Category: Politics

How Much Spending Will GOP Cut?

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Evidently not the $100 billion they promised:

Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year. Now it appears that Republicans agree.
As they prepare to take power on Wednesday, Republican leaders are scaling back that number by as much as half, aides say, because the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, will be nearly half over before spending cuts could become law.

More at Hot Air. I’m not sure that anyone will be outraged over this. The important thing is for Congress to move in the right direction and stop the kind of out-of-control deficit spending by which Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats increased the national debt by $5.2 trillion in four years.

Excerpts from Speaker Boehner’s opening speech today:

“The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. This is their Congress. It’s about them, not us. What they want is a government that is honest, accountable and responsive to their needs. A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public it serves.”

That’s the written text, which doesn’t include the part where he gets all choked up and starts crying. (It’s OK, Mr. Speaker, we like the crying.) Boehner’s speech — crying and all — will be livestreamed.

Speaking of Congress, by the time you read this, I’ll be in D.C. getting acquainted with the 112th Congress. Or maybe pulled over on the side of I-270 getting acquainted with a Maryland state trooper. Either way, I don’t know how long I’ll be offline. I’ve got some more posts pre-scheduled for later today.

Thanks to Mike in Ardmore, Virginia in Centerville, Jeff in Walla Walla, Will in Dallas, Mark in Spring Valley, Richard in North Hollywood, and Mike in El Segundo for their recent contributions to the Shoe Leather Fund.

Speaker John Boehner’s Swearing-In: Less Glamorous, More Choked Up and Crying

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The Washington Post:

Austerity is the theme of Republican John A. Boehner’s installation as House speaker this week, placing the start of this new Congress in stark contrast to the more lavish festivities that marked Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s swearing-in four years ago.
On Wednesday, following a bipartisan prayer service at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Boehner will recite the oath and take the gavel from Pelosi with the attendant pomp and no more – except, perhaps, a few tears.
Then the 61-year-old Ohioan will deliver his maiden speech to the new House, which includes a huge cadre of freshmen lawmakers. Many of them are rambunctious Republicans who sailed into Washington with the tea party winds and are determined to use their new majority to undo much of President Obama’s legislative record.

Don’t expect Hollywood celebrities. Do expect some crying. And lots and lots of Ohio people:

John Boehner would have a sizeable crowd in Washington Wednesday to watch him be sworn in as the 61st Speaker of the House if it were only his blood relatives coming.
Boehner is the second oldest of the 12 children of the late Earl and Mary Ann Boehner of Reading; and 10 of his siblings and their families are going to Washington for the swearing-in.
But hundreds of others are coming as well, by plane, automobile and buses – cousins, family friends, campaign volunteers, Republican Party officials from all over Ohio, and tea party activists who supported the West Chester congressman’s “Pledge to America” campaign that led to the GOP taking over the House in the November election.
“There are a whole lot of us here who want to pay tribute to John’s accomplishments,” said David Kern, a Liberty Township trustee who is chairman of the Butler County Republican Party.
“It’s something we are very proud of – that the speaker of the House comes from Butler County, Ohio,” said Kern, who will fly to Washington Tuesday for the Boehner swearing-in and festivities. “That’s something to celebrate.”

BTW, I’d like to go down to Washington to cover Wednesday’s ceremonies opening the 112th Congress, checking in with some of our favorites like Ann Marie Buerkle and Allen West. So if you want to hit the tip jar for $10 or $20 to help with expenses — gas, parking, bribes for Maryland State Troopers who clock me doing 91 mph in a 65-mph zone — that would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Supporters of North Carolina’s Renee Ellmers will celebrate her swearing-in Wednesday at the Hay-Adams Hotel.


The Bold, the Brave, the Wrong

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American Spectator associate editor W. James Antle III rang out the old year by highlighting his most misbegotten predictions of 2010:

4. Christine O’Donnell is a no-hoper in the primary. I wasn’t confident enough in that one to make the prediction publicly, but I did dissuade an intern from writing a piece that took her ability to beat Mike Castle seriously. Oops! Though in my defense, it was before she caught on with conservatives nationally — the prerequisite for a successful Tea Party challenge this year.

Heh. Smitty was one of the first bloggers to spot the O’Donnell juggernaut, and I spent three days in July shadowing Team Christine at the Right Online in Vegas. Still, when I traveled to Dover for Primary Night coverage, I went there secretly expecting Castle to squeak out a win.

O’Donnell’s upset win in the GOP primary seemed to me such a miracle I thought it would provide the kind of Cinderella-story momentum that would carry her to victory in November.

That didn’t work out so well. Nevertheless, no regrets.

What I can’t understand, however, is why my buddy Jim Antle would “dissuade an intern from writing a piece that took her ability to beat Mike Castle seriously.” What’s wrong with doing a serious story about a long-shot underdog?

