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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Warner Todd Huston

Media Research Center Gala- DisHonor Awards 2008

April 11, 2008 by

Media Research Gala 2008
-By Warner Todd Huston

I was pleased to have been invited to attend the MRC DisHonor Awards for 2008 held in Washington D.C. this week. Sponsored by the Media Research Center it’s a time for conservatives to turn their attention to the left biased media and poke a little fun at them. It was a lively and fun event for all… unless you were a leftie in the media.

Highlights included awards to McClatchy Newspapers (for saying the lower death rate in Iraq was “bad” on Iraqi gravediggers) and Chris Matthews (both for saying Obama gave him a “thrill up his leg” and saying Bill Clinton was like “Jesus in the Temple”… nice objectivity there Chrissy).

Presenters included Ann Coulter, Cal Thomas, radio host Mark Levin, Brent Bozell, movie director Ron Maxwell (Gettysburg), Congressman Tom Tancredo, Congressman Mike Pence, financial reporter and TV personality Larry Kudlow, and a host of others.

The guest of honor was former presidential spokesman Tony Snow who was awarded the William F. Buckley Award f or Media Excellence. And a more gracious man never trod the Earth!

We were also honored to host the Father and brother of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, USN (Navy Seal). An emotional video of the life and heroism of Lt. Murphy had all of us chocked up. What a brave and honorable man. Financial whiz T. Boone Pickens then donated $1 million dollars to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in Lt. Murphy’s name.

It was a great and memorable evening.

Check out Eyeblast.tv for some video of the event.

By the way, I urge everyone to sign up for Eyeblastv. It’s easy and free.
Continue reading “Media Research Center Gala- DisHonor Awards 2008”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

LegiStorm Publicizes Congressional Staffer Info

April 9, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Writer Leslie Carbone gives us a report that amuses and annoys at the same time. Apparently a gaggle of Congressional staffers are upset that their personal information has been released onto the Internet by government transparency advocate LegiStorm.

“Capitol Hill staffers are required to file financial disclosure forms,” say Leslie Carbone, “which contain sensitive information, including home addresses and signatures.”
When the info was released by LegiStorm, the staffers were incensed that their personal info was made public. For its part, LegiStorm says that it didn’t mean to put personal info on the net and promised to remove the staffer’s children’s names, bank accounts, etc.

But, the outrage aimed at LegiStorm is misplaced. Here’s how Carbone puts it:

The U.S. House of Representatives has released this information to the public.

Then LegiStorm, which promotes government transparency, published some of the sensitive information–provoking outrage by the staffers.

… And staffers shouldn’t have voluntarily included sensitive information on publicly available forms if they didn’t want the information to be available publicly.

But the finger-pointing at LegiStorm only highlights Congress’s aversion to accountability. Congress, not LegiStorm, is responsible for making the information public in the first place.

So, Congress gathers and releases the private information of Congressional staffers, but it is a watchdog group that gets the blame? Typical of government to blame everyone but itself.

Carbone makes a final good point. If the government was that cavalier with the personal info of their own staffers, what will they do with yours?
Continue reading “LegiStorm Publicizes Congressional Staffer Info”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Herbert Hoover McCain?

April 9, 2008 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Senator Clinton and the Los Angeles Times need to get their facts straight before making ignorant pronouncements.

The Los Angeles Times Blog recently reported:

In the very first words she uttered reacting to John McCain’s speech on the housing market crisis Tuesday, Hillary Clinton evinced part of her appeal to older voters: her frame of reference is theirs.

“It sounds remarkably like Herbert Hoover,” Clinton said of McCain’s assertion that he is not inclined — and probably never will be — to embrace aggressive, sweeping government efforts to confront the problem of rising home foreclosures.

Specifically, McCain opined that “it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers.”

By mentioning Hoover, whose tepid response to the Great Depression helped keep the White House in Democratic hands for 20 straight years after he was bounced from office in the 1932 election, Clinton invoked what once was a can’t-miss applause line among Democrats.

What are the facts, fully detailed and documented by commentators writing at the time?
Continue reading “Herbert Hoover McCain?”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture

It’s Time for Conservatives to Dump the GOP!

April 7, 2008 by

-By Don Boys, Ph.D.

It is time for Christians and Conservatives (not always the same) to run from the Republican Party as if their hair is on fire. How much longer will principled people pretend that the GOP (Is that Gutless Old Party or Godless Old Party?) takes a principled stand?

Some background: Every member of my family in West Virginia was a Democrat, but when I turned 18, I wanted to vote for Ike, so I registered as a Republican and have generally voted for them most of my life—until recently.

When I was administrator of a large Christian school in Indianapolis, I was asked to run for the Indiana House of Representatives and did so as a “Reagan Republican” in the late 70’s. To everyone’s surprise, I was elected and served in the House that was divided 51 Republicans to 49 Democrats. Moreover, the GOP had the governor’s office. To the chagrin of fellow Republicans, I voted with the Democrats whenever I thought they were right—not too often but enough to anger GOP leaders.

Some Republican friends thought I was not a good Republican because the Party Caucus could not count on my vote, but I did exactly as I promised to do during my election campaign which was a reason party bigwigs did not support me.
Continue reading “It’s Time for Conservatives to Dump the GOP!”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes

So Sue Me

April 6, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

During political campaigns we hear a lot about the need for change. I’ve been hearing about change since I was wheeled around in a baby buggy and have decided it is true; whenever things get messy a change is required, and that includes politicians as well as diapers. On the other hand, some things are never changed. Like political promises. I have been hearing the same political promises since I was 12 years old (68 years ago) and things are messier than ever. We’ve all heard the same old line: Fiscal responsibility. Improvements in public education. Making college education more affordable. Reducing and simplifying income taxes. Affordable health insurance. Reducing government waste. Keeping America safe and secure via effective law enforcement.

