• CPAC,  Gay Marriage,  GOProud,  Mike Huckabee,  Sarah Palin

    Video: Sarah Palin, CPAC and Gay Rights – Has Palin Changed her Position?

    Sarah Palin as interviewed by David Brody from CBN.com

    Now, even I am confused with what Sarah Palin is trying to say about where she stands on homosexual issues, such as DADT, Gay Marriage, Federal Marriage Amendment, etc.

    Certainly, GOProud Advisory Council member Tammy Bruce didn’t help mudding up the waters in early January.

    In January, for example, Palin re-tweeted a post by gay conservative talk radio host Tammy Bruce in which she complained about Republican opposition to the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” At the time, Bruce commended Palin for what she thought was an endorsement of the repeal effort.

    “I think @SarahPalinUSA RT my tweet is her first comment on DADT, treatment of gays & attempts to marginalize us–thank you Governor,” Bruce wrote on Twitter. But when asked in a subsequent interview on Fox News whether the policy should be repealed, Palin responded: “I don’t think so right now.”

    Now, I don’t care if Sarah Palin attends CPAC and organizations who oppose GOProud’s stances on social issues have every right to boycott or stay away. This is their choice. I have never attended because I hate DC in the winter although I will probably attend Western CPAC this year in the fall.

    But, Sarah Palin REALLY needs to clear the air.

    Her remarks did not sit well with American Principles Project president Frank Cannon. His group was one of the first to call on supporters to boycott this year’s CPAC conference, one of the largest annual gatherings of conservatives in the country, over GOProud’s involvement.

    “The concern of conservatives is over the participation of a group whose stated goals run at odds with that of core conservative principles, not over debate over those issues,” said Cannon said in a statement on Monday.  “Governor Palin should clarify her comments by letting us know whether in her definition, traditional marriage is a core component of conservatism.”
    “Certainly Governor Palin would not be in favor of allowing a socialist group to be a participating organization (i.e. co-sponsor of CPAC) in the name of healthy debate,” he added.

    It should be simple for Palin to write a position paper on these issues and post it on her Facebook feed. She has stated during the 2008 campaign for Vice President that she opposed Gay Marriage and supported a Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S,. Constitution.

    In an interview to air tomorrow on The 700 Club, Christian Broadcasting News senior correspondent David Brody asked Palin, “On constitutional marriage amendment, are, are you for something like that?”

    “I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman,” Palin said, citing the 1998 initiative that banned gay marriage in her home state.

    “I wish on a federal level that that’s where we would go because I don’t support gay marriage,” Palin added, taking a position at odds with McCain, who voted against efforts for a proposed Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and 2006. Earlier this month, McCain told the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper, that he continues to oppose such an amendment today because he thinks the definition of marriage should be a state matter and not one for the federal government “as long as no state is forced to adopt some other state’s standard.”

    So, Sarah have you changed your position, yes or no?

    I can see, that if Palin has, there will be an even more hurried attempt by social conservatives in the GOP to urge Mike Huckabee to run for President – as to oppose Sarah Palin.

  • Illegal Immigration,  Lindsey Graham

    Sen. Lindsey Grahamnesty Tries His Hand Again at Immigration Reform

    South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham

    You would have thought that Senator Graham would have learned from the last time he tried for some illegal immigration amnesty.

    But, he is up to it again.

    Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have rekindled their alliance on immigration reform, taking some early steps to test the political will for addressing the contentious issue this year.

    Their call list hasn’t focused so much on House and Senate members who’ve been reliable pro-immigration votes in the past. Instead, they’re looking to a strange-bedfellows mix of conservative and liberal constituencies that can provide a “safety net” of support, as Graham put it, once the issue heats up.

    “It’s in the infant stage,” Graham told POLITICO. “I don’t know what the political appetite is to do something.”

    For all the groups getting a call from the pair, it is the presence of Graham himself who elevates the odds — however bleak — that the Senate could move on a comprehensive, bipartisan overhaul bill. Graham abruptly departed the talks last spring and took with him any hope of getting a bill in the past Congress.

    Now, conservative evangelicals, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, business organizations and immigrant advocacy groups say they have gotten word from Schumer’s office that a renewed effort is under way. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce confirmed that it is back in the mix, after a hasty exit last year when Schumer proposed a legislative framework with a temporary worker program that favored labor unions.

