Oil Prices Spike Again

Oil Prices are hitting all time highs.  I heard on the radio that if oil prices are $200.00, then gas prices will be over $6 / gallon.

 

My oh My, what will happen to our economy?

 

I know that I have cut back on my "Extras" to offset the increases in gas and food prices.  I have tried to limit my work-day lunches.  I still have to drive to work but I am trying to cut back on other areas. 

 

Obama isn't really coming up with a  plan to bring gas prices back in line.  McCain needs to come up with a louder message to fill the silence.

 

To Victory in 2008,

JD

 

Another Enviromental Engr questions Global Warming Theories

Dr X and I were at a dinner reception for an Environmental Firm. During the dinner, Dr. X was talking to another experienced Environmental Engineer. This Environmental Engineer (lot of experience) mentioned his theory that global warming was attributed to fluctuations in solar radiation. He has tried to write articles for peer reviewed journals.

However, there seems to be a black-out for alternate theories. He said there is research that can validate solar radiation is more significant than CO2.

So, my personal conclusion: The scientist need to debate Global Warming in a peer reviewed setting. I do not think we should conclude as fact, that Gore is leading the world in the correct direction. I think this is all about money and who is benefiting by forcing one thought process down our collective economies.

To Victory in 2008,
JD

RNC looking for Volunteers

The RNC needs volunteers for the convention.  Go to www.msp2008.com/volunteer in order to volunteer

Obama Adviser: Pooh Bear, Luke Skywalker Hold Lessons for Foreign Policy

We are totally doomed!  Obama's people are referencing Pooh Bear and Star Wars on how to handle foreign affairs. (see article below)

America's security is not a children's book.   The problem has been we haven't been making the difficult choices.  He wants us to make even less difficult choices.  

Maybe Danzig answered the question of why people are drawn to Senator Obama....we live mundane lives and have no ambition. 

Internet Friends: 

"I can tell you my life is not mundane and I have ambition.  Maybe that is why I am not interested in Obama and his so-called Winnie the Pooh world of change. "

To Victory in 2008,

JD

by FOXNews.com

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Foreign policy architects could benefit from studying Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars, according to a Barack Obama adviser who is set to attend a meeting of the Democratic candidate’s national security work group Wednesday.

Richard Danzig, former Navy secretary under President Clinton, drew several creative and unusual analogies to explain the challenges America faces overseas during a foreign policy conference in Washington, D.C., last week, according to an article in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

In arguing that the country should back off a policy that causes too much pain, Danzig said, “”Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security.”

He read a section from the children’s book where Pooh Bear hurts himself going down the steps because he hasn’t stopped to think of another way.

During his address to the Center for New American Security, Danzig also said much can be learned about the motivations of terrorists by looking at, for instance, soccer fans who become absorbed by violence or even the Star Wars movies.

According to the article, Danzig said a terrorist from the 1995 Tokyo nerve gas attack once told him: “We have been raised on a theory of superheroes. We all want to be like Luke Skywalker.”

Danzig argued that anyone who leads a “mundane” life and loses his or her ambition can be tempted by the promises of an extremist group or leader.

Danzig was expected to meet Wednesday as part of Obama’s 13-member Senior Working Group on National Security.

It includes former members of Congress and high-ranking Clinton administration officials.

 

 

Prayers to our friends in Iowa

Dr X and I met at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Ia.   I went to Engineering School at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.   Needless to say we have friends in Iowa and Iowa holds a special place in our hearts. 

 

We are sending our prayers to those impacted by the floods, with extra prayers for our friends in Iowa.  Our adopted home-away-from home!

 

I ask that prayers be offered to those impacted and please visit the Red Cross for information on how to help our Iowa friends.

 

To Victory in 2008,

JD

 

GUEST BLOGGER Dr. X Speaks: Is there really a correlation between global warming and carbon dioxide?

New American Republican Mom is pleased to introduce a Guest Blogger, Dr. X. Dr. X has a PhD inEnvironmental Engineering.

I convinced him to share his thoughts on Global warming. It is my hope to have him blog in the future about this topic and other Environmental topics. Comments are encouraged.

