Riehl World View

California's Democrat convention is being portrayed as a victory lap for Boxer and Pelosi.

LOS ANGELES – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer took health care victory laps at the state Democratic Party convention Saturday, betting that the recently passed legislation will help Democratic candidates fight political head winds this year.

In speeches in the convention hall and before party caucuses, the two Democrats celebrated their recent policy win. Some 3,000 Democrats were gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the JW Marriott hotel for the event.

Mickey Kaus posts a convention report here. I dropped the D for an I after Carter and have mostly voted GOP ever since. I understand Mickey sees himself as a principled Democrat. No doubt Bob Casey, Sr. did as well. How'd that all work out for him? If anything, the party has gotten worse in that specific regard.

Mickey's a sharp guy, but at some point, being principled can start to look like a form of enabling. What good is having principles within a system that won't even allow them to see any serious light at the end of the day? I believe the effective cutting edge is now Independent status within a two party system. And I'm a bit perplexed by Mickey's decision-making in that regard. I can't respect a system that doesn't respect me and what I believe in, nor will I pretend to.

In general, the big-deal party convention seemed a bit smaller and more insular than I'd expected. And my expectations were that it would seem small and insular! Party chair John Burton looked like he'd just stumbled in off of Telegraph Avenue. Saturday, I went to a Boxer's press conference to hand out some more leaflets.

I assured them I wouldn't say anything. I'm not Kanye West. Boxer came over to say hello, we shook hands, exchanged pleasantries. The reporters thought I should have made some sort of scene--and I would have if I'd seen a way to do it without being a jerk. But there's also a virtue in being civil.

Wow. For all his talk about fiscal conservatism, it doesn't look like Rand Paul is quite the advocate of it he'd have people believe. He spent half again as much money as conservative Trey Grayson in the last quarter. At this rate, he'll have to run back to Daddy's out of state libertarian network for more pretty soon. He's quite a bit behind when it comes to cash on hand.

Both Grayson and Paul spent more than they took in during the first quarter, which ended March 31. Grayson’s campaign expenses were a little more than $1 million, while Paul’s were better than $1.5 million.

Overall, Grayson has a major advantage in cash on hand, with $1.1 million to Paul’s $395,000.

I was looking for a big Palin push for Rand Paul this weekend, given that she was in Kentucky and find it interesting that there wasn't more talk of it. Maybe her visit didn't quite fit the narrative Paul's network of supporters are fond of. I don't see him making this speech to them any time, soon. 

LOUISVILLE, KY. (AP) - Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of about 16,000 attending an evangelical Christian women's conference in Louisville Friday night.

The Courier-Journal reports the 2008 Republican candidate for vice president mixed stories of personal struggles and calls for women to be good mothers and good citizens with criticism of President Barack Obama - although she did not mention him by name.

Palin asked the women to provide a "prayer shield" to strengthen her against what she said was "deception" in the media.

She asserted that America needs to get back to its Christian roots and rejected any notion that "God should be separated from the state."

She also spoke about turning to God after learning she would have a child with Down syndrome, saying that "choosing life may not be the easiest path, but it really is the right path."

 

Update: Smitty weighs in with a question. He sure axes a lot of questions for a guy named Smitty from Virginia.

The reason for the corruption is the lack of feeback. Irrespective of whom you vote into office, the Federal beast grows. What to do?

Instapundit links to an item on getting control of runaway government spending in which he's quoted. I think there are at least two paths to consider, one broader and one more targeted. As McClanahan points out, things do happen somewhat differently within the states. Rather than only export that type of remedy up to the federal level, there needs to be a more honest discussion of state's rights and the Tenth Amendment. Because progressives are predominantly federalists, as soon as someone brings up the concept of state's rights, it's immediately tarred with the brush of the Civil War. That would have to abate if the country is going to be able to have a genuine discussion of state versus federal power and control, particularly as it impacts spending.

