Draft Gore

A bunch of Californians have apparently gotten together to try to put Al Gore on the California presidential primary ballot.

While liberals often seem to be down on the United States, it's clear at least that these are 'American exceptionalists.' The slogan is 'Save America; Save the World' -- which almost reminds you of Lincoln's 'last, best hope' line.

Here's the site frontpage:
















I said a while ago that if Hillary developed a strong lead and appeared inevitable, there would be more clamoring for a 'real liberal' like Al Gore to run. Looks like we are seeing that here.

The liberal site Raw Story says:

Capitalizing on a provision of the state election law which allows for any name to be placed on a ballot provided enough signatures in favor of that candidate are secured, volunteers will begin scrambling next week to get 26,500 registered Democrats -- 500 from each of California's 53 congressional districts -- to sign off on the former vice president before a Dec. 4 deadline.

If all goes well, Gore's name will appear on ballots throughout the state when California's presidential primary is held in February of next year.

It would certainly make the race more entertaining. Get to work, Californians!

By the way, like the theft from 'Heroes?'

Obey's Promise on Iraq Funding: Less than Meets the Eye

Read it at the Standard.

Is Rudy the Republican With Coattails?

Roll Call considers the question of which nominee would be the greatest help to Republicans running for the House or Senate:

Already, the battle for the House is shaping up to be waged largely in suburban districts in the Northeast and Midwest. Additionally, the top targets in the Senate are Republicans representing Democratic-leaning states like Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Oregon.

Backers of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), who continues to lead the GOP field in most national polls, say he is the best-positioned candidate to appeal to the more moderate electorate in those areas...

Meanwhile, supporters of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are more apt to argue that the top of the Republican ticket will have little impact downballot, and some say it shouldn’t be among the top criteria when choosing a nominee.

“Whoever is on the ballot opposite Hillary Clinton is going to ride a huge wave of popular support as the anti-Hillary,” said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who is backing Romney.

He added that either Romney or Giuliani “is going to do very well in the South” as the party’s nominee...

Too conservative a nominee could easily damage the chances of a vulnerable Senator running in a swing state, while a more moderate White House hopeful — such as Giuliani — could actually boost those incumbents’ odds at re-election.

Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.), who is among the GOP’s most threatened Senators in 2008, said Giuliani would clearly be an asset to his campaign and that “there’s no question [Giuliani] has a chance to win Minnesota...”

There are eight House Republicans whose districts were carried by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in the 2004 presidential race. Giuliani has been endorsed by four of them, including Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.).

Dent said one of his reasons for endorsing Giuliani was that he believed he would be the best person to run with in his Democratic-leaning district.

Can anyone make the argument that the 'Rudy has the longest coattails' thinking is wrong?

Let's run through some thoughts -- with the stipulation that I am working with a very broad brush here. First off, I think it's likely that if Hillary is the Democratic nominee, the GOP base will turn out. Anyone hard-core conservatives not terrified at the thought of President Hillary are likely to be scared by November, 2008.

Second, because hard core conservatives are likely to come to the polls, a candidate perceived to be a traditional conservative probably won't bring all that many 'new' voters to the Republican line. (IE, Mitt Romney can't help the GOP hold Ray LaHood's seat.) Thus, only a true moderate like Rudy is likely to have long coattails.

Therefore, Rudy IS the candidate best positioned to help Republicans running in swing districts and states outside the South.

A caveat: I fear that Fred Thompson is the only Republican candidate who is not truly susceptible of a complete meltdown on election day. McCain could lose in a landslide because of his age and temper. Romney could get trounced because of his religion and because of his dramatic transformation from moderate to conservative. Rudy could get trounced because of his peculiar personal history and because he differs from the base on key issues. So if you want a candidate who is virtually assured of performing 'respectably,' then Thompson is your guy.

And of course, if there is a Republican meltdown, then all bets about coattails are off.

One potential problem with this thinking. If the race comes down to Rudy vs. Hillary, will some conservative voters decide 'there's not a dime's worth of difference,' and stay home?

Yankees Face Red Sox; Cubs vs. Rockies

Update: ALL thinking Republicans MUST root for a Yankees-Cubs World Series, just to see Hillary Clinton's brain explode as she tries to decide whether to back her home-town team, or the one she adopted for political opportunity.

