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8.30.00
The ACLU, People for the (un)American Way, and others uncomfortable with public expressions of faith must be reeling over the backlash the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) received by asking Joe Lieberman to turn off his religion. The ADL thinks that religion in politics is un-American. Daniel L. Driesbach, a historian at American University, said the ADL's comment was "simply unhistorical." Columbia University professor Samuel G. Freedman went so far as to say that muzzling God "runs deeply against the American experience." Our most noted leaders invoked God and religion in politics. George Washington added "so help me God" to the Presidential oath of office. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincloln, both religious skeptics, invoked God in their years of public service. Religion in politics isn't new and is not in opposition to (in the words of the ADL) "the American ideal."
"Religion and Politics a Historical Mixture"
AlGore can yap all he wants about how the U.S. military is the best in the world. It is the best. However, can he explain why 12 of 20 Army training centers received the lowest readiness rating? Can he also explain the consequences of an inadequately trained military? GW must continue to hammer Al on this issue. A weak America makes the world a more dangerous and unstable place.
"Bush Aide Says Preparedness Report Backs Criticism"
Scott is a fantasy football geek just like me. I completed my second live draft today at Yahoo. For the first time in the 3+ years of playing, I had the first pick. Edgerrin James promptly became my starting running back.
8.29.00
The Anti-Defamation League is scared that Joe Lieberman's expressions of faith on the campaign trail will cause an anti-Jew backlash. The organization couched their concern by saying that "public profession of religious beliefs should not be an elemental part of this or any other political campaign."
I beg to differ with the ADL. I'm glad Lieberman is comfortable enough with his faith to use it in his campaign. Last Sunday, Lieberman said, "As a people, we need to reaffirm our faith and renew the dedication of our nation and ourselves to God and God's purpose." I agree with him. Many social ills could be helped if people renewed their religious faith.
Some may start screaming that Lieberman is breaking down the mythical wall of "separation of church and state." Nothing like that is written anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment only says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." If Lieberman were elected as Vice President, his continued advocacy of a renewed religious faith would not put him at odds with the Constitution unless he wanted federally subsidized temples built or Judaism made the state religion.
"Lieberman Scolded for 'Inappropriate' Use of Faith"
8.27.00
James Fallows on the worthlessness of the Presidential polls:
Any set of polls that shows an 18-point swing in one week's time -- Gore going from 10 points behind to 8 points ahead, when the only thing that happened was not a war but a convention -- has to mean one of two things.
Either: popular opinions are so totally unanchored that none of the polls will mean anything until Election Day, since an apparently huge lead can vanish overnight.
Or: the public's views are less flighty and volatile than that, but the polls are such imprecise measures of real public belief that week by week variations in poll quality or technique are the real source of volatility.
"Margin of Error"
8.25.00
If you're single, without kids, have no old parents, and make over $70,000 then you'll get nothing from AlGore's social engineering tax package. Even if you do fit all of Al's qualifications, you'll need to find a really good accountant to wade through the sea of credits. On the other hand, under GW's tax cut plan everyone who works will get a tax cut because he wants to reduce tax rates. On the tax issue the choice is simple. AlGore wants a more convoluted tax code to dish out goodies to voters, while GW want to simplify the tax code and remove as much money (and political temptation) from Washington as politically feasible.
"In Tax Plans, Truth Is Closely Budgeted"
For some, mapping the genome would be the end all of biology. But Clay Shirky sees it differently:
Bioinformatics is vastly extending both the observable and predictable effects of our genes, and far from revealing a tidy recipe for each of us, it is discovering that their effects appear messier and broader the better we come to understand them. Our genotype creates our phenotype, but our phenotype creates much of the environment we live in; far from solving the puzzle of life on the old terms -- asking which gene creates the fingers and which the toes -- the sequenced genome makes whole new kinds of questions possible, questions that don't assume the effects of genes on bodies, or bodies on environments, are simple or one-way.
I seek comment from unofficial TAM bio-guru (and now clean shaven) John at genehack.org.
"After Darwin: Beyond Alchemy"
Bill Clinton might be setting up a nightmare scenario for GW and Congressional Republicans. A budget for next year still has to be passed. The deadline is 10.1, two days before the first scheduled debate between GW and AlGore. Clinton is definitely capable of something like this to help Al and legitimize his legacy. Hell, he ordered military strikes on the Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq to draw attention away from Monicagate. A government shutdown would also help Hillary in her battle with Rep. Rick Lazio.
"The Dreaded Endgame"
Quote of the Day goes to Ann Coulter:
In an embarrassing fluke, the sappy biographical video shown before Gore's speech included a Halloween photo of Al Gore dressed up as Frankenstein. This remained the most natural image of Gore shown throughout the convention.
