Oregon Elephant

Wow. Honestly, I've never seen the level of vitriol for anyone not named Clinton. I think the problem is that conservatives don't just see McCain as not an authentic conservative. Many see Giuliani that way, but they don't detest him like they do McCain. McCain's big sin is that he has a hatred for conservatives, for talk radio, for blogs...in short for many of the activists that have helped build the party and help it be successful. Since McCain has so gleefully kneed talk radio and blogs in the groin, they are more than happy to return the favor. Yes, it's personal. And it's not likely to ever get better. Here are some snippets...Michael Reagan writing that "John McCain Hates Me" ...(and he's right): As I watched McCain and Governor Romney go at it during the debate at the Reagan Library I was struck by the huge gap that separates McCain -- whose contempt for his fellow humans is patently obvious -- and my dad, Ronald Reagan, who had nothing but...

Last night, John McCain bragged about getting the endorsement of the Arizona Republic. Not surprising, considering it's publisher is a longtime McCain political patron. Darrow "Duke" Tully, publisher of the Arizona Republic, was one of the original supporters and financiers of McCains political ambitions way back in 1981. In fact, he introduced McCain to his wife. The two have been joined at the hip ever since. So, when McCain brags about getting the "endorsement" of the paper, just realize it's about as significant as getting your spouse's endorsement.

Here is a snip from this morning's show (video is here ): JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let me tell you what a conservative is not: A conservative is not a man that calls tax cuts that George Bush passed that revived the economy "tax cuts for the rich." That is not a conservative. A conservative is not a man who is one of two Republicans standing alone in Washington, DC voting against those tax cuts that every other Republican supported in Washington, DC. That is not a conservative. A conservative is not a man that teams up with Teddy Kennedy to produce a bill that is nothing short of amnesty that would allow 12 million illegal immigrants to attain legal status the day after John McCain's bill and Ted Kennedy's bill becomes law. That is not a conservative. A conservative is not somebody that goes on Tim Russert's show a couple of weeks ago and says if that amnesty bill that would allow 12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens [legal residents] the next day, he does...

Yes, yes, I know they hate each other's guts. But this is politics . It's not unheard of for two people who aren't best friends to form alliances. And think of it: No one is stronger on the economy than Romney. He speaks with knowledge and experience...and he's actually done it in the real world, met payroll, created jobs. He would be a great asset to the ticket on the economy. And the economy is sure to be a hot topic. Conversely, no one is stronger on the war in Iraq than McCain. His foresight on the surge when no one was supporting it gives him tremendous leverage. And his personal narrative makes him a very, very powerful opponent. Romney is strong with the conservative base - if McCain picked Romney as a running mate, it just might help him heal some wounds with the very important conservative activists he would need to win in November. McCain has tremendous crossover appeal - more than any candidate in either party. Romney would need some of those Democrat...

From a press release by the Romney folks: Sen. McCain Recently Insisted He Wouldn't Need An Economically-Savvy Running Mate: Sen. McCain Now Says That Because Of His Experience On The Senate Commerce Committee, He Wouldn't Need A Vice President With Economic Experience. "Noting that he also later ran the Senate Commerce Committee, Mr. McCain said in the interview that he would feel no need to select a vice president with expertise in economic policy to balance his own foreign-policy experience." (David Leonhardt, "Fiscal Mantra For McCain: Less Is More," The New York Times, www.nytimes.com,1/26/08) Yet Just Months Ago, Sen. McCain Said He Would Need A Running Mate "Well-Grounded In Economics": In November 2007, Sen. McCain Said He Would Choose A Vice-President Who Understands Economics Because He Doesn't. "On at least one occasion, McCain has raised the matter himself. On Nov. 10, while traveling through New Hampshire on his Straight Talk ...

This is a hilarious article from "The Onion"...and, as with all satire, has a sprinkle of truth...here is a snippet: Although some have pointed out that it is unconstitutional for Clinton to run for a third term in office, he has silenced most critics by urging voters "not to worry about the Constitution for now" and assuring them he will address those legal issues immediately after regaining control of the White House. "All I am asking of the American people is four more years," Clinton said at a fundraiser Tuesday where tens of thousands of South Carolinians gathered to stare in gape-jawed wonderment at the former president. "Well, maybe eight. Actually, you know what, definitely eight. Eight more years."

Ed Morrissey, of the well-read Captain's Quarters conservative blog, has just endorsed Romney . It's definitely worth a read, as he is a well-respected center-right blogger and had previously said he wasn't going to endorse.

Hugh Hewitt talks about Bill Bennett's chastisement of John McCain for his "below the belt" (Bennett's words) attack on Romney. McCain seems desperate...does he know something? Stay tuned...

