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  • From his home in Boise, Idaho, Adam Graham and his wife Andrea comment on American society and politics through essays, poems, stories, and good old fashioned blogging. Email him: adam AT adamsweb DOT us
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Archive for April, 2009

Miss California Stands Strong

Posted by Adam Graham on April 30, 2009

Podcast Show Notes

Obama jabs at the tea parties

Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visitwww.gotomypc.com/podcast

Miss California organizers tried to get Miss California to apologize to the gay community. (Hat Tip: Hot Air.)

Click here to download, click here to add this podcast to your Itunes

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Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

The Dangerous Good Old Boys of the GOP

Posted by Adam Graham on April 30, 2009

My latest Pajamas Media piece is up.

Since the election, the debate has raged. Who is responsible for the 2008 election debacle and the defeat of the Republican Party?

So far this question has centered on various groups’ attempts to reenact the scapegoat scene from Leviticus and cast all the sins of the Republican Party onto cultural conservatives and release their concerns into the wilderness.

The battle has been as entertaining as it has been misguided and pointless. Is there a war between economic conservatives and social conservatives? As someone actively involved in both social and fiscal issues, I’ve seen a lot of crossover between the two sides in terms of people who show up. This crossover is quite common. A leading economic conservative group, Club for Growth, often backed the same candidates as socially conservative groups like National Right to Life, Government Is Not God-PAC, and Focus on the Family Action. Newt Gingrich has begun to go around with slides showing that the most socially conservative members of Congress were also the most fiscally conservative.

I’m going to suggest an alternate conclusion. I’m going to reject the conventional wisdom that the election was lost because of the party grassroots and go out on a limb and suggest that maybe the problem is not the party’s activists. Perhaps (and I know this is shocking) the people who led the party over the cliff are the ones to blame.

The GOP doesn’t have a religious problem, a gay rights problem, or an abortion problem. It fundamentally has a good old boy problem. Let us tell the story of a primary, and we don’t have to name names, because the story is the same across the country.

Read the rest here.

Posted in Future of Conservatism | Leave a Comment »

Story Blogging Update

Posted by Adam Graham on April 30, 2009

Sorry for the delays, web host has been crazy. Part Three of StrandedTales of the Dim Knight, and Unknown Mission are up.

Posted in Story Blogging | Leave a Comment »

The Specter of Overkill

Posted by Adam Graham on April 30, 2009

We’ve had a lively dialogue on the frontpage over this issue, and I know it’s probably wearing thin. But I feel compelled to respond to Alex’s first post of the day.

Before I do that, let me state this. Specter is our opponent. It is the duty of all good Republicans to do what they can to see Arlen Specter not re-elected and to take this Senate seat back for the Republicans. Those who are right now making a political martyr out of Senator Specter are doing a disservice to the Republican Party. The debate over Specter-Toomey ended yesterday. The job of Republicans now is to defeat Arlen Specter.

Alex asks:

1. Why are you celebrating Specter’s defection while championing Norm Coleman, who was ranked just as moderate as Specter in the National Journal’s 2007 rankings?

3. Which party does Arlen Specter belong in? Is he a DINO now? You praise Ben Nelson as being a reasonable Democrat. Is Arlen Specter a reasonable Democrat?

5. Tom Coburn once told me that he would not have welcomed Joe Lieberman into the party if he had wanted to switch. Do you agree?

The first question makes a poor assumption. It assumes that all that matters is the 2007 National Journal ratings. Specter has an entire career of screwing conservatives. Take a look at American Conservative Union Ratings and you’ll see that Norm Coleman has a career ACU rating of 68.83% v. 44.47% for Specter. In addition, while Coleman may be a moderate, he does share common cause with many conservatives on  the pro-life issues as well as other key conservative points. Coleman may have disappointed conservatives from time to time, but he hasn’t turned annoying conservatives into performance art as Senator Specter has.

With regards to Senator Specter, I would consider a Democrat capable of being reasoned with. The same category I’d place Senator Nelson and Senator Lieberman in. That doesn’t mean that I’d want either of these three gentlemen in the Republican Party. I’d like there to be people on the other side who I can genuinely respect as capable reasonable human beings and not just a party of shrill left-wing Zombies.  So I would agree with Dr. Coburn.

2. Are you aware that the ladies from Maine got more cut from the stimulus bill than any of the efforts of the likes of Jim DeMint?

