1 Comment Posted on '08 Election, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans

last man standing wins

senator allen has every right to be angry. his reputation has been dragged through the mud by the media. vicious rumors have been spread about him. even though he hasn’t dealt with all the questions very well at times, that still doesn’t take away from the fact that quite a few lines have been crossed in this campaign. it’s gotten very ugly in the virginia senate race. it’s easy to understand the temptation to fire back at the opposition with all the ammo you can find. if we experienced similar treatment, no doubt we would have that same temptation.

that doesn’t excuse what senator allen did by bringing up all those nasty passages from webb’s book. it says more about allen’s desperation than it does about webb’s character. i don’t know jim webb personally, but he seems like a decent guy, although there may be a few areas where we would disagree on policy. that’s a problem for allen, because he can’t easily paint this guy as a loony lefty. senator allen’s own inability to deal with the problems he has faced throughout his campaign have brought him to this point. this shouldn’t have even been a contested race. if allen loses this race, it’s his own fault. the media can be blamed to some degree, but a man who wants to be president needs to know how to handle these obstacles without melting down.

senator allen has failed the test. his latest campaign tactics will have voters asking more questions about him than they will about his opponent. when two candidates sling mud, they both get dirty. george allen may win the battle but lose the war. he may return to the senate, but not without his credibility and integrity being seriously damaged by the way this campaign has ended. i’m not ready to say that senator allen can’t recover from all this and make a serious run at the presidency, but i do think this hurts his chances to be the nominee in ’08.

politics is an ugly game. we all accept that. in this case, this intensely personal slugfest has gone too far. no matter how it turns out, both candidates should be ashamed of their behavior and take no pride in a victory in this race. it’s a hollow victory when you sell out your principles and your integrity to win.

michelle malkin says it better in this post.

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Posted on Conservatives, Democracy, Editorials, Republicans

act locally…

…or the democrats will have won.

why should the nutroots have all the fun? there’s still a battle to be fought on the local level with very worthy candidates. i’ve heard the opposing arguments, and they ring hollow. the stakes are too high to act like spoiled children when we don’t get exactly what we want. why did the conservatives turn out for bush in 2004? was it because of his committment to fiscal discipline? was it because we knew that he would take care of the illegal immigration problem once and for all? of course not. so why are we acting as if someone tricked us? the 2004 election was about iraq, the war on terror, and judicial appointments. those were issues we cared about then. aren’t they still important? the jury’s still out on iraq, but in those other two areas bush has been exactly what we expected. if we put democrats in charge, the whole country will suffer negative consequences, not just those republicans who have stepped off of the reservation. we will reverse programs that ARE working to try to gain an elusive ideological purity that will never be possible in any party. just something to consider.

there are some conservatives still in the republican party. some of them are incumbents running for re-election. some of them are challenging democratic incumbents, which is also an uphill battle. if you are lucky enough to have a conservative representing you in congress who is running for re-election, please don’t sit on the sidelines. do what you can to help them win. all campaigns would appreciate whatever time you can spare, even if it’s only an hour or two. not all of us can donate money, but there are other ways to show our support for those who agree with us on the important issues we are facing in this country.

last night i went to a debate between congressman john spratt (who currently represents south carolina’s district 5) and his conservative republican challenger, local businessman ralph norman. it was great fun to watch. it was also hard to decide who won. the important thing in this debate was that it was a debate about ideas. there were a couple pelosi references and bush references, but i believe that the audience got to hear a clear difference between spratt and norman on policy. i doubt any hearts and minds were changed there, however, since virtually everybody had already decided who they would support before this debate started.

for the record, i have done some unpaid campaign work for norman, and my family has as well. i support ralph norman because he’s the right guy for district 5, not because he’s paying for my endorsement. congressman john spratt is a decent fellow, i’m sure of that, but he has opposed just about everything the people in this district support. for that reason, we should let him get on with the business of retiring after this election. 🙂

related:
you can’t always get what you want
Conservatives Will Regret Putting Dems in Power-tony blankley (RCP)
A Blank Check from America?–thomas sowell (RCP)

