Happy 4th of July! (A Republican State of Mind)
Today on my Republican blog: It’s Independence Day and I just want to give a huge thanks to all of our Armed Forces. As the son of a father who retired from the United States Air Force, I understand the sacrifice, strength and discipline that it takes to be in the military. So on this day, we have to give praise to all those defending our freedom at home and overseas. To all of the Airmen, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Reserves: Thank You. Your dedication to this great country will never go unrecognized as long as people like myself are here. So in closing, I’d like to leave you with what we all learned as little children and what our Armed Forces defend every day. Here is the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance
to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one nation,
under God,
indivisible,
with liberty
and justice for all.
So before I go, I’d like to give a very special thanks to our military (what’s up James; told you I’d mention your name!), the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers (happy 4th), my Libertarian blogs and bloggers (happy 4th), my Democrat blogs and bloggers (read this again), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong. Ready by 2011 to win in 2012! And a Happy 4th of July to everyone! Fly your flags people!
Happy Fathers Day! (Attack of the Republican Blogs)
Today on my Republican Blog: Happy Fathers Day! I owe the other half of my Republican state of mind to my dad. He’s always done what ever was necessary to provide for his family, never backed down from anything and always supported me (even thong I haven’t been the best son at times), so to my father: I love you. So before I go, I’d like to give a special thanks to my dad (lets go fishing), the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers (embrace the future of our party), my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (write your dad a thank you post; we already did it), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong. Ready by 2011 to win in 2012! Twitter me!
Rewind! The Genius of Leo Strauss: A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs)
Today on my Republican blog: The genius of Leo Strauss. This is a very special treat for all of my Republicans. I know most of you are already well versed in the works of Leo Strauss and politics, so I decided to post this for all of the confused liberals who either misrepresent Leo Strauss’s teachings on purpose or just out of sheer ignorance. It’s an article from the June 7, 2003 edition of the New York Times. And guess who wrote it? Jenny Strauss Clay. I would think she would know her father a little better than anyone else. Just a bit of advice to my left leaning friends: go to Borders or get a library card and read one of Strauss’s books. I suggest you start with Natural Right and History. I know almost all of it’s going to go over your head at first, but don’t be discouraged. Read it again. And then read it again and again and again until it starts to make sense to you. And once you come to the realization that everything you’ve always believed in is false…that’s when the healing starts. At that point, the Republican Party won’t look so bad to you anymore. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5 and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republicans and Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarians and Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrats and Democratic blogs and bloggers (come to the light), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Enjoy
June 7, 2003
The Real Leo Strauss
By Jenny Strauss Clay
Recent news articles have portrayed my father, Leo Strauss, as the mastermind behind the neoconservative ideologues who control United States foreign policy. He reaches out from his 30-year-old grave, we are told, to direct a ”cabal” (a word with distinct anti-Semitic overtones) of Bush administration figures hoping to subject the American people to rule by a ruthless elite. I do not recognize the Leo Strauss presented in these articles.
My father was not a politician. He taught political theory, primarily at the University of Chicago. He was a conservative insofar as he did not think that change is necessarily change for the better.
Leo Strauss believed in the intrinsic dignity of the political. He believed in and defended liberal democracy; although he was not blind to its flaws, he felt it was the best form of government that could be realized, ”the last best hope.” He was an enemy of any regime that aspired to global domination. He despised utopianism — in our time, Nazism and Communism — which is predicated on the denial of a fundamental and even noble feature of human nature: love of one’s own. His heroes were Churchill and Lincoln. He was not an observant Jew, but he loved the Jewish people and he saw the establishment of Israel as essential to their survival.
To me, what characterized him above all else was his total lack of vanity and self-importance. As a result, he had no interest in honors within the academy, and was completely unsuited to political ambition. His own earliest passion, he confessed, was to spend his life raising rabbits (Flemish Giants) and reading Plato.
He was first and foremost a teacher. He did not seek to mold people in his own image. Rather, he was devoted to helping young people see the world as it is, in all its misery and splendor. The objects of his teaching were the Great Books, those works generally recognized as the foundation of a liberal education. But that alone was not a sufficient reason for reading them.
He began where good teachers should begin, from his students’ received opinions, in order to scrutinize their foundation. At that time, as is still true today, academia leaned to the left; hence such questioning required an examination of the left’s tenets. Had the prevailing beliefs been different, they too would have been subject to his skeptical inquiry.
Among the received opinions of the time was an unquestioned faith in progress and science combined with a queasiness regarding any kind of moral judgment, or ”relativism.” Many young people were confused, without a compass, with nothing substantial to admire. My father’s turning them to the Great Books was thus motivated not merely by aesthetic or antiquarian interest, but by a search for an understanding of mankind’s present predicament: what were its sources and what, if any, were the alternatives? The latter he found in the writings of the ancient Greeks.
Furthermore, he insistently confronted his students with the question of the ”good life.” For him, the choice boiled down to the life in accordance with Revelation or the life according to Reason — Jerusalem versus Athens. The vitality of Western tradition, he felt, lay in the invigorating tension between the two.
My father saw reading not as a passive exercise but as taking part in an active dialogue with the great minds of the past. One had to read with great care, great respect, and try, as he always said, to ”understand the author as he understood himself.” Today this task, admittedly difficult and demanding, is dismissed in fashionable academia as impossible. Rather, we are told, each reader inevitably constructs his own text over which the author has no control, and the writer’s intentions are irrelevant.
The fact is that Leo Strauss also recognized a multiplicity of readers, but he had enough faith in his authors to assume that they, too, recognized that they would have a diverse readership. Some of their readers, the ancients realized, would want only to find their own views and prejudices confirmed; others might be willing to open themselves to new, perhaps unconventional or unpopular, ideas. I personally think my father’s rediscovery of the art of writing for different kinds of readers will be his most lasting legacy.
Although I was never a student of my father’s, I sat in on a class of his in the 1960′s; I think it was on Xenophon’s ”Cyropaedia.” He was a small, unprepossessing and, truth be told, ugly man (daughters are their parents’ worst critics), with none of the charisma that one associates with ”great teachers.” And yet there was something utterly charming. One of the students would read little chunks of the text, and my father would comment and call for discussion. What marked this class was a combination of an engagement with questions of the highest seriousness (in this case, what is the best form of government) with the laughter of intellectual play.
It was magic. If only the truth had the power to make the misrepresentations of his achievement vanish like smoke and dust.
Tough as Steele: A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs)
Today on my Republican blog: Tough as Steele. I just came across an interesting article by Jim Galloway from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about GOP chairman Michael Steele. If you’ve previously read my blog, you already know how I feel about the leader of my Republican Party. If you haven’t, allow me to clarify it for you: Michael Steele is the leader of the GOP… period. As much as some in the Republican Party want to ignore that fact; the grass is still green, water is still wet and the sun still rises every morning. It’s time for the older guard to start supporting the new GOP. The past is the past and we need to be focusing on the future. So before I go, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers (embrace the future of our party), my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (it’s over for you in 2012), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong. Ready by 2011 to win in 2012! Enjoy.
Steele and the soul of the GOP
Future of chair, party to be debated at special session this week.
By Jim Galloway
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, May 18, 2009
SAVANNAH —- To understand the churning passions within the Republican Party this weekend, all one had to do was play a game of follow-the-leader.
In one of two speeches on Saturday, national GOP chairman Michael Steele paid red-meat tribute to the defiance of 1,200 frustrated and angry delegates who showed up at the state Republican convention.
“We don’t have to remake anything. What do we have to remake? Our values?” Steele shouted.
But only a few hours earlier, at a smaller breakfast event, the chairman of the Republican National Committee had delivered a quite different message, using the blunt language that’s made him famous.
The chairman said he had inherited leadership of a party that was “stuck in a 1980s philosophy, using a 1990s strategy to win campaigns.”
The Republican demand for orthodoxy and purity, Steele said, risks making the party irrelevant to “the changing heartbeat of this nation.”
“We can no longer be afraid that to open up, to invite someone in, diminishes us. I don’t know how that works,” Steele said. “If you are true to your convictions, to your core, why are you so afraid to share that?”
The RNC chairman rushed out of Savannah without speaking to reporters. Unscripted moments have cost him lately —- plus, there was a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to prepare for.
But more importantly, the head of the national GOP probably needed a few hours to ready himself for this week’s palace revolt.
The 108 days of Steele’s tenure as the first African-American chairman of the GOP will be marked by a special session of the 168-member Republican National Committee that elected him.
A faction within the RNC has placed at least two items on the agenda. One is a high school-prankish resolution to mandate that all Democrats be referred to as “Democrat Socialists.”
A more serious measure would put new controls on Steele’s power to determine where Republican cash resources —- which remain formidable —- will be spent.
Georgia has Republicans on both sides of a fight that is less about book-keeping practices and more about how Republicans should attempt to recover from four years of defeat.
Alec Poitevint, former chairman of the state GOP and a former treasurer of the RNC, identified himself as one of the “dissidents” insisting on tighter fiscal controls over the new chairman.
“We live in a more transparent world,” Poitevint said.
More exacting, business-style regulations would increase faith in Steele’s role as “CEO of the Republican National Committee,” the Bainbridge businessman said —- and “absolutely” should not be interpreted as the first move in an attempt to send him packing.
But Poitevint hinted at dissatisfaction with Steele’s early performance, which has been marked by gaffes —- the latest over Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith. “There’s an impatience within the Republican base. I think that’s what you see at the RNC,” Poitevint said.
Sue Everhart, re-elected by acclamation as chairman of the state GOP this weekend, twisted many an arm in January to get Steele elected. And she’ll do so again this week to preserve his authority.
To slap controls on Steele would be a blunder for a party looking to expand its reach, she thinks.
“We’ve had chairmen that were very extravagant; we’ve had chairmen that were frugal,” said Everhart. “To me, it would be sending a message. Do we not want him to be able to write checks because he’s black? We don’t trust him? Why?
“I don’t think we need to put anything on Michael that we didn’t put on any other chairman,” she said. “I think it’s just a bunch of people who didn’t get who they wanted, so they want to punish him.”
Linda Herren is the third Georgia Republican on the RNC. She’s not opposed to controls aimed at exorbitant spending.
But the constantly morphing draft resolutions she’s seen would require Steele to get approval for expenditures over $100,000 to $150,000.
“You can spend that in stamps,” she said. “That would pretty much tie his hands.”