The other path includes a more informative approach to accounting for government spending. While it shouldn't become so micro as to simply gloss over one's eyes, we need to get away from simply discussing budgets as vast piles of money. If one is going to cut federal spending on Education for instance, it should be more clear what silo within the budget it's targeted at. We don't approach it that way today. As soon as one hears about cuts to education, the Left immediately paints a picture of poor children going without their school lunch, upon which more and more of them have come to depend. As an aside, that specific discussion would be better served at the state level.

It is hard to get one's mind around, but I believe clearer cost accounting at the federal level and a more robust discussion of state versus federal government and their respective roles in our lives are at least two good paths to begin exploring.

At the same time, politicians usually derive no direct reward for opposing powerful interest groups. Even if they make an effort to thwart a loophole or quash an earmark, many of the people they intend to benefit may not even be aware of what’s been done for the general interest, at the expense of the particular interest.

Yet when politicians do things to benefit special interests, the recipients are keenly aware. They offer support, money and volunteers.

Reynolds’ idea about taxes fluctuating with spending would be one way to encourage voters to monitor their elected leaders more closely. Lawmakers would know that if they spent recklessly, they’d be more likely to get an earful from the folks back home.

As a matter of fact, that’s how it works in most states, which have to balance their budgets.

But another part of the problem is our skewed tax system.

When so many people are freed from a significant tax burden, they have even less reason to pay attention to politics. And elected officials are likely to be even more attentive to special interests, because of the greater rewards they offer.

Mere Rhetoric seems to point to a Lefty at a gay site for originally  speading word that Elena Kagan is teh gay.

Frankly, I don't care if she's teh gay, or not. But she seriously reminds me of Bob Costas. And I have a profound problem with anyone who looks like Bob Costas sitting on the court. I hope she's at least taller than he is. ymmv

He should sell it as an environmental effort, that'll confuse the hell out of 'em.

"If they do this, it will be war in the city because so many people will lose money and a place to show their work," said Alex Basansky, a photographer who sells his prints of city scenes at the southeast entrance of Central Park.

The regulations would also severely limit the number of vendors in parts of Central Park, plus all of Union Square and Battery Park in downtown Manhattan and the High Line Park, a new elevated park along Manhattan's far West Side.

I guess when one gets too old to throw bombs all you have left is lawsuits - the Left's current fav for terror and intimidation.

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- Bill Ayers and a University of Wyoming student are suing the school after it banned the former 1960s radical from speaking on campus.

A concise must read in the Journal today - stemming from a meeting between Christie and their editorial board. Christie's office interaction with the union chief is enough to warm your cold, black little Right-leaning heart. His focus on what's termed NJ's regulatory morass is key for a NJ resurgence. Christie claims he wants to prove to like minded politicians that if you stand up to the usual special interests they can and must be beaten for the good of the state. Read it, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

'I said all during the campaign last year that I was going to govern as if I was a one-termer," explains New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on a visit this week to the Journal's editorial board. "And everybody felt that it was just stuff you say during a campaign to sound good. I think after the first 12 weeks, given the stuff I've done, they figure: 'He's just crazy enough to do it.'"

Call it crazy, or just call it sensible: Mr. Christie is on a mission to make New Jersey competitive once again in the contest to attract people and capital. During last fall's campaign, while his opponent obliquely criticized Mr. Christie's size, some Republicans worried that their candidate was squishy—that he wasn't serious about cutting spending and reining in taxes. Turns out they were wrong.

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian visited his office this week to apologize for a recent email sent to thousands of teachers by a union official that included a mock prayer for the governor's death. According to Mr. Christie, the conversation went something like this: He accepted her apology immediately but asked if the email sender would be fired for "doing something that monumentally stupid." When the union chief questioned why the man should be fired, Mr. Christie promptly ended the meeting.

"I'm a product of public schools in New Jersey," Mr. Christie explains, "and I have great admiration for people who commit their lives to teaching, but this isn't about them. This is about a union president who makes $265,000 a year, and her executive director who makes $550,000 a year. This is about a union that has been used to getting its way every time. And they have intimidated governors for the last 30 years."

