Since his appointment as Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2007, Mike Duncan has led the Republican Party to the most spectacular national political defeat in Modern American History. To call the Republican National Committee campaign efforts under his leadership disastrously inept is to be charitable to him.
The party’s 2008 Presidential nominee, John McCain, was thoroughly trounced by a Democratic opposition that was agile, well organized, focused, and technologically savvy. We also lost a significant number of seats in both the Senate and the House, where we were already a minority.
Inexplicably, Mr. Duncan apparently seems to believe that his dismal performance of failed leadership in the 2008 election recommends him for another term as RNC chair. Let's face it, his DNC counterpart, the maniacally screechy Howard Dean, just knocked his block off, and Mr. Duncan apparently still fails to realize his own culpability in this debacle.
How else can you explain Mr. Duncan’s recent announcement that he is declaring himself a candidate for another term as RNC Chair, despite the fact that there are already five other candidates in the race, all of whom are eminently more qualified than him to lead the party out of its recent failures?
There are a few who defend Duncan’s leadership. They claim he is a good manager of resources. This argument sounds to me like recommending the captain of the Titanic, had he survived the tragedy, to captain the very next transatlantic passenger ship voyage on the grounds that the kitchen of the Titanic did not once run out of rolls during the entire voyage... at least, until the ship sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
Immediately after the election losses, a spate of grass roots efforts grew up, literally almost overnight, to resurrect the Republican Party, this time around based on true principles of conservatism and an understanding and skill in the use of technology to communicate the conservative message. The first, and arguably the most recognized of these efforts, the Rebuild the Party movement, was launched by Patrick Ruffini, who set forward a detailed action plan for the party just days after the election loss.
Other movements, such as Smart Girl Politics, and the #dontgo movement, and the New Republicans, are also spurring the growth of grass roots movements, as well as the group of which I am the co-founder, Top Conservatives on Twitter, which at this moment has over 1,500 members and is growing fast.
There are tens of thousands of netizen warriors working to rebuild the conservative movement and Republican Party this very moment.
I personally set forward a Plan to Rebuild the Republican Party, but I am but one among thousands.
Energy abounds within the conservative grass roots movement. Our organization, which goes by the Twitter search acronym #TCOT, has already set forward a plan to reclaim Congress for Conservative Republicans in 2010.
The awful truth of the matter, which we must acknowledge plainly and honestly, is that Mike Duncan is the #1 technological laggard, and it is time for him to get out of the way so the grass roots conservative movement can now lead the Republican party back to victory.
We’ve been tracking Mr. Duncan's committment to technology here, and the truth is, he's not even making an effort, unlike his five opponents.
Therefore, this evening I am calling on Mike Duncan to immediately withdraw his candidacy for the position of Chairman of the Republican National Committee. I know that he is committed to conservative principles, and I am telling him plainly and directly that the very best thing he can do to advance the cause of conservatism and the Republican Party is to take this personally uncomfortable step right now.
I am making this call for his withdrawal as an individual grass roots conservative Republican activist, who was elected statewide as a Tennessee Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2008. I speak only for myself, but as co-founder of #TCOT I can say with complete certainty that my views represent the vast majority of the #TCOT community. With the exception of a few of his announced supporters who have recently joined our group, I would hazard to guess that my view may well be unanimously supported by the rapidly growing group of 1,500 conservative activist “netizen warriors”
The 168 members of the Republican National Committee will be voting on January 28-29, 2009 to select a Chairman for the next two years, and I am asking every member of the #TCOT organization who agrees with my views on the necessity of Mr. Duncan's withdrawal to communicate directly and through the use of their blogs with these 168 members.
You can contact these 168 members here.
In addition, you can tell me if you agree with my call for Mike Duncan to withdraw immediately from the RNC Chair Race by taking the online poll on this topic, which you can find now at the #TCOT Report.
I am publicly calling for Mr. Duncan's immediate withdrawal from the RNC race for 2 reasons:
1. The mere fact he has announced his candidacy, in light of two years of the most spectacular failure in American political history indicates how utterly disconnected he is from the real world of technology and engagement in which the rest of us live.
2. Apparently, some RNC members – among those 168 who will be able to vote for Chair Jan 28 are equally disconnected from reality and may be considering a vote for Duncan. This is hard to believe, and points to the importance of immediate corrective action.
The conservative and Republican grass roots movement are likely to ignore the RNC if Mr. Duncan is elected Chairman in January. Frankly, it will sound the death knell of irrelevancy for the RNC. The old guard at the RNC blew it big time. It's time for the failed old guard to step out of the way and let us in the grass roots movement lead now.
I note that Mr. Duncan apparently has recently and belatedly endorsed the Rebuild the Party Platform, but based on his performance of the past two years, I am convinced that he does not comprehend how to implement this platform. It looks to me like he is just checking the box.
Others in the press have recently noted that Mr. Duncan isn't up for the job. Here’s what Shawn Steel had to say in Politico yesterday:
“Duncan has been the Invisible Chairman, installed in January 2007 by Karl Rove to be unobtrusive — a mission he has carried out brilliantly. Many, if not most, Republican leaders and activists don’t know who he is. For example, when Duncan was a guest recently on the Hugh Hewitt Show, the radio host asked Duncan why this was the first time this RNC chairman had ever asked to come on the show and address millions of his fellow Republicans.
Duncan couldn’t give an answer other than he’d been busy for the past year. I suppose that’s one way to look at it. Another way is he hasn’t provided the kind of leadership the Republican National Committee needs in this day and age.
Despite his wraithlike RNC chairman, Duncan is slightly favored for reelection as chairman at the end of January. It should be cause for alarm when the chairmanship front-runner is a “Mike Who?” under who’s watch the GOP suffered its worst drubbing in decades.”
You can read the rest of the article here.
The opposition, also, apparently, is gleeful at the possibility of Mr. Duncan maintaining the Chairmanship of the RNC. Here’s what Yuna Shin recently said at the Huffington Post.
“This morning, NPR's Steve Inskeep interviewed the chairman of the Republican party, Mike Duncan, who is trying to hold on to his chairmanship despite the massive GOP loss in November. The most interesting part of the interview wasn't anything Duncan said.
Rather, it was Duncan's long silence when asked about the perception of the GOP as the party of exclusion. His silence spoke louder than anything that he had said in terms of how incapable the Republican Party still is of recognizing what it did wrong and what it needs to do in order to gain Americans' trust.”
The rest of that article can be found here.
In light of this overwhelming evidence, I humbly request that Mr. Duncan honor my suggestion that he withdraw his candidacy immediately. At #TCOT, all our actions are based on the concept of servant-leadership, a concept that is well articulated
here by James Dickey, the #1 Top Conservative on Twitter.
I believe that after Mr. Duncan has read this article, and thoughtfully reflected on how he can best serve the Republican Party and the conservative movement, he will recognize it is his duty to withdraw from the race for the Chairmanship of the RNC immediately.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Plan to Rebuild the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It
Many grass roots conservative activists have set forward a plan to rebuild the Republican Party. Patrick Ruffini led the way with his Rebuild the Party group, which set forward a plan of action within a few days of the disastrous November 2008 election.
Here's my personal analysis of what went wrong in 2008, and what has to change for Republicans to succeed in 2010 and 2012.
A Plan to Rebuild the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It
George Bush lost his way when he abandoned policies of limited government and fiscal conservatism in a number of areas, ranging from the unprecedented pharmaceuticals entitlement program to No Child Left Behind. John McCain lost the 2008 election by mismanaging Sarah Palin’s post-convention introduction to the American voter, supporting the ill advised, pork filled $700 billion financial services industry bail out, and most importantly, failing to convey a clear conservative message to under 30 voters using state of the art 21st century communications tools and the language of imagery and symbolism they understand.
A detailed analysis of the election results shows that it is the 8 million vote majority among under 30 voters, who chose Obama over McCain by more than a 2 to 1 margin, that gave Obama his overall 8 million vote majority and a 52% to 46% win. Projecting the demographic trends forward to 2012, Leahy shows that unless Republicans can win with these under 30 voters, Obama’s margin in 2012 will grow to 54% to 44%.
I recommends a six step program that will lead to Republican success in 2010 and 2012.
(1) Return to conservative principles of limited government, lower taxes, and fiscal conservatism
(2) Frame this conservative message in the symbolism and imagery that will be persuasive to voters who are now between 15 and 29 years of age.
(3) Communicate this conservative message to all voters, but especially voters now between the ages of 15 and 29 using state of the art 21st Century technologies.
(4) Contest all 435 House of Representative elections and all local elections in 2010 and 2012.
(5) Kick the Rinos (Republicans in Name Only) out of the party, and rein in the Rinkos (Republicans in Name Kind Of).
(6) Engage every Republican of every age in growing the party through action, not talk. This will require the establishment of a technologically integrated web based communication network that connects every Republican County organization in real time with the State and National organizations. Young, forward looking, visionary leadership at the very top of the Republican National Committee is required for this. Technology and communication innovators like Patrick Ruffini and Erick Erickson should lead the way, not tired old Rinkos or Brain Dead Luddites.
There are several obstacles that must be overcome to succeed with this program. He begins by showing that we are still a Center-Right country, but that Republicans must acknowledge certain truths. The failure to do so will limit the effectiveness of his six part plan.
These truths are:
(1) The mainstream media is officially and permanently an arm of the Democratic Party.
(2) The nation is now comprised of a productive minority made up of small business owners and middle class and upper-middle class workers, who must constantly protect against the encroachment on their rights from the tyrannical majority, which consists of the half of all Americans who pay no income taxes, unions, bureaucrats, and Fortune 500 executives who benefit from public aid.
(3) There is no such thing as bi-partisan cooperation. Every political action taken by the left and the Democrat party is designed to defeat and humiliate the right and the Republican Party. Only vigilance, strength, and devotion to principle will yield any benefits for the productive minority.
The Republican Party needs to be a Big Tent, but the right kind of Big Tent. The "Big Tent Fallacy" which claims that shifting away from true conservatism will attract members of the tyrannical majority is a dangerous falsehood that should be rejected. The "Big Tent Maxim" should be that we welcome those from any group into the Republican Party who embrace the core principles of true conservativism.