But what about reality? Fiscal irresponsibility is at a level of chaos we cannot even imagine. The drop-out rate in our high schools keeps going up. College educations are becoming unaffordable for millions. Income taxes are going up for some, down for others, and getting far to complicated for most. Health insurance is far beyond the reach of several million Americans. Government squandering has reached catastrophic levels. Our immigration laws have not been effectively enforced for over 70 years.

The most alarming reality of all deals with our “News Media” which has chosen to report on all of the above in the least informative manner possible. They devote millions of dollars worth of prime time “news” to intimate details on the psychological problems of people like Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. Barrels of ink are poured into stories about corporate scandals like Enron and Global Crossing. Tons of newsprint and glossy paper are wasted on political embarrassments arising from senatorial affairs in airport restrooms and escort services used by a state governor. News about the war and terrorism is a continual mix of confusing contradictions.
Continue reading “So Sue Me”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Thompson Visiting McCain This Weekend… So What?

April 5, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

MSNBC is reporting that Fred Thompson is visiting John McCain in Arizona this weekend.

From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann and Adam Aigner-Treworgy

NBC and National Journal have learned that former presidential candidate Fred Thompson is visiting GOP nominee John McCain at McCain’s Arizona cabin in Sedona this weekend.

No word of what’s been discussed, although a source with knowledge of the visit says that the purpose may be more of a relaxing weekend getaway than a business meeting. (The two men have been longtime personal friends, even during their overlapping presidential bids.)

Now let’s make short work of this meaningless bit of news. There is zero chance that McCain will pick Fred for VP, so get it right out of your heads. People are already saying that McCain is too old to be president and there is some validity to the point. But, Fred is too old for VP if you want to claim that McCain is too old for president! An old Fred isn’t going to offset the worry that McCain himself is too old.

Besides, Fred Thompson is too conservative for John McCain. I maintain that McCain will continue to contemptuously take conservatives for granted and that his VP pick will end up being a so-called moderate Republican — NOT a conservative.

After McCain picks his liberal VP he’ll then claim that HE is the conservative candidate of the pair. Then he will continue to ignore conservatives… in fact will go out of his way to prove he is NOT one of them… and he will aim squarely for the conservative Democrats and independents. They have been his base all along and he won’t forsake the liberals now.

Now, as to why Fred is going there? Just to show support, get a little news out that the conservative Fred is still pals with McCain… it’s all to keep in the news and has little to do with Fred having anything to do with the campaign much less becoming the VP pick. They may be discussing a few appearances together, but that is about it.

So, look at this report of Thompson visiting McCain as meaningless news.

Continue reading “Thompson Visiting McCain This Weekend… So What?”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Vince Johnson

If You’re a Teenager, Listen up

March 28, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

This picture was taken back in 1950’s when I was in my teens. If you don’t know who I am, your parents or teacher will. They will probably tell you how I blew the whole deal after I got to the top of the world. Well that’s OK, because it’s true. In 1977, I was 42 and worth millions, but I messed up big time. I was addicted to drugs. I overdosed. The end wasn’t pretty and I didn’t make it.

So now let me tell you about another kind of addiction. It is going on in your Congress. The “addiction” I’m talking about has to do with borrowing money. Congress is absolutely hooked on borrowing money. Tons and tons of money. Check this number: $9,000,000,000,000! That’s $9 trillion! That’s how much money Congress has borrowed to cover their hog wild spending. If I made $100 million a year, I would have to work 90 thousand years to pay it off! If your calculator doesn’t have enough zeros, check it out with your math teacher.

Here’s what you ought to keep in mind. They are borrowing most of that money from YOU!
Continue reading “If You’re a Teenager, Listen up”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Senate to Vote on 1 Year Pork Diet

March 13, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senator Jim DeMint, champion in the fight against wasteful Congressional spending called “earmarks,” is at it again today. He is proposing that the Senate approve a 1 year ban on earmark spending.

The Politico reports:

The first-term South Carolina Republican introduced the earmark moratorium after becoming convinced that the GOP’s participation in the provisioning of home-state pork — as well as its ties to lobbyists and all their “shameless requests” — had cost the party control of the House and the Senate in 2006.

Well, apparently the Senate is going to take this issue up today, so call your senator and tell him to support this measure.

It’s possible we can make headway against wasteful gov’t spending today, especially since it seems that all three presidential candidates are supporting the measure. The word is that McCain, Clinton and Obama are coming back to the Senate today to vote to approve the moratorium.

If this gets past, we have a year to work to eliminate them forever.

So, let’s go people. Contact your Senators and tell them that you want some responsibility in Washington for a change.

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Poll: Democrats Trust Press More than Republicans Do

March 12, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Harris released one of their latest polls on the 6th and it showed that less than half the general American public trusts the press. With the state of the media today, this should come as no surprise to anyone. But, the numbers are pretty amazing when it is realized that 54% of those responding said they did not trust the press while 46% admitted that they don’t trust television news either. The Internet fared better with 41% saying that they trust what they see there with only 34% saying they do not trust the web for their news.