Via HA headlines to Charlie Cook at the National Journal.

Combining its own race-by-race calculations with the results of national polls, The Cook Political Report officially projects a Republican gain of 30 to 40 seats. I suspect that the GOP will do even better if the trend over the past seven months continues.

While we're all busy fighting over the next candidate, or nominee, the road back for the Right and Republicans is a bit more complicated than that. Unless more of our brain trust starts thinking more strategically than the next campaign, or consulting gig, Republicans are going to continue to be at a significant disadvantage around the country as the Left continues to build the type of infrastructure, on line and off, that will be required to win in what is increasingly a new political and media age. 

It ain't always sexy and it doesn't easily sell. But it works.

The 2006 and 2008 election cycles were unkind to the Republican Party, but what happened in Colorado was something altogether different and totally new. A group of four mega-donors decided to ignore the state Democratic establishment and start from scratch with a brand new, privatized political infrastructure. Of course they were aided by the new campaign finance reform laws, but what the “Gang of Four” (Rutt Bridges, Tim Gill, Jared Polis and Pat Stryker) did was replicate all of the essential functions of the Colorado Democratic Party–and added a few more for good measure.

It's. Just. Painful. To. Read. Meanwhile, Romney is set to endorse Rubio. And at SRLC, Palin said she loves Marco and told him to call her - video. At some point, Charlie is going to have to fish, or cut bait.

If you're Charlie Crist, this is what a political freefall feels like.

Crist smiled and put a campaign sticker on Gammon's Hawaiian shirt.

"That hug," Gammon said.

"Oh," Crist said, immediately understanding what Gammon meant. Shortly after Barack Obama's inauguration, the new president had come to Florida to pledge federal help for this economically reeling state -- and Crist had reacted by embracing Obama on stage. "I wish you hadn't hugged him," Gammon said.

"I'm glad I did," Crist said calmly, smoothing the sticker on Gammon's shirt. "He was visiting our state. He's the president. I respect the office."

"I really wish you hadn't," Gammon said. As he moved away, leaving Crist to answer more questions about the hug, he predicted the outcome of Crist's upcoming August Republican primary: "He can't win."

As I posted earlier, the DCCC is prepared to drop a million bucks on this race as a way to try and stop the wave. Don't let them get away with it. Keep the momentum going by putting Republican Tim Burns in Murtha's old seat.

Via Ben Smith at Politico. Towleroad is not CBS. There are several issues colliding here and they shouldn't all be conflated into one big mash.

That's ridiculous. The gay blog Towleroad, not typically an arm of the right-wing conspiracy, has been cheerfully speculating for months. Republicans on the Hill decided last year, when two open lesbians were considered for the court, that they wouldn't make an issue of it. And that's a good political decision: Most Americans don't think sexual orientation should be a factor in hiring.

It's a transitional moment in public life, and a mildly uncomfortable public moment results, but it's hard to see much more going on here.

UPDATE: The author of the original post doesn't get why it's such a big deal either.

As the lines between blogs and media continue to blur, one would hope that establishment media would still believe in accuracy and some semblance of personal privacy. Based on the record, Ben Domench can fairly defend his posting the item he did on his blog. But as an establishment media outlet, CBS was wrong to publish what seems to amount to an unconfirmed rumor. Neither CBS, nor Domenech should have the right to out someone, if that is in fact what has happened here. Kagan's sexuality should be treated as her business, unless she cares to share it with the world. If Ben knew the item was headed to CBS, he demonstrated a lack of judgment in writing it. And either way, CBS demonstrated an even larger lack of judgment in publishing it.

Turning it all into, some well, hey, shouldn't we be able to discuss this today argument does not excuse the poor judgment and lack of standards and ethics at the heart of it. CBS should not be in the business of publishing rumors.

