Baiting, Switching

Let's end the year on a real down note, with the idea from Oregon that Big Brother is going to ride with you (H/T Instapundit):

A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads — via a mileage tax and satellite technology — could work.

Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he’d like the legislature to take the next step.

As part of a transportation-related bill he has filed for the 2009 legislative session, the governor says he plans to recommend “a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.”

What that means is explained on the governor’s website:

“As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.”

According to the policies he has outlined online, Kulongoski proposes to continue the work of the special task force that came up with and tested the idea of a mileage tax to replace the gas tax.

The governor wants the task force “to partner with auto manufacturers to refine technology that would enable Oregonians to pay for the transportation system based on how many miles they drive.”

The online outline adds: “The governor is committed to ensuring that rural Oregon is not adversely affected and that privacy concerns are addressed.”

There are just a multitude of completely ludicrous things.

First, politicians and government leaders have been trying for lord knows how long to encourage people to make the switch to more fuel efficient cars. One of those ways was through tax breaks and other perks (you may remember that Virginia once allowed you to get a special plate for your hybrid, for example, that allowed you to drive in the HOV lanes regardless of the number of passengers you had). The idea was to promote fuel efficiency. At the same time of course, that meant states were decreasing the amount of revenue available to them through the collection of gas taxes; the law of diminishing returns at force once again.

So now that the social engineering aspect of this is done, let's stick it to these people by implementing a new tax based on usage instead of the current model. (to say nothing of the combined proposed 2-cent increase in gas taxes for non-GPS equipped cars). Your typical government bait and switch program.

Of course, that's not the only issue with Kulongoski's cockamamie idea:

• The privacy aspects alone are, of course, disturbing. Under this scenario, the government could track to the movements of any car registered to the state of Oregon (or any other locality that participated in such a scheme). The report indicates that the "concept requires not transmission of vehicle travel locations" but says nothing about whether or not that capability exists, or if and how other agencies of government would be able to use this information (i.e. the police).
• The plan seems dependent on "partnering with auto manufacturers" to develop this technology. Last time I checked, the auto manufacturers were getting bailouts just to keep the lights on. That doesn't really give them enough time to save the state of Oregon from itself.
• And finally, aren't there other sources of revenue that Oregon could tap to overcome the supposed shortfall in transportation funding? Couldn't Oregon make up the shortfall by reducing other, more discretionary spending (yes, I know how liberal Oregon is, but let's pretend, OK). Or, how much could Oregonians have saved (and been spared from such a silly idea) if Kulongoski supported the privatization of certain elements of Oregon's transportation infrastructure? And how much more money could that save as opposed to proposing such a pie in the sky project?

Oregon's idea for GPS-based taxation is disturbing on a multitude of levels, not the least of which is the idea that states want Big Brother to ride with you everywhere you go. Leaving the silly policy making issues aside, that fundamental privacy issue should give pause to both left and right thinkers alike...

The Year That Was 2008

Yes, it's time for the 2008 Awards. Last year's post is available here, the one from 2006 here, and the one from 2005 is available here.

Best Move of 2008: John McCain picks Sarah Palin
2007 Winner: Peter Angelos hires Andy MacPhail
2006 Winner: Ravens trade for Steve McNair
2005 Winner: John Roberts Appointed as Chief Justice

My defense of the choice of Governor Palin has been noted before, as has the fact that I was cheerleading this selection as early as last February. But I stand by what I said; John McCain did not run a particularly good campaign (see Worst Run Campaigns) but his pick of Sarah Palin was spot on since it motivated the base and saved us from enduring a filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate. I only wish that McCain showed some loyalty to the running mate that served her party so well this year...

Honorable Mention: Ravens hire John Harbaugh; Ravens draft Joe Flacco; John Flynn out as MD GOP Executive Director;

Worst Move of 2008: Federal Bailouts
2007 "Winner": General Assembly, Leopold impose School Board "reforms" <>Miers appointed to Supreme Court, Rafael Palmeiro's testimony to Congress

Years from now, people are going to wonder what President Bush and Congress was thinking when they decided to bailout seemingly every business in sight. First is was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Than it was the Banks. Now, it seems like that that Auto Manufacturers are next. Have we gotten to the point where any business is "too big to fail?" Does that mean American families are not organizations that are too big to fail? And does this mean that a Republican President is helping to kill off capitalism as we know it?