(4) Only Republican leaders who are charismatic, adept at communicating symbolically using state of the art technologies, and unwaveringly committed to conservative principles will succeed.
Here's my personal analysis of what went wrong in 2008, and what has to change for Republicans to succeed in 2010 and 2012.
A Plan to Rebuild the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It
George Bush lost his way when he abandoned policies of limited government and fiscal conservatism in a number of areas, ranging from the unprecedented pharmaceuticals entitlement program to No Child Left Behind. John McCain lost the 2008 election by mismanaging Sarah Palin’s post-convention introduction to the American voter, supporting the ill advised, pork filled $700 billion financial services industry bail out, and most importantly, failing to convey a clear conservative message to under 30 voters using state of the art 21st century communications tools and the language of imagery and symbolism they understand.
A detailed analysis of the election results shows that it is the 8 million vote majority among under 30 voters, who chose Obama over McCain by more than a 2 to 1 margin, that gave Obama his overall 8 million vote majority and a 52% to 46% win. Projecting the demographic trends forward to 2012, Leahy shows that unless Republicans can win with these under 30 voters, Obama’s margin in 2012 will grow to 54% to 44%.
I recommends a six step program that will lead to Republican success in 2010 and 2012.
(1) Return to conservative principles of limited government, lower taxes, and fiscal conservatism
(2) Frame this conservative message in the symbolism and imagery that will be persuasive to voters who are now between 15 and 29 years of age.
(3) Communicate this conservative message to all voters, but especially voters now between the ages of 15 and 29 using state of the art 21st Century technologies.
(4) Contest all 435 House of Representative elections and all local elections in 2010 and 2012.
(5) Kick the Rinos (Republicans in Name Only) out of the party, and rein in the Rinkos (Republicans in Name Kind Of).
(6) Engage every Republican of every age in growing the party through action, not talk. This will require the establishment of a technologically integrated web based communication network that connects every Republican County organization in real time with the State and National organizations. Young, forward looking, visionary leadership at the very top of the Republican National Committee is required for this. Technology and communication innovators like Patrick Ruffini and Erick Erickson should lead the way, not tired old Rinkos or Brain Dead Luddites.
There are several obstacles that must be overcome to succeed with this program. He begins by showing that we are still a Center-Right country, but that Republicans must acknowledge certain truths. The failure to do so will limit the effectiveness of his six part plan.
These truths are:
(1) The mainstream media is officially and permanently an arm of the Democratic Party.
(2) The nation is now comprised of a productive minority made up of small business owners and middle class and upper-middle class workers, who must constantly protect against the encroachment on their rights from the tyrannical majority, which consists of the half of all Americans who pay no income taxes, unions, bureaucrats, and Fortune 500 executives who benefit from public aid.
(3) There is no such thing as bi-partisan cooperation. Every political action taken by the left and the Democrat party is designed to defeat and humiliate the right and the Republican Party. Only vigilance, strength, and devotion to principle will yield any benefits for the productive minority.
The Republican Party needs to be a Big Tent, but the right kind of Big Tent. The "Big Tent Fallacy" which claims that shifting away from true conservatism will attract members of the tyrannical majority is a dangerous falsehood that should be rejected. The "Big Tent Maxim" should be that we welcome those from any group into the Republican Party who embrace the core principles of true conservativism.
(4) Only Republican leaders who are charismatic, adept at communicating symbolically using state of the art technologies, and unwaveringly committed to conservative principles will succeed.
The Netizen Warriors at Top Conservatives on Twitter
Since the days of Ronald Reagan's vision of America as the "shining city on a hill," conservatives have been motivated to create an ideal version of our country.
Of late, we've lost our way.
Too many conservatives are looking backwards to the "Glory Days" of those great leaders who are no longer with us. They lived in a different world, with different technologies and a different citizenry.
It serves no purpose for us to wail and bemoan our recent misfortunes, as we try in vain to relive that which will never be again.
The path to re-establishing a limited government, one that is responsible only for those elements of the common good which we cannot provide for ourselves will not be shown by political leaders who live in decades past, nor by “talking heads” comfortably assured of their own intellectual superiority. Those who are interested in telling us what they think, but not hearing what we know, cannot lead; they can only stand in the way.
Limited government will be re-established through the independently undertaken but voluntarily coordinated efforts of hundreds of thousands of netizen-warriors just like you and me. Unlike the CEOs of auto companies and mortgage companies begging to be bailed out of financial debacles of their
own profligacy, the netizen-warrior approaches the task of righting our nation with the humility of servant leadership.
From that community servant leadership comes the moral authority by which other likeminded netizen-warriors will collectively work to return our country to the principles upon which it was founded.
It is upon these principles of modern day netizen warriorship that we have founded Top Conservatives on Twitter.
Of late, we've lost our way.
Too many conservatives are looking backwards to the "Glory Days" of those great leaders who are no longer with us. They lived in a different world, with different technologies and a different citizenry.
It serves no purpose for us to wail and bemoan our recent misfortunes, as we try in vain to relive that which will never be again.
The path to re-establishing a limited government, one that is responsible only for those elements of the common good which we cannot provide for ourselves will not be shown by political leaders who live in decades past, nor by “talking heads” comfortably assured of their own intellectual superiority. Those who are interested in telling us what they think, but not hearing what we know, cannot lead; they can only stand in the way.
Limited government will be re-established through the independently undertaken but voluntarily coordinated efforts of hundreds of thousands of netizen-warriors just like you and me. Unlike the CEOs of auto companies and mortgage companies begging to be bailed out of financial debacles of their
own profligacy, the netizen-warrior approaches the task of righting our nation with the humility of servant leadership.
From that community servant leadership comes the moral authority by which other likeminded netizen-warriors will collectively work to return our country to the principles upon which it was founded.
It is upon these principles of modern day netizen warriorship that we have founded Top Conservatives on Twitter.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Ford Motor's Head of Social Media Pioneers Public Dialogue with Conservative Grass Roots Movement
In my role as co-founder of Top Conservatives on Twitter, the Twitter based grass roots organization of conservatives dedicated to action projects that will return conservative Republicans to a majority in Congress in 2010, I was on one end of a fascinating two way public conversation that caused a bit of a stir in the blogosphere yesterday.
We had just completed one phase of Operation Fight The Bailout (our 1,200 plus members sent a thundering herd of Bailout Rinos as Facebook "gifts" to the 32 House Republicans who voted in favor of the Auto Bailout bill this past week, and were savoring the rejection of the bill in the Senate the next day, when Ford Motor Company's new Head of Social Media, Scott Monty, entered the #TCOT tweet stream.
You can read the rest of this article in my column today at Red County
We had just completed one phase of Operation Fight The Bailout (our 1,200 plus members sent a thundering herd of Bailout Rinos as Facebook "gifts" to the 32 House Republicans who voted in favor of the Auto Bailout bill this past week, and were savoring the rejection of the bill in the Senate the next day, when Ford Motor Company's new Head of Social Media, Scott Monty, entered the #TCOT tweet stream.
You can read the rest of this article in my column today at Red County
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
#TCOT' (Top Conservatives on Twitter) sends Facebook "Bailout RINO" Gifts to 32 House Republicans
Bailout RINOYesterday, the 1,000 plus members of Top Conservatives on Twitter launched a thundering herd of "Bailout RINO" Gifts to the 32 House Republicans who voted FOR the Auto Bailout, which had passed earlier in the day by a significant margin.
Today, the Senate failed to garner enough votes to bring the Bailout Bill to the floor.
Coincidence ?
RINKO--Republican in Name Kind of (Half Republican, Half RINO)
Hugh Hewitt and Top Conservatives on Twitter Combine for Social Media Broadcast Innovation !
Hugh Hewitt, by far the best up and coming conservative talk show host in the country, combined yesterday with our own growing conservative group on Twitter, Top Conservatives on Twitter to deliver an innovative simulcast of his live radio program and "Town Hall Tweeting" on Twitter.
To watch the dialogue again today from 4pm CST to 7 pm CST, go to http://search.twitter.com. Enter "#hhrs" and search. You will see the live "tweet stream" from Hugh and his great producer Duane as they comment on their interviews with top guests !
To watch the dialogue again today from 4pm CST to 7 pm CST, go to http://search.twitter.com. Enter "#hhrs" and search. You will see the live "tweet stream" from Hugh and his great producer Duane as they comment on their interviews with top guests !
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Tennessee Republicans Reward RINOs ?
Conservative Talk Show power house Steve Gill says Tennessee Republicans are rewarding RINOs.
Click here to read my column in Red County on that topic.
Click here to read my column in Red County on that topic.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Brain Dead Luddite Index Chart of RNC Chariman Contenders
Melanie Hall, a Republican internet activist and member of the rapidly growing group Rebuild the Party has taken my term "Brain Dead Luddite" and developed an index to measure the degree to which the contenders for the RNC chair position are capable of using social media and internet based tools. Here's her description of the index:
This is the rough first version of the chart, showing how the candidates compare in tech areas. Please note that I did not find a facebook page for Chip Saltsman, and I could not get the friend count for Katon Dawson, since his page is private and I am waiting on a friend confirmation. I found a blog for Saul Anuzis, and Michael Steele has a couple posts on a blog on his campaign page. I did not locate blogs for the other two candidates, however, I am planning on revising the information, so if you have information that is pertinent please comment or message me. I am also considering tracking changes in the information over time, although I would prefer this be a representation of the candidates inclination to utilize technology on a regular basis, as opposed to a contest to see who can ignore the most followers on Twitter.
*Current number of followers on Twitter
**Current number of friends on Facebook
Michael Steele blog
Saul Anuzis blog
(BDL™ Michael Patrick Leahy)
UPDATE:
To see Melanie Hall's most current version of the Brain Dead Luddite Index (Now called the Republican Chairman Candidate Tech Index.
PLEASE CLICK HERE.
