Yes Virginia The Internet Does NOT Replace Old Fashioned Politics

-By Warner Todd Huston

When Howard Dean became a surprise front runner in the Democrat primary of 2004 doing so on the basis of a strong Internet-based campaign effort, tongues began to wag that the Internet might replace old fashioned retail politics. This time ’round Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich served to get people to question the old way of organizing a campaign.

But this week we’ve seen in Virginia why these airy claims of the Internet’s new dominance is a bit chimerical. We see that old fashioned, boots on the ground politics is still the best method to election.

By all methods of measure, Texas Governor Rick Perry is still a strong candidate in the 2012 GOP Primary race. He sometimes comes in second, third or fourth in polls, but is still considered a top contender for the nomination. Yet as the time came to file his petition signatures in Virginia, it turned out his campaign could not collect enough to get his name on the ballot. So, a reputed front running candidate for the nomination, Rick Perry, will not even appear on the Virginia primary ballot.
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Yes Virginia The Internet Does NOT Replace Old Fashioned Politics”


Ron Paul’s Dissembling About His Newsletters

-By Warner Todd Huston

Famed opposition researcher Andrew Kaczynksi has dug up the ultimate video proof that Ron Paul is a liar with his current claims that he had no knowledge about those racist newsletters that carried his name for so many decades.

Ron Paul has lately claimed that he had no idea that his newsletters were filled with anti-Jew, anti-black, even anti-Asian sentiment, not to mention more conspiracy theories than a season of a TV series hosted by Jesse Ventura. He has explained that he just never had much to do with those newsletters, he didn’t write them, and he doesn’t know who did so no one should hold the contents of them against him. He’s even getting testy over this issue as is evident from his storming off an interview with CNN just yesterday.

Yet in 1995 he was happily hawking his newsletters to C-SPAN audiences (at about 1:50 into video):

But along with that, I also put out a political type of business investment newsletter that sort of covered all these areas. And it covered a lot about what was going on in Washington, and financial events, and especially some of the monetary events. Since I had been especially interested in monetary policy, had been on the banking committee, and still very interested in, in that subject, that this newsletter dealt with it. This had to do with the value of the dollar, the pros and cons of the gold standard, and of course the disadvantages of all the high taxes and spending that our government seems to continue to do.

Are we expected to believe Ron Paul when he claims he never paid much mind to these newsletters, even after we see him hawking them on C-SPAN in 1995? Are we expected to believe that the millions of dollars he made from these newsletters deposited into his coffers came without his slightest interest in where it was all coming from?
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Ron Paul’s Dissembling About His Newsletters”


Ron Paul: Conspiracy Nut, Anti-Semite

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last year Ron Paul said that the CIA perpetrated a coup over the United States. “There’s been a coup, have you heard? It’s the CIA coup. They’re in businesses, in drug businesses.” That fits in as just another part of the wacky world of Ron Paul that has spanned decades of denigrating blacks, assigning all sorts of crazy conspiracies to the US government, and above all hatred for Israel. It is a disgusting sin that this man is a political candidate for anything much less for the GOP nomination for President of the United States.

A lot of the credit for exposing the worst of Paul’s outrages belongs to James Kirchick who in 2008 wrote a short piece for The New Republic detailing what he found in an archive of Ron Paul’s racist newsletters.

Also back in 2008, then Fox News host John Gibson had a must hear interview with Kirchick asking why so many white supremacists and racists were in such slavish support of Ron Paul when he ran for president in 2008.

Aside from his racist newsletters, Kirchick notes that in 1994, Paul predicted a “holocaust” against South African whites and then advocated for a separate white state in South Africa. Kirchick also says Paul seemed to support the same thing in America.
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Ron Paul: Conspiracy Nut, Anti-Semite”


Newt’s New Iowa Political Director Off Campaign For Calling Mormonism A Cult

-By Warner Todd Huston

Controversial comments about Mormonism being a “cult” have resulted in Newt Gingrich’s new Iowa political director being dumped form the campaign. Craig Bergman made the comments at a Wednesday media focus group and only hours later it was announced that he was off the campaign.

At the Iowa meeting of several Iowa media outlets, Bergman said that he thought that, “A lot of the evangelicals believe God would give us four more years of Obama just for the opportunity to expose the cult of Mormon,” He went on to say, “There’s a thousand pastors ready to do that.”