    And Schumer and his staff have quietly begun reaching out to some unlikely players in the Senate, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who has professed a newfound freedom since winning reelection last year without the Republican Party’s help.

    I agree with Stacy that this is probably just a shakedown for campaign cash from the open borders crowd and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But,  like Michelle, do not trust Graham. The only saving grace is the House GOP.

    Hey! Senator Graham – how about enforcing the immigration laws and securing the borders first?

    Can someone PLEASE run against Grahamnesty in a South Carolina GOP primary.

  • Jane Harman

    Update: California Democrat Rep. Jane Harman to Leave the House? Debra Bowen Vs. Janice Hahn

    +++++Update+++++

    Looks like two of the candidates will be California Secretary of State Debra Bowen of Marina Del Rey, who is termed out in 2014 and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

    Harman will likely announce her resignation tomorrow, according to sources.

    Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is likely to resign from Congress to succeed Lee H. Hamilton as president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a close friend of Harman’s told POLITICO. The nine-term intelligence expert notified House officials of the negotiations in writing on Monday.

    The final decision is to be made by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s board on Tuesday. The center, established by Congress, is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

    Harman has represented her Los Angeles County district in the House beginning in 1993.

    She telephoned a series of colleagues on Monday morning to let them know, including House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

    Harman was preparing to send a letter to her constituents explaining her negotiations to join the Woodrow Wilson Center.

    Harman’s decision could represent, in part, the frustrations of an ambitious, accomplished Democrat who is suddenly back in the minority.

    Well, Jane Harman is a moderate Democrat (at least to California and Nancy Pelosi standards) who will be redistricted next year, has limited prospects to run for California statewide office (she ran once for Governor and got nowhere, losing to Gray Davis in the 1998 Democrat Primary), richer than God and sees no prospect that the Democrats will be in the House majority anytime soon.

    So, why not bail?

    Her seat will be filled by a special election, but I wonder if the new top two law law will apply to this special election?

    Update #1:

    Yep, as Chris Cillizza points out it will be the first time the new California primary election rules will be applied. Therefore, look for many Democratic candidates.

  • Mitch Daniels,  Obamacare,  President 2012,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012: Mitch Daniels Lays ObamaCare on the Presidential Table

    Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels

    Mitch Daniels is going right after President Obama and his hallmark ObamaCare legislation in a WSJ piece today.

    Unless you’re in favor of a fully nationalized health-care system, the president’s health-care reform law is a massive mistake. It will amplify all the big drivers of overconsumption and excessive pricing: “Why not, it’s free?” reimbursement; “The more I do, the more I get” provider payment; and all the defensive medicine the trial bar’s ingenuity can generate.

    All claims made for it were false. It will add trillions to the federal deficit. It will lead to a de facto government takeover of health care faster than most people realize, and as millions of Americans are added to the Medicaid rolls and millions more employees (including, watch for this, workers of bankrupt state governments) are dumped into the new exchanges.

    Many of us governors are hoping for either a judicial or legislative rescue from this impending disaster, and recent court decisions suggest there’s a chance of that. But we can’t count on a miracle—that’s only permitted in Washington policy making. We have no choice but to prepare for the very real possibility that the law takes effect in 2014.

    For state governments, the bill presents huge new costs, as we are required to enroll 15 million to 20 million more people in our Medicaid systems. In Indiana, our independent actuaries have pegged the price to state taxpayers at $2.6 billion to $3 billion over the next 10 years. This is a huge burden for our state, and yet another incremental expenditure the law’s authors declined to account for truthfully.

    Perhaps worse, the law expects to conscript the states as its agents in its takeover of health care. It assumes that we will set up and operate its new insurance “exchanges” for it, using our current welfare apparatuses to do the numbingly complex work of figuring out who is eligible for its subsidies, how much each person or family is eligible for, redetermining this eligibility regularly, and more. Then, we are supposed to oversee all the insurance plans in the exchanges for compliance with Washington’s dictates about terms and prices.

    Read it all.

    Republican Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels makes the case on why ObamaCare SHOULD be repealed, but if it is NOT then how to CHANGE it. Today’s piece is a blueprint to run for the Presidency in 2012.

    Daniels has chosen an issue that President Obama will have to defend as well as GOP Presidential front-runner Mitt Romney. It is a two-fer.

    All the Republican candidates considering a White House bid in the next two years have sought to distinguish themselves from challengers when it comes to healthcare reform. The issue is expected to be one of the defining ones in the Republican presidential primary.