The latest version includes some very cool indices, such as Following to Follower Ratio and 'at-replies' to updates ratio.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
So Sad Rosie's Show So Bad
Rosie O'Donnell's new NBC show tanked in the ratings this week.Rosie O'Donnell and NBC.
A match made in H _ _ _ ...
Tennessee's Saltsman Launches Bid for Republican National Committee Chairmanship
Tennessean Chip Saltsman, most recently the manager of Mike Huckabee's remarkably successful "up from nowhere" 2008 Presidential campaign, has thrown his hat in the ring as a candidate for the Republican National Committee Chairmanship position.
At forty, Saltsman is the youngest of the announced candidates and arguably has the most electoral success in his background. He helped the ignoble Don Sundquist win the Governorship in Tennessee back in 1994, and has been involved in several successful Tennessee campaigns, ranging from Bill Frist's Senate election to the glorious defeat of native son and Democrat Presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000. Without a Republican victory in Tennessee in 2000, all of the drama in Florida wouldn't have mattered, and Al Gore would have been elected President.
Click here to read the rest of my Red County column on Chip Saltsman.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Governor Bredesen's Early and Unwanted Thanksgiving Turkey
Check out my Red County column on Phil Bredesen's unwelcome Thanksgiving turkey here.
My father's book signing for Principal Without a Diploma
My father, Raymond Leahy (far left), is pictured here at his book signing last month in the Randolph Public Library in Randolph, New York.Principal Without a Diploma was published by Harpeth River Press this past October.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Andrew Ross Sorkin asks "Where was Geithner in turmoil"?
Andrew Ross Sorkin has an interesting article in today's International Herald Tribune in which he points out Secretary of Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner's involvement in the recent disastrous bailouts.
But Geithner's involvement in several ultimately ill-fated efforts to buttress the American financial system is the very reason some Wall Street CEO's — a number of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of piquing the man who regulates them — question whether he's up to the challenge.
"We have only two things to say about Tim Geithner, who we do not know: AIG and Lehman Brothers," said Christopher Whalen of Institutional Risk Analytics. "Throw in the Bear Stearns/Maiden Lane fiasco for good measure," he said, referring to the site of the New York Federal Reserve, where many rescue discussions took place.
"All of these 'rescues' are a disaster for the taxpayer, for the financial markets and also for the Federal Reserve System as an organization. Geithner, in our view, deserves retirement, not promotion."
You can read the rest of the article here.
Barack Obama.
Change you can count on !
But Geithner's involvement in several ultimately ill-fated efforts to buttress the American financial system is the very reason some Wall Street CEO's — a number of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of piquing the man who regulates them — question whether he's up to the challenge.
"We have only two things to say about Tim Geithner, who we do not know: AIG and Lehman Brothers," said Christopher Whalen of Institutional Risk Analytics. "Throw in the Bear Stearns/Maiden Lane fiasco for good measure," he said, referring to the site of the New York Federal Reserve, where many rescue discussions took place.
"All of these 'rescues' are a disaster for the taxpayer, for the financial markets and also for the Federal Reserve System as an organization. Geithner, in our view, deserves retirement, not promotion."
You can read the rest of the article here.
Barack Obama.
Change you can count on !
The Wall Street Journal Wonders Why Robert Rubin and other directors of CitiGroup are still employed
"Citi never sleeps," says the bank's advertising slogan. But its directors apparently do. While CEO Vikram Pandit can argue that many of Citi's problems were created before he arrived in 2007, most board members have no such excuse. Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin has served on the Citi board for a decade. For much of that time he was chairman of the executive committee, collecting tens of millions to massage the Beltway crowd, though apparently not for asking tough questions about risk management.
The writers at the Deal Journal blog remind us of one particularly egregious massaging, when Mr. Rubin tried to use political muscle to prop up Enron, a valued Citi client. Mr. Rubin asked a Treasury official to lean on credit-rating agencies to maintain a more positive rating than Enron deserved. What signal will President-elect Barack Obama send if his Administration, populated with Mr. Rubin's protégés, allows this uberfixer to continue flying hither and yon on the corporate jet while taxpayers foot the bill?
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Barack Obama.
Change you can count on !
The writers at the Deal Journal blog remind us of one particularly egregious massaging, when Mr. Rubin tried to use political muscle to prop up Enron, a valued Citi client. Mr. Rubin asked a Treasury official to lean on credit-rating agencies to maintain a more positive rating than Enron deserved. What signal will President-elect Barack Obama send if his Administration, populated with Mr. Rubin's protégés, allows this uberfixer to continue flying hither and yon on the corporate jet while taxpayers foot the bill?
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Barack Obama.
Change you can count on !
Monday, November 24, 2008
Obama Dream Team All Proteges of Robert Rubin, the Man Who Screwed Up Citibank, Begged for and got a $306 Billion Bailout
What does Treasury Secretary Nominee Tim Geithner have in common with current Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers ? They all learned at the feet of Robert Rubin, the man who screwed up Citibank, and just got a $306 billion bail out from the Feds.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. rescued Citigroup Inc, agreeing to shoulder most losses on about $306 billion of the bank's risky assets, and inject new capital, bolstering investor hopes that the government will support big banks as the economy sinks into recession.
The bailout, announced late Sunday, gives the government the right to buy an equity stake, and marks its latest effort to contain a widening financial crisis that has already brought down Bear Stearns Cos, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc and Washington Mutual Inc.
Click here for rest of the story.
Barack Obama.
Change you can count on!
$306 billion of change if you’re Robert Rubin.
David Brooks' "Best and the Brightest" are more likely to be "Worst from the First."
Question: What Does Bill Richardson Know About Commerce ?
Answer: Nothing.
Unless, that is, you count his experience talking about commerce and passing bills about commerce as a Congressman, or his experience lobbying as a member of Kissinger McClarty Associates after he left the Clinton Administration.
Never had a real job in business.
Never, to borrow a phrase from Mitt Romney, "so much as operated a corner lemonade stand."
Excellent qualifications for President-elect Obama's new Secretary of Commerce.
Barack Obama
Change you can count on !
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Former Conservative David Brooks' Best and Brightest
Former Conservative David Brooks, a RINKO (Republican-in-name-kind-of) if ever there was one, waxes eloquent in the New York Times today about the high SAT scores and intellectual firepower of the Obama Administration.
Reminds me of all the media fawning over The Best and the Brightest in the Kennedy Administration. That led the country..... where ?
The word "hubris" comes to mind.
Any blogreaders want to fill in the blanks here ?
Reminds me of all the media fawning over The Best and the Brightest in the Kennedy Administration. That led the country..... where ?
The word "hubris" comes to mind.
Any blogreaders want to fill in the blanks here ?
CEO Fellowship a Great New Organization
I went to one of the weekly meetings of the CEO Fellowship on Friday morning. 6:45 is a tad early to meet, but about 400 people showed up at Brentwood Baptist Church (Tennessee) on Concord Road to listen to a great talk by Dave Ramsey.
The mission of the CEO Fellowship is
to encourage and equip CEOs to operate their companies on Christian principles, thus bringing people to Christ and improving the profitability of their companies.
My good friend Genma Holmes (pictured above with co-founder Leonard Isaacs) is on the board, as is my writing friend and "human capital guru" Nancy Reece.
Ramsey opened up his talk with a great line:
I just flew in to the meeting this morning from Detroit on my private Gulfstream Jet.
The place roared with laughter. Ramsey made the point with the joke. CEOs have an obligation--a Biblical stewardship obligation--not to waste the resources of the organizations they run.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
My Interview With Conservative Icon Richard Viguerie
Political junkies of both parties under the age of thirty may never have heard of Richard Viguerie. They would do well to learn more about about his career, and his thoughts about the future of conservatism in America.
A native of Pasadena, Texas, Viguerie was the originator of innovative direct mail fundraising techniques that bankrolled an array of conservative causes. Viguerie got his start in politics back in 1961, when he was named the Executive Secretary of William Buckley's newly formed Young Americans for Freedom. It was that group that pushed Barry Goldwater's 1964 Presidential Campaign. Goldwater's drubbing by Lyndon Johnson set the stage for more than a decade of grass roots conservative organizing that culminated in Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency in 1980.
Click here to see the rest of my article Richard Viguerie Tells Red County "Third Force" Needed.
A native of Pasadena, Texas, Viguerie was the originator of innovative direct mail fundraising techniques that bankrolled an array of conservative causes. Viguerie got his start in politics back in 1961, when he was named the Executive Secretary of William Buckley's newly formed Young Americans for Freedom. It was that group that pushed Barry Goldwater's 1964 Presidential Campaign. Goldwater's drubbing by Lyndon Johnson set the stage for more than a decade of grass roots conservative organizing that culminated in Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency in 1980.
Click here to see the rest of my article Richard Viguerie Tells Red County "Third Force" Needed.
WND Petition for Public Release of Obama Birth Certificate
World Net Daily launched an online petition for the public release of Barack Obama's Birth Certificate yesterday.
You can read the petition below, and you can sign it here.
WND claims that they have 33,000 signatures already. I've signed the petition, but it seems a little WND self serving, as the collected emails are a great addition to their marketing database. In addition, I think I would probably change the recipients of the petition and tighten up the language.
If I'm inspired, I may draw up another petition on the topic.
Begin WND Petition
PETITION FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE
To: Electoral College, Congress of the United States, Federal Elections Commission, U.S. Supreme Court, President of the United States, other controlling legal authorities
Whereas, by requirement of the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, no one can be sworn into office as president of the United States without being a natural born citizen;
Whereas, there is sufficient controversy within the citizenry of the United States as to whether presidential election winner Barack Obama was actually born in Hawaii as he claims;
Whereas, Barack Obama has refused repeated calls to release publicly his entire Hawaiian birth certificate, which would include the actual hospital that performed the delivery;
Whereas, lawsuits filed in several states seeking only proof of the basic minimal standard of eligibility have been rebuffed;
Whereas, Hawaii at the time of Obama's birth allowed births that took place in foreign countries to be registered in Hawaii;
Whereas, concerns that our government is not taking this constitutional question seriously will result in diminished confidence in our system of free and fair elections;
SIGN THE PETITION
We, the undersigned, assert our rights as citizens of the United States in demanding that the constitutional eligibility requirement be taken seriously and that any and all controlling legal authorities in this matter examine the complete birth certificate of Barack Obama, including the actual city and hospital of birth, and make that document available to the American people for inspection.
