I don't want to take any money from the rich. I want everybody to get rich. I don't believe in class warfare or redistribution of wealth. -- John McCain
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Obama's tax plan simplified: If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you'll be surprised how many friends (and voters) you have named Paul. -- Joe McIntyre
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Articles

The Next VP

According to gopusa.com, Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin,"...put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars." If she had an important role in doing that, she has my vote. Now, if the indicted Sen. Ted Stevens is found guilty of corruption as charged, she may have the opportunity to appoint a real Republican to fill his Senate seat.

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This Week on the D&C

The Drum and Cannon’s focus this week will be on the Democratic National Convention. Accordingly, new articles this week can be found on the DNC Special webpage that can be accessed HERE. If unrelated but major news events take place during the week that warrant attention, they will be posted on this page. I will also be adding to the THIS WEEK’S BEST ON THE WEB section, below, as usual. 

Next week, we travel to the Twin Cities to serve as an Alternate Delegate at the Republican National Convention. With many official events scheduled during that week, it is unlikely that I will be able to find the time to generate new material. Instead, I would refer you to any or all of the websites to which I have linked below, many of which will be updated regularly from the RNC.

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Thank goodness, that part is over!

The Anointed One early today ended the mystery that seems to have befuddled pundits for years now, even though it has just been a couple of months.

By announcing that Delaware Senator Joe Biden would be his running mate, he put at ease the worry of at least this Conservative that he would somehow find a way to pick Queen Hillary to be his VP, which would have all but guaranteed his victory in November.

Now all that remains to be seen is who McCain picks to be his veep, an issue with which the drive-by media couldn't be less concerned.

I will go out on a limb and predict a McCain-Romney victory in November, which will not exactly make my fellow conservative blogger and friend David Jeffers happy, but as I have discussed with him many times before, when you consider the alternative,...etc.

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Oops!

Breaking News: Draft of U.S.-Iraq Agreement on Troop Withdrawals Completed and Awaiting Approval

Major media sources reported today that the American and Iraqi governments have reached agreement on a draft of a resolution  calling for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraqi cities by the end of next June, and the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. The draft agreement will be submitted to the Iraqi Parliament for final approval, where there is expected to be some disagreement over some of its provisions. A major point of contention may be a provision in the draft that grants immunity from Iraqi prosecution to U.S. troops who may have committed crimes in that country.

The agreement also has to be approved by the Bush Administration.

More details can be found here and here.

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Political Definitions 

As part of our “Full-Service” effort, The Drum and Cannon offers the following definitions and descriptions of political words and phrases that the public has heard and will be hearing more frequently as we get closer to Election Day on November 4th. Our intent is to help those prospective voters who are challenged by the concepts of “cause and effect” and “rational thinking”, do not have the time, interest, or desire to learn and understand the issues, or are willing to fully subscribe to the political mantra that “the government is here to help you.” It is also intended to provide a few chuckles for other readers.  

• HYPOCRITE: hyp’o’crite (noun) – a person who espouses or promotes a position that is contrary to rational thinking, and does so only to appeal to specific groups or persons. An example is a politician or a candidate who claims to be supremely concerned about the life and safety of a twenty year old who willingly volunteers to serve in the military, knowing full well the dangers and risks involved with doing so; but is not the slightest bit concerned about the life of an unwanted, helpless, innocent, and viable human being that is in the third trimester of gestation.

• PANDERER: pan’der’er (noun) – a politician or candidate who falsely promises voters something that he or she probably will not be able to deliver; a politician or candidate who dishonestly convinces voters that they are “victims” who are entitled to special benefits or treatment at someone else’s expense.

• (PARTY) PLATFORM: plat’form (noun) – a verbose document full of empty platitudes, ideals, and promises that everyone forgets about in less time than it took to draft and approve it.

• (POLITICAL) DEBATE: de’bate (noun) – a gathering of two or more political candidates who get asked very generalized questions, often by a partial or biased inquirer, and give answers that  usually have nothing to do with the questions that were asked.

• POLL:  pöl (noun) – a series of questions asked of sometimes randomly selected individuals, usually leading to predetermined answers and favorable results for those who wrote or asked the questions.

• ISSUE:  is’sue (noun) – a matter of political importance, which most voters do not understand or care about until a week or so before an election.

• CHARISMA: cha’ris’ma (noun) – a characteristic of a political candidate that allows him or her to say or do anything and not be affected by it in the polls; usually much more important than a candidate’s position on issues.

• PRIMARY (ELECTION): pri’mar’y (noun) – actually a secondary election, before which political candidates describe their opponents as being the lowest form of life on earth but after which they have nothing but glowing compliments.

