Sunday 3 February 2008
Friday 1 February 2008
The Ladies Perfer Huckabee
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=CEFE5639-3048-5C12-00C476A1E5ACB554
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The media called it a “victory lap” for John McCain, touting him as the winner of Wednesday night’s Republican debate.
But for 11 Republican-leaning women in a California conference room, the underdog — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — came out ahead.
Arizona Sen. McCain, they said, was snide, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was “phony.” Issues were secondary to personality. And hot-button topics like abortion, and even the war in Iraq, were decidedly less important to these women than bread-and-butter concerns like the economy and health care.
“Being a woman, [I think] Huckabee overall best understands what women Republicans or voters want, need and expect,” said Christine, a 32-year-old moderate Republican.
The women, all residents of Los Angeles County, came together in a nondescript Beverly Hills conference room to watch the debate, evaluate the candidates and talk some serious politics. They were participants in a focus group co-sponsored by Politico and Lifetime Networks, which are partnering to study how women view the presidential candidates.
Politico got to play policeman, watching from behind a thick pane of double-sided glass as the women observed the debate on CNN and discussed their reactions.
California, which has more than 15 million registered voters, is a make-or-break race for Republicans. The state awards 173 delegates, the largest number of any single state. The majority, 153 in total, are doled out by congressional district, turning the state into a hard-fought ground zero for every candidate hoping to pick up delegates.
The focus group here reflected California’s diversity, with participants ranging in age, income and ethnicity. At least three were immigrants, coming from Russia, Hungary and Thailand.
Despite their differences, most felt a Huckaboom at this debate.
Seven out of the 11 women declared Huckabee the winner, even though neither he nor Texas Rep. Ron Paul had anywhere near the airtime of McCain or Romney. After viewing the debate, four of the women — almost half the group — said they had changed their vote from McCain to Huckabee.
The former Arkansas governor won Iowa, but has yet to take another gold in the five subsequent races. The latest polling in California, taken before the debate, showed Huckabee with 11 percent — far behind Romney’s 28 percent and McCain’s 32 percent.
Still, Huckabee has consistently polled better with women than with men: 40 percent to 20 percent in Iowa, for example. His gender gap was smaller in other states but still notable: He won 33 percent of the female vote in South Carolina, compared with 28 percent of the male vote. And in Florida, he pulled 18 percent of women and just 11 percent of men. Romney, while seen as professional, failed the personality test. “Arrogant,” “phony,” “Stepford wife-ish” and “a snake” were their choice words for the former Massachusetts governor. (Although they all agreed on his good looks.) One traditionally female issue that didn’t make the list was abortion. The women all said that, while they had their own personal views on the issue, it wasn’t a litmus test. They believed the issue was unlikely to change dramatically either way — no matter who wins the election.
McCain, considered the GOP front-runner after his big win in Florida, didn’t score any points with these undecided female voters — mostly because of his personal demeanor during the debate. They felt he was rude, undignified and as canned as a bad pickup line.
In general, the women respected his achievements but felt he was too snide on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in nearby Simi Valley.
Part of his problem seemed to be his wealth. Romney, who made his fortune as chief executive of the private equity firm Bain Capital, is rumored to have contributed as much as $40 million to his own campaign.
“If he became president, I can almost agree that he won’t think of anyone else but himself and the wealthy,” said Eva, 39, a Hispanic who identified herself as a strong Republican.
Romney’s Mormon faith also made some of the women uncomfortable.
“It scares me how much he’s downplayed it,” said Katherine, 42, a small-business owner. “I know if he were to win, the second he’d get into office that would rear its head.”
Overall, issues took a back seat to personal qualities.
But when pressed, the women named immigration and health care as their top concerns.
Health care, they said, is a particularly resonant issue for women, because they have and take care of children.
“We’re going to have kids, some of us do have kids, and we want to make sure they’re taken care of,” said Rita, a 25-year-old moderate Republican. “It’s the general maternal instinct.”
And, as with voters throughout the country, the women’s concerns about a struggling economy far outranked their feelings about the war in Iraq.
One point of contention was the candidates’ descriptions of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. When asked if Ronald Reagan was right to appoint O’Connor to the Supreme Court, the candidates generally dodged the question.
“This is a history-making woman, and they all said such terrible things,” said Katherine. “That made me feel like none of them were thinking, 'Well, that’s going to offend some women out there.'”
And although they said they wouldn’t vote for Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, they respected her historical position.
“I don’t think I’ll vote for her, because I don’t agree with her policies,” said Joy. “But it is a monumental step that a woman as strong as she is has come as far as she has.”
The focus group was chosen and facilitated by Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway of The Polling Company. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners has put together a similar group of undecided women voters to hear the Democratic candidates’ debate in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Wednesday 16 January 2008
Romney - Sneaky Politics
JANUARY 16, 2008 - 03:20 PM
WHAT DOES $585,000 BUY YOU?
by Team Huckabee
SEND TO A FRIEND
Question: What does $585,000 buy you?