Either way, the Bush Administration and Congress completely screwed the pooch on this, and unfortunately I am not sure that the taxpayers are ever going to see a positive benefit. Not a good sign in an economy that already sees government spending too much money and taxing the populace at an untenable rate.

Dishonorable Mention: O'Malley tries to cut the Budget Piecemeal; Seattle Supersonics move to Oklahoma City; Chip Saltsman sends out Obama Parody

Strangest Move of 2008: Being Rod Blagojevich
2007 Winner: John Flynn keeps job as MD GOP Executive Director
2006 Winner: Don Dwyer's May and June
2005 Winner: Martin O'Malley thanks MD4BUSH

You know, it's not that fact that Rod Blagojevich turning out to be a corrupt Chicago politician is all that strange; it's just par for the course and most Chicago politicians turn out to be corrupt one way or another (don't worry, his time will come). What makes Blagojevich a strange ranger is how brazen and how stupid he was about his corruption. Selling off a U.S. Senate seat? Trying to make deals with it over a cell phone? While already under investigation by the Feds? And thinking that this will be the starting point for a future bid for President? Does the term "criminally insane" ring a bell here?

Politics are strange on their best day, but you have to go back to Aaron Burr to find scheming this brazenly bizarre.

Honorable Mention: Auburn hires Gene Chizik; Eliot Sptizer as Client # 9; AFSCME attacks O'Malley for furloughs

Guy I Feel Bad For for 2008: Former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley (IP-MN)
2007 "Winner": Arthur Blank
2006 "Winner": Rick Neuheisel
2005 "Winner": Rick Neuheisel

Dean Barkley is a former United States Senator. You wouldn't know it by the way he was treated in the general election campaign between Senator Norm Coleman and "Comedian" Al Franken. Senator Barkley was relegated to little more than a sideshow in this Senatorial Election that just....will....not.....end. And it's a shame, because Dean Barkley is incredibly more qualified to be a United States Senator than Al Franken coluld ever dream to be.

Honorable Mention: U.S. Senator-in-Waiting Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Former University of Tennessee Football Coach Phil Fulmer, Former Tampa Bay Lightning Coach Barry Melrose

Best Run Campaign(Local Division): None
2007 Winner: Fred Paone for Alderman (R-Annapolis)
2006 Winner: Nic Kipke for Delegate (R-31)
2005 Winner: Jeff Holtzinger for Mayor (R-Frederick)

With no contentious local elections on the Ballot, I don't see how we can declare a winner in this field.

Best Run Campaign(Statewide Division): Donna Edwards for Congress (D-4)
2007 Winner: Donna Edwards for Congress (D-4)
2006 Winner: Michael Steele for US Senate (R)

While I think that some of their tactics were downright bizarre, it's hard to argue with success. And the Edwards Campaign accomplished their longstanding goal of unseating Al Wynn during the February 12th primary.

Honorable Mention: Stop Slots Maryland

Best Run Campaign(National Division): Barack Obama for President (D-IL)
2007 Winner: Bobby Jindal for Governor(R-LA)
2006 Winner: Barack Obama for President (D-IL)
2005 Winner: Paul Hackett for Congress (D-OH)

Like it or not, the Obama Campaign did exactly what they said they were going to do. They built up an enormous base of volunteers, of small donors, of activists. They did it, and they won. Were they helped along by the ineptitude of the McCain campaign? Of course. Were they helped by the unpopularity of President Bush? Obviously. But every time it seemed like there was an opening for McCain, the opening closed rather quickly due to the campaign Obama and his team ran. Sure, the amount of money that they raised was enough to pretty much win an air war through Shock and Awe. But that was only possible through their tremendous ground game efforts.

Conservatives would be wise to study Obama's model closely, to see what we can learn from it.