Happy Mother’s Day! A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs)
Today on my Republican Blog: Happy Mother’s Day! To all of the mothers out there, I’d just like to take a moment to say happy mother’s day. To be honest, most of us don’t truly appreciate the sacrifices our mothers have made in their lives to make us the individuals that we are today. We’ve all gone through the different stages of needing our mothers (as a baby) to thinking we know everything (as a teenager); to eventually needing your mothers help and advise at times (as an adult). So to all mothers reading this: enjoy your day! And to my mother: I know I haven’t been the best son at all times, but I love you for always supporting me and instilling in me the value of taking care of family first. And that people, is a Republican state of mind. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (apologize to your mothers), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong. And I love you Mom!
Rewind! Don’t Argue with (Liberal Democrat) Fools: A Republican State of Mind pt.2
Today on my Republican blog: A wise man once told me not to argue with fools; because from a distance, no one can tell who is who. This is entirely directed at my liberal friends (my Republican friends already know this concept), so libs pay attention. When you liberal democrats try to debate your trite and vapid points, have you ever noticed that you consistently exhibit the same behaviorisms and tactics when you come to the realization that you’ve lost? Allow me to show you the fallacies of logic and rhetoric. Does any of this sound familiar?
Common fallacies of logic and rhetoric:
• Ad hominem – attacking the arguer and not the argument.
• Argument from “authority”.
• Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an “unfavourable” decision).
• Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).
• Special pleading (typically referring to god’s will).
• Begging the question (assuming an answer in the way the question is phrased).
• Observational selection (counting the hits and forgetting the misses).
• Statistics of small numbers (such as drawing conclusions from inadequate sample sizes).
• Misunderstanding the nature of statistics (President Eisenhower expressing astonishment and alarm on discovering that fully half of all Americans have below average intelligence!)
• Inconsistency (e.g. military expenditures based on worst case scenarios but scientific projections on environmental dangers thriftily ignored because they are not “proved”).
• Non sequitur – “it does not follow” – the logic falls down.
• Post hoc, ergo propter hoc – “it happened after so it was caused by” – confusion of cause and effect.
• Meaningless question (“what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?).
• Excluded middle -considering only the two extremes in a range of possibilities (making the “other side” look worse than it really is).
• Short-term v. long-term – a subset of excluded middle (“why pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?”).
• Slippery slope – a subset of excluded middle -unwarranted extrapolation of the effects (give an inch and they will take a mile).
• Confusion of correlation and causation.
• Straw man – caricaturing (or stereotyping) a position to make it easier to attack.
• Suppressed evidence or half-truths.
• Weasel words – for example, use of euphemisms for war such as “police action” to get around limitations on Presidential powers. “An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public”.
These are all rules that we learned as children (on the right) of how to detect when you’ve won a debate or an argument against a liberal. So yes, if we (on the right) come off as a little bit arrogant or dismissive, it’s only because we know that your point and premise are both invalid and not even worth discussing. Why would we continue have a discourse with you? It’s pointless! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Somehow people on the left always seem to reverse that actuality. Sorry for this post being so short, but I just had to bring you liberal democrats back to reality and remind my Republican friends of why it’s so frustrating talking to anyone on the left. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (stop it already), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong.
Don’t Argue with (Liberal Democrat) Fools: A Republican State of Mind pt.2
Today on my Republican blog: A wise man once told me not to argue with fools; because from a distance, no one can tell who is who. This is entirely directed at my liberal friends (my Republican friends already know this concept), so libs pay attention. When you liberal democrats try to debate your trite and vapid points, have you ever noticed that you consistently exhibit the same behaviorisms and tactics when you come to the realization that you’ve lost? Allow me to show you the fallacies of logic and rhetoric. Does any of this sound familiar?
Common fallacies of logic and rhetoric:
• Ad hominem – attacking the arguer and not the argument.
• Argument from “authority”.
• Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an “unfavourable” decision).
• Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).
• Special pleading (typically referring to god’s will).
• Begging the question (assuming an answer in the way the question is phrased).
• Observational selection (counting the hits and forgetting the misses).
• Statistics of small numbers (such as drawing conclusions from inadequate sample sizes).
• Misunderstanding the nature of statistics (President Eisenhower expressing astonishment and alarm on discovering that fully half of all Americans have below average intelligence!)
• Inconsistency (e.g. military expenditures based on worst case scenarios but scientific projections on environmental dangers thriftily ignored because they are not “proved”).
• Non sequitur – “it does not follow” – the logic falls down.
• Post hoc, ergo propter hoc – “it happened after so it was caused by” – confusion of cause and effect.
• Meaningless question (“what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?).
• Excluded middle -considering only the two extremes in a range of possibilities (making the “other side” look worse than it really is).
• Short-term v. long-term – a subset of excluded middle (“why pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?”).
• Slippery slope – a subset of excluded middle -unwarranted extrapolation of the effects (give an inch and they will take a mile).
• Confusion of correlation and causation.
• Straw man – caricaturing (or stereotyping) a position to make it easier to attack.
• Suppressed evidence or half-truths.
• Weasel words – for example, use of euphemisms for war such as “police action” to get around limitations on Presidential powers. “An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public”.
These are all rules that we learned as children (on the right) of how to detect when you’ve won a debate or an argument against a liberal. So yes, if we (on the right) come off as a little bit arrogant or dismissive, it’s only because we know that your point and premise are both invalid and not even worth discussing. Why would we continue have a discourse with you? It’s pointless! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Somehow people on the left always seem to reverse that actuality. Sorry for this post being so short, but I just had to bring you liberal democrats back to reality and remind my Republican friends of why it’s so frustrating talking to anyone on the left. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (stop it already), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong.
An Oldie but Goodie: Teldar Paper- Why Greed Is Good (Attack of the Republican Blogs from 03/03/09)
Today on my Republican blog: Teldar Paper. I already know that those of you born after 1985 might not get the reference of this post, but it comes from the best movie ever made- Wall Street. So today I present to you the great words of the fictional character Gordon Gekko (based on the real life “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap). “The point is ladies and gentlemen… is that greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all of it’s forms: greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind, and greed; you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.” I hope I just gave you liberals a little motivation. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (rent the movie): let your voice be heard! And GOP 2012!
Why Do Black Folks Join Conservatives? Once Again…Attack of the Republican Blogs
Today on my Republican blog: “Why don’t black folks join conservatives?” This is in response to a blog that posed this very question (verbatim) earlier today. I’m going to keep this post very succinct, since I’m coming to realize that a liberal state of mind overrides all facts and logic. But anyway, why do African-Americans join the Republican Party? One word: Dixiecrats. Start there and work backwards. As I’ve said before, feel free to get a library card or go to a bookstore and do your history. As a matter of fact, since said libs have their own blogs, I’m quite certain they must have some form of computer access- use it. Google will help you out a lot. And by the way, Martin Luther King jr. was a Republican. Do your research African-American Democrats! And also visit the National Black Republican Association at http://www.nbra.info. So while it’s not a surprise that a liberal state of mind is still prevalent, hopefully you democrats will eventually move to the right. You’re really Republicans…you just don’t know it yet. With that said, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (stop it already), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And read more books people!
The Genius of Leo Strauss: A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs) Happy Tax Day!
Today on my Republican blog: The genius of Leo Strauss. This is a very special treat for all of my Republicans. I know most of you are already well versed in the works of Leo Strauss and politics, so I decided to post this for all of the confused liberals who either misrepresent Leo Strauss’s teachings on purpose or just out of sheer ignorance. It’s an article from the June 7, 2003 edition of the New York Times. And guess who wrote it? Jenny Strauss Clay. I would think she would know her father a little better than anyone else. Just a bit of advice to my left leaning friends: go to Borders or get a library card and read one of Strauss’s books. I suggest you start with Natural Right and History. I know almost all of it’s going to go over your head at first, but don’t be discouraged. Read it again. And then read it again and again and again until it starts to make sense to you. And once you come to the realization that everything you’ve always believed in is false…that’s when the healing starts. At that point, the Republican Party won’t look so bad to you anymore. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5 and KTVI Fox 2 News. To all of my Republicans and Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarians and Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrats and Democratic blogs and bloggers (come to the light), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Enjoy
June 7, 2003
The Real Leo Strauss
By Jenny Strauss Clay
Recent news articles have portrayed my father, Leo Strauss, as the mastermind behind the neoconservative ideologues who control United States foreign policy. He reaches out from his 30-year-old grave, we are told, to direct a ”cabal” (a word with distinct anti-Semitic overtones) of Bush administration figures hoping to subject the American people to rule by a ruthless elite. I do not recognize the Leo Strauss presented in these articles.
My father was not a politician. He taught political theory, primarily at the University of Chicago. He was a conservative insofar as he did not think that change is necessarily change for the better.
Leo Strauss believed in the intrinsic dignity of the political. He believed in and defended liberal democracy; although he was not blind to its flaws, he felt it was the best form of government that could be realized, ”the last best hope.” He was an enemy of any regime that aspired to global domination. He despised utopianism — in our time, Nazism and Communism — which is predicated on the denial of a fundamental and even noble feature of human nature: love of one’s own. His heroes were Churchill and Lincoln. He was not an observant Jew, but he loved the Jewish people and he saw the establishment of Israel as essential to their survival.
To me, what characterized him above all else was his total lack of vanity and self-importance. As a result, he had no interest in honors within the academy, and was completely unsuited to political ambition. His own earliest passion, he confessed, was to spend his life raising rabbits (Flemish Giants) and reading Plato.
He was first and foremost a teacher. He did not seek to mold people in his own image. Rather, he was devoted to helping young people see the world as it is, in all its misery and splendor. The objects of his teaching were the Great Books, those works generally recognized as the foundation of a liberal education. But that alone was not a sufficient reason for reading them.
He began where good teachers should begin, from his students’ received opinions, in order to scrutinize their foundation. At that time, as is still true today, academia leaned to the left; hence such questioning required an examination of the left’s tenets. Had the prevailing beliefs been different, they too would have been subject to his skeptical inquiry.
Among the received opinions of the time was an unquestioned faith in progress and science combined with a queasiness regarding any kind of moral judgment, or ”relativism.” Many young people were confused, without a compass, with nothing substantial to admire. My father’s turning them to the Great Books was thus motivated not merely by aesthetic or antiquarian interest, but by a search for an understanding of mankind’s present predicament: what were its sources and what, if any, were the alternatives? The latter he found in the writings of the ancient Greeks.
Furthermore, he insistently confronted his students with the question of the ”good life.” For him, the choice boiled down to the life in accordance with Revelation or the life according to Reason — Jerusalem versus Athens. The vitality of Western tradition, he felt, lay in the invigorating tension between the two.
My father saw reading not as a passive exercise but as taking part in an active dialogue with the great minds of the past. One had to read with great care, great respect, and try, as he always said, to ”understand the author as he understood himself.” Today this task, admittedly difficult and demanding, is dismissed in fashionable academia as impossible. Rather, we are told, each reader inevitably constructs his own text over which the author has no control, and the writer’s intentions are irrelevant.