Answer: It bought Mitt Romney backers a smear job against Mike Huckabee orchestrated by Beltway Insiders.
The Club for Growth has an affiliated 527 group, Club for Growth.net, running anti-Mike Huckabee ads in early primary states.
- At least $585,000 in contributions from Mitt Romney financial backers.
- Club for Growth has spent $750,000 against Governor Huckabee in Iowa, South Carolina and Michigan.
Here are donors that have donated both to Club for Growth.net* and Mitt Romney:
Name: John Childs**
Contribution to Beltway Group
$100,000 on 11/16/07
$100,000 on 12/31/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,100 on 1/8/07
Name: Bob Perry
Contribution to Beltway Group
$200,000 on 12/12/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 3/13/07
Name: Kristen Hertel
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/21/07
$25,000 on 1/02/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$1,000 on 2/6/07
Name: Muneer Satter
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/21/07
$25,000 on 1/02/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 2/6/07
Name: Michael Valentine
Contribution to Beltway Group
$40,000 on 1/3/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 4/4/07
Name: Travis Anderson
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/19/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,100 on 2/8/07
Name: Richard Gaby
Contribution to Beltway Group
$20,000 on 12/19/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$1,000 on 2/12/07
* Only represents donors that contributed more than $20,000 to Club for Growth.net in 2007/2008.
** "Boston investor John Childs, who donated $2,100 to Romney in 2007, recently gave 100,000 to the Club for Growth." [Morain, Dan. "Huckabee foes open their wallets for attack ads," The Los Angeles Times. 1 January 2008.]
*** All contributor information obtained from Federal Election Commission's electronic database at www.fec.gov.
Paid for by Huckabee for President, Inc.
www.mikehuckabee.com
Permalink: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=1198
WHAT DOES $585,000 BUY YOU?
by Team Huckabee
SEND TO A FRIEND
Question: What does $585,000 buy you?
Answer: It bought Mitt Romney backers a smear job against Mike Huckabee orchestrated by Beltway Insiders.
The Club for Growth has an affiliated 527 group, Club for Growth.net, running anti-Mike Huckabee ads in early primary states.
- At least $585,000 in contributions from Mitt Romney financial backers.
- Club for Growth has spent $750,000 against Governor Huckabee in Iowa, South Carolina and Michigan.
Here are donors that have donated both to Club for Growth.net* and Mitt Romney:
Name: John Childs**
Contribution to Beltway Group
$100,000 on 11/16/07
$100,000 on 12/31/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,100 on 1/8/07
Name: Bob Perry
Contribution to Beltway Group
$200,000 on 12/12/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 3/13/07
Name: Kristen Hertel
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/21/07
$25,000 on 1/02/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$1,000 on 2/6/07
Name: Muneer Satter
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/21/07
$25,000 on 1/02/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 2/6/07
Name: Michael Valentine
Contribution to Beltway Group
$40,000 on 1/3/08
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,300 on 4/4/07
Name: Travis Anderson
Contribution to Beltway Group
$25,000 on 12/19/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$2,100 on 2/8/07
Name: Richard Gaby
Contribution to Beltway Group
$20,000 on 12/19/07
Contribution to Mitt Romney
$1,000 on 2/12/07
* Only represents donors that contributed more than $20,000 to Club for Growth.net in 2007/2008.
** "Boston investor John Childs, who donated $2,100 to Romney in 2007, recently gave 100,000 to the Club for Growth." [Morain, Dan. "Huckabee foes open their wallets for attack ads," The Los Angeles Times. 1 January 2008.]
*** All contributor information obtained from Federal Election Commission's electronic database at www.fec.gov.
Paid for by Huckabee for President, Inc.
www.mikehuckabee.com
Permalink: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=1198
Romney to Buy Talk Shows
Mitt Romney's VC Firm to Buy Clear Channel
http://www.chrisbrunner.com ^ | December 13th, 2007 | Chris Brunner
Posted on 01/15/2008 3:29:39 PM PST by Blue Collar Republican
http://www.chrisbrunner.com/2007/12/13/mitt-romney-to-buy-clear-channel-communications/
Mitt Romney's VC Firm to Buy Clear Channel
What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally-syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 Billion, which is what Mitt Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country. This is part of a negotiation that has been pending for over a year.
Clear Channel owns over 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States. Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well.
http://www.chrisbrunner.com ^ | December 13th, 2007 | Chris Brunner
Posted on 01/15/2008 3:29:39 PM PST by Blue Collar Republican
http://www.chrisbrunner.com/2007/12/13/mitt-romney-to-buy-clear-channel-communications/
Mitt Romney's VC Firm to Buy Clear Channel
What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally-syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 Billion, which is what Mitt Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country. This is part of a negotiation that has been pending for over a year.
Clear Channel owns over 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States. Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well.
The Huckabee Plan
Joe Miller
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004182.html
Issues and Positions
Tax Reform
-Make all tuition for higher education tax-deductible
-Make health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. (Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions.)