• GAFFE:  gaf (noun) – something said by a political candidate that is considered foolish and damaging by his or her opponents but is ignored, denied, or twisted to mean something else by his or her supporters.

• LIE: lie (noun) – a statement made by a candidate’s opponent who, in the candidate’s eyes, is derogatory or places the candidate in an unfavorable light; a statement made by a candidate which, in the opponent’s eyes, seems to contradict something that the candidate has said before. Any accuracy or truth to the statement has nothing to do with it.

• (POLITICAL) CAMPAIGN: cam’paign (noun) – an extended period of begging, borrowing, or stealing money, occasionally interrupted by brief periods of discussing issues or making gaffes, and even less by offering solutions.

• (MEDIA) INTERVIEW: in’ter’view (noun) – a single-candidate political debate in which the candidate hopes that the media flake asking the questions tosses nothing but softballs.

• SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP: (noun) – a collection of lobbyists who pay off members in the other political party to get special favors.

• CONCERNED CITIZEN: A term given to any member of a politician’s or candidate’s own political party who does the same thing as members of special interest groups.

• “BIG (fill in the blank)” – a derogatory term used to describe a business or industry that strives to make a profit for its investors. Most often used by liberal/progressive/socialist politicians and candidates who see profits and capitalism as being evil.

• POLITICAL MODERATE: Any individual who shares the same political views as a politician or candidate. Anyone who does not share those views is either a radical or an extremist.

• “AMERICANS WANT…”: a term that politicians and candidates use to begin a sentence that advances his or her own political agenda, and which is supported by at least 2% of the likely voters.

• “WE MUST WORK TOGETHER” – a favorite phrase used by a politician or a candidate who otherwise does not have any viable solutions to national problems, but dares not admit that members of the other party do (see Mark Udall - Dem. Colorado).

• “CHANGE” or “HOPE” – two words, both expressing empty rhetoric and totally void of any specific details, other than “throw the bums out of office”; most often used by a PANDERER (see above).

• FLIP-FLOP: another derogatory term applied to changes of position on an ISSUE taken by a candidate’s opponent, the purpose of which is to gain votes. When done by the candidate himself, it is defended as being the result of “changing conditions” or “gaining of wisdom.” An example of the latter was the reversal of Barack Obama's cocky statement in May in which he said that  he would debate Sen. John McCain "anywhere, anytime." In June, Obama said "no" to McCain's challenge to have 10 one-on-one town hall meetings. That showed uncommon wisdom for the Illinois senator, as illustrated by his performance at Saddleback Church on Saturday evening.
  
• (POLITICAL) FAIRNESS: equal outcomes rather than equal opportunities as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution; stealing from the rich and giving to the poor (hat tip to Robinhood and his Merry Men); "...from each according to his abilities, to each according to his need" (hat tip to Karl Marx).
  
• ECONOMIC JUSTICE: a coded Liberal term meaning "to punish the successful and redistributing their wealth by government fiat." (hat tip to Investors' Business Daily)

Questions concerning these definitions and comments can be sent to Obama’08 or Mark Udall for U.S. Senate.

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A Question That Needs a (Real) Answer 

A report coming out on an Israeli website has raised questions about the veracity of Barack Obama’s statements regarding his citizenship, religion, and even his name. The report, entitled Barack H. Obama - AP photo of school register reveals "Barry Soetoro" as muslim Indonesian appeared on August 14, 2008 at israelinsider, an Israeli web-based daily news magazine. 

The report states that:

The school register in the image is purportedly from the Fransiskus Assisi School in Jakarta, Indonesia, and shows the registration of Barack Obama under the name Barry Soetoro into the Catholic school made by his stepfather, Lolo Soetoro. 

The information would contradict previous statements made by Sen. Obama, in which he said that he was never known by any other name and that he was never a Muslim. Whether or not there is any truth in the Israeli report remains to be seen. Even if the document is found to be valid, the information provided by Barack’s stepfather may have been done in haste, either to speed up the admission process or to bypass other complicated questions during the application process. 

In either case, this is just one of many more issues that Obama will have to clarify between now and Election Day. His campaign has taken a stand that it will not be “swift-boated”, as was the John Kerry campaign four years ago. Obama has gone so far as to establish a website to fend off such attacks. Kerry’s problem in 2004 was that he could not adequately refute the charges that were leveled against him, adopting a “victim” status instead that was backed by his own supporters but not bought into by the American voter. It remains to be seen whether Obama will be any more successful.

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A New Speechwriter for the Anointed One? 

Most of us have seen the AFLAC TV commercial where Yogi Berra is sitting in the barber chair getting a shave and the barber cuts a little too close. This prompts the comment by Yogi, “Do you think I have that insurance?” He then goes on to explain, in typical Yogi Berra nonsensical sentences, what “that insurance” actually is. The barber, another customer, and even the AFLAC duck are thoroughly confused by the time Yogi is finished with his explanation. 

