RightCrossPuns

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T09:44:00.004-04:00

There's enough on the web about Jackson ... so I'll just post, again, his electrifying performance on the Motown 25th anniversary special in 1983. I was among the 47 million people watching live -- Super Bowl-like numbers. The Jackson Five performed, and then the brothers left the stage, and Michael Jackson took over. Literally.

Where is MY governor?

2009-06-25T09:04:00.002-04:00

Since I don't live in South Carolina any more, I ought to be concerned with where MY governor is. He's Tim Kaine. And even The Washington Post can't seem to locate him.

I'm pretty sure the Virginia governor isn't in Argentina, or along the Appalachian Trail. But why won't he release the DNC part of his schedule? I don't buy the excuses.

I'm actually OK with him being chairman of the DNC if he wants. He just ought to disclose where he's going.

I Stand By What I Said

2009-06-25T08:55:00.003-04:00

I still do not think Mark Sanford treats his staff with respect, though clearly yesterday's jaw-dropping news conference changes the picture a little bit about what is going on in his world.

The only other thing I can think is that the job of governor does not belong to him, and shouldn't be more important than how to repair his relationship with his wife and his sons. Someone else can be governor. But for the Sanford boys, there's only one Dad.

How You Treat Other People Shows Who You Are

2009-06-24T09:58:00.002-04:00

At a Republican Governors Association gathering after his 2002 election victory, Mark Sanford asked me a few questions about how to set up his communications and press shop. What struck me most is that he told me he was hoping to give speech writing and media relations duties to one person, and hoping he could do it as cheaply as possible.

The tale of his recent vacation to Argentina -- after his staff told reporters he went on the Appalachian Trial -- reminded me of that encounter.

What it told me then was that South Carolina's incoming governor didn't think much of the roles anyone will play to help him accomplish the job.

And he still doesn't think much of them. He put them in the untenable position of lying for him -- they would have been better off saying they didn't know for sure -- and so far it's not clear he cares.

Gov. Sanford is entitled to a vacation, even a vacation away from everyone. And he doesn't have to give even his staff the minute details of a trip. But he runs a multi-billion corporation known as the state of South Carolina, and someone should have an idea of where he is. And they shouldn't be put in a position to have to lie for him.

Yet another chapter in the book of stories about people who think the axis of the Earth runs through their head.

Stupid is as Stupid Does

2009-03-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

Returning to blog world out of frustration....

If conservatives ever want to win the politics of health care, they might want to start by actually trying to persuade some people. But most of the time it seems like we would rather yell at them, like some disturbed man in the park. That's what I thought of when I saw the ad in this Politico story.

Why did they call themselves "Conservatives for Patients Rights?" Do they think people who don't think about their own political ideology will be won over by that? And then half the ad is some guy in a suit and tie telling us what he thinks? Where's a doctor? Where's a woman trying to figure out what's best for treating her children?

Small business owners and working families everywhere have had to grapple with ever-increasing health care costs and an inefficient system, and all conservatives have to point to so far is some ego-driven ad filled with sophomoric talking points.

No wonder the "'free' health care for everyone" crowd is winning. It's clear that the liberals love this, as now they will attempt to pain any substantive argument against their plans as the rantings of an out-of-touch minority. SIGH. What a waste.

It sure is an annoying world when I'm forced to agree with Ezra Klein. But he's right. If I'm on the left, I sure like these enemies. Not only do they not try to win, they seem to help the other side.

Tales of Voter Targeting

2008-11-04T14:41:00.001-05:00

Just our own experience:

This is the first election for us in our current home in Northern Virginia. For weeks, we’ve received e-mail from the DCCC and the campaign of Democrat Gerry Connolly (running to replace GOP Rep. Tom Davis), even though we actually live in Jim Moran’s district (not exactly happy about that, but oh well). The Connolly support mail was nearly all about how “extreme” his Republican opponent was on abortion. Seems like the wrong kind of mail to direct to a home with a McCain-Palin yard sign, housing two attendees of McLean Bible Church, donors to Mike Huckabee, and subscribers to Christianity Today. But whatever, I mean people can make mistakes, right?

So I check the home voicemail today from work after we’ve voted. There’s a robo call from McCain-Palin, reminding us that Obama will sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

So who has the better ground game, again?

Proverbs 22:7 Watch

2008-10-28T12:26:00.001-04:00

How to avoid being a slave: Act like the people in this Business Week story.

Proverbs 22:7 watch

2008-10-03T16:20:00.002-04:00

Heartbreaking. The borrower really is slave to the lender.

(HT: Culture 11)

Strother Martin Update

2008-10-01T22:07:00.004-04:00

You remember him right? People on the two different sides of the political fence, RCP boss Richard Edelman and long-time RCP friend and smart thinker Bruce Haynes point out some of the key failures of communicating the Wall Street package's early failures.

Both make similar, if distinct, points. Branding, as Haynes points out, was a major early beginning failure. Communicating with real people, using their voices and countering voices, seemed to also have taken a back seat as Edelman points out.

No buy in, and little explaining the real problem before the solution was presented, led to this. To some extent, solving the communications problems had to have been the last thing on policymakers minds. But maybe it should have been. These aren't easy problems, or easy solutions. I hope they get it closer to right the next time -- and I have a feeling we have a long way to go.

Treasure your friends, always.

2008-09-18T12:33:00.002-04:00

The Rubins and the Wolmans, two elderly couples living in a Leisure World in Maryland, enjoyed their Saturday nights together at a nearby Italian restaurant, and then games after dinner at one of their homes. This past Saturday, tragedy struck. Two died, and now there's a widow and widower.

A sad tale, but it seems to me the two who died left this Earth in happiness, continuing to try to enjoy the gift of life as long as He would let them have it.

Rest in peace.

Not funny, not helpful.

2008-09-14T20:05:00.001-04:00

Christians can have a sense of humor. This isn't funny though.

Classy folks...

2008-09-14T17:30:00.003-04:00

There are certainly some reasonable explorations of Gov. Palin and her qualifications. And then there's this guy from Ohio. The classiest part of his plan of attack: The message is simple and the professionals can refine it but essentially it should contain these elements:

"Sarah Palin? Can't keep her solemn oath of devotion to her husband and had sex with his employee. Sarah Palin? Accidentally got pregnant at age 43 and the tax payers of Alaska have to pay for the care of her disabled child. Sarah Palin? Unable to teach her 16 year old daughter right from wrong and now another teenager is pregnant. Sarah Palin? Can you trust Sarah Palin and her values with America's future? John McCain? Divorced from his first wife one month and marries a billionaire influence peddler and convicted felon. John McCain, a record of rash and impulsive decisions. That’s not change that’s more of the same.”