"Space Alien Tells Funny Jokes in Bathtub"
8.24.00
I actually have some respect for these tree huggers. Instead of running to the government and forcing taxpayers to pay for a forest they love, they're willing to "bear all," raise money, and buy the land. I'm a firm believer that property rights along with the common law are the best ways to protect the environment. If you're skeptical about free market environmentalism visit the Policital Economy Research Center web site, read "The Common Law: How it Protects the Environment," or get a copy of Free Market Environmentalism.
"Save the Trees"
8.23.00
What was Saddam Hussein thinking when he tossed scud missiles on Israel during the Gulf War? Luckily none of them contained bioweapons or Iraq would have become a smoking crater among a sea of radioactive glass. I mention this because the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has 100-200 nuclear weapons. Note to self: don't tick off Israel.
"Israel 'May have 200 Nuclear Weapons'" [via Drudge]
Like Mike, I've had some time to think about AlGore's speech at the Democratic Convention. My opinion hasn't changed since I watched it last week. It was wonkish and poorly delivered. AlGore promised the world and wrapped it up in cynical populist rhetoric. "Free" prescription drugs, more federal money (and federal control) to local schools, extensive regulations on HMOs and insurance companies, and social engineering (not "targeted") tax cuts were all on the platter AlGore offered to the American public. There was no vision in that speech; it was more like a State of the Union speech than a Presidential acceptance speech.
This also wasn't a "New" Democrat speech from Bill Clinton or someone from the Democratic Leadership Council. It was Walter Mondale in 1984 or even George McGovern in 1972. Bill Clinton may have said the era of Big Government was over, but AlGore must have been asleep when he said it. But the reason for the old school liberal turn was simple: Gore needed to rev up his liberal base. Sounding like Teddy Kennedy of years past was what he did to accomplish this, but it might alienate moderates and independents. I say, might, because AlGore and GW are neck in neck.
I'll conclude by quoting the brilliant Peggy Noonan:
But I must tell you that right after the speech I did some talking-head commentary and tried to express my disappointment, and was told by pols and pundits alike that "this is the real Gore," and that we should feel some satisfaction that he showed us who he is. Well, if that's who Mr. Gore is, he's a loser.
8.16.00
Last night at the Democratic Convention showed the deep split between the party leadership headed by the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) and rank-and-file liberal delegates. The division is like the walled off podium separating speakers from the audience at the Staples Center. Last night featured Democratic history by speeches by Caroline Kennedy and her uncle Teddy. The Democrats also used last night to feature liberals from their party like Jesse Jackson and Bill Bradley to shore up AlGore's soft base. Most interesting was Bradley's attack on the eight years of Clinton/Gore. He talked about the millions without health insurance and the children still in poverty. For Bradley, nothing has been done for these people. Without saying it, Bradley implied that Clinton/Gore really did coast during these years of prosperity.
The most energetic speech wasn't in prime time. Jesse Jackson talked about the GOP's "fusion confusion" and their "illusion of inclusion." Jackson's most interesting comments were on all the talking head shows after the convention. He talked about a "disconnect" between the DLC and the rest of the party. Last night was a way to boost the morale of liberals who aren't thrilled with another Clinton/Gore/DLC administration and are considering Ralph Nader.
For AlGore, this wasn't a great convention night. The talk wasn't about him, it was about the Democrats' past (Kennedy), dissatisfaction with centrist policies (Bradley and Jackson), and Bill Clinton. On MSNBC, a panel talked about Clinton's entrance to his speech on Monday night for 10 minutes. Tonight, the focus will be a little closer to Al with Joe Lieberman taking center stage. But this convention was to be AlGore's latest introduction to the American people. The convention focus hasn't been as sharp as the GOP's convention and that may play out in the AlGore's post-convention bounce.
8.15.00
Night 1 of the Democratic Convention featured America's "co-Presidency:" The Hill and Bill Show. Mrs. Clinton stepped up to the podium that was a wall separating her from the audience. Compare this to the simple podium GW spoke from with steps leading down to the audience. That stage itself symbolized the GOP's attempt to appear as a more open and inclusive party. Hillary spoke from her walled podium and made a very forgetable speech. She said for eight years AlGore and Bill put "people first." They especially put "children first" (except for the unborn). The Democratic mantra of Medicare drug prescriptions, protecting Social Security, and social engineering through the tax code (targeted tax cuts) were also mentioned.
