Tag: Opinion

Patrick Ruffini wants to raise Buckley from the dead

Patrick Ruffini lamenting that the Conservative movement is not being taken seriously by anyone, but maybe themselves laments:

Over the last few days, Jon Henke has laid out the case for the Right more strongly disavowing outfits like WorldNetDaily that actively peddle Birther nonsense. To the extent the mainstream Right has weighed in, it has been to urge Jon to ignore WND and move on, in the interests avoiding an intra-movement civil war. Some have even tried to subtly distance Jon from the conservative movement, saying his views don’t represent those of most conservatives. Many on the Right have made the calculation that however distasteful their views, a public fight with the Birthers just isn’t worth it.

As a fiscal and social conservative, I happen to think Jon is completely in the right here, both substantively and strategically. Don’t raise the canard that we ought to be attacking Democrats first. Conservatives are entirely within their rights to have public debates over who will publicly represent them, and who will be allowed to affiliate with the conservative movement.

The Birthers are the latest in a long line of paranoid conspiracy believers of the left and right who happen to attach themselves to notions that simply are not true. Descended from the 9/11 Truthers, the LaRouchies, the North American Union buffs, and way back when, the John Birch Society, the Birthers are hardly a new breed in American politics.

Each and every time they have appeared, mainstream conservatives from William F. Buckley to Ronald Reagan have risen to reject these influences — and I expect that will be the case once again here.

But there is another subtext that makes Jon’s appeal more urgent. As a pretty down-the-line conservative, I don’t believe I am alone in noting with disappointment the trivialization, excessive sloganeering, and pettiness that has overtaken the movement of late. In “The Joe the Plumberization of the GOP,” I argued that conservatives have grown too comfortable with wearing scorn as a badge of honor, content to play sarcastic second fiddle to the dominant culture of academia and Hollywood with second-rate knock-off institutions. A side effect of this has been a tendency to accept conspiracy nuts as a slightly cranky edge case within the broad continuum of conservatism, rather than as a threat to the movement itself.
Via Can We Have Buckley Back? | The Next Right.

However, the real reasons that the Conservative movement is in the shape that it is in, is found right in the comments section of “The Next Right”

First there’s this:

I don’t know if you consider them elites, but I did—and I suspect many Republicans did as well.

Peggy Noonan

David Brooks

David Frum,

And, last but certainly not least, Kathleen Parker.

At a time when we were trying to win the 2008 elections, this crew was bashing Sarah Palin full-time.  The time for bashing had past; the time for banding together to win an election was at hand.  And what did this crew of elites do?  Elites, thank you very little. You played no small part in the fact that we now have an administration that has abandoned our ally Honduras and is spending our grandchildren into poverty.

The real way Bill Buckley saved conservatism was by inspiring Ronald Reagan, Tommy Thompson, John Engler, Newt Gingrich and others to enter the political world.  You know—the place where we pick people that actually MAKE LAWS, instead of writing witty op-eds and appearing on Hardball.

Recently, we watched another conservative elite, Charles Krauthammer, tell the world that Sarah Palin was unfit to engage in the healthcare debate…at the same time that her “death panels” charge helped sway the tone of debate against Obamacare.

Sorry, but I’m less than impressed with GOP elites.  They stabbed us in the back in 2008. Fool me once..

….and then, there is this:

We didn’t abandon you during the election, you abandoned us by nominating a weak liberal republican and a semi-retarded christian fundy. I’m not going to change my views to “fit in” with the GOP if that’s the way they want to represent me.

During 2008, I was bashing McCain and palin ( as well as Obongo ). I will continue to bash these type republicans until they get out of my party.

I would say that both of these are basically correct. Not to mention electing and then reelecting a President who’s Wilsonian foreign policy forced him to invade a Country that had zero to do with 9/11. That is why McCain was not elected and, too, because black people actually voted in this election. Not say that there is anything wrong with that fact; just making a point. Also, Obama’s campaign was just better ran and his message more clear. John McCain was too damn busy suspending his campaign to look like a hero. Which actually made him look like an idiot. Hence the reason he lost also.

I could go on and on. However, I think you know what I mean.