Well, it would seem (just from my gut feeling) that Romney is winning the Thompson-o-rama...here is a post by Jonathan Martin at Politico about the latest 'get'. Romney's numbers have been rising on the RealClearPolitics poll average ...I'm guessing Thompson getting out is definitely helping him. We'll see if it's enough on tuesday. And now for something completely different... Today is primary day in SC for the Dems. Time to see what the impact of the hate-fest will be as we go down the road. Interesting that at the beginning of the debate process we were talking about how friendly the Democrats were and how divisive the Republicans were. It would seem they are both returning to form, Republicans coming together and Democrats eating their own for no good reason.

It's important to remember as we read all the "Mormons got Romney the win in Nevada" robo-analysis that Romney is winning by so much, he would be winning even without any Mormon vote at all. It's a huge, huge win for Romney, no candidate on either side has won a state this decisively. Also...this bodes well for Romney. If he truly gets virtually all the Mormon vote, what about states with large Mormon populations like California, Arizona, Idaho and Colorado (of course he'll also win Utah). All of a sudden, Romney looks very, very good.

News so far: MSNBC and Fox News have both projected Romney as the winner of the Nevada Caucuses...so it's already a fairly good day for Romney, which could get very good if Huckabee beats McCain in SC and Romney is a strong third. Look at the trend for Huckabee in the South Carolina polls: ARG Poll ARG 1-15/1-16: McCain 33, Huckabee 23 ARG 1-17/1-18: Huckabee 33, MCain 26 Net change - McCain -7, Huckabee +10 Reuters/Zogby Poll Zogby 1-16/1-17: McCain 29, Huckabee 22 Zogby 1-17/1-18: McCain 27, Huckabee 26 Net change - McCain -2, Huckabee +4

I've been taking a look at Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism , so I got interested in how the most notable Fascists defined their movement. I ran across this statement by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini concerning fascism...it's pretty enlightening in showing that fascism's most significant doctrine is taking power away from the individual and empowering the state: The foundation of Fascism is the conception of the State, its character, its duty, and its aim. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State. The conception of the Liberal State is not that of a directing force, guiding the play and development, both material and spiritual, of a collective body, but merely a force limited to the function of recording results: on the other hand, the Fascist State is itself conscious and has itself a will and a personality -- thus it may be called the ...

George Will wrote a devastating and brilliant indictment of McCain and the damage he has done to the conservative message on Townhall.com. The great thing about Will is that his analysis is absent the flamethrowing of so many "analysts", but instead relies on fact and always-intelligent analysis. Even when I disagree with him, I love reading his writing. Here are a few of my favorite snippets from the article: Because McCain is a "maverick" -- the media encomium reserved for Republicans who reject important Republican principles -- he would be a conciliatory president. He has indeed worked with Ted Kennedy on immigration reform, with Russ Feingold on restricting political speech (McCain-Feingold) and with Kennedy and John Edwards -- a trial lawyer drawn to an enlargement of opportunities for litigation -- on the "patients' bill of rights." McCain is, however, an unlikely conciliator because he is quick to denigrate the motives, and hence the characters...

Last election, Larry Galizio ran unopposed for re-election to Oregon House District 35 (Tigard-Tualatin). I'd love to run, but haven't been registered to vote here long enough. I'd be very enthusiastic about supporting a Republican candidate...but first we need to FIND one. Anyone know of someone who'd be good to recruit?

One area many people point to when they favor John McCain is his supposed electability. The thought goes that since most head-to-head polls currently have him doing well against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, he would be the Republican candidate most likely to win in November. Balderdash! Remember Michael Dukakis? He had a 17-point lead over Bush 41 at one point. All it got him was his head handed to him when it came time to exercise the only vote that counts. There are other examples too, of course. The point is, that that head-to-head polls at this early juncture mean nothing . Let's look at some of McCain's shortcomings that could be fatal in November: His age - he's in his 70s, which in and of itself is of course fine, but he's starting to look ragged in some of his appearances, and his speaking, never exactly Reaganesque, is getting worse. Now imagine him with 10 more months of hard campaigning. His personality. Many find his feistiness endearing, but over...

...have you noticed the similarities (I know they're not identical) between the candidacies of John McCain and George H.W. Bush? Both men: were decorated military veterans had lost nomination fights in the past had extensiive foreign policy resumes criticized for being less interested in domestic politics criticized for being a moderate, not being conservative enough. True enough...McCain and George HW...seperated at birth.

I know some people are dismissing Romney's win in Michigan as simply a favorite-son triumph, or saying it is just more of Mitt pandering to some group . I see it differently. What I saw when I watched Romney speak to Michiganders was the real Mitt, a practical problem-solver who knows how to surround himself with smart, capable people and is a master at crafting solutions. i was living in Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics, so i saw it first-hand. Lest anyone forget, the olympic games were on the brink of disaster, deeply in debt and scandal-ridden. Some wondered if Salt Lake City would even be able to go through with it. He turned it into the most successful winter olympics in history, and a sparkling presentation of our country to the world at a time when it was critical to show off to the world the stuff that America was made of. The "show" that is the olympics was breathtaking, with Olympians bringing into the arena the american flag that had flown on 9/11 . Fo...