Um.....OK

Apparently this is a heavy YouTube week. This takes a while to get where it is going...but it's worth it:

Good Riddance

Don't let the door hit you on the way out:

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men's room, Republican officials said Friday.

Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning that he will resign effective Sept. 30, four state GOP officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

I couldn't possibly care less what he is in to behind closed doors. But for God's sake don't plead guilty to a crime and then say you are completely innocent of everything . At that point you are just making yourself look like a dumbass.. So I'm just tickled that we can finally get this schmuck out of here and replace him with somebody who is actually competent in the U.S. Senate...

Allrighty Then...

OK, first comes this story originally from this blog (H/T Slashdot via Instapundit):

"I ran for school board where I live this past fall and created some TV commercials including this one with a 'Star Wars' theme. A few months ago VH1 grabbed the commercial from YouTube and featured it in a segment of its show 'Web Junk 2.0.' Neither VH1 or its parent company Viacom told me they were doing this or asked my permission to use it, but I didn't mind it if they did. I thought that Aries Spears's commentary about it was pretty hilarious, so I posted a clip of VH1's segment on YouTube so that I could put it on my blog. I just got an e-mail from YouTube saying that the video has been pulled because Viacom is claiming that I'm violating its copyright. Viacom used my video without permission on their commercial television show, and now says that I am infringing on their copyright for showing the clip of the work that Viacom made in violation of my own copyright!"

All of that was just an excuse to post the following and, well, this is the commercial. It can speak for itself:

AA GOP Central Committee: The Big Move

Well, you can forget about the big Central Committee meeting on Wednesday being on 15 West Street:

The rift among county Republicans is expected to erupt next week, and the GOP expects so many spectators at its meeting that the event has been moved to a larger room.

Rumors and e-mails have been circulating for weeks that the tectonic plates within the county's Republican Central Committee are about to collide. And some board members are expected to oust chairman Mike Collins at the group's next meeting.

A coalition of the committee's ultra-conservative and liberal-leaning Republicans has reportedly conspired to call Mr. Collins' leadership into question at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lowe House Office Building in Annapolis.

Why we're reading about this in The Capital as opposed to finding out about it from anybody connected to the party I will leave to your imagination....

Velvet Rope Revolution

This is not surprising:

Someday soon, visitors to the Arundel Center will be guided by movie-theater style ropes to the security desk, where they will need clearance to visit the floor where County Executive John R. Leopold works.

The county plans to spend about $15,000 to close security loopholes at the county's office building, a project that includes installing security cameras and regulating access to the elevator.

While the move is similar to security measures in other Maryland counties, critics said it cuts off access to our elected officials.

Police detectives who provide a security detail to the county executive suggested the tighter rules.

County spokesman Marina Harrison said the county will be eliminating "gaps that should have been closed long ago."

Look, I think we can all agree that some limited security measures are important, even in buildings seemingly as low a priority target as the Arundel Center. But isn't this a little bit extreme, even if unsurprising that it originates in the administration of somebody as cut off from the real world as John Leopold?

The Unseen Side of Government Overregulation

There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about economic fairness and wages when it comes to workers at the stadiums. Classical Values has a fascinating piece on the government getting involved in places where it had no business in the first place (in this case, selling beer in Pennsylvania). And how, once government gets involved, real people are going to get screwed one way or the other....

Meeting Expectations

As I expected, Kujan misses my point completely:

Yes, yes they do. I never claimed they didn't. I claimed that they only like seeing the already well off making more money. Griffiths doesn't dispute this fact, because he cannot.

Which of course is hogwash. If I only liked seeing the already well off making more money, I wouldn't have what I have, now would I?

Incidentally, Kujan continues to miss several other points here that I am trying to make, and frankly it isn't even worth my time to try to explain it anymore because I'd have better luck explaining astrophysics to a platypus, except the platypus might keep up better....

Let me say this slowly: if the workers are concerned about being better paid at their job, find a better paying job. Just like Kujan decides not to go to a high-dollar Democratic shindig people have the freedom of choice; perhaps they should, you know, use it.

Do Something Nice

My friend Erin is raising money as part of the DC Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training for the Marine Corps Marathon and she's pretty close to her goal of raising $2,000. So if you have a couple of extra bucks you wouldn't mind doing something good with (and because let's face it, she's running a marathon and you're probably not) click here and help her get over the top...

A Little Levity

A not particularly insightful comment on economics

Andrew Kujan:

There really is nothing scarier to a conservative that someone who is not already rich making more money.

Which is patently absurd. Conservatives like seeing people make money. What conservatives don't like to see is for government to muck everything up by artificially inflating wages to the point that it creates inflation, thus bringing the value of everybody's dollar down.

Then again Kujan proves why liberals can't run government; a basic lack of understanding of economic environments:

First, those companies would in no way be affected by raising the salaries of a particular group of workers at Camden Yards. An apparently every restaurant, zoo, and "firm" would go out of business in Maryland if 11 people get a $3 raise.

Of course what Kujan fails to realize is that the artificial inflation by government of the salaries of the stadium workers creates an unequal environment for other businesses. That means if government mandates the inflation of salaries by $3 an hour, those businesses either will hire less skilled workers or will need to inflate their wages by $3. And that price gets passed onto the consumer. That creates inflation. That diminishes purchasing power. And that means nothing really changes in the end other than creating more, not less, poverty.

Urban liberals need to realize that you just can't mandate poverty away by having government muscle its way into situations it does not belong...

Being on the Special Interest Take...

We had touched on this before, but my co-blogger Mark Newgent has an awesomely detailed smackdown of Free State Politics and their funding sources over at RedMaryland. Go ahead and check it out.

As expected, no comment yet from the FSP crowd...

GOP Bylaw Amendments: California Dreamin'

David Kyle notes that Debbie Belcher's proposed language comes from the platform of the California Republican Party. And it is. Lifted word for word.

Because things are working so swimmingly for the California Republicans, you know...

No Kidding

This is just one of those things that is sad, but obvious:

Republican and Democratic politicians alike have faced charges of sexual misconduct; some have survived, others have foundered.