Update: Robert Stacey McCain basically agrees with me about WND and the Birthers. Now McCain and Palin are another story. He loves that feckless Woman. I, on the other hand, think that she is an idiot.

Update #2: Around the Sphere has a round up on the subject, all the while ignoring me.

"The Jig is up, Fatso!" Says, The Washington Post?

You know you have waded too far into the stinky, when the Washington Post tells you that you need to step down from a committee!

FOR POLITICIANS with major bad news to release or to make public, there’s no time like the dead of August to do it. The thinking goes that the public won’t remember a thing come September. We hope Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) will have no such luck. His belated revelation of previously unreported income, property and bank accounts demands that he step aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Rangel’s amended financial disclosure form, which exposes omissions from his 2002 through 2006 records, is a treasure trove of outrage. He neglected to report a checking account with the Congressional Federal Credit Union and one with Merrill Lynch, each valued between $250,000 and $500,000; the tens of thousands of dollars he’s earning from dividends from a number of mutual funds and stocks; and the money made from the sale of a Harlem townhouse. As a result, Mr. Rangel’s reported net worth doubled, from between $516,015 and $1,316,000 to between $1,028,024 and $2,495,000.

via Rep. Charles Rangel Must Step Aside as Chairman of Ways and Means – washingtonpost.com.

Before anyone criticizes me for calling Charlie Rangel a fatso. Let me just say, that I AM a fatso too. So, please spare me the lectures. 🙄

HotAir.com and Michelle Malkin have been tireless in documenting the fact that Charlie Rangel’s corruption has been that of legend. It is quite refreshing to see the Washington Post finally admitting that Rengel is too corrupt to serve any longer. His resignation from the House would be a welcome thing as well.

…and before anyone accuses me of only pointing out the corruption of the Democrats. Try searching the “Corruption” Tag and Category on this Blog. You will see that I criticize the Republicans, just as hard as I do the Democrats. Corruption is wrong; no matter which party is involved with it.

Hmmmmm, Maybe the public option isn't so dead after all.

My Buddy Sammy over at “Yid with a Lid” has pointed out some interesting things about the so-called’ “Public Option. Looks like we should not break out the bubbly just yet:

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is firmly committed to passing a comprehensive healthcare reform bill with a public insurance option despite signals from top White House aides that the president may forge another path to gain bipartisan approval. “We can’t pass a bill without a public option,” Pelosi told reporters after speaking at a healthcare event hosted by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in her home district.

* The AFL-CIO drew a line in the sand today, saying a health care reform bill must include three specific elements — including a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or “public option” — in order to win their support.

* Democracy for America, the liberal advocacy group founded by former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, expects the president to reiterate his support for the public option when he addresses Congress next week, DFA spokeswoman Mary Rickles said. Meanwhile, she said, her group and its 400,000 members will continue to pressure members of Congress to back the proposal. “Any member of Congress who votes for a bill without a public option and against the wishes of the American people will stand alone for reelection,” she said.

* With or without any skeletons in their closet, members of Congress should feel pressured to vote for a public option if they want to keep their seats, argues the group the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

* House Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., said it will be a “grave error” for Congress to draft a health care reform bill that does not include a government run health insurance option and she believes there are enough liberal lawmakers to block its passage. Woolsey said she is setting up a meeting with President Barack Obama, who this week signaled that he would not insist that a public option be a component of the health care reform bill that is to be the crowning achievement of his first term in office. “The president must support,” a strong public option, Woolsey said, “and he must tell the Senate to get its act together.”

via YID With LID: The Public Option Isn’t Even MOSTLY Dead.

So, before everyone celebrates, keep vigil until after this bill officially dies. Because you know Democrats, you let your guard up for one minute and they will sneak something through, when we are not looking. Kudo’s to Sammy for pointing all this out to us. Good Job! 😀

Obama should really look into feeding his supporters

Otherwise, stuff like this here is just gonna keep on happening.

The Video:

The Story KTLA:

A 65-year-old man had his finger bitten off Wednesday evening at a health care rally in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s investigators were called to Hillcrest and Lynn Road at 7:26 p.m.

About 100 protesters sponsored by MoveOn.org were having a rally supporting health care reform. A group of anti-health care reform protesters formed across the street.