Honorable Mention: None

Worst Run Campaign(Local Division): None
2007 "Winner": Kieffer Mitchell for Mayor (D-Baltimore)
2006 "Winner": Don Dwyer re-election campaign (R-31)
2005 "Winner": George Kelley for Mayor (R-Annapolis)

Much like in our local best run division, there were not enough local elections to merit consideration.

Worst Run Campaign(Statewide Division): Andy Harris for Congress (R-1)
2007 "Winner": Andy Harris for Congress (R-1)
2006 "Winner": Steven Abrams for Comptroller (R)

Yes, Andy Harris and Chris Meekins team up to win their second consecutive Worst Run Campaign nod. This is what I wrote one year ago:

The Harris Campaign has been one of the most bizarre episodes I have seen in quite some time. From a technical perspective, they are doing almost everything right; getting key endorsements, rallying the base, raising money. It's just that from the strategic perspective, the campaign keeps fumbling over their own feet. It almost as if the gameplan has been: attack, attack, attack. And when somebody criticizes the Harris Campaign, criticize them for attacking. It's been odd because Harris has spent so little time trying to introduce himself to the voters, and so little time talking about what positive changes he would make as a Congressman because his campaign has spent too much time trying to throw Gilchrest and Pipkin under the bus.

Now, tell me how much the general election campaigned mimicked the primary campaign, and you'll understand why Harris and Meekins lost. When you have an unlikeable candidate using unlikeable tactics, you need to put in a little more effort. Harris and Meekins seemed to think that they were unbeatable in this district, and had they run a credible campaign, they would have been. Now, thanks to the incompetence of Harris and Meekins, we have to play offense in this seat in two years, and will probably need to endure another bruising primary before we crown a GOP standardbearer in this district. And let's be honest, the fact that Harris and his hangers-on are trying to throw Jim Pelura under the bus for their incompetence isn't really doing much for people, either.

Dishonorable Mention: Peter Franchot's fledling 2010 Campaign for Governor (D)

Worst Run Campaign(National Division): Andy Harris for Congress (R-MD)
2007 "Winner": The Al Gore Draft Campaign (D-TN)
2006 "Winner": Sen. George Allen's re-election campaign (R-VA)
2005 "Winner": Jerry Kilgore for Governor (R-VA)

Honestly. When you run a campaign this poorly, against a guy whose campaign was exactly run real well (did you see some of the lit pieces, etc. that came from the Kratovil campaign? I've seen more creative writing from middle schoolers), you get extra special recognition in running a tragically bad campaign.

Dishonorable Mention: Sen. Ted Stevens re-election campaign (R-AK); Sen. Elizabeth Dole re-election campaign (R-NC); Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate (R-VA); John McCain General Election Campaign (R-AZ),

Best International Development: The Surge Continues to Work;
2007 Winner: The Surge in Iraq works
2006 Winner: Saddam Hussein Convicted and Executed
2005 Winner: Free Elections in Iraq
A year ago it seemed almost impossible that the Surge would be the overwhelming success that it is. There really is no need to enunciate upon the point any further, but I tend to believe that history will look favorable upon the Bush Administration for its handling of the Surge. Maybe not so for the rest of the war, but the Surge will be looked at as an unqualified success for years to come.

Honorable Mention: Harper retained as Canadian Prime Minister; Chavez Regime Destabilized

Worst International Developments: World economy goes to hell
2007 "Winner" Vladimir Putin consolidates power to outlast term/The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
2006 "Winner": Russian President Vladimir Putin begins murdering critics
2005 "Winner": Vladimir Putin's Reforms in Russia

It is hard to say that any international development is worse than the worsening state of the global economy. We realistically have not seen an economic stepback like this since the Great Depression. And that's not a good thing at all when you consider:

• How bad the depression was for people
• How poorly the state and Keynesian economists reacted to the Depression, worsening it by several years; and,
• The millions of people who died in the great global war which got its start, but ultimately ended, the Depression.

While our economic situation here is not on firm footing, we are in a much better situation than many of our allies right now. Sadly, I have a feeling that we have not seen the worst of this.

