RightWave

Given that Congress has an approval rating hovering around 15%, why wouldn’t the McCain campaign be saying something along the lines of:

“Do you really want the people who’ve been running Congress the past two years to be running the whole country?”

I’m sure someone else can put it better, but why wouldn’t he make the case that Democrats have run Congress through the most unpopular time in history and he’s been fighting them (and GOP leaders) every step of the way?

He’s actually got a legitimate case to make on this front, but I’m lost as to why there haven’t been more attacks (from both sides, frankly) on Congress.

Oh well.  It’ll all be over in a few days.

Fred Thompson unleashes his Get Out the Vote Rally.  And, despite my tiring of “Joe the Plumber,” I really like this section:

This is the reason why they do not understand Joe the Plumber.  Because he doesn’t have a higher income today they assume that he never will and that he believes he never will. They expect him to resent anyone whose doing better than he is, instead of planning to do better himself. They don’t understand the Joes of the world.  Never have.  Never will.

This political philosophy has a long tradition. At best it can be labeled a benign welfare state.  But history tells us that it can lead to tyranny or economic turmoil or both.  And … most important … it has never found favor in the United States – not during the Great Depression, in times of war, or any other time.

It’s because in this country we have a different view.  We know that people do better when given opportunity and responsibility.  It has to do with our view of the nature of man.  We believe that man is supposed to be kept, fed, and protected from the elements by a master.  We believe that man was meant to be free—entitled to be free.  It’s an inalienable right, endowed by our Creator.  When free and inspired man can achieve great things – for his family, community and his nation.  In fact this belief is what we built our nation on.

Read on… (Thanks to The Corner!)

UPDATE: You can watch him too.

So, it’s sad, but I re-jiggered the map I’d posted earlier… and even with the big states I think are still “out there” left as undecided, Obama still wins.  Oy.  It’s going to be a long next few years…

>2008 Election Contest: Pick Your President – Predict the winner of the 2008 presidential election.

…no blog, I know I know.  But, I’ve been on vacation!  So, now back tanned and rested, I wanted to put up a quick link.  Frequent readers know of my admiration (mostly) for The Corner over at NRO.  Well, Andy McCarthy sums up my feelings over this election cycle almost exactly:

For a long time, I struggled with the question whether it would be better — especially on the matter of conservative reform discussed here yesterday — if we just resigned ourselves to rebuilding and becoming a coherent opposition to an Obama administration. I abandoned that idea because, while I disagree with McCain on many things, I am frightened by Obama.  He would try to change the United States in very fundamental ways.

Read More…

I’m at the Marriott Crystal Gateway hotel getting ready for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation Defending the American Dream Summit. I hope I’ll see you there. Be sure to sign up today if you haven’t already!

If you’re coming, be sure to get your Twitter fired up with the tag: #AFP08

You can follow me at Rightwave.

Defend the Dream – Rally for Free Markets!

Got this in my email today… You may have seen it before, but it certainly tells a good lesson.

Little known fact: Ramirez used to be the cartoonist at my old hometown paper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.

While I’m at it, I’ll post this recent one too…

Ace of Spades has a thought explaining why (inexplicably?) Senator McCain and – painfully last night – Sarah Palin isn’t going after Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the Dems over the Fannie/Freddie fiasco and their role in the whole market meltdown at the moment.

John McCain is waiting until the bill passes.

And then he will unleash the dogs of war.

And he will say, “I stayed away from making these partisan attacks, even though you lied ridiculously about me and your own attempts at ‘reform.’ I held back, because partisan attacks — even truthful ones — would harm our country and reduce the chances of getting a vital bill passed.

More here.

My blood boiled last night when she blamed “predatory lending” and “Wall Street Greed” with nary a mention of how government inteverntion in the market can be blamed for much of the trouble we’re experiencing today.

I’ll try to get down some more debate thoughts later, but all in all (other than the above) I thought Governor Palin did well.  She was likeable, knowledgeable (though perhaps, still, not specific enough for the Olbermann-types), tough and not the unsure Palin we saw in the Couric interviews. Was it enough, though?  I don’t know.

Senator Biden was annoying as usual, what with the sighing and references to himself in the third person (around his kitchen table, at the Home Depot, etc.) and bad botox/skin peel.  He was clearly in control of the facts (even the ones he made up) and people I think will think he was knowledgeable.

You can check out my Twitter feed for more.

I’ve just gotten my hands (or rather, my mouse) on  The Websters Dictionary: How to Use the Web to Transform the World, a new book by online guru Ralph Benko.

I’ve been with Ralph at various AFP events, including RightOnline in New Jersey – where we bonded over bad directions in Who-Knows-Where, New Jersey.  He’s got tremendous insight into how to utilize the web to build a movement for our ideas and make a difference.

[Last minute plug: He'll presenting at Defending the American Dream Summit next weekend (Oct 10-11) in DC.  Sign up today!)

Benko spent two years reverse engineering how MoveOn and other Leftie groups got so big and powerful.  Talk about lessons learned for our side!

Best of all, the book’s free.  Of course, if you prefer, it’ll be available soon in hardcover (for $29.95) but is free as an eBook, which you can download at www.thewebstersdictionary.com.

Make sure to check it out!

(Other bloggers: Want to interview him? He’s happy to do it.  Just email him at RalphBenko@TheWebstersDictionary.com.)