24thState

Larry Craig And Perverted Republicans

National Review's The Corner asks why Republicans keep getting caught in sex scandals.  The (g)lib response is that Republicans are all repressed homosexuals, but that's hardly possible.

The common response from the right is that the media loves charges of hypocrisy, and thus since Republicans bill themselves as the party of family values, any time one falls there's a juicy story of hypocrisy.

And while it's true that the media plays up Republican shenanigans and downplays Democratic ones, there still is the problem of why there seem to be so many Republicans caught in hidden lives.

Back to the Corner, David Freddoso:

I don't buy for a second the idea that Democrats are less "repressed." That line of thinking implies that they lack all morals and regularly "let loose." But many of them are family men too, with children and wives equally unforgiving of such behavior. Whatever their stance on public homosexuality, they would be subject to the same pressures and potential "repression" that any Republican would theoretically feel, say, to cruise in public bathrooms.

As bad as the media is in its biased reporting - if Democrats were caught in bathroom stalls, or hitting on pages - it would still be reported.  Maybe not as gleefully or with as much force, or without party affiliation, but a perv story is a perv story.

I think I have an answer.

If you have ever smoked or been around people who smoke marijuana, you know what it smells like.  So if someone smokes pot, and then gets on an elevator with you, or if you meet them at a party, or if they come home from a friend's house - you can tell if they've been hitting the peace pipe.

If you've never been around drug users, you don't know what it smells like.

Thus the parents of teenagers who know about drug use should be better positioned to know when their kids are smoking pot, while the parents of teens who are clueless about drug use can be lied to, manipulated, and given alternative explanations that throw them off the scent (pun intended).

Republicans are like parents who weren't drug users. They are clueless when it comes to the world of gay sex, prostitutes and other similar endeavors.  They not only don't know the secrets of their repressed brethren, they lack the cultural knowledge to question someone as to strange behaviors, that would set off the alarms of a Democratic leader.

To add to the problem - since Republicans often don't have openly gay friends - their, shall we say, opportunities are more limited.  Their behavior is driven underground because they can't be open about it.

Those two reasons probably explain the behaviors better than repression, as it seems unlikely that as a group, Republicans are any worse (or better) than Democrats. 

And a final note, and a damning one, is the failure of Republican leaders to filter their ranks.  In the case of Mark Foley, it's hard to say that no one knew he was an accident waiting to happen.  While it's hard to unilaterally disarm (forcing all Republicans who make mistakes to resign when Democrats get a free pass),  the reality is that  in Washington, holding power is the most important thing, even if it means holding power with perverts.

Political Job Posting: VoterBlast Director

One of my clients, Blast Companies, is a communications company that specializes in consumer-selected messaging.  Their platforms allow users to sign up and receive communication any way they please.

It's next generation messaging - a combination of e-mail, texting, phones, other methods that is user-friendly and allows your customers, voters, or registered members to get information their way.

Why do I bring it up? VoterBlast.  VoterBlast is a new product from Blast Companies that takes robo-calls in the political world and makes them more engaging to the end-user.  Instead of separate lists of e-mail and phone numbers, VoterBlast allows you to manage your contact list as a one-stop communication software.

But they need someone to run it.  The situation is this:  The software is ready to go.  The technical part is solved.  They just need someone with deep political connections who wants to sell it nationwide.  If you have an ear, or a phone list, to campaigns nationwide, VoterBlast could be your ticket to riches.

My role in this is simple.  I'm just making an announcement for them.  If you think this is you, shoot me an e-mail and two or three sentences about yourself, and I'll shoot you the owner's contact info.

His words below the fold.

Old News With A New Title: Clinton Lied, People Died

No, not that Clinton - the first one.  Turns out that Clinton's comments about trying real hard to get Osama weren't 100% factual.

And the piece is in Newsweek, which means the story is probably worse than you can read on your own.

Captain's Quarters says this kind of thing isn't helpful - that pointing fingers doesn't help us solve the problem.  He's right in that all of us, as a country, failed to make it a priority.

In a world that made sense, though, preventing another Clinton "twofer" might help stop the next attack.  That's the point.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

I'm skeptical of the ability of wind farms to provide enough electricity to cut off our dependence on Middle East Oil.  The truth is, that most "alternative fuels" are expensive boondoggles that sound nice to a gullible public, but in reality are just, well, expensive boondoggles.  Coal and Oil are great at producing electricity and gasoline.  That's why we use them.