Gingrich, of course, has made it a point that he intends his campaign to be a positive one and has said that personal attacks on his opponents will not be allowed. If this quick elimination of Bergman is any indication, Gingrich is serious with this proscription against negative campaigning.

Only hours after Bergman uttered his claim that Mormonism is a cult Team Newt’s campaign spokesman, R.C. Hammond, released the following email:
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Newt’s New Iowa Political Director Off Campaign For Calling Mormonism A Cult”


My Video At Heart of Controversy in Florida House Race

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently, a video I made in Denver is at the heart of a controversy in a race for the House of Representatives in Florida.

While at Blogcon 2011 I had the opportunity to interview Karen Harrington, a Republican candidate for the 20th District House seat now held by Debbie Wasserman Schultz — who is also the Chairman of the Democrat National Committee. I made a video of that short interview as I have so many other candidates.

In our interview Harrington, recently endorsed by GOP Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, went through some of the points she’s been campaigning on and since the 20th District has a large and active Jewish community, the issue of Israel naturally came up. It was during that segment of our little video that she said a few things that the media are attacking her over.

What got Harrington some special focus was her reply to my question about Israel:

Debbie’s latest thing as well as her lack of support for Israel — is ’cause she has to stand by this president — she also has blamed the Republicans for the creation of Hamas — that’s been her latest thing. This president asked them to stop building in the settlements, asked them to return to the ’67 borders and just the other day was caught with (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy saying negative things about Israel. This is a country and a nation that needs to stand by Israel as our history has shown us to. And Debbie supports this president and his policies, and you are right — Israel has become more endangered over there because of our approach and lack of strong support of Israel.

The St. Petersburg Times took issue with various parts of Harrington’s statement but the paper’s main problem was with the claim that Wasserman Schultz has blamed Republicans for the creation of Hamas. Of that they rated Harrington’s claim “false.”
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My Video At Heart of Controversy in Florida House Race”


VIDEO, Romney’s New Hampshire Ad: I am a Steady Leader

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mitt Romney’s new ad being aired in New Hampshire is a not so subtle slap at Newt Gingrich for Newt’s several marriages.

I have to say, when I think of Mitt Romney, “steadiness” is not the first word that comes to mind. Oh, sure he may be a faithful husband, but he’s hardly been a steady leader in politics. With his million flip flops he’s been on every side of every issue. That isn’t very “steady” if you ask me.
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VIDEO, Romney’s New Hampshire Ad: I am a Steady Leader”


Romney, Newt, Bachtorum, Ron Puntsman: Who Cares?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Like nearly every conservative in America today I am unimpressed by the current crop of GOP nominees for president and feel they all have major flaws — especially the two frontrunners Newt and Romney, both of whom have major deficits as far as staunch conservatives are concerned. But at this point I’ve come to realize that I don’t think I care which one of them is nominated. In fact, I think the White House is not where we should be focusing our intensity in 2012.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we shouldn’t vote for whichever GOP nominee wins the game show plaudits. We should absolutely pick one of them and then we all, conservatives and Republicans alike, should vote for him (or her).

So, what am I saying? I am saying that the White House is less important than people are saying it is. Instead, we need a two-point focus for 2012 that doesn’t include the White House. We don’t need 999 points. Just two. 1). Gaining control of Congress and 2). turning Obama out. The identity and purity of our presidential nominee is the last thing we should be worried about at this point. It is a bit late for that anyway.

Let me assure you that I don’t have a favorite in this GOP race. And I have three real dislikes: Romney, Huntsman, and Ron Paul. This article is no stealth shilling for any particular candidate. I really do have big problems with all of them. But, again, I don’t think it matters which of them we pick if we focus on the two points I note above.

First of all, any of the GOP candidates (yes even the cranky uncle of the GOP, Ron Paul) would be better than Obama. But that goes without saying because I am a conservative that votes Republican. No surprise there, really.

But there are reasons besides blind partisanship that any of the GOP nominees is better than Obama. In fact, it can really be boiled down to but one issue that makes getting rid of Obama imperative: the courts. He has been thoroughly destructive to this country with his judicial picks.
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Romney, Newt, Bachtorum, Ron Puntsman: Who Cares?”