And it’s still far too big. Once one begins talking about these hundreds of billions dollar bills, it really doesn’t matter. One might as well say, “Thanks to the ladies from Maine, they only shot you ten times rather than twelve times.” Great, but I’m still dead.

4. Do you agree with Jim DeMint when he says that he’d rather have a party of 30 senators who all think like him than a majority party with people like Arlen Specter in it? How, then, do you intend to pass conservative legislation?

Actually, DeMint didn’t says Senators who all thought like him, but rather, “”I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don’t have a set of beliefs.”

I wouldnt’ agree with DeMint that far, because in that situation you lose 70-30. I’d like there to be 30 Senators like Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn, 22 like my Senators Jim Risch and Michael Crapo who are not always right but most of the time get it right and their hearts are in the right place, seven like Norm Coleman and George Voinovich who are squishy on some issues but can win their seats, and two like the ladies from Maine who we only keep around because we couldn’t possibly get anyone more conservative.

John Hawkins has a pretty good piece on this I’d reccomend:

The majority of Republican voters are conservative and we provide most of the money, the volunteers, the ideas, the energy, and the enthusiasm. We conservatives are involved with politics because we have principles and ideals we believe in deeply and want to see them implemented.

Cutting to the chase, we conservatives feel deeply betrayed by what has happened over the last 8 years. The GOP managed to get control of all three branches of government and other than a couple of great Supreme Court Justices, the Right has very little to show for it.

We suffered through Bush’s selection of Harriet Miers, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, the GOP trying to force amnesty and open borders on the country, growing deficits, increasing government, a GOP sponsored takeover of banks, a President who refused to defend himself or conservatism publicly, and a “Republican elite” in DC who often seemed to hold their biggest supporters in contempt.

Let me give you a comparable example:

Imagine you’re the owner of a small business and you have a problem employee (the Republican Party). He shows up late. He takes two hour lunches. He won’t do his work. He makes fun of you to the other employees. It gets so bad that it affects your business and you start to lose money, but unfortunately, with the job market in your area, replacing him would be almost impossible.

Now, after a few months of this, how much patience are you going to have with this guy when you ask him why he isn’t doing what you told him to do? Zero, right?

Well, that’s where conservatives are with the Republican Party. We’re not interested in excuses. Exhortations to “be reasonable” aren’t going to work. After eight years of being sneered at by arrogant incompetents who owe their jobs to us, we’re not really in the mood for compromise.

Which brings us to the moderates in the GOP. Make no mistake about it, the GOP needs moderate voters and moderate politicians. We cannot expect a hard core conservative to win a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 2. We can’t expect a Republican senator from Vermont or California to be as conservative as a Republican senator from Oklahoma or Georgia. Yes, people like this can make conservatives pull their hair out at times, but it’s impossible for us to have a majority or get things done without them.

However, the flip side to this is that moderates are not the majority of Republicans, they’re not ideologically coherent as a group, and they simply don’t bring enough manpower, money, or energy to the table to drive a successful political party. What that means is moderates have to be the Robin to our Batman. Conservatives, who have stronger beliefs, more numbers, and just bring so much more to the Party are not going to happily fall in line over the long haul in a moderate Republican Party.

Indeed, if moderates want to win and have seats, conservatives need to be happy at the results of the people they elected and you need a thriving conservative movement that’s actually accomplishing something worthwhile. If that’s happening, you don’t have huge challenges to moderates.

On moderates, I would probably also have a narrower of moderates in most cases, somebody in the Al D’Amato/Norm Coleman range (60-80%) rather than people like Specter.  And folks like Snowe and Collins can be tolerated only if that’s the best we can get.

In addition, I think there are some things that can generate some worthy pariah status. Speaking of which, Senator Olympia Snowe writes in the New York Times:

It is for this reason that we should heed the words of President Ronald Reagan, who urged, “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”

OF course, Snowe quotes this to argue, “Hey, lay off on Collins and me like Reagan said.” It seems Senator Snowe hasn’t bothered to read the actual quote. It’d have some validity if Pat Toomey’s primary reason for a primary challenge to Specter was abortion, but it wasn’t. Voters began to call Specter “Benedict Arlen” when he voted for a $787 billion stimulus package that he, Snow, and Collins could have killed. This was the final straw for Pennsylvania conservative.

