There’s a few oddities in here, but look for yourself:
Former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will be the keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday, September 1st. His Tuesday night address will follow primetime speeches from Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who are seen as two of the most likely candidates to become John McCain’s running mate, were not granted primetime speaking slots. Romney is currently slated to speak on Wednesday, Sept 3rd, while Pawlenty is scheduled to join Charlie Crist, Sam Brownback and Mel Martinez to address the convention on Thursday, Sept. 4th, before McCain’s convention-closing address.(The schedule could change.)
Whomever McCain selects as his running mate will give an address in primetime on Wednesday, along with Cindy McCain and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindel.
Former Democrat Joe Lieberman and Vice President Dick Cheney will speak on the convention’s first day. They will be followed in primetime by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
Am I missing something? Whose idea was it to make Rudy Giuliani the keynote speaker? Yeah, that’ll energize the base. And then there’s the question of timing on Wednesday night. The schedule says that Bobby Jindal will speak after the VP, whereas Ed says his copy of the schedule says before. Which is it? Weird.
Like Allah, I’m a little unsure as to why exactly Rudy and the Governator are getting prime-time speaking slots over people like Mitt Romney, Carly Fiorina, and Tim Pawlenty. Neither one of them are real conservatives — hell, they’re barely Republicans. And they aren’t the rising stars in the party. Their stars are getting dimmer.
I’m glad to see that Sarah Palin will have a prime-time appearance. I think I’m more excited to hear what she has to say, and Bobby Jindal as well, than anyone else at the convention.
This certainly doesn’t shine any light on who McCain’s VP pick will be, either. I’ve stayed mum on that subject because speculating over and over again seems to be an exercise in futility in my opinion. I just want them both to make the damn announcement and get it over with.
The convention is supposed to fire up the base, and I hope they’re able to do that. With Giuliani as the keynote speaker, though… we’ll have to see.
Best quotes:
As a conservative Republican, I believe that WAR SUCKS! Oh, but there are things that suck way worse than war, y’all. Slavery, genocide, tyranny… peace through strength, y’all!
As a conservative Republican, I believe that if we’re smart enough to earn the money, we’re smart enough to spend it.
As a conservative Republican, I’m proud of my country. I’m proud that our country is seen as the place that, if you want the best chance to realize your dream, it’s the place to come to. Nah, man, I don’t think we’re better than anybody else. It’s America! We are everybody else!
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Is there any clearer description of the ideals upon which this nation was founded?
Why are you a Republican?
Hat Tip: Hot Air
All last week, I’ve been calling around my various contacts, asking them what’s been going on in the world. I hate being in the dark, so to speak, and hate to think that I’m missing a huge news story. Well, I missed something all right. I only missed the best thing to happen to the House of Representatives since the Democrats took over! House Republicans revolted on Friday to protest when the Democrats adjourning for a five-week vacation without doing anything about the energy crisis. Pioneer Pelosi responded by having the lights, mics, and CSPAN cameras turned off. But Republicans wouldn’t be deterred.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House, turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.
Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders opposed the motion to adjourn the House, arguing that Pelosi’s refusal to schedule a vote allowing offshore drilling is hurting the American economy. They have refused to leave the floor after the adjournment motion passed at 11:23 a.m., and they are busy bashing Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for leaving town for the August recess.
At one point, the lights went off in the House and the microphones were turned off in the chamber, meaning Republicans were talking in the dark. But as Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz..) was speaking, the lights went back on and the microphones were turned on shortly afterward.
But C-SPAN, which has no control over the cameras in the chamber, has stopped broadcasting the House floor, meaning no one was witnessing this except the assembled Republicans, their aides, and one Democrat, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who has now left.
Only about a half-dozen Republicans were on the floor when this began, but the crowd has grown to about 20, according to Patrick O’Connor.
“This is the people’s House,” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.). “This is not Pelosi’s politiburo.”
Democratic aides were furious at the GOP stunt, and reporters were kicked out of the Speaker’s Lobby, the space next to the House floor where they normally interview lawmakers.