-Preserve and expand President Bush’s tax cuts
-Eliminate the marriage penalty
-Cut taxes on savings
-Eliminate the Death Tax
-Reduce counterproductively high personal and corporate marginal tax rates.
-Encourage "baby boomers" who plan to work into their late 60’s or even beyond by giving them tax breaks, like additional exemptions or a “working senior” deduction.
-Long-term goal: implementation of the FairTax so that American workers keep their entire paycheck, American businesses can compete on a level-playing field with their foreign competitors, and so that we can brings jobs and investment that are currently parked off-shore back to the United States.
Economy
-Subprime mortgage crisis: begin a second round of negotiations with subprime lenders with an eye toward expansion of the “Hope Now” program.
-Cut burdensome red tape that drives up the cost of products and keeps employers from hiring more workers or raising wages.
-Reduce frivolous lawsuits which drive up costs of products and medical care.
-Institute free trade that is fair to America. We will expect our trading partners to live up to their obligations—everyone must play by fair rules.
-Open new markets for American products.
-Ensure the Federal Reserve adapts a pro-growth, low-inflation policy.
-Veto earmarks and unnecessary discretionary spending
Energy Independence
-Implement a national energy security policy which will end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil within ten years by conserving, exploring, and inventing our way to independence in energy.
-pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass.
-Remove red tape that slows innovation, allow the free market to sort out what makes the most sense economically.
-Set aside a federal research and development budget that will be matched by the private sector to seek the best new products in alternative fuels.
Social Issues
-Support passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life.
-Support passage of a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
-Oppose all embryo-destructive research.
-Veto any pro-abortion legislation, including federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Education
-Make all tuition for higher education tax-deductible
-Support the rights of parents to home school their children
-Support states that want to create more charter schools or implement public school choice.
-Allow states to develop their own benchmarks.
-Work towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students
Healthcare
-Advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs and improve the free market for health care services.
-Reform medical liability
-Support the adoption of electronic record keeping
-Make health insurance more portable from one job to another
-Expand health savings accounts to include all Americans.
-Making health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. (Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions.)
-Encourage the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
Immigration
-Ensure that an interlocking surveillance camera system is installed along the border by July 1, 2010.
-Ensure that the border fence construction is completed by July 1, 2010.
-Increase the number of border patrol agents.
-Fully support all law enforcement personnel tasked with enforcing immigration law.
-Policies that promote or tolerate amnesty will be rejected.
-Propose to provide all illegal immigrants a 120-day window to register with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and leave the country. Those who register and return to their home country will face no penalty if they later apply to immigrate or visit; those who do not return home will be, when caught, barred from future reentry for a period of 10 years.
-This is not a "touchback" provision. Those who leave this country and apply to return from their home country would go to the back of the line.
-Employment is the chief draw for most illegal immigrants and denying them jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy.
-Impose steep fines and penalties on employers that violate the law.
-Institute a universal, mandatory citizenship verification system as part of the normal hiring process.
-Prevent the IRS and the Social Security Administration from accepting fraudulent Social Security numbers or numbers that don't match the employees' names.
-Promote better cooperation on enforcement by supporting legislative measures such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local law and federal immigration officials.
-Encourage immigration-law training for police. Local authorities must be provided the tools, training, and funding they need so local police can turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities.
-End exemptions for Mexicans and Canadians to the US-VISIT program, which tracks the arrival and departure of foreign visitors. Since these countries account for the vast majority of foreigners coming here (85 percent), such a policy clearly violates Congress' intent in mandating this check-in/check-out system.
-Reject Mexico's "matricula consular" card, which functions as an illegal-immigrant identification card.
-Inform foreign governments when their former citizens become naturalized U.S. citizens.
-Impose civil and/or criminal penalties on American citizens who illegitimately use their dual status (e.g., using a foreign passport, voting in elections in both a foreign country and the U.S.).
-Eliminate the visa lottery system and the admission category for adult brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.
-Increase visas for highly-skilled and highly-educated applicants.
-Expedite processing for those who serve honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces.
-Improve our immigration process so that those patiently and responsibly seeking to come here legally will not have to wait decades to share in the American dream.
Judges
-Huckabee's judicial philosophy: "I believes that the Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning, and flatly reject the notion of a "living Constitution." The meaning of the Constitution cannot be changed by judicial fiat. The powers delegated to the federal government by the Constitution come from "We the People," and judges have no right to prohibit the people from passing democratically-enacted laws unless we have explicitly authorized them to do so. Nor can vaguely-worded language in the Constitution be used by judges to give them power over subjects the framers never intended our founding document to address. As such, any interpretation of the Constitution that is based on "evolving standards of decency," penumbras, or any other judicial fiction, is antithetical to the rule of law, and must be forcefully challenged."
-Appoint justices and judges who not only share his judicial philosophy (e.g., Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Samuel Alito), but who also have established themselves within the conservative legal community as faithful adherents of originalism and textualism.
Social Security
-Allow younger workers the option of personal accounts.
-Allow letting people take the money in their account at retirement and buy an annuity.
