The Republican Party has fallen apart for two primary reasons over the past several years: big spending and corruption.
They have tarnished their reputation by spending more than democrats, and becoming beholden to lobbyists. The Contract With America generation betrayed the people who voted for them, and were rightly tossed out of office in 2006, and because they lost the base with their poor behavior, lost the game to an organized, energized opposition in the form of the Obama movement.
It is time for Republicans to find their roots in limited government and constitutionalism, once they have done that -- and convinced the people they mean it -- they will return to power.
I am already seeing some bad signs. The McCain campaign is beginning to blame Palin, instead of realizing that she helped more than she hurt -- and that after the September economic meltdown, there wasn't much anyone could do to help McCain win.
Instead of looking at the facts, they are looking for blame. Best way to divide a party, and the best way to fail. The Democrats successfully united after a bitter feud between Hillary and Barack, the Republican Party needs to learn the same lesson.
(Crossposted over at MMORPG.com)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Now That It Is Official
McCain has conceded with a gracious speech, it is time to celebrate a truly historical moment in our nation's great history. We have elected our first African-American president, and that is a truly wonderful thing.
At this moment I feel there are a few things that need to be considered.
We are a nation still at war. And, although the media and the Democrats have spent the last several years trying to undermine us in the war out of the petty hatred of President Bush, cheering every setback in Iraq, using every American death as an excuse to declare surrender, and otherwise endangering us in the biggest struggle in our history -- I hope and pray Republicans DO NOT DO THE SAME.
The time has come to set aside the crap and unite behind our new President and continue with this struggle, which will probably outlast him.
Hopefully, now that Democrats will own this war, this great struggle, they will really try and win it with the rest of us. I predict they will, and that will be the greatest thing about Obama and his super-majority.
I also hope and pray that Obama learns from Mr. Clinton, and does not over-reach as Clinton did in his first two years. I hope he governs as a pragmatic centrist, doesn't raise taxes enough to harm the economy, and doesn't over regulate us. I hope he isn't fooled by the global warming fascists, and avoids harming us over a chimera.
I have hope for a certain change. Let us unite and fight the evil we face. Please.
At this moment I feel there are a few things that need to be considered.
We are a nation still at war. And, although the media and the Democrats have spent the last several years trying to undermine us in the war out of the petty hatred of President Bush, cheering every setback in Iraq, using every American death as an excuse to declare surrender, and otherwise endangering us in the biggest struggle in our history -- I hope and pray Republicans DO NOT DO THE SAME.
The time has come to set aside the crap and unite behind our new President and continue with this struggle, which will probably outlast him.
Hopefully, now that Democrats will own this war, this great struggle, they will really try and win it with the rest of us. I predict they will, and that will be the greatest thing about Obama and his super-majority.
I also hope and pray that Obama learns from Mr. Clinton, and does not over-reach as Clinton did in his first two years. I hope he governs as a pragmatic centrist, doesn't raise taxes enough to harm the economy, and doesn't over regulate us. I hope he isn't fooled by the global warming fascists, and avoids harming us over a chimera.
I have hope for a certain change. Let us unite and fight the evil we face. Please.
I Think I'll Call It For Obama
Now that Fox has given Ohio to Obama, I think it's safe for me to call the election. Unless there is some strange mavericky miracle, Obama is our next president.
Let us hope he is nothing like he has said he was going to be, and nothing like his record. Let us hope for hypocrisy, and not his apparent commitment to socialism. Pray for pragmatism, and start holding his feet to the fire.
He will have a super majority; if anything goes wrong, it'll be all the Democratic Party's fault.
Well, being a libertarian means never having to say you are sorry.
Let us hope he is nothing like he has said he was going to be, and nothing like his record. Let us hope for hypocrisy, and not his apparent commitment to socialism. Pray for pragmatism, and start holding his feet to the fire.
He will have a super majority; if anything goes wrong, it'll be all the Democratic Party's fault.
Well, being a libertarian means never having to say you are sorry.
And So It Begins!
Will it be a long night or a short night? Close or a blowout? Only time will tell...
National Overview
National Overview
Election Day Endorsement
Here we go, the moment you've all been waiting for (yeah, right). Who will I actually endorse?
Okay, let's start with Obama. No way. No F'in way. Most socialistic guy to ever get near the white house? No way, no how.
The man who thinks we are at war with al qaeda and not with something bigger? The man who thinks the war is in Afghanistan and not in Iraq, not in the Philippines, not in Africa, not in Europe, not in Kazakhstan, Not in the rest of the world? Obama is a non starter.