“You’re not covering this, are you?” complained one senior Democratic aide. Another called the Republicans “morons” for staying on the floor.
Update: The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can’t watch the Republicans anymore. But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is now in the gallery talking to reporters, so the cops have held off for a minute. Clearly, Democrats don’t want Republicans getting any press for this episode. GOP leaders are trying to find other Republicans to rotate in for Blunt so reporters aren’t kicked out.
Update 2: This message was sent out by Blunt’s office:
“Although this Democrat majority just adjourned for the Democrat 5-week vacation, House Republicans are continuing to fight on the House floor. Although the lights, mics and C-SPAN cameras have been turned off, House Republicans are on the floor speaking to the taxpayers in the gallery who, not surprisingly, agree with Republican energy proposals.
“All Republicans who are in town are encouraged to come to the House floor.”
Update 3: Democrats just turned out the lights again. Republicans cheered.
And they’re back at it again today:
House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to send Congress home for the rest of the summer without a vote on legislation to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence.
In an urgent memo sent to GOP Members and staff Saturday (“A Call to Action on American Energy”), Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) hailed Friday’s action, which was led by Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Tom Price (R-GA), and others, and encouraged House Republicans to return to the Capitol beginning Monday morning to help keep the historic effort going.
“It’s not a request we make lightly. But the American people are suffering,” Boehner and Blunt said in the memo. “The consequences of continued congressional inaction on gas prices are unacceptable. We’ve called on the Speaker to call Congress back into an emergency session this month and schedule a vote on the American Energy Act. We must continue to make a stand until the Speaker complies.”
There are apparently 30 Republicans currently there… and oh, what a surprise, no Democrats. Pioneer Pelosi is too busy with her book tour to do her duty as Speaker of the House.
Message to Democrats: you should be in there with the Republicans. In the real world, we don’t get five week taxpayer-funded vacations. And when there is an honest-to-God crisis going on, and the government you control is the only thing standing between Americans and relief, you should be working every day to fix it. Your energy plan does not work, because you have no energy plan!
Rep. Devin Nunes from California gives us a brilliant representation of the Democrats energy plan:
This is a brilliant move for Republicans. Finally, some leadership from the GOP! Now that’s change I can believe in. This is exactly what they should be doing every day for the next five weeks, or until Democrats get off their lazy asses and get back to work. They shouldn’t be afraid to pound Democrats on their refusal to act, and they should be videotaping all of it. As Michelle suggests,
House GOP members should also be spreading the word to their local newspapers and local talk show hosts in their congressional districts to assail Nancy’s gag order and hammer the “Drill now” theme home.
And where’s the RNC? How about sending someone in a chicken costume to trail Nancy Pelosi during her hiatus? As the House Republicans asked repeatedly on Friday: What’s she so afraid of?
On 8/1, the House GOP brought it on.
Keep it going, turn it up, and make sure the American public sees you at work on proactive energy proposals to bring down the Pelosi Premium during the Democrats’ vacation.
This is the best thing that the Republicans could ever have done. If they keep this up, we might not see the massacre at the polls that we’ve all been dreading in November.
Get it, Republicans? Do your jobs, stick to your principles, and be unafraid to take on Democrats, and Americans will love you. It’s not that difficult.
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin
It’s nice to see Republicans show some cojones for once. They seem so content to just meekly accept whatever BS Democrats hand them, so this was music to my ears!
Senate Republicans have threatened to block nearly all other bills pending before the August recess if Democrats refuse to vote with them on expanding offshore drilling.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said bills that do not pertain to energy can wait until after the August recess, with gas prices now surpassing $4 per gallon. McConnell and top Republicans indicated Wednesday they would oppose any procedural votes to take up other legislation, which require 60 votes to succeed.
“We think there is nothing more important that we can do right now than to deal with the Number One issue of the country,” McConnell said. “This is the biggest issue since terrorism right after 9/11. People are pounding on their desks, saying, Why don’t these people get together and do something about this problem?”