A witness from the scene says a man was walking through the anti-reform group to get to the pro-reform side when he got into an altercation with the 65-year-old, who opposes health care reform.

The 65-year-old was apparently aggressive and hit the other man, who then retaliated by biting off his attacker’s pinky, according to Karoli from DrumsnWhistles, who attended the rally.

The man took his finger and walked to Los Robles hospital for treatment. Doctors reattached the finger, which was said to have been severed in half. He has since been released, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Neither man has been identified.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank O’Hanlon says the man had Medicare.

Sheriff’s officials are investigating the incident.

Seriously, Obama should at least provide food for his supporters of his Socialized Health-care plan. 😛

The Confederate Yankee says that Obama’s new Motto should be Yes We Cannibal! 😆

But seriously, I think there was wrong doing on both sides and the police should have a bit more attentive to who was where and what they were doing. The man who is against the healthcare bill should not have punched anyone and of course; the man took at bit too far biting the man’s finger off.

I think everyone and I do mean everyone; needs to take a step back and relax. The President is supposed to make an address and I believe that he is going to make it clear, that he is not going to push for the public option. Some are claiming that they are going to try and rename it. I highly doubt that to be the case, because President Obama is taking great heat for that proposal and I doubt that he or the Congress at this point, would try and sneak anything in, as they are quite aware that people are actually reading the bills.

But honestly….. Biting off fingers!?!?!? Eeeeewwwww! 😮 😯

Others, from both sides: Capitol Briefing, Michelle Malkin, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Gateway Pundit, Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, Little Green Footballs, Freedom’s Lighthouse, pandagon.net, The Swamp, Salon, Riehl World View, Sweetness & Light, Another Black Conservative, Don Surber, Wonkette, Nice Deb and NewsBusters.org and more via Memeorandum

Pat Buchanan jumps the shark….again

I just did something that will most likely not endure me to the Paleo-Conservative part of our movement.  I formally requested that the owner of Pat Buchanan’s mailing list would remove me from it.  This is because of Pat Buchanan’s continued justification of the actions of Adolf Hitler.  Admittedly, when the article came bounding through my e-mail inbox yesterday, my first reaction, upon reading the title was, “Oh God, not this again.”

Pat Buchanan
Pat Buchanan

I will be the first to admit, that I agree with Pat Buchanan of fiscal matters and with this take on the Obama Administration.  However, when it comes to foreign policy and his take of the history of this Country, namely the events leading up to World War II —— Pat Buchanan is out in left field. Originally, when I was going to write this, I was going to rip that feckless old goat a good one.  However, I figure he will receive a fair share of goading from the left about this rather silly article that he has written.  Therefore, I will leave that chore to those who are best at berating Conservatives.

However, I will end this piece with something that I wrote about last week.  Rachel Lucas, a smart Texas gal of whom I have uttermost respect for; has written a very excellent article on her visit to the death camps in Poland.  Perhaps Pat Buchanan should read this posting, before he writes another one of these “Hitler was justified” type of articles.  By the way, Rachel is living overseas for the next two years.  She is blogging about her experiences over there; it is quite the treat to read.  I really do highly recommend it.

You can read the roundup of Anger towards Pat Buchanan by clicking here.

John Henke gets pushback and then whines about it.

I find this one extremely funny. John Henke calls for a Boycott of WorldNetDaily and then when WND‘s readers push back, he whines about it.

No wonder the left thinks we are bunch of damned idiots. Because of stupid stuff like this right here.

For the record, I think all Conservative viewpoints are welcomed and needed. Not just those that John Henke thinks is acceptable. His whole idea that Buckley would have boycotted WND is absolutely asinine. Not mention borders on Elitism, and approaches the level of insufferable asshole. I would expect something like this from say; Ed Schultz or even Sean Hannity, Both being insufferable assholes themselves. But coming from someone in the Grass Roots, is absolutely appalling.

The Republican Party needs a face lift. But not this kind of a face lift!  The Conservative movement is known for its tolerance of a variety of opinions. Hell, I’m here, are I not?  The left not much known for this.