    It’s understood that the candidates will be unanimous in calling for the law’s repeal, but Daniels wrote about the possibility it might be sustained, and laid out a game plan to undercut the law short of its full repeal.

    Next, Mitch goes to CPAC and goes into the conservative arena – one which Sarah Palin has for five years avoided.

  • Jeb Bush,  President 2012

    President 2012: Should Jeb Bush Run for President in 2012?

    jebbush FL Sen Poll Watch: GOP Favors Jeb Bush to Face Dem Senator Bill Nelson

    Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush

    Not if the Republican Party wants to win.

    John J. Miller has a cover story in the new issue of National Review that’s a compelling portrait of the accomplishments of Jeb Bush. Four years after leaving the Florida governor’s mansion, he remains one of the most impressive Republican politicians in the country, a formidable policy mind with the political chops to drive conservative reforms even out of office. So why isn’t he running for president? Bush told Miller what he’s said to others, too — he won’t run in 2012, but he’ll consider 2016. This is a mistake. Bush should run now for at least eight reasons…..

    Rich Lowry makes the case for a 2012 run in this piece this morning. But, the Bush brand is in the toilet and took the GOP down with it from 2006-2010.

    If Jeb wants to run for President, he should run against Florida Democrat Senator Bill Nelson in 2012, serve in the Senate with distinction and then run. Otherwise, forget about it.

  • Jane Harman

    California Democrat Rep. Jane Harman to Leave the House?

    Harman will likely announce her resignation tomorrow, according to sources.

    Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is likely to resign from Congress to succeed Lee H. Hamilton as president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a close friend of Harman’s told POLITICO. The nine-term intelligence expert notified House officials of the negotiations in writing on Monday.

     

    The final decision is to be made by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s board on Tuesday. The center, established by Congress, is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

    Harman has represented her Los Angeles County district in the House beginning in 1993.

    She telephoned a series of colleagues on Monday morning to let them know, including House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

    Harman was preparing to send a letter to her constituents explaining her negotiations to join the Woodrow Wilson Center.

    Harman’s decision could represent, in part, the frustrations of an ambitious, accomplished Democrat who is suddenly back in the minority.

    Well, Jane Harman is a moderate Democrat (at least to California and Nancy Pelosi standards) who will be redistricted next year, has limited prospects to run for California statewide office (she ran once for Governor and got nowhere, losing to Gray Davis in the 1998 Democrat Primary), richer than God and sees no prospect that the Democrats will be in the House majority anytime soon.

    So, why not bail?

    Her seat will be filled by a special election, but I wonder if the new top two law law will apply to this special election?

    Update:

    Yep, as Chris Cillizza points out it will be the first time the new California primary election rules will be applied. Therefore, look for many Democratic candidates.

  • Mitt Romney,  President 2012,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012 Tennessee Poll Watch: Obama Leads Palin By 5 Points



    Another head to head poll between Sarah Palin and President Obama in a red state, this time Tennessee.

    Tennesseans are lukewarm on President Barack Obama, but they prefer him slightly to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, a Vanderbilt University poll has found.

    A majority of Tennesseans disapprove of Obama’s job performance, even as his popularity increased nationwide in the wake of the Arizona shootings in early January.

    But Obama still holds a nearly 5-percentage-point edge over Palin, one of the top candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, among the 710 Tennesseans polled by Vanderbilt’s Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions.

    Sarah Palin has not shown any polling strength lately – even in red states.

    Palin’s 31 point deficit in California would be the first time a Republican candidate lost the state by more than 30 points since Alf Landon went down in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first reelection in 1936. It’s been a week of potential history making for Palin in our polls. She trailed Obama by 8 points in South Dakota, which would make her the first Republican to lose that state since 1964. She trailed him by 6 points in South Carolina, which would mark the first Democratic win there since 1976. She trailed him by 8 in Arizona, which Democrats have only won once since 1948 and certainly not by that kind of margin. And although she led by a point in Nebraska she’d be perilously close to being the first Republican to lose that state since 1964 even though Democrats haven’t come within 15 points of winning statewide since Barry Goldwater.

    Although this poll did not ask about other possible Republican candidates, I can see a theme for Romney and any other candidates to use against Palin – she can be nominated but she cannot beat Obama. This will be a big hurdle for her as the television ads start to fly in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

    I continue with my belief that Palin will wait until mid-April or so, certainly before the May 2nd NBC/Politico debate, and decide NOT to run.