When Hillary was finished, it was 20 minutes to 10 CDT. Bill was going to run past prime time--something he and his handlers hated. His big entrance was shown on the video screen above the stage. There walked Bill through the corridors of the Staples Center like The Rock coming down to the ring on Monday Night Raw. The delegates screamed and cheered. Forgetting the fact he's the only elected President to ever be impeached and that their party lost control of Congress under his leadership, they still love him. He brought them out of the Carter/Mondale/Dukakis wilderness and into political power. Bill entered the stage, not to "Hail to the Chief," but to some royal fanfare fit for a dying emperor.
Bill's speech was merely an encapsulation of all his accomplishments of the past eight years. He took credit for the booming economy--an economy that began its historic run during the final months of George Bush's administration. Unemployment was down; home ownership was up; crime was down; teen pregnancy was down; the government has a surplus instead of a deficit. All this was due to Bill. He said "we" a lot in mentioning these accomplishments, but you knew he meant "I." The Narcissist-in-Chief was in front of an audience that would give him all the love and adoration he wanted, and he soaked it all in.
But Bill had to move beyond his own self-aggrandizement. The point of the convention isn't to honor Bill, but to sell AlGore to the public. Bill called picking Al as veep as the "best choice" of his administration and said Al "really understands the future." Clinton even gave him a character reference. He said AlGore "is a profoundly good man." This came from the liar-in-chief who had the good character to have an affair in the Oval Office and blow up a factory in the Sudan to draw attention from his personal scandal.
But in the end, Bill couldn't resist the barbs aimed at him by Bush/Cheney at the GOP convention. "America's success was not a matter of chance. It was a matter of choice," said Clinton in response to GW's charge that Clinton/Gore coasted along with the good economy. What he couldn't do is link any of his policies to the good economy. He tried to make the case that his 1993 tax increase (the largest in U.S. history) led to a lower deficit, lower interest rates, and economic growth. But interest rates are controled by Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve not Bill Clinton.
There was no mention of impeachment. There was one slight mention of his scandals when he said, "Whatever you think about me, keep putting people first." I really thought he would apologize, ask the delegates (and the American people) for forgiveness, and tell them not to blame AlGore for anything he did. That didn't happen.
The response to the speech was positive. Peggy Noonan said it was the "best political speech of his Presidency." Democratic state chairmen loved the speech so much they want Bill to campaign for AlGore all across the country. It's a thought I'm sure makes the Gore camp cringe. Many of the delegates also thought it would be really tough for AlGore to top Bill's speech.
While Bill was speaking, his anti-Vietnam past returned. Outside the Staples Center, riot police broke up a Rage Against the Machine concert after some people set fires and tried climing over a fence. There wasn't any serious injuries, nevertheless, it reminded me of the archived footage of Chicago in 1968.
Tonight is the Kennedy love fest with JFK, Jr's sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Teddy Kennedy speaking.
John Fund noticed what happened after Bill Clinton finished his speech:
The evening ended on an appropriate note: Right after Mr. Clinton's speech, a Broadway troupe strutted on stage to perform a number from "The Music Man," the classic play about a con artist who tries to corrupt a community.
"Party of One"
Computer use is cutting into prime time television around the world. In the June Media Metrix report Net usage was heaviest during the hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"Portals, ISPs Most Widely Visited Everywhere But US"
Liberzine discovered this great bit of government propaganda for kids starting their own business. Even if you open a lemonade stand and ask a friend to help out the feds want you to get an Employment Identification Number (EIB) and file lots of forms. You should do this so you can pay your "fair share" of taxes so the government can pay for schools, playgrounds, highways, and the military.
"The Ministry of Information for Kids!"
8.14.00
The lavish web coverage of the Republican National Convention didn't result in more participation.
Even though the media thought the convention was too slick and content-free, the public discovered GW's stance on many issues.
"With all the talk of how empty and vacuous the Republican convention was, the public still got accurate information about issues that matter," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. "There is learning here."
"Republican Convention Garners Little Attention Online"
Adam declared today Webloglog Appreciation Day because he killed Webloglog. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted. If you really loved Webloglog, send him some e-mail. Let Adam know how important Webloglog is (was) to our online lives.
8.13.00
David Horowitz knows why GW will win in November:
Because the Republicans are energized and united, they can reach out to the center, to independent voters and the undecided. This means they can afford to be confident and inclusive. As a coalition, they can afford to focus on winning today, knowing that there will be plenty of occasions to define their differences tomorrow. In the decisive months of this campaign, they can offer a vision that is positive and elevating, and that unites Americans behind a common purpose. A vision that is generous and responsible, compassionate and conservative. In other words Republicans can take to the American people the image of a governing party.