ESPN has run the four Major League Baseball division series one thousand times each, concluding that the Yankees and Red Sox are heavy favorites to reach the American League championship series. Over in the 'senior circuit,' the Cubs are heavily favored over the Diamondbacks, while Rob Bluey's Cinderella Rockies are a slight favorite over the come-from-behind Phillies.

It's fun to see the results of the simulation, but I don't expect things to play out that way.

As a Yankee fan, it will surprise no one that I foresee Alex Rodriguez overcoming his previous September swoons and establishing himself as 'A True Yankee.' The Yankees will avenge their 1997 loss by topping the Indians in four games -- with Joba Chamberlin making several appearances and continuing his dominance. They'll beat the Red Sox in six, having proven their ability to knock around most of the Sox starters, and Josh Beckett can't pitch every game.

Over in the National League, I think it's a Philadelphia year. Phillies over Rockies in five, while the Cubs top the Diamondbacks in four. (How sad that former Yankee Randy Johnson won't get the chance to take the mound.) Then the Phillies will earn their first Series trip since 1993 by beating the Cubs in six.

The Series? Yankees over Phillies in five. And Jorge Posada is the Series MVP.

Is the MSM Hiding the Good News from Iraq?

Nah... couldn't be.

Hillary's Plan: We Claim We Want to Cover Kids...

Then Institute Full-Blown Government-Run Health Care:

Capitol Hill is abuzz today as a result of revelation of a 1993 Hillarycare task force memo that describes the Kids First proposal that is clearly the model for the current State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as a "precursor" to a universal coverage, single-payer system - i.e. socialized healthcare.

Politico has an excellent report this morning on the development, noting that:

"And one of the key options was creating a state-run health plan for children who didn’t qualify for Medicaid but were uninsured.
"That idea sounds a lot like the current State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which was eventually created by the Republican Congress in 1997.

“'Under this approach, health care reform is phased in by population, beginning with children,' the memo says. 'Kids First is really a precursor to the new system. It is intended to be freestanding and administratively simple, with states given broad flexibility in its design so that it can be easily folded into existing/future program structures.'”

I'm shocked... SHOCKED! that HillaryCare represented nothing more than the camel's nose under the tent!

Heh, heh

Calling Jesse Jackson...

Democrats Increase Domestic Spending; Propose Tax Increases for 'the War'

Read it at the Standard.

Washington Post Polls Democrats; Shows Support for Iraq Mission

Read it at the Standard.

Nancy Pelosi: 'Brilliant Political Tactician'

The Hill features a disarming little profile of George Miller (D-CA), and it made me laugh. I had to share it:

“George Miller brings to the Congress enormous intellect, commitment and compassion,” Pelosi said. “He is a stalwart champion for the environment, for the working men and women of our country, and for our children.”

Both are considered brilliant political tacticians...

When Pelosi forcefully backed Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for majority leader, Miller spent that damp and chilly Sunday after the Nov. 6 election drumming up support for Murtha from the new Democratic lawmakers at the Capitol Hilton Hotel on New Jersey Avenue.

Throwing her organizational support to Murtha proved to be a gross miscalculation; now-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) trounced Murtha. Ever the pragmatist, Miller congratulated Hoyer in front of the entire caucus and suggested meeting later to discuss the future and how they would operate in the majority. A cordial and productive meeting eventually took place, Democratic leadership aides said.

Yes. Ms Pelosi is certainly a brilliant political tactician. She appointed Rahm Emanuel chair of the DCCC -- an extremely wise move. She insisted that House Democrats have no agenda beyond '6 in 06,' so that Republicans would have nothing to criticize (but Democrats would have no mandate). She played a game of brinkmanship with the President over Iraq, that seems to be leading to primaries against a number of House Democrats.

And her hand-picked choice for Majority Leader got thrown back in her face by the Democratic conference. She's definitely brilliant. You know, like Forrest Gump.

Maps I Like

Chris Bowers at OpenLeft has been preparing electoral maps for the 2008 presidential election, based on the current results of Survey USA polling. Approximate predictive value of these polls? Virtually zero. I think that the 2004 electoral map probably tells you more about the 2008 election than will polls of registered voters, with small sample sizes, more than a year before the election -- and months before we know the nominees.

