Justice Elena Kagan? **UPDATED**

Obama's liberal Senate, including a few cowardly GOP turncoats, have confirmed Elena Kagan as the 112th Supreme Court Justice of the United States. A self proclaimed constitution hating socialist guaranteed to prop up her political ideals and squash liberty, Elena Kagan is yet another lasting blemish on the face of the country left by the Obama administration.

Her extremism, however, moves no power within the court. The court still remains liberty minded 5-4. Kagan is merely a replacement for another long serving liberal activist judge. The board remains unchanged. As such, I have nothing more to say - she will vote left, and there will be no shock to her extremist rulings on any case.

There is something more troubling. We forevermore will have to look at her asexual face amongst the many others in black robes.

Is it too hard to ask for a talented, experienced, attractive politician? The GOP is full of them. I guess the Dems are the party of bitter, unattractive, angry women... not just the "party of women". Not to worry. There are conservative women too. (Nikki Haley, SC Gov. Candidate)

Am I being superficial? Of course. But it is derived from the sheer lunacy of everything else happening at the highest levels of this government. There is no other choice but to laugh!


******************UPDATE****************

So I log onto FoxNews and see the following picture:

Obama's Top Economic Advisor, Christina Romer. The photo is not doctored in any way. As much as I am sure she is a nice little socialist with feelings and friends, my original protest over the general 'appearance' of these leading liberal women is further reinforced. To which I have to counter with a leading industry economic savvy businesswoman, and Republican Candidate for Senate in California, Carly Fiorina:


Seriously... Is it too much to ask? I came upon the FoxNews story whilst I ate... not nice, Libs... not nice!

Democrats/Unions Run Boeing out of Washington - US Sen. Patty Murray's Epic Fail

The losers:

US Sen. Patty Murray - D (the intermediary in the Union negotiations)
WA State Gov. Christine Gregoire - D
IAM Union
Washington State economy and housing market
Socialist over-regulation on manufacturing

The Winners:

South Carolina
Boeing
Free Market Capitalism

Boeing will be moving the 787 second line to Charleston, SC, a decision that puts an egg on the face of US Senator Patty Murray, Democrat, who worked as the intermediary in the negotiations between Boeing, the State of WA, and the IAM Union. Murray is up for re-elction in 2012 to a fourth term in the US Senate and this loss should be placed directly on her shoulders and aide in her drive right out of office.

Without Boeing, the Pacific Northwest's economy will collapse. There was a major hit when then Governor Gary Locke, Democrat, would not modify regulatory laws, forcing Boeing Headquarters out of Seattle and into Chicago. That move took with it a number of jobs to the Kansas City manufacturing sites.

This move will set up the final death blow to Washington State, allowing for expansion of Boeing 787 production in the south and enabling a possible future move of all production out of Washington State. Hundreds of thousands of jobs lost or relocated over a decade and a half...

The culprit?

Democrat and Union leadership. The democrats have created regulatory laws disallowing any expansion of businesses without such excessive fees as to triple the overall cost of expansion, all in the name of the environment. Union leadership has put a stranglehold on the ability for Boeing to produce her product, by striking. Boeing wanted a ten year no strike agreement as well as regulatory relief from the government. Patty Murray indicated that what the state and union were willing to offer was more than fair...

It was always Boeing who was held hostage in Washington State because of a lack of manufacturing capabilities in any alternate location. The 787 Dreamliner line included the acquisition of Voight, a SC company, and the necessary elements required for full scale production of a major airliner. Boeing saw the opportunity to use her new leverage - the Democrats did not budge - and Boeing left.

The Seattle Area has directly challenged Detroit in leadership of the "Depressed Economy" club.

Thank you Democrats!

A Constitutional Amendment! R-SC DeMint Proposes Term Limits!

Praise be to God! South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint has done what many of us have wished and called for over the years - He is proposing a Constitutional Amendment limiting the terms of US Senators and Congressmen to 2 terms and 3 terms respectively, reviving a key element of the Republican Contract with America of the early 1990's.

I had been preparing a blog on this very issue, suggesting that when we find an elected official willing to propose that amendment, we will have found the leader of our party.

Senator Jim DeMint, you have just been propelled to the top of my list, despite your veering from Libertarian causes in favor of Social Conservatism.

About DeMint:
DeMint was ranked by National Journal as the most conservative United States Senator in their March, 2007 conservative/liberal rankings, and again in 2008.

DeMint's main work has been opposing the increase of Federal government spending, both under the Bush and Obama Administrations. He was opposed to
federal bailouts for banks and other corporations. For his stances on budgetary issues, DeMint has been strongly supported by the fiscally conservative political group Club for Growth.