If you surrender to that kind of “inevitability” thinking, then front-runner status becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn’t it? Besides which, it’s possible to do a story about an underdog that takes his candidacy seriously while at the same time acknowledging the long odds against him. Maybe that kind of reporting is beyond the skill level of an intern, but it can be done.

Good political reporting shouldn’t always be about jumping aboard the front-runner’s bandwagon, and ought not be dependent on anyone’s prediction of the outcome. Because sometimes the front-runner doesn’t go the distance, and sometimes the winner is a dark horse.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

She’s More Catholic Than the Pope

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Lisa Graas wants to update the “about” page on her blog, and is looking for commendations from other bloggers, so there’s mine.

Lisa always kids me about the fact that among the top referrers to her blog, it’s a bunch of hardcore Catholics and me. Being a pro-life Protestant (and father of six) probably explains that. Anyway . . .

Lisa is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs, whatever the cost. She was leading the PalinTwibe — the Twitter posse for Sarah Palin — and advocating for Bill Johnson in the Kentucky GOP Senate primary. With Rand Paul also in the primary, her advocacy made Graas an especial target of the Paulistas, and if you’ve ever seen those guys go to work on somebody . . . well, they never heard of a “fair fight.” It got rough.

But then it got rougher: When Sarah Palin endorsed Rand Paul, Lisa had to make a choice and she decided to resign from the PalinTwibe rather than to back down from her opposition to Paul.

However much you may disagree with Lisa’s stance (and personally, I’m OK with the Paulistas, even if their online fanatics are cruel and obnoxious), you have to admire Lisa’s commitment to principle. In a political environment where “go-along-to-get-along” is the prevailing ethos, Lisa Graas stands firmly for her principles.

You don’t have to agree with her. But you’ve got to respect her.

PREVIOUSLY: “Lisa Graas Takes on the Paulistas”

UPDATE: Also, she gives good FMRJA. Speaking of which, we’re way overdue for a few inspirational words from Gunnery Sergeant Hartman:

Welcome to the Parris Island of the blogosphere.

Herman Cain Invited to Iowa Forum

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Note the way the reporter phrases it:

Likely 2012 presidential candidates have been sniffing around Iowa for months on book tours and under-the-radar speaking engagements. But now the entire field — all dozen or so possible GOP challengers — are being invited to a megachurch on the outskirts of Des Moines for a March 7th candidates’ forum–the first of its kind for 2011.
And the question is: Who will be so bold as to come?
Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, says the group plans to send invitations out this week to anyone who has expressed the slightest interest in the 2012 Republican nomination. That means everyone from Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum. Even Atlanta radio host Herman Cain will get an invitation.
“I’d think that these potential candidates would like the chance to come have a dialogue with evangelical Christians,” said Mr. Scheffler, one of the state’s most prominent GOP organizers and a member of the Republican National Committee. . . .
Attending a prominent candidate forum in Iowa in early March could be the first overt step some of the challengers take toward a 2012 bid.

“Even Herman Cain”? What’s that “even” all about? Meanwhile, The Hill has an interview with Cain:

By his count, Cain has visited Iowa six times in the past year and has supporters making calls to key activists in the state. He’s also made three trips to New Hampshire, one to South Carolina, four to Texas and two to Florida.
In an interview, the one-time Senate candidate and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza told The Ballot Box that he’s serious about running and thinks he can shake up the race for the 2012 GOP nomination.
“I would represent that unconventional, non-establishment candidate that a lot of people are looking for,” said Cain, a conservative black Republican who described the current field of GOP hopefuls as “the usual suspects.”
“I respect them,” he said of the Republican names in the mix. “God bless them. But the more people running, the better.”
Cain will form an exploratory committee early in 2011, but doesn’t expect to make an official decision on a run until “several months into the new year.” . . .

Read the whole thing.

Christine O’Donnell’s Not a Witch, But They’re Gonna Burn Her Anyway

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What to make of reports that former Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell is under federal investigation for campaign finance violations? Her campaign manager Matt Moran is quoted by ABC News:

“The anonymous source seems politically-motivated and may well be tied to the ultra-liberal, George Soros-financed, former Sen. Biden staffer-run CREW [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington] complaint,” Moran said.
The left-leaning watchdog group filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office and Federal Election Commission in September alleging the Republican candidate misused campaign funds.
“These charges are already being addressed with the FEC,” he said. “We are confident that they will be resolved in the New Year, and put an end to the frivolous sensationalism regarding this matter.”

Moran’s got a point. The FEC usually handles campaign-finance investigations in a quiet manner and it is seldom much of a headline when the FEC imposes a fine. More importantly, nine times out of 10, violations are only really newsworthy when they involve the winner of an election. The American Spectator‘s Aaron Goldstein asks: “If O’Donnell is under federal investigation shouldn’t the FBI apprise O’Donnell before they tell the AP?”