Let me give you an perfect example. I am member of the BlogAds advertising system.  When I was still blogging from a left of center position, on another blog, that I used to own.  I formally asked to join the “Liberal Ad Hive”. This was way back in 2006, by the way; I was denied. Why? Because I was not a supporter of the Homosexual lifestyle. The owner of the Ad Hive is gay. Also, it was because of my stance on Abortion, which was and still is, that it is flat out murder.  Forward ahead here to around December of 2007, when I requested to add Political Byline to the Conservative Hive; this was after I came to conclusion that I just did not fit in with the modern day “Democratic Party/Socialist/liberal” crowd. Anyhow, I kindly asked John Hawkings, if I could his Conservative Hive. Much to my astonishment, he said yes!

Where am I going with all this? Hold your Horses, I am getting to my point. 😀

The point here that I am trying to make is this. Conservatives are known for our tolerance. We should not change that at all. Did John Hawkings ask me of my Conservative beliefs consist of “Such and Such and Such and Such?” No. He just said, sure! You’re in! I was surprised by this, greatly.

Why? Because folks, I will be the first to tell you, that I am nowhere near “to the right” as say, Michelle Malkin or even the guys at “The Corner” (NRO’s Blog…) But, I am someone who just believes that Free Markets work and that Government intervention in everything under the sun is just not right! Further more, I believe that Homosexuality is, in fact, an abomination to God himself and that Marriage should always remain, between a man and a woman. I also believe that Abortion is murder, no matter how you slice it. I guess that was good enough for Mr. Hawkings.

So, having wrote at all, let me say this; again, to Mr. Henke. We should not, I repeat, should NOT start to employ the strong arm tactics of the socialist left. We need good spokespeople to articulate our positions. We do not need to start mimicking the far left and become intolerant. If we do, we will lose in the end. I assure you of that. Because individual freedom is the bedrock of Conservatism, we cannot afford to sacrifice that, at all.

On Glenn Greenwald and Joe Klein

I noticed that Glenn Greenwald and Joe Klein are trading barbs in the Blogosphere today.

First of all; let me say that I have zero dog in this fight. But I do have an opinion on this and it might surprise you.

I do not agree with the politics of Glenn Greenwald, no more than I would agree with the politics of say Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin. However, I respect Greenwald for his challenging of the political establishment in Washington D.C., especially during the Bush Administration.  Putting it bluntly, the man pinned Bush’s ears back and made him squawk. I also respect the man’s ability to challenge the Media and forcing them to adhere to a standard of integrity and pointing out when they violate that integrity.

Now on Joe Klein, the man is a damned coward; plain and simple. Anyone who would go around behind someone’s back and slam someone, without their knowledge and without their ability to defend themselves, is a textbook example of cowardliness and show a great lack of class on Klein’s part.

So, my score here: Glennwald 1 – Klein -5

As always, Memeorandum has a nice round up of Opinions.

Has John Henke lost his mind?

Um, Sorry, but this is just damned wrong….:

In the 1960’s, William F. Buckley denounced the John Birch Society leadership for being “so far removed from common sense” and later said “We cannot allow the emblem of irresponsibility to attach to the conservative banner.”

The Birthers are the Birchers of our time, and WorldNetDaily is their pamphlet. The Right has mostly ignored these embarrassing people and organizations, but some people and organizations inexplicably choose to support WND through advertising and email list rental or other collaboration. For instance, I have been told that F.I.R.E (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) – an otherwise respectable group that does important work – uses the WND email list. They should stop.

No respectable organization should support the kind of fringe idiocy that WND peddles. Those who do are not respectable.

I think it’s time to find out what conservative/libertarian organizations support WND through advertising, list rental or other commercial collaboration (email me if you know of any), and boycott any of those organizations that will not renounce any further support for WorldNetDaily.

via Organizing Against WorldNetDaily | The Next Right.

Proving to the world, that John Henke is not a true Conservative; but rather a Pseudo-Conservative. Why would I make a statement like that? Because it is damned true. What Henke wants to engage in here is nothing more than a form of  “Thought Police”; which is the same damned thing that the extreme liberal/socialist left likes to do.

Want an example? Sure. I will give you one.