Dishonorable Mention: Russia and Georgia go to War; Reform in Zimbabwe still stalled, followed by a Cholera Epidemic; The Mumbai Terrorist Attacks; Resurgence of Piracy on the High Seas

Best News of 2008: Ravens make the Playoffs
2007 Winner: Rise of Maryland Blogosphere

Let's face it, with things the way they are, we haven't had a heck of a lot to cheer about around here. But the Ravens 11-5 season under a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback is one such thing. When a lot of people (myself included) didn't expect much from them, they delivered. Let's hope that they kick off 2009 just as impressively by beating Miami on Sunday.

Worst News of 2008: Federal Bailouts
2007 "Winner": O'Malley, General Assembly Democrats Screw Taxpayers
2006 "Winner": Democrats take Congress, Government House

I made the argument earlier about this being the worst move, but it also the worst news sheerly for its impact on local, state, and national policy, as well as the national economic climate, as this one. Unfortunately however, Bailouts were one of the multitude of bad news issues that could have been selected...

Dishonorable Mention: Barack Obama elected President; O'Malley, General Assembly refuse to deal responsibly with budget issues; Crime rate continues to spiral out of control in Baltimore; Mark Teixeira sells out to the Evil Empire;

O'Malley Strums, Economy Burns

Well at least he now we know why Martin O'Malley fell asleep at the switch while Maryland's economy faltered: he was too busy playing rock star.

The semi-retired Celtic rock band fronted by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is about to become a little less retired.

An email sent recently to fans of O'Malley's March advertises a March 14 CD release party in Baltimore, meaning new music will be arriving just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese could provide few details about the band's plans this morning but confirmed that the CD is the same one that O'Malley said he was working on during a summer 2007 interview.

At the time, O'Malley said that the disc had been in the works for months, with the tentative title of "Banished to the Basement." That, he said, referred to "the fact that political realities have banished us to the basement and that we don't play out anymore."

Good to know that O'Malley was able to work on his side project while Maryland's working and middle class families has to work harder just to make ends meet. But it's a sad commentary that the same O'Malley who criticized Governor Ehrlich for playing golf find no harm in putting time aside to record a new album. Maybe if O'Malley spent a little more time fine tuning his economic policy and a little less time tuning his strings, the people of Maryland wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of his reckless fiscal policy.

Then again, maybe O'Malley is living vicariously through Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday in Tombstone: "It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds."

Privatization a Serious Option

I have been calling for some time now the privatization of state assets, mainly as a way to improve services and reduce state spending. Now that state budgets are actually up against the wall, it looks like momentum for such common sense solutions is bulding:

Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize.

Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits.

Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has hinted that his January budget proposal will include proposals to privatize some of what the state owns or does. The Republican is looking for cash to help close a $5.27 billion deficit without raising taxes.

And if you notice, it is a wide variety of states that are looking at privatization measures. Big government states such as New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois are looking at the benefits to maximizing efficiency by utilizing the private sector.

Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe that such common sense will seep in here to Maryland, even if a small step was taken in August when the state considered privatization for the Seagirt Marine Terminal. At minimum, Maryland needs to be looking at privatizing the Maryland Transportation Authority assets as well as the assets and operation of the notoriously mismanaged Maryland Transit Administration. Such a minimal privatization plan will save millions of dollars for Maryland taxpayers, and provide taxpayers with better services at lower costs.

At the very least, Maryland needs to consider how we can maximize the use of our state owned assets to deal with aftermath of the reckless fiscal policies of the O'Malley Administration. There is an opportunity here for the state and its taxpayers, if the Administration and General Assembly can resist their default settings and take advantage of it.

Steele for a Reason, but let's keep everything under control

I have been very upfront with the fact that I am supporting Michael Steele for RNC Chairman. And not just because he's a Maryland guy, but because I think he brings the best credentials and experience to the ticket.