The fact is that Leo Strauss also recognized a multiplicity of readers, but he had enough faith in his authors to assume that they, too, recognized that they would have a diverse readership. Some of their readers, the ancients realized, would want only to find their own views and prejudices confirmed; others might be willing to open themselves to new, perhaps unconventional or unpopular, ideas. I personally think my father’s rediscovery of the art of writing for different kinds of readers will be his most lasting legacy.
Although I was never a student of my father’s, I sat in on a class of his in the 1960′s; I think it was on Xenophon’s ”Cyropaedia.” He was a small, unprepossessing and, truth be told, ugly man (daughters are their parents’ worst critics), with none of the charisma that one associates with ”great teachers.” And yet there was something utterly charming. One of the students would read little chunks of the text, and my father would comment and call for discussion. What marked this class was a combination of an engagement with questions of the highest seriousness (in this case, what is the best form of government) with the laughter of intellectual play.
It was magic. If only the truth had the power to make the misrepresentations of his achievement vanish like smoke and dust.
Meet Me In St. Louis (just not on Metro): Attack of the Republican Blogs and why we have to get Democrats out of office on April 7th
Today on my Republican blog: The aftermath from the Metro service cuts. This post is dedicated to all of the St. Louis and Illinois metro east readers of my blog. To everyone around the country and the world who happen to read my blog and have never been to St. Louis; allow me to explain to you what Metro is. Metro, previously Bi-State, is the mass transit system in the St. Louis metro area. Metro operates the bus lines and the Metrolink (our light rail train line), that thousands of Missouri and Illinois residents depend on to get to and from work everyday- at least until yesterday. On March 30th, massive service cuts began that made a multitude of workers either late or unable to show up for work at all. Why did this happen? Years of mismanagement, wasteful spending and a democrat run government that refused to do anything to stop it. As anyone who lives in West County knows, the Metrolink extension to Shrewsbury was a complete waste of money and really didn’t help anyone. Had they extended the line up hwy 40 west to the Ballas bus station, we might not be enduring the torture of the hwy 40 construction. Does anyone remember how fun it was trying to get downtown on the 4th of July last year? Yet Metro still kept asking for more taxpayer money and continually increasing their fares. And what did they end up doing? Cutting their service anyway. What’s even worse is the fact that Illinois and St. Louis city residents who happen to work in the county will now have to either quit their jobs, hope to find a carpool or take a cab. This is exactly what happens when you put democrats in any form of office: problems for everyone. And also to all my friends who live in north city and north county- what has the Democratic Party done for you lately? Or ever? Did you forget that St. Louis is always in the top 5 cities in the nation in terms of the murder rate? Forgot about leading the nation in sexually transmitted diseases? What about your vacant houses? Your unemployment rate? Your school system? Why does all of this perpetually occur? I think you already know the answer to that. I hope you realize that the people you put in office are the ones responsible for fixing these issues. How’s that been working out so far? The Democratic Party has been doing absolutely nothing to correct these situations for decades. So unless you’re planning on moving to West County; I would strongly suggest that you vote Republican. For some bizarre reason, you keep electing democrats as your alderman, mayors and so on and so on. What do you think is going to change? Allow me to give you the definition of insanity:
in•san•i•ty
Function: noun
Inability to understand the nature and consequences of one’s acts (as making a will) or of events, matters, or proceedings in which one is involved.
Why do you think that south city is better maintained than north city even though you both share the same tax base? Central West End anyone? The Loft District? Come on people! Try out the new Republican Party…or keep getting the same results. And that also goes for the entire metro east. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (wise up), and to all political blogs and bloggers: let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Vote April 7th metro east residents! And a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, and the National Black Republican Association. And to my first love Na Na: stop referring to your son as anything other than his birth name, dressing him up in ridiculous costumes on halloween, and pretending that your father didn’t have a movie based on him. See you later and everyone have good luck getting to work today!
Once again people……Can I Get an F? Can I Get a U? A Liberal State of Mind pt.5: Attack of the Republican Blogs (Originally Posted 03/17/09)
Today on my Republican Blog: I just have to briefly discuss a topic I’ve never addressed before: misguided liberals who happen to own computers and have also started their own blogs. If any of you (democrats) haven’t noticed yet, everything we (republicans) said was going to happen is now happening. How do you like your new tax hikes? How do you like the increased deficit? Have you looked at your paycheck lately? Checked on your stocks in awhile? Want to talk about the financial bailouts? I hate to repeat myself…but we told you so. On a federal, state and local level, democrats are busy ruining your city, your state and your country. So the next time you decide you attack Republicans- just remember that you brought this all on yourself. But don’t worry; the new GOP is coming to save the day. We’re all young and we’re coming to make things right (get it). It will be a new era in 2012. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers (sorry for the short post), to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (look in the mirror before you type), and to all my political blogs and bloggers: let you voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, and the National Black Republican Association. Can I get an F? Can I get a U? What does that spell? Liberals, F**k You!
Can I Get an F? Can I Get a U? A Liberal State of Mind pt.5: Attack of the Republican Blogs
Today on my Republican Blog: I just have to briefly discuss a topic I’ve never addressed before: misguided liberals who happen to own computers and have also started their own blogs. If any of you (democrats) haven’t noticed yet, everything we (republicans) said was going to happen is now happening. How do you like your new tax hikes? How do you like the increased deficit? Have you looked at your paycheck lately? Checked on your stocks in awhile? Want to talk about the financial bailouts? I hate to repeat myself…but we told you so. On a federal, state and local level, democrats are busy ruining your city, your state and your country. So the next time you decide you attack Republicans- just remember that you brought this all on yourself. But don’t worry; the new GOP is coming to save the day. We’re all young and we’re coming to make things right (get it). It will be a new era in 2012. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers (sorry for the short post), to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (look in the mirror before you type), and to all my political blogs and bloggers: let you voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, and the National Black Republican Association. Can I get an F? Can I get a U? What does that spell? Liberals, F**k You!
I Can’t Live Without My Radio! Listen to the Don: The Teflon Don pt.9
Today on my Republican blog: I can’t live without my radio! This morning, the “Teflon Don” Rod Blagojevich filled in for the current hosts of the “Don Wade & Roma Morning Show” on Chicago radio station 890 WLS-AM; and the Don did not disappoint! As many of you already know, my opinion of Rod Blagojevich has recently changed in the past few months. Even though I initially didn’t like him; he’s now one of the few democrats I’m currently supporting. I’ve got to say (again), all Illinois voters should’ve listened to the Don. As I’ve said before, what I thought at first to be his conspiracy theory was actually factual. They (Illinois Democrats) wanted him out of office so they could go ahead with the tax increases he’d been fighting against for the past six years. Blagojevich wasted no time in reminding Illinois residents that he was “hijacked from office” and that it was “a political fix”. It turns out he was right all along! New Gov. Pat Quinn is proposing increasing the income tax by 50 percent for Illinois residents to fix the 11.5 billion dollar deficit. Blagojevich feels that’s a pretty bad idea…and I agree. Any logical person should know that taking more money out of someone’s paycheck means that there’s less money for that person to spend, which means that there’s less income coming into the local businesses where said person lives, which means that those business will soon have to cut their workforce to remain profitable; and so and so on and so on. The Don told you so. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (glad I live in Missouri), and to all my political blogs and bloggers: let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, Justice (get on the College mix tape), Robert Knightingale (let’s put out the College mix tape), and Missy (plane tickets on the way). See everyone later!
A Liberal State of Mind pt.4: I’m not Scared (of Lions and Tigers and Bears)
Today on my Republican blog: Lions and Tigers and Bears: Fear and those things that you should be fearful of. This post is directed towards my liberal, democrat friends. Actually, to be more specific, my Illinois liberal, democrat friends. I hate to say I told you so…but I told you so. As I’m sure most of you now know, your new governor is going to do what we all told you liberals would do if they got in control: raise taxes. So, I’m going to show you a very funny (to me and all Republicans) article from the March 17th issue of the Chicago Tribune. But before I do that, I’ve got to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, J-Star (see you on My Block: Belleville), Bobby Knight ( “like I stole them from a baby”), and Missy (St. Louis native…) To all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (I told you so), and to all political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Let’s go (tax) hiking! Read the newspaper people. Enjoy:
By Ray Long and Rick Pearson
Tribune Reporters
6:29 PM CDT, March 17, 2009
SPRINGFIELD
Gov. Pat Quinn will use his first state budget address Wednesday to call for a 50 percent increase in income taxes as well as higher fees for license plates and drivers licenses to deal with the state’s mounting deficit and to fund a public works program, documents first obtained by the Tribune show.
Less than two months on the job after replacing his impeached and ousted predecessor, Quinn will try to ease the blow from higher income taxes on lower-income families with an increase in the personal exemption–a move he estimated would hold the line or cut taxes on as many as 5 million people.
Quinn also is proposing a 10-day holiday on the state’s sales tax in August for the purchase of school-related clothing and supplies.
At the same time, he’s proposing an increase in corporate income taxes and the closing of some business tax breaks while also asking state workers to pay more for their health insurance and to take four unpaid days off work.
Quinn also is supporting a proposal backed by Democratic leaders that would boost cigarette taxes to help pay off overdue bills to healthcare providers to the poor, legislative sources said. The proposal, filed in the Senate today, would boost the current 98-cent per pack cigarette tax by 50 cents and could increase another 50 cents in the next year, sources said.
Further, Quinn is considering $20-a-year hike in license plate sticker fees, which would rise to $99 on July 1, and increasing the driver’s license fee to $20 from $10 now, according to information provided to lawmakers.
“We can–and must–turn the state of our economy around,” Quinn said in a letter to lawmakers that accompanies his budget plan. “I believe it is not only possible to get Illinois back on the road to recovery, but make it stronger for future generations.”
Quinn will try Wednesday to persuade skeptical and nervous lawmakers to embrace his tough choices to keep the state afloat amid the potential of a record $11.5 billion deficit by the summer of 2010.
“This gap is too large to be addressed with any single measure, whether it is spending cuts, revenue increases, or federal recovery money,” Quinn told lawmakers in a letter that accompanies the budget plan, obtained by the Tribune. “It calls for every type of solution. That is what this budget does. This plan makes tough decisions while maintaining our commitment to our priorities and, more importantly, it protects our most vulnerable citizens.”
As he boarded a St. Patrick’s Day flight from Chicago to Springfield earlier today, Quinn acknowledged he would need the “luck of the Irish.”