Illinois Values Voters Forum: Rep. Joe Walsh, State Rep. Morrison, More

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Saturday morning, Dec. 3, I attended an event put on in Carpentersville, Illinois by Allen Skillcorn. The Illinois Value Voters Forum was billed as a forum on social issues, but it was also a great opportunity to have a nice friendly chat with several Illinois politicians on a variety of issues, not just those “values” issues we generally associate with social conservatism.

Results of Straw Poll Below the Fold


The Panel

Panelists included 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh, 54th District State Representative Tom Morrison, former State Rep Penny Pullen (currently of the Life Advocacy Research Project), and Bruno Behrend who was on hand to represent Adam Andrzejewski’s Open The Books Portal Project, a website where you can learn how much your public officials are making off the taxpayers. Along with the panel above, quite a few local officials and candidates in the hunt for the GOP nomination in their district also came out to meet and greet attendees.


Allen Skillcorn introducing Rep. Joe Walsh

Rep. Joe Walsh and Bruno Behrend

The first question posed by moderator Skillcorn was “when does life begin,” a common enough question for the values crowd. Ever the rebel, Congressman Walsh went on a ten-minute discussion on why we need to change Congress to GOP control and why we need to send “the right kind of Republicans” to Washington. But, after the stump speech, he did answer the question: “at conception,” of course.

The rest of the panel generally agreed with that, but I’d like to dwell a bit on Walsh’s stump speech. He reminded us of the fiscal disaster that this nation faces and he said that we should not forget that “the Republican Party helped us get here and we have to say that forcefully and respectfully.”

But Walsh saw a “revolution” stirring with the Tea Party and the 2010 midterm vote, one that has “only just started.”
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Illinois Values Voters Forum: Rep. Joe Walsh, State Rep. Morrison, More”


Direct Phone Numbers to Your U.S. Senators

-By Warner Todd Huston

Just a little resource I found on the web.If you’d like to know the direct phone number to your Senator, look for your state below and call away.

Alabama

  • Sen. Richard Shelby (R) (202) 224-5744; 224-3416
  • Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) (202) 224-4124; 224-3149

Alaska

  • Sen. Mark Begich (D) (202) 224-3004; 224-2354
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) (202) 224-6665; 224-5301

Arizona

  • Sen. Jon Kyl (R) (202) 224-4521; 224-2207
  • Sen. John McCain (R) (202) 224-2235; 228-2862

Arkansas

  • Sen. John Boozman (R) (202) 224-4843; 228-1371
  • Sen. Mark Pryor (D) (202) 224-2353; 228-0908

California

  • Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) (202) 224-3553; (202)228-2382
  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) (202) 224-3841; 228-3954

Colorado

  • Sen. Mark Udall (D) (202) 224-5941; 224-6471
  • Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D) (202) 224-5852; 228-5036

Connecticut

  • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) (202) 224-2823; 224-1083
  • Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) (202) 224-4041; 224-9750

Delaware


Kirk/Kinzinger Highlight Dec. 3rd Deadline to Mail Holiday Packages to Troops Overseas

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, Illinois 11th District)…

USPS Deadline: December 3rd

CHICAGO – With the holidays upon us, U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.-11) today joined with student veterans at DePaul University to highlight the fast approaching U.S. Postal Service mailing deadline to send care packages to U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East.

“This is the season of giving, and we must not forget the brave service members who sacrifice so much for our freedom” Sen. Kirk said. “Every American should make a conscious effort to support them in anyway possible.”

“Having served a few tours overseas, getting something in the mail from home – whether it was a letter or package – always reminded me that my family and friends back in the States were thinking of me,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “Our courageous men and women forgo spending the holidays with their loved ones to answer the call of duty and put their life at risk for the sake of all Americans. We must be especially mindful to show our gratitude for their sacrifice during the holiday season. Their fortitude is the reason for our liberty.”

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Kirk/Kinzinger Highlight Dec. 3rd Deadline to Mail Holiday Packages to Troops Overseas”


Mitt Romney Stealth Promotion of Gay ‘Rights’ And Gay Marriage in Mass.

Friend to the blog John Biver sends along an interesting press release about a new book about Mitt Romney’s “stealth promotion” of Gay “rights” and gay marriage when he was Governor of Massachusetts.

+++++

Just released: Amy Contrada’s blockbuster book on Mitt Romney’s stealth promotion of the homosexual agenda in Massachusetts.