But, the really interesting news with this poll is the wide disparity between Democrats and Republicans where it concerns their trust in the media. It seems that Democrats are far more trusting in the media in nearly every category than are Republicans. (Independents trusted the media even less, incidentally.)

According to Harris, the press is trusted by 43% of the Democrats polled but only by an anemic 19% of the Republicans contacted. Radio is trusted by 51% of Dems, and 45% of Repubs while TV is trusted by 50% of the Dems and only 31% of the GOPers. The Internet saw the two sides closer together with 45% of the Dems trusting what they find there and with 40% of the Republicans who also did.

Now, this should also come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the left slanted nature of the “news” that comes out of most of the media. With TV and the press firmly in the left’s corner, it is not a shock to see few Republicans trusting what they see and hear from those sources. In fact, this poll pretty much serves as more proof of how far left most of the media is.

The poll also showed that the Internet is not yet a dominant news source for the general populace.

Continue reading “Poll: Democrats Trust Press More than Republicans Do”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

A Hussein by any other name

March 9, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

Michelle Obama describes the use of her husband’s middle name, Hussein, as “the fear bomb.” Political adversaries tossed this device in his 2004 Senate race. “They threw in the obvious, ultimate fear bomb. . . When all else fails, be afraid of his name, and what that could stand for, because it’s different.” Now “they’re” doing it again. An intriguing storyline, but is it supported by the facts?

A NewsBank check for 2004 shows no stories in either the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun-Times reporting this particular fear bomb being dropped by his feisty opponent, Alan Keyes, or any of his supporters.

A December, 2006 commentary in the New York Times noted “there hadn’t been much focus on the unfortunate coincidence” of Obama sharing a name with the Butcher of Baghdad until that week.

Perhaps Mrs. Obama is confused. That’s understandable, with all that was going on in her life at the time. Within weeks after her husband’s arrival in the Senate, the University of Chicago Medical Center more than doubled her salary. And then there was an appointment to the board of TreeHouse Foods that brought in another $100,000 or so to the Obama household.
Continue reading “A Hussein by any other name”

00Publius Contributor - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

John McCain and the GOP

March 6, 2008 by

John McCain and the GOP
-By Dan Scott

As usual, we have heard far more about the rhetoric of Clinton and Obama than anything being said by the McCain or Huckabee. The MSM news blackout continues on what if anything the GOP is for or against. Nor have we heard anything from the House of Representatives all of whom come up for election every two years or from one third of the Senate that is also up for re-election. It seems the entire MSM attention is on Clinton and Obama as if that’s really all there is for the voters to consider. Sounds like some very long coattails to me.

After a review of McCain’s website and another issues oriented website called On the Issues, I have come to the firm conclusion that maybe the MSM is right to ignore the GOP entirely. They haven’t said anything compelling that hasn’t been said before nor is there any hint of leadership on where he intends to take the country. Yes, they say all the appropriate things about this and that, but leadership and vision is missing. Of course I got my GOP questionnaire asking me if I wanted Clinton as the next president and if I didn’t I needed to send them $80, 120 or $200 to defeat her. The gist of the entire GOP campaign strategy is vote for us if you don’t want Clinton. I don’t know about you but in my opinion, that’s more pathetic than the Democrat’s campaign slogan of “Change.”
Continue reading “John McCain and the GOP”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

The GOP Must Avoid Becoming Democrat Party Lite

February 29, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

After the disastrous loss of majority status that befell the Republicans in Congress with the results of the 2006 midterm elections, conservative members of the GOP — and even a few not so conservative — began floating a new sound bite mantra. We have “lost our brand” became the meme as House members fanned out to the media in an attempt to reassure the rank and file that they had realized their mistakes, were chastened, and were about to “take it back.”

The biggest focus of that “lost brand” was that of fiscal responsibility. Wild Congressional earmarks, “bridges to no where,” and waste became a hallmark of the Republican Congress and many Republicans believed that this was one of the main reasons that Republicans lost the support of the electorate. In a reversal of the conventional wisdom some polls even showed that Americans had come to trust the Democrats in spending more than they did Republicans.

Florida Republican Adam H. Putnam told the Pittsburg Tribune-Review back on March 31st of 2007 that it was time to get serious.

“I think a key reason was the issues of corruption, where we had a bumper crop of scandals and incompetence. … Americans lost the sense that Republicans brought a commonsense, business-like manner to governing (and that) undermined our brand.

It was further undermined by a sense that we had lost our way on fiscal responsibility. So when people went into those voting booths, they really felt disenchanted with a party that they perceived to have lost its way. We were seen as being petty. We were seen as being only in it for ourselves. We had stopped talking about big, bold ideas. We had stopped talking about relevant solutions — and we paid for it. “

In November of 2007, former RNC chairman Mel Martinez told Ronald Kessler, “When I look at polls and they show that the American people trust the Democrats more than the Republicans on spending, it shows us how we’ve lost our brand. We’ve got to get our brand back.”

This idea of taking the brand back even made itself into a new organization of conservative Congressmen called Reagan21. With this new caucus of sorts, the *members of Reagan21 wish to assure us all that they are still committed to Reagan’s vision of government.

Continue reading “The GOP Must Avoid Becoming Democrat Party Lite”

00Publius Contributor - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

MSM Now Notes When Common Criminals Are ‘Registered Republican’

February 27, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today’s edition of “Democrat or Not?” gives us an example of a party affiliation that is mentioned by the MSM instead of one kept secret and naturally the party mentioned is the Republican brand. The strange part about this one, however, is the context in which it is reported. In what the media is calling a “politically motivated” family argument over Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton a stabbing occurred. But, here is the thing: neither of those involved in this family tiff are politicians and both were fighting over Democrats that they support. Yet, for some reason, TV station CBS 3 in Philly felt it necessary to mention that one of the combatants was a “registered Republican.”