The Quinn income tax hike proposal would raise the rate to 4.5 percent from 3 percent for individuals, levels first reported last week by the Tribune and to 7.2 percent from 4.8 percent for corporations. The tax increases are the centerpiece of a plan that he hopes will fill the budget gap and provide him with a path to win the office he inherited following his predecessor’s impeachment and ouster.
Without any changes in Illinois tax structure, Quinn forecasted a drop in the state sales tax revenues of 4.2 percent in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, a drop of nearly 22 percent in corporate tax receipts and a reduction in individual income tax revenue of more than 2 percent.
His proposal for a $26 billion construction plan dubbed “Illinois Jobs Now!” is aimed at creating 340,000 jobs over several years. Quinn’s predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, was unable to get approval for a public works plan during his six years in office because of mistrusting lawmakers. With Blagojevich facing federal corruption charges and out of office, Quinn will stand a better chance of pushing through a construction plan if he is successful working with lawmakers and eschewing his predecessor’s style of confrontation.
Under the plan, $14 billion would be targeted for bridges and roads, $4.6 billion for mass transit, $4.2 billion for school construction and $971 million would be set aside for $971 million. One of the more contentious provisions of the construction program is that Quinn wants pay for it through increasing fees for driver’s licenses and license plate fees to pay for transportation-related improvements while using 10 percent of the new income tax revenue to pay for school construction and other “economic development” projects around the state.
Resisting pressure from lawmakers to raise the gasoline tax, Quinn showed no signs in his budget documents that he would go along. Proposals to increase the current 19-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline have ranged from hikes of 8 cents to 23 cents a gallon. But Quinn repeatedly has been adamant in opposition.
Quinn’s proposals to save money include such matters as restructuring some of the state’s debt in a move to save as much as $500 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2010.
But he also is looking at ways to make smaller reductions. One example would be combining two agencies, the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency. The savings from merging, estimated at $1.2 million, comes after Quinn reopened several state parks that Blagojevich closed.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Listen to The Don: The Teflon Don pt.8
Today on my Republican blog: A special message to all of my Illinois residents: You should’ve listened to the Don…The Teflon Don, Rod Blagojevich, that is. As those of you who’ve read my previous posts about him already know, my opinion of him has recently changed. What I once thought was his bizarre conspiracy theory has now turned out to be fact. Illinois lawmakers were actually trying to kick him out of office so they could raise taxes. And once they succeeded; what did they do? Raise taxes! Former Gov. Blagojevich had it right the whole time. Illinois taxpayers should’ve listened to the Don from the start. It turns out that he really was on your side the whole time. In a statement that he released on Friday, Blagojevich noted that an income tax increase he’d been opposing for six years took just six weeks for new Gov. Pat Quinn to support. That to me sounds like maybe the Don was right. Especially since also on Friday, Gov. Quinn confirmed that he does plan to seek an income tax increase. Everyone should’ve listened to the Don. And by the way, how do you Illinois smokers like your .62 cent tax increase on cigarettes? If you do…keep supporting democrats and see what other fun things they’ll find to raise taxes on. Your beer? Your cable or satellite service? The tax you pay to register a new vehicle? The sales tax you pay at whatever stores you frequent? Your property tax? What’s next? The liberal state of mind is a black whole in the galaxy of reality and if you keep supporting the liberal agenda you’ll soon find that out. So, congratulations for getting rid of the one democrat who (secretly) shared Republican values and tried to stop tax raises in favor of a typical democrat who couldn’t wait to raise your taxes at the first available opportunity. This is just one of the many great (self-defeating) decisions made by Illinois residents over the decades. But anyway, to all my Republican political blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian political blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (vote Republican in 2010 and 2012 and let the sun come out): Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! Let’s get ready by 2011 to win in 2012! Support grandoldparty2011.wordpress.com. And a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, The Illinois Republican Party, The College Republican National Committee and the National Black Republican Association. See you later on today!
Can we bring back the GOP in 2012?
Republicans unite! I set up this blog today as what I hope will one day be the definitive forum for young Republicans of all kinds. Despite our efforts, we still got destroyed in November. I personally think it’s because we were still using the same outdated model, the same old tactics and the same early eighties thinking we learned from our parents. It wasn’t the liberals that sunk the ship; it was our party not adjusting to change that was the iceberg. Didn’t we all get that Titanic sinking feeling as we watched on election night and days thereafter as election results were broadcast 24/7? Watching Fox News (the band that continued to play as the ship sunk) like befuddled passengers only wanting to hold on to their last shred of dignity before it all ends? Well, we now all see what the results were for being hostages to the past. From local, state, and federal elections we got our asses handed to us for one specific reason: Republicans believing that that if we believe something doesn’t exist: then it doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, most Americans decided that rising gas prices, a recession (yes…recession), job losses, failing public education, a horrific housing market……I could go on. But, what’s the solution? Us! All of us between 18-30 are the future of the party. From the younger members of that age range doing what they can do as they arrive to college in the fall; to the later of us with careers that not only give us chances to speak some truth to our coworkers, but also the income to donate to our party and support our local candidates. But, first a little background about me. I’m 29, an Account Manager by trade and a supporter of both the Missouri and Illinois GOP. I contribute to campaigns on both sides of the river (because I live in St. Louis and it’s less than a few miles from Illinois) whenever I can, and as evidenced by the debacle of the St. Louis public school system and the recent Illinois Gov. Blagojevich scandal, it’s pretty clear we have to get these Democrats out of office at every level of government. I encourage anyone who wants to take our party into the future, please post here early and often! And get everyone you know to start their own Republican Blogs if they haven’t already. If we’re not fully organized, united and funded by 2011, we can forget about winning anything in 2012.
Auto Industry Bailout? What the F***?
Today on my Republican Blog: Earlier today, while watching CSPAN2’s coverage of Pres. Bush’s news conference about the auto industry rescue package, it suddenly hit me: I’m going about my job all wrong. While I come in early, stay late and work from home on weekends with the goal of increasing revenue; I’ve been wasting all of this time being great at my job- when I could’ve made more money by being terrible at it. Why should I spend all of my day trying to gain new accounts, babysitting my existing accounts (yeah, most buyers do act like 5 yr. olds), going to meetings about nothing and flying to the most boring cities (Springfield, IL anyone?) weekly? I should just sit in my office and check my fantasy football league stats all day, take 2 hour lunches, expense everything I can and only show up when it works for me. I was off today, but after seeing that nonsense I immediately called my division manager and told him that I’m going to require a lincoln towncar with a driver to take me to and from work on monday; and every day thereafter. If the CEO’s of General Motors and Chrysler can get a 13.4 billion dollar christmas gift for doing a terrible job, while also bringing their companies to the brink of bankruptcy- I at least deserve a chauffer for making my company money in 2008. So to Bob Nardelli and Rick Wagoner: I wish I were you. To Henry Paulson: bail me out. And to all of you out there reading this: get on your Republican Blogs, your Libertarian Blogs, your Democratic Blogs (I know ya’ll read me too) and contact your local elected officials on their respective websites and blogs and let them know how you feel. Merry Xmas!
My New Years Resolution? Remain Resolute!
Today on my Republican blog: I’ve made my list of new years resolutions and I could only focus on one: remain resolute. I know we had a bad year, but the silver lining is that we can now regroup and prepare for 2012. So to my fellow Republicans, on 12/31/08 at 11:59pm… get ready to go! 2009 is the year we start rebuilding and focus on making a real change in our local, state and federal government for the next election cycle. I’m certain the Democrats (as proven) will make a myriad of mistakes, bad decisions and outright scandal in the next 2 to 4 years – so we should be ready to attack on all fronts. So once again, I hope that you’ve all had a merry Christmas; I hope you enjoy your new years eve; but remember: Jan 1st is go time! So get on your Republican blogs, your Libertarian blogs, your Democratic blogs (prepare your rebuttals), and lets get ready for 2012!
Gov. Blagojevich: The Teflon Don
Today on my Republican blog: Happy New Years to all my fellow Republican bloggers, my Libertarian bloggers and even my Democrat bloggers (I know you read me too). True to form, your party has managed to squeeze out one last scandal before 2009 rang in. Case in point: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, on Dec. 30th, appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the senate seat once held by Barack Obama. But that’s not even the most interesting part of the story! At the end of the press conference to announce his appointment, Gov. Blogojevich turned to reporters and with one statement illustrated the literal textbook definition of hubris: “Feel free to castigate the appointer but don’t lynch the appointer. I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.” I am not making this up; go to youtube.com and type in his name and you can see the video footage from WGN in Chicago. So to my Democrat bloggers: Can one of you please explain this to me? With less than 48 hours left in 2008, your party managed to fit in one last scandal? Seriously? Hours of wiretaps confirming his pay to play politics? Trying to sell a senate seat? Years of allegations of wrongdoing? This guy must truly believe he’s the teflon don…or he’s got brass b*lls. Here’s a fun fact: Burris gave more than $20,000 to Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund and Burris’s consulting company has also received more than $290,000 in state contracts from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Don’t believe me? Google it. If this is how the Democrat Party ends the year, what chance do you have against us in 2009? Let me answer that one for you: NONE! I told you on my first post, the Republicans are coming back strong! We’re getting ready everyday to take the country back in 2012. So to all my Republican bloggers, my Libertarian bloggers (move to the right a little), my College Republicans (what’s up Wash U), my Missouri Republicans, my Illinois Republicans and all Republicans around the United States- let’s make it happen! Happy New Years! And get on your blogs!
Auto Industry Bailout? What The F***? pt.2
Today on my Republican Blog: What world is this? As I reflect on all of my holiday expenses (gifts, travel, New Years parties, etc.), I couldn’t help but wonder when MY bailout check was going to come. Anyone who has read my blog post on the auto industry bailouts should know what I’m getting at! Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has apparently not read my blog; thus, I’ve yet to be contacted about my bailout. But I can tell you whom he did contact: GMAC Financial Services… to the tune of 6 billion dollars! 5 billion directly to GMAC; and another billion for GM to reinvest. So now we have a combined 17.4 billion that’s been given to people who have proven that they can’t do their job correctly. See, I’ve already proven that I can do my job correctly (as evidenced by my Christmas bonus) and yet; still no free money. Where are the rewards for all of us who are actually good at what we do? I still have college loans to pay! All I’m asking for is about $100,000; that pales in comparison to a million; let alone a billion dollars. So now, when the big three come back to the Treasury Department two months from now and ask for more money; then what? This is insanity. So once again, to all of my Republican bloggers: blog away. To all of my Libertarian Bloggers: blog away. To all of my Democratic Bloggers: stop being Democrats and walk towards the light! Let’s get back on track. GOP in 2012! Feel free to link your Republican Blog or Libertarian blog to mine; and let’s make it a Grand Old Party in 2009!
