• Del.icio.us Links

    links for 2011-02-08

    • Deepening a rift ahead of the largest annual gathering of conservative activists in Washington this week, some of the movement’s top leaders have circulated a private memo urging that conservatism’s founding principles be recast to exclude gay rights groups from the Reagan coalition of economic, defense and social conservatives.

      The memo, obtained by The Washington Times, was signed by about two dozen leaders, and was released just as the Conservative Political Action Conference is set to begin its most contentious session in years, riven with divisions over a gay rights Republican group that is helping sponsor the conference and the social conservatives who are trying to keep it out.

      ++++++

      Read it all

      I don't think this impasse will be easily resolved

    • The company that fired Reagan for speaking out against big government is celebrating the seminal speech in which he does the same, while the company’s CEO enjoys his spot in President Obama’s inner circle.

      Reagan mythology comes from across the political spectrum and we will likely never agree on his political legacy. But Reagan was a clear and outspoken critic of government-driven corporatism. GE’s misappropriation of Reagan’s iconic speech reveals just how far they’ve strayed from his message. It’s representative of either a company that has gone entirely tone deaf or an acrobatic attempt at a revisionist Reagan history.

      +++++++

      Ge is all over the place as long as there is $$$ in it for them.

    • The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on whether to block funding for President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul when it takes up a budget plan next week, House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said on Tuesday.

      "I expect to see one way or other the product coming out of the House to speak to that and to preclude any funding to be used for that," Cantor said at a news conference, referring to an effort to block implementation of the health-care law.

      House Republicans aim to pass a spending measure next week that would immediately cut at least $32 billion from the government's $3.7 trillion budget in an effort to trim record budget deficits.

      Republican lawmakers are expected to unveil details of the spending-cut package on Thursday ahead of a wide-ranging debate on the House floor next week.

      +++++++

      Three prong effort to repeal ObamaCare: Repeal, Courts,Funding

      (tags: Obamacare)
    • Even as the pressure intensifies on him to consider a 2012 bid, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush indicated that he's not reconsidering his decision to not run for president.

      "Yes," Bush wrote in an email when asked if the door remained firmly shut on a White House campaign next year.

      Continue Reading
      Unhappy with the presidential field as it appears now and increasingly nervous about finding a candidate who can unite the party and beat Pres. Obama, high-profile conservatives have begun going public with their pleas for the Floridian to run.

      ++++++

      And, no it should be

      (tags: jeb_bush)
    • While this would be slightly less bad than ObamaCare, it's important to realize that it still wouldn't do much to alleviate the significant problems with the law that Daniels' outlines at the start of the piece. Nearly all of the spending in the national health care law comes from expanding Medicaid and offering subsidies to individuals to purchase insurance on these government-run exchanges, and this wouldn't change that. And while getting rid of benefit mandates would provide individuals with more choice in the exchanges, it would still be hard to contain the growth of premiums as long as there's a requirement that insurers cover those with pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, given the raft of new regulations introduced by the law, you aren't going to get anything close to aproximating a consumer-driven system. What this article really does is reinforce why repealing the law is so crucial.

      ++++++

      The best course of action is to repeal ObamaCare

  • Death Penalty,  Jeremy Fogel,  Michael Morales

    Judge Jeremy Fogel Tours New San Quentin Lethal Injection Death Chamber

    deathchamber U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel Clears Path for California Executions to Resume   But Will They?

    The newly renovated San Quentin Prison Death Chamber

    AP Photo

    Federal Judge Jeremy today convened a hearing today at San Quentin Prison to inspect the newly renovated lethal injection death chamber.

    The federal judge weighing whether California can resume executing condemned prisoners toured San Quentin State Prison’s new lethal injection facility Tuesday in what he called a fact-finding mission to help determine whether the state’s revised procedures meet constitutional standards.

    U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel halted the execution of murderer Michael A. Morales five years ago, citing concerns the execution team was poorly trained, the converted gas chamber too cramped and ill-lit and the state’s method of delivering the three-drug execution cocktail at risk of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment.

    Whether his concerns have been alleviated by rewriting of the legal protocols guiding the execution process and the physical changes made to the prison venue where death sentences are carried out was not immediately apparent.

    The judge asked corrections officials questions about lighting, drug handling, conditions for witnesses and for the inmate’s last hours but gave no indication whether the answers allayed his earlier concerns.

