Aug 31 2008
Dispatches from the RNC-The Drive To Minnesota
Just in time for the evening lighting ceremony.
Aug 31 2008
Just in time for the evening lighting ceremony.
Aug 31 2008
Meanwhile, on the other side of the looking glass…
Remember, kids: shiny side out!
Aug 31 2008

McCain spotlighted Palin at the suburban St. Louis rally -- giving her the clean-up speaking spot on a stage erected over the ballfield's home plate. She got an enthusiastic reception from the crowd that filled the infield bleachers and spread from the dirt base paths into the outfield grass. At various times, they chanted, "Sarah, Sarah."KSDK in St. Louis has video of McCain's speech today in O'Fallon.
The ball team's president said the stadium holds about 15,000 for such concert-style events. Republican consultant John Hancock, who served as master of ceremonies for the event, estimated there were about 20,000 people.
Aug 31 2008
Aug 31 2008
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Aug 31 2008
"I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere," Palin told the cheering McCain crowd, referring to Ketchikan's Gravina Island bridge. But Palin was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it. The Alaska governor campaigned in 2006 on a build-the-bridge platform, telling Ketchikan residents she felt their pain when politicians called them "nowhere." They're still feeling pain today in Ketchikan, over Palin's subsequent decision to use the bridge funds for other projects -- and over the timing of her announcement, which they say came in a pre-dawn press release that seemed aimed at national news deadlines. "I think that's when the campaign for national office began," said Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein on Saturday. ...McCain also claimed to have found, in Palin, "someone with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies" and "someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past" and "someone who has reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and independents to serve in government." On those scores, Palin can fairly claim credit, according to Alaska political leaders and others who have followed her career here. She did fight corruption as a whistle-blower, even before an FBI investigation burst into public view. She also stood up to "party bosses," as McCain claimed, running against Republican incumbents as an outsider -- though she has yet to unseat her nemesis, Randy Ruedrich, as state party chairman. Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Saturday that as projected costs for the Ketchikan bridge rose to nearly $400 million, administration officials were telling Ketchikan that the project looked less likely. Local leaders shouldn't have been surprised when Palin announced she was turning to less-costly alternatives, Leighow said. Indeed, Leighow produced a report quoting Palin, late in the governor's race, indicating she would also consider alternatives to a bridge.There you have it. Sarah Palin opposed the "bridge to nowhere". It's so sad to see the Left stoop to deceit in order to discredit the popular Palin. They are having such a difficult time bashing this woman and mother. It's really too bad.
Aug 31 2008
Virtually all of the Republican National Convention's Monday night program, including an address by President Bush, will be canceled as national attention focuses on Hurricane Gustav, party officials said today. "It is doubtful that there will be any kind of program tomorrow night" when the four-day convention was scheduled to commence, House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters. "The convention is going to be handled on a day-to-day basis." Boehner, of Ohio, the top Republican in the House, said the convention is concerned about potential victims of the storm, "and the best way we honor that is to help Americans who are in need." "There will be efforts to engage the delegates, alternates and our friends in relief efforts." John McCain, who will formally receive his party's nomination for the presidency, said today that the GOP is turning its focus on those who are facing the storm's impact. "I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary throughout our convention, we will act as Americans and not as Republicans, because America needs us now," McCain said. "We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of the president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans," he said.There was a mandatory evacuation ordered from New Orleans today. Our thoughts and prayers are with people on the Gulf Coast.
Aug 31 2008
Aug 31 2008
Yesterday, we posted video of Vets For Freedom founders Pete Hegseth and Dave Bellavia crashing the antiwar, anti-military "Bush Legacy" bus.
The anti-Bush exhibit is traveling the country promoting an insurgent snuff film of an attack on US soldiers.
Here is the video- Click on the photo:
The director of communications of the "Bush Legacy" bus was nearly in tears after the pro-American, pro-Victory veterans confronted him on the insurgent filth that the bus is promoting.
Well... We obviously hit a nerve because late last night, the curator of the Soros-funded propaganda bus, Jeremy Funk (who appears in the video) posted a comment to the original thread for this video.
Here is his comment:
I’m the “loser” that with the “irrational rage” and “lack of objectivity” and “bottled-up anger” in the video. Here I thought I had I given an Iraq War Veteran the utmost respect he deserves. Here I thought I treated him like the hero he is. Here I thought I was respectful, conciliatory, humbled, and open-minded to his opinions.
