Time to Face Reality About Vaughn Ward


n the national conservative blogosphere, Marine Lt. Colonel Vaughn Ward, a former employee of the CIA and a combat veteran is considered the candidate who will take on Congressman Walt Minnick (D-ID) in the fall. It is time for a thorough reconsideration of that scenario.

Thursday was yet another bad day for the Vaughn Ward for Congress Campaign in Idaho’s 1st District. It began with Ward’s campaign announcing he’d been endorsed by the American Conservative Union PAC. Problem is that they announced this “news” six months ago. Ward spokesman Ryan O’Barto initially declared that the reason for the rerun was to keep the news fresh. However, an hour after this, O’Barto apologized telling Dan Popkey of the Idaho Statesman, “I’m not trying to get anything over on you. It’s the same release as before and that’s not what it’s supposed to be. I’m about to send out a correction. That’s my fault. I just got a new Mac and I’m still trying to figure it out.”

Then it came out that Ward’s campaign website has been plagiarizing the websites of several other candidates for Congress for its position papers and that it used those plagiarized papers to answer questions from a local conservative blogger.  It also came out today that Ward failed to vote in the 2008 presidential election because he didn’t plan for the fact that he would be in Nevada running John McCain’s campaign and would need an absentee ballot.

This is also a few days after he flip flopped on his position on the repeal of the 17th Amendment and then brazenly claimed he wasn’t changing his position despite the obvious evidence to the contrary.

It’s time to face facts about the Ward campaign.

In writing this, I need to be honest about where I come from. I have endorsed Mr. Ward’s opponent for Congress, Idaho Representative Raul Labrador. However, I have pulled my punches against the Ward campaign because I believed he had a good chance to be the Republican nominee, and I certainly didn’t want to damage his chances for the Fall if he was our nominee.

gave the Ward campaign the benefit of the doubt on a report from the Virginia Democratic Party that Ward volunteered for current DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and I though the media reports on Ward’s wife having worked for Fannie Maewere irrelevant as his wife worked as an IT manager and had nothing to do with Fannie Mae’s mortgage origination business. I considered reports of Ward being late on his property taxes in several different years and him being admonished by the Marine Corps for wearing his uniform in a campaign ad on the Drudge Report without a proper disclosure to be trifles.

Unfortunately, I fear that there is nothing I or anyone else could say or do to damage Vaughn Ward’s campaign for Congress any more than the damage that campaign has inflicted on itself.

I’ve talked to him and I think he’s a decent man who loves his country and holds conservative viewpoints. I like the man, but he has run one of the worst campaigns I’ve seen in nearly two decades of observing politics. D.F. Olivera, a Center-Right columnist and blogger for the Spokesman-Review has declared that in 40 years in the news business, “I hadn’t seen a front-running candidate make this many missteps.”

The blogger who was given the plagiarized responses by the Ward campaign has made a very measured blog post asking if it’s time for someone in the Ward campaign to fall on their swords. It is 11 days before the Republican Primary; it’s too late for that. The time is past for measured posts, we must take a stark look at reality and act. And the reality is that Vaughn Ward is a good man, but he has run a lousy campaign that has very little chance of winning this seat back for the Republicans.

The incumbent is Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick (D-Id.) who has built up the least liberal record among House Democrats. He has shown himself a shrewd politician, garnering the support of the group Tea Party Express after attending several local tea party gatherings. However, it is still vital to defeat him. The fact of the matter is that he’s still a vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker, he still votes with his party nearly 70% of the time, and he represents the interests of Planned Parenthood in Congress.

If history is any guide, we can expect a subtle shift to the left over time from Congressman Minnick if he is re-elected. Minnick knows that his toughest re-election will be his first re-election. With the anti-Democrat mood and Minnick’s Freshman status, Republicans will never have a better chance to defeat Minnick, but if we throw out a campaign that is trying to best Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 campaign for the title of, “Worst Campaign ever,” we will lose this seat.

I call on those state leaders and national organizations who have endorsed Vaughn Ward to reconsider their support. For those who have endorsed Ward, I know I’m asking for them to swallow their pride and make a difficult choice, but the alternative is to almost assure Walt Minnick of a second term. Any political leader who’ll put their pride ahead of the interests of the conservative movement has no business claiming a position of authority.

