Erick Erickson's Blog, page 43
June 4, 2012
Chauncey Goss in FL-19
Let me join the growing chorus of support for Chauncey Goss in Florida’s 19th Congressional District. The son of former CIA Director and Congressman Porter Goss, Chauncey has decided to get into politics. He gets it right on budget issues and is not willing to join the growing voices among Republicans in Washington flirting with tax increases and other ways to boost income into Washington’s coffers.
He’s also very willing, in Florida, to be vocally in favor of full repeal of Obamcare.
I have several friends who have known Chauncey for a while and, looking at the field in FL-19, I think he’d be the best of the bunch. If you want to learn more, head right over here.
After A Few Thousand Years Or Something Like That on Radio, Neal Boortz Retires
It has been a pleasure to be able to guest host for Neal Boortz on his nationally syndicated radio show. His show is the sixth or seventh largest in the nation and broadcasts out of WSB Radio in Atlanta, which is where my show is as well.
Today, Boortz announced he is retiring after a longer time on radio than most people. Herman Cain will take over the helm in January of 2013 and Boortz can start guest hosting for Herman and me.
It’s been a heck of a ride and I’ve been very honored to both get to know him and to sit in that Texas A&M monster of a chair.
Mitt Romney Should Rethink This
There are many, many Republicans who have come to terms with supporting Mitt Romney because, despite their reservations, we can all agree he is far better than Barack Obama.
One issue, above all others, still gives many of the base qualms about supporting Romney. He never distanced himself from Romneycare and over the past several years and gone back and forth between definitive statements on full repeal of Obamacare and partial repeal of Obamacare.
Conservatives should therefore consider it unacceptable that Mike Leavitt has any role on the Romney campaign. Having pushed states to start implementing Obamacare, potentially to his profit, we must ask who is doing the vetting at Team Romney.
Mike Leavitt does not sound like the type of guy who will look Mitch McConnell in the eye in 2013 and demand, on behalf of President Romney, full and unconditional repeal of Obamacare.
This should shake every conservative’s confidence in Team Romney to really understand just how badly we want Obamacare fully repealed and calls into question the conservative bona fides of those who would staff a Romney White House when Obamacare pimps staff the campaign.
The Birthday List 2012
It is the Erick Erickson Annual Birthday post. Yesterday I turned 37. Here is what I want for my birthday:
Donations to the Salvation Army or Mission to the World to help them help others.
Campaign contributions to Ted Cruz.
And anything you can donate to one of these five organizations, which are my top five favorite political organizations in the country:
and the Senate Conservatives Fund.
And if you are just insistent that it be something for me and to me, I’ll take this with the ottoman in vintage cigar thank you very much.
Morning Briefing for June 4, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
June 4, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. The Birthday List 2012
2. On Jobs, Obama is Running from Reality
3. Remember the Keystone XL Segment Pres. Obama “Fast-Tracked”?
4. Seriously, Sierra Club?
5. Aww. Barack Obama *misses* the nice, civilized 2008 election cycle!
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1. The Birthday List 2012
It is the Erick Erickson Annual Birthday post. Yesterday I turned 37. Here is what I want for my birthday:
Donations to the Salvation Army or Mission to the World to help them help others.
Campaign contributions to Ted Cruz.
And anything you can donate to one of these five organizations, which are my top five favorite political organizations in the country:
and the Senate Conservatives Fund.
And if you are just insistent that it be something for me and to me, I’ll take this with the ottoman in vintage cigar thank you very much.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. On Jobs, Obama is Running from Reality
President Obama has failed to live up to the promise of his candidacy. In 2009, he and his team promised an unemployment rate below 6 percent by 2012. We’re far from it.
And now, President Obama talks about the economy as though he has not been president for the last three years.
“It is absolutely critical,” he said Wednesday, to make sure the economy is “moving full speed ahead.”
Yes, it is. But Obama has spent the last three years holding us back. The president yells, “Forward!” even as he moves backward.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Remember the Keystone XL Segment Pres. Obama “Fast-Tracked”?
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is concerned that permitting for the southern segment of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline could be insufficient and has asked for a more extensive review.”
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Seriously, Sierra Club?
With the shale gas boom in full swing, gas prices are at 10-year lows. We have the realistic prospect of abundant domestic supplies of a clean-burning fuel for the foreseeable future, who doesn’t like natural gas?