Now, we have all heard the Associated Press claim that mentioning a party is fine “when it’s relevant.” They’ve claimed they only mention a party when it is “relevant” to the story. If this practice is prevalent throughout the news industry it sure seems that they all think it “relevant” when a Republican is involved… in anything.

This domestic argument involved a Mr. Sean Shurelds, a Barack Obama fan, who was stabbed in the abdomen by one Mr. Jose Antonio Ortiz, a Hillary Clinton supporter. These two goofs were brothers-in-law and were fighting in an Upper Providence Township home. Afterwards, Ortiz was charged with one count of felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanors.

So, what we have here are two guys fighting over who they are going to vote for. But, the interesting thing is how many MSM outlets found it “relevant” to mention that one of them was a Republican. And the other? Well, his party didn’t interest any of these newsers at all amusingly enough.

Channel 3 news gave us what seems a common report on this story…

Authorities said Ortiz, a registered Republican and Clinton supporter, allegedly stabbed Shurelds, an Obama supporter, in the stomach.

Channel 69 News also mentioned that Ortiz was a “registered Republican.” So did ABC Channel 6 news. As did KYW Newsradio 1060 from Philly.

If you’re interested, the smokinggun.com has a copy of the police report but the party registration of Ortiz is not mentioned in the account.

So you tell me. WHY was the fact that Ortiz was a “registered Republican” necessary to report? Was it because they could portray a Republican as a knife wielding, nut case? Maybe we should expect to see a mention of party affiliation of carjackers, flim-flam men, and jaywalkers, too? If they are Republicans, that is?

Continue reading “MSM Now Notes When Common Criminals Are ‘Registered Republican’”

00Publius Contributor - GOP - History - News - President - Society/Culture

Behind every great man

February 25, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

Former first lady Nancy Reagan took a fall last weekend. She reportedly is doing well and I hope her recovery is swift and complete.

Nancy Reagan’s central role in the history of this country can’t be discounted. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that Ronald Reagan would never have been president were it not for his wife.

Their son Ron believes that’s the case: “I don’t think he would’ve gotten to where he got to (without her). Because I think she has more ambition than he does. I think if left to his own devices, he might’ve ended up hosting ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ on TV or something … I think that she saw in him the stuff that could be president, and she kept pushing.”

She kept pushing. And staring. Listening again and again to her husband’s speeches, when he was a private citizen, then as California governor, then as activist, then as president, she stared in rapt attention, as though never hearing the words before.

It became known as “the gaze.” At least one very close friend claimed that it was never phony; Mrs. Reagan truly was fascinated by what Mr. Reagan had to say, no matter how many times he said it.
Continue reading “Behind every great man”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Warner Todd Huston

Dueling Time Headlines: ‘Bush Motorcade Kills Cop’ vs. ‘Officer Killed Escorting Clinton’

February 23, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Back on August 28th we posted the sad story of the death of a motorcycle policeman who was killed while in service as a motorcade escort for president George W. Bush. What brought the story to our attention was the shocking way that Time Magazine reported the story. With a headline that blared “Bush Motorcade Kills Cop,” Time made it appear that the officer died as a result of… well, president Bush.

Well, today, we have a similar story to report. A motorcycle policeman was killed today while in service as a motorcade escort for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. And, sadly, Time Magazine is at their spin machine again. The previous incident was headlined as if Bush was responsible for the unfortunate death, but today’s Time headline was not so harsh in its tone when a Clinton was involved. “Officer Killed Escorting Clinton,” is how Time Magazine reported this incident.

The August report on the Bush motorcade accident is no longer on the Time website, but it contained the actual account proving that the police officer died when he lost control of his cycle. Obviously Bush’s motorcade didn’t “kill” a “cop.” It was just that the man lost control and died from the accident. Regrettable, yes. Negligence on the part of George W. Bush? No. Still, the tenor of the Bush report clearly carried a harsh tone against president Bush.

Just look at those two headlines side-by-side.

Bush Motorcade Kills Cop

Officer Killed Escorting Clinton

Quite a difference in tone there, eh?

Continue reading “Dueling Time Headlines: ‘Bush Motorcade Kills Cop’ vs. ‘Officer Killed Escorting Clinton’”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Sci. American Uses all Anti-Republican Examples to Show ‘How Media Messes With Your Mind’

February 22, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This report by Scientific American is a hoot for its blatant hypocrisy. With the title of their piece, “Getting Duped: How Media Messes With Your Mind,”, it appears that Scientific American is trying to set itself up as the bringers of truth to all those confused by the “surreptitiously” misleading media. Their piece is ostensibly a warning on how the media is misleading us all. Their subtitle even declares how they are about to tell us of the media’s misconduct.

Statements made in the media can surreptitiously plant distortions in the minds of millions. Learning to recognize two commonly used fallacies can help you separate fact from fiction

So, with that, what would you expect from the rest of the piece? Perhaps some examples of how the media misleads us? Maybe a few New York Times lies, or gaffs from network news outlets, or even the cable news stations? If you would expect examples of media lies in a story sold as one about the media, you’d be disappointed because all the examples Sci. Amer. gives us are from politicians and commentators, not the media. And guess what else? Nearly all the examples of “lies,” “misleading statements,” and “straw man arguments” are from Republicans and/or conservatives.

