing to work with the GOP if they return to the Republican tradition of small government and fiscal conservatism.

Politico quotes Erik Erickson of RedState:

“Republicans are going to have to come our way,” he said, before going on to trash NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele for backing Scozzafava.

Their “level of disingenuousness ... is disgusting,” Erickson said.

Politico notes that Erickson’s bombast may seem overboard, but it captures the depths of anger over the handling of this special election. It’s not just that Scozzafava wasn’t conservative — she was very liberal on abortion, unions and gay marriage and even left the impression she might join the Democrats once elected.

The anger that Conservatives feel began building long before November, 2008. The GOP's backing of candidates like Scozzafava and Charlie Crist, not to mention Arlen Specter who they stood by right up until the moment he flipped on them, has only served to throw gasoline on the fire. We have decided that principle trumps party. The ball is in the GOP's hands now.

NY23: What Have We Learned? And Will the Lesson Stick?

Via Memeorandum:

In the Washington Examiner, Glenn Reynolds wisely writes that It’s the follow-through that matters in New York’s special race. His message to the GOP is that the party needs to follow-through on the lessons learned during the race. Reynolds also cautions Conservatives not to get too cocky. Fair enough. However, watching Newt on Fox this morning, it is clear that the GOP back peddling has begun even before the vote has been taken. Newt is playing off the Conservative victory as a mere blip on the radar with no real national implications. Well, there are slow learners and the unteachable. Guess which category Newt belongs in.

According to a recent Gallup Poll, Conservatives are not some little fringe group that the GOP can dismiss. Forty percent of Americans self identify as “conservative” while thirty-five percent call themselves “moderate” and bringing up the rear are those who call themselves “liberal” at twenty-one percent. In other words, we Conservatives are the mainstream.

Need proof? “The Party” has thrown its weight and money behind the RINO Charlie Crist in Florida. What has their name, prestige (snort), and money bought them? The Conservative candidate, Marco Rubio, has laid waste to Crist in all twelve straw polls taken so far. And we are still a year out.

It didn’t escape Conservative’s notice that many in “The Party” suddenly discovered their conservative principals only after it became clear that Hoffman would win NY23. Sure, we will accept the support of the “me, too” Republicans, but we won’t forget how late that support came. I have no delusion that the NRCC will back off its endorsement of Crist but I would hope that some within the GOP would take a lesson away from NY23 and endorse Rubio sooner rather than later.

Reynolds is correct that this is no time get cocky but it is a time for Conservatives to show resolve. It would also be a good time for the GOP to rediscover Conservative principles and jump off the sinking RINO boat.

More Bad News For Charlie

The Fix is asking its readers to vote on the most overrated Governor in the country. It is my dubious honor to announce that at this point my governor, Gov. Charlie Crist is in the lead.

Charlie took quite a spanking in the poll's comments although he did receive one favorable review from a reader who noted that Crist well liked by Democrats. Judging from their article asking if Crist is America's Worst Governor, I think it is safe to assume that Crist is not a favorite of Forbes:

Charlie Crist is an extraordinarily gifted politician, known for his unpretentious and warm demeanor. He might also be America's worst governor. Given that there is a great deal of competition for this dubious honor, that's saying rather a lot.

Among liberals and progressives, there is a puzzling admiration for Crist,long considered by Democratic and Republican veterans of Florida's political scene to be something of an opportunist if not a lightweight. In May, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote a column suggesting that conservative discontent with Crist reflected an overemphasis on doctrinal purity. In Dionne's view, Crist raised the ire of Florida conservatives when he embraced President Obama's stimulus plan, and indeed when he physically embraced the president
himself. While it is certainly true that Republican primary voters tend to be
highly ideological, perhaps excessively so, it's worth recounting Crist's
reasons for backing the stimulus plan.

When Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet of the Miami Herald asked Crist about the
virtues of the plan, he said, "I think it's fantastic. Are you kidding me? We
don't have to raise taxes." Moreover, Crist continued, "we might be able to cut
property taxes some more. We have more money for education, so we can increase
per-student spending. We can spend more money on our roads and infrastructure.
We can provide health care for our people. I mean, it's remarkable." Indeed, something is remarkable, namely Crist's rigid adherence to an ideology more pernicious than orthodox progressivism or conservatism or nudism or anarchoprimitivism. I'm referring, of course, to free-lunchism. (my emphasis)

Yes, Charlie, the darling of liberals and progressives, does embrace "free-lunchism," though the free lunch didn't prevent Floridians from losing their jobs and their home values (if not their homes themselves) while contrary to Crist's pledge, their taxes increased. The article continues:

Incredibly, Crist demanded that Florida use one-time funds to pay for 12% of the state budget. When Republicans in the state legislature took the difficult step of passing a budget that included unpopular spending cuts, Crist turned around and vetoed hundreds of millions in cuts, despite the continuing
deterioration of state revenues. It could be that Crist believes that the
federal government will simply pass a stimulus plan every year, one that will
grow ever larger without consequence to Florida taxpayers. This, of course,
can't possibly be true. As a result, Crist has committed Florida to a fiscal
nightmare, one that will lead to draconian tax hikes and spending cuts long
after he makes a break for the U.S. Senate or finds some other comfortable
sinecure thanks to the good graces of his many wealthy friends. (Emphasis
mine)

Crist is one of those Republicans that we Conservatives are trying to "purge" according to Newt Gingrich. In Newt & Company's "big tent" there is room for free-lunchers, tax and spenders, cap and traders and abortionists. But while that tent swells with what we used to call "Democrats", Newt tells Conservatives to be quiet and go sit in the corner. Is it any wonder that Conservatives find that they are more comfortable outside the tent?

Other bloggers weighing in on the recent RINO onslaught:

The Daley Gator
Cold Fury
The Other McCain
Michelle Malkin
Paco Enterprises
The Camp of Saints
Another Black Conservative
And So it Goes In Shreveport

I've Been Challenged

The other day I reprinted a post from Bookwormroom.Com titled The difference between conservatives and liberals. As a result, I received the following comment:

Hi Carol, I really like your blog even though I disagree with almost
everything you write!

That's right. I'm a liberal.

Similarly, if you don't want a gay marriage, don't have one. If you
don't want an abortion, don't have one.

Liberals have committed themselves to equal employment opportunity, to
making sure everyone can have access to an education, and are now fighting to
make sure everyone can have access to health care. All of these things (and
more!) are about giving individuals the opportunity to lift themselves up.

Anyway, I was wondering if you might want to choose a topic we can debate on our
blogs. Any subject you choose. I'll write the liberal argument, and you write
the conservative. Perhaps we can learn something from each other.

The comment was written by Dave, who blogs at Re/Creating Tampa. I checked out the blog and found that my feelings towards Dave's blog mirrored his toward mine. I enjoyed the blog, found it well written and I disagree with most of what Dave has written. (See his post claiming that there was an "illegal coup in Honduras." Hmm.)

Long story short, (too late?) I accepted Dave's challenge, pointed out that a liberal's idea of giving everyone access to education means that liberals will fight for everyone to receive a crappy education and fight any meaningful measure (vouchers) to improve opportunities for children in failing schools and referring back to his "Similarly, if you don't want a gay marriage, don't have one. If you don't want an abortion, don't have one.", I wrote something along the lines of "if you don't believe in clubbing baby seals to death, don't club one." Yeah, it was childish on my part, but in my defense, at fifty-one years old I am much closer to my second childhood than I am to my first.

Dave is a graduate assistant at USF in the USF School of Library and Information Science, which some would say gives him an advantage in the researching positions department but we know better because I have the finest conservative minds going to tap into.

Dave will be emailing me his position as a liberal on some aspect of education this weekend. In return, I will email him my 'conservative' response and we will both post the back and forth on our blogs.

If anyone has any suggestions for me, please let me know. I will do my utmost best to represent conservative principals well.

More on the Difference Between Conservatives and Liberals

Here's a handy little guide:

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn`t buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

So remind me, why are liberals considered "open-minded"?

h/t Cold Fury

Let's All Just Play Nice

Via Memeorandum:

Stacy McCain asks, Can't all Conservatives agree that Glen Beck is not the enemy? Well of course we can.

This little dust up between Beck and Levin is simply par for the course. Neither of the two men are known for their meekness so it stands to reason that any disagreement would be articulated strongly.

Criticism of John McCain is not unusual among conservatives. That said, where Beck got the idea that in any way a McCain presidency would have been worse than what we have now boggles the mind. I believe that was also the gist of what Levin was trying to say though he may have articulated it a bit more strongly than I.

The point is, anyone who fires up the Conservative base is to be congratulated. Anyone who day in and day out brings to the forefront the assault against our country is to be congratulated. Both Beck and Levin fit that bill. This too shall pass.

Conservatives' Dissent Will Not Be Stifled

Via Memeorandum:

Writing in Real Clear Politics, Michael Barrone writes in Strangers to Dissent, Liberals Try to Stifle It:

It is an interesting phenomenon that the response of the left half of our
political spectrum to criticism and argument is often to try to shut it down.
Thus President Obama in his Sept. 9 speech to a joint session of Congress told
us to stop "bickering," as if principled objections to major changes in public
policy were just childish obstinacy, and chastised his critics for telling
"lies," employing "scare tactics" and playing "games." Unlike his predecessor,
he sought to use the prestige of his office to shut criticism down.

