The Rally of Rallies
The excitement and energy that John McCain created by picking Sarah Palin as his running mate has created a phenomenon sparking a new spirit in politics. America now has a clear ticket to support change, and it will be the right kind of change.
Well, that excitement was on clear display last week at a rally in Fairfax City with Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin, and former Senator Fred Thompson. Over 25,000 people showed up, making it the largest turnout of any non-convention presidential rally nationwide this year (Obama’s largest rally attracted about 10,000).
And it happened in Virginia -- It is clear that our ticket's message of shaking up the status quo is being received very well here.
With enthusiasm at such a high point for the GOP ticket, I’m confident that the Old Dominion will remain firmly in the GOP column this year, as it has without interruption since 1968. BUT – don’t take anything for granted. While polls have us up, we must work like we’re 20 points down. So, let’s go win, and win big!
Democrat Dodge Ball
The Washington Post asks a very good question:
“Why won't Mark Warner agree to a statewide televised debate with Jim Gilmore?”
Now bear in mind that if the Post Op-ed page were any closer to Warner, they’d bake a lasagna for his annual family reunion. They endorse him; they applaud his every move; fawn over every Warner word, but ignore his every transgression.
So when you’re scolded by one of your biggest supporters for impersonating a KFC value meal, that can’t be a positive development.
Well, there is some good news to report. Under the pressure from the Gilmore campaign and the newspaper op-ed boards, Warner reversed his position on debates - almost as fast as he reversed himself on his promise not to raise taxes – and agreed to a televised debate statewide on October 3rd (though it is not yet official). And it’s about time Governor Warner, as your avoidance of direct contact with real voters has left the people of Virginia with a few questions to answer.
For instance, the people want to know why you hid favorable budget figures from the legislature in order to push through Virginia’s largest tax hike. They want to know why you vetoed offshore drilling that would help make Virginia and America energy independent. The people want to know why you called gun owners a “threat to our way of life,” and why you are trying to overturn the Commonwealth’s “right-to-work” laws.
Most importantly, we want to ask why the people of Virginia should believe any of the answers you give during the course of the debate or your entire campaign, given your track record of completely ignoring promises you’ve made in the past. Seriously, given your past history, if you were the average audience member or home viewer, would you believe a word you said?
Lonely Joe
One person I don’t envy right now is Joe Biden.
One unconfirmed report had him eating alone at a diner, hoping that someone would recognize him. After a while, a woman stopped and asked, “say, aren’t you Joe Biden, the man running against Sarah Palin for Vice President?”
Biden smiled, puffed out his chest a little, and said, “Why yes I am. How can I help you?” The woman responded, “Wow, how exciting. Could you please get me her autograph?”
Honk if you like Corruption
In the “try not to laugh” department, it has been reported that the mother of Britney Spears is due to write a book on parenting.
Ridiculous, sure, but is it any more ridiculous than watching Barack Obama and the Nancy Pelosi Democrats try to lay blame for the current problems in our financial institutions at the feet of Republicans?
Obama quickly grabbed the mic to demagogue the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, blaming capitalism, greed, and “trickle down” economics of the Bush Administration and Republicans like Senator John McCain.
The truth of course could not be found anywhere in yet another of Obama’s TV-ready speeches. Fannie Mae and it’s sub-prime lending policies collapsed in large part due to accounting practices that should have gone out the window with Enron, but were in fact encouraged by Clinton appointees such as Jamie Gorelick (who made out with over $75 million in compensation working for Fannie Mae) and Franklin Raines (almost $100 million in compensation).
In order to keep the heat off, Fannie and Freddie played the Washington game well, raising millions for members of Congress on the pertinent oversight committees, and the biggest winner in the money game was Barack Obama himself - who received more money from Fannie Mae than any non-committee chairman.
Among other shady practices, Fannie and Freddie bought off pro-Democrat “community groups” like Obama’s friends at ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) which has been indicted multiple times across the U.S. for engaging in voter fraud.
For years it has been Republicans who have pushed for reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to avoid just these types of financial disasters, but the Democrats didn’t want to hear of it. In earning yet another gold medal in the 2008 Hypocrisy Olympics, Democrats have suddenly become enraged at the excess and outright negligence of these behemoth institutions which for years they used as personal ATMs for their political campaigns.
Thankfully, John McCain and Sarah Palin are setting the record straight, and we should join them in holding the Democrats accountable for lining their pockets with money from these corrupt institutions while looking the other way.
As Senator McCain said in a line that could apply to many issues in this presidential campaign, “Senator Obama saw an economic crisis, and has found an economic opportunity. My friends this is not a time for economic opportunism; this is a time for leadership.”
Wow – This has gotta hurt
Yet another Democrat came to her senses this morning when a member of the Democratic National Committee platform committee and Hillary Clinton fundraiser endorsed John McCain.
Lynn Forester de Rothschild, who raised over $100,000 for Clinton, said in an interview, “This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like [Obama]. I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.”
Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia
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