Oregon Elephant

MaxRedline had some thoughts on Sam Adam's comments that he is staying on as Mayor because he wants to help the city. Here's a tidbit: This is not a gay issue or a sex issue, this is an honesty issue…or that’s what we were saying before it was confirmed that the boy was seventeen. People feel violated, and don’t think they can ever trust Sam Adams again. How can the city stand behind some one who would lie like this? My thoughts: I agree, it's ultimately an honesty and ethics issue. The problem for liberals is that when you sacrifice your sense of right and wrong for some other benefit, you start down the road of political destruction. It, of course, has happened to Republicans...every day, Sam looks more and more like Richard Nixon. Maybe to understand Sam...we should go see Frost/Nixon.

Michael Reagan , writing an article for Human Events concerning John McCain's defeat, wrote this: This was not a referendum on Ronald Reagan. As a matter of fact, my dad might well have voted for Barack Obama just based on what he was seeing his party doing. Wow...

I'll have a longer post later tonight, but here are some quick thoughts: Barack Obama : Congrats to the new President. I hope he governs from the center - I guess we'll see. At any rate, we can all be even more proud today of our country. Obama's first primary victory was in Iowa, which is mostly white. Last night, he won Virginia, which was the cradle of the old confederacy. It's an amazing thought. John McCain : Maybe one of the best concession speeches I've ever heard. It was gracious, warm, and truly heartfelt. And anyone could see that John McCain's deep love for America is no act. He is a true hero, a true patriot, and will be a great asset in the Senate. California's gay marriage ban : Fascinating that the state that voted for Obama by double-digits also voted to ban gay marriage. It shows that the country truly is center-right. I was very happy to see this pass, especially after the vicious anti-Mormon ads the other side ran the day bef...

I don't drink...but let's think of some debate-drinking-game-phrases anyway....such as: "Bush" "economy" "middle class" "illegal aliens" "furniture" Any others? Those are the ones I can think of. Ok...turning on KGW...

Sen. Gordon Smith and Jeff Merkley will be debating on thursday night at 7. It will be broadcast locally here in Portland at 7pm, and I'll be liveblogging it (my first debate liveblog!). Be sure to check in for updates.

So, McCain is hitting hard on the Ayers connection. I really, really think pounding the Ayers stuff is just counterproductive. The people I talk to, who aren't ideological and aren't really that political, they care about one issue right now - the economy. What McCain needs to do is come up with a solid, game-changing proposal to deal with it. A plan with specifics, and that he can persuasively explain and defend. If he can't do that, all the mentions in the world about Ayers and Dohrn and Wright aren't going to get him anywhere. The proof is in the pudding - they first mentioned Ayers Saturday, and Rasmussen tracking (Sat-Mon) has McCain down 9 and Gallup tracking has him down 8.

This editorial in the Washington Post today is a great, well-balanced view of McCain's history on government regulation. The bottom line - he's generally anti-government regulation, but has always been an advocate of common sense regulation of the financial markets, and has a much clearer record on this than Obama does. Here's an interesting snippet: Mr. McCain was an early voice calling for the resignation of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Harvey Pitt, charging that he "seems to prefer industry self-policing to necessary lawmaking. Government's demands for corporate accountability are only credible if government executives are held accountable as well." In 2006, he pushed for stronger regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- while Mr. Obama was notably silent. "If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financi...

I admit, being a McCain supporter, I certainly have my issues with Obama (such as the fact that he's woefully unqualified to be President), but the criticism of him for being a community organizer seems a little silly. Community organizing, according to Wikipedia , is: Community organizing is a process by which people living in proximity to each other, are brought together to act in their common self-interest. Community organizers act as area-wide coordinators of programs for different agencies in an attempt to meet community needs for various services. Community organizers work actively, as do other types of social workers , in community councils of social agencies and in community-action groups. The Wikipedia article goes on to talk about the history of community organizing, and how it goes back to well before the days of Saul Alinsky . It also shows that community organizing principles were used in the building of many grassroots groups, such as the Christian Coalition . No...

He is a right-leaning centrist. He doesn't just follow the party line, but he is more conservative than not. He's not a demagogue or idealogue. He's a good family man. He's pro-life, but not rabidly so (just like me). He's willing to work on solutions to problems, not just make speeches criticizing the other side. Recently he worked with Senator Jack Reed on a bill to lengthen unemployment benefits, for example. He's a commonsense leader, in the TR mold. That's why I'm supporting him. Click on the image above to go to his campaign website.

Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman, responded to McCain's call earlier today for him to be fired: "While I have great respect for Sen. McCain, we have sometimes disagreed, and this is one such occasion. The SEC has made plain that we have zero tolerance for naked short selling. In this market crisis, the men and women of the SEC have responded valiantly as they always do -- with the utmost dedication and professionalism. Addressing the extraordinary challenges facing our markets, the independent and bipartisan SEC has taken the following decisive actions." My take: It seems to me that Cox is treating McCain like a senile old uncle...with the appearance of deference and respect, but with a knowing wink.

Wow...McCain is talking tough today. McCain said today that SEC Commissioner Christopher Cox, a former Republican Congressman who spent 17 years in the House, should be fired: "The Chairman of the SEC serves at the appointment of the President and has betrayed the public's trust," McCain said, reading deliberately from set remarks at a rally in Cedar Rapids. "If I were President today, I would fire him."

