Erick Erickson's Blog, page 98

The Whorification of Kids for Halloween #EERS

I'm back on radio tonight for three hours live. I intend to kick off the show talking about the whorificiation of our kids at Halloween. I'll get into the big news of the day as well.

You can call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK and listen live right here on the WSB live stream.

Consider this an open thread.

"An Incredible Moment in Politics." Mitt Romney Won't Go There.

Hey Rick Perry, if you weren't trying to have fun with birtherism, this would probably be a much bigger media story today. Peter Hamby over at CNN referred to it as "an incredible moment in politics."

Mitt Romney refused to endorse John Kasich's reforms in Ohio. This is a huge freaking deal.

Playing it too safe is finally biting Romney in the rear end. He's refused to call social security a ponzi scheme. He's refused to offer bold economic reform plans. He's refused to address significant changes in entitlement reforms. His whole campaign has centered around tapioca.

And today, while at a call center where volunteers were calling people to support Governor Kasich's reforms, Mitt Romney . . . well . . . here is Conn Carroll.

Campaigning in Ohio today, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stopped by a Republican Party phone-bank making calls in support of Gov. John Kasich's government union reform referendum, but refused to endorse the actual referendum. CNN's Peter Hamby called the scene an "incredible moment in politics."

Typically, when a politician stands for nothing except his own election, he winds up not getting elected.

UPDATE: Over at NRO, Katrina Trinko has this:

"Gov. Romney believes that the citizens of states should be able to make decisions about important matters of policy that affect their states on their own."

Um . . . really? Guess that has changed since 2010 when he was out endorsing candidates. Oh, but those were candidates, this is policy. Back when he was Governor Massachusetts he opposed a ballot measure to eliminate the state income tax. Oh, but that was his state and he was Governor.

So in fairness, he's been pretty consistent ever since he refused to support the Bush tax cuts.

But wait! What's that you say? Romney is in Ohio supporting another ballot initiative? Well then I think we need to throw out three letters and a punctuation mark: W, T, and F, followed by a question mark and maybe an exclamation mark for good measure.

Rick Perry's Birtherism

On a day when he should be focused on his 20/20 plan, the press wants Rick Perry to focus on Barack Obama's 'birth certificate." Why? Because a Parade interviewer asked Perry about it and Perry did not flat out say "Obama is an American citizen."

So now the press is after him. John Harwood of the New York Times asked Perry three times about the subject in one interview.

It is clear from the interviews that (A) Perry does not much care; (B) Perry thinks it is fun to tease Barack Obama about it and (C) the press wants a definitive answer.

Because Perry admits it is a distraction and it is clear the press will not let go of it, Rick Perry just needs to get it over with and say the man is an American. But I suspect he won't do that even though he should.

Rick Perry likes picking on Barack Obama. Watching the video below, it seems to me that Perry is not a birther, but sure isn't afraid to use the issue to needle the President, whether I or anyone else likes it or not.

While it is aggravating to those of us who will now have to spend a week on television talking about Rick Perry and birtherism instead of talking about Barack Obama and the economy, I think those of us (including me) who are rolling our eyes at this and aggravated may be missing out on something Perry is tapped in to — Americans have had enough of Barack Obama.

They are perfectly willing to let someone tease Obama about his birth certificate. Heck, a pretty significant portion of Americans have had their doubts about it and a majority doubt Obama's faith. Given their dissatisfaction with his job approval, I don't think most Americans are going to object to Rick Perry picking on the President.

Likewise, I really do think the American people are damn tired of the media telling them what they must believe on all sorts of subjects. From gay rights to global warming to Barack Obama, the New York – Washington corridor of pundits, analysts, and reporters on both the left and right have decided some positions are unacceptable even if a majority of Americans feel otherwise.

And like it or not, Perry is just the type of person to tap into that anti-establishmentarian resentment.

I wish he wouldn't on this issue. Birtherism is a dangerous topic to handle because it inflames the passions nuts. They're already going after Marco Rubio now. Perry should be cautious. I hope his campaign will get him on message.

But for those of us thinking this is going to blow up in his face, I don't think it actually will.

Americans For Cain Fires Up in Iowa

Capitalizing on the discord and acrimony at the last debate between Perry and Romney, Americans for Cain is kicking off a new ad with a heavy online push geotargetted to Iowa.

Herman Cain is running a novel campaign without a lot of internal campaign organized ground game operations in the early states. But Americans for Cain intends to supplement the efforts of the Cain camp with its own ground game operation, volunteers, and advertisements.

You'll be seeing a lot of this one, which we've been given a sneak peak of. It'll officially launch later today.