Wow. And this guy has actually been a Democratic nominee for Congress.

(HT: Weekly Standard).

It's tough for the AP AND its members

2008-08-20T19:09:00.004-04:00

I wonder whether AP members (newspapers, broadcasters and the like) and the AP brass communicate very well with each other these days. This Editor & Publisher article suggests they don't.

Doug Fisher, whose blog I would want to read even if he weren't a former boss, wonders whether more of this is coming. (A feed from Doug's blog is how I found out about this story)

Probably. Putting myself in the shoes I used to fill, as a reporter covering state government and politics, I have to wonder whether I would see what I saw more than a decade ago: a decreasing interest among member papers in anything original that I wrote, and more interest in me doing the "filler" work (basic reports on committee meetings and process-oriented stories that would be cut down to briefs) so their few reporters could provide their readers local and/or original copy.

It was fun being an AP reporter. I still miss it from time to time. But I bet right now I would be really concerned that what I loved to write about was not loved nor wanted by any of the papers who could take my copy.

The difference between a keynote, a Cabinet member ... and the VP pick

2008-08-20T19:05:00.005-04:00

I don't mind that pro-choicers Rudy Giuliani, Joe Lieberman and Arnold Schwarzenegger are scheduled to speak at the Republican convention in St. Paul. I'm a pro-life voter, but I don't mind that the party I identify with may want to showcase people who disagree with my views -- and the Republican platform -- on that topic.

But the selection of a potential vice president is different. Even different from the bureaucratically more powerful positions such as Secretary of State or Attorney General. Those people can't become President of the United States in a matter of moments, with the power to, among other things, select justices of the Supreme Court.

Sen. McCain holds a solid pro-life record. Should Sen. McCain become president, the person who could succeed him ought to have a similar record.

Castellanos: The Molten Core of Barack: Why Obama Can't Win

2008-08-04T22:39:00.001-04:00

Veteran GOP media consultant and former boss describes a key problem for Barack Obama -- the question about whether there is a substantive core to his politics, or whether it's merely about him.

read more | digg story

Good buzz for God

2008-07-18T15:33:00.003-04:00

She Who Sighs on Tony Snow and Tim Russert. I look forward to meeting them in their new location too.

But in the meantime, I thank God for them, and for leading me to a wife who fits this description.

This isn't the Ron Fournier blog, but ...

2008-07-14T20:30:00.004-04:00

Ron might need a press agent after this latest dustup courtest of liberal-leaning TPMMuckraker.

So Ron's getting lots of grief from the liberals, piling on from previous stories where he suggested Barack Obama was "bordering on arrogance."

Then, earlier Ron made conservative James Taranto mad for what the Wall Street Journal columnist thinks is evidence of liberal bias.

Perhaps they're both wrong. I think Ron probably regrets telling Karl Rove to "keep up the fight," but as his friend and an observer of the allergy many reporters have to faith, I am sure proud that he can openly talk about the Lord in ANY e-mail to ANYONE.

AP's Ron Fournier and former boss battle it out

2008-07-14T19:40:00.004-04:00

Acting AP Washington bureau chief Ron Fournier is a friend, and I know he is widely respected by people on BOTH sides of the aisle. But he's certainly not finding it easy in his new mantle. His former boss, Sandy Johnson, goes on the attack.

“The only thing he ever managed is a startup that he ran into the ground,” cracked Johnson when asked how her former protégé would handle overseeing the Washington bureau.

That's disappointing and a bit of a cheap shot. Sandy Johnson is within her rights to question Ron's management experience is limited, but she could have been more gracious. And since as far as I know she's never managed a startup company, maybe she could set aside the personal attacks.

The bigger question, actually, is whether what Ron wants to do is really what AP's consumers will buy. And because it's the AP, the membership newspapers are the consumers as much or more important than the average reader out here in the Internets.

Check it out and decide for yourself.

read more | digg story

Uncle Charlie

2008-07-08T12:11:00.003-04:00

At first I thought maybe old friend Tim Kelly was writing about William Demarest, the guy who played Uncle Charley in "My Three Sons."

But Tim writes instead more importantly about the death of his own uncle, a World War II vet who sounds like he was one heck of a guy to be around. RIP, Uncle Charlie. Despite your introduction of the humbling game of golf to your newphew, your nation still says thank you for your service to your country and your family.

Postscript: Uncle Charlie died in a veteran's nursing home named for Richard Campbell, the brother of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell, who died as a young man serving his country in Vietnam. I remember tears coming to Gov. Campbell's eyes when he was asked one time about his brother.

Jesse Helms and Alex Castellanos

2008-07-07T15:06:00.006-04:00

The death of Sen. Jesse Helms on July 4 opened up lots of ideological brickbats in the blogosphere, but to me none more objectionable than Andrew Sullivan's here.

Sullivan draws the conclusion that because Alex Castellanos was the architect behind the famous "hands" ad, he is therefore a racist. He also says "no one" ever calls Castellanos on it.

Well. Interestingly, Sullivan actually is on the same side as Alex Castellanos when it comes to affirmative action. It's not hard to find this out, such as here, where Sullivan actually links affirmative action to "racial discrimination." And if affirmative action is "racial discrimination," isn't racial quotas (the subject of the "hands" ad) an even worse manifestation of said discrimination?

Of course the ad isn't the only reflection of Sen. Helms' views on racial matters. In fact, there is much to lament about his views on civil rights.

But just as Andrew Sullivan's views on affirmative action do not make him a racist, neither does the "hands" ad and its tough portrayal of racial quotas make a racist of Alex Castellanos, a man whose father came to this country from Cuba with his wife and two children and just $11 in his pocket.

I used to work for Alex. I didn't do any political ad work for him, and what I did do wasn't all that great obviously because I wasn't there very long. Maybe this makes me somewhat objective. I can say for certain two things about what Sullivan wrote: Perhaps least importantly, he's wrong that Alex is never questioned about the ad. To paraphrase John McCain, if Sullivan would just do "a Google," he probably find plenty of efforts to force Alex to defend his ad. Here's one. Here's another that criticizes the ad. Alex will always have to deal with this ad.

But more importantly, Alex Castellanos is no racist. When you oppose a candidate whose campaign is a historic achievement (Harvey Ganntt,Barack Obama), your odds of being called a racist go up dramatically, regardless of the facts. And I was just talking about that earlier.