MassResistance pro-family activist Amy Contrada has just released her definitive study of Mitt Romney’s role in implementing ‘gay marriage,’ promoting GLBT ‘rights,’ and supporting the sexual-radical agenda in the Massachusetts schools while Governor.

Titled, “Mitt Romney’s Deception: His Stealth Promotion of ‘Gay Rights’ and ‘Gay Marriage’ in Massachusetts,” it is a fascinating and thorough record of the sexual-radical activism that took place during that time, whether for same-sex ‘marriage’ or school programs promoting GLBT ‘rights.’ It contains a lot of information never published before.

The book is a rare combination of political history and analysis, enlivened by uncompromising commentary from a front-line activist. Contrada documents how Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney actively supported the homosexual and transgender agenda on same-sex ‘marriage,’ sexual-radical indoctrination in the schools, and societal transformation – while posing as a defender of the Constitution and traditional family values.
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Mitt Romney Stealth Promotion of Gay ‘Rights’ And Gay Marriage in Mass.”


Black Republican’s Campaign Sign Defaced With ‘KKK,’ Media Yawns

-By Warner Todd Huston

William “Bill” Randall is running for Congress out of the North Carolina 13th. Randall, an African American, experienced what must be called a hate crime in the left’s vernacular. His campaign sign had racist graffiti spray painted on it including the letters “KKK.”

Now, usually this is the sort of story that the Old Media goes wild over. It is prof that racism is alive in America, as far as they are concerned. It is proof that Tea Partiers, and conservative whites are eeeevil. This is usually the kind of story that would go national. Yet the media has delivered a collective yawn to the defacement of Randall’s sign.

Why? Because Bill Randall is not the liberal candidate in his election. He is the conservative Republican!
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Black Republican’s Campaign Sign Defaced With ‘KKK,’ Media Yawns”


Romney Shoves RoBamneyCare in Our Faces, Slickly Hiding Behind the 10th Amendment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Romneycare was “the right thing,” proclaimed Mitt “the flip flopper” Romney on a recent Fox News interview with Neil Cavuto. Wouldn’t you know it, the only thing conservatives want him to flip flop on he refuses to do so.

I guess we can’t expect Romney to own up that Romneycare is a disaster for Massachusetts and that it was a major mistake, one that makes him look exactly live Obama any time soon. He’s steadfastly refused to say that Romneycare was a mistake in the past and today he’s doubled down on that insistence…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


ENOUGH of GOP ‘Debates’ Where Mediots Show Us How Tough They Are

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the upcoming Republican primary I am not voting for Brian Williams, Brett Baier, Scott Pelly, Wolf Blitzer or any other member of the Old Media. I am trying to figure out which Republican nominee for president I might want to support. So why has every so-called debate featured mediots trying to prove to their mediots pals how tough they can be on Republican candidates instead of the Republican candidates actually debating each other?

Lately every one has been harkening back to those Lincoln-Douglass-styled debates of yesteryear and there is a reason that the famous debates between GOP Senate candidate Abe Lincoln and incumbent Democrat Stephen Douglass held over 150 years ago come so easily to mind. It’s because we aren’t getting that these days!

What we are getting instead are media personalities trying to make reputations for themselves instead of debates that tell us what the GOP candidates know, if they can articulate it, and if they can defend same.

I wish the candidates would stop going to these worthless excuses for debates forthwith. We need real debates and that means substance. The candidates should stop worrying that they might look “afraid” to debate and demand some format changes for any future outings before they show up again.
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ENOUGH of GOP ‘Debates’ Where Mediots Show Us How Tough They Are”


One Chance That a President Mitt Romney Wouldn’t Be So Bad

-By Warner Todd Huston

I cannot support Mitt Romney in this coming GOP primary. The one reason why can be summed up simply as this: he flip flops. Romney has more flip flops than a California beachfront. Mitt has been proven a man without anchor adrift in a sea of issues that push him and pull him with the tides. Even worse, maybe, is that he jumps from one ship to the other on those political tides with the sole purpose of scoring a political win. So, how could I say that such a rudderless sailor could be an OK president?

Well, there is one way that a shiftless Mitt Romney might be good for both the country and the conservative cause but it certainly isn’t because he cares at all about conservative issues. It isn’t that he’ll champion them himself, either. But think about this. What does an unmoored boat do but drift with the tide? This is where, if played correctly, Romney could actually work for conservatives.