Morning Briefing for October 25, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For October 25, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Americans For Cain Fires Up in Iowa

2. I'm Afraid I Have to Call Bulls*** on Paul Burka

3. Barack the $15 Trillion Man

4. The Perry Camp Shakes Up

5. Karma's a Botch.

6. AFL-CIO Vows To Be #OccupyWallStreet Protesters' 'Get Out Of Jail Free' Card

———————————————————————-

1. Americans For Cain Fires Up in Iowa

Capitalizing on the discord and acrimony at the last debate between Perry and Romney, Americans for Cain is kicking off a new ad with a heavy online push geotargetted to Iowa.

Herman Cain is running a novel campaign without a lot of internal campaign organized ground game operations in the early states. But Americans for Cain intends to supplement the efforts of the Cain camp with its own ground game operation, volunteers, and advertisements.

You'll be seeing a lot of this one, which we've been given a sneak peak of. It'll officially launch later today.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. I'm Afraid I Have to Call Bulls*** on Paul Burka

I know Paul Burka is highly regarded and respected for his journalism, but I have to call bulls*** on him over this post his blog at Texas Monthly.

According to Mr. Burka, as of 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon — that would be Sunday, October 23, 2011 — "there was no economic plan, even though it was scheduled for a rollout in the immediate future." The "economic plan" to which Mr. Burka is referring is the Perry campaign's economic plan.

I know that is not true. I know it is not true because I have, these days, become so busy with this website, my radio show, and my television appearances that I can no longer afford to suffer through the little briefings and strategies and what not so many feel so compelled to invite me to sit through.

If you want to tell me all about your economic plan, send it to me in an email and let me read it. And thus it was with the Perry campaign. They offered me a preview of the plan and I told them to just send me the plan, not some vaporware version of the plan. And so they did. Last week.

Printing it out, I found dozens of pages of an economic plan complete with a flat tax of 20%, a generous per person deduction of $12,500.00, all the language to make it optional, and a few other surprises I'm not yet allowed to share until the candidate himself announces it. It had more than 70 footnotes along with it.

Later today it will unveiled to the nation.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Barack the $15 Trillion Man

Amidst the hype concerning the so-called era of austerity and budget cuts, the national debt is rapidly marching towards the $15 trillion milestone. As of late last week, the national debt stood at $14.94 trillion. For those of you keeping score, that number has grown by $646 billion since the debt ceiling was raised on August 2, as part of the great bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011. In other words, the debt has increased by over $8 billion per day during the past 11 weeks.

Let's put these numbers in historical perspective.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. The Perry Camp Shakes Up

Governor Rick Perry's campaign is making news today in anticipation of his flat tax release tomorrow. He's adding national staff, but not just any staff — staff that led insurgent bids against the GOP establishment.

Nelson Warfield is known among conservatives as the guy who went in and helped Doug Hoffman against Dede Scozzafava. Warfield was one of the guys who made the necessary decision to keep Doug Hoffman out of his own commercials. It was a smart trick. Heh.

Nelson Warfield will be joined by Tony Fabrizio, a well respected pollster, and Curt Anderson. The three of them helped Governor Rick Scott in Florida upset the national and Florida GOP establishment in the Republican Primary last year.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Karma's a Botch.

Last week, we heard about the Fisker Karma, the new electric vehicle being built in Finland using a $529 million loan from U.S. taxpayers. Beneficiaries of this deal include one Albert Gore, partner in the "green" venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Now Forbes contributor Warren Meyer weighs in with an analysis of the Karma's true energy efficiency, rate in miles-per-gallon equivalent according to a DOE formula.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

6. AFL-CIO Vows To Be #OccupyWallStreet Protesters' 'Get Out Of Jail Free' Card

Remember just a few days ago when AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka told C-Span viewers that his federation was only providing support, places to meet, water, food, but NO money?

Well, it turns out the AFL-CIO has vowed to provide legal support and is also encouraging people to be arrested…

Please click here for the rest of the post.

I'm Afraid I Have to Call Bulls*** on Paul Burka

I know Paul Burka is highly regarded and respected for his journalism, but I have to call bulls*** on him over this post his blog at Texas Monthly.

According to Mr. Burka, as of 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon — that would be Sunday, October 23, 2011 — "there was no economic plan, even though it was scheduled for a rollout in the immediate future." The "economic plan" to which Mr. Burka is referring is the Perry campaign's economic plan.

I know that is not true. I know it is not true because I have, these days, become so busy with this website, my radio show, and my television appearances that I can no longer afford to suffer through the little briefings and strategies and what not so many feel so compelled to invite me to sit through.

If you want to tell me all about your economic plan, send it to me in an email and let me read it. And thus it was with the Perry campaign. They offered me a preview of the plan and I told them to just send me the plan, not some vaporware version of the plan. And so they did. Last week.