As I told Howard Kurtz, and I say again here, I offer my sincere apologies to Ms. Kagan if she is offended at all by my repetition of a Harvard rumor in a speculative blog post. It still seems odd to me that the White House would single out this statement for attack, adamantly slamming closed a door that nobody was trying to open, as opposed to issuing a mild correction. As Yglesias notes, "I'd like to think we're past the point where saying someone's a lesbian counts as a dastardly 'accusation,'" and it certainly was not intended as such.

Redstate isn't the only blog cheering on Rand Paul. Lefty blog DailyKos has been all over the race as well. First Read tells you why. I can only imagine the stuff Democrats are sitting on when it comes to Rand Paul. They'll be flogging the white supremacy crap and everything else come November with a Paul win. And if they're good at anything besides spending taxpayer dollars, it's the politics of personal destruction. Leave it to Republicans, conservative, or otherwise, to screw up a good thing. If Crist bolts and Paul wins the Kentucky primary, that could be two Senate seats for the Dems. I'm not saying Rubio shouldn't have gone after Crist. He's more conservative and is beating him soundly. But that would be conservatives are backing a libertarian over a conservative in Kentucky for purely selfish political reasons in this environment is just plain dumb.

10. Kentucky (unranked) -- We could put other races here (CA, NH, OH even FL), but this month we’re going with the Bluegrass State. Democrats do have a path for victory here, especially if Rand Paul wins in the GOP primary in May. What will be fascinating is Mitch McConnell's reaction to a Paul victory; he can be a tad vengeful.

Erick Erickson has had it with Trey Grayson. And the icing on the cake, in Erick's words, is Grayson saying Palin may not be ready for the presidency today. That's a little different than unfit for office by the way, but I guess Erick was on a roll.

And the icing on the cake? Now Trey Grayson is attacking Sarah Palin because Palin endorsed Rand Paul. Grayson says Palin is unfit for office and he questions her judgment.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Republican that D.C. Republicans say we should all get behind.

Not me.

At the time, I pointed out Grayson isn't alone in thinking that today. Even Karl Rove pointed out she hasn't quite yet made the transition from popular figure to presidential timber, which isn't to say she can't with a few of the right moves. But here's Erick's real problem from January. I told him then he wasn't that guy, or certainly not the only one. I guess it's time for a reminder.

If he didn't think her competent enough to plan her schedule as recently as January, is he really that convinced she's ready for the Oval Office? I'm unconvinced.

I’m Afraid Sarah Palin Might Be Ruining Herself Unintentionally

What needs to be said is that Erick has allowed his dislike for McConnell to get in the way of his judgment. And jeopardizing one's credibility as an honest broker because one doesn't like someone else in office and twisting oneself into knots to make arguments for a libertarian over a mainstream conservative to support that isn't the path to redemption. It's the path to looking like a DC hack willing to pander to the base that likes Sarah Palin to achieve a selfish end. Certainly Erick is free to support Rand Paul over Trey Grayson. But if he has to rely on cheap stunts and not sound arguments to do it, I believe it's fair to question both his judgment and his motivation on the issue.

It's the kind of thing a political operative, not an honest, objective conservative ideologue would do. Via email, I see Rick Santorum has recently endorsed Trey Grayson because he's willing to call out Rand Paul's manipulative posturing on pro-life issues, as I did. Paul's also wrong on foreign policy, another serious issue Erick is all too happy to overlook. Also, he isn't raising much of his money from within the state.

Paul may well win simply due to the anti-establishment mood of the voters today. But as a conservative pundit and blogger, I'd rather take the loss and post the truth, than twist it to comport with another agenda, or simply to be on the winning side and perhaps make a new friend in DC. Paul is not a conservative and can't be relied upon to stand up for conservative principles. Unfortunately, that looks increasingly true of Erick, as well. And as Erick likes to say, someone has to say it. So, I might as well be that guy.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced today that he is endorsing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.  Santorum is in Kentucky to speak at the 40th anniversary dinner for Kentucky Right to Life.