But, personal stuff aside, it boils down to serious a difference of opinion. Like the majority of the American people, I don’t want to see one more of our brave men and women dying in the crosshairs of an Iraqi civil war. I don’t want to see another mother suffer, like the mother of Sgt. Patrick R. McCaffrey. Sgt. McCaffrey’s mother reached out to us with her son’s story of how the Pentagon lied to her about her son being killed by the same Iraqi forces he was training. She donated his combat boots to the Bush Legacy Bus in hopes that not another mother would feel the same pain and betrayal.
I want our troops to come home from Iraq as quickly and responsibly as possible, and I want the eye back on the ball in Afghanistan where the real threat is – where the terrorists that actually attacked us on 911 are thriving once again. Even Ambassador Ryan Crocker admits that Afghanistan, not Iraq, is the central front against Al Qaeda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH57bOZbJ3o
We’ve heard a lot from the “liberal media” you folks decry so much about the so-called “success” of the “surge.” The reality is, civil strife is still flaming every day: just one example this week, a suicide bomber killed 28 police recruits in Quaragh Tappah:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLP67913620080826But you probably didn’t hear about that or any of the other deadly civil bombings this week or last or the week before. Certainly, the increased troop presence has helped decrease violence on U.S. forces, thank God, but terrible Shiite on Shiite violence continues every day, and a good deal of the overall decrease in violence is credited to a cease fire agreement, albeit a fragile one, between radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr and Shiite Iraq PM Maliki.
Shiite on Shiite violence has been nothing new. And, in the last several months, the U.S. government has taken one side of a bloody, religious, sectarian civil war – spending $12 billion a month and many U.S. dead and wounded in the process. That’s where Veterans for Freedom/John McCain and Americans United for Change, the American people, and the Iraqi government disagree. VFF and McCain want to keep our soldiers in harm’s way of a civil war indefinitely until they achieve some undefined, unattainable “victory” whether it takes 100 years or more. But, our troops have already done everything they’ve been asked to do and a lot more serving 2-3 or more tours. My best friend Dan Burke is in Iraq right now serving a second tour.
Now that the Iraqi parliament and PM Maliki have publicly called on us to leave and are close to a deal with the U.S. government for a timetable for withdrawal, it’s time that Vets for Freedom and John McCain of 2008 concur with the John McCain of 2004 who when asked what he would do if a sovereign Iraqi government asked us to leave said: “it’s obvious that we would have to leave because — if it was an elected government of Iraq, and we’ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government then I think we would have other challenges, but I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.”: http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2008/07/in-2004-mccain.html
Even President Bush has agreed to “time horizons” and his administration is reportedly set to agree to a status-of-forces agreement with Iraq that begins the safe and orderly withdrawal of most U.S. troops by the end of 2011. While stomping about the Bush Legacy Bus and complaining about our fact-based Iraq exhibit, I didn’t once hear Veterans for Freedom call President Bush a “traitor” or a “cut and runner.” Why not?
Jeremy J. Funk, Americans United for Change
Of course, if Jeremy and the staff of "Bush Legacy" bus wanted to give the veterans "the respect they deserve" they'd TAKE DOWN THEIR FILTHY INSURGENT SNUFF FILM!
And, if they really wanted respectful dialogue they would accept the undeniable truth that the Bush Surge worked, that violence is down to record levels, that the benchmarks are being met, and the war is being won.
But first they'd start by TAKING DOWN THEIR TERRORIST FILM!
What a disgusting shameful bunch.
Aug 31 2008
A young Iraqi does a backwards dive off the platform at the grand re-opening of the Mithaq Pool Complex, Aug. 30, 2008. The boy was competing in a diving competition to celebrate the pools opening. The pool complex is an important hub for recreation in the Thawra 1 neighborhood. (DVIDS)
The Sadr City pool opened this week.
DVIDS reported:
The District Advisory Council and the residents of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Sadr City District of Baghdad celebrated the re-opening of the Mithaq Pool Complex with prizes, competitions and music, Aug. 30, 2008. Representatives from the DAC, Ministry of Youth and Recreation, Iraqi army and community organized and oversaw the celebration, amid improved security conditions. The festivities included guest speakers, a swimming and diving competition and swimming-related gifts for the younger Iraqis in attendance. Iraqi Lt. Col. Yeayah Rosoul Abdallah al Zubadie, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, was a guest speaker at the re-opening and welcomed the attendees and thanked the many people who were involved in the important event. “The Iraqi army is here to serve the people of Iraq. The community leaders here today, with the help of the Government, have a chance to make a difference for their people,” said Yeayah. “The re-opening today is an example of all of us together working together for our people.”