Back during the election of 2008; about a week before the election itself. I crossed a line that I still regret it to this day. Becoming ever pissed off at the fact that the far socialist left just kept on trying to drag race into the electoral race; despite the fact that the socialist left’s “Golden Boy” did not want the Electoral challenge to be about; in fact, race.  I took two existing photos from the internet, joined them, and added a horribly offensive text to it and whipped up a “You want it, Mother Fuckers? Hear it is!” type of a blog posting and put the photograph up for all to see.

To say that many on the far liberal left were not amused, would be the understatement of the century. To be quite blunt, they were pissed!

Want to know something else? I paid for that little act of fool hardy nonsense as well. I used to carry ads from a advertising network called AdsDaq. It did not ever pay much, maybe $50.00 or so. But I was on there. It was new and I was trilled to carry their ads. This was before I was aware of their weak stomach for potentially offensive speech. Anyhow, I posted the offensive piece and some obscure blog; that I had never heard of, picked it up and before I knew what had hit me, I was a wanted man among the far left. I ended up on DailyKos and over came Mary Scott O’Conner and her band of tricksters; writing down every damn Advertiser I had.

The Advertisers and a few of their providers; like AdsDaq, began dropping like files in a Raid bug spray testing lab. The liberals won. They attacked my pocketbook. Which is what John Henke is wishing to do here.

My question dear readers is this; are we going to engage in the same damned type of political thuggery of the liberal socialist left; by attacking someone? Are we going to do this; all because WorldNetDaily’s political opinions or WorldNetDaily’s knack of writing fabulists type of stories are potentially embarrassing to someone else?

Despite the fact that I do not consider WorldNetDaily to be a trusted news source for anything at all, Despite the fact, that WorldNetDaily originally floated the whole Orly Tate story; I will still defend WorldNetDaily’s right to exist as a company and to publish whatever they damn well please. I believe in individual freedom and the right to free speech.

Further more, I feel that John Henke is way off base for wanting to start a boycott WND. If we cannot learn to tolerate our Conservative brethren on the far right; we are no better than those of the extreme left. The WorldNetDaily writers and their many readers are not hurting anyone at all. Besides, who cares if the Boston globe thinks that WorldNetDaily is crazy? They think all Conservatives are crazy. What is the difference? Hell, Sarah Palin is a damned embarrassment to the Conservative movement, I feel. But you do not see anyone boycotting her do you?

The truth about Buckley is this; While he did bring some sanity to the Conservative movement, The John Birch Society loathed the man, because of his association with the United Nations. Personally, I felt Buckley’s throwing McCarthy under the bus was rather asinine as well. Sure, McCarthy had his own personal issues. But were those issues worth walking McCarthy out on a damn tree limb and sawing the thing off? I hardly think so. Seeing the mess were now with this socialist President, perhaps McCarthy was not so crazy after all.

The Bottom Line is this: My issue is not with John Henke personally, it is with what he wants to accomplish; a sort of Political “Thought Police” by financial means. That my friends is a dangerous game and one that we on the right should not play, at all.

Living Proof that Liberals are classless assholes

First the Video:

The Story Via MyFox Boston:

Growing up in Massachusetts, I know first-hand about the Kennedy legacy and appreciate what the family means to this state… in good times and bad. Even so, it has been amazing to see ALL the people who have turned out to pay their respects to Senator Kennedy… lining the streets of Boston for the procession… standing in line for hours to walk past his casket. Given the outpouring, it really was quite a shock to see one of the Kennedys flipping someone the bird during the procession for Senator Kennedy in Boston on Thursday.

Our photographer just happened to be focused on the limo carrying the young Kennedy woman right when she made the obscene gesture near Fanueil Hall. The woman in question appears to be 21 year old Rose Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Edwin Schlossberg and granddaughter of former president John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Our photographer was not close enough to know what happened to prompt Rose to do this, but it looks like she was responding to someone in the crowd. Who knows what rude comment she might have heard? In the video you can see someone nudge her right after it happens. Funerals are stressful for every family. When you live under the glare of the spotlight like the Kennedys, perhaps this funeral is even more stressful. But what was JFK’s granddaughter thinking? Cameras are always rolling when the Kennedys are around, especially when there’s a procession for Great Uncle Ted and tens of thousands of people turn out. What do you think? Inappropriate gesture on a solemn day or no big deal?

Yes it was inappropriate and classless. But, then again, are not all Democrats? 🙄