The Exercise of Vital Powers

The Crypt: Poll shows Don Young trailing by 20 points against Democrat - Politico.com

“A new poll shows that the two longtime Republican elected officials from Alaska, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, face serious obstacles to winning reelection.”

The GOP will never regain a majority until it sheds itself of the likes of Young & Stevens.

Word on the street is that Casey Cagle is looking to run for Governor. That means Georgia will need a new Lieutenant Governor.

While it might be premature (he hasn’t announced) I’m endorsing one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in the General Assembly: Senator David Shafer.

Senator Shafer is a tireless champion for the taxpayer. He has opposed tax increases, even when the Republicans proposed them! He has led the charge on both zero based budgeting and spending limitation. His zero based budgeting bill passed both the Senate and House this year, and his idea to return budgetary surpluses was incorporated into Senate Resolution 20, and at least one version of the Speaker’s tax reform initiative.

Most big thinkers are not effective lawmakers, but David is the kind of guy who both thinks outside the box and knows how to translate ideas into law. Tapping the Tennessee River to secure a long term supply of water for North Georgia, creating a privately funded Umbilical Cord Blood Bank to save postnatal tissues and encourage nonembryonic stem cell research and deregulating cable and telecommunications to improve customer choice are among his many initiatives.

David is talking with financial backers and I have no doubt that he can raise the money to be the effective. He is one of the top GOP fundraisers in the state, with a large network of donors and plenty of political IOUs from the candidates and elected officials he has helped.

He is the type of candidate who can bring the various factions of the Georgia Republican Party together. He was an early and strong backer of both Casey Cagle for Lieutenant Governor and Karen Handel for Secretary of State, he will be able to work with the next Governor, no matter who that might be.

If you agree with me that David Shafer would make a great Lieutenant Governor, drop David an email david at vote david dot com and encourage him to run.

Still, if any of us had been secluded for the past seven years, a description of the Bush years without attribution would likely have had most any Republican assuming a Democrat had been in control. Is there an explanation for this? The first one would be that all politicians disappoint. By definition. Beyond that, given the statist direction taken by the Republican party in this decade, it’s fair to ask if it any longer represents laissez-faire growth. Many would point to the even harsher anti-growth views held by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but it seems a lot of their stances at present are pure politics.

Even if they’re not, it would be hard to find an administration in modern times that has been more interventionist than the present one. That in mind, stinging losses for the GOP may be just what the doctor ordered. Indeed, maybe the pain of being out of power will force them to look inward, and in doing so, perhaps understand that when a Democrat runs against a Democrat, a Democrat always wins. ( RealClearMarkets - Articles - Is the GOP Still the Party of Economic Growth?)

From Cato-at-liberty:

Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) vetoed a transportation bill that included a provision objecting to the federal REAL ID Act. The bill would have required the federal government to pay 95 percent of the cost of issuing national IDs before Minnesota would participate.

THe GOP’s chances of getting the majority back has just gone up:
Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senates No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, congressional and White House officials said Monday.

So I go to the mailbox today, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a letter from Speaker Nancy Pelosi! She says that with my help they’ll “keep fighting to force Republicans in the House to abandon support for George W. Bush’s failed policies…”.

Sign me up! I’m all about forcing House Republicans to abandon Bush’s support for No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, earmark abuse and run-away government spending. I find it curious however that Speaker Pelosi would want to help House Republicans abandon the very mistakes that helped her get where she is today.

Perhaps she realizes that its easier to be in the minority and whine and complain than actually build coalitions to get legislation passed.

I still think its a trick.

More evidence of the failure of the Bush Administration: GOP Is Losing Grip On Core Business Vote

When Wall Street is donating to the Democrats you know the GOP has f’ed things up royally.

Some well-known business leaders have openly changed allegiances. Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive John Mack, formerly a big Bush backer, now supports Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. John Canning Jr., chairman and chief executive of Madison Dearborn Partners, a large private-equity firm, now donates to Democrats after a lifetime as a Republican. Recently, he told one Democratic Party leader: “The Republican Party left me”

Its not just a few people who have jumped ship, donations are down across the board:

Federal campaign-finance reports document shifting support in some quarters of the business community. Hedge funds last year gave 77% of their contributions in congressional races to Democrats, up from 71% during the 2004 election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan analyst of campaign finances. Last year the securities industry gave 45% of its money to Republicans, down from 58% in 1996, the center said.

Dick Armey on Newt Gingrich’s appearance on Jim Dobson’s show:

“Personally, I would not have gone on Dobsons show and made a confession of any kind,” says Armey, who counts himself a Gingrich admirer. “My own view of the troubles of the Republican Party is that there have been many times over the years that Republicans have gotten themselves in trouble with the electorate by trying to make the Jim Dobsons of the world happy. But it isnt possible to make Jim Dobson happy. His occupation is not to be happy. Why give him what he will never receive?” (Ever the Speaker - washingtonpost.com)

Republican’s obsession with pandering to evangelicals turns off a large portion of the conservative/libertarian independents. They tolerated it when Republicans were cutting government, taxes and defending the nation. But when the Republicans in Washington increased government spending and screwed up the liberation and rebuilding of Iraq, while spending their time being complete media whores over Terry Schaivo, that middle dropped them like the lying sack of …. they were.

From: Jason Shepherd
To: Chris Farris

As a resident of the 7th Congressional District and by power vested in
me by Rule 3.2 of the Rules of the Republican Party of Georgia, I
appoint you YR District Director of the 7th Congressional District.
You are now an officer of the GFYRC and a non-voting ex-officio of the
7th Cong. District Republican Committee. Have fun attending meetings.

Yay meetings! I soo missed them from my days at ELNK.

February 28, 2001: “In his first address to Congress, Bush likened his $ 1.9 trillion budget to a family budget…”

February 5, 2002: “President Bush yesterday proposed a $ 2.13 trillion budget for next year…”

February 4, 2003: “President Bush announced a $ 2.23 trillion budget for fiscal 2004 yesterday…”

February 3, 2004: “President Bush sent Congress a $2.4 trillion spending plan yesterday…”

February 13, 2005: “President Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget…”

February 5, 2006: “President Bush plans to propose a $2.7 trillion budget tomorrow…”

Today: “President Bush took aim yesterday at domestic spending as part of a plan to balance the budget in five years without raising taxes while increasing funding for the Iraq war and permanently expanding the military. With the $2.9 trillion budget he submitted to Congress…”

(source)

Any comment I make about this would likely involve an unpleasant run-in with federal law enforcement.