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2 Comments Posted on Baseball, College Football, Ohio State Buckeyes

so close

i should be used to crushing disappointment by now. after all, i AM a recovering cleveland browns, indians, and cavaliers fan. i also, along with many other ohio sports fans, had to deal with the tragic john cooper era at ohio state, when losses to that team up north and in bowl games was pretty common. it was a time where former ohio state prez e. gordon gee actually called a tie with michigan one of the greatest wins in their history, or something equally stupid. i survived john elway’s infamous drive against the browns, jose mesa giving up game 7 for the tribe, and michael jordan applying the dagger to the cavaliers with “the shot”. it’s always something or someone keeping those teams from getting to the big game. that’s too many heartbreaking losses for a sports fan to take.

then the mets somehow make it to game 7, in spite of having only one consistently good pitcher in their whole playoff rotation. who really expected weaver and suppan to be as great as they were in the NLCS? i sure didn’t. you could make the argument that it was actually cards pitching coach dave duncan who was the real MVP of this series. there was absolutely no reason to believe that there would be a game 7. the cardinals had the edge in nearly every pitching matchup, but a funny thing happened on the way to the world series. john maine and oliver perez showed up in a big way in games 6 and 7, and gave the mets an excellent chance to end their six-year world series drought.

the expectations changed once the mets won game 6. we actually started believing that the mets could still win this NLCS. game 7 finally started. we looked at the way oliver perez was pitching and knew we had a chance. then endy chavez makes that outstanding catch to rob rolen of a home run. that was the turning point right there. it had to be. sure enough, the mets get runners on in the 8th. scoring position. no hits. yadier molina hits the home run for cardinals. yikes. ok. there’s still the 9th inning. the mets have runners on in the 9th. enough to win the game. but the big hit never comes. game over. that’s it. the mets are out and the cardinals are in.

i can’t believe that the ride is over for the mets. they had such a great year this year. i am so happy that they got as far as they did with only one solid pitcher in the rotation. it’s a credit to minaya, randolph, and the whole team that they didn’t make excuses and played hard with the guys who WERE healthy enough to participate in the series. if we can come away from this NLCS with two new quality starters for the starting rotation next year(in addition to a mostly healthy pedro and glavine), that’s even better.

this will take a while to get over. at some point, i will acknowledge how well the cardinals played in this series, and give them proper credit for their victory over the mets. i’m not there yet, because i’m still thinking about all the mets’ missed opportunities in this series. so please, cards fans, give me a little time here. the wound is still fresh.

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Posted on Democrats, Editorials, Liberals, Republicans

saints and sinners

put away the stones. there are no saints among us, especially in the chattering class of politicians. let’s not pretend that we could even find such a person willing to run for political office today. we know more about those politicians than we want to know, and (may i dare to suggest) more than we need to know. believe it or not, this will not be the first or the last time we elect people with skeletons in their closets. acknowledge the possibility and accept that reality.

let’s start with the premise that there is something about each and every one of us that we don’t want the whole world to know about. we all have dirty laundry that we wouldn’t want to be aired in a public forum. this is even more true of politicians than it is for us. should we care so much about the personal lives of politicians? when does it have any bearing on how well the person would perform in his/her job? i’m not suggesting that when there are obvious ethical violations (like the foley mess, for example), that we need to look the other way and ignore it. i do believe that there’s a serious problem when we are fighting about which politician’s life is less screwed up. leave that garbage to the celebrity gossip columns, and let’s talk about what’s really important to us as a nation. that’s what this election should be about. that’s what the 2008 election should be about.

this election should be about issues, not about personalities. i cringe with each campaign speech mentioning that “san francisco liberal nancy pelosi”, and that our democracy as we know it is DOOMED, DOOMED i tell you…if liberals like her are in control of congress. for the politically engaged, mentions of specific personalities like pelosi may have an effect. for everyone else, they are left with several questions: “ok, so why should we care?” and “who’s nancy pelosi?”

republicans have done an excellent job making the word “liberal” a pejorative term. what they haven’t done successfully is to define what makes liberals dangerous to have in control of congress. that’s where the battle needs to be fought. we need to explain why the other side has the wrong strategy on north korea, iraq, and iran, and that electing them would mean higher taxes and wrong-headed foreign policy.

that should be our focus as we head toward november, because if republicans make the debate about ideas and talk about values, we win.