RNC takes on tough task, but has the right guy to do it.

2008-07-07T10:01:00.002-04:00

It won't be easy to target Barack Obama. He has a virtual halo around him. The national media is likely to overreact to any tough ad, something they won't do when the DNC and Sen. Obama go after McCain. But the RNC's tapping of Brad Todd (disclosure: friend and former co-worker) is the right move. Brad has the right touch for this assignment Witness his ads for Michael Steele two years ago in Maryland:

read more | digg story

People are good at heart, and there's a reason why.

2008-07-07T09:04:00.001-04:00

A Fairfax County couple is trying to find the owner of a missing diamond ring. They could use the $40,000, but they don't want it, and they didn't even want publicity for it. Do people naturally make these choices? I think yes, if they listen to what is imprinted already in their hearts.

read more | digg story

More Unnoticed Progress

2008-06-11T13:10:00.004-04:00

Last night, Republican voters in Charleston, S.C., where the Civil War began, elected Tim Scott to the state Legislature (he has no opposition in the fall).

He will be the first black Republican in the Legislature since Reconstruction. That's more unrecognized progress. But then again I've been here before.

My lone connection with Scott McClellan

2008-05-28T18:12:00.004-04:00

And no, it's not because I worked for his brother, Mark, at Medicare.

In November 1998, the voters of South Carolina decided I didn't need to be Gov. David Beasley's press secretary any longer. A week or two after the election, I heard from a work colleague that top aides to then-Gov. George Bush had inquired about my availability to help out the gubernatorial press shop while other folks moved off the state payroll to begin setting up the presidential campaign. I was excited about this potential, and at an governors meeting in New Orleans later that year I went up to Karl Rove and asked whether he thought I could help out. He nodded, and said, "Maybe." My memory is fuzzy about whether he suggested I talk to Karen Hughes or if he said Karen would call me.

A couple of weeks went by, and Karen did call. She was nice, and told me that they'd decided instead to hire the son of the comptroller general to help out, since he was already in Austin. That person would be ... Scott McClellan.

It's trivial, but every time Scott makes news, I think about it.

He must miss her so

2008-05-23T10:25:00.003-04:00

Thinking today of Maria Chapman, daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, who died on Wednesday. May God be with her father and mother and the rest of their family on this difficult day.

Progress To Celebrate

2008-05-12T09:46:00.003-04:00

A young lady from Texas married a gentleman from Virginia on Saturday, under the watchful but misty eye of her father, a former governor of Texas. The couple are both white, the pastor an African-American.

Given who the newly married couple is, and who their father is, one has to ask -- would such a thing have happened 40 years ago? It is remarkable that this aspect of the event is considered unremarkable, isn't it?

I Scream for Ice Cream!

2008-05-06T16:38:00.003-04:00

Irvine Robbins, the co-founder of ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins, has died. He was 90 years old!

Best part of the story:

After retiring, he moved to a Rancho Mirage home equipped with a six-flavor ice-cream counter and was known to start the day with a bowl of cereal topped with a scoop of banana ice cream.

Maybe all that sugar, cream, butterfat, etc. isn't bad for you after all?

(HT: Gawker)

Achingly sad

2008-05-01T13:42:00.002-04:00

Apparently the "D.C. Madam" is dead, and suicide is suspected. She leaves this world apparently without finding the solace and forgiveness she could have found in Him.

I get dizzy following this one.

2008-05-01T10:35:00.004-04:00

In Greenville County, state Rep. Gloria Haskins is being challenged the GOP primary by Wendy Taylor Nanney, the daughter of Bob Jones University dean Bob Taylor. Meanwhile, Rep. Haskins' son, Bryan, challenges Taylor in a GOP primary for his County Council seat.

Nothing personal, Haskins and Nanney say, just politics.

I need to sit down.

Pro-Life T-Shirt Day

2008-04-29T17:39:00.004-04:00

Should be treated no differently than (Castro executioner) Che Guevara T-Shirt Day in the public schools, but Charmaine and Jack Yoest's children apparently got a different reaction in the Arlington County Public Schools.

Let's Go Caps!

2008-04-22T11:52:00.002-04:00

I was 14 years old the last time I went to an NHL playoff game. It was April 1976. My Dad had the company seats, about 10 rows behind the penalty boxes at center ice. Butch Goring scored in overtime and the Kings defeated the Bruins to force a game 7 in Boston (which the Kings lost). It was as loud as the old Fabulous Forum could get for hockey, I think. I remember seeing someone burn a Bruins pennant in celebration. I'll miss Dad tonight, I think ... but Let's Go Caps!

Baltimore Orioles to be sold?

2008-04-01T16:20:00.001-04:00

Well of course not ... at least yet. But old South Carolina friend Jeff Quinton has some fun, and some people fall for it.

read more | digg story

Mr. Egg McMuffin Dies

2008-03-27T16:47:00.001-04:00

The man who invented the popular egg sandwich as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald's passed away at age 89. I have a soft spot (no obesity pun intended) for these little sandwhiches, which I used to love to get after hockey practice when I was a kid. RIP.

read more | digg story

Dads and their daughters -- special from the beginning

2008-03-27T08:58:00.001-04:00

Beliefnet columnist Rod Dreher blogs about a tender and lovely moment between he and his 17-month-old daughter. He is right -- the differences between the genders start early. Though I hope his daughter also gives him a few sports-related treasured moments, like mine has!

read more | digg story

Isn't This Treason?

2008-03-27T08:00:00.003-04:00

Two members of Congress took a trip to the Middle East right before the start of the Iraq War. Many thought then that Reps. Jim McDermott and David Bonior looked like they were too close to cozying up to Saddam Hussein. Now the feds say the trip was financed by Hussein's own intelligence unit, through a Michigan "charity."

McDermott and Bonior say they didn't know how the "charity" got its money. That could be true. But aren't they at least a little bit embarrassed? From the Post story, it doesn't appear so.

It's worth noting that not too many generations ago, the director of the "charity" would at least having to worry about the potential for his head being put inside a hangman's noose.

(HT of sorts: Marshall Manson)

Why college is more fun than the pros

2008-03-25T22:08:00.002-04:00

Yet another reason.. the band. Love this UW Spring Concert shot. On, Wisconsin!