Ask the Sierra Club. This week, the venerable environmental organization announced its “Beyond Natural Gas” initiative, to go along with their “Beyond Coal” and “Beyond Oil” campaigns. Of course, they hate nuclear energy too.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Aww. Barack Obama *misses* the nice, civilized 2008 election cycle!
I was going to get awesomely cranky about how suddenly Barack Obama is nostalgic about campaigning against that nice John McCain, but then I realized: feeding a man’s narcissism by writing, long involved posts about him helps neither you, nor the narcissist. So in the interests of Obama’s own mental hygiene, let me be brief:
In 2008 the Obama campaign released an ad that mocked John McCain for his inability to send an email – which infuriated people, because the reason why he can’t send an email is because his arms have never really worked properly after the North Vietnamese got done torturing him. When Obama’s Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden dared mildly apologize for it, the Obama campaign humiliated Biden by having their lackey Bill Burton come out and retract Biden’s apology.
This is what passed for ‘civility’ in the 2008 election cycle.
June 1, 2012
Obama’s DOOM #EERS
The economy is headed in the tank and now the lefties are in a panic. Their stimulus did not work. The President faces defeat. Uh-oh.
I am stuffed. Been feeding on the tears of the left all day over this. It’s terrible economic news. The funny part is they really do think all we needed was more stimulus. Sigh. We’ll get into it tonight on the radio.
You can listen live tonight on the WSB live stream and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK. The show is live from 6pm to 8pm ET.
Consider this an open thread.
Morning Briefing for June 1, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
June 1, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. Help Defeat International Regulatory Schemes for the Internet
2. Obama continues negative campaign – tries to trash Governor Romney
3. 54% of WI AFSCME employees voted with their feet in 2011.
4. Study Reveals the Gulf of Mexico Permitting Mess
5. Colorado Democratic Spokesman Accuses State Parties of Money Laundering
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1. Help Defeat International Regulatory Schemes for the Internet
Today the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is examining a dangerous international attempt to regulate and tax the Internet.
Several hostile countries are pursuing the expansion of a 1988 International Telecommunication Regulation (ITR) Treaty under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an agency within the United Nations. Their preferred venue for this back-door power play is the December 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai.
This morning’s hearing will be watched with great interest around the world as everyone looks to see what the United States says about surrendering exclusive inter-governmental policy controls over things like network governance, technical standards, domain names, content controls, access taxes, cybersecurity and more.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. Obama continues negative campaign – tries to trash Governor Romney
Having seen Mitt Romney, build a lead among the critical Independent voters and veterans, close the gender gap and improve his favorable ratings while the recently restarted Obama reelection campaign stumbles badly out of the gate. And as hid campaign suffers from the Democrats’ Bain mutiny and a campaign spokesman who bears false witness, Obama decides to continue his negative feedback loop by attempting to trash Romney’s gubernatorial record.
That now seems to be the Obamacrats standard operating procedure. The first thing they do is go negative and try to demonize their opponents rather than stand on their record.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. 54% of WI AFSCME employees voted with their feet in 2011.
I am going to try to avoid too much hyperbole and sarcasm for this one; this is one time where the situation requires neither. When Scott Walker and other Republicans instituted labor union reforms in 2009, one of the basic planks of such reforms – the one that was quietly and viciously fought, tooth and nail, by the unions – was removal of mandatory dues collection for public sector union employees. In fact, from the union leaderships’ point of view this was THE reform that needed to be killed; if the Republicans had compromised on it then there probably wouldn’t have been a Wisconsin recall movement at all. But Walker and the Republicans didn’t compromise… and what was the result?
DOOM.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Study Reveals the Gulf of Mexico Permitting Mess
In a rational world, the Federal government would act as a motivated lease owner who was interested in promoting the safe and environmentally responsible development of his mineral resource, consistent with sound conservation practice. That’s why there’s a permit process in the first place.
