I keep hearing about how John McCain, Bush Administration officials and various Republicans in Congress were sounding the alarm about Fannie and Freddie. I also heard that various Democrats in Congress disagreed and said everything was fine. Has anybody seen video clips of this? Does video of this exist? If it does, then why the h* aren’t we using every last cent of RNC funds to run commercials getting this out to the public? The average uninformed voter is blaming Republicans for the economic downturn. Republicans are losing support everytime voters hear bad economic news. It is one thing to say “I warned about this”, and another for people to actually see it with thier own eyes. If we do not deflect the blame to the opposition party, this election will be a disaster. I hope somebody out there reads this and takes action.

 I keep hearing about how John McCain, Bush Administration officials and various Republicans in Congress were sounding the alarm about Fannie and Freddie. I also heard that various Democrats in Congress disagreed and said everything was fine. Has anybody seen video clips of this? Does video of this exist? If it does, then why the h*** aren't we using every last cent of RNC funds to run commercials getting this out to the public? The average uninformed voter is blaming Republicans for the economic downturn. Republicans are losing support everytime voters hear bad economic news. It is one thing to say "I warned about this", and another for people to actually see it with thier own eyes. If we do not deflect the blame to the opposition party, this election will be a disaster. I hope somebody out there reads this and takes action.

I just stumbled upon this Wall Street Journal article. I had to share it with Redstaters. It echoes my views completely.

Immigrants and the GOP
August 30, 2008; Page A10
While the Democrats were in Denver nominating Barack Obama, Republicans were busy writing their party platform. Not surprisingly, immigration was a sticking point. And while some of the more extreme proposals, such as denying citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, were defeated, the platform committee did vote to wall off Mexico.

The platform will go before the full Republican National Convention next week. And before approving it, the GOP would be wise to consider the demographic data that the Census Bureau released earlier this month. The media focused on Census projections that ethnic and racial minorities will comprise a majority of U.S. residents by 2042, thanks to higher minority birth rates, especially among Hispanics. But there’s also a political lesson in these findings: A party that thinks it can win elections by alienating Latinos is going to be in the minority for a very long time.

A Pew poll released last month found that Hispanic registered voters favor Barack Obama over John McCain by 66% to 23%. That yawning gap almost certainly has less to do with Mr. Obama’s appeal than with a perception — courtesy of conservative immigration restrictionists — that Latinos are not welcome in the Republican Party. Ronald Reagan regularly won a third of the Latino vote, and more than 40% of Latinos supported George W. Bush in 2004.

In recent years, however, and despite President Bush’s warnings, many on the political right have tried to turn illegal immigration into a wedge issue, like guns or abortion. And while it hasn’t produced victories at the polls, this strategy has succeeded in alienating many among the country’s fastest-growing voting bloc. By 2020, Hispanics are projected to be 20% of the electorate, up from 9% today.

“Latino voters have moved sharply into the Democratic camp in the past two years, reversing a pro-GOP tide that had been evident among Latinos earlier in the decade,” according to Pew. “Some 65% of Latino registered voters now say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, compared with just 26% who identify with or lean toward the GOP.” The 39-point Democratic edge was 21 points as recently as 2006. It’s an example of what can happen when Republicans lose their free-market bearings and start channeling cable news populists.

Restrictionists are also deluding themselves if they think sealing the border can reverse these demographic trends. Illegal border crossings peaked in 2000 under President Clinton. They’re down by half under Mr. Bush. According to Census data, Hispanic population growth is no longer being driven by immigration, legal or illegal. Since 2000, it’s been driven by the higher birth rates among Latino women already here.

To woo back these voters, Republicans needn’t pander or abandon conservative principles. These are economic migrants who come here looking for work, not handouts, with labor participation rates that exceed those of the native born. But at the very least, the GOP must make Hispanics feel appreciated. And that’s difficult to do when the party’s attacks on illegal immigration end up demonizing Hispanic migrants.

Republicans might also keep in mind that most of the illegal Latino population in the U.S. is related to people here legally. To the ears of these legal immigrants, rants against illegals are attacks on a mother or father or sister or uncle — not some abstract law-breaker.

Perceived animosity toward Latinos can also spill into other ethnic voting blocs. In the 1990s, Republican support in California for Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that denied illegal immigrants access to social services, not only hurt the party with the Hispanic electorate. It also led to a drop in GOP support among the state’s Chinese and Koreans voters, even though many of them are small-business owners with a history of voting Republican.

About half of Latino voters are foreign born, which means they’re relatively new to America and have yet to form strong party ties. These voters are up for grabs, and our politics will be healthier if both parties compete for their support

We have an excellent opportunity this year to control both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. I believe John McCain will beat Obama in a landslide not seen since Reagan crushed Mondale. The presidency was a lock for Republicans even before the Palin nomination. Sarah Palin will solidify the base, and at the same time, bring in women and reform-minded Independents. The outcome at the top of the ticket is more certain than ever.

Now, we need to begin to focus on taking back Congress. There is a big difference between Repulicans and Democrats when it comes time to vote. Republicans take voting very seriously, most of us begin counting the days leading up to the election, and cannot wait to go to the polling place and make our voices heard. We will enthusiastically pull the lever for our candidate, even if we know he or she has no chance of winning. The same cannot be said for the dems. If they don’t think their candidate will win, many of them will just stay home and watch Oprah or Jerry Springer. They lose interest in politics very easily. It’s similar to the way a pro football team has die-hard fans and fair-weather fans. We are the die-hards.