___________________________________________________________

Recent years have seen the widespread promotion of the hypothesis that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion has lead to an increase in the global mean temperature. Additionally, a wide variety of actual or perceived phenomena, including the breakup of polar ice, changes in the behavior and ranges of various wildlife species, and increased frequency and intensity of severe weather events has been attributed to global warming. Proponents of this hypothesis point to numerous computer models and historical data which exhibit a correlation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the increase in mean global temperature, both corresponding with the beginning of the industrial revolution. The hypothesis has been promoted to such a degree that many politicians, academics, and lay people across the world now accept it as fact. However, an hypothesis cannot be accepted as fact unless supporting data lead to acceptance of the hypothesis and rejection of all possible other alternative hypotheses. It is my opinion that, while data collected to date do not support rejection of the carbon dioxide hypothesis, neither do they support rejection of any number of alternative hypotheses.

For example, none of the global warming models I have seen predict that carbon dioxide alone is capable of creating the temperature increases that have been observed. In all of the models, water vapor is required as an additional insulating gas. An incremental increase in carbon dioxide causes an incremental increase in temperature, which causes an incremental increase in atmospheric water vapor, which causes a further incremental increase in temperature, which causes a further incremental increase in water vapor, and so forth. Thus, carbon dioxide just starts the flywheel in motion, but water vapor does the heavy lifting.

Additionally, the notion that any impact humans had on the environment may be correlated to the onset of the industrial revolution shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. However, we started doing lots of other things besides just burning fossil fuels during the industrial revolution. We started using more of all our natural resources during that time. Most notably, we began using larger quantities of water in different ways than we had before. In fact, shortly after the industrial revolution came the agricultural revolution, with increased crop production and much greater use of water resources for irrigation. Our increasing population required greater infrastructure in terms of paved roads, buildings, and parking lots, all of which limit the infiltration of water back into the ground. All of these activities would lead to an increase in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere and, potentially, modification of the hydrologic cycle in some areas. As fossil fuel powered the industrial and agricultural revolutions, it shouldn’t be surprising that any environmental effects of these activities, whatever the direct cause, could also be correlated to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

So, if our models suggest that water vapor is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and we know that much of the industrial and agricultural revolutions involved the conversion of water into water vapor, why do we focus on carbon dioxide as the root cause of global warming? From a pragmatic standpoint, water vapor has a much shorter half-life in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, meaning that it is rapidly cycled between the liquid and gaseous states. This makes water vapor concentrations very difficult to track, and any trends in water vapor concentrations difficult to observe. Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, is subject to less dramatic variation, and trends in carbon dioxide concentrations are easier to track. Scientists would therefore tend to focus on a master parameter that they can accurately measure, because an unmeasurable master parameter is virtually worthless.

That explains why the scientists are focused on carbon dioxide, but why have the politicians promoted this hypothesis so fervently? Certainly, placing limits on water usage in the largest contributor of water vapor, agriculture, would not be politically expedient. In particular, agriculture industries in tropical or arid locales would be disproportionately large contributors of water vapor to the atmosphere, and would be subject to the greatest restriction on water usage, further impeding the advancement of developing nations.

The prospect of placing limits on fossil fuel consumption, the basis of economic power in the developed world, however, presents an opportunity to level the global economic playing field. There is also the added benefit that we lack sufficient data to reject the carbon dioxide hypothesis, and that nobody knows how to identify or measure any success of our carbon curtailing efforts. Do we measure success as a decrease in the loss of polar ice? If so, which pole?

I liken the current climate of the global warming debate to the discussions that must have occurred among the ancient inhabitants of volcanic islands. When the volcano erupts, the local witch doctor hypothesizes that the gods are angry. He further hypothesizes that, in order to appease the gods, a tribesman must be sacrificed to the volcano each month. After months of successful implementation of this practice, the volcano erupts again. When confronted by confused and angry tribesmen, the witch doctor of course concludes that the gods must require the sacrifice of two villagers instead of one. And so goes this cycle until either all the tribesmen have been tossed to the volcano, or somebody begins to suspect that there is some other cause and, therefore, solution to the problem.

We are currently at the point where the witch doctor is urging us to begin throwing tribesmen into the volcano. I hope we can identify the root cause and solution to this alleged problem before we fill up the volcano with tribesmen.

DR X, 2008

(please credit www.newamericanrepublicanmom.blogspot.com)

It's a dog-gone sad day - Leona Helmsley's Dog Loses $10 Million of Trust Fund

Monday, June 16, 2008, Source:   AP

Leona Helmsley's beloved pooch, Trouble, will have to live the high life on a lot less.

