ACT! for America Cleveland Chapter

A new local chapter of ACT! for America was just started in Cleveland, Ohio. It was started by someone you all know after much thought and prayer. He started it because he finally had enough of the encroachment of Sharia Law by stealth and intimidation upon our liberties as Americans and our safety all in the name of a god whom the sane among us recognize as a false divinity in need of unmasking.

Anyway, the new chapter has a blog, an email address and a page on Twitter. Meetings will be monthly--our first one is coming up in December. Anyone who wants details on ACT! for America Cleveland chapter meetings just send an email.

More on this development later.

"The Black Knight Always Triumphs!"

Michael Medved explains why Obama won't compromise one bit like Clinton did. In a word, he's an inflexible ideologue. Excerpt:

Ironically, yesterday’s GOP gains could provide Barack Obama with the same opportunity to shift to the center that enabled Clinton to win his most notable political and budgetary successes. But Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post reported that “White House officials” privately resist comparisons between the two presidents. “If the House falls into Republican hands, they say, Obama will not repeat the Clinton governing script of 1995,” she writes. “Obama advocates argue that he is temperamentally ill-suited to such a strategy, both because he is more interested in broad change than small bore tinkering and because it requires a level of deal-making that he has not appeared comfortable with.”

Bullies don't accept defeat graciously.

"I'm at the tip of the spear...fresh to death"

I find stuff like this terribly funny, in a dark way of course. Basically there are 3 ways to react to modern superficiality: resist it, give in to it via inertia or write a book based on your mastery of it. Here are too excerpts I found hilarious:

No matter what T-shirt you select, whether it's fitted, graphic, sequined, bedazzled, crew-neck, deep-V, wifebeater, or what-have-you, it's about being proud of who you are. If you want to bust out a deep-V that's safety-cone orange because you think that's your color, then wear the hell out of that fruity shirt so everybody in the club knows that nobody owns it like you do. Set the trends, don't follow them. I wear what makes me feel good because I'm at the tip of the spear—the cutting edge of fashion that's fresh to death. When I see something I like, I grab it. My only system when I shop for fresh apparel is my own primal reaction to what I see, the moment I see it. When I enter a store, I trust my eye to zero in on what's mint. That's the single most effective system I have for knowing when to pull the trigger on a purchase. If I find myself hemming and hawing, that's a clear indication that the garment in question is not destined to make my rotation. I walk away from the rack because I've failed to make a connection to those threads. On the other hand, if I know from the moment I see it that that particular piece is going to make me look awesome, I trust my instinct completely and it comes home with The Sitch.

This next part made me laugh out loud uncontrollably. I doesn't really matter whether these guys are serious or pretending to be. It's the quintessence of self-importance.

One day at the mall, my boys and I decided to pop into The Cheesecake Factory for a quick bite. There was a mob scene of patrons waiting inside the doors so I had my good friend, The Unit, go inside to check on the availability of a table. By the way, The Unit, who was my college roommate, is almost always at my side. He has got mad game all his own and there's not doubt that America will be seeing much more of him very shortly. So, The Unit approached the hostess and said, "Look, I've got The Situation with me. Do you have any tables?" She seemed physically pained by the predicament The Unit was putting her in. She said, "Y'know, it's a ninety-minute wait. He's a very recognizable face. If we bring him in here ahead of all these people who have been waiting for so long, it would no doubt cause a lot of animosity and might be viewed in a very negative light for both the restaurant and for The Situation. That being said, we'll do the best we can."

The Unit. Too much, really. Almost makes me embarrassed to own testicles. Almost.

Buckley and Muggeridge on DVD

Cubeland Mystic first introduced me to William F. Buckley's great Firing Line episodes featuring Malcolm Muggeridge back a few moons ago. Since then it has become a major destination for people who stumble across my humble blog.

Now I've just learned that these episodes are available on DVD from Amazon. It looks like they became available in August of 2008, shortly after I posted that link but before someone at National Review linked to my page. So.... interesting.