    Tennessee will be safely in the red column for President in 2012 as long as Sarah Palin is not the nominee.

  • AOL,  Arianna Huffington

    Day By Day February 7, 2011 – Choice



    Day by Day by Chris Muir

    Speaking about HERD mentality, look at poor AOL purchasing the Huffington Post.

    The Huffington Post, which began in 2005 with a meager $1 million investment and has grown into one of the most heavily visited news Web sites in the country, is being acquired by AOL in a deal that creates an unlikely pairing of two online media giants.

    The two companies completed the sale Sunday evening and announced the deal just after midnight on Monday. AOL will pay $315 million, $300 million of it in cash and the rest in stock. It will be the company’s largest acquisition since it was separated from Time Warner in 2009.

    The deal will allow AOL to greatly expand its news gathering and original content creation, areas that its chief executive, Tim Armstrong, views as vital to reversing a decade-long decline.

    Arianna Huffington, the cable talk show pundit, author and doyenne of the political left, will take control of all of AOL’s editorial content as president and editor in chief of a newly created Huffington Post Media Group. The arrangement will give her oversight not only of AOL’s national, local and financial news operations, but also of the company’s other media enterprises like MapQuest and Moviefone.

    By handing so much control over to Ms. Huffington and making her a public face of the company, AOL, which has been seen as apolitical, risks losing its nonpartisan image. Ms. Huffington said her politics would have no bearing on how she ran the new business.

    The deal has the potential to create an enterprise that could reach more than 100 million visitors in the United States each month. For The Huffington Post, which began as a liberal blog with a small staff but now draws some 25 million visitors every month, the sale represents an opportunity to reach new audiences. For AOL, which has been looking for ways to bring in new revenue as its dial-up Internet access business declines, the millions of Huffington Post readers represent millions in potential advertising dollars.

    I think another disastrous purchase for AOL. But, I for one, could care less about the LEFT and its journalistic spin off operations.

    And, Arianna?

    Please.

    If I had all of that divorce oil money from Michael, I would park it on a beach some place.


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    The Day By Day Archive

  • David Brody,  Sarah Palin

    Video: Sarah Palin on Egypt = Not So Much

    Sarah Palin as interviewed by David Brody from CBN.com

    Here is Sarah Palin givng her insight into the Egyptian government crisis.

    Sarah Palin: “Remember, President Reagan lived that mantra trust but verify. We want to be able to trust those who are screaming for democracy there in Egypt, that it is a true sincere desire for freedoms. And the challenge that we have though, is how do we verify what it is that we are being told, what it is that the American public is being fed via media, via the protestors, via the government there in Egypt in order for us to really have some sound information to make wise decisions on what our position is.  Trust but verify, and try to understand is what I would hope our leaders are engaged in right now.  Who’s going to fill the void?  Mubarak, he’s gone, one way or the other. He is not going to be the leader of Egypt. That’s a given. So now the information needs to be gathered and understood as to who it will be that fills now the void in the government.  Is it going to be the Muslim Brotherhood?  We should not stand for that, or with that or by that.  Any radical Islamists, no that is not who we should be supporting and standing by. So we need to find out who was behind all of the turmoil and the revolt and the protests so that good decisions can be made in terms of who we will stand by and support.”

    Sound like a leader – one of the FREE WORLD? I will let my readers form their own impressions but to put it quite simply, I am not impressed. A main criticism of Palin has been she is not up to the task and she does nothing to acquitt herself here.

    Here is part two, so to speak, about President Obama’s role in the Egypt crisis.

    Here is the transcript:

    Sarah Palin: “It’s a difficult situation. This is that 3am White House phone call and it seems for many of us trying to get that information from our leader in the White House, it seems that that call went right to the answering machine. And nobody yet has explained to the American public what they know, and surely they know more than the rest of us know, who it is who will be taking the place of Mubarak. I’m not real enthused about what it is that is being done on a national level from DC in regards to understanding all the situation there in Egypt and in these areas that are so volatile right now, because obviously it’s not just Egypt but the other countries too where we are seeing uprisings. We know that now more than ever, we need strength and sound mind there in the White House.  We need to know what it is that America stands for, so we know who it is that America will stand with.  And we do not have all that information yet.”