While the GOP runs as a "governing party," AlGore has the arduous task of separating himself from the stench of Bill Clinton. Putting Joe Lieberman on the ticket and stopping a fundraising party at the Playboy mansion are just the tip of the iceberg. The big challenge will be to get Bill to ride into the sunset quietly after his big speech tomorrow. It's a real bind for AlGore. He wants all of Clinton's benefits (good economy, high job approval) but none his public sins (impeachment, fundraising scandals). Moving away from Clinton's negatives will be even harder because AlGore is intimately tied to them. After impeachment he said Bill might go down as one of the greatest Presidents, and don't forget the Buddhist temple. But AlGore's biggest problem is he still has to define himself to the public after years of serving as Vice President and months of campaigning.
"Why Bush Will Win"
8.12.00
The Zimbabwe government may find out what happens when they don't respect private property. Because of their zeal to take land from white farmers and give it to the landless, local bankers don't want to lend to farmers because of the uncertainty of being repaid. No loans means no money for seed, fertilizer, and farm equipment. A food shortage may be looming.
One of the benefits of private property is that it puts some certainty into an economy. Before the government confiscations, the bankers knew who was accountable for loans outstanding--the private land holder. Now, the banks are at the whim of government meddlers who act based on political reasons and not economic ones.
"Zimbabwe Seen Headed For Severe Food Shortages"
8.11.00
Def Leppard just re-launched their website. It's much better than the old version. No goofing around with new windows. Just a straight forward design. It may seem a little cheesy to like them, but I saw them last week at the Wisconsin State Fair. They still rock, and they still have a following.
According to Zogby, most Americans thought GW gave an excellent acceptance speech last week.
"Thumbs Up for Bush's Speech"
I saw Coyote Ugly today. It was everything I expected: a fun, unserious, sappy movie filled to the brim with beautiful women. Rich Lowry didn't think much of the movie, but I had no expections except that it would be a sappy chick flick covered with gorgeous women. After seeing Piper Perabo, I swear I went out with a women who looked a lot like her. I was a lucky man.
First there was Alec Baldwin egging on Conan O'Brian's audience to stone Rep. Henry Hyde and his family. Then there was the Craig Kilborn shot (pun intended) at GW. Now, Bill Maher made a tasteless joke about Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter. A few years ago, Rush Limbaugh got in trouble on his television show for showing a picture of a dog and saying it was Chelsea Clinton. He's still getting the occasional complaint on his radio show (something most folks at Metafilter don't listen to). Will Maher be forced off his show? Will he be publiclly shamed by the media? Will ABC force him to go to sensitivity training like Major League Baseball forced John Rocker? No, no, and no.
"Classless Act"
8.10.00
John Dvorak is right that the dramatic increase in hard drive capacity spawned the MP3 craze. I remember my computer from 4 years ago. It was a Packard Hell--I mean Bell--with only 500MB of disk space. There was no way I would have built a collection of MP3 files on that little machine. No empty hard drive space, no room for MP3s, no demand for MP3s, no Napster, no freaked out music industry.
One "inadvertent" ("unintended" is a better word) consequence of big hard drives is software bloat. MS Office 2000 comes on two disks. Browsers started around the 1MB range and are now big 12-16MB monstrosities (except for Opera). While this may be good for those users who love all the supercool new features a company can pack into a program or game, it doesn't provide an incentive for more elegant and smaller coding.
"Inadvertent Consequences"
Even though Charley Reese prefers an America based on the agrarian 1800s, he's smart enough to understand that GW is the best chance for the nation's future. GW's compassionate conservatism "is the only kind of conservatism that has a chance of winning. It is the only kind of conservatism that is appropriate for this country at this moment in time. It is a kind of conservatism that I can support without agreeing on every single issue or policy point." Bill doesn't like it because he thinks GW's a socialist, but GW is the only choice for getting America back on track to its constitutional roots.
"You Can Decide -- Save the Country or Commit National Suicide" [via ETWOF]
8.09.00
I'm really tempted to move TAM to weblogs.com. I've had the name reserved for some time. Moving would mean I don't have to do the monthly archiving (I know, I'm late for 7.00.) and page design would be easier. Then there are the added features weblogs.com provides. I could start up an email list and discussion area. Maybe I could even open up TAM to a select few outsiders and turn it into a mini-National Review. Even Buckley had to start somewhere. I've been on the Web since it's infant beginings and realize my skill is in writing and pontificating and not in design. I'm looking for feedback.
8.08.00
AlGore followed my advice and picked Joe Lieberman as his veep. Al needs all the help he can to distance himself from Bill the Intern Advisor. I agree with Peggy Noonan that this is a wonderful moment in American history. "This is really a great day. We should all be happy. We really are a maturing democracy," wrote Noonan. A Jew is on a major party ticket. Lieberman could become the first Jewish Vice President. This is parallel to 1960 and JFK.