Our strategy should focus on driving up John McCain’s pre-election poll numbers, to a point where the dems become demoralized, and decide to sit this election out. If millions more Republicans than Democrats show up at the polls, we will take back congress, in addition to giving McCain/Palin a mandate not seen in decades. As to the task of driving up the pre-election poll numbers, I can only suggest the following, even though it may sound obvious:
1. Convince friends and co-workers that John McCain is the better choice.
2. Defend Sarah Palin against the attacks from the MSM.
3. Put a McCain bumper sticker on your car and wear McCain gear, let them see that it’s cool to support John McCain.
4. When people complain about the economy, tell them that the reason for it is HIGH ENERGY COSTS, and McCain has an ambitious energy plan that focuses on environmentally safe oil exploration as well as alternative forms of energy
5. When people complain about the war, tell them it is winding down, and more and more troops are coming home. Remind them that we have not had a terrorist attack in this country since 9/11, because the terrorists have been too busy fighting our troops in Iraq.

In addition, the RNC should be working on commercials that show our victorious troops coming home while Harry Reid is saying “This war is lost” and Nancy Pelosi is saying “The surge is working because of the Iranians.”

This election holds immense opportunity for our party, because of the weakness of the opposition’s candidate and the most unpopular Congress in history. Let’s take advantage of this and make 2008 a year to remember.

I was listening to the second best (after Rush) radio talk show host today, Michael Medved. During a commercial I flipped it over to hear what Savage was talking about (very infrequently I find him interesting). He was saying that Sarah Palin’s family looks like something out of a police lineup.

I just watched Sarah Palin’s family at the convention, and thought they were a beautiful, typical, American family. Savage is a hateful man, who gives Conservative talk radio a bad name. Stop listening to him, and his ratings will get so low, that he will go away. We should support smart, thoughtful, decent hosts like Rush, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt. Savage is definitely not helping the cause.

Pardon my ignorance, but, I’m new to the blogoshere. What is the difference between a troll and a moby?

Apparently the worst is over in New Orleans. Flooding and storm related damage was minimal compared to Katrina. The levees held, and the Army Corps of Engineers should be given credit for the reinforcement work they did since Katrina. The evacuation of 2 million people went like clockwork. We’ll see if the MSM applauds FEMA and the Bush administration for their fantastic job of planning and carrying out the largest evacuation in U.S. history. I won’t hold my breath.

The oil rigs emerged unscathed, and oil is trading at less than $110 a barrel. Oil prices are on their way to drop below $100 a barrel, and pump prices should soon be well below $3 a gallon. Correspondingly, prices at the supermarkets will be coming down as well. The economy is set for a dramatic rebound before the election. In addition, the war in Iraq is winding down, and the wisdom of John McCain’s Surge Strategy is more evident with each passing day. In short, life is good and getting better. This should weaken the dem’s arguments against George W. Bush’s policies, and allow John McCain to continue to rise in the polls.

On to the convention! With Gustav behind us, the MSM will hopefully devote as much attention to the Republican National Convention as they did to the Socialist Extravaganza in Denver. Sarah Palin’s speech is sure to draw huge ratings, and will be one of the most anticipated speeches in recent memory. I know she will do a great job. John McCain will have to be in top form, so as not to be outdone by the Palin speech. I predict a 10 point lead for McCain/Palin after the convention bounce. In November, I predict a 49 state landslide for our team. My state, Hawaii, will be the only one to stick with Obama after 2 more months of gaffes, misstatements, and the realization that this guy is not “The One” to lead our country.

Tha MSM gearing up for a total trashing of Republicans. They are already covering Gustav 24/7. They cannot wait to portray us as uncaring and self-serving fatcats staying in fancy hotels, while the poor people of New Orleans are losing everything, again. When Katrina hit, the MSM was easily able to convince most people that the slow response was George Bush’s fault. They will have no trouble telling everyone that because most prominent Republicans are in Minnesota, relief efforts are being hindered. We may be able to blunt this attack, that is sure to come, by raising money for the displaced victims and cutting the convention short. But, this does not change the fact that we will not get the undivided attention of the American people to show off our candidates and rising stars, the way the dems were able to. The MSM will be only to eager to cut away from an important speech, in order to show another flooded home or another refugee’s story. I understand that postponing the Convention will present a logistical nightmare and result in alot of unhappy attendees. However, going through with it will give the dems and their allies in the media a perfect chance to rip us to shreds. John McCain should announce that the Convention is being postponed for a week or two, and, that he is using campaign funds and RNC money to fly and bus thousands of convention attendees to New Orleans to help sandbag, deliver releif and help in anyway they can. This natural disaster could become a political disaster and erase all of the gains the McCain team has made in the past few weeks. Or it could show the American people that Republicans care about the common man, more than their political ambitions. Postpone the Convention, help the releif effort, return to Minnesota and win this election.

If John McCain chooses a Latino running mate, it would ensure a majority of Latinos voting for the G.O.P. for decades to come. Latinos are the swing vote in this election. Their political power will only increase in future elections.
Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, John McCain and many other conservative leaders understood this years ago.
John McCain’s courageous support for the recent immigration bill, combined with the fact that most Latinos do not like Obama, make this election year a perfect opportunity to secure the Latino vote once and for all.
Latinos are entrepreneurs. Most of them come to this country with the dream of owning their own business.
They are socially conservative. Family values, gay marriage, the role of religion in society, are all issues where Latinos and Republicans are on the same side.
Bringing Latinos under the Big Tent would be good for Latinos, good for Republicans, and good for America. Losing this key constituency to the other side would doom the Republican Party for generations to come.