But the sting is never quite so potent, the irony not nearly so keen as when a self-proclaimed bearer of "traditional family values" finds himself (and it's almost always a "him") accused of engaging in behavior that he has condemned, particularly that of same-sex liaisons.

Read the whole thing.

I wish that we could somehow, some way curb the number of these debacles we have to see year in, year out...

Poor Misguided Soul

See, all conservatives aren't necessarily right about everything. Take my RedMaryland colleague Mark Newgent, who outed himself as a Redskins fan today.

Mark is right about one thing. The Ravens and Redskins do not have a rivalry. That would require the Redskins to be, you know, good.....

It wasn't cute the first time

Following up last week's 30-3 debacle with an 11-run 8th inning against Tampa Bay, turning a 6-3 lead into a 14-6 deficit, is probably not what anybody associated with the Orioles franchise needed. Trust me, it wasn't cute last week and the continued bullpen debacles are really losing their novelty...

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Bizarre

Debbie Belcher's Purpose of....well, I'm not really sure:
Debbie's concerns about the Oath of Office and multiple voting are accurate. You can read all of her comments here. However, this is where things fly off the rail:

Section 1. Purpose.
The Party exists to secure honest and responsible government, founded on our belief in the worth and dignity of every person.

Add the Section below to follow the above:
We, the members of the Maryland Republican Party, believe in the inalienable, natural rights of each individual as endowed by our Creator, including the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. We agree with our nation's founders that government is instituted to protect those rights and will oppose all efforts to interfere with their legitimate exercise. The Republican Party is committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, which is the law of the land, and further to interpreting the Constitution in its original intent as written by the Founding Fathers. The Republican Party recognizes that the United States is a republic, governed by laws enacted by elected representatives pledged to protect the rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

The Republican Party, from its inception, and under the leadership of its first President, Abraham Lincoln, has championed justice, equal rights, and opportunity for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or national origin. We are proud that our President, George W. Bush, has put into action our messages of hope, opportunity, family values, and individual rights; which is an inclusive message for all who love freedom, believe in individual rights and responsibility, and believe in government of the people.

There are so many things here that are just incredible to see in writing. The fact of the matter is that Debbie's comments are nice, until you remember that the Republican Party is not an instrument of religion. We are not the party of a particular President (certainly not one who has turned his back on many of our basic conservative principles).

Our purpose as a party is exactly what the current purpose says it: to secure honest and responsible government. And beyond that, to ensure that we are a strong nation with a limited central government. Or, as I noted in May:

It is time that our party reject those issues that divide us as conservatives, and unite around those core issues that bring together all wings of the Republican Party. We must bill willing to embrace fiscal responsibility, particularly when it comes to eliminating pork barrel projects. We must be willing to reduce the size of government in order to ensure to contain government only in the areas where it belongs. We must protect our national security, in order to protect us from foreign nations and from the presence of illegal aliens. And we must ensure that we are committed to upholding all of our Constitutional rights.

We do not want a government based on whatever Belcher's statement is supposed to mean. Her comments indicates that she prefers a party based less on principle and more on buzzwords that are meant to convey a party that is far to the right of the mainstream Republican voter.

Sure, it may sound cute now, but a statement of purpose should represent we as Republicans want to stand for today, tomorrow, and twenty years from now. We are the party of liberty and limited government. Sometimes, it seems like we forget this.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The 800-pound Gorilla

The Party shall not, without the prior approval by at least a two-thirds affirmative vote of the State Executive Committee, contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican primary after the filing deadline for that office. Nothing in this section shall preclude any member of the State Central Committee from personally contributing money or in-kind aid to a candidate in a Republican primary or Party election.

And there it is right there. A potential systemic shift in the way the Maryland Republican Party conducts its elections. With a two-thirds vote of the State Executive Committee, the Party can anoint the chosen one in any primary election it desires.

The Republican Party is, ostensibly, the party of ideas. We are the party of the people. We are the party of individual accomplishment and achievement. Upon passage of this bylaw amendment, we wipe all of that away. Instead of being a party based on principle we become a party based on access, on relationships, and on cliques. Get 26 people to go your way, and the (potential) cash and organization of the Republican Party come with it. It is no longer about ideas, and about support, and about community, but about cash, and contacts, and having West Street on your side.

And undoubtedly, such a proposal at the state level would then lead to proposals being bandied about at the County level. Given the lack of leadership displayed here in Anne Arundel County, doesn't that bother you a bit?

The proposal to endorse candidates is wholly inappropriate for any party, much less one that is strives to be a meritocracy. It should and it must be defeated.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Bad

We addressed the (generally) good portions of the bylaw proposals in our previous post. However, there are some issues of concern with these proposed amendments:

1. Endorsement of Candidates in the Primary
The 800-pound gorilla in the room. We're going to save this for separate post.

2. Central Committee Members can be removed by the State Executive Committee if they fail to take or abide by the Oath of Office
There seems to be little reason, if any, for the State Executive Committee to step in and remove a member of a local Central Committee. The local Central Committees are elected by the voters of the jurisdiction in which they represent. What is even stranger is the fact that the Oath of Office is not listed in any documents that have been publicly presented to date. Lord only knows what these Central Committee members would be asked to be pledging an oath to.

3. The "Brian Harlin Rule"
Basically, the rule would prohibit any member of the Central Committee from receiving campaign funds. I don't necessarily disagree with the concept of the rule but, once again, it turns into a debacle because of how it is executed. It is clearly targeted at one individual in order to punish that individual for whatever reason, and smacks as somewhat of a Bill of Attainder. And besides, who is the party to tell a businessperson that they cannot participate in party affairs due to the nature of their business? Does that not sound like something the Democrats would try to pull?

4. The Oath
Numerous references are made to this newfangled Oath, and as I mentioned earlier nobody actually explains what this oath is. Do we really think the party needs to be taking a "Loyalty Oath" to the party? Does that not seem a touch Orwellian? Because that's what this sounds like. The only oath, as far as I am concerned, that Central Committee members need to take is one in which they swear or affirm to execute their office.. Whatever other oath the party comes up with is likely inappropriate (and several Anne Arundel Central Committee members take issue with the seeming lack of an oath here and here).

