Miss Kelly

Handy-Dandy Voting Guide

Pretty straighforward, innit? Hat tip to Gateway Pundit, originally posted at Doug Ross.

"Rally for Romney"

Spot-on op-ed at The National Review by Mark R. Levin on why Republicans need to rally around Romney now. After citing McCain's many drawbacks - "he has a track record that any liberal Democrat would be proud of" - Levin critiques McCain's record on the military:

"But what about his national security record? It’s a mixed bag. McCain is rightly credited with being an early voice for changing tactics in Iraq. He was a vocal supporter of the surge, even when many were not. But he does not have a record of being a vocal advocate for defense spending when Bill Clinton was slashing it. And he has been on the wrong side of the debate on homeland security. He supports closing Guantanamo Bay, which would result in granting an array of constitutional protections to al-Qaeda detainees, and limiting legitimate interrogation techniques that have, in fact, saved American lives. Combined with his (past) de-emphasis on border-security, I think it’s fair to say that McCain’s positions are more in line with the ACLU than most conservatives.

"Why recite this record? Well, if conservatives don’t act now to stop McCain, he will become the Republican nominee and he will lose the general election. He is simply flawed on too many levels. He is a Republican Hillary Clinton in many ways...."

"Let’s face it, none of the candidates are perfect. They never are. But McCain is the least perfect of the viable candidates. The only one left standing who can honestly be said to share most of our conservative principles is Mitt Romney. I say this as someone who has not been an active Romney supporter. If conservatives don’t unite behind Romney at this stage, and become vocal in their support for him, then they will get McCain as their Republican nominee and probably a Democrat president. And in either case, we will have a deeply flawed president."

Please vote for Mitt Romney, my former governor, on Super Tuesday.

Romney for Prez

Boy, the field narrowed down quickly, although with Huckabee still in there, not quickly enough.  I was disappointed enough with Rudy's disappearing campaign, but I was doubly disappointed by his support for John McCain.  Between McCain's abysmal immigration amnesty proposal, the McCain-Feingold campaign finance amendment (totally against the First Amendment), his frequent jibes against businesses (profit is not a dirty word) and his voting against the Bush tax cuts, there's a reason McCain is called a RINO (Republican in Name Only).  Between his views and his snarky, crabby old man ways,  I see little attractive in McCain as prez.   

I support Mitt Romney, former governor of my state. He was the Republican governor is an overwhelmingly Democratic state (the Legislature is 96% Dems).  Romney inherited a very large deficit, and he was still able to bring down the deficit and get things done.  He wasn't perfect, and he waffled on some issues, but he balanced the budget without raising taxes, he fired Matt Amarello of the MA Turnpike Authority (something previous governors tried unsuccessfully to do for years), got a state-wide health insurance plan passed, and his lieutenant governor Kerry Healey helped pass some great legislation to protect children.  Romney did a good, solid job as a leader.  We've has some lame, uninspiring governors lately (Paul Celluci, Jane Swift, current governor-in-training Deval Patrick), and Romney was head and shoulders above them all.  He didn't shy away from saying controversial things, like suggesting that some mosques should be under surveillance, or saying that a child deserves a mother and a father.  That used to be the understood, but it's something that we as a society need to relearn.  Romeny's not the most personable guy around, but I'll take substance over style any day.

Here's what the The National Review had to say when they endorsed him back in September 2007:

"...Romney is an intelligent, articulate, and accomplished former businessman and governor. At a time when voters yearn for competence and have soured on Washington because too often the Bush administration has not demonstrated it, Romney offers proven executive skill. He has demonstrated it in everything he has done in his professional life, and his tightly organized, disciplined campaign is no exception. He himself has shown impressive focus and energy."

"...More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush’s virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney."

Don't hand over the Republican nomination to lifelong Senator Cranky McCain. 

Vote for Mitt on Super Tuesday!!

Voting by Ovaries or Skin Color

I thought Dobbs was spot-on with this assessment of the identity politics in the Clinton and Obama campaigns:

"....Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are ensnared in petty racial and gender politics and that does neither of them credit."

"But at least the ugly spectacle that Clinton and Obama created should serve as a reminder to all of us that group and identity politics have outlived their effectiveness and that pandering to socio-ethnocentric interest groups and special interests, whether as large as corporate America or as small as the construction company in a congressman's district, has no rightful place in 21st century American politics."

How could voting for a woman because she's a woman or voting for a Black because he's Black be any less bigoted than some White racist who would only vote for another White man?  What the heck's the difference?   I'm appalled that some women think I'm supposed to vote for ovaries over issues, experience, character and track record.  Yeeks.