Top Ten Political Scandals of 2008
Today on my Republican blog: I’m not in the habit of posting other peoples work, but I came across a great article on Washington Post.com that I think everyone should read. Great work by Amanda Zamora on this piece. And don’t forget: Get on your Republican blogs, your Libertarian blogs and (unfortunately) your Democrat blogs. Let your voice be heard… and GOP in 2012! Enjoy!
Top 10 Scandals of 2008
POSTED: 03:08 PM ET, 12/22/2008 by Amanda Zamora
TAGS: Barack Obama, Charlie Rangel, Congress, Eliot Spitzer, FBI, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Kwame Kilpatrick, Ponzi scheme, Rod Blagojevich, Ted Stevens, Wall Street, anthrax, bailout, federal courts, finance, fraud, mortgage lending
From Albany to Alaska, from Chicago to Wall Street, 2008 produced a bumper crop of political and business scandals.
Sen. Ted StevensThe editors here at The Post’s Investigations blog have sorted through the greatest hits of the year — from the first hints of a corruption probe into Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens last January to the FBI’s wiretap of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in December. With so much to choose from in 2008, you might have a different ranking. Let us know.
10. Hillary’s 1996 Trip to Bosnia » During her unsuccessful bid to become Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) made a point of describing a rather harrowing encounter at an airport in the Bosnian city of Tuzla in 1996. She described a scene involving “sniper fire” in the war-torn region and claimed she had to duck as she ran to an awaiting vehicle. Videos taken during Clinton’s landing showed an otherwise peaceful setting. The former first lady was forced to admit to a “mistake” in memory.
There was supposed to be some sort of greeting ceremony, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles
— Clinton, describing the scene at the Bosnian airport in 1996. She later admitted to being mistaken about the episode.
9. Rangel Hounded by Ethics Questions » Rep. Charles B. Rangel, the New York Democratic congressman who heads the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has been at the center of a swirl of questions since July, including a questionable gift from an oil executive to his charitable foundation, the use of office stationary to solicit contributions and the below-market-rate rentals of apartments in New York and Washington.
I have to give that some serious thought. Yes, I may give up the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, give up the seat I’ve had for 38 years, and say woe, woe, woe, woe, how could this happen to me.
— Rangel, sarcastically speaking at the same July press conference, in response to a question about whether he will resign his chairmanship.
8. Palin’s Family Feud » When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the GOP vice-presidential candidate, her political record came under intense scrutiny, including the most controversial point during her gubernatorial term — the dismissal of the state’s police commissioner. Palin had fired Walt Monegan after unsuccessfully pushing the state’s top cop to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. “Troopergate” became a hot-button campaign issue and two independent reports released around Election Day didn’t agree on whether Palin had erred in firing Monegan.
(My thoughts) “went to my ex-brother-in-law, the trooper, who threatened to kill my dad yet was not even reprimanded by his bosses and still to this day carries a gun, of course.
— Palin, in a July 17, 2007, e-mail to Monegan, relaying a story about how a Alaska state proposal to prohibit people considered mentally ill from carrying firearms made her think of her ex-brother-in-law.
7. AIG Goes to California » The subprime mortgage mess was encapsulated by the quick fall of American International Group Inc., the giant insurance firm, which got $124 billion from the government in October as it teetered. Lavish trips for senior managers after the bailout, including a $400,000 weeklong excursion to the St. Regis resort in Orange County, Calif., didn’t help matters.
I was not aware of it, and if I had been, I would not have let it happen.
— AIG CEO Robert Willumstad, speaking to congressmen about an executive trip to the St. Regis resort in California (after the federal bailout had been secured).
Bars!
— An unknown audience member during the congressional hearing, responding to a question from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who had wondered aloud what $10,000 on “leisure dining” at the St. Regis was actually spent on.
6. The Mayor and the Text Messages » Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is spending four months in a county jail after he was convicted of lying under oath to hide an affair with his chief of staff. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice Sept. 4 as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The Detroit Free Press had obtained dozens of sometimes-racy text messages between Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty, which showed the extent of the relationship.
LOL LOL! (Expletive) that. Never busted. Busted is what you see! LOL.
— Kilpatrick, in a text message to Beatty on Sept. 13, 2002, talking about whether the romantic liaison between the pair was seen by the mayor’s bodyguards.
Check out Scandals No. 1 though 5 after the jump:
5. ‘Uncle Ted’ Indicted, Convicted, Loses Seat » Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was charged with accepting illegal gifts from a wealthy oil executive and was convicted of seven felonies in a federal trial in October. He vowed to fight the conviction and hold onto his seat, but the Republican icon lost re-election.
The worst that can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees, and might lose and we might have to pay a fine, might have to serve some time in jail. I hope to Christ it never gets to that…I don’t think we have done anything wrong.
— Stevens, speaking to onetime friend, wealthy oil executive Bill Allen, in a secretly-recorded phone call in October 2006 that was played during his trial.
4. Edwards and His Mistress » Former presidential candidate John Edwards, once a North Carolina Democratic senator, found himself in hot water after the National Enquirer revealed he had an extramarital affair with a campaign videographer. Edwards admitted the affair in a nationally-televised interview with ABC but denied he was the father of Rielle Hunter’s child. The baby’s birth certificate was noticeably missing the name of a father.
John EdwardsI don’t know if that picture is me. It could well be. It looks like me. I don’t know who that baby is. I have no idea what that picture is.
— Edwards, speaking to ABC News about a photo published in the National Enquirer allegedly showing him holding the child of his former lover, Rielle Hunter. Edwards has denied being the father of the baby.
3. Spitzer and the Hooker » New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, once a shining star in the Democratic Party, was forced to resign in March after federal investigators discovered he hired an expensive escort during a trip to Washington. The former state attorney general saw his career go up in smoke, although he ended up not facing any criminal charges.
Eliot SpitzerGreat, OK, wonderful.
— Spitzer, speaking to an escort company operator when told that his prostitute for the evening would be a young brunette named “Kristen,” according to a federal affidavit.
2. Tapping The Governor’s Phone » An FBI wiretap in late November and early December caught Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat for future jobs, lobbying connections for his wife and even his own Cabinet position. The fallout is still being felt. Blagojevich has been charged but refuses to resign.
I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.
— Blagojevich, talking about potentially selling President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, according to a federal wiretap.
Whether you tape me privately or publicly, I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful and the things I’m interested in are always lawful. And if there are any things out there like that, what you’ll hear is a governor who tirelessly and endlessly figures out ways to help average, ordinary working people.
— Blagojevich, speaking to reporters the day before he was arrested on federal corruption charges.
And, drumroll, please. The No. 1 scandal of the year…
1. Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme » New York financier Bernard L. Madoff came under investigation in December after his two sons, both business partners, told federal authorities that their father admitted to running possibly the largest Ponzi scheme in American history. Investors are still coming forward but Madoff has estimated that investors lost $50 billion.
Bernard Madoff (By Ruby Washington / AP)It’s a proprietary strategy. I can’t go into it in great detail.
— Madoff, speaking to Barron’s in 2001 about his approach to trading on Wall Street.
By Amanda Zamora | December 22, 2008; 3:08 PM ET
The Teflon Don pt. 2: Roll-on Burris
Today on my Republican blog: There came a time in all of our lives when we realized that certain things were just fantasy; no matter how hard we tried to believe otherwise. The tooth fairy, leprechauns and dragons come to mind for me. Unfortunately, the liberal mindset doesn’t operate in that fashion. If it wasn’t enough to have continued to associate himself with “The Teflon Don” Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Roland Burris has taken to calling himself a “United States senator” and has flown to Washington for the convening of the Senate- even though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, said “Burris would not be permitted to take his seat because Burris has not been certified by the state of Illinois”. Hmm. Mr. Burris, your whole party is against you-please stop this nonsense. There are no amount of press conferences you can hold to convince us that all of your campaign contributions to the governor didn’t affect this appointment. Let that fantasy go. So to all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all of my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (you should be ashamed), let your voice be heard! PS: Anyone in St. Louis, Chicago or Atlanta; contact me! And GOP in 2012!
Mr. Burris goes to Washington-You couldn’t make this up!
Today on my Republican blog: You couldn’t make this up! As previously stated, Mr. Roland Burris went to Washington today…. and guess what happened: a very funny youtube.com moment, but no entry into the Senate chambers. Absolutely astonishing! Ask yourself: if you already knew that your appointment wouldn’t be confirmed, would you still hop on a plane to D.C.? I might just become a liberal for a day; just so I can see what it’s like to live in a fantasy world. You people amaze me! So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (explain this one); get out and let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you later on tonight.
A Liberal State of Mind
Today (tonight actually) on my Republican blog: I just came across a very interesting article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch…I just had to leave a quick post. Some individual by the name of Michael Newdow has decided to be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court to remove the words “so help me god” from the oath of office for the president and also to prevent any prayers from being said at the inauguration. This individual is also joined by more than a dozen people in this frivolous lawsuit (we’ll get to frivolous lawsuits later). Now to be honest, I’m not the most religious person; but this is going a bit too far. This is a perfect example of the liberal mindset! I personally don’t care about your race, religion, sexuality, personal beliefs or anything else. The only person who’s going to judge you is your God… when he decides to meet you. So as always, to my Republican blogs and bloggers, to my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to my Democrat blogs and bloggers (stop it), speak out and let your voice be heard. And….GOP in 2012!
Democrats: Turn off the lights!