Post-election Analysis

"Truckload of marshmallows," LOL.



Oh, man, Foster Freaking Brooks. Too funny. This guy could replace Biden in a heartbeat. Delivers his lines better also.

Daily Kos Emails

During Election Season, I kept getting emails from Daily Kos asking me to support Democrats in races, especially Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. This is because I probably made a comment at Daily Kos years ago and so they had my email. That's fine, but now I have to do a bit of gloating. Here is one of the emails:

Pauli,

Last week, when a poll showed Democrat Joe Sestak ahead in the Pennsylvania Senate campaign, your incredible efforts raised over $70,000. Looks like it's time to up that goal to $100,000:

Public Policy Polling. 10/17-10/18, 718 likely voters. MoE 3.7 (August numbers in parenthesis):

Sestak (D): 46 (36)
Toomey (R): 45 (45)

Every single undecided is moving to Sestak. Every. Single. One. You can contribute $10 to his campaign here.

Only eleven days ago, Republicans were poised to retake the Senate. Since then, a new wave of energy allowed us to gain ground in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, Alaska, West Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina and Kentucky. Now, it’s no longer a question of whether Democrats will win the Senate, but by how many seats.

Your enthusiasm turned the tide. Keep riding the new wave--contribute to $10 Orange to Blue candidates now.

We’re gonna win this,
Markos Moulitsas
Founder, Daily Kos

Needless to say I declined to "ride the new wave". And I was deeply satisfied when Toomey beat Sestak early this morning in my old home state.

I suppose to the unwary, the letter represents a good strategy. For example, I don't think that the Republicans were ever "poised to retake the Senate", but stating that they before and they aren't now builds a sense of momentum for every Dem running for the Senate. Then you throw in "Oh, by the way, give to this guy." I wonder how many people did contribute based on these emails? Red State sends out political ads for Repubs that are 100% professional and so much classier. But that's par, I suppose.

Josh Mandel Wins Ohio Treasurer

This is another huge win. Mandel is a rising star in the Ohio GOP. It's great to see a grown-up in charge of the purse again.

So congratulations, Josh Mandel! We support your bid for Governor in 2018, and we will draft you if necessary, unless you want to be a U.S. Senator in which we will support you also.

I'm using Mark Levin's site to monitor the election

Here's the link. I just decided to say screw television tonight. Here's where we are currently in the house:

We're up 9, good news. Kucinich won, but oh, well. Maybe he'll retire soon, or get beamed up to the mothership.

The last gasp

Sad.

"With the early returns and the overwhelming number if Democrats who are coming out, we're on pace to maintain the majority," [Nancy Pelosi] said.

Yeah, riiiiight.....

Rabbis: "Respect for all human life is obligatory."

Liked this article about Jewish Rabbis joining with Cardinal Burke to defend life and oppose abortion. Excerpt:

“As Rabbis we welcome with great enthusiasm and strongly endorse the inspiring and clear Pro-life, Pro-family message delivered by American Cardinal-designate, Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Catholic Church’s highest court,” they said in a statement LifeNews.com received.

“In these crucial times in which we live, where many clerics tread with fear, Cardinal-designate Burke is to be commended and emulated as a voice of leadership. This moral teaching of the Catholic Church set forth in Burke’s interview with Thomas McKenna, is clearly found in the Torah and serves to give solid guidance to voters whether they are Christian, Jew or any man of faith,” the rabbinical leaders said.

And... it's always helpful to provide examples of how to vote:

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, added his own comments to the statement the group released and commented on the specifics of races in New York, where he lives.

Levin said it would be “forbidden, for example, to vote for either New York State Senator Schumer or candidate for governor Andrew Cuomo — both of whom support late term abortion and homosexual marriage — unless they renounce those positions immediately.”