Michael Graham wrote in the Boston Herald earlier this week about the "price of identity politics."  Hillary and Obama were milking that, but it's backfired on them both.  What are Black and White Democrat  women to do? 

Christopher Hitchens says it best:

"People who think with their epidermis or their genitalia or their clan are the problem to begin with. One does not banish this specter by invoking it."

Definitely read - and enjoy - the whole thing!

My Two Cents on the Prez Candidates

Not that you asked, but here goes.....

John Edwards - Never, not in a million years, too green, divisive class politics, $400 haircut. Yikes.

Hillary Clinton - For me, she brings to mind the phrase "fear and loathing,"  The Anchoress gave her a scathing review today,  "I found my voice in New Hampshire," "No woman is illegal."  Whiskey  tango  foxtrot?  Eckkk.  My idol Camille Paglia  did a little psychoanalysis of Hillary here,  it's also delightfully scathing.  Hillary is a through-and-through Socialist and she would be a disaster for our country.

Make Sure You Vote for Common Sense Today!

If you're in the 5th congressional district, today is the Special Election.  Every vote is critical today, please go out and vote! 

Not sure where you vote?  Find out here.

 

Key Election Tomorrow - Vote for Ogonowski

Tomorrow is the Special Election for the 5th Congressional District seat vacated by Marty Meehan.  Very important election, one which many overlook, since only the 5th District is voting.  I'm voting for Dracut farmer and retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel  Jim Ogonowski, and I hope you do too.  I support Ogonowksi's views on:

• immigration (no to McCain-Kenendy amnesty bill, it didn't work under Reagan, it just attracted more illegal immigrants),
• taxes (he supports and would continue Bush's tax cuts),
• the need to eliminate government waste, and
• developing an energy policy that's environmentally sound and frees us from dependence on foreign oil. 

What's not to like?  Ogonowski's opponent has aligned herself with the Ultra-Left Wing of the Democratic party: Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry.  If you want a congressman who represents "we the people", not the nanny-state politicians who think "we know better than the people, " vote for Jim Ogonowski.  Each vote is really important, more so in a special election such as this!  Please go out tomorrow and vote!  If you live in the towns shown here you can vote.

The Lawrence Eagle Tribune supports Ogonowski:

"The people of the Massachusetts 5th District need a representative in Congress who understands what it is like to run a family business. We need someone who will be an independent voice for the district, not a tool of union interests and a stagnant, one-party political culture. We need someone who is clear-eyed on the threats we face to our national security and interests."

"We need Jim Ogonowski as our representative in Congress."

Read the whole thing. Please vote for Ogonowski, the candidate who's against giving driver's licenses and in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, something Niki Tsongas supports.  Vote for common sense.

Jim Ogonowski for State Rep, MA 5th Congressional District

I'm in a mixed marriage (Democrat/Republican), so we get the campaign mail from both sides.   Marty Meehan resigned as State representative for the 5th District of MA, and Republican Jim Ogonowski is running for that office against Democrat Niki Tsongas.  Jim Ogonowski's mailing (singular) was a succinct statement of his platform, stating where he stands on taxes, immigration laws, government spending, renewable energy, and protection of the environment.  Short and sweet, to the point.  I've met Mr. Ogonowski, and I find him to be a sincere, genuine man who wants to make our government more responsive to we, the people. He's getting my vote, and I hope he gets yours.  I cringe a bit when I hear him interviewed on TV.  He's not a smooth orator.  But who cares?  Let the other pols be the smooth talkers. I want someone who 1) reflects my political leanings and 2) believes in a government that works for us (not the other way around). 

Mrs. Tsongas has sent two glossy mailings to our house. The first piece showed photos of American soldiers and stated that Niki "supports a fixed timetable to end George Bush's war."  What sort of military strategy is that, Mrs. Tsongas, to tell the enemy when we're leaving? Not even Hillary and Obama support that.  The mailing also had photos of President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney next to a photo of Jim Ogonowski.  Her second glossy tri-fold mailing again featured large photos of President Bush and Dick Cheney.  I guess this excites the Democratic base, but it looks extremely lame to me.  Where do you stand on the issues, Mrs. Tsongas?   It's not enough to portray Ogonowksi as some sort of Republican boogeyman.  Where do you stand on jobs, families, taxes, education, roads, schools and government waste? 

Both Nancy Pelosi and Bill Clinton were recently in Boston to campaign for Tsongas.  Talk about bringing in the big guns. 

Joan Vennochi of the Boston Globe (quite a left-leaning lady herself) had a largely complimentary op-ed on Ogonowski here: The Real Republican Versus the Democratic Machine.  Real Clear Politics also covered this interesting race here:  For Republicans, A Ray of Hope.