5. Salary of Executive Director and Staff
The bylaw proposal would allow the Chairman of the Party to hire new Executive Directors and Staff Members and get approval of their salaries and benefits packages by the State Executive Committee only if the salary and benefits increase. Would it really hurt us to have some oversight by the Executive Committee in this regard?

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Good...Generally

Well upon review of the proposed bylaw amendments, (some of which are generally technically amendments), the substantive ones generally break down three ways. Some amendments are very good amendments. Some amendments are very bad amendments. And one amendment/proposal is completely out of far right field. We'll break them into individual posts.

You can view the entire proposed new bylaws in an annotated version here, the recommendations of the Bylaw Review Committee here, and view comments from Anne Arundel Central Committee members here and here.


1. Prohibiting Central Committee members from supporting non-Republicans in partisan elections
This just makes common sense. We cannot have Republican Central Committee members publicly stumping for Democrats as we have seen here in District 31. I do not necessarily, however, think the provision referring to penalties set forth by the State Central Committee is the way to go, as these matters should be dealt with first and foremost at the local level. But this proposal only works if the proviso for primary elections are removed. That is a whole different ball of wax, but including the proviso of supporting "official" candidates in the primary could really gum the works up.

2. Introduction of Resolutions
This is really inside baseball stuff here. Basically, it would remove a provision require a resolution to go through the Resolutions Committee before it is submitted for discussion at a party convention. Common sense stuff here.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Email

As I noted yesterday, Mike Collins sent out and extensive, detailed email late Monday night detailing the situation regarding some proposed amendments to the Bylaws of the Maryland Republican Party. First things first, let's display Mike's email. Then, in another post, I will come back with some analysis and comment:

Fellow Republicans:

This is a long explanation of some of the turmoil surrounding proposed changes to our By-Laws. This is important to all Republicans, and I urge you to read this email and the attached documents.

There has been a lot of chatter about proposed changes to the Maryland State Republican Party by-laws. In particular, there is some concern about a proposal to allow the party to give endorsements and material support to select candidates. In an email last week, the Executive Director characterized as 'misleading' comments that the changes would allow pre-primary endorsements.

In order to clarify the issues, I have attached several documents that were emailed out after the State Party convention. As you may recall, a member of the House of Delegates falsely accused me of sending confidential party information to the press. So I would like to call your attention to the Bylaws Committee Report that is marked "Confidential." It was marked that way prior to the convention so its contents would not be shared before the convention with Republicans or others outside the Central Committee. It has subsequently been briefed in public and emailed out by John Flynn on May 21, 2007 to a large list, so privilege is no longer attached.

At present, there is no mechanism in our by-laws that allows the State Party to take sides in contested primaries. Any such support in prior elections was in violation of our policies and should have been addressed. But the proposed by-laws change does not prohibit endorsing candidates in a contested primary. It actually creates a mechanism where the Party can endorse candidates and provide material support to select candidates in contested primaries so long as .666 of the County Chairmen agree. This provision gives power to central committee chairmen outside our county to horse trade in smoke-filled rooms and decide which candidates to endorse and to whom to provide material support. Please read the proposed by-laws change and see how it can be used, not how it is being sold.

There are other by-laws proposals that are controversial as well. One would create an oath. As you will see from the by-laws, this oath is not defined, but appears in several locations in the proposed by-laws. Violation of this undefined oath carries penalties, including removal of Central Committee members. At present, our Clerk of Courts, Bob Duckworth swears in all newly elected members at the first convention. Despite this, there is a proposed by-laws change that would create an additional undefined oath. Again, chairman from outside our county would now have the authority to shape your elected Central Committee membership. Please read the proposals. Also read the comments from our Central Committee members.

There are provisions to remove members who support candidates against Republicans in contested elections. I personally like this provision, but it is getting a cool reception from folks who have supported non-Republicans over Republicans in the past.

There are other proposed changes as well which smack of a power-grab by 15 West Street. One proposal would allow the Chairman of the State Party to order up meetings of county central committees at his whim.

Another by-laws change would reduce financial oversight of the Executive Board, by allowing the Chairman to hire staff up without approval up to the highest levels done previously, regardless of changes in the financial or political climate. This is particularly sensitive, as our chairman hired five full-time staff members, with a payroll of more than a quarter million dollars, without the required prior approval of the Executive Board. The compensation of the Executive Director, who chaired the by-laws review committee, is directly effected by this change, and a conflict of interest is apparent.

One proposed by-laws change has been dubbed "The Brian Harlan Rule." As you know, Brian Harlan owns the GOP Shoppe. He is very well thought of and was asked to stand for Second Vice Chairman of the party a couple years ago. The new by-laws change would prevent anybody from serving as an officer of the Maryland GOP if they receive remuneration for work on any campaigns. This by-laws change appears to target one person—Brian Harlan—to keep him out of the Party leadership.

There has been some muted discussion about developing a State and County party platform. This is coming from social conservatives who want to put abortion, gay marriage, and other divisive issues front and center in our party. At present, our Party stands on "I Am A Republican Because …" http://www.aagop.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page1.html

I think it is appropriate that we have a party coalesced around the 90% of issues that unite us, rather than the 10% that divide us. Sadly, some would like to fight Republicans over the 10% issues where we are not in complete agreement. I think that is bad for our party. In addition to developing a social conservative party platform, there is an attempt by some to use the by-laws review to embed the social issues in the by-laws.

The Anne Arundel County Central Committee reviewed these proposed by-laws changes at our July meeting and submitted our comments to the State party. I have attached comments that Jerry Walker put in pdf format from our chatroom discussions. I have also added Debbie Belcher's comments that she sent separately, and recently emailed to a wide audience.

The proposed by-laws changes are not some intramural game for the Central Committee. They are the rules that govern Republican Party politics, and they effect you. Please take a few moments to get acquainted with these proposals and voice your opinion. Again, if you have any questions on the by-laws, our public deliberations, or any other issue, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Mike Collins
Chairman
Republican State Central Committee
Of Anne Arundel County

This week in transit failure...