The Maltese, 9, lost $10 million of her $12 million trust fund to charity after a judge signed off on a deal that gives the late billionaire's disinherited grandchildren a piece of the Helmsley fortune, the New York Post reports.

The deal, approved by the New York State Attorney General's Office and Surrogate's Court Judge Renee Roth, reduces Trouble's trust fund to $2 million, placing the rest of the money into Helmsley's multibillion-dollar charitable foundation, the paper said.

Disinherited grandchildren Craig Panzirer, 40, and Meegan Panzirer Wesolko, 37, will now receive $4 million and $2 million respectively, the Post said.

Trouble is living in Florida with Carl Lekic, the general manager of the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel, the paper said.

The dog's annual expenses are around $190,000, he said.

______________________

 

I think the Dog needed a better advocate!   How will the DOG live on a mere $2,000,000. The pittance!  $190,000 a year in annual expenses, the shame of it all.

 

I think this is another example of another attorney that wrote a trust document and will that was worthless.  And an example of another wealthy individual that was out of her mind, with to much time on her hands to think of ways to make people argue about her after she died.  But maybe that is the point, she didn't get along with her grandkids in life.  After she died, who would talk about her if she didn't make it a special?

 

I am glad to see that most of the money went to charity and it seems like everyone resolved it. 

 

It is likely that the attorney that wrote the crazy documents, made money on both ends (during the drafting and the contention phase).

 

Which might be the point.......

 

To Victory in 2008,

JD

 

______________________

FW: In Passing: Tim Russert

 

 

 

When I started to get into politics, Tim Russert was my idol.  He was thoughtful in his commentary and he had a perfect job.   Sometimes, I thought he could have been tougher, but maybe he he eased off the gas in order to get the individuals in front of him to lower their guard and give you a sliver of their real thoughts.  It has been over a decade since I started watching Meet the Press.   Getting up on Sunday and turning on his show was a mainstay of my morning routine.  (Yes, I realize most of you are shaking your heads!)

 

I will miss Tim’s viewpoint the remainder of this season and in political seasons to come.  I send my sympathies to his family.

 

 

 

 

Dr X tells me that oil will hit $7 a Gallon

Dr. X and I had a conversation this morning. He tells me that they are now claiming oil will hit $7 a gallon. My Kate in Chicago tells me that gas in Chicago is $4.25 / gallon for regular gas. In the past year, the cost of gas has doubled and the barrel cost hit over $138. Did you know they developed Iraq's budget assuming a $30 barrel of oil. There is something amiss folks, something is wrong!

UNBELIEVEABLE.

The typical American will be broke and not out consuming goods and services. They are not going to be able to put gas in their cars and are not going to be able to fund the endless busses that will be required. (Busses will need more funding, I.e. more tax dollars. There will not be the funds to do it, so they will raise rates.)

There are those that are looking forward to this day because they long for an America that uses less cars to transport themselves to the retailer of their choice. They say we should crowd into more sustainable communities in the City. Umm, America works in the suburbs in most places. A more dense population has its own difficulties, yet, they don't acknowledge those realities. They are mistaken in that dream of a less mobile America.

A less mobile America will mean we spend less on gas but also less on retailers, dining, service fields, construction, etc. Basically less consumption. If we consume less, our economy will fall further into recession (gasp, depression). Our economy (and the world's economy) is driven by America consuming goods and services. We do not make hairdryers, toasters, etc here anymore. We staff stores, sell gas, go out to eat, see movies, etc. If one segment falls, then the next person can't do their part in Consumption America, and so on and so on.

We have outsourced our manufacturing, we are outsourcing our Engineering (yes, we our outsourcing our Engineers). We are becoming less self-dependent and becoming more dependent on disposable services/trades. We are losing valuable and useful skill-sets because we changed our focus to consumerism. (Yes, Sergio you are correct. We spent ourselves to prosperity and will spend ourselves to default. I agree it isn't sustainable.)

So, America we are in a pickle. We need to drill or at least build some refineries. Yes, we need renewable energy too. Why can't we have both? We need to stop the madness! Darn those polar bears, do they pay our bills all they do is swim and sleep. They are not helping us resolve our issues. We should care about the environment but we need to think of a solution that is not contained in a one-stop solution.

America needs to stop playing in the sun, winter is coming. We need to prepare what will happen to our economy if Dr. X is correct.

Grasshopper, start following the ants and start preparing your house.