New York Governer Admits to Using Cocaine and Marijuana

2008-03-24T22:49:00.001-04:00

Gov. Paterson, who confessed to repeated infidelities last week, admitted tonight that he used cocaine and marijuana when he was in his 20s. When does this stop? This latest seems less of a big deal, and it makes me wonder whether next month he'll admit to leaving the toilet seat up.

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Somebody Picks the 10 Best/Worst Puns in the World

2008-03-24T22:41:00.001-04:00

I am not sure these are either best or worst -- 'carp to carp walleting' is a pun? -- but since puns are part of this blog, I had to offer something up.

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Australian woman kills husband in Bruce Springsteen argument

2008-03-19T11:18:00.001-04:00

See? It's dangerous to not let people listen to Bruce.

read more | digg story

Trauma surgeon has own trauma over a boy's death

2008-03-19T10:59:00.001-04:00

An emotion-packed account of what it was like for one trauma surgeon as he stared at the lifeless body of an 11-year-old boy dying of gunshot wounds. May God continue to bless this doctor, and the poor mother of the boy who died. Check out the other coverage of the shooting on www.press-telegram.com

read more | digg story

McCain seals the deal as Huckabee plans to drop out

2008-03-05T00:13:00.001-05:00

I've removed my Mike Huckabee sticker from the blog, and the bumper sticker will come off the car tomorrow. It's clear that Sen. John McCain has clinched the Republican nomination. I'm glad to have supported Gov. Huckabee, a good and decent man and the only one who consistently outperformed expectations.

read more | digg story

Gone 4-ever?

2008-03-04T23:52:00.002-05:00

I can say I saw him play at home and on the road. Brett Favre was the most fun and most nerve-wracking quarterback a fan could ever watch. Long-time Packer fans should savor the sweet, sweet memories that this cartoon captures.

The All About Me Culture

2008-02-21T13:17:00.001-05:00

The New York Times tells what I think is a sad tale of how some new brides believe showing off their bodies at a wedding is more important than celebrating the start of a marriage. Apparently "sexy" and "hot" is more important than "beautiful." For what it's worth, MY bride needed none of this, and she looked absolutely gorgeous. Personally, I think looking like a princess is better -- and she did, because a little girl at the wedding asked for her autograph!

read more | digg story

NYC Cheapens Sex -- Again

2008-02-15T09:31:00.006-05:00

New York City encourages everyone to "get some." Sigh. I do not oppose condom use, but in the zeal for safe sex should our governments push upon us the notion that everyone should be having sex? Because everyone shouldn't be.

Thankfully, Kathryn Jean Lopez has another take, using yesterday's Valentine's Day to run an interview with the author of a new book, "Prude," which targets how a sex-obsessed culture hurts girls AND boys. It is downright frightening that the "prude" is more of an insult than "slut," and even if I weren't the father of a soon-to-be 16-year-old, it would be at least sad. Jen points out the best part of the interview:

When girls are encouraged to be coarse, there’s a coarsening effect on boys, too, because boys live up (or down) to the standards girls set for them.

Some of this may have to be a point of conversation before or during an upcoming trip to New York with the young lady I sometimes call The Eye Roller. It's not that I want her to be called a prude, but I want her to grow into a woman of noble character, who, if she decides to marry, will be a Proverbs 31 wife:

10: A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

The Rivalry Returns!

2008-02-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

USC and UCLA will return to an old tradition: both wearing home uniforms.

Fire away, Janet!

2008-02-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

I think my friends at OnTap have to at least put away the Hate-orade for Huckabee at least for a minute after seeing this story on the sporting Mrs. Huckabee. Favorite part:

After she spoke, she took aim at a different target, firing at clay pigeons with a 12-gauge shotgun. Huckabee joined three club members in a skeet shoot out in the sunshine.

Gun rights are important to the candidate and his wife, whether it's an AK-47 or a handgun. "If someone wants an AK-47 and they want to use it in their backyard, they should be able to," Janet Huckabee said in response to a question about gun owner rights.

Sen. Clinton in the NYT

2008-02-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

If I'm a reporter, do I even believe the anonymous spin from her campaign? I'm not sure I do.

A heartbreaking trade

2008-02-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

When I was a Kings fan growing up, Butch Goring was my favorite player. He made up for his lack of size with hustle, especially on the penalty kill. As the NHL trade deadline approaches, NHL.com reminds me of the day the Kings traded him to the Islanders, pushing the Isles toward the first of four Cups and the Kings toward ... well nothing more than what they've usually given L.A. fans over 35 years: mediocrity.

Now he tells us

2008-02-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

AP reports that Dr. James Dobson is endorsing Gov. Huckabee. Dr. Dobson could have endorsed someone when it mattered. The values James Dobson supports and Gov. Huckabee espouses have not changed between last fall and now. But instead, Dr. Dobson waited until the moment when it is nearly impossible for Gov. Huckabee to win the Republican nomination. As Rod Dreher put it, "We need a better quality of theocon leadership in this country."

Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

It's clear that Mike Huckabee will win at least three and as many as six states tonight. That may not be enough to win him the nomination. But he emerges tonight as more than a one-shot wonder. He wins in the party's base and his home, the South. That fact, and his skills as a leader and communicator, make him a major factor in the Republican party. He now leads a voting bloc that cannot be ignored.

Coulter on McCain

2008-02-02T17:40:00.000-05:00

Ann Coulter says John McCain, tortured only because he wore this country's uniform, "has no honor." All I can think of is, "They make medication to help that kind of condition, don't they?

(HT: Andrew Sullivan)

Blaming Evangelical Christians

2008-02-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

K-Lo and Jim Geraghty on NRO note an NBC First Read item about whether evangelicals are keeping Mitt Romney from becoming the GOP nominee. The key quote:

Anyway, we're starting to hear from a lot of smart Republican strategists about what happened. And the thing that everyone seems to come back to is Romney's religion. Why? Ask yourself: Without the issue of Romney's religion, does Mike Huckabee ever take off? Because Mike Huckabee is the single biggest obstacle to Romney coalescing economic and social conservatives behind him to take on McCain.

The sentiment isn't all that suprising. We all want to blame someone else for our failures. Mitt Romney outspent Mike Huckabee by 20-to-1 in Iowa. Is evangelical bias against Mitt Romney's church really the only reason he didn't win enough support from conservative Christians?

I have another theory. To evangelicals, Mike Huckabee is real. See this video, about 2:50 in, for proof.

And here's one for Mitt Romney.

I respect and admire Gov. Romney's change of heart on abortion. Pro-lifers should welcome such shifts. But I think it's fair also to suggest that Gov. Romney's wholesale shifts on issues of importance to social conservatives has at least seemed inauthentic, bordering on pandering. And meanwhile, Gov. Huckabee showed them through work and effort that he could really compete in an election environment.