The man who will let the democratic congress give us the fairness doctrine? No way.
The man who would certainly appoint legislators from the bench supreme court justices? No way.
Now, McCain. Better than Obama at all levels, but still a big government republican, still a man who will destroy the economy for some bad environmental science.
He is marginally better than Obama on the economy, but only marginally. he, like Obama, are good on immigration. They want more legal immigration, and we need that.
On the war, McCain is right on, and if that were the only issue, I'd vote for him. But there's more, much more.
He's still no better than Obama on civil liberties, although he would probably veto a fairness doctrine. He certainly won't repeal the Patriot Act, which has been a nightmare.
Nader? Nope. See Obama. Although better on civil liberties, a nightmare on economics.
McKinney. See Nader and Obama.
Ron Paul. Right on everything but the war and immigration. My second choice.
Bob Barr: a clear winner. I don't agree with him on the war, but he seems more reasonable than Ron Paul. same thing with immigration. Like Ron, 100% on the economy and civil liberties. I've been voting Libertarian most of my life, because I agree with them on the basic issues.
This year, my hawkish disposition isn't gonna change me. If I lived in a battleground state, I'd probably be voting for Mccain, and if YOU do, I hope you vote for McCain, because I'd rather have him in the White House than Obama. But if you live in Obamaland like me, time to send a message again that you really want CHANGE, and not more of the same. I want FREEDOM.
Bob Barr for President 2008.
And now let me close with the best campaign video I have ever seen:
Okay, let's start with Obama. No way. No F'in way. Most socialistic guy to ever get near the white house? No way, no how.
The man who thinks we are at war with al qaeda and not with something bigger? The man who thinks the war is in Afghanistan and not in Iraq, not in the Philippines, not in Africa, not in Europe, not in Kazakhstan, Not in the rest of the world? Obama is a non starter.
The man who will let the democratic congress give us the fairness doctrine? No way.
The man who would certainly appoint legislators from the bench supreme court justices? No way.
Now, McCain. Better than Obama at all levels, but still a big government republican, still a man who will destroy the economy for some bad environmental science.
He is marginally better than Obama on the economy, but only marginally. he, like Obama, are good on immigration. They want more legal immigration, and we need that.
On the war, McCain is right on, and if that were the only issue, I'd vote for him. But there's more, much more.
He's still no better than Obama on civil liberties, although he would probably veto a fairness doctrine. He certainly won't repeal the Patriot Act, which has been a nightmare.
Nader? Nope. See Obama. Although better on civil liberties, a nightmare on economics.
McKinney. See Nader and Obama.
Ron Paul. Right on everything but the war and immigration. My second choice.
Bob Barr: a clear winner. I don't agree with him on the war, but he seems more reasonable than Ron Paul. same thing with immigration. Like Ron, 100% on the economy and civil liberties. I've been voting Libertarian most of my life, because I agree with them on the basic issues.
This year, my hawkish disposition isn't gonna change me. If I lived in a battleground state, I'd probably be voting for Mccain, and if YOU do, I hope you vote for McCain, because I'd rather have him in the White House than Obama. But if you live in Obamaland like me, time to send a message again that you really want CHANGE, and not more of the same. I want FREEDOM.
Bob Barr for President 2008.
And now let me close with the best campaign video I have ever seen:
Monday, November 3, 2008
Prediction: Obama By a Nose; Republicans Cry Foul
Now, first off I have no idea how this thing is gonna go, but I may as well make a prediction so I can see how wrong I was after the fact. My GUESS is, Obama will win, but it won't be by a very wide margin.
I believe many states will be very close, and McCain's campaign will contest it at every level. I see a repeat of Bush/Gore from the other side, and four years of hate and Republicans, like Democrats before them, crying about a "stolen election."
Barr gets 1%, Nader about the same, maybe a little less -- pretty high for third parties.
Democrats keep both houses -- probably get that filibuster proof Senate they dream of. As some other pundit dude said, it probably won't matter since there are always about five RINOs who side with Democrats anyway.
If any of these predictions turns out to be right, remember who you heard it from. If wrong, I blame society ;)
Update: I'm sad I was right about Obama winning, but very glad I was wrong about the margin. A decisive victory will remove any excuses Republicans might have to undermine his presidency. Hopefully we can all put "country first" and face our challenges together, including winning the war against the Jihad and rebuild our economy.
I believe many states will be very close, and McCain's campaign will contest it at every level. I see a repeat of Bush/Gore from the other side, and four years of hate and Republicans, like Democrats before them, crying about a "stolen election."