Since Macondo, that’s backwards. Operating practices must conform to the permitting process that has, um, evolved in a purely political environment: practical considerations, economics and common sense be damned. And while the politicians proclaim a concern for production levels, product prices and jobs, their actions and policies tell another story.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Colorado Democratic Spokesman Accuses State Parties of Money Laundering
The top spokesman for Colorado Democrats told a local paper that both parties in the
May 31, 2012
Morning Briefing for May 31, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
May 31, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. The Extraordinary Nature of the Texas Runoff
2. AP: Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms Wisconsin job growth.
3. Don’t Bring Back Earmarks!
4. Law of Sea Treaty A Back Door For Cap And Trade
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1. The Extraordinary Nature of the Texas Runoff
It is hard to overstate just how extraordinary Ted Cruz’s underdog entry into the Texas runoff is and just how the odds are still stacked against him unless conservatives rally quickly with lots of money.
David Dewhurst has been Lt. Governor of Texas for more than a decade. He has massive name ID throughout the state. Ted Cruz started this race with a three or four percent showing in polling.
More so, Dewhurst is a multimillionaire who can write large sums of money to fund his campaign. Ted Cruz cannot. Texas has several of the most expensive media markets in the country and the state is too large to go door to door across the state.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. AP: Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms Wisconsin job growth.
Readers might remember – certainly The Weekly Standard [TWS] did – that beleaguered Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial recall candidate Tom Barrett has called into question Republican Scott Walker’s contention that the Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS] had reported Wisconsin had actually gained jobs in 2011, instead of the loss of jobs that had been previously reported from another source. Actually, ‘called into question’ is too mild a term; Barrett more or less called Walker a liar.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Don’t Bring Back Earmarks!
Some members of congress are trying to reopen the earmark ban through an obscure legislative process. For many conservatives, the two-year moratorium on the practice of earmarking was the signature accomplishment of the new House majority elected in 2010. Yet, the current legislative push by involving Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs) is being used by the Washington establishment to reopen that moratorium and roll back conservative advances.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Law of Sea Treaty A Back Door For Cap And Trade
Conn Carroll had an excellent piece at the Washington Examiner yesterday titled “Obama’s Lame Duck Plan To Pass Cap And Trade.” Carroll makes the case that Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) may use the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) as a back door to implement cap and trade regulations on United States citizens.
Mike Brownfield of The Heritage Foundation (my employer) wrote a short history of LOST the day before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing last Wednesday.
May 30, 2012
Concern Trolling the Democrats #EERS
Democrats frequently “concern troll” the Republican Party. The GOP cannot win in New England. It has drifted too far to the right. The GOP is purging moderates. Etc. Etc. Etc.
They act as if they care and in fact are delighted by what they interpret as the decline and fall of the GOP.
Meanwhile, more Democrats are leaving the Donks headed over to the GOP. They are losing the rust belt, Appalachia, and the South. Their gains in the west are not offset by their losses elsewhere. Blue collar Catholics are leaving.
Tonight, I’ll spend some time concern trolling the Democrats.
You can listen live tonight on the WSB live stream and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK. The show is from 6pm to 8pm ET.
Consider this an open thread.
The Extraordinary Nature of the Texas Runoff
It is hard to overstate just how extraordinary Ted Cruz’s underdog entry into the Texas runoff is and just how the odds are still stacked against him unless conservatives rally quickly with lots of money.
David Dewhurst has been Lt. Governor of Texas for more than a decade. He has massive name ID throughout the state. Ted Cruz started this race with a three or four percent showing in polling.
More so, Dewhurst is a multimillionaire who can write large sums of money to fund his campaign. Ted Cruz cannot. Texas has several of the most expensive media markets in the country and the state is too large to go door to door across the state.
Dewhurst’s political team is Governor Rick Perry’s highly successful (in Texas) political team. I know a number of them and consider them friends. They are formidable.
To the chagrin of Texas tea party activists, Governor Perry himself is backing Lt. Governor Dewhurst publicly.
All the stars aligned for David Dewhurst — a deep well of money to draw from, high existing name id, statewide incumbency, support from the Governor and his winning political team. Still, the tea party rallied behind Ted Cruz and got him into a runoff.
Now, the variables are largely the same. Ted Cruz must raise a ton of cash quickly to compete. He has eight weeks. Media will be ridiculously expensive. He will have some of the biggest guns in Texas firing in his direction.
One thing Ted Cruz has that David Dewhurst does not is the backing of the conservative movement and tea party activists.
David bested Goliath. Ted Cruz will need your help to best David Dewhurst.
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