The hardball tactics reflect Republican confidence that they can pull off a major election-year victory with gas prices at record highs, after they have been battered at the polls and have lost on several recent high-profile legislative battles.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) planned for the Senate this week to pass a bill targeting market speculation on oil futures, which both sides blame for playing a role in driving up gasoline prices.
Following swift Senate action on the narrow energy bill, Reid wanted the Senate to approve a massive defense authorization bill, an overhaul of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, legislation to protect reporters’ sources, an extension of expiring energy tax incentives, and a major package of 33 bills held up by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).
But Republicans are planning to keep the Senate on the energy issue until their demands are resolved. The massive housing-rescue package might be the only other measure that gets valuable floor time before the August recess.
Democrats say the GOP is intentionally prolonging the debate in order to score political points by insisting on more than two dozen amendments to the oil-speculation bill. Democrats, who say opening up new lands won’t affect prices for a decade and are concerned about its environmental impacts, have offered the GOP one amendment to the oil-speculation bill.
But the GOP is positioning itself as the party willing to do whatever it takes to lower gas prices. The Republicans say Democrats are scared to cast votes on new drilling in the face of voter anger over high gasoline prices, and they point to the majority’s decision to scrap appropriations bills to avoid a debate over lifting the congressional ban on drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf.
McConnell said the Senate will be in session in September and will have time then to finish outstanding issues.
“Our goal is to stay on the subject that the American people are demanding that we do something about and finish the job,” McConnell said.
Of course, this probably isn’t that big a deal to Senate Democrats, as they’re pretty much doing jack right now anyway. But doing this is a brilliant move for Republicans. It puts major pressure on Democrats to finally act, something they’re reluctant to do for God knows what reason. I can only speculate, but my guess would be that it’s because Democrats are anxious to make things are miserable for Americans as possible in hopes of gaining victory in November. They couldn’t possibly act to improve the lives of American citizens when it’s an election year!
The thing is, people are paying twice as much for gas as they were before Democrats seized control of Congress. Democrats know that this is a major issue, but they’ve invested in the anti-drilling position. Yet two-thirds of voters support domestic drilling, and Democrats don’t want to go home to their angry constituents as the Senator who voted against offshore drilling. So the solution is simply to do nothing, to take no action whatsoever and find excuses for their failure to take action. They’ve done nothing but block production while doling out empty promise after empty promise for decades, and time is now up. The ultimatum brought forth by Republicans was a genius move, and, if Reid & Co are smart, it will force Democrats to finally face the issue.
Americans overwhelmingly are for domestic drilling and energy independence. It’s time for Democrats to decide whether or not they truly want energy independence or not. No more pussy-footing around the issue. The buck stops here.
Best quotes:
The rich means you. For example, Democrats will only tax the rich. Translation: Democrats will only tax you.
Diplomacy equals magic. “Democrats will protect America from Iranian nukes through tough, principled diplomacy” translates into “Democrats will protect America from Iranian nukes through tough, principled magic“.
Importantly, end means lose. Democrats will end the Iraq war. Translation: Democrats will lose the Iraq war.
The only thing that would have improved this video is if it had cut to a shot of the expression on Nancy “Pioneer” Pelosi’s face.
I haven’t read it yet, but Bernard Goldberg’s latest book, Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right: How One Side Lost Its Mind and the Other Lost Its Nerve, came to mind when I watched this video. The GOP — and the Right in general — has lost its nerve. They’ve stopped fighting, stopped attacking. They’ve just rolled over and taken everything the Democrats have tossed our way, so to see a Republican in the House do something this, well, ballsy makes me want to cheer.
I guess we’ll see. They’ve asked for a protest permit with the same privileges as the Code Pinkos… in Berkeley. Who’s betting that their request will be denied?