In fact, a President Romney could be good for Congress no matter which side of the political divide is in control. And control is the word, too.

For far too long Congress has been slowly giving away its Constitutional powers to legislate. Through sloth and selfish re-election needs Congressmen have been allowing the courts to take an unconstitutional role in determining our legislation as well as standing aside as one president after another grabs power unto the executive branch that he wasn’t supposed to have — the latter of which both left and right have complained about for decades.
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One Chance That a President Mitt Romney Wouldn’t Be So Bad”


Michael Gerson’s Is The Weakest Case For Romney I’ve Yet Seen

-By Warner Todd Huston

Michael Gerson tried desperately to pen an op ed that explains why conservatives could be comfortable with a Mitt Romney for President. Unfortunately, it makes Mitt even less savory to principled conservatives. Worse, Gerson makes a few assumptions with his argument that doesn’t make even a tiny bit of logical sense no matter to who they are applied.

Gerson calls his Washington Post piece, “The conservative case for Mitt Romney,” and at least acknowledges that Romney’s main political vulnerability “is a serious one.” And that serious one is flip flopping– even though Gerson does not give it its proper name.

Romney’s main political vulnerability is a serious one. Running for Massachusetts’ governor in 2002, he was a pro-choice, economically centrist, culturally liberal, business-oriented Republican. Running for president in 2008, he was a thoroughly pro-life, orthodox supply-side, culturally conservative, Fox News Republican. Romney’s shape-shifting 2008 campaign only reinforced the impression of a consultant-driven candidate.

Calling Romney merely a “consultant-drive candidate” is far, far too kind. The truth is Romney is a man that has no principle from which he won’t run full tilt while hunting a campaign victory….

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Saving the American Idea: Rejecting Fear, Envy and the Politics of Division

This week, Representative Paul Ryan (R, Wisc.) made an important speech at the Heritage Foundation.

Full Text

Thank you so much, Ed, for that kind introduction.

We’re here today to explore the American Idea, and I can’t think of a better venue for this topic. The mission of the Heritage Foundation is to promote the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

These are the principles that define the American Idea. And this mission has never been timelier, because these principles are very much under threat from policies here in Washington.
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Saving the American Idea: Rejecting Fear, Envy and the Politics of Division”


Herman Cain Ad Features Man Smoking? HOW DARE HE!

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Block is Herman Cain’s chief of staff for the insurgent campaign for president that has surprised everyone with its success. Block is featured in a new Cain campaign ad at the tail end of which he is seen cooly taking a drag off his cigarette. This has caused campaign watchers to go ape.

First, take a look at the ad:

Many people on Twitter and the blogs are losing their minds that Cain features a guy smoking in his campaign ad. Why, Cain had cancer, they tsk. He should be ashamed of himself for having a guy smoking in his ad.

But I say, GET OVER IT. People smoke. It’s a common fact of life.

Once again, Herman Cain appears to be the only normal guy in this race, the only one unconcerned over focus group tittering.
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Herman Cain Ad Features Man Smoking? HOW DARE HE!”


Media Tries to Make Rick Perry a Birther

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left-wing media’s newest attack on Rick Perry is an attempt to make him into a “birther” — one of those folks that think Barack Obama is not a natural born American, a requirement to become our president. This new attack, though, is almost Clintonian in its careful avoidance of the truth.

The main attack started in a Parade interview featuring Texas Governor Rick Perry, but is being taken up as the cause célèbre by the left-wing, George Soros-funded attack dogs at Media Matters, Think Progress, and TPM as well as sites like Mediaite. But this “story is, as they say, all smoke and no fire.

In the interview Parade directly asked whether Perry thought Obama was born in the United States. Perry’s actual answers were, “I have no reason to think otherwise,” and “It doesn’t matter. He’s the President of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.”
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Media Tries to Make Rick Perry a Birther”


Arie Friedman Comments on Disappointing Illinois Jobs Report

From the Friedman for State Senate campaign…

“Illinois continues to lead the nation in jobs lost since Springfield Democrats raised the state income tax in January,” Dr. Arie Friedman, said Friday, commenting on the latest statistics released by the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Friedman is seeking the Republican nomination for the State Senate in the 29th District, which extends through southeast Lake County and takes in parts of Northfield and Wheeling Townships and a small section of Palatine in Cook County. The district’s senator, Susan Garrett, announced her retirement this summer.