That's not to say that others would do a bad job, but all of the other candidates give me pause:

• Saul Anuzis is probably leading the way in trying to integrate technology into the campaign infrastructure, and that is something that we need. However, we are conservatives and results to matter, and Michigan was a trainwreck for Republicans in 2008.
• Ken Blackwell has reasonable conservative credentials, despite his Charterite past. But he too has a results problem, getting blown out of the watter in a competitive state in 2006. Not a great year for the GOP, but even Michael Steele performed better in a deeper blue state.
• Katon Dawson is a conservative and has done a good job, but it's a lot different working across a broad purple nation than it is being the Chairman in South Carolina.
• And I still believe that Chip Saltsman is a stalking horse for Mike Huckabee and his social conservative/big government liberal fusion wing of the party.

As I have said before, all of these guys would do well. Just that Steele is above and beyond the most qualified candidate in the race due to his experience and yes his results. But as I noted yesterday, this campaign in certain aspects is getting to look like the Presidential Primaries in that some people are tearing down candidates rather than build cases for their own. I had the chief blogger for Ken Blackwell's 2006 campaign make some comments on my blog yesterday that had more to do with bashing Steele than it did with defending Blackwell.

Regardless of who wins, we as Republicans and activists are going to need to work with our new Chairman. So I think everybody needs to take a step back, breathe, and try not to dish out any more rabbit punches...

Going Both Ways

Supporters of Ken Blackwell's candidacy for RNC Chairman have been critical of the "moderate" positions taken by Michael Steele. But Blackwell supporters forgot about a minor detail in Blackwell's past that could make one question his conservative credentials.

Blackwell was elected to the Cincinnati City Council, and served as the Mayor of Cincinnati from 1979-1981. But he was elected neither as a Republican or as a Democrat to the Council, rather being elected as a member of the Charter Party, a third-party in Cincinnati. And what has the Charter Party stood for in the past? A variety of liberal to "progressive" urban interests, often in cooperation and in concert with Cincinnati Democrats. Their recent work includes supporting a tax increase to prop up the Cincinnati Zoo.

Does any of this make Ken Blackwell ideologically unpure to serve as RNC Chairman? Of course not, and while not my first choice I think he would do a reasonable job. Blackwell has twenty-plus years of conservative credentials since his service as a Charterite. But it makes you wonder if some of Blackwell's supporters (and supporters of other candidates) are using the "conservative credentials" strawman as a wedge issue to gloss over the fact that Steele's experience in party building vastly outweighs that of other candidates in the field...

And then this happened....

H/T to Andrew Kujan and Adam Pagnucco:



I really take no joy in noting that the horse AFSCME and other labor unions rode all the way to the State House came back screw them in the end, because these folks have families and bills just like the rest of us. But is fighting O'Malley and the Administration on this point really the best tactic when the other 90% of Maryland families are already paying higher taxes and higher health care costs thanks to the actions of O'Malley and AFSCME's other Democratic allies? Is this really going to play well with Maryland's mainstream voters?

Mr. Magnanimous

Looks like School Superintendent Kevin Maxwell still doesn't get it.

Anne Arundel County School Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell proposed a $977.4 million operating budget last night for the next fiscal year, a nearly 5 percent increase over last year's proposal.

That's right, in this economic climate Maxwell wants a five-percent increase in school spending, and once again he wants a massive increase in spending without requisite and appropriate evaluation of already existing program. The state of Maryland probably cannot afford a $46 million increase in spending on a budget in excess of $20 billion and the county is $36 million in the red; Maxwell, as usual, displays and enormous amount of gall and chutzpah to offer up such a gigantic increase in these economic conditions; it's even more than his $920 million proposal of just two years ago, in a better economic time. He learned none of the lessons he should have taken from the responsibile measures seen from Baltimore City Superintendent Andres Alonso.

But never fear. Maxwell offers up a concession:

Maxwell stressed that the budget was conservative in light of the current economic climate, and that there would be no raises for his roughly 60 senior and executive staff members.

Well golly, I feel better knowing that he isn't proposing any increases to his immediate staff members after he has doubled the number of employees making six-figures in his time as Superintendent. Gee, how magnanimous, especially after he got his precious bonus back in October.

Maxwell's budget again serves as a reminder of the tremendous hype that is put into school funding. Sadly, or unelected and nonrepresentational school Board will probably rubber stamp this budget without doing their due diligence. It's just unfortunate that we cannot have the leaders of our school system be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, provide a quality education, and actually represent the people of Anne Arundel County...