Click here to sign.
You can read the petition below, and you can sign it here.
WND claims that they have 33,000 signatures already. I've signed the petition, but it seems a little WND self serving, as the collected emails are a great addition to their marketing database. In addition, I think I would probably change the recipients of the petition and tighten up the language.
If I'm inspired, I may draw up another petition on the topic.
Begin WND Petition
PETITION FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE
To: Electoral College, Congress of the United States, Federal Elections Commission, U.S. Supreme Court, President of the United States, other controlling legal authorities
Whereas, by requirement of the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, no one can be sworn into office as president of the United States without being a natural born citizen;
Whereas, there is sufficient controversy within the citizenry of the United States as to whether presidential election winner Barack Obama was actually born in Hawaii as he claims;
Whereas, Barack Obama has refused repeated calls to release publicly his entire Hawaiian birth certificate, which would include the actual hospital that performed the delivery;
Whereas, lawsuits filed in several states seeking only proof of the basic minimal standard of eligibility have been rebuffed;
Whereas, Hawaii at the time of Obama's birth allowed births that took place in foreign countries to be registered in Hawaii;
Whereas, concerns that our government is not taking this constitutional question seriously will result in diminished confidence in our system of free and fair elections;
SIGN THE PETITION
We, the undersigned, assert our rights as citizens of the United States in demanding that the constitutional eligibility requirement be taken seriously and that any and all controlling legal authorities in this matter examine the complete birth certificate of Barack Obama, including the actual city and hospital of birth, and make that document available to the American people for inspection.
Click here to sign.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Titans Coach Fisher Parachutes Into Practice
Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher parachuted into yesterday's team practice to motivate his players.
Now, that would impress me !
Here's the story.
Supreme Court to Review Obama Natural Born Status Case Deember 5, 2008
Rus Thompson of Redcounty.com reports that the United States Supreme Court is scheduled to review Donofrio v. Wells on December 5, 2008.
On December 5, 2008, only ten days before the electoral college votes, the nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will meet in private to review Obama's citizenship status.
Leo Donofrio's case, "Leo C. Donofrio, v. Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State of the State of New Jersey, United States Supreme Court Docket No. 08A407," regarding Obama's citizenship has reached a new level. The case has been "distributed for conference."
You can read the full story here.
You can see the Supreme Court docket here.
On December 5, 2008, only ten days before the electoral college votes, the nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will meet in private to review Obama's citizenship status.
Leo Donofrio's case, "Leo C. Donofrio, v. Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State of the State of New Jersey, United States Supreme Court Docket No. 08A407," regarding Obama's citizenship has reached a new level. The case has been "distributed for conference."
You can read the full story here.
You can see the Supreme Court docket here.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
ABC's Brian Ross Exposes Utter Hypocrisy of Big Three Auto CEOs
A tip of the hat to ABC's Brian Ross for a righteous skewering of the three CEO hypocrites who run GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds
The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money
to avoid bankruptcy.
Even as their companies fail, Ford and GM CEOs continue lavish lifestyles.
The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.
All three CEOs - Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler - exercised their perks Tuesday by flying in corporate jets to DC. Wagoner flew in GM's $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone.
"We want to continue the vital role we've played for Americans for the past 100 years, but we can't do it alone," Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee.
While Wagoner testified, his G4 private jet was parked at Dulles airport. It is just one of a fleet of luxury jets owned by GM that continues to ferry executives around the world despite the company's dire financial straits...
Wagoner's private jet trip to Washington cost his ailing company an estimated $20,000roundtrip. In comparison, seats on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington were going online for $288 coach and $837 first class.
After the hearing, Wagoner declined to answer questions about his travel.
Ford CEO Mulally's corporate jet is a perk included for both he and his wife as part of his employment contract along with a $28 million salary last year. Mulally actually lives in Seattle, not Detroit. The company jet takes him home and back on weekends.
Click here for the rest of the story.
Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds
The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money
to avoid bankruptcy.
Even as their companies fail, Ford and GM CEOs continue lavish lifestyles.
The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.
All three CEOs - Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler - exercised their perks Tuesday by flying in corporate jets to DC. Wagoner flew in GM's $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone.
"We want to continue the vital role we've played for Americans for the past 100 years, but we can't do it alone," Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee.
While Wagoner testified, his G4 private jet was parked at Dulles airport. It is just one of a fleet of luxury jets owned by GM that continues to ferry executives around the world despite the company's dire financial straits...
Wagoner's private jet trip to Washington cost his ailing company an estimated $20,000roundtrip. In comparison, seats on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington were going online for $288 coach and $837 first class.
After the hearing, Wagoner declined to answer questions about his travel.
Ford CEO Mulally's corporate jet is a perk included for both he and his wife as part of his employment contract along with a $28 million salary last year. Mulally actually lives in Seattle, not Detroit. The company jet takes him home and back on weekends.
Click here for the rest of the story.
My October 28 speech to the Tipton County Tennessee Republicans
Speaking to the Tipton County Republican Party
Book signing after the speech
Why Mitt Romney Was the Best 2008 Choice for President
We Republicans blew it in 2008.
We let non-Republicans vote in too many primaries, and the result was a nominee who was a RINKO (Republican in name kind-of) on a good day, and a RINO (Republican in name only) on a bad day.
Mitt Romney's op-ed piece in todays New York Times, Let Detroit Go Bankrupt, shows that of all the 2008 Presidential candidates, including the eventual winner, he was the candidate best prepared to handle our current economic crisis.
There's always 2012.
Come on, Mitt, run again !
We let non-Republicans vote in too many primaries, and the result was a nominee who was a RINKO (Republican in name kind-of) on a good day, and a RINO (Republican in name only) on a bad day.
Mitt Romney's op-ed piece in todays New York Times, Let Detroit Go Bankrupt, shows that of all the 2008 Presidential candidates, including the eventual winner, he was the candidate best prepared to handle our current economic crisis.
There's always 2012.
Come on, Mitt, run again !
A website that summarizes the Obama eligibity lawsuits
You can find a pretty good summary of all the Obama eligibility lawsuits here.
This is the best summary site I've seen, though it does not include at least one Federal lawsuit of which I am aware.
This is the best summary site I've seen, though it does not include at least one Federal lawsuit of which I am aware.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Alan Keyes v. Bowen (California Secretary of State)
Keyes v. Bowen was filed in California Superior Court in Sacramento, California on November 12, 2008.
Here's part of the filing:
74. A press release was issued on October 31, 2008, by the Hawaii Department of Health by its Director, Dr. Chiyome Fukino. Dr. Fukino said that she had “personally seen and verified that the Hawaii State Department of Health has Senator Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.” That statement failed to resolve any of the questions being raised by litigation and press accounts. Being “on record” could mean either that its contents are in the computer database of the department or there is an actual “vault” original.
75. Further, the report does not say whether the birth certificate in the “record” is a Certificate of Live Birth or a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth. In Hawaii, a Certificate of Live Birth resulting from hospital documentation, including a signature of an attending physician, is different from a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth. For births prior to 1972, a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth was the result of the uncorroborated testimony of one witness and was not generated by a hospital. Such a Certificate could be obtained up to one year from the date of the child’s birth. For that reason, its value as prima facie evidence is limited and could be overcome if any of the allegations of substantial evidence of birth outside Hawaii can be obtained. The vault (long Version) birth certificate, per Hawaiian Statute 883.176 allows the birth in another State or another country to be registered in Hawaii. Box 7C of the vault Certificate of Live Birth contains a question, whether the birth was in Hawaii or another State or Country. Therefore, the only way to verify the exact location of birth is to review a certified copy or the original vault Certificate of Live Birth and compare the name of the hospital and the name and the signature of the doctor against the birthing records on file at the hospital noted on the Certificate of the Live Birth.
You can read the complete complaint here.
Here's part of the filing:
74. A press release was issued on October 31, 2008, by the Hawaii Department of Health by its Director, Dr. Chiyome Fukino. Dr. Fukino said that she had “personally seen and verified that the Hawaii State Department of Health has Senator Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.” That statement failed to resolve any of the questions being raised by litigation and press accounts. Being “on record” could mean either that its contents are in the computer database of the department or there is an actual “vault” original.
75. Further, the report does not say whether the birth certificate in the “record” is a Certificate of Live Birth or a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth. In Hawaii, a Certificate of Live Birth resulting from hospital documentation, including a signature of an attending physician, is different from a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth. For births prior to 1972, a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth was the result of the uncorroborated testimony of one witness and was not generated by a hospital. Such a Certificate could be obtained up to one year from the date of the child’s birth. For that reason, its value as prima facie evidence is limited and could be overcome if any of the allegations of substantial evidence of birth outside Hawaii can be obtained. The vault (long Version) birth certificate, per Hawaiian Statute 883.176 allows the birth in another State or another country to be registered in Hawaii. Box 7C of the vault Certificate of Live Birth contains a question, whether the birth was in Hawaii or another State or Country. Therefore, the only way to verify the exact location of birth is to review a certified copy or the original vault Certificate of Live Birth and compare the name of the hospital and the name and the signature of the doctor against the birthing records on file at the hospital noted on the Certificate of the Live Birth.
You can read the complete complaint here.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Obama's Constitutionally Faithless Electors
The votes have been cast, and Barack Obama has won a resounding victory in the 2008 Presidential election. All that remains is for his 370 electors to cast their votes for him in the fifty state capitals on December 15, 2008, and for the joint session of Congress to verify the elector vote count on January 6, 2009. On January 21, 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
But not so fast.
For the rest of this article, go to Redcounty.com, where I am now one of the regular columnists.
But not so fast.