Scientific American’s chief argument is that too often Americans get their impression of current events and political issues through the “straw man” argument. This is an oft times successful debating practice whereby one mischaracterizes the opponent’s position and uses that as a basis to attack their entire stance on any issue or series of issues. Sci. Amer. also delves into a related convention whereby a person attacks the opponent’s weakest argument and inflates that weak argument to symbolize the opponent’s entire oeuvre.

I have to say that some of what Sci. Amer. says in relation to the actual issue of the straw man argument is good advice. But, to see where Sci. Amer. itself is misleading one has only to consider the way they go about proving their case.

Like I said, this article is sold as one about the media. The title, and the subtitle point to the media as the culprit. But, right away, the initial three paragraphs abruptly changes the focus away from the media and squarely onto the shoulders of our politicians. It quickly becomes obvious that Scientific American has itself misled the reader and turned what promised to be an expose on the media into an attack on the war effort in Iraq, George W. Bush, conservative activist David Horowitz, and commentator Bill O’Reilly — with one mild jab thrown in at Bill Clinton from his 1996 campaign, perhaps to show a faux balance.

Continue reading “Sci. American Uses all Anti-Republican Examples to Show ‘How Media Messes With Your Mind’”

00Publius Contributor - Constitution - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Selwyn Duke - Society/Culture

Conservatism is Dead; Long Live Conservatism?

February 21, 2008 by

By Selwyn Duke

It seems like just yesterday that many were reading liberalism’s epitaph. After the Reagan years, Republican Revolution of 1994, retreat of the gun-control hordes after Al Gore’s 2000 defeat and George W. Bush’s two successful presidential runs, many thought conservatism was carrying the day.
Ah, if only.

We might ask: With conservatives like President Bush and many of the other Republicans, who needs liberals?
While the media has successfully portrayed the Republicans as the party of snake handlers and moonshine, the difference between image and reality is profound. Bush has just spun the odometer, proposing the nation’s first ever $3 trillion budget. On matters pertaining to the very survival of our culture – the primacy of English, multiculturalism, the denuding of our public square of historically present Christian symbols and sentiments – Republicans are found wanting. As for illegal immigration, both the president and presumptive Republican nominee support a form of amnesty.

Yet many would paint America as under the sway of rightist politics, and some of the reasons for this are obvious. Some liberals know that the best way to ensure constant movement toward the left is by portraying the status quo as dangerously far right. If you repeatedly warn that we teeter on the brink of rightist hegemony, people will assume that to achieve “balance” we must tack further left toward your mythical center. Then we have conservatives influenced by the natural desire to view the world as the happy place they’d like to inhabit. Ingenuous sorts, they confuse Republican with conservative, party with principles, and electoral wars with the cultural one. But there’s another factor: One can confuse conservative with correct.
When is the right not right, you ask? When it has been defined by the left.
Continue reading “Conservatism is Dead; Long Live Conservatism?”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - Lee Culpepper - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

It’s All About the Vice President Now

February 20, 2008 by

-By Lee Culpepper

While the mainstream media wallows in the unpleasant effect John McCain’s apparent nomination is having on the GOP, are liberals also intentionally ignoring the undeniable void of influence the two Democratic candidates pose in the Middle East? No, it’s not that Barrack and Hillary both completely lack foreign policy experience or that they have far-out, socialist ideologies. Their handicaps are even more outrageous than that.

Islamic terrorists hate average, American infidels pretty much equally — but how much do they hate the ex-Islamic infidel who converts to Christianity? According to the hadith (which is a collection of the words and deeds of Muhammad) Muslims must kill apostates. Naturally, Allah will reward the murderers on judgment day.

In fact not long ago, Michelle Malkin wrote about a British imam’s daughter who converted to Christianity. The woman (whose real name is not given) said, “[She knows] the Koran says anyone who goes away from Islam should be killed as an apostate.” The woman now lives under police protection. She says, “[Her Muslim family members] are following Islam to the word. But [she does] not think every Muslim would act on that” ( michellemalkin.com).
Continue reading “It’s All About the Vice President Now”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

How Conservatives Are Being Told to Throw Away Principles

February 19, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It is getting tiresome already, but we are starting to see a new kind of story on this issue of McCain and his tiff with the conservative wing of the GOP and that is the shut-up-and-take-it style of commentary, the style were conservatives are told to throw away their principles and just vote McCain anyway.<.p>

I am sure that you all have noticed that John McCain is not the conservative’s hero? There has been story after story expounding on how McCain has a lot of cajoling to do before principled conservatives will vote for him in November. He hasn’t made those efforts yet, at least if looking at the primaries and caucuses that have occurred since McCain became the “presumptive nominee” — at least according to the media — are concerned. These last few early February events did not make him look much like an obvious winner, either. Even president Bush has said that he has some convincing of conservatives to do before he could expect their vote. All this clearly shows that McCain lacks serious conservative credentials.

A recent editorial by former Scripps Howard News Service editor Dan K. Thomasson serves as a perfect example of this sort of wrist slapping that conservatives are increasingly receiving from so many quarters, both from the left and their own reputed party members. Thomasson even takes it a step further by positing that conservatives should act like John F. Kennedy who allowed Lyndon Johnson to become his vice presidential pick even though they were rivals for the Democrat nomination for president in 1960. Similarly, he says, conservatives should accept the ideologically impure McCain and then work with him to put one of their own guys on the ticket in the second spot.