I call for all Republicans in the 1st District to support Rep. Raul Labrador as the candidate who has a reasonable shot at defeating Congressman Minnick. In asking you to support Raul Labrador, I’m not calling on you to back someone who has no chance. Rep. Labrador has a 4 year 89% conservative voting record in the Idaho House of Representatives. He is endorsed by a veritable who’s who of Idaho Conservatives in the State legislature including House Speaker Lawrence Denney, as well as State Treasurer Ron Crane. While out of state groups have endorsed Vaughn Ward, in-state conservative groups such as Idaho Chooses Life and Idahoans for Choice in Education have supported Raul Labrador.

More than just a voting record, in my endorsement piece, I wrote about how he showed great courage under fire as he put his own political career on the line to help insurgent conservatives defeat the incumbent party chairman. Raul Labrador has the courage and keen mind that we need in Congress.

If there’s one knock on Labrador’s campaign, it’s been that fundraising has been slow as Labrador didn’t begin his campaign until December while Ward’s been running for a year. If Raul Labrador becomes the Republican nominee, he’ll see his fundraising improve. But what exactly is the Ward campaign going to do to get its credibility back?

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Bieter’s Biggest Blunder Yet


Mayor Bieter’s health care resolution may be the most politically stupid and inappropriate action of his entire Mayoral reign. I’ve been a critic of the Mayor since the Ten Commandments, but looking at this Health care resolution, it may take the cake in several categories of poor management.

First of all, while the city has a right to pass a resolution about anything, voting out a bill favoring the Public Option is unnecessarily divisive. The Council itself split 3-3 on the vote, before Bieter cast the tie breaking vote in favor, and the public as a whole is divided.  This isn’t like a small liberal town in Vermont voting to recommend impeaching President Bush, rather this is a city council in a politically divided large taking a stand on an issue that has far from unanimous public support.

The nature of the City Council itself doesn’t inherently lend itself to controversy. The City’s proper functions are managing various public accomodations: libraries, parks, a sewer system, public works, basic non-partisan stuff that’s unglamorous but needs to be done. It shouldn’t matter who runs City Government, because the issues aren’t partisan. Yet, Bieter and company have made partisan hey of city government, this just being the most brazen example.  At a fundamental level, Bieter is deepening the divisions within the Community.

What makes this point the divisiveness is that its divisiveness without a point. Will members of Congress change their minds because the City of Boise spoke out for a public option? No. In fact, it could only be hubris that would lead him to believe that anyone outside the City of Trees gives a darn about how the Boise City Council votes on health care.

But will this inspire liberals in Boise’s North End to come out in numbers to support the Mayor’s friends in the next election? Boise’s North End liberals always turnout in numbers that couldn’t be much higher for an off-year municipal election.

However, what it could do is inspire Bieter’s opponents to come out in force. We are six weeks out from the next City Council election. The challenge with these sort of elections for conservatives is to: 1) make conservatives think about city government, 2) get them to realize an election is coming up, and 3) get them to care enough to do something about it.

In this case, Bieter has done conservative challengers for City Council the biggest favor he could. He’s riled the Tea Party groups, who it would have been a struggle to get to care about a City election. He’s given conservatives a big opening if they’ll take it.

It seems to be like a perfect cube. It feeds division, accomplishes nothing practically, accomplishes nothing for the mayor’s supporters politically, and emboldens the Mayor’s political opposition. It’s a move with no net positives unless the Mayor’s trying to kiss up to the President for a job in the Administration.

Otherwise, I have no clue what the Mayor hoped to gain by this vote. Unless, he was thinking that Boise’s an all-Democratic city where this type of thing will have no consequences, and no risk of backlash.  It’d be nice to figure out what made the Mayor think this was a good idea.

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Podcast: Obama v. Time


Podcast Show Notes

Why the hurry on health care? (Hat Tip: James Pethokoukis.)

RomneyCare ripping off Hospitals. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

RomneyCare being gamed. (Hat Tip: Red State.)

Why the Democrats big tax increase will not work. (Hat Tip: Townhall.)

House Obamacare bill to increase deficit $239 billion. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

White House foreclosure program fails. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

Democrats go thuggish on Arizona. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Millions being wasted on no-bid contracts.