For the rest of this article, go to Redcounty.com, where I am now one of the regular columnists.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
UAW President Gettelfinger a Democrat Brain Dead Luddite
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger shows that Brain Dead Luddites are in both political parties. Even as Detroit's Big Three teeter on collapse, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said Saturday that workers will not make any more concessions and that getting the automakers back on their feet means figuring out a way to turn around the slumping economy.I say Let the Big Three Go Bankrupt.
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP and McCain backer, purportedly says, let the Federal Government buy $25 billion worth of cars.
What do you say ?
Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It - Book Summary
In his new book, Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It: A Blueprint for Success in 2010 and 2012, conservative author and Republican strategist Michael Patrick Leahy gives a clear eyed assessment of what went wrong in 2008, and what has to change for Republicans to succeed in 2010 and 2012.
Leahy begins by showing how George Bush lost his way when he abandoned policies of limited government and fiscal conservatism in a number of areas, ranging from the unprecedented pharmaceuticals entitlement program to No Child Left Behind. He then shows how John McCain lost the 2008 election by mismanaging Sarah Palin’s post-convention introduction to the American voter, supporting the ill advised, pork filled $700 billion financial services industry bail out, and most importantly, failing to convey a clear conservative message to under 30 voters using state of the art 21st century communications tools and the language of imagery and symbolism they understand.
Leahy demonstrates through a detailed analysis of the election results that it is the 8 million vote majority among under 30 voters, who chose Obama over McCain by more than a 2 to 1 margin, that gave Obama his overall 8 million vote majority and a 52% to 46% win. Projecting the demographic trends forward to 2012, Leahy shows that unless Republicans can win with these under 30 voters, Obama’s margin in 2012 will grow to 54% to 44%.
Leahy recommends a six step program that will lead to Republican success in 2010 and 2012.
(1) Return to conservative principles of limited government, lower taxes, and fiscal conservatism
(2) Frame this conservative message in the symbolism and imagery that will be persuasive to voters who are now between 15 and 29 years of age.
(3) Communicate this conservative message to all voters, but especially voters now between the ages of 15 and 29 using state of the art 21st Century technologies.
(4) Contest all 435 House of Representative elections and all local elections in 2010 and 2012.
(5) Kick the Rinos (Republicans in Name Only) out of the party, and rein in the Rinkos (Republicans in Name Kind Of).
(6) Engage every Republican of every age in growing the party through action, not talk. This will require the establishment of a technologically integrated web based communication network that connects every Republican County organization in real time with the State and National organizations. Young, forward looking, visionary leadership at the very top of the Republican National Committee is required for this. Technology and communication innovators like Patrick Ruffini and Erick Erickson should lead the way, not tired old Rinkos or Brain Dead Luddites.
Leahy goes on to describe the obstacles that must be overcome to succeed with this program. He begins by showing that we are still a Center-Right country, but that Republicans must acknowledge certain truths. The failure to do so will limit the effectiveness of his six part plan.
These truths are:
(1) The mainstream media is officially and permanently an arm of the Democratic Party.
(2) The nation is now comprised of a productive minority made up of small business owners and middle class and upper-middle class workers, who must constantly protect against the encroachment on their rights from the tyrannical majority, which consists of the half of all Americans who pay no income taxes, unions, bureaucrats, and Fortune 500 executives who benefit from public aid.
(3) There is no such thing as bi-partisan cooperation. Every political action taken by the left and the Democrat party is designed to defeat and humiliate the right and the Republican Party. Only vigilance, strength, and devotion to principle will yield any benefits for the productive minority.
The Republican Party needs to be a Big Tent, but the right kind of Big Tent. The "Big Tent Fallacy" which claims that shifting away from true conservatism will attract members of the tyrannical majority is a dangerous falsehood that should be rejected. The "Big Tent Maxim" should be that we welcome those from any group into the Republican Party who embrace the core principles of true conservativism.
(4) Only Republican leaders who are charismatic, adept at communicating symbolically using state of the art technologies, and unwaveringly committed to conservative principles will succeed.
Finally, Leahy lays out a detailed plan of action within these six steps that will give every Republican voter, elected leader, and aspiring leader a step by step blueprint that will lead to electoral success in their own sphere of influence.
In writing this book, Leahy interviewed numerous national leaders of the Republican Party (brain dead and non brain dead alike), the new generation of web 3.0 Republican internet activists, conservative leaders, and Republican County Chairmen around the country.
Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It: A Blueprint for Success in 2010 and 2012 will be published by Harpeth River Press in January, 2009.
Leahy begins by showing how George Bush lost his way when he abandoned policies of limited government and fiscal conservatism in a number of areas, ranging from the unprecedented pharmaceuticals entitlement program to No Child Left Behind. He then shows how John McCain lost the 2008 election by mismanaging Sarah Palin’s post-convention introduction to the American voter, supporting the ill advised, pork filled $700 billion financial services industry bail out, and most importantly, failing to convey a clear conservative message to under 30 voters using state of the art 21st century communications tools and the language of imagery and symbolism they understand.
Leahy demonstrates through a detailed analysis of the election results that it is the 8 million vote majority among under 30 voters, who chose Obama over McCain by more than a 2 to 1 margin, that gave Obama his overall 8 million vote majority and a 52% to 46% win. Projecting the demographic trends forward to 2012, Leahy shows that unless Republicans can win with these under 30 voters, Obama’s margin in 2012 will grow to 54% to 44%.
Leahy recommends a six step program that will lead to Republican success in 2010 and 2012.
(1) Return to conservative principles of limited government, lower taxes, and fiscal conservatism
(2) Frame this conservative message in the symbolism and imagery that will be persuasive to voters who are now between 15 and 29 years of age.
(3) Communicate this conservative message to all voters, but especially voters now between the ages of 15 and 29 using state of the art 21st Century technologies.
(4) Contest all 435 House of Representative elections and all local elections in 2010 and 2012.
(5) Kick the Rinos (Republicans in Name Only) out of the party, and rein in the Rinkos (Republicans in Name Kind Of).
(6) Engage every Republican of every age in growing the party through action, not talk. This will require the establishment of a technologically integrated web based communication network that connects every Republican County organization in real time with the State and National organizations. Young, forward looking, visionary leadership at the very top of the Republican National Committee is required for this. Technology and communication innovators like Patrick Ruffini and Erick Erickson should lead the way, not tired old Rinkos or Brain Dead Luddites.
Leahy goes on to describe the obstacles that must be overcome to succeed with this program. He begins by showing that we are still a Center-Right country, but that Republicans must acknowledge certain truths. The failure to do so will limit the effectiveness of his six part plan.
These truths are:
(1) The mainstream media is officially and permanently an arm of the Democratic Party.
(2) The nation is now comprised of a productive minority made up of small business owners and middle class and upper-middle class workers, who must constantly protect against the encroachment on their rights from the tyrannical majority, which consists of the half of all Americans who pay no income taxes, unions, bureaucrats, and Fortune 500 executives who benefit from public aid.
(3) There is no such thing as bi-partisan cooperation. Every political action taken by the left and the Democrat party is designed to defeat and humiliate the right and the Republican Party. Only vigilance, strength, and devotion to principle will yield any benefits for the productive minority.
The Republican Party needs to be a Big Tent, but the right kind of Big Tent. The "Big Tent Fallacy" which claims that shifting away from true conservatism will attract members of the tyrannical majority is a dangerous falsehood that should be rejected. The "Big Tent Maxim" should be that we welcome those from any group into the Republican Party who embrace the core principles of true conservativism.
(4) Only Republican leaders who are charismatic, adept at communicating symbolically using state of the art technologies, and unwaveringly committed to conservative principles will succeed.
Finally, Leahy lays out a detailed plan of action within these six steps that will give every Republican voter, elected leader, and aspiring leader a step by step blueprint that will lead to electoral success in their own sphere of influence.
In writing this book, Leahy interviewed numerous national leaders of the Republican Party (brain dead and non brain dead alike), the new generation of web 3.0 Republican internet activists, conservative leaders, and Republican County Chairmen around the country.
Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It: A Blueprint for Success in 2010 and 2012 will be published by Harpeth River Press in January, 2009.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Leslie Carbone Post Suggests Michael Steele is NOT a Brain Dead Luddite
Here's a positive post from Leslie Carbone about Michael Steele's campaign to become the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Cousin Patrick Leahy Wants to Kick Lieberman Out
My third cousin, the personally admirable but politically misguided Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont, wants to kick Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman out of his Senate Committee Chairmanship.
Senator Lieberman, if it's any consolation to you, this side of the Leahy family extends a warm invitation for you to join the Republican Party !
Senator Lieberman, if it's any consolation to you, this side of the Leahy family extends a warm invitation for you to join the Republican Party !
The Productive Minority and the Tyrannical Majority
Political writers seeking to make a point often do so through the apocryphal quotes of Alexis de Tocqueville, the great French writer and author of Democracy in America.
How often have we heard speeches that cite this apocryphal deTocqueville quote:
America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
A wonderful sentiment, but one that cannot be found in any of deTocqueville’s writings.
Similarly, here are two common quotes, taken from http://www.brainyquote.com attributed to deTocqueville which I suspect are apocryphal. My cursory search of his works could not find the proper citation, though perhaps a more diligent blog reader may:
The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money
and
A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Despite their likely apocryphal origins, the idea behind these quotes aptly describe the circumstances to which our nation has fallen.
The Productive Minority today is small business owners and middle class Americans who work 40 to 60 hours a week at middle class and upper middle class jobs.
The Tyrannical Majority is the half of all Americans who pay no income tax, and the Fortune 500 executives and union workers who support their own overpaid income through a variety of public programs.
Our economy is an odd mix of brutal free market capitalism for small businesses and Corporate Socialism for many selected Fortune 500 companies. Borrowing a phrase from Reagan OMB Director David Stockman, the woes of our current economic system can be attributed to the triumph of politics over the common sense of free markets.
The only long term solution is to kick the onerous interference of the government into the workings of the free market out of the arena, and let the creative destructionism of capitalism restore the vibrance and growth to our economy.
How often have we heard speeches that cite this apocryphal deTocqueville quote:
America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
A wonderful sentiment, but one that cannot be found in any of deTocqueville’s writings.