Today on my Republican blog: Democrats…prepare to turn off the lights. As little kids, most of our parents would tell us to turn off the lights when we exited a room. Please allow me to play your father for a quick minute. While all of us Republicans can acknowledge that you’ll be occupying the White House for the next four years- you’d better start learning where the the light switches are. Nothing against Barack Obama, but the Dems are already f***ing up seven days into the New Year. What other nonsense do you guys have planned during Obama’s term as President? Today, Roland Burris said he expects to join the Senate “very shortly”, after talking to Democratic leaders and working out some outstanding legal issues. And the craziest part about this story comes in two parts: #1. after all of this grandstanding over the past week, the Democrats have decided to support Burris’s appointment… #2 Judicial Watch, a supposedly conservative group, has actually sued today to have Burris seated on the grounds of constitutionality (I couldn’t make this up if I tried). And I almost forgot- the Senate still has a $1 trillion dollar stimulus package to vote on while this circus is going on. Stop it. Before you think I’m being too harsh, remember this: Burris gave more than $20, 000 dollars to “Teflon Don” Rod Blagojevich’s campaign fund and then somehow received more than $290,000 in contracts from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Sounds kind of suspicious, right? (Google it). And now, what has Mr. Burris “purchased” himself? A seat in the Senate. Hmm. So once again, to all of my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all of my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (get ready to turn out the lights in 2012): let your voice be heard. And a special thank you to Conservatives First and The National Black Republican Association. Thanks for your support. GOP in 2012! Stay tuned for pt.2
And yet you keep rolling on: Turn off the lights pt.2
Today on my Republican blog: First off, if it seems that I only write about midwest politics; it’s because I happen to live in the region. Metro-east Democrats (Missouri and Illinois alike) f***ing up daily are really all I see when I watch my local news (thank you KTVI, KMOV and KSDK). So to everyone reading me around the country and around the world; just know that I have a front row seat to all of this madness. But back to my original point: Roland Burris and the Senate Democrats continuing to embarrass themselves for yet another consecutive day. For those that don’t know, today Mr. Burris testified before an Illinois House committee, saying quote “I can before this committee state that there was nothing…legal, personal or political exchanged for my appointment to this seat”. Hmm. That’s a very interesting statement; considering that your campaign donations to Illinois Governor Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich somehow led to almost $300,000 dollars worth of state contracts to your consulting company. And you expect us to believe that nothing suspect is going on with your appointment? Stunning. Threre has to be a better use for the tax dollars being spent to pay for this soap opera. How do we stop this? Wait a minute…I just figured it out; and you can probably guess what my solution is for 2012. Democrats: enjoy your next 4 years of perpetual scandals- the Republican Party will be back soon. So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (way to start your year off): let your voice be heard. And GOP in 2012!
Just Peachy: The Teflon Don pt.3
Today on my Republican blog: Yesterday an Illinois House panel voted 21-0 to recommend impeachment for Governor Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich, which sets up a full House vote today. Charges of abuse of power? Mismanagement? Possible criminal acts? Trying to sell Barack Obama’s former Senate seat? Trying to extort campaign funds from Illinois politicians in return for favored appointments? I wonder how many House members woke up this morning with a horse head in their bed. It’s pretty obvious that the “Don” is not afraid to step outside of the lines once in awhile. Well, actually most of the time. Wait… actually all of the time. It’s 10:30 am right now in the great state of Illinois and luckily there’s been no news about any committee members cars exploding or any of them coming up missing. But it is still early in the day.
State Reps. Jay Hoffman, Tom Holbrook and Ron Stevens all said they plan on voting in favor to impeach Blagojevich. Hoffmann, D-Collinsville, said “I don’t see, with so many important issues facing the state, how the governor could possibly provide the leadership that is necessary to ensure that we address those important issues”. Well, at least a few Democrats are finally coming around. But what’s so funny is the fact that Illinois residents will probably vote for another Democrat for Governor this next election- and the corruption begins all over again. Same story, different names. One day you’ll wise up and put a Republican in office, and then you can get your state back on track. While I live in St. Louis, my family lives in Illinois and they’ve been frustrated with Gov. Blagojevich for years. That’s why I focus on Illinois politics: it affects me directly. We’ll get to St. Louis (it’s almost as ridiculous) later on this week. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and my Democrat blogs and bloggers: let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And to all my Illinois Democrats: watch the news tonight; I have a feeling Mr. Blagojevich will be giving one hell of a press conference sometime today. You guys just won’t stop embarrassing yourselves.
Like fruit? Well how do you like these peaches! The Teflon Don pt.4
Today on my Republican blog: Breaking news! The Don has been impeached! The Illinois house has voted to impeach Governor Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich. This sets the stage for a Senate trial on whether he should be thrown out of office for corruption, abuse of power and his many other transgressions. With this vote today, Blagojevich has become the first Illinois Governor to ever be impeached. Congratulations Democrats, you finally found a way to be good at something: setting standards for f***ing up. The silver lining is that now the people of Illinois will have a chance to put someone in office who can fix the states problems. Don’t screw it up. Vote Republican. And Roland Burris: if I were you, I’d strongly consider turning down this appointment; because now no one will ever take anything you do in the Senate seriously. Is that how you want to spend the next few years? Democrats please stop embarrassing yourselves. I know it must be a requirement or something to be a Democrat, but you’re only making it easier for us to win in 2012. And I thank you for that. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (Really? No, seriously…really?): let your voice be heard. And GOP in 2012!
I Can’t Feel My Face! The Teflon Don pt.5
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Today on my Republican blog: To all of my Democrat friends whom I advised to watch the news tonight: I hope you individuals all listened to me and tuned in to your local news channels. Like I predicted, Rod “The Teflon Don” Blagojevich certainly didn’t disappoint with his press conference this afternoon. As if seeing the pious grandstanding from the Illinois Senate Democrats during the impeachment hearing wasn’t enough comedy; Mr. Blagojevich took it to a whole new level with his media get-together. I’m guessing his advisors have probably been fired today for even staging that disaster. I actually felt sorry for him- only because I’ve worked on political campaigns before and I realize that most politicians depend on the judgment of those around them. Today it became vividly apparent that those around him may be talented at other things (crime maybe?), but public relations clearly isn’t one of them. From alleging that the reason you’re being impeached is because you’ve “done things to fight for families”, to (still) declaring that you’ve never “committed any wrongdoing”, to your conspiracy theory about the House impeaching you, because you fought for “real people” and not “special interests”, to your (very telling) reference to “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner”, to your bizarre quotation of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Ulysses”….I could go on forever. The video of this train wreck is just priceless. And to think; all of this time I’ve been assuming that the testimony from the big 3 CEO’s to congress was the most blatant example of not giving a f***. Gov. Blagojevich has just raised the bar to (literally) historic heights. I’m actually starting to admire the guy. You have to see the video of this press conference to know exactly what I’m talking about. Googling WGN / Chicago / Blagojevich might help you out. Trust me; it’s better than any Sarah Palin skit Saturday Night Live could ever hope to make. So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers: let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And a special message to all of my die-hard Illinois Democrats: when you wake up from your hangovers tomorrow…from a night out of drowning your embarrassment; remember these five words: I can’t feel my face! It’s not everyday you get to see an Illinois Governor impeached. Wait; that’s because it’s never been seen before today! Way to make history Dems. Have a good weekend people; sober up tomorrow and move to the right.
Can we bring back the GOP in 2012? Originally posted 12-18-08
Republicans unite! I set up this blog today as what I hope will one day be the definitive forum for young Republicans of all kinds. Despite our efforts, we still got destroyed in November. I personally think it’s because we were still using the same outdated model, the same old tactics and the same early eighties thinking we learned from our parents. It wasn’t the liberals that sunk the ship; it was our party not adjusting to change that was the iceberg. Didn’t we all get that Titanic sinking feeling as we watched on election night and days thereafter as election results were broadcast 24/7? Watching Fox News (the band that continued to play as the ship sunk) like befuddled passengers only wanting to hold on to their last shred of dignity before it all ends? Well, we now all see what the results were for being hostages to the past. From local, state, and federal elections we got our asses handed to us for one specific reason: Republicans believing that that if we believe something doesn’t exist: then it doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, most Americans decided that rising gas prices, a recession (yes…recession), job losses, failing public education, a horrific housing market……I could go on. But, what’s the solution? Us! All of us between 18-30 are the future of the party. From the younger members of that age range doing what they can do as they arrive to college in the fall; to the later of us with careers that not only give us chances to speak some truth to our coworkers, but also the income to donate to our party and support our local candidates. But, first a little background about me. I’m 29, an Account Manager by trade and a supporter of both the Missouri and Illinois GOP. I contribute to campaigns on both sides of the river (because I live in St. Louis and it’s less than a few miles from Illinois) whenever I can, and as evidenced by the debacle of the St. Louis public school system and the recent Illinois Gov. Blagojevich scandal, it’s pretty clear we have to get these Democrats out of office at every level of government. I encourage anyone who wants to take our party into the future, please post here early and often! And get everyone you know to start their own Republican Blogs if they haven’t already. If we’re not fully organized, united and funded by 2011, we can forget about winning anything in 2012.
When it’s cold outside: Mr. Burris goes to Washington pt.2
Today on my Republican blog: Sorry for the long delay since my last post, but I’ve been kind of busy lately. I’ve been focusing on writing for other peoples’ blogs- while neglecting my own. But that’s over for now. Today, I’ve taken to purchasing lottery tickets and making plans to visit all four casinos in the metro St. Louis area later on tonight. I’m guessing that if Roland Burris could be seated in the Senate yesterday; luck must be in the air. For those that don’t know, yesterday Mr. Burris took his place as Barack Obama’s successor in the Senate thursday, giving the Democrats a 58 to 41 majority in the Senate. His first vote was expected to be on releasing the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout funds to President-Elect Obama when he takes office. While laughable, this appointment by the “Teflon Don” Rod Blagojevich poses a serious problem for all citizens. Since we already know that Burris’s campaign contributions to Gov. Blagojevich may have led to almost $300,000 in state contracts for his consulting company; I wonder how special interests, lobbyists and other groups will affect his votes in Washington. Will he put the peoples needs first or his bank account? We’ll soon see. You Dems are making it way to easy for us in 2012. So once again: to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to my Democrat blogs and bloggers (wait and see): let you voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you later on…and bundle up, because it’s cold outside!!!
A Liberal State of Mind: Two Words
Today on my Republican blog: As I’ve scanned through the various liberal blogs on WordPress.com today, I noticed that one important part is missing from all of your trite drivel: facts! So I’d like to introduce you to a very important resource for finding out the root of a story before you write about it. It’s called Lexis Nexis. Trust me, you can find articles from all over the world about any given story. Try it and see! Now I do have to warn you that if you’re not a subscriber, you’ll have to pay for each info check; and unfortunately the government won’t pay or reimburse you for that. But the good part is that you won’t end up looking like uninformed children when you write your posts. So once again, to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (can we stop with the conspiracy theories, please?): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you all later.