Once again, why I can't stand American public transportation:

Smoke poured into Metro subway tunnels again last night, a day after an unprecedented and unexplained series of such incidents. Baffled officials began to consider the possibility that the events were more than mere accidents.

"This is not normal," Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said. "This is highly, highly irregular."

Asked whether he suspected terrorism, Catoe said no. But he added: "Could it be something else? Everything now is suspicious."

Asked whether he suspected sabotage, he said, "I don't know the answer to that question."

The system reopened Tuesday at 5 a.m., and Metro officials said trains were running normally, with no service disruptions or problems.

Yesterday's events, like Sunday's, came just after the height of the evening rush, halting train travel on part of the Green Line in the District and much of the Blue and Yellow lines in Alexandria and in Arlington and Fairfax counties. At one point, a Metro spokeswoman said, seven trains lost power in the Blue and Yellow Line tunnels south of the Pentagon.

The chaotic situation forced thousands of irritated and bewildered passengers to disembark from stopped trains and use shuttle buses or search for other ways to complete trips home that, in some cases, stretched hours longer than usual. Well after 10 p.m., there was no service between the Pentagon and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The U Street/Cardozo Station on the Green Line in the District was closed by smoke from about 7:20 to 8:40 p.m.

Officials provided some explanation for the shutdowns but could not provide a detailed basis for much of what happened. "We're at a loss to identify the root cause of the problem," Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

The Washington Metro may be one of the least efficient, least effective, bass ackwards organizations ever to be stood up in the history of the planet, and continued incidents like these just goes to further perpetuate that image...

Paging Cross Canadian Ragweed...

...because I am, allegedly, a Carny Man! Go read is comments there, I am choosing not to post it here.

Once again, the racial politics of the left. "Lefty" here tries to play my opposition to illegal immigration as racial politics and carny games. Which is kind of incredible because the entire crux of the argument has nothing to do with skin color, or the budget, or any of the other things the left postulates that this is about. It is the left that wants to make a racial issue of of this. I merely want to see the borders controlled so that no illegal immigrants of any race, color, or creed get in. All we need to do is to start enforcing the border and give illegal immigrants who are here an incentive to do the right thing, for once. It's not about nativism, it's not about racism, it's not about any of the crap that the Urban Liberals want to say it's about.

That's what makes this comment from "Lefty"...:

Illegal immigrants are people, people with families who are part of our community. The vast majority of them don't break the law,

...so unintentionally funny because, a rational person might surmise, an illegal immigrant already broke the law. That's why we call them illegal immigrants.

Once again though this always comes back to the lowest common denominator. The left plays racial politics because they are losing the battle of ideas.

Coming Tomorrow....

In the last ten minutes, Anne Arundel County Republican Party Chairman Mike Collins sent out an email message with a slew of documents attached as it relates to proposed bylaw changes to the state Republican Party bylaws. Given the number of documents and the late hour, I will review those changes and post my interpretation and analysis tomorrow evening...

Here Comes Fred!

Mark your calendars for next Tuesday, as well as Thursday, September 27th:

Sources tell numerous outlets that Thompson will announce his campaign September 4th, and that he will participate in his first debate on September 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore. His first major appearance at a GOP event will be at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan around a week earlier.

Fantastic. And about time. And what a fantastic way to kick off the Senator's participation in the Republican debate process then by joining in right here in Baltimore. Let's get it on.

Incidentally, this is my 1,000th post on this blog. I'm not exactly sure what to say about that...

You mean, we can cut from this?

Good news. The liberal blogosphere has discovered the concept of budget cutting. I don't necessarily agree with Lublin's premise that these are the only possible cuts, but I am glad that they have at least begun to realize that you can't tax your way out of a deficit...

FSP plays the race card again

This is getting old. This time it's Isaac Smith:

I'll just add that Del. Patrick McDonough's plan to have, in effect, a board of commissars determine the content of MPT's new digital channels is indeed disturbing, but also instructive: In today's Republican Party, concerns for freedom of the press and politicization of the media take a back seat to beating back the Brown Menace.

I think it's a little presumptive to assume that Pat McDonough's comments portray Republicans as racists. Once again, Urban Liberals want to discriminate against those who aren't Urban Liberals and assume that everybody out in the sticks are racists thugs when the problems due to the existence of V-Me have little to do with race.

Hell, I think Pat McDonough's idea is stupid too. But we could really solve the problem by completely spinning off MPT out of the state budget entirely and saving ourselves the money and the hassle of having government in the business of subsidizing a television network.

Four Days until meaningful football...

I'm not sure how many more meaningless football games I can handle, so I am glad, albeit in a muted fashion, that meaningful football starts on Thursday, at least at the collegiate level, even if the only remotely interesting game is LSU @ Mississippi State.

To get ready for the season, let's remember last year's Fiesta Bowl:

Augustus Minimus

The Orioles are getting into this uncanny habit of having really bad Augusts:

August 1998: 14-14
August 1999: 12-16
August 2000: 14-15
August 2001: 11-16
August 2002: 14-16
August 2003: 11-20
August 2004: 13-15
August 2005: 11-17
August 2006: 12-14
August 2007: 8-15

Unsurprisingly, the last time the Orioles play over .500 baseball in August was....1997. Hard to go wire-to-wire and not play .500 in August.

And August, 2002 was a special case since the time sat at 14-6 on August 23rd, and not only finished the month under .500, but went 4-32 to finish the year...

I'm not even sure how to fix it. Certainly, it is not impeding their ability to compete for playoff spots, however it is somewhat indicative of the last ten years of mediocrity O's fans have been subjected to...

Say What?

"I don't think too many people would scream about that."
- Gov. Martin O'Malley on how he thinks people will react when he proposes an income tax increase

I dare the O'Malley apologists to tell me how this does not mean he supports sticking it to Maryland taxpayers...