It certainly possible that some people are biased against Gov. Romney's religion. Gov. Huckabee's campaign may have been the benefactor of that bias. But to take from that that evangelical bigotry is the only reason Mitt Romney failed to bring social and economic conservatives together is really quite a leap. And it fails to place the blame for failure where it really lies: the candidate himself.

Whoops!

2008-01-31T12:31:00.000-05:00

Members of Congress, watch your punctuation!

A vote for Huckabee is a vote for Huckabee

2008-01-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

Mark Krikorian suggests my vote in the Feb. 12 Virginia primary is a vote for John McCain, even if I'm actually marking the box next to Mike Huckabee's name.

I understand Mark's animus toward Sen. McCain, but I retain my right to vote for who I'd like to see as the party's nominee, even if Huckabee's chances have dropped significantly since the South Carolina primary. I am not personally responsible for Sen. McCain getting the nomination, just as my friends in South Carolina who voted for Fred Thompson are not personally responsible for preventing Huckabee from winning that primary. (A side note -- if Huckabee had won, Mitt Romney would be in a much stronger position right now.)

Sen. McCain is the front-runner and if nothing upsets the apple cart, he seems likely to win the nomination. And if you don't like Sen. McCain, blame your guy, whoever it is, for not beating him.

The Politico: Huckabee gets love from undecided GOP women

2008-01-31T09:25:00.001-05:00

Debates are not Sen. McCain's strong suit, and this reaction from a focus group shows it. If he is to be the nominee, he better get some pointers from Mike Huckabee. Or better yet (one can still hope), the GOP should just go ahead and nominate Huckabee!

read more | digg story

Military Vets-National Security

2008-01-29T23:49:00.000-05:00

Erik Erickson of Red State, echoed and amplified by NRO's Jim Geraghty make a valid point about a key core of the GOP: vets and national security voters. Romney didn't have them, and they saved McCain in South Carolina.

One bit of personal insight: Ex-Gov. Beasley was urging the Huckabee campaign to make a major national security-oriented speech in military-oriented Charleston right after New Hampshire. The campaign wanted to, but it never got off the ground (the woes of having an underfunded effort). It might have been a credibility-building speech for Huckabee, perhaps enough to peel some votes away from Thompson. Huckabee would have never won Charleston, or the vets, but it might have done enough to broaden the appeal just enough.

Ah, well. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all be happy at Christmas. Oh, and buy Jim's book.

A Rudy Guy Makes the Case for Romney

2008-01-29T23:40:00.001-05:00

Patrick Ruffini makes a cogent case for Romney, one the Romney campaign doesn't seem to spend a lot of time making itself. The Romney campaign's echo chamber seems less about who they think shouldn't be in the tent than about why their tent is the best. At least that's what it seems like to this Huckabee supporter.

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The What If? Game.

2008-01-29T23:22:00.001-05:00

It's time to play the "What If?" game after Florida:

-- What if Mike Huckabee wins South Carolina instead of John McCain?
My hunch: McCain is crippled, Huckabee beats McCain in Florida but Romney wins the state and is the better funded candidate in a one-on-one battle against Huckabee.
-- What if Romney stays in South Carolina and fights? My hunch: a muddled result with anyone's guess as a winner. Romney is hurt, but McCain gets no boost and Huckabee is helped. Florida result hard to predict.
-- What if Giuliani really made a play for New Hampshire?. My hunch: McCain and Rudy split votes, Romney wins, giving him a boost into South Carolina.
-- What if Romney goes less negative on Huckabee in Iowa? My hunch: press boomlet for Huckabee is smaller, Romney diverts resources to neighboring New Hampshire and South Carolina.
-- What if Fred Thompson really took off last spring?. My hunch: not much air for Mike Huckabee. The battle becomes Romney vs. Fred.

Other than Michigan, very little that has happened in the race so far has helped Mitt Romney. I thought maybe the economic news would play to his strengths. But it did not. At least not enough to win.

President Bush Talks About His Addictions

2008-01-29T22:42:00.001-05:00

He remains unpopular, but maybe because this part of him is hard to see: BALTIMORE, Jan. 29 -- President Bush plopped himself into a chair between two former prisoners, Thomas Boyd and Adolphus Moseley, and asked to hear how their lives had changed. But first, he wanted them to know something about him: 'I understand addiction,' he said, 'and I understand how a changed...

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Irrational exuberance about Obama's win

2008-01-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

The margin is stunning, -- but let's put this sort of stuff in perspective: African-Americans made up more than 50 percent of the voters in today's primary. But the African-American voting age population is only about 27 percent of the total South Carolina voting age population.

This in part makes this somewhat silly. Obama won a historic victory, but he also had fewer serious competitors, more time to campaign, and a base of voters clearly united behind him. McCain and Huckabee had fewer days to campaign, an additional serious competitor and a base clearly uncertain about where to go.

It's a long time until November.

UPDATE: In 1988, Jesse Jackson won more than half the Democratic vote in caucus.

At least they got fired

2008-01-24T14:57:00.001-05:00

Some not-so-bright District of Columbia employees -- including some in Child and Family Services! -- got fired for accessing porn at work. These nine were apparently responsible for 20,000 hits. Amazing. Kudos to the Mayor for firing them. Though it still doesn't say a great many wonderful things about the quality of District employees.

read more | digg story

Pro-Life Rally

2008-01-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

K-Lo does her usual wonderful best for the pro-life cause, pointing out some photos of a pro-life rally that probably don't fit a stereotype.

Are you wiser than a 13-year-old?

2008-01-15T11:50:00.001-05:00

I know I'm not. Listen to how a young rancher in Nebraska explains to a Christian radio station how he's dealing with some hurt of his own.

The Politico: Romney may give up on South Carolina

2008-01-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

Mitt Romney, who has had staff in the Palmetto State since last summer in his effort to be the GOP front-runner, is now considering not contesting the 1/19 primary. Assuming this is accurate, this could be shrewd if the S.C. fight is thus between McCain and Huckabee -- Romney is no doubt hoping for Huckabee to knock off McCain, and then to use his superior resources to beat Huckabee. It is, however, an admission of defeat. Romney has been contesting the S.C. primary all along. Now that he's lost two that previously everyone thought he was going to win, he's trying to change the game. It might work, but I do wonder what kind of "medal" do you get for dropping out of a primary?