    Fogel, leading an entourage of lawyers for the state, Morales and other prisoners facing execution if the practice resumes, went room to room in the clinic-like facility, inspecting the hand-lettered drug vials arrayed on two trays in the infusion room, where the execution drugs are to be mixed and delivered via intravenous tubes threaded through the wall of the adjacent death chamber.

    Fogel said he hoped to have a decision about whether executions can proceed “as soon as possible” but set out a schedule for further hearings that will run at least through spring.

    Certainly, Judge Fogel is in NO hurry to render a decision which can then be appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court. This case has dragged on for five years and nothing yet has been decided, except that California now has the largest Death Row population in the country.

    This entire process and Judge Fogel’s conduct of the case is a MOCKERY of the laws of the State of California and the United States. Californians have voted for the restoration of the death penalty and California’s procedures are NO different than those used in other states (which, by the way, have passed Constitutional muster).

    Fogel and anti-death penalty advocates are STALLING. Finish the case, Judge and render a decision so your decision can be overturned – and believe me, it will.

    No justice yet for Terri Lynn Winchell.

    1024415716e6f81febe2625 California Sentences 28 New Prisoners to Death Row While Executing None in 2010

    Terri Lynn Winchell

    Previous:

    The Death Penalty Archive

  • Lindsey Graham

    South Carolina Poll Watch: Sen. Lindsey Graham in GOP Primary Trouble With Tea Party

    grahamf Sen. Lindsey Grahamnesty Tries His Hand Again at Immigration Reform

    South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham

    Without a doubt, this RINO should be in trouble.

    Yesterday we put out a poll on Lindsey Graham’s standing with the entire South Carolina electorate. Today we narrow it down to those describing themselves as regular Republican primary voters.

    52% of them say that given the choice they’d pick a more conservative challenger in the 2014 GOP primary, compared to only 37% who say they’d support Graham under that scenario. It’s a pretty simple calculus- Graham leads 47-40 on that question with Republicans who say they don’t consider themselves to be members of the Tea Party but he trails 76-18 with folks who identify with that movement. The Tea Party faction of the Republican Party has become more and more powerful since Graham dispatched a relatively weak primary challenger in 2008 and if the fever doesn’t die down over the next three years he’s going to be in serious trouble in a primary.

    Senator Graham will face a more conservative Tea Party GOP primary challenger in 2014.

    Poll results are here (Pdf).

  • Barbara Boxer,  California Republican Party

    Poll Watch: Senator Barbara Boxer Continues Unpopular

    California U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer answering a question during election 2010

    The latest PPP Poll is quite revealing.

    There’s no such post election bounce for Barbara Boxer. She continues to have more voters (47%) disapproving of her than approve (45%). That was the case throughout her entire 2010 campaign and she got reelected by double digits anyway. You can take that as a sign that the entire GOP is hopeless in California or simply that the party needs to start nominating much stronger candidates but at any rate what they’re doing now is not good enough to even hold an unpopular Senator to a single digit win.

    Obviously, the California GOP needs to rebrand itself and recruit new and younger candidates for the future. It may take quite a while though – if ever.

  • Mike Delph,  Richard Lugar,  Richard Mourdock

    Video: IN-Sen: Lugar Tells the Tea Party to “Get Real”

    Facing a certain primary challenge, you would think that Indiana Senator richard Lugar would be more conciliatory?

    Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) chided Tea Party activists in his state, telling them to “get real” about their opposition to the New START treaty. 

    Lugar, who voted for the treaty’s ratification late last year, dismissed the Tea Party’s criticism of his vote. He’s expected to face a primary challenge from the conservative, activist movement. 

    Lugar has been a big-spending moderate Republican for decades – not exactly a Tea Party favorite. Democrat Senator Evan Byah bailed out of re-election in 2010 because of the changing political climate (more red) in Indiana and my bet is that Lugar won’t be around for the general election in 2012.

    Lugar has repeatedly irritated the tea party in recent months. He was one of just five Republicans to support Elena Kagan’s nomination for Supreme Court, he spearheaded a compromise on the new START nuclear arms treaty during the lame duck session, he opposed a ban on earmarks and he called for a renewal of the assault weapons ban after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) last month.

    But it hasn’t been just his votes. Lugar’s words have done little to quell the brewing opposition. During a breakfast with reporters last month, Lugar appeared to dismiss tea partiers as people who are angry because they or someone they loved has lost their job, and he said the movement lacked clear goals, relying instead on “large cliches”.