Printing it out, I found dozens of pages of an economic plan complete with a flat tax of 20%, a generous per person deduction of $12,500.00, all the language to make it optional, and a few other surprises I'm not yet allowed to share until the candidate himself announces it. It had more than 70 footnotes along with it. (Just to note: I'm mentioning the rate and deduction only because Steve Moore did so in the Wall Street Journal's wonderful Political Diary earlier today)

I don't know who told Mr. Burka that as of 3:00 p.m. yesterday there was no plan, but I can assure you there is not only a plan, but a well thought out plan that exists on paper to boot.

Democracy Denied by Phil Kerpen

[image error]Full disclosure — I'm one of the blurbs in the book. I like Phil Kerpen. I like his work at Americans for Prosperity. I knew I'd like his book. I did. So will you.

No, Phil's book is not about a shadowy Obama conspiracy to impose martial law or not leave office should he be booted out. It is a book that fastidiously chronicles the extent to which the Obama Administration has bypassed Congress and sought to impose its leftist agenda on the country without a vote being taken by any elected politicians.

Phil shows how the Obama Administration is using its regulatory powers and appointments gained during the two years when Democrats controlled both house of Congress to stack the deck in favor of unions, envirowackos, and socialists working to undermine the nation's capitalist principles.

And oh yes . . . there is, in fact, a section spelling out Barack Obama's ties to Wall Street.

One of the cool things about the book is the novel layouts and pull quotes. I don't know how the editor is, but I genuinely love the typography. That's not something I'd normally note in a book, but it stands out and makes the book more friendly in what could otherwise be a daunting subject.

Phil handles the subject well and writes in a down to earth way. The beauty of this book is that with Solyndra, Lightsquared, and others, Phil is going to have an awesome second edition.

Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid by MaryBeth Hicks

[image error]I've started getting in so many books lately for review, I need to start being more diligent with them. So how about this — I'll write a blurb on the book, give you a picture of the book with Lincoln, and drop you a link to Amazon?

First up is one past due and that I have read cover to cover and promised to write about a month ago only to get bogged down with travel. It is MaryBeth Hick's Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid.

This one is a bit depressing at first, but then it pisses you and then finally activates something in your brain to fight back. Those are the good ones. Mary Beth delves into polling and studies showing just how well liberals have gotten at indoctrinating kids in school and in culture. It's rather staggering actually.

But she doesn't leave it there. She actually gives some good tips on being proactively engaged to clear the brain rot in your kids' heads and fight back. It was a quick read. The Publisher is Regnery (our sister company for disclosure purposes).

You can buy the book here at Amazon.

Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid by Mary Beth Hicks

[image error]I've started getting in so many books lately for review, I need to start being more diligent with them. So how about this — I'll write a blurb on the book, give you a picture of the book with Lincoln, and drop you a link to Amazon?

First up is one past due and that I have read cover to cover and promised to write about a month ago only to get bogged down with travel. It is Mary Beth Hick's Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid.

This one is a bit depressing at first, but then it pisses you and then finally activates something in your brain to fight back. Those are the good ones. Mary Beth delves into polling and studies showing just how well liberals have gotten at indoctrinating kids in school and in culture. It's rather staggering actually.

But she doesn't leave it there. She actually gives some good tips on being proactively engaged to clear the brain rot in your kids' heads and fight back. It was a quick read. The Publisher is Regnery (our sister company for disclosure purposes).

You can buy the book here at Amazon.

The Perry Camp Shakes Up

Governor Rick Perry's campaign is making news today in anticipation of his flat tax release tomorrow. He's adding national staff, but not just any staff — staff that led insurgent bids against the GOP establishment.

Nelson Warfield is known among conservatives as the guy who went in and helped Doug Hoffman against Dede Scozzafava. Warfield was one of the guys who made the necessary decision to keep Doug Hoffman out of his own commercials. It was a smart trick. Heh.

Nelson Warfield will be joined by Tony Fabrizio, a well respected pollster, and Curt Anderson. The three of them helped Governor Rick Scott in Florida upset the national and Florida GOP establishment in the Republican Primary last year.

They'll be joined by Curt Anderson, who was with Team Romney in 2008. Anderson is close to Governor Bobby Jindal and, among my friends whether they like him or hate him, known to be one hell of a great debate coach and message guy.

None of the Texas team are leaving. The new guys will just help reshape and beef up the messaging components of Team Perry, the one crucial thing they need to improve as Perry gets set to announce his tax plan.

I'll give one piece of advice. Two-thirds of the public thinks America is in decline. Team Perry needs to now shut up about Texas and start talking about America channelling Reagan's optimism.

A good start:

"I never thought of myself as a great man, just a man committed to great ideas. I've always believed that individuals should take priority over the state. History has taught me that this is what sets America apart — not to remake the world in our image, but to inspire people everywhere with a sense of their own boundless possibilities. There's no question I am an idealist, which is another way of saying I am an American." — Ronald Reagan

H/t on the Regan quote to Ben Domenech and The Transom.