-Encourage "baby boomers" who plan to work into their late 60’s or even beyond by giving them tax breaks, like additional exemptions or a “working senior” deduction.
-Since some retirees don’t need their Social Security to retire comfortably, offer them the option of a tax-free lump sum for their children or grandchildren to get when they die, which would delay some payments for decades.
National Sovereignty
-Oppose the Law of the Sea Treaty.
-Oppose the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
-Oppose the North American Union,.
-Oppose the Kyoto Treaty.
Veteran's Affairs
Veterans will be provided the following "Bill of Rights":
-The right to a mandatory rather than a discretionary mechanism for funding veterans' health care, to eliminate year-to-year uncertainty that the funds they need will be there for them
-The right to obtain full and clear explanation of all benefits and comprehensive assistance in obtaining those benefits.
-The right to have a claim processed within six months.
-The right to the fullest possible accounting of the fate of POW/MIAs and the right to be designated as POW/MIA.
-The right to access state-of-the-art treatment facilities for traumatic brain injuries.
-The right of National Guard and Reserve personnel called to active service to receive the same benefits as active duty veterans.
-The right of disabled veterans to receive both their military retirement and VA compensation.
-The right of wounded Reserve troops to be treated like their active duty counterparts until their claims have been processed.
-The right of wounded veterans and those who have served in combat theaters to a comprehensive GI bill that provides full tuition, books, fees, and living expenses at any institution to which the veteran is accepted.
National Security
-Increase defense spending to six percent of GDP.
-Build new planes, new armed vehicles, new robotic land and air vehicles, new ships all right here in America.
-Recruit and train thousands of new troops and bring our National Guard and Reserves back home. We must increase the size of the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps by about 92,000 troops within two to three years without lowering enlistment standards.
-Improve the nation's aging infrastructure (roads, bridges, water systems, sewer systems, etc.).
-Active-duty forces should not be used for nation building. We must return to our policy of using other government agencies to build schools, hospitals, roads, sewage treatment plants, water filtration systems, electrical facilities, and legal and banking systems.
-If we are required to undertake a large invasion we must use overwhelming force.
-[The GWOT] -- The Commander-in-Chief has an obligation to clearly communicate to the American people the nature of the war we are fighting, especially the goal of the jihadists: to kill every last one of us, destroy civilization as we know it, and to establish a theocratic caliphate without national borders.
-[The GWOT] -- The United States' biggest challenge in the Arab and Muslim worlds is the lack of a viable moderate alternative to radicalism. Although we cannot export democracy we should nurture moderate forces that present an alternative to the jihadists.
-[The GWOT] -- The goal in the Arab and Muslim worlds will be to calibrate a course between maintaining stability and promoting democracy. We must not act too hastily but we must act. Specifically, we can help by aiding or promoting basic sanitation, health care, education, jobs, a free press, and fair court systems within these areas.
-[The GWOT] -- We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil if we are going to defeat jihadism.
-[The GWOT] -- We must strengthen both our human intelligence resources and our military assets in order to eliminate the current threat.
-[Iraq] -- We should not withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq any faster than General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander there, recommends. Troops must be brought home based on the conditions on the ground, not on artificial timetables.
-[The Kurds] -- We must encourage Turkey to continue to improve life for its Kurds, and we must encourage the Turkish Kurds to address their grievances through the political process, including through the 20 deputies currently representing them in parliament.
-[The Kurds] -- We should be willing to provide the Turks with actionable intelligence to go after the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) with limited air strikes and commando raids. A even better method would be to train and equip Iraqi Kurds to fight the PKK and rid themselves of this menace.
-[Iran] -- The military option for dealing with Iran should not be taken off the table.
-[Iran] -- Iran is a nation that has to be contained, just as the Soviet Union was during the Cold War. In order to contain Iran, it is essential to win in Iraq. We cannot allow Iran to push its theocracy into Iraq and then expand it further west.
-[Iran] -- We must be as aggressive diplomatically as we have been militarily since 9/11. We must intensify our diplomatic efforts with China, India, Russia, South Korea, and European states and persuade them to put more economic pressure on Iran.
-[Iran] -- Despite the protestations of Congressional Democrats, we should support and continue President Bush's new sanctions against Iran, his decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction, and the classifications of al Quds force as a supporter of terrorism. We must also encourage our state and private pension funds to divest themselves of Iran-related assets.
-[Iran] -- Despite the protestations of Russia, we should move forward with the current plan to set up ten missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic to protect Europe from Iranian missiles.
-[Iran] -- We should reestablish diplomatic relations with Iran but only after the Iranians have made concessions that serve to create a less hostile relationship.
-[Iran] -- Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. However, a range of incentives (e.g., trade and economic assistance, full diplomatic relations, and security guarantees) should be offered before moving forward with military action. Before we put our troops at risk in Iran, we should exhaust all diplomatic and economic options.
-[Pakistan] -- On September 12, 2001, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf agreed to sever his relationship with the Taliban and let us fight al Qaeda inside Pakistan. But distracted by Iraq, we have since allowed him to go back on his word. We should pressure him to remain firm in his commitment to us.