Barr gets 1%, Nader about the same, maybe a little less -- pretty high for third parties.
Democrats keep both houses -- probably get that filibuster proof Senate they dream of. As some other pundit dude said, it probably won't matter since there are always about five RINOs who side with Democrats anyway.
If any of these predictions turns out to be right, remember who you heard it from. If wrong, I blame society ;)
Update: I'm sad I was right about Obama winning, but very glad I was wrong about the margin. A decisive victory will remove any excuses Republicans might have to undermine his presidency. Hopefully we can all put "country first" and face our challenges together, including winning the war against the Jihad and rebuild our economy.
Dalai Lhama Says China Handing His People a Death Sentence
In the midst of the election season, we may be tempted to forget that their is a world of tyranny out there, and China is a big part of that:
Evidently, the 73-year-old spiritual master is going into semi-retirement due to the stalled talks with his communist adversaries in Beijing. He claims to have all but given up hope for a meaningful solution, according to an article at Breitbart.com.
Free Tibet, however, has released a statement from the Dalai Lhama's Office that seems to say something else:
In other words, he has lost faith in CHINA, and their sincerity (no surprise there) -- and is taking stock on what to do next. Let us all hope and pray for real change in this troubled area of the world.
Chinese rule is handing down a "death sentence" to Tibetans, the Dalai Lama said Sunday, ahead of a meeting to decide Tibet's future approach to Beijing.
The region's exiled leader is on a week-long visit to Japan for talks on spirituality, just as a new round of talks between his envoys and Chinese officials was set to begin, and days after he said he had lost hope of any productive dialogue with Beijing.
"Tibetans are being handed down a death sentence. This ancient nation, with an ancient cultural heritage is dying," he told a group of reporters.
"Today, the situation is almost like a military occupation in the entire Tibetan area.
"It is like we're under martial law. Fear, terror and lots of political education are causing a lot of grievance," he added.
Evidently, the 73-year-old spiritual master is going into semi-retirement due to the stalled talks with his communist adversaries in Beijing. He claims to have all but given up hope for a meaningful solution, according to an article at Breitbart.com.
Free Tibet, however, has released a statement from the Dalai Lhama's Office that seems to say something else:
Clarifications on His Holiness' Tibet Remarks in Dharamsala on 25 October 2008
During celebrations of the 48th founding anniversary of the Tibetan Children’s Village on 25 October here in Dharamsala, His Holiness the Dalai Lama made some remarks on the issue of Tibet that are now being quoted out of context in some media reports. Consequently, to clarify the situation we are issuing the gist of His Holiness’ remarks below as well as a separate translation of a transcript of what he really said.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that Tibetans have long been pursuing a path to find a solution to the issue of Tibet that would be mutually acceptable to Tibetans and Chinese. This has received widespread appreciation from the international community, several governments included. More importantly, it has gained the support of many Chinese intellectuals.
His Holiness went on to say that, unfortunately, the Chinese leadership has so far not responded positively to our overtures and does not seem interested in addressing the issue in a realistic way. Beginning in March this year, a series of protests and demonstrations erupted in Lhasa and in many other traditional Tibetan areas. These were clearly a spontaneous expression of the Tibetan people’s deep-seated resentment and dissatisfaction over more than five decades of repressive Chinese communist rule.
Since the Chinese Government has accused His Holiness of orchestrating these protests in Tibet, he called for a thorough investigation to examine these allegations, even offering access to Central Tibetan Administration files and records here in India. So far, this offer has not been taken up, but the situation in Tibet becomes graver by the day. Therefore, His Holiness said that it is difficult for him to continue to shoulder such a heavy responsibility when the present Chinese leadership does not seem to appreciate simple truth, reason and common sense. In the absence of any positive reciprocal response from the Chinese leadership, His Holiness feels that if he cannot help find a solution, he would rather not hinder it in any way. His Holiness feels that he cannot afford to pretend that his persistent efforts to find a mutually satisfactory solution to the Tibetan problem are bearing fruit.
Therefore, on 11 September His Holiness called a special meeting of Tibetans from all parts of our community in exile to engage in wide-ranging discussions with the aim of identifying realistic and non-violent options for the future course of our struggle. His Holiness concluded that when all is said and done it is for the Tibetan people themselves to decide about their collective future.
Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Dharamsala
28 October 2008
In other words, he has lost faith in CHINA, and their sincerity (no surprise there) -- and is taking stock on what to do next. Let us all hope and pray for real change in this troubled area of the world.
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