Please vote for Jim Ogonowski!

Jeanne Kirkpatrick - Reqiescat in Pace

Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.N Ambassador (1981-1985) under President Ronald Reagan, died yesterday at age 80.  I admired her greatly, even when (in my earlier years)  I didn't share her politics.  She was a smart, tough lady, firm in her beliefs and with sound logic to her arguments.  The lady stood her ground.  I watched her one morning in the early 80's on a Sunday morning talk show, where she was badgered and insulted by four men on the panel.  She didn't flinch for a second.  She was composed, unwavering and thoughtful, in contrast to her belligerent attackers.  Her deft parrying and verbal fencing was something to see!  I've called upon that memory of Kirkpatrick to keep me calm when subjected to hostility.  She's my personal patron saint of arguing with ninnies and hotheads.  What a dame! We forget that liberals hated President Reagan then as much as they hate President Bush now, and she was the subject of mean-spirited attacks.

The NY Sun has praise for her in today's column, and quoted from one of Kirkpatrick's most famous speeches at the August 20, 1984, Republican Convention:  

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the "blame America first crowd" didn't blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn't blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago.

But then, they always blame America first.

The American people know better.

May she rest in peace.

Election Results and Ecclesiastes

The election results were dispiriting to me.  I didn't mind losing the House really, but losing the Senate too was a bummer.  Losing Rumsfeld wasn't a surprise (I actually liked the timing, it took the wind out of the Democrats' sails), but I'll be extremely unhappy if Congress boots out U.N. ambassador John Bolton. He's the best thing that's happened to the U.N. in a very long time.   Sigh.  Times like these bring Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 to mind....

1 All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build. 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

6 A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. 8 A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What hath man more of his labour? 10 I have seen the trouble, which God hath given the sons of men to be exercised in it.

A time for Republicans and a time for Democrats?  Let's hope that Americans are wiser than either party, and we keep our sh*t together here. There's an enemy to fight. 

Senator John Kerry - The Gift That Keeps on Giving

UPDATE: Steven den Beste writes about the amazing power of new communications technology, comparable to the Gutenberg press in the 1440's.  The photo below (from a Minnesoat National Guard unit) went around the world within hours of the Kerry "botched joke." 

What a boost the junior senator from Massachusetts gave to the Republicans this week!  (He's the junior senator from my homestate, since he's only been Senator for 21 years.  The elder Senator, Ted Kennedy, has been a senator for 44 years.  Yeeks.)  Kerry is truly the "gift that keeps on giving" for the Repubs.  His recent gaffe couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. (Solomonia has the details and video).   Hat tip to LGF for the photo of ignorant American soldiers stuck in Iraq.

Sissie notes that the damage control came too late for the Junior Senator from Massachusetts, and we seem to have a case of "false but accurate" here.  Maybe Kerry was only talking about President Bush (didn't sound that way to me), but it doesn't matter.  Open foot, insert mouth, chew vigorously. 

You'd think he'd have learned by now. Stop insulting the troops and stop insulting the Commander-in-Chief.  You can disagree with President Bush all you want, Senator, but stop insulting him in that nasty, personal way. 

Rumsfeld Talks About Progress in Iraq

In an unusual move, Donald Rumsfeld writes an op-ed for the Washington Post: What We've Gained in Three Years in Iraq.  Glad to see this, Bush's administration has done a poor job of explaining what they're doing and why, and what the results have been.

"The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case.  Fortunately, history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on Web sites or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and perspective to measure accurately."

"Though there are those who will never be convinced that the cause in Iraq is worth the costs, anyone looking realistically at the world today -- at the terrorist threat we face -- can come to only one conclusion: Now is the time for resolve, not retreat." 

"Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis. It would be as great a disgrace as if we had asked the liberated nations of Eastern Europe to return to Soviet domination because it was too hard or too tough or we didn't have the patience to work with them as they built free countries."

Mr. Rumsfeld, please talk to us more often. 

Chris Mihos Running for Gov as Indy

Chris Mihos, the founder of the Christy's convenience store chain, wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed that he's running as an Independent (not as a Republican) in the race for Gov'nah. Should make for an interesting race.  How many Republican votes will he take away from Kerry Healey?

Hub Politics discusses this over here.

Rumsfeld Quote

A quote from Rumsfled from a recent press luncheon, discussing militant islamists:

"They will either succeed in changing our way of life or we'll succeed in changing theirs."

That sums it up nicely.

This wacky website has catalogued many of Rumsfeld's hand gestures and given them names associated with martial arts moves.  This is old news (from 2004), but still fun.

          

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