Residual Forces

I had a battle with my snooze button this morning, so I am now playing catch up at work. Here’s a couple quick hits:

Unlike his competition, Fred Thompson has a real plan to cut wasteful Government spending. For those who think he is doing nothing, or share the idea that the best conservative is a fiscal conservative with me, you have got to go take a look and spread the word. THOMPSON PLAN TO REDUCE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING

Mitt Romney may have pulled the plug in South Carolina and Florida. It appears he is as desperate to win Michigan to save his campaign as I have thought. (Hugh is still on suicide watch)

But Hugh does point out a very important nugget of McCain’s past. Surprise surprise, he may make Hillary and Obama look conservative on the Environment. Here’s a taste, but you have to go look at the whole thing, McCain is to the left of Al Gore in his proposals to destroy our American way of life, and the American automobile industry.

I will leave this post at the top today because conservatives have to know that Senator McCain is the anti-conservative, and Rick Santorum’s warning should be read by every Republican in every state yet to vote, and not just for the discussion of the McCain-Kennedy immigration fiasco highlighted below. I hope one or more of the FoxNews panel uses many of Senator Santorum’s quotes in tonight’s debate to put the issue of John McCain’s anti-conservatism center on the table.

Seriously, if you can live with McCain just because you think he is somehow a conservative or at least he gets the war right so you’re jumping on board - A) think again, and B) Go read for your self. 

The Blog House has a bit on the Carey/Huckabee deal.

Neither one of the chairs of the national parties will do it, nor will Brian Melendez, chairman of Minnesota’s DFL Party. They feel that it’s a conflict of interest for party chairs to endorse candidates. Ron Carey doesn’t share that reluctance. The chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party on Monday declared his support for Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and announced that he would serve as honorary chairman for his Minnesota campaign. He predicted some GOP activists would object. He got that right.

Carey “suggested that his support was personal and that he would not use the party apparatus to help Huckabee, according to the Star Tribune. Sorry, but that doesn’t hold water,” blogged Pat Shortridge at Truth vs. the Machine (8). “When individuals assume positions of leadership in an organization, especially a political organization, their primary responsibility and commitment is to the organization and not with their personal preferences. You don’t have to check your principles at the door, but you have to put the organization’s best interests ahead of your own narrow interests.”

“Ron Carey went above and beyond the call of incompetence today,” said Sean at MnPublius (9). “… The chair of the Minnesota Republican Party is taking a leadership role in a campaign, that is participating in an election that he has extraordinary power to affect. … If I’m a Republican caucusgoer — how can I be sure that my vote is going to count, when I know the guy who controls the counting is working for one of the sides?”

Here’s an interesting Commentary about evangelical politics. Here’s the conclusion.

If I sense that candidates for any office are dancing to the lock-step tune of the “Evangelical Christian” segment in our society, they will not get my vote. If they happen to be evangelical Christians, well and good. But that will not be a primary requirement.

An evangelical Christian? Yes. An “Evangelical Christian”? No. It’s that simple.

Herbert W. Chilstrom, St. Peter, Minn., is the former presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Clinton 2.0 - Mike Huckabee seems to campaign just like the Clintons.

nonprofit group accused of using aggressive telephone “push-polling” to attack opponents of GOP hopeful Mike Huckabee shares major donors with Huckabee’s official presidential campaign, according to government records.

Common Sense Issues is a tax-exempt group registered in Delaware whose organizers have acknowledged the use of controversial telephone polling tactics to promote Huckabee’s presidential bid—and allegedly to trash the campaigns of the former Arkansas governor’s rivals. The nonprofit also helped set up and run Trusthuckabee.com, a Web site that was involved in front-line efforts to recruit and mobilize Huckabee supporters to turn out for the Iowa caucuses.

Rival candidates have criticized Common Sense Issues’s tactics, questioning whether the group’s ties to the Huckabee campaign are really arms-length—as required by federal law.

PiPress LTE takes Carey to task. (Others are split on Pawlenty’s Immigration proposal on Monday)

Over the top

After digesting Ron Carey’s “endorsement” of Mike Huckabee, I still had a nasty taste in my mouth (”State GOP chair throws support behind Huckabee,” Jan. 8). Carey stepped so far over the line that he should leave the party and the state. The party is to choose its candidate, not the leadership. To endorse an ultra-liberal former Baptist minister who makes policy positions based on gross misinterpretations of Bible Scripture is “over the top.” Yet, RINO Ron Carey thinks he’s tops.

I don’t understand how Republican Party leaders and candidates can even claim party affiliation when they refuse to support the grass-roots-built party platform. The policy positions adopted by the party are fiscally and constitutionally responsible and reflect the values that have made this country the darling of all the world’s populace. Changes that Huckabee proposes and Carey endorses through him spell destruction for the “Great Experiment” that worked.

JOHN CARLSON

Woodbury

Pawlenty for Veep talk is back with McCain’s win in New Hampshire. May I remind you that I coined the phrase, McPlenty way back last year sometime?

John Kerry has endorsed Barack Obama. Man I hope we get to see the return of Theraza on the campaign trail!

The Republican POTUS candidates are hitting FOX News again tonight for a debate. It starts at 8PM central.

More from the Strib, they open the Editorial page up for Franken worshiping.

Gary at Let Freedom Ring has a must read about the upcoming DFL push for a Constitutional Amendment on Health Care as a Right. The Battle We Can’t Afford To Lose

I have a Chamber meeting to pop my head into after work, then a speech/presentation to put together for Saturday on Politics and elections.

Of course I will be waiting with baited breathe to hear what happens at the Republican Party of Minnesota State Executive Committee Meeting tonight at 7PM.