-[Pakistan] -- Because the next attack on the U.S. will have been planned in Pakistan, we must go after al Qaeda's safe havens in that country. The threat of an attack on us is far graver than the risk that a quick and limited strike against al Qaeda would bring extremists to power in Pakistan.
-[Pakistan] -- Musharraf has spent far more energy and enthusiasm sidelining the moderate Pakistani forces (like former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif) than he has in going after religious extremists and terrorists. We must have a "Pakistan policy" rather than just a "Musharraf policy."
-[Pakistan] -- We must use our friendly ties with India to encourage and help it improve its relationship with Pakistan and to push for increased trade and cooperation between the two countries, all to bring greater stability to the South Asian region.
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004182.html
Issues and Positions
Tax Reform
-Make all tuition for higher education tax-deductible
-Make health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. (Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions.)
-Preserve and expand President Bush’s tax cuts
-Eliminate the marriage penalty
-Cut taxes on savings
-Eliminate the Death Tax
-Reduce counterproductively high personal and corporate marginal tax rates.
-Encourage "baby boomers" who plan to work into their late 60’s or even beyond by giving them tax breaks, like additional exemptions or a “working senior” deduction.
-Long-term goal: implementation of the FairTax so that American workers keep their entire paycheck, American businesses can compete on a level-playing field with their foreign competitors, and so that we can brings jobs and investment that are currently parked off-shore back to the United States.
Economy
-Subprime mortgage crisis: begin a second round of negotiations with subprime lenders with an eye toward expansion of the “Hope Now” program.
-Cut burdensome red tape that drives up the cost of products and keeps employers from hiring more workers or raising wages.
-Reduce frivolous lawsuits which drive up costs of products and medical care.
-Institute free trade that is fair to America. We will expect our trading partners to live up to their obligations—everyone must play by fair rules.
-Open new markets for American products.
-Ensure the Federal Reserve adapts a pro-growth, low-inflation policy.
-Veto earmarks and unnecessary discretionary spending
Energy Independence
-Implement a national energy security policy which will end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil within ten years by conserving, exploring, and inventing our way to independence in energy.
-pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass.
-Remove red tape that slows innovation, allow the free market to sort out what makes the most sense economically.
-Set aside a federal research and development budget that will be matched by the private sector to seek the best new products in alternative fuels.
Social Issues
-Support passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life.
-Support passage of a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
-Oppose all embryo-destructive research.
-Veto any pro-abortion legislation, including federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Education
-Make all tuition for higher education tax-deductible
-Support the rights of parents to home school their children
-Support states that want to create more charter schools or implement public school choice.
-Allow states to develop their own benchmarks.
-Work towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students
Healthcare
-Advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs and improve the free market for health care services.
-Reform medical liability
-Support the adoption of electronic record keeping
-Make health insurance more portable from one job to another
-Expand health savings accounts to include all Americans.
-Making health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. (Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions.)
-Encourage the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
Immigration
-Ensure that an interlocking surveillance camera system is installed along the border by July 1, 2010.
-Ensure that the border fence construction is completed by July 1, 2010.
-Increase the number of border patrol agents.
-Fully support all law enforcement personnel tasked with enforcing immigration law.
-Policies that promote or tolerate amnesty will be rejected.
-Propose to provide all illegal immigrants a 120-day window to register with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and leave the country. Those who register and return to their home country will face no penalty if they later apply to immigrate or visit; those who do not return home will be, when caught, barred from future reentry for a period of 10 years.
-This is not a "touchback" provision. Those who leave this country and apply to return from their home country would go to the back of the line.
-Employment is the chief draw for most illegal immigrants and denying them jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy.
-Impose steep fines and penalties on employers that violate the law.
-Institute a universal, mandatory citizenship verification system as part of the normal hiring process.
-Prevent the IRS and the Social Security Administration from accepting fraudulent Social Security numbers or numbers that don't match the employees' names.
-Promote better cooperation on enforcement by supporting legislative measures such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local law and federal immigration officials.
-Encourage immigration-law training for police. Local authorities must be provided the tools, training, and funding they need so local police can turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities.
-End exemptions for Mexicans and Canadians to the US-VISIT program, which tracks the arrival and departure of foreign visitors. Since these countries account for the vast majority of foreigners coming here (85 percent), such a policy clearly violates Congress' intent in mandating this check-in/check-out system.
-Reject Mexico's "matricula consular" card, which functions as an illegal-immigrant identification card.
-Inform foreign governments when their former citizens become naturalized U.S. citizens.
-Impose civil and/or criminal penalties on American citizens who illegitimately use their dual status (e.g., using a foreign passport, voting in elections in both a foreign country and the U.S.).
-Eliminate the visa lottery system and the admission category for adult brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.
-Increase visas for highly-skilled and highly-educated applicants.
-Expedite processing for those who serve honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces.