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Posted on Baseball

pray for rain

it is possible that rain might postpone the mets / cards scheduled throwdown yet again. i’m sure that both bullpen-stretched baseball teams would appreciate a little divine intervention in this championship series. maybe it will be enough time for jeff weaver to forget that he pitched well in game one, and just maybe he will revert to previous form. that would be a good thing for the mets. i guess they found that missing offense in game 4 (or they finally ran into a bad pitcher). either way, they got the job done sunday night, and they are now back to even with the cardinals.

oliver perez wasn’t superb, but like darren oliver, he gave the mets a chance to win the game without taxing the bullpen too much. if monday’s game goes off as scheduled, glavine will be pitching on short rest. the results aren’t generally that good for glavine when he does this, so we will need all hands on deck monday night in case glavine struggles. it’s about time that the offense showed up. it would be nice if we could see something similar from this offense in the rest of the games, or it’s going to be an uphill battle getting to the world series.

there are other distracting things currently happening in our great country. apparently there’s some sort of election taking place in a few weeks. democrats could implode. republicans could get their just desserts. the level of partisan rancor we are seeing is only another example of random ugliness in the universe, and i’m tired of paying attention to it at this present moment. right now, all that i feel like caring about is that the mets are playing the tigers on saturday night.

like i said…pray for rain. while you’re at it, pray for all those politicians too. they need it.

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Posted on Baseball

it just doesn’t matter

the results of the NLCS won’t change the result of the world series. that’s because the tigers are going to win the world series. you heard it here first. ok…maybe this isn’t your first source of sports predictions, but the tigers are still going to win, whether i pick them or not. everything is going their way, and i don’t see how the mets or cardinals have the pitching to compete with the tigers.

the NLCS is still in doubt, and it shouldn’t be. the mets won game one behind glavine with excellent defense and just enough offense to win. then mets fans suffered through game two, where the mets squandered an opportunity for their second win in this series. john maine wasn’t great, but he pitched deep enough into the game that the mets had a great chance to pick up another victory with a couple good innings from the bullpen. i was worried about the bullpen coming off of the NLDS, and with good reason. they could have won game 2, but they didn’t.

so it was up to steve trachsel to pitch a big game for the mets in game three. that’s never a sure thing. on his best day, trachsel still gives up 4 runs a game. there’s something wrong with trachsel and i’m not just talking about his physical injury when he got plunked by the baseball. there’s something else distracting him, and i don’t know what that is. he looked even more lost out there than he usually does. maybe after the playoffs, we will find out what was bothering trachsel.

meanwhile, jeff suppan comes out and pitches an outstanding game for the cardinals. who predicted THAT would happen? i mean, it’s jeff FREAKIN’ suppan. of course many pitchers pitch better at home, but that much better? wow. this was not the best time for the mets’ offense to disappear. they had a few missed opportunities in this game as well. if the mets somehow get past the cardinals, they have glavine and especially darren oliver to thank for it. darren oliver saved the bullpen tonight, and that’s not a small accomplishment going into game 4 with the unproven oliver perez taking the ball for the mets. i can’t predict the ending, but i can predict that there will be a few more runs scored off each team’s bullpen before the final out is recorded in this series.

the mets are depressing me. i think i need a hug. maybe not.

in the world of college football, it looks like the ohio state – michigan game could be for all the marbles. anyone got an extra ticket they are willing to part with? 🙂

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Posted on Conservatives, Democrats, Editorials, Republicans

why conservatives won’t abandon the GOP

let me say right up front that i am very disappointed with the performance of the republican majority on important areas like spending and illegal immigration. they also could have used their majority to implement needed reforms in programs like social security. they did not. the most stinging indictment i have of the party in power is that they have lost the political will to make tough decisions and fight for policies that are unpopular. they need to be more conscious of doing what is right than doing what is popular with their friends on the Hill. i don’t approve of the way they handled the foley scandal and i think more follow-up was necessary to ensure that foley did not continue contact with those pages. the story of this current congress is missed opportunities. if they retain control, it won’t be because they deserve it.

we are annoyed with republicans for these and other great reasons. is there a viable alternative for fiscal and social conservatives? i don’t believe that there is. if we stay home, here’s the reality that we will have to deal with. if we actually cast votes for democrats, this is what will happen:

  • there will be no spending cuts or tax cuts. there is no reason to believe that democrats will hold the line on spending, and you can kiss any tax cuts goodbye. neither party has the discipline to control spending. i don’t know what would change this.
  • forget any future progress on immigration reform. the republicans haven’t had the political will to do anything substantial on this. we won’t see even token committment to reform under democratic leadership.
  • social conservatives will be even less pleased with the democrats than they are with the republicans. mark foley or no mark foley, the democrats are still the party that generally supports gay marriage and abortion. there is no excuse for how the foley situation was dealt with, as i said, but the democrats have no reason to expect that social conservatives will now embrace the democratic party.
  • we will surrender control of our congress to a party that supports weakening the patriot act, giving increased civil rights and protections to people who want to kill us, and a party that opposes spying on terrorists. in this increasingly scary world, is this the party you want in charge?
  • do we really want the democrats making decisions on judicial appointments? that will be the case if we allow them to regain power.

the republicans haven’t shown that they deserve re-election. the democrats haven’t shown that they deserve power. but conservatives will get much more of what they want by keeping congress in republican hands.

i’m simply going to echo something rush said…if the democrats lose this time, they might as well blow up the party and start over, because the situation has never been more favorable for them.

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Posted on Baseball

start spreadin’ the news

no more sinatra. the yankees have left the playoffs. the mets are moving on, and the yankees are just going home to await their punishment by the boss. sometimes everything just works out for the fans of non-yankee baseball teams. it’s about time that happened. i guess that we should give the tigers a great deal of credit for not listening to all the predictions and playing their game. it’s really awesome to see the tigers with some newfound playoff success after struggling for such a long time. it’s good for baseball when the tigers are a competitive team and when new teams enter the playoff picture. congratulations to the a’s as well. i don’t care who wins in the AL. either team would be fine with me. i like them both.

the mets survive and advance…because after all, that is the name of the game in a short series. the dodgers played them tough, even though the final results may not reflect that. i’m so happy for the mets, who played a great series, and totally deserved to sweep the series from the dodgers. i expected more from the dodgers, especially with their pitching. the bullpen was a little shaky for the mets, so they might want to work on that next round. it’s hard to predict how the padres / cards series will play out. i guess we will find out in a couple days. i won’t choose a favorite here either, but i think the mets could beat either team. 😛 GO METS! YAY! (not that i’m biased or anything)

anyone else totally dig those tommy lasorda baseball postseason promos?
oh yeah…and the buckeyes keep rolling…this week stomping on poor bowling green. bring on those wolverines.

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Posted on Random Musings

was it something i said?

apparently not.  there were some server problems, so that took the blog down for most of the day. i would like to apologize to my handful of fans who were probably looking for some new posts.  fear not.  new posts are on the way.  please stand by. 🙂

2 Comments Posted on Editorials, Random Musings

absolutes and other unpopular opinions

the problem in this country is not intolerance of diversity. it is the failure to call a spade a spade. it is the failure to accept absolutes. it’s the failure to admit that right and wrong do exist, and that there are lines that have been crossed in this societal free-for-all. not everything is beautiful. not everything should be acceptable. we shouldn’t be afraid to say something if we see something going on that we think is morally wrong.

it’s easy for us to look at guys like former representative mark foley, or barney frank, or some of the other creepy guys previously in congress and condemn them for their behavior. it’s a no-brainer. it’s wrong to abuse your position of authority in this way, whatever the circumstances are. whether it’s with an intern, or a page, or a non-consenting adult, it’s wrong. we should all agree that our representatives, senators, and former presidents have something better to do with their time than scamming on subordinates.

it is harder to admit that we have gone too far in our attempts to be open-minded and tolerant of all kinds of questionable behavior. we don’t want to offend anybody with our beliefs, or make any attempt at all to rock the boat in any way. what are deeply held beliefs worth if they are never expressed? that doesn’t mean hating anyone for a lifestyle choice or a weakness in their personal life. it means caring about someone enough to be honest with them about what you think, even if you know they will disagree with you. it means being willing to lose their friendship if that’s how it turns out.

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