Rod Blagojevich-Solid Brass: The Teflon Don pt.6
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Today on my Republican blog: I’ve got to admit it: I’m now a Rod Blagojevich fan. Anyone who could hold a press conference and show this much balls (Sarah Palin on polar bears anyone?) deserves the respect and admiration of every living human being. For those that didn’t catch it on CSPAN2 or WGN, please go to youtube.com and look for the footage of his press conference on friday. This guy is truly amazing. From refusing to mount any defense or even show up to his Senate impeachment trail, to his analogies about being lynched, to his new conspiracy theory about Republicans and Democrats plotting to get him out of office so they can raise taxes; he has been a wonder to see over the past few months. His former chief defense attorney, Edward Genson, announced friday that he’s taking himself off of Blagojevich’s federal criminal case, which seems to have made “The Teflon Don” more brazen. “I’m not even getting a fair trail; they’re just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules that prevent due process, they’re hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor” said Blagojevich friday. If that isn’t the definition of balls, I don’t know what is. While I love my little girls with all my heart, I hope that one day I’ll be blessed with a son, so I can raise him in the mold of Rod Blagojevich. You won’t find many people on this planet who actually personify words (audacity, hubris, arrogance) in such a perfect fashion. As I’m writing this, the Governor of Illinois is preparing to appear on various media outlets today; and I doubt he’ll disappoint. If he’s showed us anything: it’s that he just doesn’t give a f***. And I admire that! Yes, I’m actually a fan of Rod Blagojevich now, because I want my future son to be raised with one thing: solid brass balls. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers (sorry for the delay), to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all my Democrat blogs and bloggers (watch TV today): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And gooooo Rod Blagojevich! See you later on…
March(ing) on: Rolling, Rolling, Roland Burris
Today on my Republican Blog: I’m not certain what they’ve been putting in the water of Chicago politicians all these years; but I’ve gotta try it. It apparently makes you immune to all reality and common sense. Case in point: Roland Burris’s continuing refusal to step down from the senate seat that we all know he bought and subsequently lied about buying. As I’ve said before on previous posts: do not accept this appointment because if you do, no one will take anything you do in the senate seriously and you’ll just be embarrassing yourself. Well, back to the future(cast). Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, also a dem, has just said that he’s giving Burris two weeks to step down before he urges Illinois lawmakers to consider a special election. I hate to say I told you so…but I told you so. This train wreck of a situation has us all now watching Burris holding press conferences and reading his ridiculous news releases; all in his attempt to disprove what we now know has just been confirmed. Mr. Burris, I don’t know if you read the news, but Illinois state attorney general, Lisa Madigan (D), issued an opinion stating that a special election will probably happen. And by the way, Alexi Giannoulias (Illinois state treasurer), U.S. Reps Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam, and also William Daley (the brother of the mayor), are all waiting to attack. The piranhas are starting to taste blood in the water; and they’re ready to bite. Stop this nonsense and just resign. And to the people of Illinois: when this special election is held, could you please stop your historic addiction to democrats ruining your state and vote Republican? So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and blogger, and especially my Democrat blogs and bloggers (told you so): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you in a minute!
Teldar Paper: Why Greed Is Good
Today on my Republican blog: Teldar Paper. I already know that those of you born after 1985 might not get the reference of this post, but it comes from the best movie ever made- Wall Street. So today I present to you the great words of the fictional character Gordon Gekko (based on the real life “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap). “The point is ladies and gentlemen… is that greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all of it’s forms: greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind, and greed; you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.” I hope I just gave you liberals a little motivation. So to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to all of my Democrat blogs and bloggers (rent the movie): let your voice be heard! And GOP 2012!
Remember This? Ever wonder why I call myself Futurecast? Originally posted 01/16/09
Today on my Republican blog: Sorry for the long delay since my last post, but I’ve been kind of busy lately. I’ve been focusing on writing for other peoples’ blogs- while neglecting my own. But that’s over for now. Today, I’ve taken to purchasing lottery tickets and making plans to visit all four casinos in the metro St. Louis area later on tonight. I’m guessing that if Roland Burris could be seated in the Senate yesterday; luck must be in the air. For those that don’t know, yesterday Mr. Burris took his place as Barack Obama’s successor in the Senate thursday, giving the Democrats a 58 to 41 majority in the Senate. His first vote was expected to be on releasing the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout funds to President-Elect Obama when he takes office. While laughable, this appointment by the “Teflon Don” Rod Blagojevich poses a serious problem for all citizens. Since we already know that Burris’s campaign contributions to Gov. Blagojevich may have led to almost $300,000 in state contracts for his consulting company; I wonder how special interests, lobbyists and other groups will affect his votes in Washington. Will he put the peoples needs first or his bank account? We’ll soon see. You Dems are making it way to easy for us in 2012. So once again: to all my Republican blogs and bloggers, to all my Libertarian blogs and bloggers and to my Democrat blogs and bloggers (wait and see): let you voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you later on…and bundle up, because it’s cold outside!!!
Once again people…Lets Take A Ride! (Standard and Poor’s drops the hammer on GM and Chrysler) Attack of the Republican Blogs
Today on my Republican blog: Let’s take a ride. Today, I heard a very interesting story on the news this afternoon. It seems that even after being bailed out by the government (with taxpayer money); General Motors and Chrysler had several of their ratings cut by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s. Apparently, they have their own predictions about both companies’ future performances in the automotive market and the prospect of their future plans to file for bankruptcy. They also took it a step further, stating that creditors for both companies can expect to take losses if and when they both default. Nice. Chrysler, who’s expected to merge with Italian automaker Fiat, is purportedly expected to be the worse of the two automakers. S&P analyst Gregory Maddock recently said “We believe that if they (Chrysler) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, many of its assets and operations would be sold in discrete transactions over time, while other segments may be closed”. Nice. Now, let’s talk about General Motors a little bit. GM faces a government imposed deadline of June 1st to get concessions from its stakeholders, unions and other sources. Today is April 10th people! Unless we get a miracle this Easter; I don’t see that happening. Chrysler’s deadline is even tighter, being due on May 1st, to seal the deal with Fiat. The S&P doesn’t have much faith in them either; noted by the prediction that Chrysler will be filing for bankruptcy by “the end of April or thereafter”. Once again…nice. As anyone who owns any stock in those companies can attest too: the last thing you want to hear is that your shares have been downgraded to “junk bond” status (Charter Communications anyone?). But to all my investors: hold out hope. It’s always darkest before the dawn. Be patient and invest smart; we’ve all seen what Citigroup has done in the past three weeks. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, KTVI Fox 2 News, and Andrea. (I can’t say sorry enough). To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (invest in your future and not your fantasies), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And also to Comcast: I’ve been noticing the commercials you’ve been running in the St. Louis market, even though none of us can get Comcast in the area. Please hurry up and take over Charter! I’m taking a bath on those shares! Help my portfolio! See you all later.
Lets Take A Ride! (Standard and Poor’s drops the hammer on GM and Chrysler) Attack of the Republican Blogs
Today on my Republican blog: Let’s take a ride. Today, I heard a very interesting story on the news this afternoon. It seems that even after being bailed out by the government (with taxpayer money); General Motors and Chrysler had several of their ratings cut by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s. Apparently, they have their own predictions about both companies’ future performances in the automotive market and the prospect of their future plans to file for bankruptcy. They also took it a step further, stating that creditors for both companies can expect to take losses if and when they both default. Nice. Chrysler, who’s expected to merge with Italian automaker Fiat, is purportedly expected to be the worse of the two automakers. S&P analyst Gregory Maddock recently said “We believe that if they (Chrysler) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, many of its assets and operations would be sold in discrete transactions over time, while other segments may be closed”. Nice. Now, let’s talk about General Motors a little bit. GM faces a government imposed deadline of June 1st to get concessions from its stakeholders, unions and other sources. Today is April 10th people! Unless we get a miracle this Easter; I don’t see that happening. Chrysler’s deadline is even tighter, being due on May 1st, to seal the deal with Fiat. The S&P doesn’t have much faith in them either; noted by the prediction that Chrysler will be filing for bankruptcy by “the end of April or thereafter”. Once again…nice. As anyone who owns any stock in those companies can attest too: the last thing you want to hear is that your shares have been downgraded to “junk bond” status (Charter Communications anyone?). But to all my investors: hold out hope. It’s always darkest before the dawn. Be patient and invest smart; we’ve all seen what Citigroup has done in the past three weeks. In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, KTVI Fox 2 News, and Andrea. (I can’t say sorry enough). To all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers, my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, my Democrat blogs and bloggers (invest in your future and not your fantasies), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! And also to Comcast: I’ve been noticing the commercials you’ve been running in the St. Louis market, even though none of us can get Comcast in the area. Please hurry up and take over Charter! I’m taking a bath on those shares! Help my portfolio! See you all later.
Moving (to the Right): Obama’s tax reduction plan and how the Democrats are turning against it
Today on my Republican blog: You liberals better start packing up your belongings because your party is moving (to the right.) Today a few key Democrats smartened up and decided to raise objection at President Obama’s tax reduction plan. If you didn’t already know, Obama’s proposal calls for limiting itemized tax reductions for high earners, limiting the deductions someone can claim for charitable donations, limiting the deductions one can claim for mortgage interest, limiting the deductions one can claim for state taxes and also limiting the deductions one can claim for local taxes. As I said yesterday, that’s actually punishing people who’re successful, while slowly socializing the government and rewarding those who don’t deserve it. But the new twist about this proposal, is that all it’s going to accomplish is hurting charities, the housing market, the stock market, small businesses and the average person who was smart enough to find a way to make more than $250,000 a year. If Obama’s under the illusion that setting aside $634 billion over the next ten years for health care reform, with half of it coming from tax increases to the nation’s highest earners, is truly going to change anything; he’s sadly mistaken. And the best part? Do you know you where the other half is coming from? Let me tell you: cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Now that doesn’t sound very liberal to me. It sounds more like the perfect plan to get more corporations to move overseas, while more and more Americans will be deprived of healthcare. But here’s the good news: Democratic Senators such as Robert Menendez and Reps like Charles Rangel have decided to give this proposal a little more thought. So, yes…the whole nation is moving back to the original right. It’s time to get back to fiscal responsibility, trim the fat and start being prosperous as a country again. I know some of you libs won’t admit it, but every single day, members of your party are moving more and more to the right and that’s the right thing to do. So to my Republican blogs and bloggers, to my Libertarian blogs and bloggers, and to my Democrat blogs and bloggers (you’ve lost already): let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! See you later!