In 2009, DeMint introduced an amendment to a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus bill that would have prohibited lawmakers from using any percentage of transportation funds on bicycle, walking, or wilderness trails. Additionally, DeMint opposed the whole bill.

DeMint was one of the first members of Congress to publicly back the Honduran Supreme Court in the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis. He went to Honduras in 2009, and met with de facto president Roberto Micheletti, who was installed after the constitutional crisis. The White House has explicitly banned meetings with the current leaders. The White House views ousted president Manuel Zelaya as the legitimately elected president.

I fully support term limits for congress, but do not support lifetime limits. For instance, I would add the word "consecutive" preceding the term limitations, allowing for a congressman from one district to serve another district at another time, or a senator to serve as a congressman and then return to a senate position. What this does is removes them from the position of incumbent without eliminating their liberty to act as a public servant... though I also disagree with "career politicians" it should be the right of a citizen to seek office at the request of their constituents.

One thing I would also like to see is an amendment eliminating the "pay raise" clause of the Constitution, establishing a flat rate salary of $50,000 annually for Congressmen, $75,000 annually for Senators, and $100,000 annually for President - no adjustment for cost of living, and only allowing pay cuts. Incumbents don't fear the "pay raise" clause as it stands, and the leaders of this country are over compensated for their job performance as it is. As a matter of fact, the States should have to approve all pay increases as a vote of the people in the states. 100% required for passing such a pay raise.

Getting back on track, Senator DeMint has now officially been placed on my radar for 2012... though I don't like Senators as Presidents, this decision is worthy of special attention.

My Thoughts in a post SC world...

There are ten days between SC and Florida... and another week after that until Super Tuesday. So what do the next two weeks hold in store?

We have already seen Duncan Hunter drop the race after a predictably poor showing in SC.

So who is next?

The headlines of the morning papers today, as seen on eGOPnews.com, are hinting that Fred Thompson is considering dropping the race after he was able to do little more than play the spoiler to the Huckabee campaign... of course they hinted at that before... but Fred had said that he needed a win or a strong second in SC to have a chance. And anyone who watched Fred's concession speech were left scratching their heads, wondering if he botched a withdrawal speech, or if he was trying to rally the troops on into Florida:



The AP Reports:

Despite the situation, Thompson was expected to bow out after failing to
win the states where he had hoped to perform strongly, Iowa and South Carolina.
The former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" actor returned home after
delivering a speech in South Carolina on Saturday that sounded like he was
calling it quits. He stopped short of doing so but some supporters suspected it
would only be a matter of time before Thompson withdraws.

Before South Carolina, several aides had said he probably would need to
finish first or a strong second in that race to go forward. Aides didn't expect
a decision from Thompson until sometime after the weekend.

With Fred Thompson out, the race will become a McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Rudy contest... heading into Florida where they are all within 7 points of one another, it will be a race to distinguish the have's from the have-not's in the GOP Primary.

Current poll averages have the top four hovering around 20%, and Thompson & Paul way behind the field with 8.5 and 5 points respectively.

Should Thompson drop, and likely endorse McCain, one would wonder if Fred's social conservatives could get behind McCain, who has been no friend to Social issues... Rudy and Romney will likely not benefit from Fred's voters as much as McCain and Huckabee will. Should those votes distribute evenly, we should expect similar results as we saw in SC happening in Florida.

If Fred does not drop out, it will likely only serve to keep Huckabee's numbers low and help his friend McCain, as was the case in SC.

Moving into Super Tuesday without Fred could definitely shake things up. None of the top four are out, but Rudy is close, especially without Florida.

We should all listen very hard to any chatter coming out of the Thompson campaign. Once he makes a move to stay in or get out, we can better handicap the Florida race.

One thing is certain... Romney is counting on a brokered convention, where his wins in uncontested states may help... at least until Super Tuesday... then he could find himself falling to the rear of the pack... But when you have a brokered convention, every delegate counts!

I will provide updates if any news breaks...

How Will SC Vote Today?

And another contest begins in the presidential race of 2008 today. South Carolina's voting polls are open and only time will tell what the results are.

Some interesting happenings over the last days since Michigan... Mitt Romney is in search of delegates, hoping that delegate count in the "jump to the front" states will mean more than the traditional "first in the nation" states. He had abandoned his campaign in SC, claiming that 4th would be a victory, and instead opted to aim for Nevada, a Mormon stronghold, and a state also offering about ten more delegates. He took a similar approach in Wyoming, a Mormon state, where he was the only candidate who honestly campaigned in the state. He and Duncan Hunter were big winners in Wyoming... so that says something, I suppose.