A young Iraqi does a front somersault off the platform at the grand re-opening of the Mithaq Pool Complex, Aug. 30, 2008. The boy was competing in a diving competition to celebrate the pools opening. (DVIDS)
Aug 31 2008
Aug 31 2008
There are three things you can say for sure about Sarah Palin:
1) Her selection as John McCain's running mate was a huge surprise
2) She has less experience than any candidate on a major party ticket than anyone I can think of...maybe less than anyone in the history of the country. (Certainly the Democrats will try to portray it that way.)
3) The choice has given the McCain campaign a short-term boost in terms of attention paid to it and money contributed to it, and put a pitchfork into Obama's recent ownership of TV news coverage.
Let's look briefly at Governor Palin's weaknesses and strengths:
Weaknesses
By far, Palin's biggest weakness is her lack of experience. Although some may try to paint this with the "political outsider" brush, there is no way to make Palin's thin political resume anything other than a substantial net negative, particularly running with a candidate who would be the oldest president ever at the time of taking office. Not only does her lack of experience open Palin to criticism, but it makes it very difficult for the McCain campaign to go after Obama's dismal and short record.
That said, it bears mentioning that two of the best political minds I know believe that the experience argument "won't work where a woman is concerned", basically because there are so few women with strong resumes who could be selected that relative inexperience is likely to be the case at this point in time for a woman. This choice is a huge step forward for women overall, and therefore risky to criticize, they believe.
Her second biggest weakness should barely even be mentioned in the same article as her experience because it is so much less significant. It revolves around an inquiry into Palin's firing of a public employee who had himself refused to fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law who apparently had a nasty divorce (his fourth) from Palin's sister. The brother-in-law also appears to have had a far-from-stellar record as a police officer and was accused by the Palin's of alcohol abuse and of threating Palin's sister, father, and others. My guess is that McCain asked Palin about this directly, i.e. whether there was a political motivation behind the firing, in addition to whether she had any other skeletons that would embarrass the campaign, and he must have been satisfied with the answer.
A third indirect weakness is that her selection lets people try to characterize John McCain as a gambler...something which can't be helpful. This is somewhat offset by the fact that people will be hesitant to attack a successful female politician.
Something which is both a weakness and a strength is that she's the mother of five children, the youngest of which has Down Syndrome. It will make her more appealing to women voters who aren't committed liberals. But Obama supporters are also asking publicly whether she can be a good parent and a good VP at the same time. And while that question is something that would never be of a man in the same situation, I can imagine that it would stick in some people's minds...sort of the way that the McCain ads comparing Obama to Paris Hilton were possibly unfair but certainly effective.
Governor Palin's strengths are more in number but individually (and maybe in the aggregate) less important than her major weakness.
Strengths
Roughly in order of importance...
She has a solid reputation for being for good government, for fighting corruption and waste, particularly within her own party, so she adds to the "maverick" reputation of the ticket. I (and I presume many others) were impressed when she endorsed a primary challenger to Congressman Don Young. (As I write this, several days after the Alaska primary, the winner of that race has still not been determined.)
[She should continually contrast her record of fighting waste and corruption, even if that record is short, with Biden's 30 years of big spending in the Senate and with Obama's consistent support for the corrupt Democratic Party Machine and wasteful spending in Illinois.]
The experience she does have is executive, rather than legislative, and I don't think any of the other three people on the tickets have executive experience. This can somewhat neutralize the experience argument, especially versus Obama.
She's a woman, so she might appeal to the segment of disaffected Hillary voters who care more about whether the candidate is a woman than if she's a liberal. I believe that's a small fraction of Hillary supporters (i.e. most of them would only support another liberal), but in elections this close even a small fraction could make a big difference.
Despite her short tenure so far as governor, she is already more credible than any of the other three candidates on the major party tickets on the issue of energy.
Her social conservative credentials will help McCain with the GOP base, but she doesn't seem like such a fire-breathing social conservative that moderates would rule out voting for McCain because of her.