Huckabee feels the heat

Looks like Mike Huckabee is going to fight for the conservative turf, after all:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Fred Thompson, who is expected to jump into the 2008 race next month, will have trouble meeting expectations about his candidacy.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, finished second in this month's Iowa straw poll but lags nationally among his rivals in fundraising and public support. Thompson, an actor and former Tennessee governor, has polled well in the crowded field despite his unofficial status.

"Let's just hope Fred decides it's just too hot this summer to even do this. Maybe he won't get in," Huckabee said in a broadcast interview Sunday.

"But if he does, I think he's going to suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room when he first comes in. But I'm not sure I'd want to be in his position where the expectations are simply just sky-high for him to be able to perform," Huckabee said.

Sounds like a candidate who is desperately, desperately hoping that Fred Thompson changes his mind. Though I admit, trying to fight the Senator's campaign on the expectations turf is a pretty sounds strategy for Huckabee's campaign, given how much the campaign exceeded expectations at the Iowa Straw Poll...

Hey, parodies are funny...

....even when pointed at me:

Panic Mode?

Is this a desperation move?:

Right-hander Radhames Liz will make his major league debut Saturday, starting for the Baltimore Orioles against the Minnesota Twins.

It will be the first time in his three-year professional career that Liz will pitch above the Class AA level. The 24-year-old is 11-4 with a 3.22 ERA this season with Double-A Bowie. He leads the Eastern League with 161 strikeouts (in 137 innings) and pitched a no-hitter on June 1 against Harrisburg.

I know that it's hard to call a move to call up a 24-year old rookie from AA a desperation move for a team that has lost four in a row and is 14 games out of the Wild Card. And it's not like there were any alternatives on the 40-man roster. But it seems that purchasing the contract of a starter from Norfolk such as 35-year old Tim Kester or 27-year old Aussie Craig Anderson may have made more short-term sense than the still raw Liz. Particularly given how late-season, emergency starters such as Hayden Penn, Brian Sackinsky, John O'Donoghue, etc. have worked out over the years....

Andrew Kujan's own little brand of Discrimination

Andrew Kujan proudly displays his typical unthinking urban liberal prejudices aimed at Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge:

Its hard for me to see Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge's comments as anything other than poorly hidden racism....

Rural character? I would argue there are any number of things that threaten the "rural character" of Carroll County more than adequate public transport to the largest city in the State.

Of course, perhaps Gouge refers to the "rural character" which is built around a several mile long strip mall containing every fast food restaurant known to man (and finally, a new ROY ROGERS). Then again, she could be referring to the character brought by building thousands of box homes on long disabused farm land, with more acres being sold every single day. Heck, maybe someone from Baltimore is buying one!

Will these terrifying buses be running roughshod over the Farm Museum? Will they bring bar hoppers attracted to the two bars in Westminster that stay open past 1 AM on weekends? Of course not.

Will they bring city dwellers, both white and black, to the county looking for work, housing, or possibly a little day trip to enjoy the "rural character"? Possibly.

Its pretty clear what Gouge refers to when she says "something coming from Baltimore City" will ruin the "rural character" of the county. She means that allowing the majority black population of Baltimore City to mix with the majority white population of Carroll County will lead to bad things, to a denigration of the county. The Commissioner should be ashamed of her ridiculous and offensive implication, and you should tell her so.

I love it when liberals display the same type of prejudiced behavior only us uneducated bumpkin Republicans are supposed to show. Kujan's remarks are bizarre, mean spirited, and show a general disdain for anybody who disagrees with his myopic worldview. I for one do not subscribe to Kujan's prejudiced worldview.

Want to know why Gouge might be against public transit? Could it be that mass transit in Maryland sucks? Could it be she doesn't want to spend billions on wasteful programs nobody would use? Could it be that she doesn't want to see an easy conduit to bring crime from the city (more on that here) to Carroll County communities already seeing an uptick in crime?

(And, as somebody who went to college and spent a lot of time in Carroll County, Carrol County is being ruined by liberals fleeing the inner suburbs buying thousands of box homes on long disabused farm land. They come to Carroll County, places like Finksburg, Westminster, and Eldersburg, for the rural character. Then demand a Chili's, a Starbucks on every corner, and a Target. And then bitch about the county losing it's rural character....)

I cannot stand to see liberals support the kind of discrimination that Andrew Kujan clearly supports in his diatribe against Carroll County. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter whom it is aimed at. Andrew Kujan should be ashamed of his ridiculous and offensive implication, and you should tell him so: akujan@hotmail.com.

Waste is still Waste

The Capital today tries to point out the John Leopold tries to eschew government waste by... highlighting John Leopold's government waste:

The story reportedly amused his boss, who at times takes great pains to avoid racking up personal expenses on the county's tab.

Last week, when county executives and legislators from throughout the state traveled to Ocean City for nearly a week of networking breakfasts, seminars, crab feasts and hotel stays, Mr. Leopold decided he only needed to attend one 8 a.m. breakfast.

Instead of making the nearly three-hour trip the night before, which would have meant paying for a hotel room, plus overtime and another hotel room for the police detective who serves as his security and driver, Mr. Leopold made less costly plans.

He left his Pasadena home at 5 a.m., drove all the way to Ocean City for breakfast, then turned around and got back to Annapolis in time for lunch.

We suspect he paid for his own lunch.

While I applaud the fact that Leopold decided not to attend the week-long happy hour that is MACO, I seriously question the need for him to spend six hours in a car to attend one breakfast. Particularly considering the amount of fuel and the wear on a vehicle for him to drive down there and turn around. Was the breakfast that important that he had to go? And that says nothing of the fact that this once again draws attention to the fact that Leopold lied about dropping his security detail....

Whether or not Leopold says he believes in "no government waste" as the Capital describes, Leopold is still one of its biggest offenders. Just because Leopold due to his extensive personal trust fund wealth can afford to not put things on the tab, he continues to promote more and more government services at the expense of the average taxpayer....

Just saying....

...but the day I start blogging about where my hits come from somebody please pull the plug.