But what about South Carolina? The state in which no GOP candidate of recent years has lost, but gone on to receive the GOP nomination. A state with strong ties to faith, independence, civil rights issues, and agrarian history. It is a state which encompasses the values of Iowa and New Hampshire... And it is truly a state which must be won by many in the GOP field today if they wish to continue the race for the GOP nomination.

Time for my predictions:

Huckabee........30%
McCain.............26%
Thompson.......19%
Romney.............14%
Rudy.....................6%
Paul......................5%

What does this mean?

Romney has made it clear that he plans to hold out for delegates. As I see this being a brokered convention, this is a smart move. He may be in the lead with delegates now, but he will find himself in the middle of the pack after Super Tuesday. Recent polling has shown that he is not doing well in a majority of the Super Tuesday states.

McCain will lick his wounds and live to fight another day... namely in Florida, where he and Rudy seem to be leading the polls... surely, though, a loss in SC will make Florida a hard win. And his recent surge in the national polls will likely be busted in favor of the SC winner.

Mike Huckabee, if he does get the win as I am predicting, will see another surge of support, similar to his Huckaboom of December, and his resurgence after Iowa (though short lived because of NH). Mike Huckabee is a contender in Florida, and has many states locked up in the Super Tuesday contest. He may come out 2nd or possibly 1st after super tuesday (in delegates) with a commanding win in SC. A second place finish will likely ensure a VP consideration, especially if it kills any chance of gaining momentum before Super Tuesday.

Thompson is plagued with 4th place finishes across the board so far, and one tie for third in Iowa. If South Carolina doesn't pan out for Thompson, he will have some serious soul searching to do. The best Thompson may hope for is a McCain victory, and a VP nod from his good friend... However, a surprise win or 2nd place finish tonight could give this summer's "Mr. Inevitable" a breath of life, and potentially a surge of support and delegates heading into Super Tuesday.

Rudy is still holding out for Florida, but as I have said before, with no momentum, no headlines, and waning support. This may be the biggest blunder in presidential campaigning since the Howard Dean scream... YYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!

All eyes are on SC. And for those looking ahead to Super Tuesday, what can we expect to see?

If my prediction of SC is correct, I expect the following:
*WTA = Winner Takes All delegates (by districts or entire state)

Alabama (primary - WTA districts - 48): Huckabee
Alaska (caucus - 29): Huckabee
Arizona (straw poll - WTA state - 53): McCain
Arkansas (primary - WTA district - 34): Huckabee
California (primary - WTA district - 173): Rudy (if he wins Florida)
Colorado (caucus - 46): Huckabee
Connecticut (primary - WTA state - 30): Rudy
Delaware (primary - WTA state - 18): Rudy
Georgia (primary - WTA district - 72): Huckabee
Illinois (straw poll - 70): Huckabee
Massachusetts (primary - 43): Romney
Minnesota (caucus - 41): Huckabee
Missouri (primary - WTA state - 58): Rudy
Montana (caucus - WTA state - 25): Huckabee
New Jersey (primary - WTA state - 52): Rudy
New York (primary - WTA state - 101): Rudy
North Dakota (caucus - WTA state - 26): Huckabee
Oklahoma (primary - WTA district - 41): Huckabee
Tennessee (primary - 55): Thompson
Utah (primary - WTA state - 36): Romney
West Virginia (convention - WTA - 30): Huckabee

Delegate count is nearly impossible, because some states are WTA by district, or proportional... But, let's look at total number of states won:

Rudy: 6 of 21
Huckabee: 11 of 21
McCain: 1 of 21
Romney: 2 of 21
Thompson: 1 of 21

Let's see how SC plays out, and I will be glad to modify these numbers. My predictions come from latest polls in those states, or state voting trends (by issues) where polls where not available, as well as predicted bumps by the predicted SC and Florida finishes.

Republican Race Open, but not THAT Open

This blog is in response to a comment on my previous post, by Ben Degrow over at Mt Virtus. His comment reads:

Respectfully...You wrote in an earlier post: "Should Mitt Romney take the top spot in Michigan, he and Huckabee will battle it out in SC, where it will likely be Huckabee's last stand." Given this previous statement and the fact that Huckabee SC shares are not selling at all on Intrades, do you see anything in tonight's modest 3rd-place MI performance (you predicted he would win here, so this has got to be a big disappointment) to turn around his plummeting SC numbers? Do you see SC as a 3-way race between McCain, Romney, & Thompson (whom you earlier predicted would dropout after the Iowa caucuses)? Do you still think Thompson will have an"embarrassing finish" in SC and withdraw? After this unexpected turn of events (Huckabee in IA, McCain in NH, now Romney in MI), how big of an opening do you see for Rudy's strategy to pay off? Do you agree that this race will continue to defy the pundits & the predictions? (http://bendegrow.com/2008/romney-wins-now-what/)

Let me first begin by congratulating Mitt Romney on his win in Michigan. Michigan was always a pro Romney state, but the big surprise was the McCain surge, making Huckabee a non-player in the state. Ben is right on, and I agree that this race is still open... and it will continue to defy the pundits and predictions... However, without predictions, what fun is it in tracking the race so closely?

