"If this sounds hokey, that's beside the point. If it sounds hypocritical, coming from a rich former lobbyist and actor who lives in one of the nation's toniest towns, McLean, Va., the crowds in Iowa didn't seem to notice. In fact, they ate it up. Presidential campaigns are often spoken of as contests of ideas, but more often they play out as contests of charisma. Voters don't choose the song as much as they choose the singer. No one would have listened to 'Baby One More Time' if Britney Spears didn't look like Britney Spears. "...
Right - we're the stupid ones, and Salon compares Fred Thompson to Britney Spears...
While there are some on the right who do believe that Thompson waited too late and likely insulted New Hampshire voters by announcing his candidacy on the Tonight Show instead of participating in a Republican debate (Jonah Goldberg suspects this may be the case, and Monica Crowley - if I remember right - said as much on her radio talk show), I tend to agree with Parker on this one.
Yes, Thompson announced his candidacy much later than other candidates. But it's still early! Only the Dick Morrises of the world are obsessed with presidential elections at this stage. The average American now knows that Fred Thompson is running for President...
...but do they know that Mike Huckabee is? Sam Brownback? Anyone outside the big three (Clinton, Obama, Edwards) on the Democrat side?
Probably not.
So Thompson is second in the polls, according to the Real Clear Politics average. What's really wrong with that, at this stage?
2) That MoveOn.org ad.
I'm not even going to link to the ad. It's that disgusting.
Lorie Byrd poses the obvious question:
"So, MoveOn.org, in effect, calls a highly respected general who was confirmed 81-0 by the U.S. Senate a traitor, but we can't question their patriotism?"
We certainly can. And we will.
But not just the patriotism of MoveOn.org should be questioned. The site hosted a "town hall" debate for 7 Democrat presidential candidates. If you can bear to listen to some of the excerpts, do you think they sound patriotic? Some thoughts:
- John Edwards crediting MoveOn.org with "accomplishing amazing things" like electing Democrats. He then talks about engaging the Iranians and the Syrians.
- Joe Biden lying when he says everyone agrees that there's no military solution in Iraq (CNN headlines this too - of course, General Petraeus and the President have said that a political solution must ACCOMPANY a military solution)
- Dennis Kucinich blaming the United States for fueling an "insurgency"
- Bill Richardson planning a "security conference" with what amounts to practically the entire Middle East (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, and Syria), then attempting to convince both Iran and Syria that a stable Iraq is good for them
- Hillary Clinton pushing to pass legislation recommending the withdrawal (sorry, "redeployment") of troops within 90 days...she's been attempting to get this legislation passed for 2 years...
...so, would she still wait the 90 days, then?
She also wants to cap troop amounts and "convene an international conference" including Syria and Iran - something she has long advocated...
...huh? Isn't that "irresponsible and frankly naive"?- Barack Obama repeats the Joe Biden lie. He wanted to remove combat troops starting in May - unfortunately for him, we increased troops and the surge started working (even Hillary Clinton admits as much!).
Who among them said "winning the war"?
Oh, right - that's bad for Democrats.
And TERRIBLE for MoveOn.org.
3) Illegals learn their rights - in Boston, of course...
The sob story:
"One steamy night last week in Springfield, a handful of immigrants here illegally from Mexico and Honduras gathered in the sparse kitchen of a tiny apartment. They sat on nylon folding chairs facing a laptop computer that Joel Rodriguez, a trainer for the Alliance to Develop Power, had placed at the edge of the sink.
"Their faces tense, they watched a DVD in Spanish that simulated encounters between immigrants and federal officials and police. In one scene, two men wearing jackets emblazoned with 'police' and 'ICE' pounded on the door, shattering a couple's morning coffee.
"The couple froze. Through the closed door, the father asked to see the warrant, which the agent slipped underneath the door. After reading the warrant, the father returned it, saying it did not list his name. Rebuffed, the agents left.
"After the video, Rodriguez told the immigrants that they should not lie or carry false documents, or run away.
"'The best thing you can do is stay silent,' or ask for a lawyer, he said."
Well, "handful" sounds pretty small - almost insignficant, doesn't it? And "nylon folding chairs" - that must've been uncomfortable...
...and to have to place the laptop at the edge of the sink???
At least the DVD was available in Spanish.
Here's a description of Rodriguez's Alliance to Develop Power, with another description of a "jarring raid":
"The Alliance to Develop Power, a wide-ranging nonprofit in Springfield involved in affordable housing, union organization, and services for US citizens and immigrants, began training in June after a raid jarred the community.
According to the alliance, federal agents arrived to deport one illegal immigrant but also detained four others, including a couple from Mexico who were driving to pick up their son, who was with baby sitter."
"...who was with baby sitter"? Does the Boston Globe employ illegals to write their stories? It doesn't appear that "must know English" is a requirement for the Globe staff.
Thank goodness illegal immigration is still an important issue for Republicans - as if we needed the San Diego Union-Tribune to tell us.
Don't worry, though - the paper will still find room for some Republican-bashing:
"But while Congress has taken a hiatus from active immigration reform, GOP legislators who supported the Senate bill are still being assailed by constituents, and state-level anti-immigration legislation has been popping up across the country since the bill failed."...
Republicans are always so negative - "assailing" each other, aren't they? And I wonder if that "anti-immigration legislation" is directed at illegals...
...just a guess.
That's Part 1! More to come...soon!