Most other technologies either lack the capacity (solar, wind, hydro), or have other side effects (nuclear power makes the crazies go crazy).

Still - I'm not a Massachusetts voter and I'm conservative, so you'd expect to hear such energy apostasy from me.  I might even own some energy stocks! 

But for those who are True Believers, and for those who want to replace oil with wind power, I have a bit of bad news.  Senator Ted Kennedy won't let you, because he's rich.

hattip:  Instapundit.com.  btw, the commercials are from Greenpeace.

American Solutions September 27-29, 2007

You may think that the big news in September is the presidental primaries, but I'd be willing to bet that a substantive, long-term impact on the country is brewing at AmericanSolutions.com.

The site is the brainchild of Newt Gingrich, and it's intended, on the 10th anniversary of the Contract with America, to remind the country that we have it within us to fix the problems that face us.

Newt has been travelling the country talking about the world that works and the one that doesn't.  A system that works - UPS.  One that doesn't - illegal immigration.  His argument is that we don't expect enough out of the government, and then expect it to fail - which it does all the time.

When you look at Katrina, the Minneapolis bridge, our schools, the borders, healthcare, passports and pretty much every other function of the state and federal governments - we find antiquated ideas and technology that are fail us in our time of need.

Pop question:  A nuke goes off in a city in the US.  Will the government efficiently come in and rescue the survivors?  Or how about another hurricane?  Is FEMA fixed?

Of course not, and no election is going to change that.  So Newt proposes American Solutions.  If you are a Missouri elected official, you ought to be involved in this program.  A failing government is no longer acceptable.

The American Solutions blog is here, though its sparse.

Still confused as to what American Solutions is?  Go there and find out.   

Why All Good Americans Love The British: YouTube Example

There's just something about the British accent that Americans love.  Take the most banal saying, put in the mouth of a Englishman, and Americans think it's poetry and wisdom that would make Solomon weep.

I don't know why that is - maybe it's because we only get to see their best actors and politicians (George Galloway being the exception to the rule), but the Brits also have the charming quality of being able to say what they mean.  Normally reserved, when a Brit gets fed up, they don't have a problem turning their distaste into lyrical sarcasm.

Recently, Pat Condell made some comments about the burka, and he offended some people from Berkeley.  So he took to YouTube with his response.  It's titled, Am I A Racist?

Supreme Governor Blagojevich Unloved

Tom Bevan a piece over at Time's blog that explains why only Missouri editorial boards love the Illinois governor.

Yesterday at "Democrats Day" at the Illinois state fair in Springfield, the squabbling was on full public display.  It's gotten so bad that it appears Blago paid to bring a bus load of supporters down from Chicago to boo and heckle his rival in the budget battle, fellow Democrat Mike Madigan (speaker of the Illinois House, father of AG Lisa, and also Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party), when he took the stage yesterday.

The Governor's office denied any involvement in the episode. But - and this gets to the nub of it - Blago has so little credibility left with the public or his own party that no one believes anything he says anymore.

Actually, the piece only talks about Blagojevich. I'm the one who added the editorial board bit.  Maybe us Midwesterners are just cranky from all the heat.

Skelton Warns Against Tet Offensive

Jason Rosenbaum writes on recent comments by Congressman Ike Skelton warning lawmakers not to allow news of violence affect the Iraq progress report by General Petraeus due in September.

Let me catch my breath on that. Democratic congressman Ike Skelton, in comments on a farm bill, predicted a surge of violence in September prior to the Petraeus report similar to the Tet Offensive of 1968.

First, his words, from the Columbia Poltics blog:

“I warn today what is undoubtedly going to happen,” Skelton, D-Lexington, said at a press conference to bind support for a federal Farm Bill. “I think there will be a marked increase in violence prior to the release and during the release of the September 15 report.”

“It’s my hope that this increase in violence that will be stemmed – which will by the way be on the lines of the Tet Offensive in 1968 in Vietnam – it is my hope that despite this happening, that we will put it down,” Skelton said. “But out of all this I hope this will not bend either way the reception of the September 15 report from Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker."