On the bright side: stimulus helping charter schools. (Hat Tip: Education Watch.)

David Keene puts conservatism up for sale.

You cannot reduce the number of abortions by funding them.

Unborn children remember.  (Hat Tip: Jill Stanek.)

Second Amendment update via Gun Watch.

The threat of climate change has to be hyped. (Hat Tip: James Pethokoukis.)

In Britain, efforts are under way to bar parents from taking their children out of sexual education classes.

Music by Exit 417 via Music Alley.

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Firefighter Faces Politics of Personal Destruction


Sotomayor’s supporters declare war on firefighter. (Hat Tip: Newsbusters.)

Obama’s insulting remarks in Russia. (Hat Tip: Clayton Cramer.)

Senator Al Franken’s first embarrassing vote in the U.S. Senate. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

Pro-Cap and Trade Congressman doesn’t know if he believes in global warming. (Hat Tip: Red State.)

Roe v. Wade: That’s what it’s all about. (Hat Tip: Red Hot.)

The 9th Circus undermines the right to freedom of conscience. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Military to ban smoking? (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

110 Christian homes burned in Pakistan.  (Hat Tip: Persecution Blog.)

Two new cases of pro-abortion violence
. ‘

Obama’s crazy science adviser advocated for forced abortion, sterilization. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Music by Ernesto Schnack via the Podsafe Music Network.

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The Assault on Freedom Continues


Podcast Show Notes

Obama Justice Department tolerates voter intimidation. (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Sotomayor’s anti-2nd Amendment record.

Majority know the truth: abortion hurts women. Pro-abortion movement protests pro-life display . (Hat Tip: Jill Stanek.)

Tolerance: pro-abortion radicals vandalize christian organization.

Oklahoma bans gender selection abortions.

Obama’s confused metaphor.  (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Obama Stimulus pumping. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Burris’ latest defense: I’m not a crook, just a manipulative deceptive liar. (Hat Tip: Sister Toldjah.) 

Apple and Google server farming at California’s expense.  (Hat Tip: Hugh Hewitt.)

Unions hurt stock prices. (Hat Tip: Labor Pains.)

Second Amendment update via Gun Watch.

MP spends taxpayer money to build servant entrance. (Hat Tip: Instapundit.)

Music by Ken Kurland via the Podsafe Music Network.

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Obama’s Cars


Podcast Show Notes

Obama’s car tax.

We now own a car company and are forgiving a $15 billion loan. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

The Obama budget deficit in perspective.  (Hat Tip: Willisms.)

The specter of cowardice. (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Texas as the promised land and economic powerhouse.

Teachers who can’t learn math.

Georgia GOP takes a stand.

Oklahoma places ten commandments monument.

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What Did Pelosi Know?


P9dcast Show Notes

Pelosi: Those lying….patriotic servants of our country.

Obama overstates promised health savings. (Hat Tip: Sister Toldjah.)

The Obama FDA takes on cheerios. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.) A reasonable solution.  (Hat Tip: Scrappleface.)

Obama seeks to control bank pay. (Hat Tip: Save the GOP.)

Democratic Policies cost more than 2,000 jobs.

Not one dime.

Millionaires tax produces…less millionaires.

Fraudulent Democratic veterans group.

Public employees growing like a cancer.

Democratic newspapers bailed out by Democratic Governor. (Hat Tip: Newsbusters.)

Adoption Nazis strike against Christians. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

Second Amendment update. (Hat Tip: Gun Watch.)

Sweden is okay with abortions for sex selection. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Children: natural born believers.  (Hat Tip: Right Mind.)

Music by Keenan Baxter via Podsafe Music Network.

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Slouching Towards Bankruptcy


Podcast Show Notes

Gay Gene no more. (Hat Tip: Idaho Values Alliance.)

Yes we can…have military tribunals.

No, we can’t…release torture photos.

Social Security and Medicare accelerate path towards bankruptcy . (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

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Specter of Betrayal


 

 

Podcast Show Notes

Specter joins the Democrats

Obama’s broken web promise

Can’t keep track of the scandals without a scorecard

Chris Dodd thinks you’re stupid

The White House’s flyover folly

Obama abets union corruption.

A scientific advance makes dialysis easier.

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Why Are All The Good Stimulus Made in China?