Well....no kidding

Doesn't really require a PhD to figure out this was going to happen, either (H/T Instapundit):

Following the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, in which seventeen people were killed by a man armed with two 9mm pistols, Britain passed a law outlawing the ownership of most handguns, despite researchers finding "no link between high levels of gun crime and areas where there were still high levels of lawful gun possession." It's a law so severe that the Britain's Olympic shooting team is forced to train abroad, lest one of its members try to shoot up a grammar school. So how effective has the law been? A doubling in gun-related crimes since the ban, naturally. The London Times on the spate of gun crime in Merseyside:

Golly, you'd almost think kind of effect would be similar to the issues we have in Baltimore and Washington, no?

Scientists find Democratic Platform

Or, at least something similar:

Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday.

Sarcasm aside, a neat story. More proof we know little about the cosmos, particularly when we look at a section of space 8 billion years older than our own corner of the joint...

Now I get to sound like a old man...

Want to know why society is going to hell? It's the kids these days....

Today, it’s not unusual for parents to spend well over $20,000 on a student car. Li said that the average price of new vehicles bought by 18- to 22-year-olds is $21,329, but he said that the firm’s figures don’t account for vehicles that parents might buy for their kids. “If you go on a college campus," he says, "there’s going to be a large portion driving a vehicle that they can’t really afford.

Is it any wonder why this nation is so far in debt? College-age kids decide to blow their money on the best set of wheels they can find. $21,329? I've bought two new cars and and I haven't even come within $6,000 of spending that much on a vehicle.

What happened to buying used cars at that age anyway? First car I had, in high school, was a red 1986 Dodge Daytona. Then, in college I got a Christmas present: a 1991 Volkswagen Golf with a near defect feature in that the cellunoid on the starter would go bad and make the car unstartable a very convenient time. Such as the Sheetz in Breezewood, PA.

What's with these kids these days....

Piled High and Deep

Tom Schaller proved once again in this morning's Sun that just because you have a PhD in Political Science doesn't mean you have any clue what you are talking about when it comes to actual policy:

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Maryland is one of the wealthiest states in the union. Sure, it would be nice to recover revenues lost to neighboring states, but Maryland's problem is not a lack of wealth but a lack of will.

The state's structural deficit means that spending priorities outpace revenues. If Marylanders want the money to continue to invest in and develop their state - such as the Thornton Commission education goals - they should pay more in taxes. Alternatively, they can decide what programs they want to eliminate. Even in the Free State there are no free lunches.

Further complicating the slots issue is that you have too many groups promoting their individual agendas, with little if any regard for the state's fiscal solvency.

Reread Schaller's remarks here again. He is simultaneously complaining that:

• The General Assembly lacks the will to raise taxes;
• People in Maryland want Big Brother to do more and more; and
• Every special interest group is promoting their special interest regardless of its impact on State Government.
  

It is fascinating to think that Schaller seriously believes that special interest groups, who are the genesis of a lot of our silly government spending programs, are the problem. The problem is, in actuality, decades of Democratic leadership that lacks the fiscal intelligence to rein in spending before the state begins to run out of money. They are the ones who cave in to these special interests that Schaller blames. If "spending priorities", as Schaller likes to call government handouts and government largesse, are outpacing revenues, then clearly spending needs to be brought under control to ensure that revenues outpace spending. It does not take a PhD to figure that out.

Issac Smith tries to join the fiesta with this comment:

Conservatives like to write off all government spending as pork, but the problem here isn't quite so nefarious: The Thornton plan -- perhaps the biggest contributor to the budget deficit -- was meant to, among other things, eliminate funding disparities in the public schools, which I, and many others, think is an eminently worthy goal. One can question the efficacy of Thornton, or whether it's a policy worth keeping in financially lean times, but to assume that the deficit is the result of the greedy maw of government is bizarre, I think.

Except that "the greedy maw of government" is exactly what the Thornton Commission created. A multi-billion dollar boondoggle without either revenue sources or budget offsets to pay for it. And let us not forget, also, that the Thornton plan was only passed when the formula was finessed in order to ensure that more money flowed to Montgomery County than in the original plan, since the Montgomery County delegation was the the margin of victory in carrying the Thornton vote.

One would do best to ignore Schaller's suggestions entirely, and instead following a common sense approach of drastically cutting state spending, reducing taxes, and then beginning the process of phasing in new forms of legalized gambling as soon as possible. Instead, Schaller, Smith, and Democrats like them would prefer to do the same thing they always want to do; pay for Democratic mistakes out of the wallet of the poor and middle class taxpayers...

And out come the wolves...

Grab on to your wallet, because here comes Team O'Malley to stick it to everybody:

Now Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration is faced with swelling infrastructure costs and a state Transportation Trust Fund in urgent need of a cash infusion. Leading lawmakers say they expect O'Malley to propose an increase in Maryland's 23.5 cents-a-gallon tax and possibly recommend other measures, such as a sales tax on gasoline and tying future increases to inflation or construction costs.

Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said in an interview this week that he supports changing the method of taxing gas, from one based on the gallon to one tied to rising prices.

The same Democrats who like to bitch about how unfair rising gas prices are to the poor and the middle class are now the same Democrats who are looking forward to piling on high gas prices with additional taxes and fees.

I have asked this question before, I will ask it again; why do Democrats think that taxes should be raised that will disproportionately impact the poor and the middle classes? Why do the poor and middle classes have to pay the freight for programs that make affluent liberals feel better?

A Spiraling Totalitarian Hell

Yup, good times in Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has leapt to a record high, official data showed on Wednesday, raising pressure on President Robert Mugabe to ease an economic crisis that foes hope will weaken the veteran leader.

Zimbabwe's inflation -- already the highest in the world -- hit 7,634.8 percent in July, reminding Zimbabweans there is no relief in sight from daily hardships including chronic food, fuel and foreign currency shortages.

Mugabe has accused some businesses of raising prices without justification as part of a Western plot to oust him.

If there were a secret list of crazy, Socialist, Napoleonic thugs unelected leaders who deserve to be ousted in a Western plot, Mugabe is up there alongside Castro and Chavez. Mugabe is a real piece of work and has been the most destabilizing in sub-Saharan Africa for the last ten years.

Frankly, we should have dealt with him a long, long time ago...