How can you claim to be for “restrained government spending” when you support $787 billion monstrosity that’s primary function is to be a Christmas tree for every liberal interest under the sun. This betrayal came in exchange for parochial Maine and Pennsylvania pork, unconcerned with the national interests. Don’t claim defense under any quotes about “restraining government spending” after voting for Obama’s stimulus.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

The Specter of Betrayal

Posted by Adam Graham on April 29, 2009

Podcast Show Notes

Specter joins the Democrats

Obama’s broken web promise

Can’t keep track of the scandals without a scorecard

Chris Dodd thinks you’re stupid

The White House’s flyover folly

Obama abets union corruption.

A scientific advance makes dialysis easier.

Click here to listen, click here to download. 

 

Posted in Podcast, Politics-Future of Conservatism | Leave a Comment »

Good Riddance

Posted by Adam Graham on April 29, 2009

I take second place to no one on independence voting. But, it is my view that the organizational vote belongs to the party which supported the election of a particular Senator. I believe that is the expectation. And certainly it has been a very abrupt party change, although they have occurred in the past with only minor ripples, none have caused the major dislocation which this one has.

When I first ran in 1980, Congressman Bud Shuster sponsored a fundraiser for me in Altoona where Congressman Jack Kemp was the principal speaker. When some questions were raised as to my political philosophy, Congressman Shuster said my most important vote would be the organizational vote. From that day to this, I have believed that the organizational vote belonged to the party which supported my election.

When the Democrats urged me to switch parties some time ago, I gave them a flat “no.” I have been asked in the last several days if I intended to switch parties. I have said absolutely not.

Senator PHIL GRAMM faced this issue when he decided to switch parties. He resigned his seat, which he had won as a Democrat, and ran for reelection as a Republican. As he told me, his last vote in January 1983 was for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and he voted for Tip O’Neill with the view that he was elected as a Democrat and should vote that way on organizational control. Even though, he intended to become a Republican and would have preferred another person to be Speaker.

To repeat, I intend to propose a Senate rule which would preclude a change in control of the Senate when a Senator decides to vote with the opposing party for organizational purposes.

One other aspect does deserve comment, and that is the issue of personal benefit to a changing Senator. In our society, political arrangements avoid the consequences of similar conduct in other contexts.-Senator  Arlen Specter in 2001

My first reaction to the departure of Arlen Specter was, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”  and my feeling remains the same. Specter’s career ACU rating was 45%. That means that 55% of the time he voted against the conservative position. I’ll buy the premise that someone who votes with 80% of the time is our friend. Some who votes with us 45% is not.

Specter’s decision to switch parties once again makes a fool of President Bush and Senator Santorum for all their efforts to save Specter. Specter looks like a hypocrite because of his stance in 2001. He knows his seat properly belongs to the Pennsylvania GOP, but acts like its his own personal fiefdom.

Of course, I know one of my front page colleagues has shouted (and I paraphrase), “You freaking idiots! Specter won a Primary 30 years ago! That should be it. Once he’s in, to hell with choosing your Representatives, Specter should be the GOP nominee for life. You don’t have a say anymore and if you challenge an incumbent, you’re an idiot.”

Or perhaps, I take him out of context. I believe that power flows from the governed and I don’t believe an aristocracy of continual re-nomiantion for someone who betrays time and time again the principles for which members of the political party stand.

In his leaving statement, Specter said he was elected as part of Ronald Reagan’s big tent. Of course, the big tent phrase and philisophy was advanced by post-Reagan GOP Boss Lee Atwater. Reagan did however address a situation like Specter’s in 1975:

A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.

I do not believe I have proposed anything that is contrary to what has been considered Republican principle. It is at the same time the very basis of conservatism. It is time to reassert that principle and raise it to full view. And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way.

I guess all we can say to Arlen Specter is thanks for listening.

Toomey 2010.

Posted in Politics-Future of Conservatism | Leave a Comment »

Your Tax Dollars Hard at Work-Covering up Child Abuse

Posted by Adam Graham on April 28, 2009

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhfW_SE3c4c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Lila Rose is interviewed by Glenn Beck about her going undercover in Tennessee as a 14 year-old and a Planned Parenthood counselor to go and lie in court in order to get an abortion. Planned Parenthood defenders swear on a stack of Bibles that this is an isolated incident. But this is the eighth clinic around the nation. How long does this have to go on until it’s consdered a fundamental cultural problem within that organization that should cost it taxpayer’s funding?