I'll love to see how Lieberman can square the moral circle with Gore. Lieberman was the first Democrat to publicly chastise Bill Clinton over Monicagate. Now he's running with a man who thinks Bill Clinton will go down in history as one of this country's greatest Presidents. Also, what does Lieberman think about AlGore's fundraising adventures?
The GOP is already to counter the Lieberman pick by saying it underscores AlGore's desire to cleanse himself of Bill C.'s stench.
"Gore Picks Sen. Lieberman for VP"
8.07.00
Mucho kudos to Stopcarnivore.org. Not only are they fighting the good fight, but they linked to TAM.
8.06.00
Michael Kramer says AlGore's first pick for veep is Sen. John Edwards (D-NC). The Gore camp thinks Edwards could pull a few southern states (along with North Carolina) to Gore. The downsides are his lack of experience (he's been a Senator only 17 months) and his past career as a trial lawyer. I'm sure GW's people would drool at comparing Edwards, the inexperienced trial lawyer Senator, with Dick Cheney, the architect of the Persian Gulf War victory.
Politically, AlGore's best bet is Joseph Lieberman (D-CT). That pick would deflate the Clinton character issue, because Lieberman was the first Senator to publicly rebuke Bill over Monicagate. Lieberman would also take some punch out of GW's call for less divisiveness in Washington, because he's joined conservatives on many cultural issues. One other big plus for Lieberman is he's Jewish. A potential Jewish Vice President could be huge in getting out the Jewish vote in Hillary Clinton's Senate race in New York.
"Aides: Al Leaning Toward Edwards"
8.05.00
Today Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have eliminated the marriage tax penalty. He said it was fiscally irresponsible. What's really irresponsible is building up huge budget surpluses and not returning the money back to the public.
Clinton's the best politician around, and he isn't just giving GW and the Republicans something to run on. He's trying to paint the GOP as a foolish, risk-taking party. Clinton's using scare tactics to instill fear of a recession and budget deficits if GOP tax cuts are enacted. He didn't called it a scheme--GW took that word out of AlGore's vocabulary Thursday night--but you could sense the uncertainty meme Clinton tried to implant in the public psyche.
"Clinton Vetoes Tax Cut in Election-Year Salvo"
8.04.00
GW delivered a good acceptence speech last night. I'll give it a triple. It's good enough for a triple because he gave Americans a reason to vote for him. He offered a vision of optimism along with specific proposals that swing voters craved. More importantly, GW looked Presidential. Even though a professional speech writer and political operatives wrote the speech, the words were GW's. He spoke from his heart and was authentic. I can't give him a home run because he was a little stiff and a few of the phrases didn't seem like his words. It's tough for me to give a really good grade for a political speech. Few people are capable. Reagan was one; Clinton is another.
The speech went after the wasted years of Clinton/Gore. "Our current president embodied the potential of a generation. So many talents. So much charm. Such great skill. But, in the end, to what end? So much promise, to no great purpose," said GW. He said the military was ill prepared, that many poor children can't read, and that Clinton/Gore failed to address problems with Social Security and Medicare. GW called for action. "This adminstration had its chance. They have not led. We will."
Bush took a particular shot at Clinton over his scandals. He didn't mention impeachment, but it was strongly implied when he said, "Our generation has a chance to reclaim some essential values, to show we have grown up before we grow old. But when the moment for leadership came, this administration did not teach our children, it disillusioned them."
But the speech wasn't merely a critique of the eight years of the Bill and Al Show. GW needed to tell the public his vision of where he wants to take the country. Bush's vision lies in American greatness, not coasting through prosperity. "The rising generations of this country have our own appointment with greatness," said GW. Clinton/Gore failed as the first Baby Boom administration. GW wants his administration to write, "not footnotes, but chapters in the American story."
Bush told the story of a 15-year-old convict who asked him, "What do you think of me?" He then went on to say, "If that boy in Marlin believes he is trapped and worthless and hopeless – if he believes his life has no value, then other lives have no value to him – and we are all diminished." Then Bush pledged to tear down the wall that separated "wealth and technology, education and ambition" and "poverty and prison, addiction and despair." GW's solution is summed up in his definition of compassionate conservatism: putting conservative values and ideas "into the thick of the fight for justice and opportunity." The tone is very Reaganesque. There optimism and hope in those words.