-Improve our immigration process so that those patiently and responsibly seeking to come here legally will not have to wait decades to share in the American dream.
Judges
-Huckabee's judicial philosophy: "I believes that the Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning, and flatly reject the notion of a "living Constitution." The meaning of the Constitution cannot be changed by judicial fiat. The powers delegated to the federal government by the Constitution come from "We the People," and judges have no right to prohibit the people from passing democratically-enacted laws unless we have explicitly authorized them to do so. Nor can vaguely-worded language in the Constitution be used by judges to give them power over subjects the framers never intended our founding document to address. As such, any interpretation of the Constitution that is based on "evolving standards of decency," penumbras, or any other judicial fiction, is antithetical to the rule of law, and must be forcefully challenged."
-Appoint justices and judges who not only share his judicial philosophy (e.g., Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Justice Samuel Alito), but who also have established themselves within the conservative legal community as faithful adherents of originalism and textualism.
Social Security
-Allow younger workers the option of personal accounts.
-Allow letting people take the money in their account at retirement and buy an annuity.
-Encourage "baby boomers" who plan to work into their late 60’s or even beyond by giving them tax breaks, like additional exemptions or a “working senior” deduction.
-Since some retirees don’t need their Social Security to retire comfortably, offer them the option of a tax-free lump sum for their children or grandchildren to get when they die, which would delay some payments for decades.
National Sovereignty
-Oppose the Law of the Sea Treaty.
-Oppose the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
-Oppose the North American Union,.
-Oppose the Kyoto Treaty.
Veteran's Affairs
Veterans will be provided the following "Bill of Rights":
-The right to a mandatory rather than a discretionary mechanism for funding veterans' health care, to eliminate year-to-year uncertainty that the funds they need will be there for them
-The right to obtain full and clear explanation of all benefits and comprehensive assistance in obtaining those benefits.
-The right to have a claim processed within six months.
-The right to the fullest possible accounting of the fate of POW/MIAs and the right to be designated as POW/MIA.
-The right to access state-of-the-art treatment facilities for traumatic brain injuries.
-The right of National Guard and Reserve personnel called to active service to receive the same benefits as active duty veterans.
-The right of disabled veterans to receive both their military retirement and VA compensation.
-The right of wounded Reserve troops to be treated like their active duty counterparts until their claims have been processed.
-The right of wounded veterans and those who have served in combat theaters to a comprehensive GI bill that provides full tuition, books, fees, and living expenses at any institution to which the veteran is accepted.
National Security
-Increase defense spending to six percent of GDP.
-Build new planes, new armed vehicles, new robotic land and air vehicles, new ships all right here in America.
-Recruit and train thousands of new troops and bring our National Guard and Reserves back home. We must increase the size of the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps by about 92,000 troops within two to three years without lowering enlistment standards.
-Improve the nation's aging infrastructure (roads, bridges, water systems, sewer systems, etc.).
-Active-duty forces should not be used for nation building. We must return to our policy of using other government agencies to build schools, hospitals, roads, sewage treatment plants, water filtration systems, electrical facilities, and legal and banking systems.
-If we are required to undertake a large invasion we must use overwhelming force.
-[The GWOT] -- The Commander-in-Chief has an obligation to clearly communicate to the American people the nature of the war we are fighting, especially the goal of the jihadists: to kill every last one of us, destroy civilization as we know it, and to establish a theocratic caliphate without national borders.
-[The GWOT] -- The United States' biggest challenge in the Arab and Muslim worlds is the lack of a viable moderate alternative to radicalism. Although we cannot export democracy we should nurture moderate forces that present an alternative to the jihadists.
-[The GWOT] -- The goal in the Arab and Muslim worlds will be to calibrate a course between maintaining stability and promoting democracy. We must not act too hastily but we must act. Specifically, we can help by aiding or promoting basic sanitation, health care, education, jobs, a free press, and fair court systems within these areas.
-[The GWOT] -- We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil if we are going to defeat jihadism.
-[The GWOT] -- We must strengthen both our human intelligence resources and our military assets in order to eliminate the current threat.
-[Iraq] -- We should not withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq any faster than General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander there, recommends. Troops must be brought home based on the conditions on the ground, not on artificial timetables.
-[The Kurds] -- We must encourage Turkey to continue to improve life for its Kurds, and we must encourage the Turkish Kurds to address their grievances through the political process, including through the 20 deputies currently representing them in parliament.
-[The Kurds] -- We should be willing to provide the Turks with actionable intelligence to go after the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) with limited air strikes and commando raids. A even better method would be to train and equip Iraqi Kurds to fight the PKK and rid themselves of this menace.
-[Iran] -- The military option for dealing with Iran should not be taken off the table.
-[Iran] -- Iran is a nation that has to be contained, just as the Soviet Union was during the Cold War. In order to contain Iran, it is essential to win in Iraq. We cannot allow Iran to push its theocracy into Iraq and then expand it further west.
-[Iran] -- We must be as aggressive diplomatically as we have been militarily since 9/11. We must intensify our diplomatic efforts with China, India, Russia, South Korea, and European states and persuade them to put more economic pressure on Iran.