To Victory in 2008,
JD

Taxes for Oil Companies = Higher gas prices for us!

They just don’t get it.  If they raise taxes on the Oil companies, the Oil companies will pass the taxes on to you and me!

 

What is complicated about this concept? 

 

To Victory of 2008,

JD

 

Potential Guest Blogger

I might be having a guest blogger. 

 

Dr. X has agreed to write a piece regarding Global Warming, if I can think of an interesting name for him to post under.    Dr. X is an Environmental Engineer and has some interesting thoughts on the topic. 

 

It was quite a feat trying to get him to agree to blog.  First, I had to explain the concept of a blog and how you blog.  He likened it to Smurf village where everything is "smurfy". 

 

For example:  My guest Blogger will be blogging on the Blog regarding Global Warming.   

 

He was quite frustrated that the word "Blog" is being used as a Noun, Verb and descriptive article. 

 

Blog Thoughts by Dr. X to be forthcoming...once a name is settled upon.

 

To Victory in 2008,

JD

 

 

Don't try to out sell the Used Car Salesman!

Neil C on Fox had a good point. He said that McCain should just be who he is, the comfortable grandpa. Don't try to be hip and cool, McCain can't do it. Just be who you are.

I completely agree. Obama is the Used Car sales person. He promises us the car he is selling is great. The family just wanted to trade up. Nothing wrong, it is freshly washed. The interior is cleaned up and fresh. Has that new car smell. No reason to think it is anything but what he say it is, a great new-used car.

But you know the story, the moment you pay him the money, the car gets messy and then that click-clank noise starts and you find out the transmission is bad. You take it back to him, and he then tells you "It was a used car. What did you expect?" And then you are left on the side of the road, Wondering why did you fall for the same song and dance.

McCain can't be someone who he isn't. He can't be shinny and new. He can't be the cool guy who people flock to rub his head (Yes, they are rubbing Obama's head at rallies). He can be what he is. He can be the grandpa that we love, he can be the grandpa that give us timely advice and tell us things our parents can't tell us.

McCain can lead us home even when we aren't sure we still want to be there. He can be a great leader. He just needs to be himself, and even though he seems uncomfortable in the spotlight.

America will follow someone real because we know the what the Used Car salesman will give us in the end.

To Victory in 2008,
Jennifer D

Ps:

Anyone have any good suggestions for a VP pick for McCain or Obama? And Why?

"Secret Meeting" with Obama and Clinton by the fireplace and McCain Question

 

Gosh, hearing Diane F speak about facilitating the Obama / Clinton meeting sounded slightly like a date.  She said they had drinks by the fire.  She left them alone to discuss their issues.

 

Is this how we run politics in 2008?  The first woman who ran for President is resorted to being comforted by the fire?    I am ill at the thought.  This is exactly the opposite of the image that the first woman candidate needed to project.  Lose with dignity, lady.  Lose with dignity and leave the trail clear for the next woman!

 

And where the heck, is Senator McCain?    Speaking about the new ad, it is a little too dark lighted for me.   The lighting was to hide the right side of his face.  He really didn’t tell us anything in the new political AD.  Yes, you hate war.  BUT what are you going to do?  Is there going to be a follow-up to tell us more?   What is the plan, Senator?  We can’t surrender, we will regret it if we surrender!   So, tell us where you will take us.   Tell us what America will be like if you are our President. 

 

Obama is telling us, that life will be all Peaches, Roses, and happy days are here again.      There will be no problems, life will be fully of “bobby-pops” (lollypops, for those over the age of 2). 

 

What will Senator McCain take us?  Maybe we should give him some suggestions because he isn’t telling us!

 

Something to ponder!

 

To Victory in 2008,

Jennifer D

Luxury Home builder CEO declares 'depression' in housing

Toll Brothers head says market could fall by 20% and recovery could be up to three years away.

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The chief executive of Toll Brothers Inc., the nation's largest luxury-home builder, said Wednesday the housing industry is in a "depression" and any recovery could be two or three years away.

In candid remarks at the JPMorgan Basics & Industrials Conference a day after reporting a second-quarter loss, Robert Toll said he's not ready to call a bottom yet since the housing market could still get worse.

"Can the market go down another ten or twenty percent? Sure," said Toll, whose Horsham-based company will sit on cash unless a bargain land deal comes along.

He said the current housing crisis is the worst he's seen since the mid-1970s, but back then the decline was relatively short-lived. The current downturn started in late 2005.