All of these stories have a singular concept underlying them and that is that conservatives should throw away their principles and vote for McCain without a whimper. In other words, the press imagines that conservatives should rather be more interested in a White House win than in upholding their principles. But this raises an interesting question: where were all the stories that chided Dail Kos, netrooters for holding to their principles by attempting to take over the Democratic Party during the 2006 midterms? Far from scoffing at the netrooter’s too stiff spines, they were praised for their campaign to force the Party into going their way.

Continue reading “How Conservatives Are Being Told to Throw Away Principles”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

We Need to Be Careful for What We Wish

February 19, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

As the primary cycle rolls on, those who understand the danger of a Hillary Clinton administration are gleefully watching her tumble in the polls. Barack Obama’s campaign “performances” have played to the basest emotions of America’s left-leaning community and, ironically, doing so with a recycled version of Bill Clinton’s 1992 messages of “change” and “hope.” But as much as Ms. Clinton’s demise may fill Conservative hearts with a sense of satisfaction we really should be careful for what we wish.

Of course, there are many reasons to oppose a Clinton II administration, especially in these internationally conflicted times.

Hillary Clinton ®C by her insistence that she served as co-president ®C was complicit in treating the issue of Islamofascist terrorism as a “law enforcement issue” rather than an act of war. This is, of course, absurd for the simple fact that our enemy literally declared war on us in 1996 and then again in 1998. One can just imagine bin Laden and al Zawahiri sitting in their Tora Bora cave, scratching their heads at the non-action of the Clintons saying to one another, “Do you think that email went through? You know, these things get lost in cyber space every now and again. Go ahead, Ayman, send it again and this time use some exclamation points so they know we mean it.”
Continue reading “We Need to Be Careful for What We Wish”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Approval of Congress in US Below that of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan?

February 18, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We frequently hear the US media trumpet that Bush’s approval ratings are so low. Not quite as often we hear that Congress’ approval ratings are even lower than Bush’s. But, did you know that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda has an approval rating in Pakistan two percent higher than Congress does?

Both Congress and bin Laden seem to have fallen on hard times of late. According to the AP, in the USA Nancy Pelosi’s Congress has an approval rating of 22% while Bush has an approval rating of 30%. Congress’ low approval rating matches its documented poorest grade and has dropped 4 percentage points since January.

Now, if someone were to tell you that Congress in the US ranks lower than bin Laden and al Qaeda does in Pakistan, you might not think that so wild a statement. Of course the Islamic radicals in Pakistan would love bin Laden and al Qaeda, and Americans might, you might imagine, be more critical of their own leaders. However, a recent Washington Post report might startle you.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture

McCain’s looking better already

February 18, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

Ann Coulter says conservatives should vote for Hillary Clinton if John McCain is the GOP’s nominee. Ann Coulter is wrong.

For one thing, right now it looks as though Barack Obama will be the Democratic candidate, if his swooning supporters don’t manage to get him declared a saint before then. His lack of substance has transformed him into today’s John F. Kennedy, another empty suit who realized you don’t have to fool all the people all the time, just half of the voters plus one.

For another thing, for all of John McCain’s deficiencies in satisfying conservatives, he’d make a far better president than either the empty suit or the pantsuit.

Maybe it was Sister Annie’s temporary insanity that emboldened Ms. Chelsea Clinton, taking a day off from her $100,000 plus gig at a hedge fund operation, to make a startling claim. She alleges that Mumsie is the “most fiscally conservative candidate running.”
Continue reading “McCain’s looking better already”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Another Aging Rocker Tells a Republican to Stop Using Song

February 17, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I guess hate is More Than A Feeling for aging rocker Tom Scholz, former member of the band Boston. Scholz, it appears, is none too happy that presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was using his old Boston tune, More Than A Feeling on the campaign trail and he wants him to stop it.

Like John Cougar Mellenkamp — who got his leather pants in a bunch over McCain’s usage of one of his pop tunes — Mr. Scholz is another musician who imagines that people are so stupid that when they hear a song at a campaign rally, they must automatically imagine that the producer of the song supports the candidate in question.

As reported by the AP, Scholz sent a letter to the Huckabee campaign telling Huckabee to dump the song and Don’t Look Back.

“Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and will all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for,” wrote Scholz, adding that he is supporting Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. “By using my song, and my band’s name Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed. In other words, I think I’ve been ripped off, dude!”

Yeah… dude. Good thing he is a guitar player because thinker seems to be out of the question. (I can’t help it, but it just seems a little childish for a 60 some year-old man to be calling people “dude”)

But, here is the thing, Huckabee, a bass guitar player, has actually appeared on stage with a former member of Scholz’ own band. Boston band member Barry Goudreau has jammed with Huckabee in the past, so it is only natural that Huckabee felt he could use the song. After all, he had a member of Boston on stage with him!

Of course, the cantankerous Scholz even seems to claim that his old band mate is somehow not a real member of the band!

Continue reading “Another Aging Rocker Tells a Republican to Stop Using Song”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Las Vegas Sun: Is Romney Calling Huckabee a Terrorist?

February 16, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Sometimes a paper puts out an editorial that is so absurd that it makes your head spin. The Las Vegas Sun wins the prize this week for a surreal ability to read something into nothing. The Sun took Mitt Romney’s CPAC concession speech and turned it from a gracious and inspiring address into a screed where the Sun amazingly heard Romney call Mike Huckabee a terrorist! It just makes ya go “HUH?”