Ike, you take my breath away. When I first heard that, I figured that Congressman Skelton was citing Tet as it is known in the popular press. The Tet Offensive was a large campaign launched by the VietCong in 1968. The early successes of the fighting, where American and South Vietnamese positions in supposedly secure areas were overrun, led to hyped up reporting suggesting a major victory for the VietCong and underscoring our inability to win. In the minds of the press and the public, Tet showed we had lost, and Tet is still widely cited as the turning point in the Vietnam war.

What's terrible about that assumption, was that it wasn't true. American and South Vietnamese forces rallied, and decisively defeated the Vietcong, inflicting horrific losses and destroying the VietCong as an operational force in South Vietnam.

The NLF and the NVA lost around 35,000 men killed, 60,000 wounded and 6,000 POWs for no military success. The US and ARVN dead totalled around 3,900 (1,100 US). But this was not the conflict as the US public saw it. Without there being an active conspiracy the US media reports were extremely damaging and shocked the American public and politicians. Apparently the depth of the US reaction even surprised the North Vietnamese leadership, as well as delighting them.

Campaign Videos: Super Duper Friends

The importance of campaign videos in this election is not going to be minor, and it's clear the Democrats have an advantage, seeing as they have access to some wildly talented illustrators and movie makers.

Too bad their message stinks.  Don't click on this video link if you like the earlier versions of the Justice League.  Trust Democrats to come up with the idea that the way to defeat President Bush is to dress in costumes and play make-believe.

A couple thoughts:

John Edwards as Aquaman?  That's about right.

Barack Obama as a mix between Superman and Apache Chief?  I'm offended as someone who has Native American blood in their veins. 

Al Gore as the Green Lantern?  Notice they make him the white Green Lantern and not the black one.   Green Lantern was a universal cop, part of the Green Lantern Corps.  Does that mean Al stands for one world government?

Why are the Democratic presidential candidates fighting George Bush?  Don't they know that he's leaving office soon?

One final thought.  The Justice League first aired in 1977.  It's fitting that a Democratic fan picked the old one instead of the new one.  The Democrats haven't had anything new ideas since 1977, so in that sense, this is a fitting tribute

Some Real Numbers For You About Universal Health Care

My wife and I pay for our own insurance.  We purchase a group plan through Anthem, formerly Blue Cross Blue Shield.  We are two healthy adults, good shape, don't smoke, with no children, under the age of 35.

Our monthly cost is $570.  That's to get a plan with a $1000 deductible.

When we first started our business and looked into health plans, we found an insurance plan for $350.  It was called Blue Choice, and it seemed like a pretty good choice if plan.  That $350 is more expensive than most group plans, but we have a group of two, and we don't have a parent company subsidizing us.  Partly for this, we can never hire people full time in our company, because we wouldn't want to deal with the hassle or expense of dealing with healthcare for employees.

But back to the rates.  That $350 a month got us Blue Choice, which gave us a wide range of doctors to pick from, but when we actually used the insurance, we got a nasty shock.  Blue Choice was a Medicare clone.  What that means is that doctors that agreed to take it had to agree to follow Medicare rules to get reimbursed. In the case of ob-gyn exams, the doctor was allowed 7 minutes to speak with a patient.

No matter what your concerns or health problems, your doctor could spend only 7 minutes speaking with you, and after that, they would not be payed anymore. 

Think about that.  If the government takes over your healthcare, they have to make rules to ration the care.  It's the only way to cut costs.  So if you can find a doctor who will take your plan, you are going to get care based on a formula decided by a bureaucrat in Washington, regardless of your circumstances.

Now some people say that's what we have now, but by purchasing a more expensive policy, my wife and I were able to find an insurance that more closely fit our needs.  Yes, we have to give up several dinners or the luxury car to afford it, but it's a choice.  It's our choice.

If universal health care is implemented, or even if programs like SCHIP get through Congress, our policies will become more expensive, but the care for the people getting "free" insurance won't help.

Today, I pay almost $7,000 a year for the privilege of having a health insurance I want.  I'm willing to pay for it, because I work for it.  Add that to the 14.2% I pay on all wages for Social Security and Medicare, and you start coming up with a big chunk of change that doesn't even count federal, state, and sales taxes.

All so politicians can win votes by pretending to care about the children.