"Maybe '74 and '75 was just as bad, but it was so short," Toll said.

Buyers' lack of confidence that home prices will stop sliding is what's keeping them out of the market, rather than lack of access to credit, he said.

He said the underpinnings for a healthy housing market are still in place: low interest rates, a low jobless rate, increases in population and accumulation of wealth. Moreover, home prices have fallen to levels seen around 2002 and 2003, making them more attractive to buyers.

When the market recovers, home prices will march right back up, Toll said.

In the meantime, builders face another headwind as the cost of materials rises - and there aren't a lot that can still be cut.

"Labor has gone along with us and squeezed themselves to the bone," Toll said.

As for materials, he added, "there's a whole bunch of them that's oil based... I see costs going up from here. So we're caught in a squeeze. Certainly, our clients aren't going to pay more money because our costs our going up."

Shares of Toll Brothers (TOL, Fortune 500) were up 29 cents to $21.89 in midday trading. 

 

McCain runs new ad in battleground states

Associated Press

TITLE: "Safe"

LENGTH: 30 seconds

AIRING: Fifty-four markets in 10 states: Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

SCRIPT: McCain: "Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war. When I was five years old, my father left for war. My grandfather came home from war and died the next day. I was shot down over Vietnam and spent five years as a POW. Some of the friends I served with never came home. I hate war. And I know how terrible its costs are. I'm running for president to keep the country I love safe. I'm John McCain, and I approve this message."

KEY IMAGES: McCain speaks directly to the camera against a black background, his face lit from his right and his left side in shadows. The ad starkly displays black and white photos of McCain's father and his grandfather, followed by images of the wreckage of his shot down A-4E Skyhawk and of a wounded McCain in captivity in Hanoi. A disclaimer states: "Military images do not imply endorsement by DOD or service branch."

ANALYSIS: The McCain campaign ramps up its general election television presence with an ad that portrays McCain as the reluctant warrior. The ad blends McCain's military biography with a cautionary message designed to blunt his support for the war in Iraq. McCain has been trying to undo whatever damage he may have caused when he speculated that U.S. troops could remain in Iraq for 100 years. He was talking about non-combat troops, envisioning a scenario akin to South Korea. But his remarks, from a New Hampshire town hall, have been made into ads by Democrats and liberal groups.

McCain, who wrapped up the GOP nomination in March, has since said he envisions victory with most U.S. troops coming home by January 2013 if he's elected.

McCain has already been running ads in some battleground states, particularly Ohio and Pennsylvania. This ad represents an expansion — a recognition that he now has in Democrat Barack Obama an identifiable general election rival. Obama clinched the nomination on Tuesday.

The ad serves both as McCain's reintroduction to voters in key states and as a palliative to those who might object to his support for the war. Indeed, while a majority of Americans are pessimistic about the war in Iraq, some polls show that they split evenly between Obama and McCain over who would better handle the conflict.

Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, called the ad campaign "a significant buy" but would not disclose the dollar figure. "This will run through the course of the campaign and we don't anticipate coming down now until Election Day," he said.

___

Analysis by Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn and Liz Sidoti

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/19604094.html?location_refer=Homepage

The Democratic Gamble

In a year so tilted toward Democrats, Hillary Clinton might have represented a safer bet to accumulate the bare minimum of 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

by Ronald Brownstein, National Journal Magazine

It’s difficult to overstate Barack Obama’s achievement in wresting the Democratic presidential nomination from Hillary Rodham Clinton—or the magnitude of the gamble he represents for his party.

Obama is the first true insurgent to win either major party’s nod since Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976. In the modern primary era, the only other insurgents to capture nominations were Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Democrat George McGovern in 1972. And none of those three defeated a front-runner as formidable as Clinton. Obama’s campaign will likely be remembered as the most successful primary insurgency ever.

That itself defines some of the Democratic gamble. An insurgent campaign inherently upsets existing arrangements and assumptions. It trades the comfort of the familiar for the exhilaration and unpredictability of the new. Obama’s campaign is no exception. He offers Democrats new electoral opportunities with the enormous passion and activism he inspires. But his hold on some voting blocs and states that the party traditionally targets looks shakier than Clinton’s might have been. Obama almost certainly presents Democrats with a better chance to redraw the electoral map and expand their coalition if all goes well. But, in a year so tilted toward Democrats, Clinton might have represented a safer bet to accumulate the bare minimum of 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. Compared with Clinton, “Obama has a much bigger upside,” says Robert Borosage, co-director of the liberal Campaign for America’s Future. “And a much bigger risk.”