“From the time those tax hikes on families and employers passed in January,” Friedman said, “Illinois’s employment picture has demonstrated shocking weakness. We led the nation with 24,900 job losses in the month of July and continue to lead in the overall number of jobs lost this year. Illinois has lost 92,785 jobs during the first nine months of 2011,” he noted.
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Arie Friedman Comments on Disappointing Illinois Jobs Report”


Grabowski Announces for Ill. 3rd Congressional District

Richard Grabowski has announced that he will seek to unseat Dan Lipinski in the Third Congressional District in 2012.

Grabinski, from Hometown, Illinois a south suburb of Chicago, is a first time candidate. He says he’s from the “real world working class” and works as a Materials Supervisor at a suburban manufacturing company.

His campaign website says that Grabowski, “cares deeply about the uncertain path our state and federal government leaders have chosen to lead us down. He’s stepping up to the plate for our state, our southland communities and our 3rd congressional district at a time when we are in dire need of good, uncorrupted leadership in Washington DC and here in Illinois.”
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Grabowski Announces for Ill. 3rd Congressional District”


Politico Tries to Smear Herman Cain With Bad Pizza

-By Warner Todd Huston

Politico unleashed an incredibly misleading smear job on Herman Cain this week by attacking “his” Godfather’s Pizza in a faux taste test in both written and video form. The idea was to see if Herman’s pizza was a good product. Naturally the taste testers hated the pizza. But is Godfather’s Pizza really Herman’s pizza? Of course not.

Politico assembled a taste-testing panel made up of a Democrat operative, a Republican operative, and a food blogger. Three pizzas were presented in a blind tasting and the result was that the Godfather’s pizza was deemed the worst of the bunch.

But was this a straight forward, unbiased test? Hardly.
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Politico Tries to Smear Herman Cain With Bad Pizza”


Herman Cain Leading in Palatine Straw Poll

-By Warner Todd Huston

A gathering of Tea Partiers in Palatine, Illinois held a straw poll of 38 attendees and Herman Cain came out on top. The group met to watch Tuesday’s GOP debate.

38 Republican primary voters attended a “viewing party” in Palatine, IL on Oct. 18, 2011 for the Republican presidential candidate debate in Las Vegas on CNN. Compare these results to the straw poll for a very similar group last week after the debate in New Hampshire. Herman Cain expanded his lead with this group. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich remain close to each other, and Michele Bachmann picked up some support. Rick Perry continued to decline.

This poll of a small group of Tea Partiers may seem sort of meaningless. Maybe on its face it is but this poll seems to reflect what Tea Partiers and conservatives are feeling throughout the movement, so this is a pretty good snapshot of where we stand today.
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Herman Cain Leading in Palatine Straw Poll”


Ill. State Senator Chris Lauzen Friends: We Need your Survey Vote Now!‏

From the office of Ill. State Senator Chris Lauzen (24th District)…

Can you help us out? There is an online “non-scientific” poll being conducted for the next few hours. Here’s what you need to do: cut and paste www.geneva.patch.com, and you’ll see the “Patch Poll: If GOP Primary were today who would you vote for in the Kane County Chairman race?” VOTE for CHRIS LAUZEN.

On August 13, before more than 850 friends and supporters at our annual Porky Picnic, I announced that I would run for Kane County Board Chairman. I explained that my State Senate responsibilities will continue for the next year and a quarter and my focus remains on representing the 350,000 constituents within the 25th Senate District.

Just as I pledged in my first campaign, I promise to continue to “work hard, stay honest and use the same common sense that you do in your home and business.” My top three priorities, if elected to the Chairman role, will be to Freeze the County Property Tax Levy; Treat People Respectfully; and Honest Competent Administration through Innovation and Austerity.

Our campaign momentum continues to build. Email us at campaign@Lauzen.com to volunteer for a yard sign, telephone calls or Friend-to-Friend cards. There’s still time to help circulate Nominating Petitions, too.

Chris Lauzen
Ill. State Senate, 24th District

http://www.lauzen.com/


Albracht for Senate Fundraising Success

From the Albracht for Senate campaign…

Raises $33,048.05 in 3rd Quarter Campaign nearly triples 2nd quarter fundraising totals

MOLINE, IL–The Albracht for Senate campaign bolstered their momentum with an impressive third quarter fundraising haul.