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Huckabee Makes Them Laugh At Furman

2008-01-10T08:42:00.001-05:00

How many GOP candidates can make a joke about the "Don't taze me, bro" incident? As She Who Sighs told me this morning, "He's our pop culture candidate."

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Huckabee's new ad in Michigan

2008-01-09T16:46:00.001-05:00

Tonight -- and the future

2008-01-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

When I wrote my first small check to Mike Huckabee last year, and talked to Gov. Beasley about endorsing his former colleague, I did not think the former Arkansas governor would really be the winner of the Iowa caucuses and a potential front-runner. Tonight, before the votes of New Hampshire are in, some bettors suggest that John McCain is now the favorite to win the GOP nod, and that Barack Obama is now the overwhelming favorite on the Democratic side.

I have no idea how that kind of race will turn out -- and of course I hope that Gov. Huckabee gets the Republican nod. But I certainly don't fear a McCain-Obama contest. With the way the two conduct themselves, with the way they talk about their opponents and the nation, I actually think that contest might be wonderful to watch.

The reason I am warming to McCain is the same reason that I like Gov. Huckabee and, even though his policy views are typical garden variety liberalism, Sen. Obama -- a hunger for a new kind of campaign and a chance to turn the page from the past 20 years of dispiriting trench warfare. It's a bigger and a better country than that.

If Mitt or Fred or Rudy win the nomination, I hope they'll show they believe it too. Unfortunately, I hold no hope that Sen. Clinton will execute an uplifting kind of campaign. One only has to look at this video to believe it.

Huckabee's "vertical" thinking

2008-01-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

Apparently the anti-evangelical crowd is today in a tither about Mike Huckabee's call for "vertical" instead of left-vs-right politics. The Huffington Post has an interesting piece about the word's roots in Christian music. Actually I think it's a pretty fair piece. Others have more prejudiced ideas, like this guy, and of course Daily Kos gets into the act as well.

Well, I never.

Seriously.

I attend McLean Bible Church. I like some Christian rock bands. And I promise, someone forgot to give me the memo. They didn't give it to She Who Sighs either, even though she's the grandaughter of a conservative Protestant pastor and a regular visitor to a Christian summer camp since she was born.

We both thought the governor was talking about lifting people up, inspiring them, instead of dividing people into opposite camps. Would it be wrong if that's what he means? I thought that's what Sen. Obama is trying to do as well -- and I like it from him, honestly. So why the double standard?

Dave Ramsey and Mike Huckabee

2008-01-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to sort out in my head the appeal of Mike Huckabee in a different way. And Dave Ramsey came to mind.

Ramsey is now on 300+ radio stations in the U.S., dishing off "the same advice your grandmother would, only we keep our teeth in." He's an unabashed Christian and a conservative, but in the latter, not predictably so. He is a free-enterprise-please-let-me-keep-my-money business owner, but he also Ramsey gives credit card collectors no quarter, calling them "scum of the earth." He doesn't hestitate to criticize what he calls "misbehavior" from other businesses, be they large or small. He urges husbands and wives to be active partners in their marriages. He is a guy's guy who also wins much admiration from women.

He's not perfect, and probably verbally shallower than perhaps some folks in Washington or New York who think they're smarter. But listening to Ramsey as I have for nearly two years, there's a basic decency and common sense to his approach. I think he's lot like Mike Huckabee, and maybe others like Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. These are the types of people Ross Douthat of The Atlantic calls "Sam's Club" Republicans -- they are trying to get ahead but don't think anyone ought to get a step up at the expense of someone else, and they also want to make sure that the folks who really might need help get it (and that doesn't necessarily mean government help). They haven't forgotten that they may be the first in their family to graduate from college (like myself), or that the grew up in a rental home (like Huckabee).

Understanding the appeal of Dave Ramsey, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty could help whoever gets the Republican nomination.

And for what it's worth, I have no idea whom Dave Ramsey supports, if anyone, and I believe Gov. Pawlenty is backing Sen. McCain.

The former Boss with Chuck Norris

2008-01-04T00:29:00.001-05:00

Gov. Beasley and Chuck Norris report in from backstage

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Now this is fun!

2008-01-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

From The Politico:

The crowd of roughly 400 at the Huckabee victory party erupted in cheers as he walked off the stage to the theme of "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

This ought to thrill someone!

Listen and give him a chance, or keep attacking?

2008-01-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

That's the question for most of the conservative blogosphere now, as Mike Huckabee is a strong and surprising winner of the Iowa caucuses. Many didn't seem to want to listen, or give Huckabee a chance. Many even treated him with bigoted disrespect. Tonight that ought to change.

But the challenge for the Governor is bigger. It to demonstrate clearly that you are more than an attractive candidate. It is that you are a potential President of the United States.

Huckabee ad

2007-12-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who did this ... but this sums up, in many degrees, why I like Mike Huckabee.

A Winter Wonderland

2007-12-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Snow in Wisconsin this weekned.

Bud Selig, please resign

2007-12-18T14:53:00.000-05:00

I suppose it's not unusual for me to agree with the conservative Washington Times editorial page, but this one is about sports, not politics. Noting the antitrust exemption baseball enjoys from the American people through their Congress, the Times notes:

A resignation by Mr. Selig, this scandal's chief enabler, would be a first and small down payment on our collective investment.

Amen.

You don't have to be liberal ....

2007-12-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

to look down your nose at Mike Huckabee. Conservatives at The National Review and The Weekly Standard seem to be doing plenty of it these days. It is fair to engage in Huckabashing because of policy differences, or in questions about how well the governor is prepared for a serious run at the presidency. In my own view, Gov. Huckabee has given other conservatives plenty of fodder in recent days and weeks for legitimate criticism.

But in a not insignificant amount of the criticism to date, there is plenty of sheer snobbery. You would expect this contempt from places like The Nation or Rolling Stone or even Andrew Sullivan. I just thought maybe people who generally found the Republican Party a hospitable home would actually have some respect or at least make some attempt at a general understanding of a wide swath of America that forms the base of the GOP.

However, the fact that Mike Huckabee is from a small Southern state, went to a Baptist college, and spent his young adult years as an aide to a pastor, and then a pastor himself apparently earns him extra helpings of "let's-eat-our-young" fire from the right.

(Note: Earlier version called it a Bible college, but it's actually not, and in fact a highly rated college according to U.S. News & World Report).