The Berkeley College Republicans are looking to get the same permit privileges that anti-war group Code Pink use to protest outside the Marine recruiting center in Downtown Berkeley.Working with Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the group is asking for sound waiver permits and a parking spot reservation outside the center on Wednesdays from 12 to 4 p.m., the same time Code Pink protests outside the center, said Kimberly Wagner, activism chair for the Berkeley College Republicans.
“(Code Pink’s) claim is that they’re protecting free speech,” she said. “I kind of don’t feel they are, they are inhibiting the recruitment center in general. It’s important that they are not unopposed, that there are people willing to fight them. Even though it’s Berkeley, the liberal center of America, there will be people (opposed).”
Worthington is working to have the item appear on an agenda in May.
My guess is that their request will be denied.
The group is also circulating to make the recruitment center a protected zone — sure to go over well with the Berkeley libs.
While I’m glad that someone in Berkeley is standing up to the Code Pinkos (it sure as hell needed to be done), I can’t help but wonder what the Marines think. I highly doubt that they ever anticipated that opening a recruitment center in Berkeley would bring on this much attention or put them in this kind of political crossfire. And I doubt that they want this much protesting going on in front of their office, even if it is to support them. It’s great that the College Republicans are doing this, but I don’t see how it improves the situation for the Marines — do you?
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin
Previous:
Video of the Day
Video of the Day: “Peaceful” protesting in Berkeley
Medea Benjamin finds that the Marines can be useful
“We’ve served this nation to protect the likes of ingrates like you.”
Berkeley moonbats are attacking the police now, too
The Code Pink wackos strike again
Mel Martinez has announced that he is stepping down as the RNC Chair.
Mel Martinez, the public face of the Republican National Committee as its general chairman, announced Friday he was stepping down from his post after serving only 10 months.“I believe that our future as a party and nation is bright and I have every intention of continuing to fight for our president, our party and our candidates,” the Florida senator said in a statement.
His resignation came months earlier than anticipated. Martinez wasn’t expected to step down until a Republican presidential nominee was selected, and the earliest that could occur is February.
The RNC said Martinez’ job would not be filled.
Martinez said he was relinquishing the job to spend more time focusing on his constituents and because the RNC had achieved the objective he set when he assumed the job in January.
“It was my goal as general chairman to lead the party as it established the structure and raised the resources necessary to support our presidential candidate and ensure Republican victories next November. I believe we have accomplished those goals,” Martinez said.
Republicans are cheering across the nation.
Something strange has happened. As I’ve been driving to various places the past two days, I’ve noticed something scary, slightly funny, and noticeably different.
There are Ron Paul banners. EVERYWHERE.
I’ve begun seeing them on interstates, boulevards, residential streets… they are literally everywhere. Knowing that this means there are undoubtedly Ron Paul supporters at work, and knowing how they tend to be a little bit… uh… different, it makes me slightly nervous. I guess I just never knew that north Florida was such a political hotspot. I mean, during the last presidential election I practically begged the Duval County Republican Party to let me volunteer, and nothing. I had to drive a few hours away to the Democrat-heavy Daytona to help campaign (that was one of the best weekends of my life, facing off against near-violent Kerry supporters, and I’m not being sarcastic — it was LOADS of fun). Here in Duval, they don’t seem to really do much, perhaps because Duval County almost always votes Republican, they feel they don’t need to.
At any rate, apparently Ron Paul supporters have taken over. I haven’t seen a banner for one other candidate, Republican or Democrat. And when I think of Ron Paul supporters invading, for some reason it makes me think of zombies. I’m not entirely sure why, but I just get this vision in my head of zombies, all dead-eyed, marching around while moaning, “RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT. RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT.”
It’s a well-known fact that most of his supporters are truthers, nutjobs, and spammers who for some reason are more attached to him than John Edwards is attached to hairspray and mousse. And they’ve congregated to my city, for some unknown reason. Should make for some interesting times coming up!
Join the Ron Paul Revolution? No thanks.
Not a surprise, considering he said that if he didn’t do well (meaning come in first or second) in the Iowa straw poll, he would drop out.
And, guess what happened?