She's not bad looking.
There's a big difference between an inexperienced candidate for VP and an inexperienced candidate for president. However, John McCain's age makes this distinction less than it otherwise might be.
Other minor issues
Although her husband's primary job is as a commercial fisherman, be certain that the liberals will play up his other job...working for a major oil company.
She's very hard to pigeon-hole: She and her husband are both union members. She's a hunter, known for shooting and eating moose. She seems both quite intelligent and down to earth, but knows little about foreign policy. You can bet she's being coached on that and other policy areas as many hours a day as she can tolerate.
Putting it all together
McCain's choice of Sarah Palin is a very big gamble. It was probably a good tactical move, in the sense of bringing some excitement to the GOP side of the campaign, rather than having the entire thing being about Obama, despite Obama's protestations that it's not about him. It helped raise some money. It crushed Obama's media cycle for the long holiday weekend like a boot grinding out a lit cigarette.
If the election were tomorrow, I'd say it was probably a brilliant choice.
But the election isn't tomorrow, and I think the markets have it right when they show basically no change in McCain's chances of winning between 24 hours before the Palin announcement and 24 hours afterward.
Sarah Palin comes across well on TV when talking about things she knows about, such as Alaska's energy production. However, it remains to be seen whether she can keep up with the well coiffed, highly polished, and very experienced (especially on foreign policy and certain law enforcement issues) Joe Biden. One has to also remember that Democrats, including Biden, seem perfectly happy to plagiarize or lie even in front of a large audience, which can make it more difficult for a debater who is speaking only what she believes to be accurate information or her own opinion (rather than someone else's masquerading as her own.)
Governor Palin will have to be nearly flawless during the last two months of the campaign, and particularly in her debate(s), in order for her selection to be a long-run net positive, despite the obvious short-term benefits to McCain. It is not easy for even the best politicians to be that good for that long. While I have no reason to think that Palin is one of the best, the fact that she has high popularity ratings in Alaska and is, at first glance, quite appealing on many levels, certainly means that she could be a long-term positive surprise as well as a short-term one. Maybe she can pull it off, but it would be like a baseball player hitting safely for 20 games in a row. It can be done, and even by players that you might otherwise never think of as particularly special, but it sure isn't easy.
Despite the risks of choosing her, I believe I understand why McCain did it. Romney had some clear positives, the greatest of which is his obvious superior knowledge and talent in the areas of business and economics...an area where McCain, Obama, and Biden are all weak. But he would not have been an exciting choice, he carried some baggage (his religion, his socialized medicine plan in Massachusetts, and his relatively recent convenient move to the right on social issues), and he probably wouldn't have made anything like the difference in short-term news coverage that Palin has. Also, there are consistent rumors that Romney and McCain just don't like each other very much. (For the record, the people I know who have met or worked with Romney all like him very much and the people I know who have met or worked with McCain think he has a big ego and generally don't like him on a personal level.)
So, after possibly too many words, my verdict on McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as running mate: Conceivably the best move he could have made, but primarily because most of his other possible choices were not obviously politically winning choices and because his campaign was suffocating. Despite all the understandable short-term excitement, it would not surprise me if Republican Party faithful and McCain supporters end up writing campaign post-mortems saying "If only he had picked Romney", particularly if the choice of Palin doesn't seem to bring in many women's votes. The good news is that Biden is probably not much better a choice than Palin, strategically speaking.
I hope that I'm wrong about Palin possibly being a better short-term decision than long-term (and I reiterate that smarter people than I think she's a "brilliant choice"). The more I hear from Obama, the clearer it becomes to me how dangerous a person he is and how, despite his flowing and occasionally patriotic rhetoric, his political and economic views are more anti-American and anti-capitalist than any major party candidate of my lifetime.
Aug 30 2008
El Marco has an excellent collection of DNC photoessays available here, including the best photos I’ve seen of the Malkin incident at the Mint.