Such as:

Andrew Stuttaford, who as a Brit and a New Yorker probably understands the South as well as I understand the difference between Uptown or Downtown Manhattan, links Huckabee with the Puritans

Richlieu, whoever that is, at the Weekly Standard, likens Huckabee to a "simpleton" and mocks where the governor went to college.

And the reigning queen of "we hate those Baptists from the South" snobbery, Lisa Schiffren. She's a former speechwriter for Dan Quayle, a declared Rudy supporter, and a definer of what is "tacky:. She can hardly post on National Review with a reference to where Huckabee went to college, which of course wasn't nearly as prestigious as Bryn Mawr. You can just read her sneer here:

That bait shop on the lake — it's looking good. You'll be surrounded by nice neighbors, real Christians, and you can be the smartest guy in the room. You can go out running every morning. Remember Huck — Jesus wouldn't be dumb enough to go into politics.You were right on that one. Maybe it's not what he wants from you either.

Yes, those people in the South, they're stupid. Even "no count." Especially if they didn't go to a fancy college in Pennsylvania. And especially if they believe the Bible. I suppose this kind of snobbery is one's birthright if you have climbed the social ladder high enough to get your wedding announcement in The New York Times.

Finally today Rich Lowry calls for an end to this nonsense, or at least some of it. Mike Huckabee can and should be able to handle criticism about policy or his politics -- and if he can't, he shouldn't be the Republican nominee. But real people ought to be able to have honest discussions about what it means to be a conservative without resorting to claiming themselves superior because they were born north of the Mason-Dixon line and have a degree from a better college.

The Iowa Debate today

2007-12-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

That was the most ridiculous excuse for a debate. No questions on immigration or taxes and the inexcusable inclusion of Alan Keyes. Everyone wanted to see exchanges between Gov. Romney and Gov. Huckabee, and they got none of that.

Here's my plan for the next debate: A round-robin format. First, Huckabee and Romney. Then Romney and McCain. Then McCain and Thompson. And so forth, until the contenders (and only the serious ones) have a chancce to interact with everyone. Fifteen minute slots, two questions for each slot.

For what it's worth, though I like Gov. Huckabee, I also thought Romney and Thompson did very well in a truly awful format. In fact, I wondered where the heck THAT Fred Thompson has been during the other debates.

Huckabee in The New York Times

2007-12-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

Lots of hub-ub today about one sentence in a New York Times profile of Mike Huckabee. Reading the whole thing gives one the kind of context the AP story is completely missing.

The campaign's response is here.

Complaints about the AP story aside, Gov. Huckabee needs to be preparing for political debates, not musing out loud about theological ones. The doctrines of Gov. Romney's religion should not be relevant to his candidacy.

A Romance Renewed

2007-12-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

Or better yet, celebrated. I love the part about him finding her wedding dress and displaying it on a mannequin. May God grant them many more years!

National Review non-surprise

2007-12-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

NR's endorsement of Mitt Romney is about as unsurprising as the sun rising in the East this morning. Most honest observers of the magazine and its online components would have been stunned at any other endorsement.

The timing isn't surprising either. It comes on the heels of several days of consistent Huckabee-bashing, criticism that sometimes has a whiff of desperation about it. NR's editorial on Gov. Huckabee's foreign policy views seemed to me largely unfair, as if they not paid any attention when reading his CSIS speech. NR completely ignored the major thrust of the speech -- the need to be more aggressive with Pakistan -- as well as Gov. Huckabee's call for a stronger Army and his support for the Iraq surge.

As for Gov. Romney, there's much to admire. As Governor, he was willing to be bold on health care, an issue too many Republicans and too many conservatives neglect (and one where Gov. Huckabee may be a little to the left of me). Yet to simply bypass Gov. Romney's past positions, which include a rejection of "Reagan-Bush" (hunt on YouTube for that one) strikes me as giving him just a little easier freebie than NR would have given anyone else.

McCain's Real Pro-Life Moment

2007-12-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

Whatever one thinks of John McCain as a presidential candidate, he certainly shines as a decent, compassionate human being in this moment on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, where a questioner seemed on the brink of wanting to kill himself. McCain responded beautifully:

All I can tell you is there are loving family members and loving neighbors and friends, who want to do all they can to help you live as long and as beautiful a life as possible. We value you and we cherish you.

The whole story is worth reading.

South Carolina and the Fair Tax

2007-12-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

Everyone in the conservative elite press is beating up on Mike Huckabee now. Today the Wall Street Journal took another whack, mostly targeting the Fair Tax plan.

On one part, the Wall Street Journal is just plain exaggerating:

In 2004, Democrats came from nowhere to nearly beat South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint by pounding his support for the fair tax.

First of all, DeMint won by TEN points. Secondly, his opponent was the state Superintendent of Education, Inez Tenenbaum, a bright, capable elected official who had been active in state politics for 20 years. Whether attacking the Fair Tax was effective or not is sort of beside the point -- DeMint won handily against a skilled opponent.

Debate

2007-11-28T23:46:00.001-05:00

Plenty of debate commentary out there by people quicker than me at the keyboard. I found this commentary at Weekly Standard despicable:

The media will probably award a win to Mike Huckabee, the easy listening music candidate at home in any crowd, fluent in simpleton speak and the one man on the stage tonight who led the audience to roaring cheers by boasting that he had a special qualification to be president that none of the second-raters on the stage could match: A degree in Bible Studies from Ouachita Baptist University of Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Snobbery against Christians from the South never really goes out of style, does it?

I Came, I Thaw

2007-11-20T17:32:00.000-05:00

Normally I don't promote my employer's work, but given the time of the year, it seems OK to promote Butterball, a long-time Edelman client for whom I do zero work.

Anyway, every year, Butterball helps educate millions about how to best get that bird right. So here's a link. And yes, mainly this was an excuse to put a pun in the blog. It's been a while.

Enjoy.

Rubutting the NRO

2007-11-20T16:11:00.001-05:00

Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost provides a generally solid fact-based rebuttal of the National Review Online's editorial on Mike Huckabee. I think it's a little too strong on questioning motives for the editorial, but very relevant when at least raising the question about how National Review apparently didn't apply the same standards for judging Gov. Huckabee as it did for some of the other candidates. NRO also notes today that Joe will take a leave of absence from the Family Research Council to help out the Huckabee campaign. This is major good news for a campaign in need of more "direct combatants" in the media spehere, especially with the elite conservative press.

read more | digg story

Christianity Defended -- A Reader's Digest Version

2007-11-19T19:08:00.000-05:00

I find this version of a defense of Christianity most compelling. The whole (brief) item is worth reading, but two parts struck me most. One I'll paraphrase: if the Bible were truly a complete flight of fancy, then why does it portray the deep faults and failures of so many of its heroes? A good editor of fiction surely would have excised that stuff about Jesus being tempted ('Hey, we're writing about a guy we're calling perfect here!'). And what about David-- the kid with the rock? Surely we can take out that adultery part with Bathsheba, right? But the Bible is not mere propaganda, but a guide, a lengthy love letter from God to us.