In a sweeping statement reminicent of some of the things Barack Obama has said, Senator McCain said today at a townhall meeting: "We're going to reform how Wall Street does business and put an end to the greed that has driven our markets into chaos." My take: Whoa. Put an end to greed? While he's at it, why doesn't he end pride, envy and covetousness? I know he probably didn't mean what he said...but still...not the best use of the language I've ever seen.

Well, the big interview is over...in some ways I am less concerned about Palin...but mostly I feel the way I did before. Some highlights: Positive She got through it without any major gaffes. To be honest, this was the main goal. Although she wasn't stellar, she showed her ability to think on her feet when given an unexpected question. Sometimes it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't a bloodbath. She was able to pivot the question on "task from God" to pride in her son nicely. It didn't hurt that attention has been paid to how Charlie Gibson twisted her words. Negative She seemed nervous and tentative. She didn't seem nearly as confident as when giving a speech -- and, let's be honest, did not seem as "Presidential" as Obama. The foreign policy answers seemed rehearsed and wooden. I didn't at all get the feeling the words were coming from her. Even if you're being coached, you need to find a way to translate the information into words that a...

Amanda Carpenter reports on research some are doing on Joe Biden's grandson, and whether he was conceived "out of wedlock", as they say. My two cents: I think this is getting completely out of control. We as conservatives have absolutely no moral authority complaining about the intrusive coverage of Sarah Palin's family if we do the same thing to Joe Biden. I thought it was wrong when they did it to Governor Palin, and it's wrong to do it to Senator Biden. One of the things that causes me to be a conservative is that I really do believe there is a moral code you should govern yourself by. And to dig into Joe Biden's grandson's state of birth (he was born in 1993, so he's 15 now) is just wrong.

When it comes to the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, I'm with David Frum ...I think it's an irresponsible choice that could (will?) come back to haunt McCain. Of course, there are scurrilous charges that have no merit. Of course, there is media bias. But here are some details that are coming out that are issue-based, and much more troubling to me: She favored many earmarks as Mayor that John McCain specifically criticized (reformer? or opportunist?) She favored the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she opposed it She said in an address to her church that the Natural Gas Pipeline was a "task from God" and that people should "pray for it" (yes, it's the Huffington Post...but they have video) My take: I think it's clear she was a rash choice. I'm not at all comfortable with her as VP. I would strongly have preferred someone like Romney, Pawlenty, Cantor, even Mike Huckabee to her. I think (and I get no plea...

Some have accused Barack Obama of advocating a government program in relation to tire inflation. Here's the truth: He was asked by someone in a question-and-answer "what can we do as citizens" about energy costs. So he talked about inflating your tire properly as one thing a citizen can do. His reasonable response has been completely distorted. By the way, I'm a McCain supporter. I just like the idea of the truth being told. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Well, it sounds like Jeff Merkley put his foot in his mouth when asked a question about Georgia recently, according to the Oregonian . Here's the gist, from the article: Merkley, in a tough election battle with Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, seemed confused during a campaign stop in The Dalles Saturday morning when a citizen asked for his opinion on what was going on in Georgia. Merkley at first thought he was being asked about the U.S. state of Georgia. Then, finally realizing he was being asked about the Russian invasion, he took a pass on the question. "I'll have to find out the details. I have been on the road the last three days," Merkley said in the video, which was shot by a Republican tracker and posted on the Internet Tuesday by Politico, a Washington, D.C.-based politics web site. My take: Wow. Where do we start? I'd guess that, to put it mildly, I expect a major-party candidate for United States Senate to read the front page of a newspaper every day ...

John McCain plans to unveil his technology plan today on his website . Here is a preview I found from the Wall Street Journal. One particular tidbit I noticed (ok, yes, because as a computer geek I stand to benefit) is a proposed 10% tax credit for research and development employees, as an incentive for employers to hire Americans. The goal of the plan is not some esoteric feel-good mush, but to create "good, high-paying, innovation-oriented 21st-century jobs" according to McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin. Bravo...McCain should push this plan...information workers are a backbone of today's economy. Many of them tend Democratic, but are very much persuadable.

This from a recent McCain address: There are serious issues at stake in this election, and serious differences between the candidates. And we will argue about them, as we should. But it should remain an argument among friends; each of us struggling to hear our conscience, and heed its demands; each of us, despite our differences, united in our great cause, and respectful of the goodness in each other. That is how most Americans treat each other. And it is how they want the people they elect to office to treat each other. My take: I couldn't agree more. In talking to my wife (who isn't a political junkie, but does care about the issues), it becomes apparent that the less "immersed" someone is in politics, the lower their tolerance for negative campaigning and partisanship just for the sake of getting a dig in at the other side. Hopefully the recent flamethrowing (from both sides) will take John McCain's good words to heart, and have more respectful, substantive d...

It strikes me that it looks more and more like it is going to be Pawlenty for VP. Here's why: McCain's ad touting his ability to work with Democrats, and their praise of him (distancing himself from hard-line conservatives) Pawlenty's comments about "Sam's Club Republicans"...seems to me to be an appeal to Reagan Democrats McCain likes him...a lot. So, if it is Pawlenty, what do you all think? I'm kind of lukewarm...don't hate him, but could be better.