Member of President Obama’s Economic Advisory board: China had better stimulus.

Feinstein ca$hes in.  (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

The hopelessly corrupt John Murtha.  (Hat Tip: Instapundit.)

Lack of responsibility: woman sues McDonalds for being beaten up by a homeless man.

Palin opens legal defense fund.

Save the DC Voucher program: Yes, we can.

Obama’s MADD Highway pick. (Hat Tip: Stop the ACLU.)

Napalitano: Illegal Immigration isn’t a crime.

Card Check fraud in Ohio. (Hat Tip: Red State.)

 Teacher’s Unions v. Charter Schools. (Hat Tip: Education Watch.)

Second Amendment update from Gun Watch.

Obama ‘s ultra-pro abortion Secretary of HHS vetoes a late term abortion bill

Tennessee Planned Parenthood tries to coach a 14 year old to lie to get an abortion.  

Study shows abortion side effects.

A Christian Democratic State Senator holds the line on same sex marriage.  (Hat Tip: Wizbang Blog.)

Community college calls out day of silence as propoganda tactic. (Hat Tip: Right Mind.)

Christians need to wake-up to the dangers of hate crimes bills.

Music by Ken Kurland via the Podsafe Music Network.

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Our Sorry President


Podcast Show Notes

DHS ignored civil liberties lawyers warning on “right wing extremism” report. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Obama apologies for the United States in Mexico

Obama makes things up: claims was first White House to broadcast Easter Egg hunt online.

Bomb threat against police for holding illegal aliens. (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Sebelius: another tax issue for the Obama Administration.  (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Palin: properly vetted.

French President makes fun of Obama.

Obama less charitable than Bush but more generous than Vice-President Scrooge-er-Biden. (Hat Tip: Sister Toldjah.)

Pig droppings.

Congressman Gresham Barrett (R-SC.) called out by voters at Tea Party.  (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

Dodd: only 5 donations from inside Connecticut . (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

The Netherlands lets captured pirates go. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Education in Japan. (Hat Tip: Education Watch.)

Clinton advocates for private relief efforts in Haiti.

British Charity worker suspended for opposition to homosexuality. (Hat Tip: Political Correctness Watch.)

Music by Autumn Eyes via the Podsafe Music Network.

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Frequently Mouthed Anti-Tea Party Talking Points


There are many anti-tea party talking points going on out there, let me go ahead and tackle a few:

Talking Point: Obama has only been in office 86 days.  How can you protest him? He hasn’t been in office long enough to have even done any damage.

A: Under Obama’s watch we’ve seen a $797 billion Stimulus bill that’s a Pork-filled Christmas Tree to the left. In addition, his budget has come out and scorers at the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office say it will run up $9.6 Trillion in National Debt over 10 years.

TP: You idiots! Obama hasn’t raised your taxes! He hasn’t even raised taxes on the top 5%, you cretins! He’s cut your taxes.

A: I noticed the extra money on my pay stub and will send it to Republican causes.

In all seriousness, Senate Democrats are suggesting that Obama’s meager $12 a week tax cut be axed after 2010. In addition, Obama has already raised taxes on tobacco in order to pay for his S-Chip expansion. This hits working and middle income folks the hardest, as they make up the largest percent of smokers. Of course, it will be noted that they could and perhaps should quit, but you better pray they don’t because then your whole SCHIP program collapses like a house of cards if they do.

In addition, Obama’s proposals are full of expenses to the average American worker. His Cap and Trade deal will cost thousands to the average U.S. family in higher utilities.  More importantly, is the future taxes Obama is bringing on us through his reckless and unprecedented deficit spending that will increase future taxes exponentially, as well as devaluing our currency through incessant inflation.This will shrink the value of everyone’s savings and retirement.

Plus, on top of that, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) is talking about implementing higher taxes next year, rather than in 2011. Either way, when higher taxes are implemented it will have the effect of driving investment and capital out of the country. Do you think we can handle that?

TP: Oh yeah, where were all you deficit hawks during the Bush Administration?

A:  As someone who personally spent 40 minutes scraping the Bush/Cheney 2004 Bumper Sticker off the back of my car-Shut up!