    Who will challenge Lugar? 

    Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock

    Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock will announce a primary challenge to Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on Feb. 22, according to an e-mail from a Mourdock supporter.

    Ted Ogle, the 6th district chairman for the Indiana Republican Party and Bartholomew County Republican Party chairman, said in an e-mail to supporters that he spoke with Mourdock on Friday morning and learned of the state treasurer’s plans. He said he will be endorsing Mourdock.

    “He will be announcing Feb. 22 his run for US Senate in a primary against Senator Lugar,” Ogle said. “With respect to Senator Lugar, Richard is my friend. For what it’s worth I will be announcing my support that same day.”

    State Sen. Mike Delph has also been mentioned as a potential Lugar primary opponent.

  • Antonio Villaraigosa,  Craig Huey,  Debra Bowen,  Jane Harman,  Janice Hahn

    Conservative Publisher Craig Huey to Run for Rep Jane Harman’s Congressional Seat?

    Craig Huey of ElectionForum.org

    I have known Craig since attending El Segundo High School in the 1960’s. He is a good friend – and consistently conservative over the decades.

    Rep. Jane Harman’s Congressional Distirct (CD-36) is tough for a Republican/conservative to run in, since the Democrats maintain an 18 point lead in registration. You know all about those gerrymandered California Congressional Districts, right?

     But, if Craig wants to run, then why not.

    A publisher of conservative election guides is considering entering the fray in the 36th Congressional District.

    Republican Craig Huey runs several websites, newsletters and forums that aim to “help Evangelical Christians vote their values,” including ElectionsForums.org and JudgeVoterGuide.org.

    Huey said local party leaders and Tea Party groups have approached him about running for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who plans to step down to lead the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

    “I’m talking to some people right now and getting a lot of encouragement to (run),” he said this morning.

    Huey, 60, lives just outside the district in Rolling Hills Estates, but said he might move if he decides to enter the race. He said he grew up in the area covered by the seat and runs an advertising company, Creative Direct Marketing Group, that is located in Torrance.

    Craig would be opposed by two formidable Democrats: Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (from San Pedro) who has secured the endorsement of LA Mayor Antonio Villariagosa and Marina Del Rey resident and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

  • Mike Huckabee,  Mitt Romney,  Newt Gingrich,  President 2012,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012: Obama Still Doing Well in Colorado

    The latest PPP Presidential Poll has President Obama continuing to lead in this key battleground state.

    If Barack Obama had to stand for reelection today he’d win Colorado pretty easily against any of the leading Republican Presidential contenders.

    Obama has good approval numbers in the state, with 51% of voters expressing support for the job he’s doing right now to 45% disapprove. As is the case most everywhere pretty much all Democrats like him and pretty much all Republicans dislike him. Breaking the tie is his good numbers with independents who give him good marks by a 54/42 spread.

    Obama is still slightly weaker in the state than he was in 2008 when he took it by 9 points in the general election. Tested against a generic Republican opponent he leads 51-44, so that 7 point lead represents a small amount of slippage from his previous margin of victory.

    The heads-up:

    • Obama 47% Vs. Romney 41%
    • Obama 51% Vs. Huckabee 42%
    • Obama 53 Vs. Gingrich 39%
    • Obama 55 Vs. Palin 36%

    Sarah Palin’s numbers include a 30 point deficit among independent voters.

    This is another of Palin’s Goldwater states- the last time a Democrat won Colorado by this kind of margin was 1964 when Lyndon Johnson took it by 23 points.

    GOP Favorable Vs. Unfavorable:

    • Romney – 40% Vs. 40%
    • Huckabee – 37% Vs. 40%
    • Gingrich – 26% Vs. 55%
    • Palin – 32% Vs. 62%

    The Colorado Hispanic/Age gap:

    Beyond Obama’s relative popularity and the weakness of the GOP contenders there’s another reason Democrats are looking good in the state and that’s where it’s headed demographically. The Hispanic vote is only going to become more and more influential and Obama leads the Republicans by anywhere from 24-30 points with those voters. And more so than in most states there’s a huge age divide in the political preferences of the state’s electorate- for instance against Romney Obama trails 53-38 with voters over 65. But he leads 49-37 with everyone else.

    The poll is here (pdf).

  • President 2012,  Rudy Giuliani

    President 2012: Will Rudy Giuliani Run for President?

    I don’t think Rudy will pull the trigger but with him, you never know.