Similarly, here are two common quotes, taken from http://www.brainyquote.com attributed to deTocqueville which I suspect are apocryphal. My cursory search of his works could not find the proper citation, though perhaps a more diligent blog reader may:
The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money
and
A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Despite their likely apocryphal origins, the idea behind these quotes aptly describe the circumstances to which our nation has fallen.
The Productive Minority today is small business owners and middle class Americans who work 40 to 60 hours a week at middle class and upper middle class jobs.
The Tyrannical Majority is the half of all Americans who pay no income tax, and the Fortune 500 executives and union workers who support their own overpaid income through a variety of public programs.
Our economy is an odd mix of brutal free market capitalism for small businesses and Corporate Socialism for many selected Fortune 500 companies. Borrowing a phrase from Reagan OMB Director David Stockman, the woes of our current economic system can be attributed to the triumph of politics over the common sense of free markets.
The only long term solution is to kick the onerous interference of the government into the workings of the free market out of the arena, and let the creative destructionism of capitalism restore the vibrance and growth to our economy.
First 4 Star Woman General Has Roots in My Hometown, Randolph, New York
Congratulations to Ann Dunwoody, 55, the first 4 star general in the history of the U.S. Army.
Ann's father, Harold E. Dunwoody, 89, was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army who retired to his home town of Randolph, New York in 1972. Dunwoody was severely injured in World War II, but survived and served another three decades in the U.S. Army after his injuries.
He lives in Florida today, and is understandably proud of his daughter.
Ann Dunwoody was a college student at the State University of New York in Cortland on an ROTC scholarship while I was in high school. I recall meeting her when several high school friends stopped by the Dunwoody house to talk with the retired general. Ann was friendly, straight forward, smart, and positive.
Thirty three years later, those character qualities have served her well.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Leo C. Donofrio v. Wells, New Jersey Secretary of State
Here's another interesting twist on the Barack Obama birth certificate saga.
On November 6, 2008 Supreme Court Justice David Souter denied a stay request in the matter of Leo C. Donofrio v. Wells, New Jersey Secretary of State. Donofrio had asked a stay in the electoral process until Wells, in her capacity as New Jersey Secretary of State, confirms the natural born status and eligibility for President of both Barack Obama and John McCain.
Donofrio claims that a procedural error by a clerk at the Supreme Court allows him to request another review of his request by Justice Clarence Thomas.
Stay tuned !
The Republican National Committee Does Not Need Another Brain Dead Luddite as Chairman
Republicans around the country winced as current RNC Chairman Mike Duncan and McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis brought "a knife to a gunfight with a Chicago political thug" in the 2008 Presidential Election. (With apologies to Sean Connery, who used a similar line in the classic 1989 movie The Untouchables, the story of crime fighter Eliot Ness and Chicago's own Al Capone).
Displaying a stunning combination of arrogance and technological incompetence, the McCain campaign and the Republican Party nationally ceded the 18-29 year old vote to a finely tuned Obama Campaign that took 21st Century internet based tools and technology to an extraordinarily high level of effectiveness. Meanwhile, the lazy Republican leadership sat back smugly admiring the intellectual tidiness of its marginally free market ideology while Obama and the Democrats, among other things, built a text message data base of over 3 million young users with whom they communicated daily over the last two weeks of the campaign.
By more than a 2 to 1 margin, 18 to 29 year old voters went for Obama over McCain.
Now comes the battle for the Chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, which Mr. Duncan inexplicably does not have the grace or intelligence to resign from immediately. We're left apparently with one acknowledged failure competing with an aging genius in Newt Gingrich and an ambitious up and comer in Michael Steele, the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and Fox News Contributor.
Mr. Duncan's candidacy is laughable.
Mr. Gingrich, on the other hand, has proved that intellectual genius and a forward thinking embrace of technology can be combined with political successes. Who can not acknowledge the impressive accomplishment of gaining Republican control of the House of Representatives in 1994 after more than forty years of Democratic misrule ?
The only negatives associated with Mr. Gingrich are his age and Presidential ambitions.
Mr. Steele's candidacy has some merit, as well, but he has yet to demonstrate a blueprint for success in 2010 and 2012.
An engaging speaker, he gains credit for his marvelous Drill Baby, Drill speech at the Republican National Convention.
The concern about Mr. Steele, however, is that he may represent more of the same old same old when jaw dropping visionary change is required.
What, for instance, is his plan to win back the 18 to 29 year old voter ?
My vote, however, for Chairman of the Republican National Committee, goes to Erick Erickson, the Editor of http://www.redstate.com and founder of the Rebuild the Party web site. Erickson is the right age, has the right vision, and has the right energy to turn things around.
Kick Duncan out of the job now, let Newt run for President, and let Michael Steele run again for Governor or Senator of Maryland. And let's breathe some innovative life and energy into the Republican National Committee.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Carl Leahy 1945-2008
My father's younger brother, Carl Leahy, passed away yesterday in Pensacola, Florida at the age of 63. For twenty years he was the General Manager of WEAR TV, the ABC affiliate in Pensacola, Florida.A great athlete, father, and businessman, Carl was one of my personal heroes since my early childhood. My first memory of him was fifty years ago, in 1958, when he was thirteen years old and helped our family move from Ballston Spa, New York to Plattsburgh, New York in 1958.
Only a week earlier Carl had stood by one of his employees at WEAR TV who had run into some personal problems.
Here's the moving tribute to him from the WEAR TV website:
Words can't begin to describe what Carl meant to this TV station, to this community, to his family and friends.
All we can say is that we will miss Carl as our boss, but more than that as our friend.
Words of tribute are destined to be inadequate. Such was the measure of Carl Leahy. In his four decades at wear, the last twenty as general manager, he was unstintingly demanding and decisive... And deeply caring and compassionate. And always fair.
Carl managed a business. But worked with people. He guided with a firm hand. But he was relentlessly loyal. He had the rare quality of one who commands respect and the heartfelt devotion and love from those who worked for him worked with him. After Hurricane Ivan, Carl constantly saw to the wellbeing of his employees, and spearheaded relief efforts. Even though his own home had been swept away.
His enormous generosity of spirit extended to the community he loved. A Rotarian, and Board Member For Big Brothers And Big Sisters, United Cerebral Palsy, and the Pensacola Symphony, Carl was personally committed to making Pensacola a better place. And to helping those who need it most. He had no appetite for the spotlight, and when events did coax him into it, he quickly retreated, quietly, humbly. Always ready to help again when called upon.
No friend was more loyal. His golf partners could always count on his competitive fire. His opponents, on his slice. And all, on his good nature, his ready laugh, his friendship.
Carl leaves his wife, Roz, and a family he adored. He leaves a profound imprint on his community... On all who cherished his friendship... And on countless others who never knew the impact Carl Leahy had made on their lives
The world is a less joyful place for his passing.
Let the Big Three Automakers Go Bankrupt
Barely a month after President George W. Bush, the Democrats in Congress and most of the Republicans in Congress bailed out the financial services industry with a $700 billion handout, every other large industry in the country is standing like a pathetic beggar with a hand out, demanding that the Federal Government do the same for it that was done for the resort going AIG executives and the dopey mortgage lenders.
Now comes the American auto industry, whining for $50 billion to save it from four decades of stupid management decisions, greedy unions, and marketplace tone deafness.
Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and presumably Barack Obama can't wait to give these failures some of the money earned by average Americans and successful small businesses, sent to the Federal treasury because it is "fair."
What's fair about an economic system where UAW line workers have for decades been paid three or four times more than their market value ?
What's fair about you and I paying for the outrageous health care benefits given to these UAW line workers by cowardly auto executives ?
What's fair about propping up companies that make mediocre products that the marketplace doesn't seem to want ?
What's fair about you and I helping to pay arrogant executives hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars a year as a reward for three decades of bad decisions ?
I say let General Motors, Ford, and Chrsyler go bankrupt.
Let those corporations sort out the consequences of their foolish commitments to financial obligations to workers they knew were not sustainable.
Let some capitalistic entrepreneur with a brain purchase the assets from these bankrupt corporations for pennies on the dollar, and let that entrepreneur figure out how to make products using those assets that the market place values.
What we need is the creative destructionism of capitalism, the kind of which the economist Joseph Schumpeter so ably described.
We don't need politically induced corporate socialism.
We have an economic structure today in which the politically connected are given outrageous and unfair benefits at the expense of the politically unconnected who do the most to actually create value -- the small businesses of America.
Time for conservative politicians of principle to show a little backbone, and not get rolled by the whiny politics of failure promotion.
Now comes the American auto industry, whining for $50 billion to save it from four decades of stupid management decisions, greedy unions, and marketplace tone deafness.
Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and presumably Barack Obama can't wait to give these failures some of the money earned by average Americans and successful small businesses, sent to the Federal treasury because it is "fair."
What's fair about an economic system where UAW line workers have for decades been paid three or four times more than their market value ?
What's fair about you and I paying for the outrageous health care benefits given to these UAW line workers by cowardly auto executives ?
What's fair about propping up companies that make mediocre products that the marketplace doesn't seem to want ?
What's fair about you and I helping to pay arrogant executives hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars a year as a reward for three decades of bad decisions ?
I say let General Motors, Ford, and Chrsyler go bankrupt.
Let those corporations sort out the consequences of their foolish commitments to financial obligations to workers they knew were not sustainable.
Let some capitalistic entrepreneur with a brain purchase the assets from these bankrupt corporations for pennies on the dollar, and let that entrepreneur figure out how to make products using those assets that the market place values.
What we need is the creative destructionism of capitalism, the kind of which the economist Joseph Schumpeter so ably described.
We don't need politically induced corporate socialism.
We have an economic structure today in which the politically connected are given outrageous and unfair benefits at the expense of the politically unconnected who do the most to actually create value -- the small businesses of America.
Time for conservative politicians of principle to show a little backbone, and not get rolled by the whiny politics of failure promotion.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Friday, November 07, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It
I will be speaking to one of the Lincoln Clubs in Southern California in January on the topic of Rebuilding the Republican Party Despite the Brain Dead Luddites Who Run It: A Blueprint for Success in 2010 and 2012.