IMPORTANT ELECTION UPDATE - FROM THE OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY

Just got this email from Kevin DeWine of the Ohio GOP.

A few reminders about tomorrow's election:
• EARLY VOTING: If you still need to return an absentee ballot, it must be postmarked no later than TODAY or delivered in person to your county board of elections office by tomorrow. Contact your local elections office with any questions about early voting.

• VOTING HOURS: Polls open tomorrow (Tuesday, November 2) at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

• VOTE HERE: Wondering where to cast your ballot tomorrow? Use our Election Center map to enter your home address and find directions to your assigned polling location.

• GOP SLATE: Remember to download a list of your Republican candidates and take it with you to the polls on Tuesday. You ARE permitted to use a slate card or printed list of candidates inside your polling location when completing your ballot.

• MOBILE GOP: If you have an iPhone, check out our new app and use it to look up your slate of candidates electronically. You can also use the mobile version of our website. Just look up www.OhioGop.org on your mobile device.

• VICTORY CELEBRATION: Republicans from across the state will join John Kasich, Mary Taylor, Rob Portman and the rest of our GOP ticket at the Renaissance Columbus Hotel beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. The event is free. We hope you'll join us!

• STOP FRAUD: If you observe any questionable voting activity tomorrow, please email your information to vote@ohiogop.org. We have a team standing by to protect the integrity of this election.

• Communicate: 50 percent of voters could skip this election tomorrow. Don't look back on Wednesday and wish you had done more to deliver a GOP victory. Forward this email. Tell your family and friends why you're voting Republican and why they should too.

• Donate: Every dollar we raise is critical in these final hours. Ohio is the firewall for Barack Obama's re-election in 2012, and national Democrats are pouring money into the state to buy the vote. Don't let it happen.

Remember, as Ohio goes, so goes the nation. It's time to Fire Ted Strickland and send a message to Barack Obama that he's next. Let's finish strong, Republicans!



Kevin DeWine
Chairman, Ohio Republican Party

...spirit.... how long....

If you listen closely near the end, you can hear the Kyrie Eleison in the background.

Hugh Hewitt on Obama-Pelosi Failure

Great article. Here's the gist:

The epic loss on Tuesday will launch a thousand op-eds and who knows how many dissertations. But the explanation is very simple.

Never have two modern American leaders been so utterly bereft of graciousness. Americans do not particularly value humility in their politicians, but arrogance and disdain are poison to the public.

Read the whole thing; it's a mine of brilliant gems. Hugh Hewitt is a great writer. For instance, Harry Reid as "the Lepidus in this triumvirate" is a choice comparison, and the line "Republicans can only pray that Democrats run on 'the stimulus was too small and Obamacare insufficiently radical' in 2012 and beyond" is the perfect rebuke to those on the left disappointed with their fellow knuckleheads in power.

Latest Gallup Poll: GOP Ahead 15 Points

in the generic ballot. Excerpt:

Gallup's historical model suggests that a party needs at least a two-point advantage in the national House vote to win a majority of the 435 seats. The Republicans' current likely voter margin suggests that this scenario is highly probable, making the question of interest this election not whether the GOP will win the majority, but by how much. Taking Gallup's final survey's margin of error into account, the historical model predicts that the Republicans could gain anywhere from 60 seats on up, with gains well beyond that possible.

It should be noted, however, that this year's 15-point gap in favor of the Republican candidates among likely voters is unprecedented in Gallup polling and could result in the largest Republican margin in House voting in several generations. This means that seat projections have moved into uncharted territory, in which past relationships between the national two-party vote and the number of seats won may not be maintained.

Additionally, efforts by state legislatures in recent years have attempted to insulate incumbent members of Congress from strong partisan tides such as are in force this year. Congressional district lines have been drawn to make them safe for specific parties, which may reduce the impact of national trends on election outcomes.

I have five political signs in my yard for all Republicans, and I got a number of comments regarding them during trick or treat tonight. All of them positive.