I was reminded of that commercial when I came across a short article at New Media Journal.us in which Bradley R. Gitz of NW Arkansas News.com observes, “I haven’t been able to find anyone yet, not even the most fanatical Obamaniac, who can tell me what ‘We are the ones we have been waiting for’ actually means.”  

Do you think that the Anointed One has hired Yogi as a speechwriter?

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John McCain's Short-list?

Political strategist Dick Morris, whose views and opinion we usually agree with, has it wrong in his comments regarding John McCain’s selection of a VP running mate. Morris’s east coast outlook is beginning to influence his judgment on this issue. On a recent Hannity and Colmes show on FOX News, and again on Sean Hannity’s radio talk show, Morris praised the possible choice of Sen. Joe Lieberman to be McCain’s VP. His logic is that by reaching across the political aisle in choosing his VP, McCain would score a coup of sorts and attract more independent voters to vote for him. 

Most Republicans hold Sen. Lieberman’s positions on foreign policy in high regard, but at the same time, he is otherwise recognized as a liberal Democrat. Most Republicans are already concerned about McCain’s center-moderate approach, and the selection of a liberal Democrat to join him on the ticket would be the death knell of his campaign among Republican voters. 

When Hannity pointed this out to him, Morris responded that, whereas Hannity is a political idealist who is more concerned about the ideological Republican base, he himself is more concerned about attracting independent voters. He went on to say that the Republican base will vote for McCain regardless of who he chooses as a running mate. Although that may be true in the East and throughout much of the Midwest, but these are not the pivotal states that the McCain campaign is worried about in this election.

In Colorado, as well as in most of the other Rocky Mountain
states, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was seen as an overwhelming choice in the various Republican state caucuses and primaries over John McCain. The exceptions were in Arizona and New Mexico. Republican strategists agree that for McCain to win the election in November, he will have to win in these states, most of which have been labeled battleground states. Putting Senator Lieberman on the ticket will not do a thing for him in the Rocky Mountain states. Instead, it could harm him in that more Republicans might be inclined to sit home rather than having to choose between what they perceive as two liberal tickets.  

In a July 30, 2008 article in the Denver Post, political columnist Karen Crummy addressed the Romney for VP issue, where she wrote:

As many other pundits have also pointed out, Ms. Crummy offered that the selection of Romney for the VP position could hurt McCain in the South. It is a valid point, but one that may be overstated. It is a fact that there are some social conservatives who would not vote for a McCain-Romney because of Romney’s Mormon religion, or at least claim that they would not. However, contrary to popular belief, these naysayers are not limited to the South, and most of these same people would be even more unlikely to vote for an Obama ticket because of its announced stands on social issues. Nor would they be eager to support a McCain-Lieberman ticket. Outside of the Northeast and perhaps Florida, having Sen. Lieberman as a running mate would help McCain very little. He certainly did not help Al Gore that much in the 2000 election, and many in the Republican base are already wary of McCain’s penchant for being too cozy with the Democrats. 

Another name that was discussed as a possible Republican VP candidate is Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Dick Morris was very enthusiastic about McCain naming a woman to be his running mate, considering the dissatisfaction of so many women who were enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton being the democratic nominee and are not that enamored of Barack Obama. While Hutchison would probably not generate the support that Romney would in the West, her selection could very well help McCain’s chances in the South, as well as in bellwether states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, where Clinton was quite popular. On the other hand, choosing Romney as his VP would all but ensure that Michigan would be in the McCain column, and could even help him in the nearby swing states of Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. 

John McCain’s selection of a running mate will be a major factor in his chances of winning in November. With all due respect for Dick Morris’s wisdom in campaigns and elections, we have to disagree with him on his call for a McCain-Lieberman ticket. While we agree with the importance of having the Republican ticket attract independent voters, we are also concerned, as his Sean Hannity, that such a move would alienate far too many Republican voters and would cost McCain an election victory. 

Either Hutchison or Romney would be a good choice, but we continue to believe that Romney would be better. He is better known. He is an experienced political scrapper. Most importantly, he brings to the table a better résumé on a major issue in this campaign—the national economy.

His relative youth and good looks would help offset the advantage of the perceived Obama charisma, as irrelevant as that criterion actually is as our nation faces major issues.  

(Mitt Romney’s selection would also reduce the affects of the double-standard hypocrisy related to age that has already appeared in this campaign.  While racism and sexism are deemed to be politically incorrect, “ageism” continues to be acceptable. Go figure. Apparently, those who “write” the rules are granted unlimited literary license and apply them only as they fit their needs.)

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