Aug 30 2008
Aug 30 2008
There is overwhelming support among Saudis and expatriates here in the Kingdom for Democratic candidate Barack Hussein Obama as the next US president. A cross-section of both groups told Arab News yesterday that they wanted Obama to succeed George W. Bush. One Saudi said Obama was preferred because he is black while an expatriate felt his middle name suggested a willingness to tackle the contentious issues facing the Muslim world. On Aug. 27, the Democratic Party nominated Obama as its presidential candidate and Joe Biden as his running mate. On the following day, Republican candidate John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Some Saudis said the US elections were a non-event for them, as it had nothing to do with their day-to-day lives. “I really did not know there was a presidential election in the United States in the first place. “Some believed Obama is a Muslim because of his middle name. All the blacks so far in power at various levels have shown their commitment and determination to serve the country and the world without discrimination of color and religion. However, the track record of whites has been to side with Israel rather than with Muslim countries. We now have a ray of hope in Obama. We expect him to solve the problems facing the Muslim world, including those in Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir. What has happened after Sept. 11, 2001, is that Muslims are being dubbed terrorists. We extend our support to Obama or anyone who will be able to solve problems related to the Muslim world,” said Yousuf.
Aug 30 2008
Larry Hales, a leader of the Recreate 68 Alliance and of the youth group FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together), noted that any violence that has occurred was initiated by the Denver police. Recreate 68 demands all police be removed from the park. Hales stated that since Recreate 68 has a permit to hold its activity in the Civic Center Park, the police have no business there.Rigggghhhht.
Aug 30 2008
Sen. John McCain has taken in $7 million in contributions since announcing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a top campaign aide said today. The money bounce may owe to Palin's appeal with conservative donors, many of whom said privately they had planned on sitting out the campaign this year. The money comes in just under the wire -- after McCain accepts the GOP nomination Thursday, he will accept public funds and no longer be permitted to raise private money for the campaign. That will not, however, stop McCain and Palin from raising money for the Republican National Committee. In coming weeks, McCain will host four megafundraising events in major cities aimed at bolstering the accounts of the party. Palin, meanwhile, will be sent out to headline more than a dozen fundraising events for the RNC.Governor Palin enjoys an 80% approval rating in Alaska.
Aug 30 2008
While PPC has this past week focused on the DNC convention in Denver, it has always been our intention to continue the site afterwards. So, stay tuned as we retool PPC over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, however, check back this week as our very own El Presidente covers the RNC convention on-scene from St. Paul, with photos, bloggage, and live streaming video. Other PPC affiliates will be providing their own coverage of RNC events and election-related news, as well.
Aug 30 2008
Ramsey County sheriff's deputies found weapons and devices to disable buses - among other items - in searches in the Twin Cities last night and today. Authorities said the items came from "key members of the RNC Welcoming Committee," a self-described anarchist group. Five people have been arrested and four properties have been searched, according to the sheriff's office. At 8 a.m. today, the sheriff's office executed search warrants at three Minneapolis homes - 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3500 Harriet Ave. and 3240 17th Ave. S. The FBI, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County sheriff's office assisted them. "The 'Welcoming Committee' is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention," said Sheriff Bob Fletcher in a statement. "These acts include tactics to blockade and disable delegate buses, breaching venue security and injuring police officers. They have recruited assistance in their criminal conspiracy from other anarchists groups throughout the country. Through their plans and actions they have exhibited a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of others." The statement said the items found in the searches included:Materials to create "sleeping dragons" (PVC pipe, chicken wire, duct tape), which is when protesters lock themselves together Large amounts of urine, including three to five gallon buckets of urine Wrist rockets (high-powered slingshots) A machete, hatchet and several throwing knives a gas mask and filter Empty glass bottles Rags Flammable liquids Homemade caltrops (devises used to disable buses in roads) Metal pipes Axes Bolt cutters Sledge hammers Repelling equipment Kryptonite locks Empty plastic buckets cut and made into shields Material for protective padding An Army helmet.The five people being held at the Hennepin County jail are under arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder and conspiracy to damage property. Arrested at the 17th Avenue home were Monica Rachel Bicking, 23, Erin Chase Trimmer, 23, and Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, 25, Nestor said. Nathanel David Secor, 26,was arrested at the 23rd Avenue South home. Erik Charles Oseland, 21, was arrested an undisclosed location, the sheriff's office said. "Conspiracy to riot was the charge used against the Chicago Eight in 1968 as part of a politically motivated prosecution," said Bruce Nestor, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "It is a charge that is essentially used for preventive detention."