Trillion Dollar Baby

Well, if anything is going to stay the course under the Obama Administration, it looks like it will be fiscal recklessness:

Anxious to jolt the economy back to life, President-elect Barack Obama appears to be zeroing in on a stimulus package of about $850 billion, dwarfing last spring's tax rebates and rivaling drastic government actions to fight the Great Depression.

Obama has not settled on a grand total, but after consulting with outside economists of all political stripes, his advisers have begun telling Congress the stimulus should be bigger than the $600 billion initially envisioned, congressional officials said Wednesday.

Obama is promoting a recovery plan that would feature spending on roads and other infrastructure projects, energy-efficient government buildings, new and renovated schools and environmentally friendly technologies.

There would also be some form of tax relief, according to the Obama team, which is well aware of the political difficulty of pushing such a large package through Congress, even in a time of recession. Any tax cuts would be aimed at middle- and lower-income taxpayers, and aides have said there would be no tax increases for wealthy Americans.

So the Obama fiscal team is going to make the same mistake we made before in borrowing billions of dollars to try and use tax rebates to make people feel better about the economy. Except this time, Obama wants to further "enhance" the project through the creation of public works projects and other unnecessary expenditures. All in all, the plan could top $1 Trillion of new public debt.

A lot of this fiscal silliness is encouraged through the lack of a requirement that the federal budget be balanced. Despite many tries in the past by Congressional Republicans to adopt a Balanced Budget Amendment, we are still stuck in a legal position that allows this stuff to happen. And while a balanced budget requirement would clearly not resolve all instances of fiscal stupidity, it might make Federal leaders think twice about massive borrowing programs that further and further hurt our fiscal posture. Certainly, it might make them think twice (or, in some instances, for the first time) about engaging in borrowing huge sums of money the government can't pay back in order to make the citizenry feel better about an economic calamity caused by people and business borrowing huge sums of money they couldn't pay back.

The most distressing news about this proposal are the publics works programs that Obama wants to introduce in order to try and shock the economy back to life through job creation. The problem is that this works proposal smells an awful like the so called "New New Deal" that Obama wants to create in order to expand the role and size of government, expand the federal budget, and generally but in where federal help is not needed or necessary. Compounding the ideological arguments against such Keynesian silliness and such a brazen expansion of federal responsibilities is the inconvenient truth to those on the left that the original New Deal solved nothing, with the Depression truly ending only with the start of World War II and the general economic aftermath of being the last man standing. The other point that gets skipped a lot, of course, is the fact that it is generally accepted that FDR and his New Deal prolonged the Depression by nearly a decade, with Roosevelt's policies driving people further and further into the economic abyss. These kind of fiscal shenanigans are not of the sort that we need to be emulating, neither now or ever again in the future.

If the President-Elect really is serious about helping American taxpayers and helping the American economy, he should immediately freeze non-National Security related spending and immediately implement policies to cut unnecessary government programs immediately. Free up that capital, pay down the national debt, and give a real and meaningful tax cut to the American people. The tax holiday proposed by Congressman Louie Gohmert is a good start. Doing the typically liberal thing of throwing more government dollars away in an inefficient matter helps nobody....

I don't get it

One of the things that has been most puzzling to me in recent days has been a seeming conservative backlash against Michael Steele as he runs for RNC Chairman. I find it extremely curious that one of the most conservative candidates in the race for Chairman keeps getting beaten up as "not conservative enough."

Richard Falknor launches the latest salvo by trying to portraying the sins of Bob Ehrlich as the sins of Michael Steele:

Steele was a team-playing lieutenant governor in Maryland under Bob Ehrlich, a “centrist” Republican governor who raised taxes, grew spending, approved taxpayer-supported embryonic stem-cell research, and (gratuitously in our view) went out of his way to anger values voices and gun owners. A skilled advocate, Mr. Ehrlich’s chief policy goal was apparently the enactment of slots legislation. Mr. Steele’s special contributions were heading an education task-force that didn’t address parental choice, and trying to advance the Old Line State’s minority-business-enterprise program.