Oh Please...

Some people need to get a grip:

The head of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP said Wednesday that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has made mistakes but that they should not cost him his football career with the NFL.

Vick is expected to plead guilty Monday to federal conspiracy charges in an illegal dogfighting operation.

R.L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said his organization does not condone dogfighting or any other illegal activity, but he told reporters that Vick should be given a chance to redeem himself.

"In some instances, I believe Michael Vick has received more negative press than if he would've killed a human being," White said. "The way he is being persecuted, he wouldn't have been persecuted that much had he killed somebody."

The hyperbole is getting a little deep in here. The fact of the matter is that Michael Vick is getting off easy, because the SOB should be thrown in the slammer for a long, long time, not the likely 12-36 months that he is going to be facing.

And let us also not forget that Vick was clearly involved in an illegal gambling operation in addition to his heinous crimes against animals. Don't think that won't weight heavily on the mind of Commission Roger Goodell.

If the Atlanta NAACP really thinks that Michael Vick does not deserve sanction from the NFL, they are dreaming...

Don't we have better things to do?

As usual, our leaders are doing the people's business:

County Councilman Ed Reilly is drafting the County Council's second sign bill of the summer, this one aimed at the fields of temporary signs flooding medians or roadsides and advertising everything from weight-loss centers to home sales.

"People are doing whatever they can to get their name out there," said Mr. Reilly, R-Crofton. "It gives an unfair advantage to people who violate the law."

OK...

His bill would outlaw signs on utility poles, trees or stoplights and clarify rules against advertising for businesses on the right of way on county roads.

His effort follows one by Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-Crownsville, who earlier this month introduced a bill to ban signs with video images.

Un-huh. But...

Both measures largely reiterate the existing laws, but demonstrate county lawmakers' increasing frustration.

Mr. Reilly said the intersections plagued by most of the signs are along major thoroughfares maintained by the state, such as Route 3 or Solomons Island Road, where the county has no authority to remove the signs.

OK. So what are we talking about doing exactly? Councilman Reilly's bill is going to address a problem that is already addressed by law, and in an area where the County has no enforcement in the first place?

Yes, Republicans can do some odd stuff, too. Perhaps time would be better spent, instead of writing a bill duplicating existing law, trying to reduce the number of working days the County Council meets every year so we do not have to worry with such pointless legislation.

Wow

Ravens had a tough go of it today, getting plastered 30-3....

...wait a minute, that was the Orioles score? Good grief. I can only hope that the pitching gave up all of their runs for the month of August and September and got them out of the way in one game. And poor Burres, Bell, and Shuey had to stand there and take it in order to keep some semblance of order in place for the second game of a doubleheader.

It happened, so let us never speak of it again...

The Brian Griffiths Minute: 8-21-07

It's time to talk about solutions...

More on Wild Bill Hagy

A 1979 WJZ piece about Wild Bill....

Somebody please tell me this is a joke

I got this in an email and half thought it wasn't serious. But here it is, right on the website:

17th Annual Red, White and Blue Dinner DVD Goes On Sale
ANNAPOLIS - That's right. Whether you were in person and want to relive the 2007 Red, White and Blue Dinner or if you missed it altogether, here's your chance to buy a piece of history.

Be a part of this memorable evening as we honored our troops on the anniversary of D-Day, heard Governor Bob Ehrlich discuss how optimism defines our Party, and listened as our keynote speaker, national taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, discussed why Democrats will always lose in the battle of ideas.

You can purchase a high-quality DVD of the 17th Annual Red, White and Blue Dinner with Special Guest Grover Norquist for the low price of $17 (plus $3 shipping and handling).

Click here for more information.

Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Average Republicans can't afford to buy a ticket to the dinner. But now, pretend like you were there with a DVD. I'm not sure many people want to pay $20 for footage of stump speeches.

Please tell me we have other ways of paying down the party's debt.

In Memorium

Maryland lost two very important people from our past today. So I urge you to pay respects to both Sen. Daniel Brewster and "Wild Bill" Hagy, whom the Orioles will honor with a video tribute and a moment of silence tonight.

Don't mock the O's, either. At the Ravens game, the Ravens Marching band still carries in their color guard a blue flag with a white # 19 on it. We take this stuff seriously...

Light Rail light on planning

I attended last night's Ravens game, and like most of the crowd, I bailed out halfway through the third-quarter because, let's face it, sitting in the rain watching the third string play a game that doesn't count is not that exciting no matter how big of a fan you are. And we took the light rail to the game.

Upon arriving at the stadium light rail stop, a train on its way to the BWI station was waiting to leave. After a moment it left. And then we waited for the next train to Cromwell. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. And waited. And waited. And waited. For 25 minutes.
Yes, waited 25 minutes for a light rail train to come, during an event the entire free world knew was going on, and fans were encouraged (encouraged) to take light rail in order to avoid delays.

By the time the train showed up, the line waiting for a southbound train extended from the platform all of the way up the ramp and up to the bridge that crosses the CSX/MARC tracks leading to the stadium. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes to leave my seat, and wind up back in my car at Cromwell station.

I don't know what kind of dog and pony show they are running over at the MTA, but somebody needs to get a grip. When you are encouraging people to use mass transit, you simply cannot have situations like last night happen. When you are fully aware that people are going to be leaving throughout the game, due to its nature as a preseason game, preparations need to be made in order to have trains running at a constant level. It certainly does not help ridership to have individuals stand and wait, and wait, and wait for a train to come if only because it discourages the use of mass transit and fuels the public perception that American mass transit fails the public.

And on top of everything else, as a taxpayer I certainly do not want to be subsidizing a system with my tax dollars that cannot operate with some sort of common sense and preparation. Particularly when the taxpayer dollars could be used to expand the highway system to alleviate currently existing traffic conditions.

Politico ad absurdum

Our friend Kenny Burns over at Maryland Politics Today, who is noticeably black and is a Republican, keeps having his views on racial politics in the Democratic Party challenged by FSP's Isaac Smith, who is noticeably not black and is not a Republican. And it is some of the funniest reading I think out there right now because every time that Kenny needles Isaac (including descriptive chyron), Smith tries, tries again.