Bush's compassionate conservatism is an activist agenda based on conservative principles. In practice, this means some un-conservative proposals: increased funding for Head Start; a prescription drug package in Medicare; government promotion of faith-based organizations. These proposals mean more government involvement, so I'm very wary. But it's what Bush believes, and it's much better than the old liberal throw-money-at-the-problems solutions. It's new thinking for a new era.
Bush reinforced his conservative credentials by calling for tax cuts, partial privatization of Social Security (not nearly bold enough but a start), building a missile defense system, and promising to sign a bill banning partial-birth abortions.
The speech must have went well, because the liberal press seemed dejected talking about it. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter was sullen, and CNN's Mark Shields looked depressed when he said Bush gave a good speech.
Uberspeechwriter Peggy Noonan loved the speech. Seeing excerpts before the address, she thought this was something special. Afterword, she said it was a "very good, solid speech," "uncompromisingly conservative," and "remarkably loving." Liberal historian Doris Kearns Goodwin thought the speech was "extraordinary" and said that GW "seemed mature."
The most important response I was looking for was from the swing voter focus group of Frank Luntz. To them, Bush was a hit. 35 of 36 swing voters thought more highly of Bush after the speech. He offered them the substance they craved--so much so that they didn't mention the jabs at Clinton/Gore.
I have no idea how much of a bounce GW will get from the convention or how much that lead will diminish when the Democrats hold their convention. Nevertheless, GW introduced himself to America as a serious, visionary leader fully capable of leading the nation.
GW's Prepared Text
8.03.00
Night 3 of the GOP Convention finally gave the Republicans in the hall and across the country some red meat to chew on. The night belonged to veep candidate Dick Cheney. His theme was "It's time for them to go." "Them" being AlGore and Bill Clinton. He advocated tax cuts, education reform, and strengthening national defense. Cheney spoke directly to the armed forces when he said, "help is on the way." and said GW will be a President "men and women in uniform" can respect. He said Clinton/Gore talked about fixing Social Security but without "once offering a serious plan to save the system."
After two nights without a direct mention of either AlGore or Clinton, Cheney laid it on thick. He was "dismayed by opportunities squandared" by the present administration because during years of prosperity there has been "little purpose in the White House." In a shot to AlGore's campaign, Cheney used Bill Bradley's description of "a thousand promises, a thousand attacks." The speech ended with a tribute to those who died to keep America free. Then Cheney called the delegates to action. "Let us go forth from this hall in confidence and courage, committed to restoring decency and honor to our republic."
It was a good speech from a man who most thought was dull and drab. While not flashy, the speeched showed off Cheney's seriousness, dignity, love of country, and firm opposition to Clinton/Gore.
The speech may have been just what the conservative delegates craved, but it may not have had any effect on swaying moderates and independents--the focus of the convention so far. Frank Luntz's focus group on MSNBC was finally energized and divided tonight. Those in the group who leaned Republican liked the speech. One man loved that there was actually some politics at a political convention. Others thought Cheney was too negative and focused on Bill Clinton. One woman didn't like the attacks on Clinton because he's leaving office. One conclusion I find from the focus group is AlGore and Clinton aren't as closely linked as Republicans might hope. Voters see the faults of Clinton as Clinton's and not AlGore's. Trying to morph AlGore into Bill will not work because Bill is leaving office. That's their way of dealing with Clinton fatigue--just let him fade away. If GW's campaign works on morphing over offering voters positive reasons to vote for GW, Gore will win.
Another conclusion from the focus group is that swing voters hate any rhetoric remotely negative towards an opponent. The GOP has disdain for Bill Clinton and ate up every chunk of beef Cheney offered. But watching the approval graph, independents didn't care for it at all. GW's people saw this (along with their own polls and focus groups) and it reinforces their positive campaign tactic. So, Cheney's speech livened up the convention and energized the GOP, but it didn't make a real difference electorally. GW's speech tonight will be much more important in setting the tone of the campaign going into the fall.
I don't know what's more shocking: Chris Shays (R-CT) saying he thinks Bill Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick TWICE, or Shays voting against Clinton's impeachment.
"Shays Shocker"
Jonah Goldberg comments on the tight security at the GOP Convention:
But if you do choose to attend the convention, you must run a gauntlet of security measures which, if they had been adopted by the Department of Energy a year ago, would have saved Bill Richardson's prospects for the vice-presidential slot. You would think they were looking for weapons-grade plutonium, from the degree of constant scrutiny being leveled against nice old Republican ladies in sequined-elephant hats. There are, literally, credential checkpoints at the bottom of each escalator and at the top of each escalator — as if some rogue agent, having passed through a dozen previous checkpoints including, possibly, a vigorous proctological screening, might be able to get onto the strategically vital escalator to the mezzanine only to be stopped by a 70-year-old lady volunteer in tennis shoes.