Of course the office of Lieutenant Governor in Maryland barely has enough power to go buy a cup of coffee, much less have meaningful influence in a Governor's Agenda. Michael Steele has been and has always been a conservative, much more so on issues of life, budget, and taxes than virtually anybody who has served in Maryland's Executive Branch in a long time.

Falknor also railed against Steele's support of Wayne Gilchrest in the 1st District Congressional primary, and also had this to say to conclude his remarks:

Mr. Steele’s supporters could make a case along these lines: that their candidate’s undoubted charm and personal attractiveness are paramount for an RNC job; and that asking about taxes, fighting America’s enemies, the culture of life, giving parents some control over schools, and controlling porous borders is simply out of place — whether in supporting Republicans at the polls or in selecting a gifted national voice to weave a new post-partisan, inclusive public narrative necessary for Republicans to start winning again.

Questioning Michael Steele's conservative bonafides is kinda like questioning Tiger Woods' golf game; it's a question that really need not be asked. But what Falknor fails to not that at this stage in time, a candidate's ability to speak to Republican issues and a candidate's ability to organize the Republican Party is of paramount importance for our next Chairman. We need a Chairman who understands the what it is like to have their boots on the ground while also understanding the most basic of conservative principles.

Beyond that, I do not see a candidate who can "out-conservative" for lack of a better term Steele. The candidates are equals at best or, in the case of Huckabee stalking horse Chip Saltsman, worse, on conservative credentials. This Chairmanship election needs to focus on three basic things:

1. Conservative Principles;
2. Organization;
3. Expansion of the Conservative Message.

And nobody can beat Michael Steele on those points. In fact, when you consider that he is taking on the issue of ethics as it relates to our party, he's already doing his part to lead the party in a conservative and respectable manner.

I just don't understand those who question Steele's conservative credentials. It makes you wonder if those questioning his credentials need to have their understanding of conservatism questioned...

Myopia

Some people have a rather myopic view of the world:

After reading "Sun's parent files for protection from creditors" (Dec. 9), I think that the decline in the number of newspaper subscribers and readers is a barometer of our nation's inability to grasp the importance of keeping up with local, national and world events.

If our democratic values and institutions are to survive, the public must remain informed.

So let us all encourage each other and our young people to return to reading the newspaper.

The write of this letter seems to misguidedly assume that we can only achieve an informed citizenry if the newspaper businesses is somehow propped up by encouraging those who are not buying newspapers to buy newspapers. And of course this is a horribly misguided, not-with-the-times sentiment.

Some people, including seemingly newspaper publishers, continue to underestimate the role and influence of the internet in the sustainability of their business models. Many newspapers, including virtually all of our local papers, make their papers available online at no charge to the consumer, removing the cost impediment to their consumers. With the removal of this cost impediment and the instant adaptability of internet news delivery, those people who wish to be informed without buying their local daily are already reading it.

When you combine that with the availability of specialty news sources and blogs, the average consumer (especially younger people) is receiving more information about their world that at any time since the invention of the printing press.

Mr. Micklos view that one can only obtain news from a large corporate newspaper is a sad commentary about how out of touch some people are with the new reality....though sadly, maybe not as out of touch as print newspaper publishers who respond to a weakening economy by printing a small, more inferior product and charging more for it. Maybe it's that lack of economic understanding and the diminishing quality of their news that is the cause of reduced revenues, not the alleged "uninformed" public.

The Brian Griffiths Minute: 12-08-2008

Stumping for Steele

As you would expect, there was a ton of support for Michael Steele at the Convention on Friday night, and Ted Pibil did a fantastic job in memorializing that support on three videos that you can see here.

Check out the video below, and be sure to focus on the good-looking fella starting at 2:45.....

Hand Grenades from the Peanut Gallery

Most people realize that I am often critical of the party apparatus, and have gone back and forth and back again on the Chairmanship of Jim Pelura. But one person who is certainly not helping things any is trial lawyer and perpetual quitter Dirk Haire:

"If I were chairman and we suffered the electoral losses that we just suffered and we were completely ineffective in critical party activities like party registration, then I believe it would be my duty to step down and let someone else have a chance to be more effective," said Dirk D. Haire, an Annapolis resident who practices law in Washington....