That said, the maps with Giuliani as the nominee don't look that bad:



Bowers' maps (and Survey USA's polls) show Giuliani beating both Obama and Edwards. Of the leading Republican contenders, he holds Hillary to the lowest vote total. But he still loses.

The general election is a long way off.

Democrats Seize on Limbaugh to Distract from their Iraq Surrender

Read it at the Standard.

Why is Joe Biden Running for President?

He seems to think he's already got the power that's supposed to go with the office:

Biden, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, hit back.

"Other Iraqi politicians have said we have no right to tell the Iraqis [what to do]," Biden told reporters. "Let me tell you, we have a right. Three thousand and eight hundred dead. Twenty seven thousand wounded. Billions of dollars. Let me tell you as President of the United States, they'd have to understand full well that if they don't keep their commitment to implement their constitution then they're on their own. And so, ladies and gentlemen, the idea that al Maliki questions whether or not we have a right to express our opinion, he'd better get it straight real quick."

So Biden favors a partition of Iraq. President Bush -- the current Commander in Chief -- opposes the partition. There's a strong chance that he'll veto the defense authorization bill that may or may not carry Biden's partition amendment. Whose policy is likely to get implemented?

This is reminiscent of what Biden told Ambassador Crocker in July:

The second point is, with all due respect to everyone who has talked about this, you heard from my colleagues, we're not staying, Mr. Ambassador. We're not staying. You don't have much time and there's not much you can do about it, I know. So we need to begin to make this the world's problem...

But bottom line, Mr. Ambassador, you're a very skilled diplomat, a professional, you've been around a long time. I promise you, old buddy, forget what Joe Biden says. Listen to the Republicans. We ain't staying. We're not staying. We're not staying. Not much time. Political benchmarks better be met or we're in real trouble, because we will have traded a dictator for chaos, notwithstanding all your incredible efforts.

And with that, Mr. Ambassador, if you'd like to make a quick closing comment, the floor is yours. And I'm going to have to go leave and vote and I'll be in touch with you by plain old telephone personally, if I can.

Does Biden realize that he comes across as a pompous, condescending, ineffectual ass?

At least he got one thing right: Crocker needn't have bothered listening to him.

Hat Tip: RedState

Update: See also Gateway Pundit

Has John DePetro Been Listening to John Edwards?

I have no idea who John DePetro is, but Media Matters seems to be angry with him for suggesting that white people only go to Harlem for prostitutes and drugs:

Summary: On MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams, discussing Bill O'Reilly's recent controversial comments about his visit to Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem, Rhode Island radio host John DePetro stated: "It was a discussion on race and we're talking about Harlem. And by and large -- I lived in New York for years -- white people don't go to Harlem." He continued: "If Dan Abrams and John DePetro, Bill O'Reilly, some white guys are sitting around a table, and Dan Abrams said, 'Yeah, I was up in Harlem last night.' We would think you were either, a) looking for drugs, or, b) looking for a prostitute."

No word yet on whether Media Matters is similarly exercised about John Edwards' comment that young African-American males are headed for jail.

Mountain State Democrats Dreading Hillary as Nominee

In which Montana Democrats ask, 'what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Denver to be born?'

From the Los Angeles Times:

The New York senator and Democratic front-runner was by a wide margin the most unpopular of 13 potential presidential candidates in Montana, according to a June survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Billings Gazette; 61% said they would not consider voting for her, compared with 49% who would not vote for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and 45% who would not vote for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. The most unpopular Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, was rejected by 51%.

Recent polls in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona have found similar distaste for Clinton.

"She's carrying huge negatives out here," said Floyd Ciruli, an independent Colorado pollster who said Democratic congressional candidates would have to highlight their differences with the national party to be successful next year. "It's that liberal East Coast image that is so hard to sell in the West."

One key advisor to a prominent Democratic congressional candidate, who asked not be to identified discussing tensions within the party, went even further. "It's a disaster for Western Democrats," he said. "It keeps me up at night."

I think that Democrats will have a hard time defending Hillary in many swing regions. but I'm keeping my powder dry until I see how the Republican nominee fares. If it's Giuiani, I'm not sure that he will do appreciably better. Still, this is encouraging. Pair it with CQ's finding that Republicans appear to be sitting pretty in the South next cycle, and I'm not dreading a Hillary candidacy.