    Four years ago, Giuliani was the national frontrunner. That luster fizzled as Giuliani campaigned in fits and starts in the early states then abandoned them for Florida, his make-or-break primary. It broke him.

    In recent weeks, Giuliani and his allies have quietly been talking to activists to see just how much damage he dealt himself among the political class who view their first-in-the-nation role as sacred. Giuliani has scheduled a visit to New Hampshire in March and has hinted he may seek the nomination again if his party appears poised to nominate someone he views as too extreme, such as Sarah Palin or Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

    Rudy views Mitt Romney as a slick light-weight, does not like him personally, considers him a holier than thou POL and refused to go negative against John McCain (his friend) in New Hampshire in 2008 so that anybody could stop Mitt from winning. Rudy miscalculated.

    He thought he could beat McCain in Florida and the later primaries, like California. Then, Florida Governor Charlie Crist double-crossed Rudy and endorsed McCain – at the time Crist was still a Republican and popular. Giuliani lost Florida and promptly withdrew from the race, endorsing eventual nominee John McCain.

    There has been “no signal from the bat cave” to former Giuliani staffers, so a run for President is unlikely.

    But, as I said, you never know and he certainly would make a better President than Mitt Romney et. al..

  • Mike Huckabee,  Mitch Daniels,  Mitt Romney,  Newt Gingrich,  President 2012,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012 Poll Watch: Huckabee 21% Palin 19% Romney 18% Gingrich 10%

    The latest CNN Presidential poll is out (Pdf):

    • 21% Huckabee
    • 19% Palin
    • 18% Romney
    • 10% Gingrich
    • 7% Paul
    • 3% Barbour
    • 3% Daniels
    • 3% Pawlenty
    • 1% Pence
    • 1% Santorum
    • 1% Thune

    Here is the question with a historical perspective:

    CNN Poll

    Another national poll, so take it with a grain of salt, but it is not a good poll for Mitt Romney going into CPAC weekend. Clearly, he is being considered a moderate Republican which will do nothing for him in winning the nomination.

    Since Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee will both not run, some of their support may go to Romney, but probably not much.

    With Palin’s lack of poll support against President Obama, will the DC establishment be able to persuade Huckabee to run? I understand some political establishment types are trying to convince him.

    Stay tuned…..

  • Mark Steyn

    Audio: Mark Steyn Mocks Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl Political Punditry

    Mark Steyn on yesterday’s Rush Limbaugh Show – note the photo of Steyn

    I was running through the blogs and this piece caught my eye.

    If you were paying attention during the Super Bowl halftime show last night, you would have heard the Black Eyed Peas deviate from their lyrics to send a political message: “Obama, let’s get these kids educated, create jobs so the country stays stimulated.”

    That message struck a nerve with Mark Steyn, the fill-in host for Rush Limbaugh on Monday. Steyn expressed his disapproval by mocking the Black Eyed Peas for inserting that not-so-subtle message.
    If you were paying attention during the Super Bowl halftime show last night, you would have heard the Black Eyed Peas deviate from their lyrics to send a political message: “Obama, let’s get these kids educated, create jobs so the country stays stimulated.”

    That message struck a nerve with Mark Steyn, the fill-in host for Rush Limbaugh on Monday. Steyn expressed his disapproval by mocking the Black Eyed Peas for inserting that not-so-subtle message.

    “The Black Eyed Peas were there last night and they amended their song to insert the words, ‘Obama,’ to insert a little bit of a political message, a searing political insight you get from the Black Eyed Peas, ‘Obama let’s get these kids educated to create jobs so the country stays stimulated.’ I’m Mr. Squaresville, so I don’t know what the Black Eyed Peas – how that tune normally goes. I think that’s their song, ‘Where is the Love.’”

    Why?

    The photo of Mark Steyn on the YouTube audio above is one I snapped about five years ago. Here is the piece, I wrote in October 2006: Mark Steyn Watch: America Alone – A FLAP Surprise.

    After all of these years Mark Steyn has not slowed down – one bit.

    Enjoy the audio/YouTube.

    Previous:

    Mark Steyn @ The Claremont Institute Dinner: The Bear Flag League

    Mark Steyn @ The Claremont Institute Dinner: The Dinner

    Mark Steyn @ The Claremont Institute Dinner: The Reception

    Mark Steyn @ The Claremont Institute Dinner: The Departure

    Mark Steyn Honored at The Claremont Institute’s Sir Winston Churchill Dinner