-[Iran] -- Despite the protestations of Congressional Democrats, we should support and continue President Bush's new sanctions against Iran, his decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction, and the classifications of al Quds force as a supporter of terrorism. We must also encourage our state and private pension funds to divest themselves of Iran-related assets.
-[Iran] -- Despite the protestations of Russia, we should move forward with the current plan to set up ten missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic to protect Europe from Iranian missiles.
-[Iran] -- We should reestablish diplomatic relations with Iran but only after the Iranians have made concessions that serve to create a less hostile relationship.
-[Iran] -- Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. However, a range of incentives (e.g., trade and economic assistance, full diplomatic relations, and security guarantees) should be offered before moving forward with military action. Before we put our troops at risk in Iran, we should exhaust all diplomatic and economic options.
-[Pakistan] -- On September 12, 2001, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf agreed to sever his relationship with the Taliban and let us fight al Qaeda inside Pakistan. But distracted by Iraq, we have since allowed him to go back on his word. We should pressure him to remain firm in his commitment to us.
-[Pakistan] -- Because the next attack on the U.S. will have been planned in Pakistan, we must go after al Qaeda's safe havens in that country. The threat of an attack on us is far graver than the risk that a quick and limited strike against al Qaeda would bring extremists to power in Pakistan.
-[Pakistan] -- Musharraf has spent far more energy and enthusiasm sidelining the moderate Pakistani forces (like former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif) than he has in going after religious extremists and terrorists. We must have a "Pakistan policy" rather than just a "Musharraf policy."
-[Pakistan] -- We must use our friendly ties with India to encourage and help it improve its relationship with Pakistan and to push for increased trade and cooperation between the two countries, all to bring greater stability to the South Asian region.
Tuesday 15 January 2008
Monday 14 January 2008
Dobson's "NO" on Thompson
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After a week of fighting over who is the true conservative candidate in the race, the Republican presidential frontrunners are in Washington this weekend trying to win over evangelical leaders at the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit. Despite what conservative Christian John Stemberger called "pandering" by the candidates, the GOP field, with its spotty records, flip flops and unimpressive campaign performances isn't catching on with this critical Republican base. [Washington Post, 10/19/07] According to a CBS poll released yesterday, white evangelicals "feel that Democrats, not Republicans, are paying more attention to their top issues," and a recent Pew poll showed that support from young evangelicals is up for Democrats. (CBS News, 10/18/07, Washington Times, 10/2/07)
No one has questioned the conservative bona fides of these Republicans more than Focus on the Family's James Dobson, who will be honored during the summit at a gala dinner Saturday night. Dobson said he would rather not vote at all than vote for Giuliani, hopes he won't "get stuck" with McCain, has resisted supporting Romney, and said Thompson was "Not for me!" Disappointed with his options, Dobson told Sean Hannity earlier this month that "there's still a possibility that one of those other candidates, a dark horse, could come from nowhere." (Fox News Hannity and Colmes, 10/8/2007) He even wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month that conservative leaders may abandon the Republican presidential nominee in favor of a third-party candidate in 2008 - a clear sign of GOP problems ahead. (New York Times, 10/4/07)
"If the GOP candidates can't gain the support and trust of key Republican constituencies they need to get elected, how can they possibly expect voters to trust them to lead our country?" said DNC Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "As they hemorrhage support, the GOP frontrunners seem willing to do or say anything to get elected, but even Party leaders like James Dobson are questioning the trustworthiness of candidates who waffle and feign to score political points."