In an unsigned editorial, the Sun gives us “Romney’s twisted world,” but it seems to me that what is twisted is the mind of the Sun editorial board. To have gotten the interpretation they got out of Romney’s speech is one for the ages, but they are positive, it seems, that what Romney said is “dangerously irresponsible.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in announcing last week that he would no longer seek the Republican presidential nomination, said something so ridiculous and dangerously irresponsible that we couldn’t let it pass without comment.

Wow. Quite a claim, isn’t it? So, ol’ Mitt is being “dangerous,” eh? Wait until you see how…

Mitt said in his speech that he was suspending his campaign because we are a nation at war. He felt that he should step aside and let McCain take the lead so that we might coalesce behind a candidate that might be good for the war effort. For stepping aside Romney said, “And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”

And here is how the Sun turned that somewhat selfless desire not to be a candidate of division and to bow out gracefully into a claim that everyone else are terror lovers:

Come again?

Does that mean Mike Huckabee, who has decided to stay in the race, is somehow furthering the cause of terrorism? For that matter, are the good people of Kansas and Louisiana who voted in their presidential nominating contests and provided Huckabee with wins in both states aiding and abetting terrorism because John McCain’s coronation as the Republican nominee has been postponed for a few weeks?

In Romney’s world, the Kansans who voted for Huckabee, 60 percent of the state’s Republican caucusgoers, are nothing better than fellow travelers of al-Qaida. And, if Romney had his way, all the Republicans in the other states who have not yet had a chance to vote would be denied a choice.

I am not kidding! This is what the Sun imagined that Romney was really saying! Come on. No one could have listened to Romney and imagined he is saying anyone that doesn’t vote for McCain is a terrorist. It is just an absurd limb to climb out upon.

Then the Sun went on to make the claim that “Bush diverted his attention from the real war on terrorism, which was located in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan” when he went into Iraq. This claim shows that the Sun has little grasp on why Bush went into Iraq in the first place. One can certainly say the policy was not a good one, but one cannot say that it had nothing to do with the Global War on Terror.

In any case, I am no Mitt Romney fan but this twisting of his words is way off base and makes the editorial board of the Sun look a bit foolish.

Continue reading “Las Vegas Sun: Is Romney Calling Huckabee a Terrorist?”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - Military - News - President - Warner Todd Huston

Newsweek of McCain’s Implosion: America ‘Won’t Listen to a Military Man’ Anymore

February 15, 2008 by

**Note: It’s been requested that I republish one from July 31 of 2007. So, here it is…

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the chief reasons that Republicans in general and Conservatives in particular were always wary of John “the maverick” McCain is the slobbering love that the MSM so constantly lavished upon him. The MSM is so distrusted that their love for McCain relayed to the country that there must be something wrong with him. As his campaign descends into ever lower depths of disarray, we may begin to see the MSM fall to the floor in abject lamentations over his demise. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth now that their favorite Republican looks to be a goner, at least if Michael Hirsh of Newsweek is any indication. In “Why McCain’s Collapse Matters”, Hirsh not only laments McCain’s diminishment of influence, but blames the American people for not listening to military “heroes” on how evil this war is. Hirsh also uses his piece as an excuse to repeatedly bash Fred Thompson using the media’s “He’s just an actor” mantra. Naturally, Hirsh learns all the wrong lessons from his review of history and displays it in this little tsk tsking tirade aimed at the American people for their gall in not fawning over McCain like the MSM does.

Hirsh starts out bashing Fred Thompson by reminding us that Thompson was still playing his “tough D.A.” role on TV as McCain was supposedly living that role in real life while he was giving Donald Rumsfeld a piece of his mind during an appearance on the Hill by Rummy early in the Iraq war. Hirsh rightfully bemoans the fact that Donald Rumsfeld was not listening to McCain’s correct advice at that time. McCain was calling for more troops at that early stage but Rummy thought the Administration’s own strategy of fewer troops and quicker “Iraqification” was better. Hirsh is mistaken to imagine that Bush was led by the nose by Rummy, however. It was Bush’s strategy, not just Rumsfeld’s. Hish is correct that McCain’s ideas of a “surge” before there was one was dead on. But, from this point Hirsh flies off track and runs wildly into the tall grass.

Hirsh claims that “McCain’s fellow Republicans … are insisting on success in an impossible nine months (by September, that is). That’s a benchmark Gen. David Petraeus and others in the Iraq command realize is simply untenable.” But, this is simply not true. A few Republicans may be hoping that it happens, but most are calling for, at the very least, time enough to give the surge a chance and wait for General Petraeus’ report before making any further decisions. Few are claiming it will all be fixed and over in a mere matter of months.

After this bit of nonsense, Hirsh attacks Thompson yet again.
Continue reading “Newsweek of McCain’s Implosion: America ‘Won’t Listen to a Military Man’ Anymore”

00Publius Contributor - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

AP Notes Criminal Politician’s Party At Last… of Course He’s a Republican!

February 15, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In today’s second Media story about a criminal politician, we don’t have to play “Democrat or Not?” because we are told right away what the criminal politician’s party affiliation is in nearly every story available. Naturally, the criminal in question is a Republican. I know, it’s so surprising that the MSM is not shy about ballyhooing a criminal politician’s party if he’s a Republican, right?

A member of the Maryland House, Robert McKee, has been caught up in an investigation of child pornography. Terrible charges and, if true, the fellow should be locked away in the deepest hole. But, what party is he from? Ah, the AP is happy to let you know:

The FBI says its cyber crimes unit is assisting Washington County authorities in an investigation of state Delegate Robert McKee.