It's funny, even though they are discussing a legitimately serious topic in regards to the Democrats abysmal promotion of minority candidates over the years.

This is when the walls come tumbling down...

This is just seems like bad news all the way around:

Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.

Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life."

"It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it," said Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife of Venice, Italy, one of those in the race. "We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways — in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."

That first cell of synthetic life — made from the basic chemicals in DNA — may not seem like much to non-scientists. For one thing, you'll have to look in a microscope to see it.

"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."

And several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste.

You know, it's one thing to discuss things like therapeutic cloning, and stem cell research, and things that have an obvious application for scientists and doctors who are looking to cure sick patients. Creating life out of thin air? Well, that seems to be a whole another ballgame, and not one that either our scientists or our ethicists are probably fully prepared to handle at the present time...

AA GOP Central Committee: One thing from the Sun Article

There is one thing I would like to comment on from the article from this morning's Sun, and it is Debbie Belcher's comment:

Belcher said in an interview that she was disappointed that her e-mail was made public and said some people were taking it out of context. "I think some of these folks that are interested are interested for the gossip angle of it, and that's why I choose to be silent on the specifics," she said.

If this situation were part of a course on public relations, the Central Committee would be failing because of comments like this. When given an opportunity to clarify a comment on a situation such as this, refusing to comment and blaming everybody else is silly in a best case scenario. I, frankly, am not even sure what "gossip angle" she is referring to, because the fact of the matter is that we do not know what is true and what is false because people like her choose to be silent on the specifics.

The silence itself, not what may or may not have happened, is what is currently fueling the Central Committee's problems right now. Members like Debbie Belcher want to blame the messenger, not the message that they themselves are giving to the public. It is their lack of comment that has sent the story in the direction that it has....

New CR Podcast

Yes, the latest Conservative Refuge Podcast is up at http://theconservativerefuge.libsyn.com. Yes it does involve having to listen to me talk with Greg for twenty minutes. I don't know about the "media darling" charge, but I've been called worse...

AA GOP Central Committee: Collins Statement # 2

Brian Gill again had it first, but here it is, Mike Collins' statement from this week's AA GOP Calendar email:

The other three documents are on a related, but more negative issue. A friend of mine recently spoke with a Republican member of the House of Delegate, who told her that the reason the State Republican Party is hurting so badly on finances is because of me. The rumor he was pushing was that I had asked people not to attend the Red, White, and Blue fundraiser. At an event in mid-July, a person connected to this delegate was spreading the word that I had asked people to boycott events arranged by Jim Pelura.

Those same lies were spread about Republican stalwarts, like Chuck Gast and Brian Harlan too, in order to find scapegoats to explain the dismal performance of the RW&B Dinner.

I wish I had the power to turn fundraising on and off with whisper, or even an unspoken word. If so, our coffers would be overflowing. All I can do, however, is remind you of the words I actually have spoken or written.

The file RRBEmails.doc contains the covers emails I put on the Weekly calendar that is sent directly to more than 300 activists (on a blind list), and is passed along further to their lists. You will see me encouraging participation in this event, and working on our Central Committee members to attend too (I was one of only three members to attend).

RWBTooExpensive.doc is an email from a Republican activist to the Chairman saying that $200 for RWB is too expensive. Emphasis and color in the original.

And finally, in GOP Fundraisers, you will see similar encouragements to hundreds of activists. You will also see the email notifications I received on these events, and the fact that I turned them around to my list within a day.

Combating lies is difficult, especially when whispered. As always, I encourage you to contact me directly if you hear anything that disturbs you. And please, let me know the source so we can track down the lies and rumors that hurt our Party and put an end to them. I believe we are stronger as a party when we stand in the light of day.

Welcome Sun Readers

For all of the posts regarding the situation with the Anne Arundel Republican Central Committee, click here. For a recap, click here.

For those of you who have not read the story from this morning's Sun, click here...

He Is?

Stateline has a, well, interesting take on Governor O'Malley's current situation:

Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the nation’s first statewide “living wage” law and froze state tuitions, but he, like Patrick, is facing a stark budgetary reality. “He's in ‘band-aid’ mode about the structural budget deficit, trying to pull it off slowly instead of just making the case for the new taxes needed, raising them, and moving forward,” one Democratic observer said.

I would love to know who this "observer" is. Because, while O'Malley may not have explicitly come out and talk about the need for new taxes, his compadres in the Democratic Party certainly have been. And O'Malley has been talking about the need to create more revenue, so it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what the administration is going to propose in the not too distant future, particularly given the administration's reticence to actually make meaningful spending cuts...

All Quiet

No new developments on the Central Committee front the last 24 hours. Nothing new at all, which is interesting given the flurry of activity in the last week.

So, in the meantime, do something meaningful: send out a prayer for the folks in Jamaica and the Caymans, who are potentially facing unimaginable destruction in the next 48 hours thanks to Hurricane Dean...

Cutting it Close

Talk about brinkmanship...

Matt Wieters was prepared to sign a contract Wednesday night that would make him part of the Orioles' future, the franchise catcher that has eluded them. He also was prepared to return to Georgia Tech for his senior year and re-enter the draft in 2008.

With less than an hour left before the midnight deadline to sign Wieters, the Orioles and Boras were nearly $6 million apart, according to baseball sources. Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations, said an agreement was reached at 11:51 p.m.

I mean, I'm ecstatic that the Orioles finally got the deal done. Because the best way to start off the MacPhail Era in Baltimore would not have been to allow our 1st round pick in the draft to go back to school over a financial issue. But good grief, could they have possibly waited any longer to get this done?

Slots or No Slots

Bud has a very good piece on his blog and at RedMaryland regarding slot machines and whether or not John Leopold will work to keep them out of Laurel Park.

I think ultimately that, given his proclivity to support tax increases, Leopold will ultimately side against slot machines, even if it means taxpayers getting stuck with higher income and sales taxes. Not exactly the best defense to appeal to Republican primary voters either for a re-election campaign or in his campaign for Governor...