If security is so tight, then how did Ralph Nader get into the First Union Center, get press credentials, and get onto the floor of the convention to do an impromptu interview on corporate control of politics? Who gave him credentials? Did the guilty media organization want to "make news" at a slick, carefully orchestrated event? Will Pat Buchanan get onto the floor of the Democrats convention?
"Security Up — and Down — the Wazoo"
8.02.00
Anti-gun nuts took a Mike Tyson shot to the gut today when the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that said there was no effect on firearm homicide and suicide rates between states that implemented Brady Law gun restrictions and states that already had them. The thinking behind the study went that if the Brady Law prevented firearm homicides and suicides, there would have been a significant difference between states that implemented the 1994 law and states that already had such restrictions. That isn't the case. The study summed up its findings, "Our analyses provide no evidence that implementation of the Brady Act was associated with a reduction in homicide rates. We find no differences in homicide or firearm homicide rates to adult victims in the 32 . . . states directly subject to the Brady Act provisions compared with the remaining control states."
The study upset anti-gun nuts who mumbled something about the Brady Law stopping interstate gun sales. It's a nice piece of spin because today's study doesn't address interstate gun traffic, and there's been little research on interstate gun traffic.
"Brady Law's Effect Is Discounted"
Veep wannabe Dick Cheney is the highlight of the GOP Convention tonight. Policy Review interviewed him back in 1993. Very enlightening. I'll pull out a few quotes to give you a feel for Cheney's political beliefs:
Early in my career -- 1971 to early '73 -- I worked on the Cost of Living Council, and during much of that period I was assistant director for operations. I oversaw 3,000 IRS agents in their efforts to enforce wage-price controls. It demonstrated conclusively, if any demonstration was needed, the foolishness of a central bureaucracy in Washington trying to control something as complex as the American economy, in terms of setting wages and prices and profit margins for every enterprise and man and woman and child in the country. Proposing wage and price controls was one of President Nixon's biggest mistakes. And the notion now that the Clintons are talking about -- some system of price controls as an integral part of their health-reform package -- is a grave cause for concern. Nobody's smart enough to write the regulations to do, by fiat, what we're able to do by letting the marketplace work.
One of the problems with wage and price controls is that economic decisions suddenly become political decisions. People perceive that policy-makers are making decisions about wages and prices, so they rush in to lobby the policy-makers. Then the politicians get involved. Imposing controls politicizes what should be a non-political or economic process -- the allocation of resources in the economy. One of the worst consequences is that the entrepreneur spends all of his time trying to figure out how to manipulate the controls in order to make a profit instead of trying to figure out how to build a better mousetrap and outcompete his competitors.
Then there's his defense of the Persian Gulf War--something non-interventionists (especially on the Right) should contemplate:
The best way to evaluate Desert Storm is to consider what the world would be like today if we hadn't fought and won this war. If we had taken a pass on Saddam's occupation of Kuwait, by today he would have the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and would sit astride about 50 percent of the world's oil reserves, which he could control directly when you add up Kuwaiti, Saudi, and Iraqi oil reserves. He'd be able to dominate the rest of the reserves in the Persian Gulf. And he'd have nuclear weapons. We had to stop this from happening. And we did.
We did exactly what we set out to do in Desert Storm. We liberated Kuwait, and we destroyed Saddam's offensive capability. Those were the two objectives we talked about repeatedly in the run-up to the war, and once we achieved those objectives, we stopped operations.
"Calm After Desert Storm"
The second night of the GOP Convention was focused on honoring the past and talking about national security. There were video tributes to former Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush with much of the crowd getting teary-eyed over Reagan's tribute.
Desert Storm leader, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf stated the lack of military readiness. "As of 1999, the number of fighting army divisions ready for war had shrunk to less than half of what they were before Desert Storm. The navy's battle force in the last eight years has been cut by one third. And, the air force reports that it is now called on to mount four times as many operations with a force that has been cut by forty percent. Meanwhile, service enlistment targets fell short again this past year, there are re-enlistment problems as well, and 6,300 military families are now eligible for food stamps." said Schwarzkopf.
GW's number one foreign policy advisor Condoleezza Rice emphasized the importance of foreign affairs. She said GW's administration would not use the American military as "the world's 911." Building a missile defense and fighting for free trade would be priorities for GW, according to Rice. In addition to stating portions of GW's foreign policy, Rice had some of the sharpest barbs of the whole convention towards Clinton/Gore when she said, "It all begins with integrity in the Oval Office." She also said, "He has demonstrated in this campaign that he will never use foreign policy for narrow partisan purposes." The missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan during Monicagate comes to mind.