Aug 30 2008
Aug 30 2008
Aug 30 2008
Aug 30 2008
Interesting. There’s nothing else on the page. This sure looks like the work of the dastardly right-wing anti-gay attack machine, doesn’t it? But look who’s really behind this. In the Linux console, if you enter the following commands, you can learn the secrets of a political dirty trick. First, look up the host of ‘sarahpalingayrights.com’ to get the site’s IP address. host sarahpalingayrights.com sarahpalingayrights.com has address 74.208.74.232 Then use the same command to look up the domain name pointer of that IP address. host 74.208.74.232 232.74.208.74.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer obamadefense.com Well, well. “Obamadefense.com,” eh? And what happens if you enter obamadefense.com on your browser’s address line? Why, you’re redirected to none other than FightTheSmears.com, the official Barack Obama site that’s supposed to be defending him against smears. Looks like they may have a second purpose: to generate a few smears of their own. (Hat tip: sk.)It all leads back to The One. Amazing. Charles Johnson has found 3 more attack websites set up by the Obama Camp. ObamaTaxCut.com:
re: #84 jcm Whois search return. Interesting. Very, very interesting. The company that owns those is 1&1 Internet Inc. They also have a UK branch called 1&1 Internet Ltd. And they appear to be dirty as all hell - [Link: www.chaparyan.com...] Still wading through links, but there are some disturbing allegations.UPDATE: Charles Johnson adds this:
Doing a little free research. From DNS Stuff's search, we get: For complete domain details go to: http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx?D omain=SARAHPALINGAYRIGHTS.COM So, enter that URL, so go down, and we get the admin contact. I won't post the address here, as that's not nice. But, go drop that address into a reverse address lookup (411.com) and you get: Hendrix, Suzanne Job title: President Company: Details Contract Furnishings Scottsdale, AZ 85260-2581 Now, do the same for obamadefense.com gives the same street address. From CNN's Blog's, there is a poster there saying this Suzanne is a Republican. I'll end research there while I try to figure out more.Another connection to the "Obama Smears" Website, via Locke/Demosthenes at LGF:
I have no idea if this means anything, but you mention that Suzanne Hendrix is the head of Obamadefense.com as well as sarahpalingayrights.com. The CNN blog you link to says that she is also the head of pumapac. Pumapac.org was registered on June 4, 2008. Guess what else was registered on June 4? fightthesmears.comCharles says Szanne Hendrix has nothing to do with the websites he linked to.
Aug 30 2008
Amy Procter has more.
Aug 30 2008
Thankfully, there are more responsible elements out there that are taking the time to educate people about how the war is really going. Those people include Pete Hegseth and David Bellavia of Vets For Freedom. They just returned from Iraq and generously took the time to visit your Founding Bloggers. Together we all ventured into the liberal fever swamp of the Soros-funded, hyper partisan, Bush Legacy Bus. Of course, we had our camera in tow. The result? A polite yet challenging encounter with the curators of the exhibits. What happens when distortions, spin, and talking points are surrounded by hard firsthand facts? Check out the video and see for yourself.The anti-Bush Legacy bus will travel to Minnesota this coming week. UPDATE: (10 AM CST) It looks like this video struck a nerve. This comment from a liberal reader was posted a few minutes ago. He wants to see the US troops come home in body bags.
Aug 30 2008
Aug 30 2008
Here- undercover guest member of the PPC, Jason Mattera from Young America's Foundation, works the crowd at the (illegal) immigrant protest in Denver.
Jason put together several hilarious videos for HotAir from the protests and worked with the People's Press Collective during the week.
Congratulations to all of the People's Press Collective for a job well done.
Aug 30 2008
I offer for your enjoyment and education this excellent article by Lisa Snell of Reason in which she discusses the results of a new study about the (non-)impact of state-run pre-kindergarten programs.
Please see More Evidence that Universal Preschool Doesn't Offer Lasting Benefits
By second grade the benefits of one of the nation's 'best' universal pre-K programs are gone
http://reason.org/commentaries/snell_20080822.shtml
Universal pre-K is one of the more insidious ideas of Nanny State liberals, not simply because it's extremely expensive, and not simply because it will have the effect of coercing more parents to get their kids into government schools earlier, but also because one of the main unspoken goals is to force pre-K programs to employ only teachers who are union members.
It's obvious that liberals don't care about quality of education, especially for low-income kids. If they cared, they wouldn't fight vouchers, charter schools, and merit pay as aggressively as they do. No, their real motivation is to do everything possible to increase the membership of teachers' unions, some of the Democrats most reliable funding sources.