Here’s a report from an Ohio paper:

“The district represented by Bainbridge Township Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette will pick up parts of Cuyahoga County he does not currently represent, including Brecksville, Independence, Lyndhurst and Mayfield Heights, as well as communities in Summit, Portage and Trumbull counties.”

What does this mean? LaTourette’s district is now solidly Republican and would elect a conservative nominee in a general election. For years, LaTourette has opposed conservative initiatives.

He voted for NPR funding.

He voted against a bill to repeal mandatory funding for school-based health center construction as appropriated in the Obamacare legislation.

He voted against an amendment to HR 2017 that would have prohibited the use of funds to implement collective bargaining by employees of the Transportation Security Administration.

In a bellweather district, perhaps one could make a case for LaTourette. But in a safe Republican district, we can do better.

Ohio 14 needs a conservative candidate. Here’s hoping for an Ohio 14 tea party!

Princeton University scholar Robert George’s recent speech on the natural harmony of economic and social conservatism is now available online at http://www.torenewamerica.com/robert-george-no-mere-marriage-of-convenience

George’s insight and clarity are on display throughout the speech. Read it all as they say, but here’s a slice:

“Economic and social conservatives have common enemies in the overbearing social welfare state, the entitlement mentality, and the statist ideologies that provide their intellectual underpinnings. But the marriage of economic and social conservatives is not, and must not be regarded as a mere marriage of convenience. The reason we have common enemies is that we have common principles. What do you think our enemies are enemies of? They’re opposed to our principles, our common principles. Our marriage is, and must be understood to be, a marriage of principle, even if it’s not always a romantic love match.”

“The moral foundations of economic conservatism are precisely those of social conservatism: respect for the human person, which grounds our commitment to individual liberty; and the right to economic freedom and other essential civil liberties; belief in personal responsibility, which is a precondition of the possibility of moral desirability; individual liberty in every domain; recognition of subsidiary as the basis for effective but truly limited government; respect for the Rule of Law, even against courts which want to act like legislators instead of judges; and recognition of the vital role played by the family in the flourishing of any decent and dynamic society.”

George’s speech is a welcome counterpoint to the patent weakness of much of the 2012 presidential field.  Mitt Romney’s Romneycare debacle and wobbly record on Iraq during 2007 and early 2008 are uninspiring. He seems to be auditioning for a restoration of the Bush 41 country club presidency.  Huckabee is a spendthrift and completely unsympathetic to the tough measures needed to revive economic liberty. Mitch Daniels meanwhile has been calling for a “truce” on social issues; in a society where these issues are more contentious than ever, such a truce is nothing more than a white flag. Daniel’s silence on the Ground Zero Mosque controversy also reinforces existing doubts about his views on fighting Islamic extremism and maintaining close ties with allies like Israel. Haley Barbour similarly has been silent on the GZ Mosque.

George is without doubt among the most brilliant and intellectually fearless conservatives in the country. But George’s speech/essay makes it necessary to ask why conservatives must settle for such a flawed field of presidential candidates. 

Maybe we don’t. While the odds favor the victory of someone from the existing field, Robert George reminds us that there are a rare group of folks out there who, despite their lack of elective experience, but because of their talents, resolve, and dedication to constitutional principle, would make outstanding presidents. I would place George in this category along with John Bolton and Liz Cheney; doubtless there are others. As the 2012 GOP nomination campaign begins in mid-November, conservatives should be willing to look beyond the current crop of aspirants. 

check out http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com and scroll down a bit. Both got posted by Ambinder around 4:30 p.m. eastern

Here’s one:

I’m a student at Carleton College who has contributed (financially and with my time) to the Obama campaign. I just got an automated call from Jeff Blodgett, the chair of the MN campaign. The text of the call was:

“Hello, this is Jeff Blodgett from the Minnesota for Obama campaign. Our initial data shows this election is significantly closer than the polls predicted. We are putting out an urgent call for volunteers… We are organized groups to knock on doors at five P.M., or earlier if you can, for our final GOTV operation.” This was followed by different numbers to call based on your residence.