File this alongside the other stories that I and others have cited about the worry that down-ticket candidates have about running with Hillary. Also, which Democratic campaigns may be helping [lace these stories? After all, with her Democratic rivals seemingly unable to chip away at her lead, these independent stories about her high negatives and reverse coattails are the only drag on her candidacy right now.

On a sidenote, do LA Times reporters get credit for silly statements? They attempt to demonstrate Montana Governor Schweitzer's willingness to take a stand for civil liberties -- in implicit contrast to President Bush:

Perhaps no one is more of a poster child for that success than Montana's colorful governor, Brian Schweitzer. Three years ago, Schweitzer became the darling of Democratic politicos when he swaggered into office with a dog and a pair of cowboy boots.

Schweitzer, a cattle rancher and the grandson of homesteaders, is no Democrat in name only. He is a proponent of energy conservation and environmental regulation. He favors abortion rights. And while the Bush administration was pushing to expand surveillance powers with the Patriot Act, Schweitzer pardoned 78 Montanans, most of them German immigrants, who had been convicted of sedition during World War I.

Wow. Montana has a governor willing to take a bold stand in favor of those who might sympathize with Kaiser Wilhelm! I'm impressed.

The Hillary Cackle

Great item from Jon Stewart about Hillary. Is this really undoctored?



Hat Tip: Generalissimo Duane

Of course, this gives me a chance to link this awesome video from Frank J again:



Update: More at Slate; looks like I'm coming to it late.

House Democrats Go After Limbaugh

Read it at the Standard.

Earmark Recipients Come through for Chairman Reyes

Read it at the Standard.

Peace is Dangerous

Read it at the Standard.

The Next Great Quarterback

Eleven years old is too early to herald a kid as the next can't-miss prospect:

"I know he's young but there's always an exception. He's the exception," says Steve Clarkson, who runs the Air 7 Quarterback University, a national camp for quarterbacks. "By no means would I recommend this for ten-year olds, but he's a special case..."

David Sills IV, the quarterback's father, won't say how much he has spends on his son's football education only saying, "It's fair to say that with the traveling back and forth, it's expensive." Clarkson generally tutors about a half dozen clients at a time, charging around $3,000 plus expenses to be flown in for one evaluation. After agreeing to coach the prospective student, he charges an additional $1,000 per four-hour lesson. Quarterbacks that attend the Air 7 camps pay $1,400 for four days of training.

"I'm not really a money-driven person," says Sills IV, a commercial developer and contractor. "It's not like I want to keep it and hoard it. If I can help [my children] achieve their goals, then why not? What else am I going to do with it? This is part of his growing up experience. Hopefully I won't have to pay for college someday."

Initially Clarkson, 45, didn't want to take on Sills. While working with Leinart prior to the NFL Draft two years ago, Clarkson continued to get phone calls from Sills IV before he finally called him back and said he would take a look at his son after he was done with Leinart's program.

"I was still very leery because I had not worked with a kid at this age before," says Clarkson, who was coached by Jack Elway, John Elway's father, and Dennis Erickson while he was a quarterback at San Jose State. "He had just turned 10, so he was really nine going on 10. I thought I could use this as sort of an experiment for myself to find out just how much information I can throw at a kid this young and how much he will retain."

Clarkson, who has coached about 25 Division I-A starting quarterbacks, was shocked with how much information Sills was able to retain and how many plays he was able to carry out on the field and agreed to take him on as a student. "He's studying far beyond his years at what he'll ever see at his level. Basically, it's like taking trig when you're in basic math," says Clarkson. "For him to be able to define the concepts and apply them is truly remarkable."

Even if this child is as gifted as Clarkson says that he is, 11 years old is too young to pressure a boy by calling him 'one of the greatest prospects ever.' Pro sports are littered with players unable to deliver on the expectations when they were drafted -- let alone seven years before they became eligible for the draft; years before they were old enough for high school.

For every LeBron James -- a highly-touted star when he had barely gotten into his teens -- there are dozens of Ryan Leafs, Tony Mandarichs, Blair Thomases, Brien Taylors, Shawn Abners, Alexandre Daigles... the list goes on and on. Why not give Sills a chance to develop in High School and college before labeling him as a 'great quarterback propect?'