More details of time and location to follow shortly.
More details of time and location to follow shortly.
Assembling the Obama Thugocracy: Rahm Emanuel
Barack Obama "reaches across the aisle" by offering the Chief of Staff position to the most viciously partisan Democrat in the House of Representatives, Rahm Emanuel.Here's what Nina Easton of Fortune Magazine had to say about Emanuel in 2006:
Emanuel's in-your-face money demands make him stand out in a party that has sometimes been a little prissy about big-donor fundraising. He's expanded the DCCC's donor base, appealing both to like-minded young financiers and big-business donors with GOP ties who are hedging their bets this fall.
When it comes to slicing and dicing his Republican foes, Emanuel applies a Chicago pol's sensibility that recalls that famous "Untouchables" line: "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun; he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."
Consitutional Thugocracy Rating: 100%
UPDATE:
Blogger Getting Paid to Watch elaborates on the "political thug" theme:
Obama the uniter names political thug Rham Emanuel his Chief of Staff
ORIGIN OF THE TERM "THUGOCRACY"
Wordspy cites the first use of the term "thugocracy" back in 1982:
thugocracy (thug.AWK.ruh.see; th as in thin) n. Rule of a country or state by a group of thugs.
Example Citation:
"But can the United States in general, and the war on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban thugocracy in particular, somehow be mass-marketed to a vast and skeptical Muslim populace?"
—Tom Mashberg, "America promises to be a hard sell to many Muslims," The Boston Herald, November 11, 2001
Earliest Citation:
The cruise ship is another Pequod, or ship of fools: one of those large symbols with strings attached, by means of which the writer snarls at socialist thugocracy, the class warfare of crooks versus fools, third-world liberation movements, the United Nations and just about everything else.
—Paul Zweig, "Modest Proposals," The New York Times, June 20, 1982
George Will has used the term "thugocracy" in several columns since 2001, according to Wordspy, and may have used it as early as 1988.
Lee Cary of American Thinker first combined the term "thugocracy" with "Obama" in his May 16, 2008 article A President Obama's Neoliberal Thugocracy.
The term "thugocracy" was first combined with "Barack Obama" in the more traditional media, as best I can determine, by columnist Michael Barone on October 12, 2008: The Coming Obama Thugocracy by Michael Barone
COMMENTS SOUGHT:
I've heard some comments that using the term "New Thugocracy" to describe the Obama Administration may be unfair.
I would like to hear comments from readers on this topic.
In my usage of the term, I think of a "thugocracy" as governmental rule by "political thugs", as opposed to "thugs".
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
First Time Voters Gave Obama His Victory
A little preliminary number crunching on the final 2008 Presidential Election returns yields some fascinating results.
Overall voter turnout was DOWN one per cent from 2004. (From 121 million votes cast for the top two candidates to 119 million for the top two candidates. In each year, other candidates accounted for one per cent of the vote).
Update: Here's an article that says I may be wrong in that statement:
" It looks like about 133.3 million people voted for president, based on preliminary results from the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 62.5% turnout rate, he said" (from November 5, 2008 Wall Street Journal online).
An ABC poll showed in October showed that first time voters (mostly age 18 to 29) broke 3 to 1 for Obama, but stayed at 13 per cent of all registered voters. That means 11.7 million new voters went for Obama, and 3.8 million went for McCain, an 8 million vote margin for Obama.
Among voters who also voted in 2004, McCain had about 52.4 million votes to Obama's 51.9 million. Adding the two together gave Obama 63.6 million votes to McCain's 56.2 million votes.
15.6% of Bush's 2004 votes either died or just didn't show up for McCain, in contrast to the lower 12% of Kerry's 2004 votes who either died or just didn't show up for Obama.
The moral of the story ?
Republicans need to focus on changing the minds of 2008 first time voters in the 2012 cycle AND need to focus on the upcoming 2012 first time voters. That's where the opportunity for improvement lies.
Overall voter turnout was DOWN one per cent from 2004. (From 121 million votes cast for the top two candidates to 119 million for the top two candidates. In each year, other candidates accounted for one per cent of the vote).
Update: Here's an article that says I may be wrong in that statement:
" It looks like about 133.3 million people voted for president, based on preliminary results from the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 62.5% turnout rate, he said" (from November 5, 2008 Wall Street Journal online).
An ABC poll showed in October showed that first time voters (mostly age 18 to 29) broke 3 to 1 for Obama, but stayed at 13 per cent of all registered voters. That means 11.7 million new voters went for Obama, and 3.8 million went for McCain, an 8 million vote margin for Obama.
Among voters who also voted in 2004, McCain had about 52.4 million votes to Obama's 51.9 million. Adding the two together gave Obama 63.6 million votes to McCain's 56.2 million votes.
15.6% of Bush's 2004 votes either died or just didn't show up for McCain, in contrast to the lower 12% of Kerry's 2004 votes who either died or just didn't show up for Obama.
The moral of the story ?
Republicans need to focus on changing the minds of 2008 first time voters in the 2012 cycle AND need to focus on the upcoming 2012 first time voters. That's where the opportunity for improvement lies.
Grading the Pollsters - Rasmussen and Pew Research Win, ABC, CBS, NBC, Zogby Lose
Click on the image below to see how poorly ABC, CBS, NBC, and Zogby did.
Disclosure and Transparency by President-Elect Obama
One of six recommendations John Dickerson of Slate Magazine has for Barack Obama is to increase disclosure and transparency.
“Obama founded his campaign on removing the influence of special interests. "They have not funded my candidacy, and they will not run my White House," he has said repeatedly. To match this message immediately, Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, has a tidy little to-do list for the candidate who has promised unsurpassed ethical standards:
(1) Disclose donors who gave less than $200.
(2) Disclose the amounts and professions of bundlers who helped him raise gargantuan sums.
(3) Disclose donors to his Obama Transition Project.
(4) Disclose immediately online those who give to the inaugural committees.
(5) Promise not to raise funds anonymously for the presidential library until the end of his term.”
Dickerson’s right.
As part of this increased disclosure and transparency, I suggest that President-Elect Obama authorize the State of Hawaii’s Department of Health to make his original birth certificate public.
Two days and counting, by the way, since my email and phone call to Janice Okubo, spokesperson for the State of Hawaii Department of Health. Still no response to my thirteen questions concerning Dr. Chiyome Fukino’s October 31, 2008 Statement on Barack Obama’s Birth Certificate.
“Obama founded his campaign on removing the influence of special interests. "They have not funded my candidacy, and they will not run my White House," he has said repeatedly. To match this message immediately, Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, has a tidy little to-do list for the candidate who has promised unsurpassed ethical standards:
(1) Disclose donors who gave less than $200.
(2) Disclose the amounts and professions of bundlers who helped him raise gargantuan sums.
(3) Disclose donors to his Obama Transition Project.
(4) Disclose immediately online those who give to the inaugural committees.
(5) Promise not to raise funds anonymously for the presidential library until the end of his term.”
Dickerson’s right.
As part of this increased disclosure and transparency, I suggest that President-Elect Obama authorize the State of Hawaii’s Department of Health to make his original birth certificate public.
Two days and counting, by the way, since my email and phone call to Janice Okubo, spokesperson for the State of Hawaii Department of Health. Still no response to my thirteen questions concerning Dr. Chiyome Fukino’s October 31, 2008 Statement on Barack Obama’s Birth Certificate.
Resounding Obama Electoral Victory not as Big as George H.W. Bush 1988 Win
2008 Electoral College resultsWith North Carolina the only state in the balance, Barack Obama has won a resounding electoral victory in the 2008 Presidential Race.
Should he survive potential court challenges to his natural born status and Constitutional eligibility for the office, Barack Obama will enjoy large Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate. Fortunately, Republicans eked out enough Senate victories to keep the Democratic majority there below 60 -- which means the Senate will not be filibuster proof.
John McCain carried only states that comprise the SEC, Big Twelve, and Mountain West Conferences. Everything else -- Big Ten, Big East, Pac 10, ACC, and all the others -- went for Barack Obama.
It's the largest electoral margin of victory since George H.W. Bush soundly defeated Michal Dukakis in 1988, when Bush won 421 Electoral College votes to 117 for Dukakis. But it's no landslide as was Ronald Reagan's 18 point victory over Walter Mondale in 1984 (Mondale managed to win only the Electoral College votes of Minnesota and the District of Columbia).
1988 Electoral College ResultsMcCain lost the election for three reasons:
1. He was not a true conservative.
2. His response to the September financial markets crisis was empty theatrics combined with a wimpy acceptance of a bad bailout deal filled with pork.
3. He failed to attack Obama's left wing, anti-American philosophies. He especially missed the opportunity to attack Obama for his twenty year association with Jeremiah Wright.
And so, from the ashes, the Republican party must now rebuild itself, returning to the true principles of conservatism.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Barack Obama and the New Thugocracy
Look for my new book, Barack Obama and the New Thugocracy, in 2009.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the New Deal.
John F. Kennedy had the New Frontier.
Now comes Barack Obama and the New Thugocracy. Look for his first one hundred days to be a landmark assault on individual liberties and the Constitution.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the New Deal.
John F. Kennedy had the New Frontier.
Now comes Barack Obama and the New Thugocracy. Look for his first one hundred days to be a landmark assault on individual liberties and the Constitution.
Four More Questions for Dr. Chiyome Fukino From One Lawyer
One Lawyer poses the following additional four questions for Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Director of the Health Department for the State of Hawaii, about her October 31, 2008 Statement on the Barack Obama Birth Certificate:
1. Based on the document you reviewed, do you affirm under penalties of perjury that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii?
(That question, on its own, does not solve the matter and leaves the door open to answers that leave the question unanwered still.)
2. Based on the document you reviewed, can you state under penalties of perjury that Barack Obama was not born somewhere other than in Hawaii?
3. Isn't it true, therefore, that the only fact to which you can attest is that there is a document recording the birth of Barack Obama in the Hawaiian records, which is not conclusive proof that he was born in Hawaii?