After kicking off the campaign with an $11,043.01 fundraising total in the second quarter, the Albracht for Senate campaign nearly tripled that in the third quarter, raising $33.048.05.

Bill Albracht, Republican candidate for Illinois Senate in the 36th District, said he remains focused on winning next November.

“Once again, our campaign has shown impressive fundraising numbers,” Albracht said. “We will continue to work hard to raise money, but frankly, I’m prouder of the outreach we’ve done this quarter. We’ve met hundreds of people across the district, and they are begging for new representation in Springfield. They’re tired of high taxes, high unemployment, and fiscal irresponsibility. When I’m elected to the Illinois Senate next November, I will bring common sense leadership to Springfield so we can finally tackle these issues and save our state.”

Jon Schweppe, campaign manager for Albracht for Senate, said Albracht connects with voters on many different levels.

“I never cease to be amazed by how well Bill connects with the folks,” Schweppe said. “His message of job creation and fiscal responsibility speaks to both Republicans and Democrats alike, and his record of courage, leadership, and integrity is very impressive. I’m confident that if our campaign continues to put in the hard work of raising money and meeting the people of this district several times over, we will win this race next November.”

Schweppe also pointed out that Albracht has incredible grassroots support.

“The support for this campaign is very organic and real,” Schweppe said. “The vast majority of our donations come from individuals, while Senator Jacobs received nearly all of his money this quarter from special interest groups. It’s clear that while Springfield lobbyists may be fighting for Senator Jacobs, the people of the 36th District are behind Bill Albracht.”

For more information about Bill Albracht, visit our website at http://www.albrachtforsenate.com.


Ill. House GOP Update

From the office of Rep. Tom Cross, Ill GOP House Leader…

After we filed bills to address some of the gross abuses being reported by the media in regard to the Chicago Pension funds, there have been many media outlets following the story. In the last few days I’ve talked to many reporters including Roe and Roeper on WLS radio, Mike McConnell on WGN radio and Brian Byers and Co. on WSOY in Decatur. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago News Cooperative have been following the story closely as well.

If you have a few minutes, check out the media clips below. We will be working hard to pass this legislation as soon as possible.

Chicago News Cooperative: Pension Fund Bill Causes Uproar

Click here to listen to my conversation with Mike McConnell on WGN, Thursday.

‘Insane’ even by Illinois standards? Union official to get $500,000 in pensions, http://news.ilhousegop.org/


Flip Flop: Romney Now Accepting Occupy Wall Streeter’s Premise?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Only days ago Mitt Romney was saying that the Occupy Wall Streeters were dangerous. But, true to his penchant to “grow” in his opinion (“growing” is what the rest of us call flip floping), Romney is now beginning to accept the OWS theme of “the 99%.”

The OWSers — I call them the Occupy-Whatevers because they really have no idea what they want or what they are doing — have taken to calling themselves the “99%.” This class warfare battle cry casts anyone with a few shekels to rub together in the role of the eeeevil rich.

As I mentioned, during the first week of October Romney was pounding the Occupy-Whatevers as “dangerous.” He was right about these anti-Semitic, anti-American protesters, too. At the same appearance Romney also said that the whole series of protests were exercises in “class warfare.”

But that was then.
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Flip Flop: Romney Now Accepting Occupy Wall Streeter’s Premise?”


Cross Files Bill to Protect Taxpayers from Double Dipping

From the office of Rep. Tom Cross, Ill GOP House Leader…

“Can you name any place in the world where someone can get two pensions for the same job?” said state Rep. Tom Cross, a Republican from Oswego who has been pushing for statewide pension reform. “Even by our standards here in Illinois, it’s beyond belief. It’s insane.”

This was part of a story uncovered by the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV in the last 24 hours taking a look at union leaders exploitation of a loophole created by a questionable interpretation of state statute in the Chicago pension funds.

As the media continues to uncover gross abuses in the Chicago’s pension funds, Cross filed legislation today to ensure that Chicago union officials cannot collect multiple pensions, one through the City of Chicago and one through other labor organizations for pension credit earned for the same period of service.
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Cross Files Bill to Protect Taxpayers from Double Dipping”