Regarding Romney's landslide... we must consider the fact that Michigan is an open priamry state, and the Democrats had nothing to vote for on their ticket... so:

Michigan's open primary means Republicans, Democrats, and independents can all
vote in it. Since there's no contested primary on the Dem side, their
participation in the GOP contest could be a wild card. Daily Kos steward
Markos Moulitsas, hoping desperately to be mistaken for a Machiavellian genius,
is encouraging his minions to vote for Romney for mischief's sake, under the
assumption that if he doesn't win today, he drops out. Kos reasons his
side prefers Romney staying in the race so that the well-funded bloodsport of
primary battling will continue among Republicans, presumably injuring the
eventual nominee.

Let's discuss how open the race is, and what SC means to which candidates.

Ben, who is a Fred Thompson guy, seems to be holding out for Thompson in SC. And Fred Thompson, who seems to sometimes be a Fred Thompson guy, is also holding out for something big in SC. I just don't see that happening. Fred is in SC, trying to make his stand, but doing so with absolutely no momentum from the first three contests. In the state, Fred Thompson support has gone from over 20% to just under 10% in the last three months... and nothing has happened to suggest a boomlet in Thompson's favor. I still stand by my word that this may be Thompson's last stand. Anything less than a 2nd place finish for Thompson in SC kills any chance for a momentum boomlet. (My Iowa prediction of Thomspon's withdrawal was hampered by a close third place battle between he and McCain, which almost forced him to stay in and take a stand in SC... but it did not help his numbers... they continue to fall)

So to answer the question of "is SC really a McCain, Romney, Thompson showdown?"... the answer is no... the race is open, but not that open! And Huckabee is still alive and well in the Palmetto State. Romney's win yesterday likely stifled McCain's boom, but I don't think it hurt Huckabee... What is hurting Huckabee is the McCain boom... so Romney's wion can only help Huckabee in SC. Based on the intensity of McCain's surge post NH, which was unforeseen at the time I made the two man race prediction, SC is very much a three way race. But Thompson is not in the top three. It will be a Huckabee, McCain, Romney battle in SC. Thompson, unless he can muster up some momentum in the next week, will likely be finished... I know I predicted a withdrawal after Iowa, but maybe the old man stays in to be part of the delegate race. The 4th place finish will be an embarrassment to the Thompson campaign. Remember, Thompson was elevated to savior status before getting into the race. He has, arguably, yet to finish above 4th (or 200 votes from finishing 4th in Iowa)

Regarding the Intratrade... I visited the intratrade site, and there was not an option to buy Huckabee stock in the state. He is not listed. Never was. So I am not using that as a measuring device.

The race is open... indeed! It could not be looking better for Rudy in Florida, though I think his decision to sit out the early contests likely makes him a non-contender in Super Tuesday states now... perhaps Florida could turn that around.

But what do I see in my crystal ball?

For starters, I will tell you what I did NOT see. I did NOT see McCain having such an effective surge... especially in the wake of the Illegal Immigration Shamnesty plan that he tried to ram down our throats. Maybe Tancredo's withdrawal from the race took some of that pressure off McCain, and the issue out of the limelight.

I did NOT see Rudy falling off as much as he has! Rudy is currently polling nationally at 13%, tied with Romney for a distant 3rd. By the time we get to Florida, Rudy will likely be battling Fred in national polls for 4th, somewhere around 10%. That is not a good place to be heading into Super Duper Tuesday.

And I did NOT see Ron Paul beating out Thompson in a state like Michigan. That doesn't do much for Ron Paul at this point, but it doesn't say much for Thompson's support in the state of Michigan.

At this point, we need to take a compass reading. Nevada will likely not give us that reading. Nevada is so wide open, and clearly blowing in the direction of the momentum, that it will likely be a race between the top four: McCain, Rudy, Huckabee, Romney.

If McCain takes SC, McCain will likely win out. If Huckabee takes SC, it will likely move the battle to a two man race on super tuesday. If Romney takes SC, Huckabee's run is likely over, and McCain will likely win out on Super Tuesday, with Romney and Huckabee finishing in a series of 2nds and 3rds... obviously some 1st's in their stronghold states. I don't see Rudy's plan paying off, and I don't see Fred Thompson as a major player anymore.

I am still predicting a brokered convention...

One thing that I know is that the water is very muddy leading up to Super Tuesday!

God Bless!