The cyber crimes unit includes investigations of child pornography.

FBI spokesman Richard Wolf says the Washington County Sheriff’s Department requested the agency’s help after searching the Republican delegate’s home in Halfway earlier this month.

Then there is the second version of the AP story where we get that party ID in the very first sentence.

A Republican delegate from Washington County has resigned after authorities conducted a search of his home.

The local news gets into the act with a story from the Herald-Mail’s second paragraph.

McKee, a Republican who represented Washington County, said in a statement released on House of Delegates letterhead, tht the Washington County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at his home on Jan. 31 and seized his personal computer and other items, including images that are available on the Internet.

So, when contrasted with the story of DUI guilty plead by Tennessee’s Bob Briley, we can see how the MSM in general and the AP in particular is so unequal in their policy of how they report party affiliations.

Continue reading “AP Notes Criminal Politician’s Party At Last… of Course He’s a Republican!”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Join the Fight Against Gov’t Waste

February 15, 2008 by

The spending habits of Congress – and pork-barrel earmarks, in particular – have become the clearest symbol of a broken Washington. With that in mind, House Republicans asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats to join them in supporting an immediate moratorium on all earmarks while a bipartisan select committee identifies ways to bring fundamental change to the way in which Washington spends taxpayers’money. The Majority’s response: no thanks.

In spite of the Democrats’ refusal to change the way Washington spends taxpayer dollars, House Republicans have committed themselves to a series of standards that will be the basis of their comprehensive earmark reform efforts. This website is dedicated to those standards and what House Republicans are doing to fix Washington by stopping earmarks.

Visit EarmarkReform.house.gov for all the continuous updates.

00Publius Contributor - Congress - GOP - Immigration/Immigrants - News - Patriotism - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Tell Rep. John Shedegg (R, AZ) We DON’T Want Him to Retire

February 15, 2008 by

DEAR CONGRESSMAN SHEDEGG:

WE WANT YOU ON THAT WALL,
WE NEED YOU ON THAT WALL

There aren’t enough conservatives in the United States House of Representatives, let alone enough conservative leaders. Rep. John Shadegg is one of the few…and he announced this week that he would not be seeking re-election this year.

Rep. Shadegg represents Arizona’s Third Congressional District and has established a reputation in Congress as a leading advocate for reduced government spending, federal tax relief, and the re-establishment of state and individual rights.

He is a former chairman of the House Republican Policy committee (fifth-ranking position in the House leadership), is a former chairman of the conservative House Republican Study Committee, and a former chairman of the campaign training organization GOPAC.

Congresspedia notes that Rep. Shadegg “is also the son of Steve Shadegg of Arizona, 1964 campaign manager for Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater,” and was a founding director of the Goldwater Institute for Public Policy.

A true limited-government conservative from the West with leadership experience who understands the importance of nuts-and-bolts training for grassroots activism.

An unprecedented letter signed by 130 of Rep. Shadegg’s colleagues in the House today urges Rep. Shadegg to reconsider his decision not to seek re-election this year. Please add your name, as a grassroots activist, to the letter by signing this online petition at ChuckMuth.com.

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture

Stepping Back from the Conservative Abyss

February 11, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

“If you are looking at substance rather than if there is an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after his name, manifestly, if he’s our candidate, then Hillary is going to be our girl, because she’s more conservative than he is…” – Ann Coulter on Hannity & Colmes

If Conservatives and Republicans don’t squelch their anger toward the apparent party nominee we will be falling into the trap the Liberal Left has set for us; the trap that splinters the Conservatives within the Republican Party so that another Clinton (or Democrat) can get into the White House with less than a majority of the national vote. We will be acting emotionally instead of intellectually; exactly as the Liberal Left wants us to.

I support Conservative principles and ideals. I would have enjoyed having a true Conservative on the ballot in November because I believe, given the choice, the nation would have voted “right.” But the reality of the situation, as it stands, is that dedicated Conservatives don’t have a horse in the November presidential contest. The choice now is this; do we fold altogether and literally hand the White House to a woman who idolizes the Socialistic tenets of Saul Alinsky or an untested freshman senator with no political paper trail, or do we advance intelligently, salvaging what we can?
Continue reading “Stepping Back from the Conservative Abyss”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - History - Lee Culpepper - Media Bias - Military - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

What is a Hero?

February 9, 2008 by

-By Lee Culpepper

There are many heroes in this world, but the word “hero” itself has become a hackneyed label. Time and again it is circumstance that brings out an individual’s heroic qualities. Our military members who are serving our country and fighting for the freedom of people in a foreign land are undeniably heroes.

Frequently, many heroes pay the ultimate price while serving others, such as the brave firemen, policemen, and civilians who sacrificed their lives trying to save the victims of 9/11. For the heroes who survive their crucibles, they tend to continue serving with a degree of humility and meekness. How many heroes do we know that flaunt themselves as such? Heroes are modest, truthful, loyal, and selfless.

My previous article about John McCain mocked him for several reasons, including his constant reminder that he suffered as POW in Vietnam. I respect that John McCain served and sacrificed for our country. But I do not admire anything that is known about him before his time as a POW or after his release. It is impossible for us who have never endured such an experience to understand what McCain must have gone through. Having survived it, however, why does he so bitterly oppose the POW/MIA families (From Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain)? His actions and behavior are nothing short of disturbing. Why wouldn’t everyone question McCain’s motives concerning this subject?
Continue reading “What is a Hero?”