Saying he has ‘no regrets’, Governor Tommy Thompson thanked his supporters Saturday night and officially left the campaign trail.“I want to thank the people of Iowa who were welcoming and supportive as well as my volunteers and contributors from around the country,” said Thompson. “I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as President, but I respect the decision of the voters. I am leaving the campaign trail today, but I will not leave the challenges of improving health care and welfare in America.”
Thompson, who was elected to serve four terms as Wisconsin Governor and four years as Secretary of Health and Human Services, began exploring a presidential bid last December. Weeks ago, he told supporters and the news media that if he did not do well in the Iowa Straw Poll, he would step aside and leave others to work for the Republican nomination.
“No candidate is more experienced than Governor Thompson and no candidate worked harder; but sometimes the dynamics just aren’t there to bring about a victory,” said Steve Grubbs, Senior Advisor to Thompson’s campaign. “The Governor’s staff was deeply committed to him and to his candidacy. If we could have willed a victory, we would have.”
Thompson will return to the private sector as well as his non-profit work after a brief time off.
“I have very much enjoyed my years in public service and I am comforted by the fact that I think I made a difference for people during that time. I hope to continue working to serve others over the next few years,” said Thompson.
I don’t know enough about Thompson to say too much about him. But I did see him in debates, and while he certainly came across as passionate, but he always seemed to come off a little bit crazy to me — he’d get fired up about something, his face would turn completely red, and I was just waiting for him to start spitting fire with smoke coming out of his ears. He reminded me a lot of a cartoon character.
Oh well — as Brian from Iowa Voice said, I’m sure he’s a good man, and I wish him the best of luck in whatever he chooses to pursue.
I love Bernard Goldberg’s books. I think he’s a great writer, and he’s got a way of putting things just perfectly. And I absolutely cannot wait to read his new book, Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right: How One Side Lost Its Mind and the Other Lost Its Nerve.
So when John Hawkins, my absolute favorite blogger, interviewed Bernard Goldberg, one of my absolute favorite writers, I knew it was a must read. And it did not disappoint.
Here is one of my favorite excerpts:
John Hawkins: Well, let me ask you this: what has happened to the Democratic Party? How is it that they’ve gotten so far away from what people like you believe in, in so many areas?
Bernard Goldberg: That’s a very good question. I think it started — I don’t want to do a history thing here — but I think it started with McGovern. That’s when the party became elitist. That’s when the delegation to the National Democratic convention, for instance, the Iowa delegation, didn’t have any farmers. But, they had more than a few people who had graduate degrees. I’m not against a lot of education…but I think that’s when the party started to become too elitist for my taste.
Then, we’ll just bring it up to the current day and skip over all the middle stuff… I think with the election of George Bush in the year 2000… that’s when liberals said he stole the election, and they’ve never really gotten over it. That’s when liberals who used to be the upbeat ones, the optimistic ones, started getting angrier and angrier. That’s when they started losing people like me.
My story resonates with millions and millions and millions of other Americans who started up on the left, and wound up on the right because they didn’t feel comfortable in the Democratic Party anymore. It became a party of grievances. You know, in the beginning, I was for civil rights… I still am. But, being for civil rights at some point wasn’t good enough, now I have to be for racial preferences. I have to be for a system that decides who gets into college, who gets government jobs, and gets government contracts largely based on the color of their skin. What’s liberal about that? That’s not liberal. That’s the opposite of what Martin Luther King talked about, judging people based on the content of the character, not the color of their skin.
I was for women’s rights, but then that wasn’t enough, and I had to be for the right of a woman to be firefighter, if she wanted to be, even if she wasn’t strong enough to carry a man out of a burning building. I don’t think a woman has an inalienable right to be a firefighter.
Free speech, that’s what liberals were really about. Look at any college campus today where there’s a demonstration against somebody speaking, where they shout down somebody speaking because they don’t like what that person is saying, and inevitably, the people doing the shouting down will be liberal students.
I said, “You know what, that’s not for me anymore.”
