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Montana Dem Gov. Brian Schweitzer Bragging about Election Abuses

It seems that Montana's Democrat Governor Brian Schweitzer has been out and about bragging to a gaggle of trial lawyers that he abused his power to help skew a close 2006 U.S. Senate election. Schweitzer now says it was all just a big joke. Listen for yourself - just go and check out Montana Pundit for the whole scoop. It kind of hearkens you back to a book written by a national talk radio host. … [Read more...]

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Clearing Up the Facts about Sarah Palin’s Record (for Slow-Learning Commenters)

Since I have several commenters here who insist upon trafficking in rumor and innuendo about Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, I feel impelled to post a couple useful links: - FactCheck.org: "Sliming Palin" - Pajamas Media: "Separating Palin Fact from Palin Fiction" And yes, I know that Sarah Palin didn't always oppose the "Bridge to Nowhere" and did accept earmarked federal funds years ago as Wasilla mayor, though she ended up strongly (and has remained) on the right side of the issue. Alaskans have taken for granted that Palin is responsible for killing the "Bridge to "Nowhere" (until very recently, even the Alaska Democratic Party even acknowledged as much on their website). Besides, do Barack Obama and Joe … [Read more...]

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Following the RNC, McCain-Palin Ticket Surging Beyond Expectations

What's that sound I hear? A bounce for McCain-Palin from the Republican National Convention that exceeded my expectations (H/T Rocky Mountain Right). A 10-point lead among likely voters ... seriously? At this point, it's an outlier, but the trend is undeniable. The Republican ticket leads in the Real Clear Politics average (which includes McCain's 1-point Rasmussen edge and 3-point Gallup Tracking Poll lead but not his 4-point tilt from Zogby) for the first time in about six months. There's a lot of campaigning left to do, but John McCain is in significantly better shape at this point than almost anyone would have forecast him doing. As I see it, the Presidential contest has moved from "Obama's race to lose" to "a toss-up." I'll take … [Read more...]

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Putting Today’s Economy in Perspective

It's national election season, which means perspective on the economy is badly needed. Thanks to Rossputin for highlighting this article from economists Brian Wesbury and Robert Stein. Read the whole thing for yourself, but interesting tidbits are that family income last year hit its first all-time high in 7 years, income inequality declined faster than at any point in the previous 45 years, and the poverty rate stayed below its pre-1999 norms. Yes, economic growth has lagged, causing the country to flirt with recession. But according to Wesbury and Stein, "these figures bolster the case that the underlying fundamentals of the US economy were sound in 2007, before the Federal Reserve decided to try to inflate our way out of financial … [Read more...]

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More Sarah Palin Tidbits

A source in El Paso County tells me that this Saturday's John McCain-Sarah Palin event in Colorado Springs has long since exhausted its 10,000 ticket supply and has put thousands more on waiting lists. I'm told this is bigger than President George W. Bush's appearance in Colorado Springs in 2004 - not surprisingly, as the conservative base has received its biggest jolt of inspiration since Ronald Reagan was running for President. Also, remember in last night's speech when Sarah Palin pointed out that her husband is a member of the United Steelworkers Union? Today, National Right to Work sends an open letter to Todd Palin informing him that he is inadvertently helping to fund attacks against his wife but can get some of that money back. … [Read more...]

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Alaska Can Have Bill Ritter … Colorado Will Take Sarah Palin Any Day

After last night's amazing speech, I'm jealous. Alaska, you can have Bill Ritter. Can we have Sarah Palin? Then I thought, in a few months she has a very good chance of being our vice-president. I'll settle for that. Interestingly, the Denver Post reports today about Gov. Ritter's lackluster speaking performance at last week's Democratic National Convention. A broken teleprompter appears to have been part of his problem. It seems Sarah Palin faced the same teleprompter problems, but went on unfazed to deliver a homerun. Could the same be said of Bill Ritter - or for that matter, Barack Obama - when they're off teleprompter? Broken teleprompter or not, I like this take from Michael at Best Destiny:But let me just leave this first … [Read more...]

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Could It Be True: RNC Bloggers Being Subjected to the Spanish Inquisition?

Going to the Republican National Convention as a blogger never was really an option for me this year. But my friend and colleague El Presidente is on location and filing dispatches. Hadn't heard any complaints really until I flipped over to Pajamas Media and saw this report from Rick Moran:Here on what is passing for “Bloggers Row,” there is plenty of grumbling about the accommodations supplied by our hosts. Some descriptives are not printable. Most reflect a huge disappointment with the way the GOP has shunted most of the bloggers off to the side, far from the action, dispersed throughout a gigantic “Press Filing Center” where the working media comes to hook up to the net and file their stories.... ...The dungeon that the … [Read more...]

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Sarah Palin Really Captures the Attention of the Colorado Blogosphere

I must say I'm glad I initially had the wrong information about who John McCain's running mate would be. Sarah Palin was the best pick. What's everyone else saying? Well, it's rare to see such unanimous sentiment asserted. Here goes: Steven, the New Conservative, who long has been championing Palin to be McCain's running mate, now says her selection was a "bad idea" ... for the Left Michael at Best Destiny says it's brilliant political Jiu-Jitsu Bob Agard calls the selection of the Alaska Governor "sheer brilliance" Jim at Thinking Right says "Outstanding!" Kenneth Davenport, writing at Backbone America, asserts that the choice is "a political masterstroke" Rocky Mountain Right calls Sarah Palin "an excellent choice" The Denver … [Read more...]

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Tim Pawlenty: Quick Thoughts

Update: Looks like I got headfaked, like many others. Pawlenty appears to be out. Speculation is on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Kudos to Steve if this is correct. In part he writes about her:Not only is she a woman (which, like it or not, is an issue for some voters), but she also puts a fresh, future-oriented face on the McCain campaign. By upending Alaska's corrupt political class, Palin has actually produced the type of change that Barack Obama can only talk about; and her collar is far bluer than Joe Biden's ever was. Furthermore, she is arguably the only candidate who has the necessary expertise to address the single most pressing issue in this election: gas prices. As Governor of Alaska, Chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact … [Read more...]