....And Haire, 41, who briefly tested the waters for a possible run for Anne Arundel County executive in 2006, isn't confident that Pelura can deliver on his pledge to prioritize voter registration in advance of 2010.

"I think Republicans have to honestly ask themselves how it is that somebody who has failed so significantly in this critical area in the past two years can achieve those objectives," he said. "It raises a question of credibility in my mind."

The last person the Republican Party needs to take advice from is Dirk Haire. Haire is a construction lawyer for the the firm of Holland and Knight, a predominately Democratic firm in Washington. Haire is more well known politically for the things he hasn't done than the things that he has done. Last night at the State Convention, somebody best described Dirk Haire as the "subject matter expert on being a quitter":

• In 2002, Haire announced his candidacy for Anne Arundel County Council in the 7th District. He raised $60,000 and then quietly quit from the race with little fanfare, returning his contributions to his contributors.
  
  
• In 2004, with much fanfare, Haire announced that he was running for Anne Arundel County Executive, indicating that he intended to raise a million dollars for the campaign. He quickly raised $250,000. predominantly from out of state developers. In May of 2005, he quit the race due to low polling numbers and endorsed John Leopold, saying that he "couldn't win without using negative tactics" despite using early push polling to promote his candidacy.
  
  
• He briefly was a candidate for State Party Chair in 2006, quickly removing himself from that race for reasons that were never explained.

So basically, with Dirk Haire you get a lot of flash and bang, but not actual results that helps with governance and building the Republican Party; he hasn't even donated to his local Central Committee in four years, for example, and has rarely been seen at Republican events. He shows up on an occasional fundraising host committee or two, but Dirk Haire has never taken an interest in party building or branding, so his criticisms of Pelura and his sudden interest in running for chair in 2010 seem disingenuous, at best. He has no credibility when it comes to these issues, and of course zero interest in perseverance, dedication, or actually finishing what he starts.

Considering that Haire is angling to be elected Party Chairman, take all of his criticisms and comments with a grain of salt....and start taking bets as to when he'll quit this race, too.

Adventures in Minutiae

While the Republican Party deals with important issues such as branding, candidate development, and where we go from here, some people would rather focus on......this.

That's right. It's the end of the known universe that the Anne Arundel YR's, of which I am President, decided to have a Holiday Party instead of naming one. I can only begin to feel Western Civilization collapsing around me.

Let's hope a majority of Republicans continue to keep their eyes on the prize instead of picking silly fights over minutiae....

Congressional B(C)S

We have a financial crisis, a budget crisis, and international crises, but hey, let's make sure we take care of what's really important:

It may not top the list of Obama administration priorities, but Hawaii Democratic Congressman Neil Abercrombie is urging the president-elect to take on one more controversial issue — creating a new playoff system for college football.

Obama himself has already waded into the debate. In a 60 Minutes interview on CBS last month, he said he would push for a championship playoff system — adding three weeks to the current college football schedule — to replace the current Bowl Championship Series (BCS). "I'm gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do," Obama said.

Critics of the current BCS model argue that it gives a competitive and financial advantage to schools in the six BCS conferences and excludes schools with equally good or better football records in the other five non- BCS college football conferences. BCS-sponsored bowl games at the end of the season generate hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for the schools who are selected to play in them.

Seizing on Obama's public support of a new system, Abercrombie wrote a letter to the president-elect last month urging him to have the Department of Justice investigate the issue. "With the prestige of the Presidency and vigorous pursuit by the Department of Justice in support of fairness and equity, we are certain the BCS will be persuaded to resolve the issues to the benefit of the nation's colleges and their fans."

Cripes...

Even if you ignore the fact that members of Congress should really concern themselves with things that are actually important, does anybody really believe that a BCS system implemented by Congress with DoJ recommendations is going to be anything other than a bureaucratic boondoggle?

Much like Arlen Specter, these Representatives need to get a clue, prioritize what's important, and stop trying to get their names in the paper for silly things such as this...