Conservative Leaders Iffy on Republican Frontrunners
Dobson Will Not Vote for Giuliani. In an op-ed posted on the conservative website WorldNetDaily.com Dobson wrote, "My conclusion from this closer look at the current GOP front-runner comes down to this: Speaking as a private citizen and not on behalf of any organization or party, I cannot, and will not, vote for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. It is an irrevocable decision. If given a Hobson's -- Dobson's? -- choice between him and Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, I will either cast my ballot for an also-ran -- or if worse comes to worst -- not vote in a presidential election for the first time in my adult life. My conscience and my moral convictions will allow me to do nothing else." (WorldNetDaily.com, 5/17/07)
Tony Perkins Doesn't See Giuliani As the GOP Answer. Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said to CNN of Rudy Giuliani, "I cannot, under any circumstance, see the conservative base of the Republican Party being excited and working for a presidential candidate that is pro-abortion." (New York Times, 10/19/07)
Dobson Prays Republicans "Won't Get Stuck" With McCain. "James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents, came out strongly against a McCain candidacy during a radio interview. Dobson said in response to a statement McCain made on gay marriage, "Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances....Dobson added that there are a lot of other things, pointing out that McCain is not in favor of traditional marriage, and concluded saying, I pray that we won't get stuck with him." (Associated Press, 1/17/06)
Tony Perkins Calls McCain "Questionable on the Issues". To MSNBC earlier this month, Perkins raises doubts about McCain's position on abortion, saying "McCain is questionable on the issue." (New York Times, 10/19/07)
Tony Perkins: Romney Log Cabin Letter "Quite Disturbing." "In the 1994 letter addressed to the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group, Romney strongly argued for gay rights. 'We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern,' Romney wrote, adding that he would be more aggressive than Senator Kennedy in pushing for gay rights...'This is quite disturbing,' said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who had praised Mr. Romney as a champion of traditional values at the group's conference in late September. 'This type of information is going to create a lot of problems for Governor Romney. He is going to have a hard time overcoming this.'" (New York Times, 12/9/07)
Hemming and Hawing, Dobson Avoids Supporting Romney. In response to conservative commentator Sean Hannity's assertion that "at the end of the day, you are now saying that the only top-tier candidate you would support would be Mitt Romney?" Dobson replied "Sean, I don't agree with that statement, either. We have reports that were given in Salt Lake that indicated that it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to capture the nomination the first week of February. They're just not going to be able to get that number of votes. And who knows what will happen?" (Fox News Hannity and Colmes, 10/8/2007)
Dobson Says Thompson is "Not For Me!" According to the AP, in a private email Dobson wrote, "'Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?' Dobson wrote. 'He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!'" (Associated Press, 9/20/07)
No one has questioned the conservative bona fides of these Republicans more than Focus on the Family's James Dobson, who will be honored during the summit at a gala dinner Saturday night. Dobson said he would rather not vote at all than vote for Giuliani, hopes he won't "get stuck" with McCain, has resisted supporting Romney, and said Thompson was "Not for me!" Disappointed with his options, Dobson told Sean Hannity earlier this month that "there's still a possibility that one of those other candidates, a dark horse, could come from nowhere." (Fox News Hannity and Colmes, 10/8/2007) He even wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month that conservative leaders may abandon the Republican presidential nominee in favor of a third-party candidate in 2008 - a clear sign of GOP problems ahead. (New York Times, 10/4/07)
"If the GOP candidates can't gain the support and trust of key Republican constituencies they need to get elected, how can they possibly expect voters to trust them to lead our country?" said DNC Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "As they hemorrhage support, the GOP frontrunners seem willing to do or say anything to get elected, but even Party leaders like James Dobson are questioning the trustworthiness of candidates who waffle and feign to score political points."
Conservative Leaders Iffy on Republican Frontrunners
Dobson Will Not Vote for Giuliani. In an op-ed posted on the conservative website WorldNetDaily.com Dobson wrote, "My conclusion from this closer look at the current GOP front-runner comes down to this: Speaking as a private citizen and not on behalf of any organization or party, I cannot, and will not, vote for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. It is an irrevocable decision. If given a Hobson's -- Dobson's? -- choice between him and Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, I will either cast my ballot for an also-ran -- or if worse comes to worst -- not vote in a presidential election for the first time in my adult life. My conscience and my moral convictions will allow me to do nothing else." (WorldNetDaily.com, 5/17/07)
Tony Perkins Doesn't See Giuliani As the GOP Answer. Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said to CNN of Rudy Giuliani, "I cannot, under any circumstance, see the conservative base of the Republican Party being excited and working for a presidential candidate that is pro-abortion." (New York Times, 10/19/07)
Dobson Prays Republicans "Won't Get Stuck" With McCain. "James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents, came out strongly against a McCain candidacy during a radio interview. Dobson said in response to a statement McCain made on gay marriage, "Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances....Dobson added that there are a lot of other things, pointing out that McCain is not in favor of traditional marriage, and concluded saying, I pray that we won't get stuck with him." (Associated Press, 1/17/06)
Tony Perkins Calls McCain "Questionable on the Issues". To MSNBC earlier this month, Perkins raises doubts about McCain's position on abortion, saying "McCain is questionable on the issue." (New York Times, 10/19/07)
Tony Perkins: Romney Log Cabin Letter "Quite Disturbing." "In the 1994 letter addressed to the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group, Romney strongly argued for gay rights. 'We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern,' Romney wrote, adding that he would be more aggressive than Senator Kennedy in pushing for gay rights...'This is quite disturbing,' said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who had praised Mr. Romney as a champion of traditional values at the group's conference in late September. 'This type of information is going to create a lot of problems for Governor Romney. He is going to have a hard time overcoming this.'" (New York Times, 12/9/07)
Hemming and Hawing, Dobson Avoids Supporting Romney. In response to conservative commentator Sean Hannity's assertion that "at the end of the day, you are now saying that the only top-tier candidate you would support would be Mitt Romney?" Dobson replied "Sean, I don't agree with that statement, either. We have reports that were given in Salt Lake that indicated that it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to capture the nomination the first week of February. They're just not going to be able to get that number of votes. And who knows what will happen?" (Fox News Hannity and Colmes, 10/8/2007)
Dobson Says Thompson is "Not For Me!" According to the AP, in a private email Dobson wrote, "'Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?' Dobson wrote. 'He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!'" (Associated Press, 9/20/07)
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