That’s evident on every front, starting with demographics. Obama’s magnetic appeal to young people offers Democrats a chance not only to generate a big winning margin in November but also to cement a generation’s lasting allegiance, much as Ronald Reagan did for Republicans in the 1980s. Obama should also inspire a huge African-American turnout. And with a message focused on transcending partisan divides, he could help Democrats solidify their 2006 gains among independents, especially the well-educated ones who flocked to him in the primaries. “He could really consolidate that movement,” Borosage says.

But cumulatively through the primaries, exit polls found that Obama won only 35 percent of the Latino vote, 35 percent of the Catholic vote, 30 percent among whites without college degrees, and 28 percent among white seniors—groups that the party typically relies upon. He also faces doubts among Jews, a small bloc that might nevertheless tip the scales in Florida and Pennsylvania. Early polling diverges on whether Obama could run as well as Clinton among those constituencies against presumptive GOP nominee John McCain. Even if the answer is no, Obama could offset any erosion by posting gains in his demographic strongholds. But his struggles with such groups as Latinos and working-class whites increase the odds that he will need to assemble a new coalition to win, probably one tilted more upscale than usual for Democrats. “At the beginning, I thought we would rather run against Hillary,” one top GOP operative says. “But it is more of a challenge for him than for her to put together a coalition.”

Obama may need to construct a new geographic model, too. Either Obama or Clinton would have pursued Iowa and New Mexico. Her next tier of targets would have included Ohio, Arkansas, and even West Virginia, lunch-bucket states that all voted for Bill Clinton twice. Obama’s difficulties among blue-collar whites make him a tougher sell in those states. That makes it more likely he will need to win Virginia or Colorado, which are trending Democratic but between them have voted for the party’s presidential nominee just once since 1964.

The same contrast extends to their personal profiles. Both Clinton and Obama are history-making candidates, but electing the first African-American president might be an even greater leap than electing the first woman. Obama is stronger thematically: As a young, mixed-race candidate, he uniquely embodies his core messages of change and reconciliation. But Clinton, with her eight years as first lady, might have more easily crossed the experience threshold.

The common theme here is that Clinton’s potential route to the White House was one that Democrats have followed successfully before. For Obama to win, he probably will need to blaze new paths. That doesn’t mean he can’t, or won’t, do exactly that. It just means that in a year that Democrats might have been tempted to play it safe, they have opted for a candidate who could transform American politics—or leave his party second-guessing itself for ages.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/politicalconnections.php

Clinton will formally back Obama tomorrow

by Star Tribune

www.startribune.com

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton met rival Barack Obama face-to-face with no one else present, hours before her campaign formally announced she would endorse him Saturday at an event in Washington

Who will be Vice-President from the Republicans

The rumor is that McCain is going to select Mitt R.

Can we please have someone else?

Seriously, Mitt looks like a TV televangelist. I am sorry but that isn't going to work with the electorate. Surely, there is an intelligent person who isn't the "Winner's Way" guy.

Outside the box people, if we want to win, outside the box!


To Victory in 2008,
JD

PS:

Hillary still hasn't dropped but she appears to be closer.

Begging to be Vice-President is sad!

Watching Clinton beg to be Vice-President is just SAD! Why do women always resort to begging when they do not get what they want?

Hillary, put down the microphone, you lost. Take it like a leader, step away from the microphone and fight another day. Hillary, just move to this end of the stage, nothing to worry about. Sure, you can go back to the microphone later........Yes, you have votes. Great. I am sorry but you still lost!

(Pss, can someone go get the hook from the back room? No sudden movements, we don't want to startle her. Get the large cage to put her in, when we get her off the stage.)

The Clinton Machine FALLS

Months ago I called it that the Clintons would fall. But it is still shocking when the giant falls, with a loud thud. The echo of the fall is still making the floor vibrate.

I think McCain has a tall mountain to climb. There are a great many individuals on the fence for him. His VP choice will be a critical. He must not go to the regular watering hole to select his mate.

He must think outside the box and pick a fresh face. Many of the fence sitters, comment on his age and the fact that his male. McCain, have you considered a woman? Is there not one qualified woman out there for you to consider? Someone younger (not to young), someone fresh and idealistic.

