Oh joy, I've finally figured out who my Republican Congressional candidate is: John Lerew, not John LeGrew (how bad is it when your name gets misspelled in a key publication that introduces your candidacy to a key audience of activists?). Longtime Colorado blogger Jack Ott, whom I met back in 2004, has posted information about Mr. Lerew. Certainly, he seems an ardent and passionate conservative, but it's apparent the GOP went pretty deep onto the bench to bring him forward as the candidate. Or, as one Lefty blogger quite accurately put it, Mr. Lerew is "the sacrificial lamb" to run against incumbent Rep. Ed Perlmutter. (I feel out of the loop to have taken so long to learn about this one. But it also speaks ill of the candidate's … [Read more...]
Montana GOP Nominates Socialist Octogenarian to Run for U.S. Senate
It sounds like Republican Party ideals are not exactly in their heyday in Montana (H/T Volokh Conspiracy):Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bob Kelleher wants a “nonviolent revolution†to overthrow the foundation of American government. He favors enormous, FDR-style government work programs to reduce poverty; he wants to nationalize the American oil and gas industries and supports government-run, socialized medicine. He has little nice to say about President Bush or former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot. Political scientists and the head of the Montana Republican Party say Kelleher, 85, isn’t really a Republican, at all. And yet, two days ago, Kelleher beat five other, mostly conservative to mainstream GOP candidates to become the … [Read more...]
Introducing The Next Right
The Next Right is officially launched today. From the About page:The Next Right is the place for wired activists to build a new Republican Party and conservative movement. As a community-driven grassroots action website for the right, we'll feature in-depth political analysis, on-the-ground reports, and strategic discussion and debate. The site's founding editors are Soren Dayton, Jon Henke, and Patrick Ruffini. Read each of their posts announcing this new venture here: Soren | Jon | Patrick These are the brightest minds in new media that our side has to offer. I encourage all limited government conservative bloggers and blog-readers in Colorado to sign up and join The Next Right network. Our state has been on the front line of … [Read more...]
Deconstructing Republican Folly, Reconstructing Constitutionalist Hope
Two of Colorado's most established center-right bloggers weigh in on what's happened to the Republican Party brand and what can be done about it. Michael at Best Destiny takes a look at a Face The State story on the Republican's recent plight in Denver's northwest suburbs and opines loudly about what needs to be done to overcome messaging problems:. . . .TALK TO EVERYBODY, NOT JUST THE BASE; TALK TO THEM ABOUT KITCHEN TABLE ISSUES, NOT GOP MEAT AND POTATOES; KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO PEOPLE like the economy, stupid; like education, stupid;... Michael should get paid for his political consultant's work. I concur that messaging is part of the problem, but in some ways the problem runs even deeper. Meanwhile, Joshua at View from a Height … [Read more...]
Enough Cold Water Splashed on the Face of the GOP in Congress?
There's a great editorial in the Wall Street Journal today:If there is such a thing as a useful election defeat, then Tuesday's Republican loss in a special House election in Mississippi would qualify. Maybe this thumping in a heretofore safe GOP seat will finally scare the Members straight, or at least less crooked. Followed by a reminder that many members of Congress need to figure out what it is they stand for:In the Mississippi race, the national GOP tried to link Democratic candidate Travis Childers to Barack Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright. One TV ad declared: "Travis Childers: He took Obama's endorsement over our conservative values." But Mr. Childers was well known as a cultural conservative who favors gun rights and opposes … [Read more...]
We Have a Problem…
If you're a limited government conservative and you want to stay informed, you really ought to be reading Jon Henke and company over at Q and O. I met Jon at Samsphere in Chicago: he has a wealth of blogging experience, key insights into strategic roles of new media, and a realistic, no-holds-barred view of the political landscape. Today, following off a Robert Novak column, he makes a point about the chronic, compulsive inability of many Congressional Republicans to get their act together on spending and fiscal issues, a point that is difficult to refute:Reelecting these guys is like sending Norm Peterson to lead an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. They're whipped by Democrats and by the public choice incentives. There's just no … [Read more...]
Local GOP Blogger Declares Candidacy for State Legislature
One of my longest, most consistent friends in the blogging world has decided to throw his hat in the ring. Republican Joshua Sharf has declared his candidacy for House District 6. Since the district is a heavily Democrat enclave, the campaign is much less about personal ambition than principle. Having exposed frontrunning Republican candidate Rima Barakat Sinclair for her anti-Israel Islamist agenda and other suspect credentials, Joshua has decided to petition on the primary ballot to ensure she does not carry the Republican Party banner in the fall. Apparently, a Republican candidate for Congress learned about Ms. Sinclair's history and decided to reject her $500 contribution to his heated primary campaign. That's a strong message, … [Read more...]
McCain’s Appearance in Denver
The most thorough reporting on Republican Presidential candidate John McCain's stop in Denver yesterday can be found at Slapstick Politics. In one key passage El Presidente writes:So when the Democrats and the left target Senate candidate Bob Schaffer for comments he made about Sen. McCain last year that appear critical, ask them how they will handle their party's own squabbles, name-calling, and vitriol. If Schaffer can't offer his opinion and then change/modify/alter it, then it will be tough (even for Democrats) to see either Obama or Clinton offering their support for each other, once the nomination is decided. And the attacks we've seen between those two this primary season make any tension between Schaffer and McCain pale in … [Read more...]
Blue Elephants
If you feel like your life has been devoid of elephant sightings - in particular blue elephant sightings - you might want to drop by and visit my house. In the past week, we've had somewhat frequent visits from various "big" and "heavy" pachyderms. Or so my 2-year-old daughter tells us. Sometimes the elephants are "babies," but lately they've all been "blue." Hey, if you've got half an imagination, it'll beat most anything you see on The Discovery Channel. Seriously, though, I'm taking this fascination with elephants as a sign of some innate Republican sensibility. And when I say Republican, I interpret it in the sense of the traditional Reagan conservative coalition. The blue part? Beats me. Any theories out there? Personally, I just … [Read more...]
Second Chance for McCain?
Yesterday, immediately following his successful Super Tuesday showing, I wrote that McCain needs to woo conservatives. A few hours later, we got this:Republican John McCain, buoyed by Super Tuesday wins that pushed him closer to the nomination, told his conservative critics Wednesday to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree. ''I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on,'' McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar. [emphasis added] Not exactly a great start. In fact, it sounds a lot like the same old patronizing bit conservatives are used to hearing from Sen. McCain. … [Read more...]