“Trey Grayson is the only 100% pro-life candidate in this race.  I’ve looked at the records and past statements of both candidates on the issue of protecting life, and I’m impressed with Grayson’s conviction and sincerity,” said Santorum.
 
He continued, “And on other issues, too, Trey Grayson has a solidly conservative record.  As Secretary of State he has cut his budget by 15%.  That’s the kind of fiscal conservatism we need in Washington.  Trey has a record, not just rhetoric on fiscal responsibility.”

Via Fox in Orlando. Foglesong's source supposedly told him of the pending veto Crist performed on Thursday. Now, he claims the same source told him Crist would announce as an Independent sometime today. Also, more reaction links from Allahpundit at Hot Air.

LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 News) - Thursday, Governor Crist vetoed the controversial teacher merit pay bill, breaking with conservative ranks. Then the head of the Republican U.S. Senate Re-election Committee issued a warning to Crist telling him his career is over if he tries to run outside the GOP.

Dr. Foglesong said, "A person I know in the Charlie Crist campaign has told me Charlie Crist would veto the merit pay bill, and he did. Further, he said he would announce tomorrow, that's Friday, that he would run as an independent."

Fox 35's Tracy Jacim asked, "Where is this supposed to happen?" Dr. Foglesong said, "South Florida." Jacim asks, "Miami?" Foglesong said, "Yes." Jacim asks, "How reliable is this source?" Foglesong replied, "I trust the source."

Fox 35 contacted the Crist campaign staff by e-mail, and they would neither confirm nor deny this claim, and expressed surprise we were asking.

The one is amused. He honestly thinks he can still control the narrative the way he did during the campaign. Instapundit is posting reports from around the country. I've seen reports on Twitter of 25,000 in DC, 10,000 plus in Madison and Barry is amused. Keep laughing right through to November, bud. We'll see who's laughing then.

Obama makes light of anti-tax protests

MIAMI (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he's amused by the anti-tax tea party protests that have been taking place around Tax Day.

Obama told a fundraiser in Miami on Thursday that he's cut taxes, contrary to claims of protesters.

He says he's been a little amused over the past couple of days when people at the rallies complained about taxes.

Quoting the president: "You would think they'd be saying thank you."

All the DCCC has to throw at Tim Burns in PA-12, Murtha's old seat, is a misleading advertisement. But just out via Hotline, they've reserved or spent about a million dollars in the fight for a single House seat. After VA, NJ and Massachusetts, they are desperate for a win against Republican Tim Burns to try and blunt the momentum of the GOP tide mounting to sweep across the nation in the fall.

In effect, they are trying to draw a line in the sand of PA-12 as a first step in an attempt to regain some footing before November. That makes this a very important race in the bigger picture. Tim Burns is running a money bomb beginning at midnight, I believe. Meanwhile, Biden is headed to PA to campaign for Burn's opponent, Mark Critz. BUrns seems to currently enjoy a four-point lead.

Given the DCCC's decision to drop big money on the race, it tells you how important it is to win for both sides. Rather than letting them eek out a victory they'll attempt to use to build a narrative that America isn't as fed up with them as we are, people should consider rallying around Tim Burns to keep the wave we'll need to fire Nancy Pelosi buliding toward the fall.

Update: The DCCC is clearly signaling they aren't taking the race lightly. The party has reserved $896K worth of air time in the Pittsburgh and Altoona-Johnstown markets. That's $161K worth of broadcast airtime ($130K in Pittsburgh, $31K in A-J) and $87K in cable airtime ($65K in Pittsburgh, $21K in A-J) per week until the 5/18 primary.

The totals add up to 725 broadcast ratings points per week in Pittsburgh and 600 points in cheaper Altoona-Johnstown. Dems don't have to keep their reservations -- they can cancel them at any moment -- but the party has clearly budgeted for an expensive, and all-out, war.

In the new ad, the DCCC accuses businessman Tim Burns (R) of wanting to raise taxes by 23%. It's a riff on a standard ad employed against GOPers who favor a flat tax rather than an income tax.