Whatever you think about the Big Talker from Illinois (Obama), he bested the Clintons. Underestimate him, we can not!

Clinton Countdown Clock

I can not believe that the Clintons are going to conseed the nomination to Obama! Giving up is just not their style. I was fairly confident that the Clintons were going to go to the Convention. Honestly, she is can’t get the number but it the big picture she isn’t that far away either. I am surprised.

I am not sure who would be the easier candidate for McCain to run against. Hillary is a known candidate. Obama is unpredictable. I guess we all will have to wait and see.

To Victory in 2008

Jennifer

Republican State Convention

My 3 month old daughter (Claire) and I attended the Minnesota Republican State Convention. I was running for Alternate Delegate to the National Convention.

In general it was a fun experience. I enjoy having a part in the process and meeting other people who are active in political events. I met some interesting people.

I arrived Thursday in order to interview with the Nominating Committee. Claire and I drove about 2 1/2 hours from Maple Grove. They asked me several questions regarding why I thought I was qualified to run for an alternate delegate position, who I intended to support in the general election, how old was the baby, did I intend to stay with the Delegation in the hotel and did I have the funds to pay. I was aware from the proceedings in the 3rd district that I needed to be deemed qualified in the Nominating Committee process to be placed on the ballot. The Nominating Committee were professional and kind.

Let's see, the convention was fairly interesting. I was deemed "qualified" by the National Committee and placed on the ballot. Those that were not deemed qualified were fairly upset. Those that had interviews had to arrive a day early to the event. I wish they would have deemed some of those unqualified by the application and interviewed second round candidates in person. From what I hear, there were a great majority of candidates that would not have passed the application process. This step would have saved them the expense and the disappointment. Because they were new to the process (or not paying attention to the start of the proceedings), they did not get their act together to not pass the rules at the start of the Convention (Yes, this means you Ron Paul supporters). Had they organized to not pass the rules or amend the proposed rules, they could have solved their heartache later in the day.

I gave my speech and I felt it was well received. (Will post a copy later) I received over 66% of the vote (over 1100 votes). I received many supporting comments from those that talked to me after the convention.

My general thoughts regarding the Paul-ites and how they were handled. I felt that they were generally hard-headed regarding their positions. I tried to talk to some of them about their positions and what they were trying to accomplish. Several of them were determined to yell and were very angry. I tried to get them to see a different perspective. It was very difficult.

I understood their position that they felt pushed out by the party and were not respected during the process. They felt the rules were set specifically to leave them out of the process. They were correct in that regard. We have a presumptive nominee. I think the Paul-ites are still trying to argue this point and are not going to rally behind McCain.

I understand that the party did not want to be embarrassed by the situation. I do think they were a little heavy handed during the process and annoyed McCain supporters with some of the tactics. Why treat everyone as if we were the enemy? The Paul-ites were in the minority. Let them have their say and then vote them down. Would it have really been horrible to let them have a write-in vote. Numerically, they could not have sent any more delegates. They would have felt more respected during the process and your slate still would have won (just as what happened in the 3rd District).

The whole situation was difficult. I also thought it made us look a little foolish. Why make this the story? I thought it could have been handled in a less confrontational way.
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Fun parts of the convention:

- I liked the McCain hats.
- I thought the Yes/No signs were silly.
- I thought that being on two jumbo-trons was amazing! I was basically two huge talking heads!
- I managed to not fall off the stage!
- I met Karl R. and he was very nice. He took a picture with me and Claire. He also laughed at my joke.
- I met some great people.

Welcome to New American Republican Mom

Welcome to New American Republican Mom.

I am a 30-something mom with three children under 4 years of age. Both my husband and I work full-time as Engineers. Needless to say our lives are very busy. The New American Mom is a very busy woman trying to balance family and work-life.

I am a Republican for a variety of reasons; less taxation, border security, national security and I am pro-life.

Since this is an important election year, I thought I would restart the New American to post my musings and thoughts on this election and politics in general from the perspective of a New American Mom.

I recently attended the Minnesota State Republican Convention. I have some observations and thoughts that I will share shortly. It was a long two days, especially with my 3 month old daughter.

(FYI: I ran for Alternate National Delegate to the Republican National Convention. I fell just short of being elected, 15th place. 14th place and I would have made it. More Details later....)

Feel free to add your comments to the blog during this election cycle......

To Victory in 2008
JD