For the finale, John McCain addressed the convention. He fully supported GW; he wanted to see politicians put "personal interests before the national interest;" and he called "all Americans, Republican, Democrat or Independent" to support GW. McCain's was a solid speech. It was his attempt to mend the wounds he inflicted to his fellow Republicans by trying to win their nomination through Democratic and independent voters. This speech was McCain's way of beating AlGore "like a drum" and to position himself in 2004 should GW lose this fall.
The convention continues to be highly scripted and slick--much to the press' and the Democrats' dismay. It's fine for television, but the non-cable networks are providing little coverage. Through last night (according to C-SPAN's Podium Watch), CBS showed 33 minutes of the convention over two nights (a little longer than one episode of the horrible Big Brother). ABC showed about 1 hour. PBS did a little better with almost 4 hours of coverage over two nights. But NBC get the Anti-Civics Award with its total of 19 minutes of convention coverage over two nights. The all-news channels are doing a little better, but no network, other than C-SPAN, has covered more than 50% of the convention. If there continues to be little exposure of this "new" and "inclusive" GOP, the post-convention bounce will be like that of a flat basketball.
For a group who opposes violent guns, Million Mom Marchers sure don't act in a peaceful manner towards Second Amendment Sisters.
"Million Mom Marchers Ransack Pro-Gun Display"
8.01.00
Today's Quote of the Day goes to GW Bush:
I welcome President Clinton's criticisms. It's amazing to me that the president of the United States would spend time trying to be a political pundit. He is so desperate to have his legacy intact by getting Al Gore elected, he will say anything.
"Bush Takes on Clinton, Calls President 'Desperate'"
This is the first of many posts covering the GOP Convention. This post is being written early Tuesday morning, and I've just finished watching the talking heads yap about the convention's first night. The CNN and MSNBC yappers I saw all agreed that the night was well scripted. The press was almost sympathetic. CNN's token conservative, Robert Novak said, "It's a show, not a convention." The night's two highlights were GW's wife Laura and Gen. Colin Powell.
Last night's issue du jour was education--a big, fat democratic issue. Laura Bush is a reluctant speaker who had no interest in politics when she met GW years ago in Texas. NRO's Kate O'Beirne (who's a very tall woman) found this reluctance refreshing compared to Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore. Her speach wasn't great. I found it boring, plain, but authentic. That was the real Laura Bush on stage in Philly. She talked about how she wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl and mock taught her dolls. She also laid out GW's education accomplishments in Texas. She cited a RAND study that says Texas kids have made some the biggest improvements educationally in the entire country.
After Laura, we got GW live from a high school in Ohio. Via satellite, he introduced Colin Powell. His speech encouraged all Americans to do whatever they could to enrich and uplift the children of America. He mentioned the fact that about 2 million people were in jail, and that that was a failure of families and the community to inculcate the right values. Powell advocated experimenting with charter schools, standardized tests, and vouchers. However, he called for more school spending. Mr. Powell, more spending does not mean more achievement.
Powell's most noted remark dealt with affirmative action. Let me quote him:
We must understand the cynicism that exists in the black community. The kind of cynicism that is created when, for example, some in our party miss no opportunity to roundly and loudly condemn affirmative action that helped a few thousand Black kids get an education, but hardly a whimper is heard from them over affirmative action for lobbyists who load our federal tax codes with preferences for special interests.
After say that, the few moderates in the hall stood up and cheered. What's interesting is Powell is pro-affirmative action, yet he attacks the preferences in the tax code. I'm consistent: I'm opposed to government affirmative action (private organizations can hire and promote anyway they like) and support a flat tax that would eliminate the loopholes Washington lobbyists love so much.
But I want to more broadly question Powell's place in the Republican Party. After his speech, Powell was asked by Larry King why he's a Republican. Powell said he agrees more with the philosophy of limited government the Republicans stand for. Yet, if Powell's for limited government, he's never said where he wants it limited. Everytime I've heard him speak, he's called for more government. Tonight, he called for more school spending and retaining affirmative action. While he supports vouchers, I've never heard him call for a tax cut.
I don't want to sound too critical of Gen. Powell. As a conservative/classical liberal Republican, I'm glad the most popular public figure in American is on my side. Frank Luntz's focus group of undecided voters swooned over Powell. I'm just glad he's not on the ticket.
While I'm glad the GOP has the text of the convention speeches on their web site, they really need to have their own URLs so I can link to them. Not weblog friendly.
Sean Hackbarth
Writer/Bookseller
Allenton, WI
https://www.angelfire.com/wi/shackbar
shackbar@free-market.net
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