theclosetconservative.com

First the bad news: For everyone who was dissapointed at Mitt Romney not being on the ticket. I believe I know how you feel. Governor Romney will deliver an electrifying speech at the convention if he’s invited to do so. If not, that could be a the signal of a major rift between him and Senator McCain not unlike the rift between McCain and President Bush. But, remember 8 years later, McCain emerged at the Republican nominee. On the other hand, his brother is co-chair of the McCain campaign in Michigan, where their father: George Romney was governor in the 60’s. Going through a list of reasons for his not being included on the ticket, one possibility cound be that news commentary on “Romneycare” in Massachussetts has not been favorable. As Governor, Mitt Romney wanted a health plan that (a.) Covered more people. (b.) Lowered taxpayer burden, & (c.) Was more affordable. Unfortunately the Massachussetts health plan ended up with a newly created bureaucracy, and, by recent reports, is going to increase taxpayer costs. This is a subject I’m frankly going to have to research more, but it’s an issue that’s been swirling around and may be a reason why Romney ultimately wasn’t chosen to be on the ticket. Another reason could be that Karl Rove, and Team Bush had been privately agitating for Romney’s inclusion. (I had read that Jeb Bush’s people were involved with Romney’s primary campaign.)  This may have simply teed off Senator McCain who doesn’t exactly like being told what to do. (But I’m guessing here.) I believed that the Massachussets health care issue could have been turned around by saying “See, any health care reform that contains more socailism than free market solutions won’t work.” That might’ve involved a slightly embarrassing admission on his part, but he could’ve gotten through it. But I Believe we will see him again. Either campaigning for congressional candidates around the country as did RIchard Nixon in the 60’s. In either case, I don’t think we’ve ween the last of Mitt Romney, either as part of this campaign or Republican politics.

Now the good news: When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was named as McCain’s running mate, the most fun thing was watching Bob Beckel on the FOx & Friends Morning Show looking so downcast as if to say “Now how do we tear HER down!” After doing a little reading about her, I understand. The mainstream (What Rush refers to as the “Drive-By) media tried the tactic of saying this nullifies the experience argument against Obama. Not so fast, first term governor, yes, no experience, I don’t think so. She already has a reputation of fighting corruption in her own party. (Going against Senator Ted Stevens) She’s a pro-life conservative, giving birth to a child she knew would have down syndrome. The criticism (from the left) that as a mother how could she do this job if she has a special needs child has already blown up in the faces of the critics if Cokie Roberts’ reaction is anything to go by. The claim was made that this type of criticism would only inflame Hillary supporters that thought women should have careers even if they had children with health problems. Maybe the Democrats will find something that’ll stick. Maybe she won’t do well in a debate with Joe Biden. Maybe John McCain has surprised all of us. We’ll have to wait and see. Sarah Palin may not have as much experience as Joe Biden, for people thinking of the Heartbeat Away scenario, but who would you rather have on the number 2 spot, a senator that has loads of foreign policy experience that’s on the wrong side of every issue, or a first term governor that by all appearances is for the same things conservatives generally stand for. According to the latest Zogby poll as of Friday 8/29/08: it’s McCain/Palin: 47 % compared to Obama/Biden at 45 %. Obama won 86 % support from Democrats and McCain won 89% support from Republicans. When Biden and Palin are factored in Obama’s Democratic support remains at 86 % while McCain’s Republican support increases to 92 %. It continues to be interesting.

Where Do I Start? I guess with the current state of the Presidential election. What recently appeared to be the tide of inevitability (The coming Democratic party landslide) does not seem inevitable anymore. Barack Obama has had to be away from his teleprompter and his poll numbers are showing it. After Senator McCain’s Paris Hilton Britney Spears tv ad ran, Democrats were howling about how negative a campaign John McCain was running. In English: that translates as “We’ve been stung because the joke cut too close to home and we don’t like it.” To borrow a line from Bill Murray: “Someone needs a WAAAAHHHMbulance.” Even conservatives were uncomfortable with this ad until they saw the more recent polling data. Barack Obama’s “Citizen Of The World” tour was yielding diminishing returns. The response to Russia’s attack on Georgia to “Urge both sides to use restraint” further solidified his image as a rookie. Add to that the fact that Hillary Clinton seems to be taking over the Democratic convention, and things are no longer looking good for the junior Senator from Illinois. Rush Limbaugh seemed to think McCain could win in a landslide. I think I’ll wait for a couple more shoes to drop to go out on that limb, but I must admit, when he told everyone to just inflate their tires to fight high gas prices, and responded to people criticising of his ideas as “reveling in being ignorant,” that was just as close to a “Dukakis in the tank” moment as I’ve seen in this campaign.

              On the Republican side, DIck Morris’s argument for Joe Lieberman on the ticket, and against Mitt Romney is just plain wrong. Joe Lieberman is a liberal Democrat that a lot of conservatives love…on a personal level…supporting his friend: John McCain…maybe even speaking at the convention. NOT on the ticket with him. Mr. Morris would do well to read one of the last articles written by Robert Novak before he took ill. The crux of one of those articles was that private polling showed a McCain/Romney ticket with a small but comfortable lead in the state of Michigan, where Romney’s father was Governor on the 60’s, where McCain won the 2000 primary, and lost in ‘08 to Romney. He may not get the VP nod but Dick Morris and Mike Huckabee’s arguments against him are simply ignorant. Huckabee does not speak for all evangelicals, and evangelicals were already getting into a comfort zone with Romney. His Mormonism never morphed into the issue against him that any of his critics hoped it would be. His knowledge of the economy and clarity of explanation would be a breath of fresh air should he appear on the ticket.

Foreign Policy. Can the recent headlines about the Russian incursion into Georgia remind the American people even more that now is not the time for a rookie Senator to be in the White House? We know George W. Bush made a bad miscalculation when He met Vladimir Putin, but the Democrats are going to have a hard time suggesting Barack Obama as the better man to handle Russia and these types of problems. John McCain just looks and sounds more Presidential discussing this type of issue.

Will some Republican Congressman from South Carolina PLEASE mount a primary challenge to Lindsay Graham?! This man is dangerously close to torpedoing the issue that could cause the Republican base, and independents, and democrats to support a Republican legislature to do something a Democratic controlled one will not. Get our own energy from our own domestic sources. Memo to Lindsay. People didn’t vote for you to get along with Democrats. They voted for you to fight them and advance the conservative cause. Please do your job or the voters of South Carolina will find someone who will…….Okay, I feel better now.