Well, yes there’s been a lot of stifling going on. Wasn’t that the goal of Media Matter’s Eric Boehlert’s re-write of the Kennedy assassination or Nancy Crocodile Tears Pelosi’s sniff, sniff, references to violence in San Francisco? Every time Jimmie Carter, et al, throw out “racist” or some insufferable twink like Janeane Garofalo says “tea bagger”, the intent is to stifle debate.

For too long Conservatives have sat largely on the sidelines as Liberals pushed their agenda unchallenged. Finally, Conservatives have woke to the idea that while the meek may inherit the Earth that won’t do them a bit of good as their country descends in to Hell.

Conservatives will not “tone down” so it is left to the Liberals as to whether they want to engage in honest discourse or not. Currently, it appears not.

There's an Upset Brewing in Florida

From the September 13th addition of the St. Petersburg Times:


"It's rare that I talk to anyone that's got a good thing to say about the governor right now. It's hard to find a real Charlie Crist ally," said former state Republican chairman Tom Slade. "Charlie Crist is a marvelous politician, but rarely do you use the word statesman with Charlie Crist. That's his vulnerability, getting branded as another self-centered politician, and he doesn't have many more opportunities to muff up before that happens." ...

His state is losing population for the first time in 60 years. Unemployment and foreclosures are soaring. Taxes haven't dropped like a rock as he promised, and Florida remains one hurricane away from bankruptcy. County Republican parties are openly revolting against Crist, while a charismatic young rival, Marco Rubio, is being hailed on the cover of William F. Buckley's National Review magazine as the future of the GOP. ...

The polls don't show it yet, but warning signs abound for Crist. Local Republican executive committees and clubs in every corner of the state are holding symbolic "straw poll" votes where Rubio doesn't just beat Crist, but consistently trounces him 8- or 9-to-1.

Three things have brought the Florida Republican Senate race to this point.

First, Charlie Crist, generally considered a (very) liberal Republican, angered the base by embracing President Obama and the president’s highly unpopular Stimulus Bill. Bad has gone to worse for the governor as unemployment has risen in the state and Crist broke his promise not raise taxes on already cash strapped Floridians.

Second, Marco Rubio showed up on the scene as Crist’s polar opposite Rubio, the former Speaker of the Florida House is a staunch conservative who fires up the base at every event he attends. In addition to his conservative credentials, he is young, photogenic and unbelievably well spoken. He connects with “the people” because he intuitively knows how to talk to people without talking down to them-a refreshing quality in a politician.

Third, in a huge miscalculation, the NRSC came out in favor of Crist right out of the gate. Sadly, many in the Republican party leadership do not seem to understand how unhappy the base is with them. By backing a candidate prior to the primary, the NRSC cemented the feeling among the base that the ‘street level’ Republican doesn’t count.

This is being played as an ‘upset in the making’ but as a member of the base, I don’t know anybody who is upset by the notion of ‘Senator Rubio.’

A Photographic Essay Chronically The Difference Between Conservatives and Liberals

Via Memeorandum:


Gateway Pundit has posted an article titled CLEAN Conservatives vs FILTHY Liberals-A Photographic Essay. Somehow, the results are not even somewhat surprising.



After the 2 million strong conservative freedom rally on 9-12:


And, here is the filth left for someone else to clean up after the Inauguration of Barack Obama:

We just have a fundamentally different way of looking at the world and of taking personal responsibility.

Gateway has several more illustrations.

Lord, Save Us From Educated Idiots

I was raised around plain spoken people who put a premium on saying what one means precisely and concisely. When my Grampa Cole called somebody "a horse's ass" I knew exactly what he meant. Further, when Doug at the Daley Gator calls John Batchelor a horse's ass, I couldn't agree more.

Doug also calls Batchelor "educated beyond his hat size" and given Batchelor's pronouncements, I would say he is spot on:

"I'm not going to pretend there is anything genuine about [the Tea Party Movement].This is about people putting their faces on TV."

And this gem:

"Liberty requires order, and decency, and respect. Acting out, throwing signs out, getting thrown out of meetings, or making loud speeches to the television camera is not about liberty."

That Batchelor thinks that the Tea Party movement is a made for TV phenomenum shows how out of touch he is with reality but worse, is lack of understanding about the price of achieving and maintaining liberty. I suspect Batchelor would edit Patrick Henry's famous quote, "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.", and instead, he would say, "give me liberty or a nice cup of tea."

I won't lose any sleep over offending Batchelor's gentle sensibilities. Conservatives have played Batchelor's game and the results completely surround us.

Smitty has the perfect smack down over at The Other McCain.