The attempt to inflate this investigation into a big story — top of Memeorandum — via leaks prominently featuring anonymous Delaware Republicans most likely represents the state GOP’s desire to drive a stake through O’Donnell’s political heart. It’s spiteful and pathetic.

The Delaware Republican Party is a ridiculous joke, and state GOP chairman Tom Ross is the punchline. But O’Donnell does herself no good by responding with conspiracy-theory accusations.

UPDATE: Dan Riehl chews the Weekly Standard‘s John McCormack a new one and points out that Melanie Sloan of CREW has clear ties to Democrats.

As to Dan’s accusation that I was “link-whoring” with my disparagement of conspiracy-theory explanations: O’Donnell’s worst enemies have always been Tom Ross and the state GOP insiders. So for her to say that Democrats were the ones pushing the FEC investigation — and to make it sound like “Joe Biden’s out to get me” — sounds nutty.

That Democrats may be wanting to clear a path for Beau Biden to take over for Chris Coons in 2012, OK. That both Republicans and Democrats may therefore have motives to bury O’Donnell, OK. But for the candidate herself to be saying this stuff . . . well, it’s just too Nixonian.

Cousins for Cain?

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Who is that muscular giant with tattooed arms shaking hands with Herman Cain?

That’s my cousin Brian Buchanan, who lives near Atlanta and — last time I talked to him — was working as a nightclub bouncer. He sent me that photo by Facebook and told me that he took our cousin Pepper Ellis-Hagebak to hear Herman speak on the square in LaGrange, Ga., in May. (I’d imagine Pepper’s head exploded. She’s kind of a liberal.) If Herman ever needs personal security, I’m sure Brian would be available. Continue reading Cousins for Cain? →

More Herman Cain Awesomeness

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The term “Herman Cain porn” was coined at Red State to describe videos like this one from Citizens4Cain:

The “next Reagan” label is a heavy burden, but even if Cain is not equal to the Great Communicator — is anyone, really? — he is at least a Doggone Effective Communicator. Like I said, “Steve Forbes with charisma.”

BTW, there were some negative comments on yesterday’s post — “Herman Cain: ‘We Have People on the Ground’ in Early Primary States” — which I’m hesitant to describe as the work of outright trolls. To the one commenter who said my “gushing over Herman Cain is starting to get embarrassing,” I’ll say this:

  • Which candidate do you prefer in the GOP primaries? If you want to make an argument on behalf of one of the other Republican candidates, please do so.
  • You really ought to read this 1994 Newsweek article that highlights Cain’s key role in helping defeat HillaryCare.
  • I became aware of Herman Cain during the 2004 Georgia Senate primary, when my older brother — a truck driver who still lives down home in Douglas County, Ga. — called me to share his support and praise for Cain. That really got my attention and, if you knew my older brother, your reaction would have been like mine: “Wow. This guy must be the real deal.”
  • I first interviewed Herman Cain in May 2007, after he’d returned to WSB radio following his cancer treatment. And in a post from April, Smitty described me as a “Herman Cain Fanatic,” as I spoke to Smitty by phone immediately after hearing Cain’s speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. All of which is to say that my enthusiasm for Cain shouldn’t surprise anyone.
  • My enthusiasm for Cain, however, is not to be confused with hostility to anyone else’s favorite candidate (unless your favorite candidate is Mike Huckabee, in which case you need to get back on your medication.) I like and support both Sarah Palin and Mike Pence, I’ve defended Haley Barbour, I’ve got nothing against Mitch Daniels, and I’ll remind you that I supported Mitt Romney in 2008 (as did Herman Cain, by the way). So it’s not a zero-sum game.
  • Finally, it’s more than a year until the Iowa caucuses and there’s no telling what’s going to transpire between now and then. So if any particular candidate is not your first choice, don’t sweat it — and be careful about going to war against a candidate who might be preferable to your least favorite candidate.

If Doug Hoffman’s NY-23 campaign and the “No One Red Cent” rebellion in support of Marco Rubio convinced you of nothing else, it should have convinced you that I love nothing better than to support a grassroots David against the establishment Goliath.

Look, I remember when Allen West couldn’t get the time of day from the GOP establishment; next month, he’ll be Congressman Allen West. And I also remember arriving in NY-25 on a Sunday when, barely two weeks before Election Day, the front-page news was a poll that had Ann Marie Buerkle trailing by 12 points. Next month, she’ll be Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle.

In a David-vs.-Goliath situation, you don’t start by trying to calculate the odds of success, because the odds are liable to be so daunting as to inspire helpless despair. But let me ask you this: What were Herman Cain’s odds in 2006, when the doctors diagnosed him with Stage 4 cancer? Think about that before you say Cain can’t win.

As my father used to tell me, “Can’t never could.”