Here’s another:

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I’ll make this brief:

The Red State Directors should endorse a Sarah Palin write-in campaign in the Alaska Senate race. It could be the one thing that saves the seat for the GOP. Stevens might even choose to end his campaign if faced with this additional obstacle.

If she wins, she can decline the seat, whether she becomes vice president or remains governor.

The seat would then be open, with a special election to follow. That would be an election the Republicans can win.

Obama’s association with Rashid Khalidi also deserves notice, given Khalidi’d lifetime of work dedicated to the vilification and destruction of Israel.

Obama has way too much tolerance for those who wage murderous terror against America and its democratic allies

Here’s what WorldNet Daily reported earlier this year:

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John McCain won the nomination on foreign policy. He dispatched Romney and Huckabee because he made foreign policy and the Surge the decisive questions of the campaign.

Beyond promises to take on spending and some tactical tax-cutting to cut off Romney’s running room, McCain needed to say little about the economy.

McCain had hoped to do the same with Obama. But the economic crisis has forced McCain to fight the rest of the election on the economy.

He needs to propose an Economic Surge

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When the bailout passes, and the American people begin to dig out from the wreckage of the credit freeze, their first question will be:

What do we do now?

That is the question that can and ought to be John McCain’s focus for the next 33 days, for it gives him the chance to contrast his ideas for strengthening the American economy through low taxes and entrepreneurship with the high tax, statist policies advocated by Obama.

Obama is breathtakingly irresponsible. Making his economic irresponsibility the center of the campaign will sink his entire candidacy.

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Warren Buffett, on cnbc this morning, made clear that he thinks we need the bailout.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, calling the market turmoil an economic Pearl Harbor,'' said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's $700 billion proposal to prop up the U.S. financial system isabsolutely necessary.”

The market could not have taken another week'' like last week, Buffett told CNBC today, a day after saying his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will buy a $5 billion stake in Goldman Sachs Group Inc.I think it was the last thing Hank Paulson wanted to do, but there’s no Plan B for this.”

And:

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Henry Paulson’s opposition to suspending mark-to-market accounting rules has been incredibly obtuse.

Today, one of the most accurate economic forecasters, Brian Wesbury offered an alternative to the bailout that is much less costly. While I think we now need some kind of bailout to prevent a collapse, Wesbury’s argument is compelling.

http://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2008/9/22/heresaplantoavoidanew_rtc

Conservative Republicans can and should insist on this reform as part of any deal.

Let’s hope Senator Shelby makes this his non-negotiable demand. If he does, taxpayers never may need to buy $700 billion worth of assets.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080918/plnm/usapoliticsdc16

If McCain thinks this is going to work, I’m afraid he and his advisors are really out of touch on how badly his vacuous economic populism is playing. It will be interesting to see how far he needs to slip in the polls before someone on his team makes the connection.

McCain has always been an opponent of wasteful spending and special treatment for special interests. Barack Obama was part of the Frank-Dodd Fannie Mae protection racket that for years pressured regulators to go easy on the GSEs.

Why isn’t this at the center of McCain’s media message? Wake up Seargent Schmidt. You’re asleep at the wheel. 9/11 commissions and Wall Street greed. How lame and unimaginative.

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McCain has always been an opponent of wasteful spending and special treatment for special interests. Barack Obama was part of the Frank-Dodd Fannie Mae protection racket that for years pressured regulators to go easy on the GSEs.

Why isn’t this at the center of McCain’s media message? Wake up Seargent Schmidt. You’re asleep at the wheel. 9/11 commissions and Wall Street greed. How lame and unimaginative.

Read More →

McCain has always been an opponent of wasteful spending and special treatment for special interests. Barack Obama was part of the Frank-Dodd Fannie Mae protection racket that for years pressured regulators to go easy on the GSEs.

Why isn’t this at the center of McCain’s media message? Wake up Seargent Schmidt. You’re asleep at the wheel. 9/11 commissions and Wall Street greed. How lame and unimaginative.

Read More →