4. If in fact you cannot verify that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, or that he was not born somewhere other than Hawaii, then what records do you believe would establish with 100% certitude where Barack Obama was or may have been born?
By the way, I've received no response from State of Hawaii Department of Health spokesperson Janice Okubo to my thirteen unanswered questions for Dr. Fukino. Adding One Lawyer's four questions, that brings us to seventeen unanswered questions about Dr. Fukino's October 31, 2008 statement concerning Barack Obama's birth certificate.
1. Based on the document you reviewed, do you affirm under penalties of perjury that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii?
(That question, on its own, does not solve the matter and leaves the door open to answers that leave the question unanwered still.)
2. Based on the document you reviewed, can you state under penalties of perjury that Barack Obama was not born somewhere other than in Hawaii?
3. Isn't it true, therefore, that the only fact to which you can attest is that there is a document recording the birth of Barack Obama in the Hawaiian records, which is not conclusive proof that he was born in Hawaii?
4. If in fact you cannot verify that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, or that he was not born somewhere other than Hawaii, then what records do you believe would establish with 100% certitude where Barack Obama was or may have been born?
By the way, I've received no response from State of Hawaii Department of Health spokesperson Janice Okubo to my thirteen unanswered questions for Dr. Fukino. Adding One Lawyer's four questions, that brings us to seventeen unanswered questions about Dr. Fukino's October 31, 2008 statement concerning Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Monday, November 03, 2008
My Thirteen Unanswered Questions about Dr. Chiyome Fukino's October 31 Statement Concerning Barack Obama's Birth Certificate
Email
November 3, 2008
9:26 PM CST
To:janice.okubo@doh.hawaii.gov
From: mike@michaelpatrickleahy.com
Subject: My Thirteen Unanswered Questions about Dr. Chiyome Fukino's October 31 Statement Concerning Barack Obama's Birth Certificate
Ms. Janice Okubo
Communications Officer
Department of Health
State of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Dear Ms. Okubo,
I phoned you today with a request that you call me back so that I could ask you some important questions about Dr. Chiyome Fukino’s October 31, 2008 Statement concerning the State of Hawaii’s Department of Health’s review of Barack Obama’s original birth certificate.
As you have not returned my call, and the Presidential Election will be held tomorrow, I thought it important to try once again to receive from you some answers to questions I have about Dr. Fukino’s statement.
There are many American voters, such as myself, who remain unconvinced that Barack Obama is a natural born citizen, and therefore eligible to serve as President of the United States. Dr. Fukino’s October 31, 2008 statement was so carefully parsed it served to raise more questions for us than it answered.
Here are my thirteen unanswered questions for Dr. Fukino. As you are listed as the official communication contact on the statement, I am hoping you will read and respond to each of my questions before the polls open on the East Coast tomorrow morning:
1. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with the Hawaii Attorney General and receive a written opinion from him that such a statement would not violate Hawaii privacy laws before you released it ?
2. If you reviewed it with the Attorney General, and he responded to you in writing, can you share that response with us ? Did he give you a legal opinion that you could issue such a release and not be in violation of the State of Hawaii's privacy laws ?
3. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with Governor Lingle and receive her approval of the statement before you released it ?
4. Did you personally view an actual physical copy of the long form original birth certificate from August 4, 1961 signed by the attending physician at a Honolulu hospital?
5. What was the name of the hospital ?
6. What was the name of the attending physician ?
7. Besides holding an actual hard copy of the original August 4, 1961 birth certificate signed by the attending physician at a specific hospital in Honolulu, are there any other means by which, as you say "the state of Hawaii can have Barack Obama's original birth certificate on record in accordance with the state's policies and procedures regarding maintaining "original birth certificates on record".
8. Was the original birth certificate on record submitted as part of the 1911 Hawaii Birth Certificate program, which allowed parents of children residing in Hawaii who were over one year of age to submit alternate birth dcoumentation to the Department of Health and still be called "an original birth certificate."?
9. On what date was the original birth certificate on file registered ?
10. Can an original birth certificate enterred as a record in the State of Hawaii birth certificate data base , but no longer on file in a physical sense, be described as an “original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures” and is this the case for Barack Obama’s original birth certificate ?
11. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to personally view his "original birth certificate on record." ? If so, when and how ?
12. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to issue the statement of October 31, 2008 ? If so, when and how ?
13. Have Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka had any communication with Senator Obama or did they meet with him in person on any occasion in the last 30 days or in the last year ? If so, were those communications or meetings negotiations related to statements to be made about his birth certificate ?
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Michael Patrick Leahy
November 3, 2008
9:26 PM CST
To:janice.okubo@doh.hawaii.gov
From: mike@michaelpatrickleahy.com
Subject: My Thirteen Unanswered Questions about Dr. Chiyome Fukino's October 31 Statement Concerning Barack Obama's Birth Certificate
Ms. Janice Okubo
Communications Officer
Department of Health
State of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Dear Ms. Okubo,
I phoned you today with a request that you call me back so that I could ask you some important questions about Dr. Chiyome Fukino’s October 31, 2008 Statement concerning the State of Hawaii’s Department of Health’s review of Barack Obama’s original birth certificate.
As you have not returned my call, and the Presidential Election will be held tomorrow, I thought it important to try once again to receive from you some answers to questions I have about Dr. Fukino’s statement.
There are many American voters, such as myself, who remain unconvinced that Barack Obama is a natural born citizen, and therefore eligible to serve as President of the United States. Dr. Fukino’s October 31, 2008 statement was so carefully parsed it served to raise more questions for us than it answered.
Here are my thirteen unanswered questions for Dr. Fukino. As you are listed as the official communication contact on the statement, I am hoping you will read and respond to each of my questions before the polls open on the East Coast tomorrow morning:
1. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with the Hawaii Attorney General and receive a written opinion from him that such a statement would not violate Hawaii privacy laws before you released it ?
2. If you reviewed it with the Attorney General, and he responded to you in writing, can you share that response with us ? Did he give you a legal opinion that you could issue such a release and not be in violation of the State of Hawaii's privacy laws ?
3. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with Governor Lingle and receive her approval of the statement before you released it ?
4. Did you personally view an actual physical copy of the long form original birth certificate from August 4, 1961 signed by the attending physician at a Honolulu hospital?
5. What was the name of the hospital ?
6. What was the name of the attending physician ?
7. Besides holding an actual hard copy of the original August 4, 1961 birth certificate signed by the attending physician at a specific hospital in Honolulu, are there any other means by which, as you say "the state of Hawaii can have Barack Obama's original birth certificate on record in accordance with the state's policies and procedures regarding maintaining "original birth certificates on record".
8. Was the original birth certificate on record submitted as part of the 1911 Hawaii Birth Certificate program, which allowed parents of children residing in Hawaii who were over one year of age to submit alternate birth dcoumentation to the Department of Health and still be called "an original birth certificate."?
9. On what date was the original birth certificate on file registered ?
10. Can an original birth certificate enterred as a record in the State of Hawaii birth certificate data base , but no longer on file in a physical sense, be described as an “original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures” and is this the case for Barack Obama’s original birth certificate ?
11. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to personally view his "original birth certificate on record." ? If so, when and how ?
12. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to issue the statement of October 31, 2008 ? If so, when and how ?
13. Have Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka had any communication with Senator Obama or did they meet with him in person on any occasion in the last 30 days or in the last year ? If so, were those communications or meetings negotiations related to statements to be made about his birth certificate ?
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Michael Patrick Leahy
Official Statement of Dr. Chiyome Fukino October 31, 2008 and My Twelve Unanswered Questions
I've included the complete text of the statement below in larger font:
For Immediate Release: October 31, 2008 08-93
STATEMENT BY DR. CHIYOME FUKINO
“There have been numerous requests for Sen. Barack Hussein Obama’s official birth certificate. State law (Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §338-18) prohibits the release of a certified birth certificate to persons who do not have a tangible interest in the vital record.
“Therefore, I as Director of Health for the State of Hawai‘i, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics who has statutory authority to oversee and maintain these type of vital records, have personally seen and verified that the Hawai‘i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.
“No state official, including Governor Linda Lingle, has ever instructed that this vital record be handled in a manner different from any other vital record in the possession of the State of Hawai‘i.”
###
My call to ask the questions outlined below to Janice Okubo, the Communications Office contact listed on the Department of Health Statement has not yet been returned.
My unanswered questions for Janice Okubo and Dr. Chiyome Fukino are as follows:
1. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with the Hawaii Attorney General and receive a written opinion from him that such a statement would not violate Hawaii privacy laws before you released it ?
2. If you reviewed it with the Attorney General, and he responded to you in writing, can you share that response with us ? Did he give you a legal opinion that you could issue such a release and not be in violation of the State of Hawaii's privacy laws ?
3. Did you review the content of your October 31, 2008 statement with Governor Lingle and receive her approval of the statement before you released it ?
4. Did you personally view an actual physical copy of the long form original birth certificate from August 4, 1961 signed by the attending physician at a Honolulu hospital?
5. What was the name of the hospital ?
6. What was the name of the attending physician ?
7. Besides holding an actual hard copy of the original August 4, 1961 birth certificate signed by the attending physician at a specific hospital in Honolulu, are there any other means by which, as you say "the state of Hawaii can have Barack Obama's original birth certificate on record in accordance with the state's policies and procedures regarding maintaining "original birth certificates on record".
8. Was the original birth certificate on record submitted as part of the 1911 Hawaii Birth Certificate program, which allowed parents of children residing in Hawaii who were over one year of age to submit alternate birth dcoumentation to the Department of Health and still be called "an original birth certificate."?
9. On what date was the original birth certificate on file registered ?
10. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to personally view his "original birth certificate on record." ? If so, when and how ?
11. Did Senator Obama personally authorize Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka to issue the statement of October 31, 2008 ? If so, when and how ?
12. Have Dr. Fukino and Dr. Onaka had any communication with Senator Obama or did they meet with him in person on any occasion in the last 30 days or in the last year ? If so, were those communications or meetings negotiations related to statements to be made about his birth certificate ?
We will see if I get a response before or after election day !
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