Conservatives were plenty ticked off under Bush. That’s why you had groups like Club for Growth challenging big spending Congressmen. You had the Porkbusters effort. Perhaps, the more common response though was a passive agressive one. Republican campaign funds dried up, conservative voters didn’t show up at the polls in 2006, or to a large degree in 2008 either.

Of course, there were some people who chose to forget deficit spending during the Bush years. They usually defended this by stating we were in a War and pointed to the fact that deficits were at a sustainable level of under 3% of GDP, Obama’s deficits are in a much higher range that most economists say are completely unsustainable.

TP: Oh yeah, if you weren’t happy with Bush, why did most of you guys vote Republican?

A: Well, a lot of people did stay home or give “Blue Dog” Democrats who talked  like Republicans a chance to govern. The vast majority of these Blue Dogs turned out to be lapdogs that went along with the President’s irresponsible spending programs.

Others did stay home, but for those who voted for Republican, either: 1) they supported someone who was doing good work in Washington or 2) voted Republican because they had a sense of how bad the Democrats would do if given the chance.

TP: Hey Genius, I don’t see you raising any solutions.

A:

  • Abolish the IRS, the Payroll Tax, the Corporate Income Tax, and implement the Fair Tax. You’ll immediately alleviate the economy of a more than $300 billion compliance burden. You’ll also bring back foreign investment to the county.
  • Apply term limits to members of Congress. I suppose we could quibble on the details, but my guts says 2 Consecutive Terms for Senators, 4 for House Members.
  • Implement a line item veto to allow the President to veto wasteful government spending.
  • Pass a Balanced Amendment to the Federal Constitution.

TP: Ha! There are way too many Democrats in Congress for you to get any of that passed.

A: Not for long.

TP: Oh come on, America is laughing at you. Yesterday was the day conservatism died and the Republican Party ceased being a serious contender for winning elections.

A: The left is laughing, but America isn’t. Americans are concerned about this Administration’s run-away spending.  If you find an example of a political movement that suffered doomsday as a result of hundreds of thousands marching for its causes, please let me know.

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Liberals are Watching You


Podcast Show Notes

Chilling, liberals engage in monitoring anti-Obama activities. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Shelia Bair: children’s writer.

Joe Biden: liar, liar.

Clueless Chris Dodd: Banking on change.  (Hat Tip: Red State.)

Biden’s puppy breeder persecuted.

The pointlessness of gun control laws. (Hat Tip: Gun Watch.)

Gay rights movement stripping away religious liberty. (Hat Tip: Crunchy Cons.)

Polygamy coming to Canada, just as opponents of same sex marriage predicted.

Music by Take No Glory via the Podsafe Music Network.

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Obama Restoring Mad Science To Its Proper Place


Podcast Show Notes

Liberal bloggers want the Democratic Party to pay up. (Hat Tip: Volokh Conspiracy.)

The Obama Administration seriously discussing attempts at weather control.

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Obama to Cobra: Hey, That’s Not a Bad Idea


Sometimes losing Presidential campaigns see their ideas co-opted, but rarely does it happen with a parody campaign.

In early 2008, the Creators of Attack of the Show had the brilliant idea of having some fun with the Presidential campaign, by having a fictional character run as a third party candidate, Cobra Commander the villain from GI Joe. Mostly Cobra’s campaign ripped off other people’s footage. They hit one home run in the whole bit, and it was a parody of the worshipful Barack Obama campaign anthem, “Yes, We Can” (which as you’ll recall, our humble President listed as one of his top ten favorite songs.)

The song had Cobra making outlandish Cartoonish proposals with sycophant fans singing the praises of each idea. Take this line from 1:31

Cobra: Yes we shall lord over Mother Nature with an iron fist, unleashing the one and only weather dominator creating floods and earthquakes the likes of which the world has never known.

Male Back-up: Never never never known.

Female Back-up: Never known.

What was so funny about the video is that all of these things were so far off the wall, only a mad man with a God complex or a Cartoon Character would ever seriously consider  something as absurd as trying to control the weather…

WASHINGTON — The president’s new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth’s air.

John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.

Oh, crud.

did notice that the whole Floods and Earthquakes provision isn’t in there yet.  Don’t worry, though. That’ll be snuck in at the last minute and congressmen will vote for it en masse-without reading it.* *This post is satire. Some people are too clueless to realize.