Posted in Abortion, Video Blogging | Leave a Comment »

JFK v. Barack Obama

Posted by Adam Graham on April 27, 2009

Reading through some quotes from John F. Kennedy, I was struck by how much the Democrats had changed over the years. Take this quote:

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.

Can anyone imagine Obama saying that? Or consider this statement of clarity that shows a serious understanding of foreign policy:

Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.

Obama takes foreign policy so lightly as if it’s an international PR event. Consider these other JFK quotes that Obama could never utter with any credibility:

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it.”

“Israel was not created in order to disappear – Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.

“It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”

The tax on capital gains directly affects investment decisions, the mobility and flow of risk capital… the ease or difficulty experienced by new ventures in obtaining capital, and thereby the strength and potential for growth in the economy.

There is always inequality in life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are wounded and some men never leave the country. Life is unfair.

From JFK to BHO, the story of the decline of a great political party into madness.

Posted in Barack Obama | Leave a Comment »

Cheers and Boos: April 26

Posted by Adam Graham on April 26, 2009

Boos to 11 of the Idaho House  Democrats for their votes to accept the Senate Amendments to H0096 and raise the fuel tax 6 cents a gallon. If you’ll remember, a couple weeks before, the entire Democratic Caucus voted against two cents a gallon increase because it would put too much burden on Idaho families. So let me get this straight, a two cent increase is too much, but a six cent increase is just right? Is it too much to ask for legislators to be consistent.

Cheers to the Five Treasury Valley Democrats who cast logically consistent votes. My Representatives, Durst and King both voted against the increase as did District 17 Representatives Bill Killen and Sue Chew, while Freshman Brian Cronin chose logic unlike his more senior colleague.  In District 16, both Democrats voted for the tax increase.

Boos to the Idaho Democrats for holding their second closed caucus of the year.  Senator Nicole LeFavour (D-19) explains part of the reason and suggests that Dan Popkey could learn a lesson or two on proper reporter procedure from Jean-Luc Picard:

Of course this open caucus thing got a bit out of control this year. In the House, Dan Popkey, whom I like, apparently sat in on an open Democratic strategy discussion and then went off and asked a Republican chair woman what she thought of the strategy before the strategy could be put to use. Call me wierd but when I was a reporter I think I did see myself a bit like the starship Enterprise exploring the galaxy under the prime directive. Report but don’t interfere or do anything that would change the outcome of the news.

Well, as it’s a totally open caucus. In theory, I could also sit down, listen in and report what happened in the Caucus to Speaker Denney. Or am I considered one of the crew of Dan Popkey’s starship?

My stance is that Caucuses ought to be closed. They represent internal strategy sessions. What the Democrats have done is make a big deal about having open caucuses and then begun to back off in a way that’s pretentious and hypocritical. The issue means nada to the average Idahoan and it’s time for Dems to stop the sanctimony.

Boos to Rep. Tom Trail (R-6) for writing regarding reforming and consolidating election laws:

The election reform measure which would have limited most Idaho elections to two days a year, in May and November down from four dates now, has re-emerged as a bargaining chip. The new bill proposes giving $3 million to cities and counties to pay their share of new costs. The new bill would come up with the needed funds. Frankly, I think this bill can wait.

Tom Trail’s motto, “Citizen involvement can wait.”

Boos to Governor Butch Otter (R-Id.) for deploying Bruce Newcombe to help with his tax increase effort. Dan Popkeyw writes:

House Assistant Republican Leader Scott Bedke said Newcomb’s approach was a gentle reminder that Otter is the GOP standard bearer and deserves a break. “Mostly, it was ‘He’s your friend; call him,’ ” Bedke said.

Yep, it’s the good old boys watching out for each other.

The “He’s your friend” thing is bizarre. The tantrum of 35 vetoes was not a “friendly action” and you can bet bottom dollar that many Republicans are going to face primary challenges from Otter allies even if Otter doesn’t make a public show of challenging them. (I speak as someone who received a call from Idaho’s First lady urging me to vote for Gail Hartnett.)