My other favorite part, I'll just quote:

The trilemma: C.S. Lewis, commenting on Christ's claim to divinity, said: "You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Is this blog Chuck Norris-approved?

2007-11-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure ... but at least Mike Huckabee is.

When names don't work

2007-11-19T11:15:00.000-05:00

You would think a magazine called Prosper would be able to succeed, wouldn't you? Guess not.

"Are You Guys Nuts?"

2007-11-14T18:05:00.000-05:00

My old friend Ron Fournier writes a brilliant piece on the Iowa waitress who did or did not get a tip after Senator Clinton visited. Scores of inquiries about the alleged snub probably only proved what this woman thought all along:

"I don't get it," Esterday said. "There's a war going on and the price of oil is going crazy. Look at all the toys being recalled right now. Just look at the news! Isn't there something else you can be writing about?"

I am no fan of Senator Clinton, but it's impossible not to relate to this woman's lament. There is so much meaningless about political coverage -- stories written essentially for insiders, by insiders, read by insiders. It's interesting if you love it, and meaningless if you don't.

And if you want to get a better sense of Ron's passion for learning how real Americans are connected -- or not -- with their elected leaders, check out his book, "Applebee's America."

Huckabee at 21 percent in Iowa

2007-11-13T22:48:00.001-05:00

In any race, political reporters are always assessing who might win and who can win. The latest CBS/NYT poll from Iowa easily adds Mike Huckabee as a potential caucus winner -- or at least someone who might shake up the race. Iowa polls are always volatile, but it's better to be where Huckabee is now than where Fred Thompson is.

read more | digg story

Trojan Pride ... and Sadness

2007-11-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

The Heismans and the national football championships mean nothing in comparison to the story of Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri. The L.A. Times' USC blog All Things Trojan linked to Curreri's Nov. 4 obituary yesterday in honor of Veteran's Day. The entire obit is worth reading, but no part is better than the reference to his essay on why he decided to become a Green Beret:

"When my children ask me what I did to avenge the assault of September 11th, I shall be able to look them in the eye, without a hint of hesitation, and respond that I answered the call of our nation," he wrote.

Fight on, Joseph Curreri. Fight On.

Christian bloggers

2007-11-07T13:26:00.000-05:00

I'd love to go to GodBlog, but it's kind of funny that it's in Vegas, isn't it?

Waterboarding

2007-11-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

This from Human Events is just not tolerable. "Three cheers for waterboarding," the headline blares. No, not from me. Count me with Joe Carter: a Christian cannot be proud of this technique. It sure sounds like torture to me. There have to be better ways to get information.

Up to speed in the digital age

2007-11-05T13:13:00.000-05:00

Catching up on some blog reading after NewsGator let me down for several days, I run across a fascinating post from Doug Fisher.

Emedded in the post is one key comment: "I’ve heard from more than one fellow executive the tale of promising young reporters taking jobs in PR because that somehow seemed more palatable doing this online stuff."

The attitude seems silly and self-defeating, especially considering the latest news on newspaper circulation.

But as for public relations and journalism, "this online stuff" is important in both. Doug's students will fare better in either world, because they are learning how to communicate with an audience in ways that audience wants to receive information. Being a reporter is difficult enough as it is, so it's hard to understand why a young person would want to tie his or her hands down because they had some romantic view of "The Front Page" days.

For those who end up going into PR, or migrating there as I did, good public relations today also requires a knowledge of how people receive information, and where they get it, and how to effectively use the online world to communicate with them.

I will add that I think it's not surprising to run across intransigence among some young people. I was much more sure of what I knew then than what I know now. And I think that's a country song title, somewhere.

An Awesome State .. and an Awesome God

2007-10-24T15:25:00.000-04:00

Amidst the destruction of the fires and the despair of the thousands of newly homeless, the people of my native state are responding quite well, thank you. This story about the relief center at the stadium stands in wonderful contrast to the descriptions of chaos at other relief centers in other disasters, and, yet is uniquely Californian (massages? Red Bull?). My favorite part:

Earl Sanders looked out of a broken-down car he called home at 11:30 p.m. Monday and saw the mountain above Spring Valley, east of San Diego, on fire.

Sanders, disabled and homeless for about a year, grabbed his cane and belongings, which were shoved inside a trash bag. He put both in a shopping cart and walked to a nearby McDonald's.

"I had to evacuate, but I had no transportation and no money," he said. "I slept on the sidewalk in front of McDonald's and asked God what he had planned for me."

About 9 a.m. Tuesday, a good Samaritan gave him $5, enough for a bus ride to Grossmont Center in El Cajon and trolley fare to Qualcomm Stadium.

At 11 a.m., Sanders, 48, arrived at the stadium, where he was given a meal, a change of clothing, a cot and bedding.

"God is working it out for me," he said, tears streaming down his face

Indeed He will. Indeed He will.

(Hat Tip: National Review's Media Blog.

Perhaps the most adorable video ever

2007-10-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

As of today, viewed more than four million times on Godtube.com

Gen. Pace

2007-10-15T17:21:00.000-04:00

I know very little about the recently retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but this post makes me think quite highly of the man. Bottom line: a soldier who acknowledges that those who fell on his behalf deserve all of his later rewards is a man who truly has earned many rewards on his own.

Funniest candidate

2007-10-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

If comedic timing were the only qualifier for the White House, Mike Huckabee would win in a cakewalk. Check out his latest poke at the Mayor.

Rudy gets a call..

2007-09-21T14:04:00.000-04:00

CBN's David Brody, one of my favorite bloggers, posts a clip of Rudy Giuliani speaking to the National Rifle Association and stopping when his cell phone rings. Rudy may not be as tightly wound as he appears.

Big school bureaucracies

2007-09-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

This column by Steve Lopez in the L.A. Times this morning should fully explain to anyone who wonders why voters view tax increases, even for education, with a strong degree of skepticism. Teachers making $17,000 a year have to beg to be fully paid, while the district shells out millions for consultants who haven't yet fixed the problem? Words fail.