As for Newcombe, it’s his good old boy status that even allows him to continue to have a place in state GOP politics. He intentionally tried to sabotage the Republican Candidate for Congress in 2006, but you get away with that if you’re a good old boy. Ironically, the same people who will be all cuddly with Newcombe will have a problem with Rex Rammell because of his Senate challenge to Jim Risch. Though, the main difference I see between what Rammell did and what Newcombe did is that Rammell was at least honest about it.

Three Cheers to the State House: The following Tweet was sent out last night by Wayne Hoffman:

idaho gas tax rally monday called off; organizers told tax plan is dead

Our representatives heard us.

Posted in Idaho Conservative | Leave a Comment »

Why Are All the Good Stimulus Made in China?

Posted by Adam Graham on April 26, 2009

Member of President Obama’s Economic Advisory board: China had better stimulus.

Feinstein ca$hes in.  (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

The hopelessly corrupt John Murtha.  (Hat Tip: Instapundit.)

Lack of responsibility: woman sues McDonalds for being beaten up by a homeless man.

Palin opens legal defense fund.

Save the DC Voucher program: Yes, we can.

Obama’s MADD Highway pick. (Hat Tip: Stop the ACLU.)

Napalitano: Illegal Immigration isn’t a crime.

Card Check fraud in Ohio. (Hat Tip: Red State.)

 Teacher’s Unions v. Charter Schools. (Hat Tip: Education Watch.)

Second Amendment update from Gun Watch.

Obama ’s ultra-pro abortion Secretary of HHS vetoes a late term abortion bill

Tennessee Planned Parenthood tries to coach a 14 year old to lie to get an abortion.  

Study shows abortion side effects.

A Christian Democratic State Senator holds the line on same sex marriage.  (Hat Tip: Wizbang Blog.)

Community college calls out day of silence as propoganda tactic. (Hat Tip: Right Mind.)

Christians need to wake-up to the dangers of hate crimes bills.

Music by Ken Kurland via the Podsafe Music Network.

Click here to listen, click here to download.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

It’s Our Government Too…

Posted by Adam Graham on April 25, 2009

Dave Frasier at the Boise Guardian reports:

In what can only be described as a legal atrocity, an official of the Republican Party was convicted Tuesday in Fourth District Court of trespass–in a public building.

The conviction of Christopher Pentico came because a State copper told him to leave the Capitol Annex last March after making some legislators “uncomfortable.” The State copper also told him to stay away from other offices, including that of Guv. Butch Otter.

There seems to be only a slight descrepency in stories, but days after the 2008 warning from the copper, Pentico visited the office of the Guv at the Borah Building located at 8th and Bannock. He dropped off some documents, inquired about an appointment and left.

That’s when ISP copper Jenes Pattis chased him down outside, handcuffed him and eventually issued a TRESPASSING ticket!
After a year of court appearances, a trial was held before Magistrate Kevin Swain who allowed little evidence, found Pentico guilty, and set sentencing for May 11.

Pentico, a district 22 Republican committeeman, is known in political circles as a conservative with continuing issues at Boise State University over issues relating to funding clubs with student fees. He favors giving equal funds to clubs with religious affiliation. He also claims there is a conflict of interest in some decision making because the deputy Attorney General assigned to the Borad of Ed is husband of a BSU dean at the college of engineering. 

The story is disgraceful and worse yet, no legislator or group of legislators has come forward to take responsibility for the action or explain what the heck it was that Pentico did to anger them. I’ve spoken to several people who know Pentico and they indicate he’s not of a threatening stature or nature. And as Frasier noted, he’s not rude or disorderly.

The best possible explanation I’ve received for what may have made people uncomfortable revolve around issue of physical appearance (he has long hair) and perhaps race, or perhaps more patently discomfort with the issues he was brought to the legislature. None of this is a good excuse for denying a citizen their right to be in the seat of government.

The government belongs to us all and while I’m sure I might make some legislators uncomfortable, as long as I’m not doing anything illegal or disruptive, as a citizen, I have a right to be there.  So do all citizens. So does Chris Pentico. We deserve an explanation and we need to make our voices heard with our legislators and with these prosecutors.

A citizen should not face six months in jail for trying to lobby their representatives.

Posted in Idaho Conservative | Leave a Comment »

And She Shall Wear A Crown

Posted by Adam Graham on April 23, 2009

Podcast Show Notes

TARP and new Obama programs: open to fraud big time.

Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast

The example of Miss California.

Click here to download, click here to add this podcast to your Itunes

IMPORTANT: Please take our listener survey

Posted in Podcast | Leave a Comment »

Governorship in the Balance

Posted by Adam Graham on April 23, 2009

The events of the past few days have been stunning. Governor Butch Otter issued 35 vetoes of House legislation, 33 of which were vetoes of appropriations bills meant to keep the legislature in town to pass his vision of transportation funding.

After Otter vetoed eight bills to show the legislature he meant business, the State Senate amended a House bill removing the ethanol exemption and amended it to raise gas taxes six cents a gallon and raised registeration fees. The House sent a clear message by voting 55-15 to kill the bill, and then Otter issued his 25 vetoes.

Speaker Lawrence Denney (R-9) was trying to make progress and thought he had shot before Otter vetoed 25 more bills. Denny says Otter’s not helping:

“He’s setting in concrete the votes that were maybe – I mean, they’re not happy,” Denney said. “Truly yesterday we thought we had a way forward,” he said, involving the removal of the ethanol exemption, raising DMV fees, “and possibly a fuel tax with an economic trigger. We were starting to shop that around when he vetoed those bills – and the talk stopped. I would hope that he wouldn’t veto any more bills, and that we can start talking again.”

Otter has made his governorship around taking an all or nothing approach to transportation-and getting nothing.  Otter could have had $68 million for transportation had he accepted it back in 2008. Now, in the midst of the recession, Otter can’t even get that. He could have, however, had $13.2 million annually from getting rid of the Ethanol exemption, but his Senate allies had to foul up the bill by loading it up with a gas tax increase three times the amount that came closest to passing in the House.

Governor Otter this past week has shown all the diplomacy and tact of a run-away freight train this week. In addition, he has failed to grasp the times in which he’s governing. If there were an Out of Touch magazine, Otter would be the cover boy.

I was there when Bryan Fischer asked the crowd at the Boise Tea Party whether they consented to have their gas taxes increased and the “no” was resounding. The public isn’t in the mood for a tax increase, particularly on the order of what Otter is asking for.

Melissa Clouthier had a piece warning that complacent Republicans had a lot to fear from tea parties in terms of primary challenges. It seems to me that Governor Otter is a prime example. He’s stumbled into a lose-lose situation.

If the legislature raises taxes in opposition to what is the popular will, particularly in the Republican Primary, Butch Otter will almost certainly face a stiff challenge. Even a total unknown could probably get 30% of the vote.

What if Otter fails, the Senate caves into the house and budgets are passed over the Governor’s veto without transportation funding? Simply, put, Butch Otter will be a failed governor. He’s made the focus of his administration: transportation and through his overbearing tactics, he’ll have gotten next to nothing and far less than he could have gotten with a better temperment.

Democrats have an opportunity in 2010 if they could find a good candidate, but they really don’t have anybody.  When they run the relic like Larry LaRocco in two consecutive elections, you know there’s just not much on the old bench.  A quick inventory of Democrats shows they have state legislators, most of which could not be elected outside of their own districts or who are too moderate (Mary Lou Shepherd, Branden Durst) to gain the favor of the Sun Valley-North End Democratic establishment. There’s Mayor Dave Bieter who really has no future outside of the City of Boise, and then Democrats are left with a few rural county commissioners and local officeholders scattered throughout the state, and not a whole lot else.

So, Otter’s governship will be tested in the Republican Primary. It’ll be close, and if Closed Primaries carry the day prior to the 2010 Primaries, Butch Otter will see his public career go down in inglorious defeat.

Posted in Idaho Conservative | 1 Comment »

A Sucker for Evil

Posted by Adam Graham on April 20, 2009

The big whup: Obama tells cabinet to find $100 million in cuts.

Obama appeases evil.

Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast

Click here to download, click here to add this podcast to your Itunes

IMPORTANT: Please take our listener survey

Posted in Barack Obama, Podcast | Leave a Comment »

A Sucker for Evil

Posted by Adam Graham on April 20, 2009

The big whup: Obama tells cabinet to find $100 million in cuts.

Obama appeases evil.

Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast

Click here to download, click here to add this podcast to your Itunes

IMPORTANT: Please take our listener survey

Posted in Barack Obama, Podcast | Leave a Comment »