grandoldparty2011.wordpress.com- From Bad To Worse- What happens when you put Democrats in office (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 11/07/2009After weeks of closed-door discussions, months of GOP scrutiny and diminishing support from the American public, Nancy Pelosi introduced her newest health care reform bill this Tuesday. This 1,900 page waste of paper not only does nothing to solve our nations healthcare issues, but it also (stunningly) will cost over a trillion dollars to taxpayers. [...]Futurecast
- A Taxing Situation (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 10/19/2009So it’s not enough to raise taxes on beer, wine, cigarettes and candy? Now you Dems are raising taxes on things as mundane as haircuts and legal fees? Where does it end?Futurecast
- Cognitive Dissonance: Why do people vote for Democrats? A Liberal State of Mind pt.8 (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 10/18/2009Most people find it easier to rationalize the actuality of (insert problem here) with a self defeating detachment from reality as opposed to facing the truth. It’s the literal equivalent of continuing to drive your car with the check engine light on in the hopes that it will magically turn itself off. You can ignore it all you want, but sooner or later, your […]Futurecast
- It’s More Than Just Politics aka What happens when you put Democrats in office pt.6 (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 10/08/2009It’s looking like this socialist, clusterf*ck of a healthcare reform bill will face its final committee vote on Tuesday according to top Senate Democrat Harry Reid.Futurecast
- “Obamacare” aka what happens when you put Democrats in office pt.5 (Attack of the Republican blogs) 09/27/2009Have you ever encountered someone in a bar that happened to be so blatantly ignorant about politics that you just wanted to grab them and choke them?Futurecast
- Class is Back in Session! A Republican State of Mind 09/11/2009Today on my Republican Blog: Class is back in Session! This is just a little something for everyone to think about when deciding who to vote for in this next upcoming election and also a life lesson for anyone who’s never taken a class in political science (you can apply this to any aspect of [...]Futurecast
- Let’s Debate! Barack Obama’s Healthcare Reform debacle aka What happens when you put Democrats in office pt.4 (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 08/22/2009I think it has more to do with the fact that most Americans can see thru the cloudy haze of the democrats’ attempt to socialize healthcare in this country (among other things). It’s inefficient, limits choices and hemorrhages taxpayer money. I’m just guessing that people other than Republicans can see that.Futurecast
- Come Fly With Me! What happens when you put Democrats in office? pt.3 The TSA’s new rules (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 08/15/2009Since most reservations are made over the phone or online, theoretically they already have my name and my credit card information. So what exactly does my age or my gender have to do with booking a flight? It’s not like its going be printed on my boarding pass. Are we really in the age of big brother?Futurecast
- What happens when you put Democrats in office? pt.2 Welcome to Illinois (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 08/02/2009It’s only so long that you can keep doing the same thing (voting for democrats) and expecting different results. If I’m not mistaken, that’s the textbook definition of insanity.Futurecast
- What happens when you put Democrats in office? pt.1-Barack Obama’s “Beer Summit” (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 08/01/2009What started as a police officer arresting an (understandably) agitated burglary suspect has now (somehow) became a catalyst for a bizarre debate on race relations in 2009. And thanks to Obama, this has (somehow) now gone globalFuturecast
- Barack Obama’s Heathcare Reform Plan- Once Again…Let’s Socialize! A Liberal State of Mind pt. 2 (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 07/27/2009For a group of individuals who’ve spent the last few years campaigning (and somehow winning) on the promise of making a change in politics, it’s extraordinarily funny to see just how much in disarray the democratic party is in today.Futurecast
- Once Again…Let’s Socialize! A Liberal State of Mind pt. 2 (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 07/25/2009Falling Down (The current state of the Democratic Party aka the Republican version of The Best Week Ever). For a group of individuals who’ve spent the last few years campaigning (and somehow winning) on the promise of change, it’s extraordinarily funny to see just how much in disarray the democratic party is in today.Futurecast
- Happy 4th of July! (A Republican State of Mind) 07/04/2009As the son of a father who retired from the United States Air Force, I understand the sacrifice, strength and discipline that it takes to be in the military.Futurecast
- Happy Fathers Day! (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 06/21/2009Happy Fathers Day! I owe the other half of my Republican state of mind to my dad.Futurecast
- Let’s Socialize! A Liberal State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 06/04/2009As I’ve been watching this NBC special on Barack Obama, I came to realize one thing: Liberals truly don’t own dictionaries.Futurecast
- Rewind! The Genius of Leo Strauss: A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 05/30/2009Today on my Republican blog: The genius of Leo Strauss. This is a very special treat for all of my Republicans. I know most of you are already well versed in the works of Leo Strauss and politics, so I decided to post this for all of the confused liberals who either misrepresent Leo Strauss’s [...]Futurecast
- Remember this? March(ing) on: Rolling, Rolling, Roland Burris (Originaly posted 03-02-09) 05/30/2009I’m not certain what they’ve been putting in the water of Chicago politicians all these years; but I’ve gotta try it. It apparently makes you immune to all reality and common sense.Futurecast
- Tough as Steele: A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 05/18/2009If you’ve previously read my blog, you already know how I feel about the leader of my Republican Party. If you haven’t, allow me to clarify it for you: Michael Steele is the leader of the GOP… period.Futurecast
- Happy Mother’s Day! A Republican State of Mind (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 05/10/2009To all of the mothers out there, I’d just like to take a moment to say happy mother’s day. To be honest, most of us don’t truly appreciate the sacrifices our mothers have made in their lives to make us the individuals that we are today.Futurecast
- Another Oldie but Goodie: Jealousy (A Liberal State of Mind pt.3 from 03-16-09) 04/25/2009Today on my Republican blog: Jealousy. It seems to be a strong liberal trait these days. For all of you libs that don’t own dictionaries (I know most of you obviously don’t), allow me to define it for you:Futurecast
- From Bad To Worse- What happens when you put Democrats in office (Attack of the Republican Blogs) 11/07/2009
- Fox 2 News St. Louis
- Man Drives Tanker Truck Into Edwardsville Warehouse 01/28/2012Early Saturday morning, an armed man stole a fuel tanker truck and crashed it into a warehouse in Edwardsville, IL. Police and firefighters surrounded the scene, but, initially at least, were keeping their distance out of concern for their own safety.By Kim Hudson
- Final Preps Underway For Welcome Home The Heroes From Iraq Parade 01/28/2012Veterans of the war in Iraq will be honored Saturday in St. Louis in what organizers are calling the first major welcome home parade in the nation. The Welcome Home The Heroes From Iraq parade begins at noon Saturday. It will travel up Market Street from Broadway to Union Station.
- Remembering The Fallen From The Wars In Iraq, Afghanistan 01/28/2012One by one, volunteers began reading the more than 6,000 names of U.S. service members killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan Friday night. The first name was read at 9:11pm, and they continued into the night as rain began to fall on the Soldiers' Memorial.George Sells
- Weekends On The Web: Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 28-29, 2011 01/27/2012Meteorologist Angela Hutti Tells You About What's Happening This WeekendLooking for some great weekend activities, the latest forecast, or hoping to catch up on the week in News? Check out Weekends on the Web with Meteorologist Angela Hutti for all the information you need.
- Lindbergh High School Student Dies From Cancer 01/28/2012A young man who put his heart into helping kids with cancer lost his own battle against bone cancer Friday. 18-year old Jake Franzel of Crestwood faced many health challenges but he lived life with energy and determination often inspiring his classmates at Lindbergh High School.Betsey Bruce
- Visitors Commission Questions Rams About London Home Games 01/28/2012The Convention and Visitors Commission is turning on the heat when it comes to the Rams. The team announced earlier this month that it will play a home game in London for the next three years.By Charles Jaco
- Wood River Police Shoot Stolen Car Suspect 01/27/2012The Illinois State Police are investigating a police-involved shooting in Wood River, Illinois.Web Content Provider
- Woman Killed In Town & Country Hit and Run 01/27/2012Police searching for suspectTown & Country police are looking for the person responsible for a fatal hit and run. Authorities say Ciby Kimbrough of St. Louis was killed in a two-car crash.Web Content Provider
- New Mississippi River Bridge Is On Schedule and Under Budget 01/27/2012The new $735 million dollar Mississippi River Bridge is on schedule for completion in two years; but most important of all its 11% under budget according to MoDOT. MoDOT credits a very competitive environment that is keeping construction bids low.
- Bomb Threat At SWIC; Friday Classes Cancelled 01/27/2012Campus evacuated after threat called inFriday classes are cancelled at Southwestern Illinois College due to a reported bomb threat. It happened just after 8 a.m. Authorities in Belleville evacuated the campus after someone called in a bomb threat to the school.Web Content Provider
- Man Drives Tanker Truck Into Edwardsville Warehouse 01/28/2012
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Once Again…Let’s Socialize! A Liberal State of Mind pt. 2 (Attack of the Republican Blogs)
Today on my Republican blog: Once again, let’s socialize! (The current state of the Democratic Party aka the Republican version of The Best Week Ever). For a group of individuals who’ve spent the last few years campaigning (and somehow winning) on the promise of making a change in politics, it’s extraordinarily funny to see just how much in disarray the democratic party is in today. From my perspective, it looks like the only change they’re trying to affect is socialism- and they’re not even good at accomplishing that. From nationalizing banks, car manufactures, TARP, and now this health care initiative fiasco? It’s almost like democrats are trying to give us (Republicans) the country back in 2010 and 2012. That’s the exact reason that I keep saying we’ll be ready by 2011 to win in 2012. I just had a gut feeling from the beginning that if democrats got into any form of office in 2008, they would do what liberals always seem to do: find new and innovative ways to ruin America. As evidenced by Barack Obama’s national (socialized) health care plan, it’s apparent that they’re just picking up just where Hillary Clinton left off in the mid 90’s. I’m just assuming that most democrats just enjoy failing at everything they do. Think about it. Whatever city or town or municipality you happen to live in, take a second and ask yourself what ward or district or community has the most crime, the most unemployment, the lowest property values, the worst schools, ect, ect, ect. Now ask yourself this: what party does the mayor, alderman, committee members, county executive, school board members, senators, state representatives, local politicians, ect, ect, ect belong to? If you couldn’t guess- it’s the Democratic Party. It’s so perplexing to me that the very people who claim to be the party of the people (look up democracy), who claim to care about their children and their grandchildren’s future (global warming anyone?) would vote these indecisive, liberal clowns into office at all levels; year, after year, after year. To us (Republicans) it’s really of little consequence now, because we all know that each day that passes by, you’ll have more time to introduce more asinine, trite, nonsensical proposals, propositions, bills, legislation and other comedy that your party thinks will fool the American people. And guess what? Nobody’s buying it. What have we gotten so far with democratic leadership? Higher taxes, a larger government presence and an off kilter attempt at socialization. Wake up people! 2012 is ours and we’re currently organizing this very second for 2010 and 2012. But before I let you read this funny (to Republicans) and accurate article my friend e-mailed me, I have to give my respect and thanks to Erica Werner and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar from the Associated Press, all of our Armed Forces, the RNC, the Missouri Republican Party, the Illinois Republican Party, the College Republican National Committee, the National Black Republican Association, the Wall Street Journal, KSDK Channel 5, KTVI Fox 2 News, my personal assistant /gf #2 Jeanette, all of my Republican Blogs and Bloggers (I’m still here!), my Libertarian blogs and bloggers (like your tax hikes?), my Democrat blogs and bloggers (keep giving 2012 to us on a silver platter!), and to all Political blogs and bloggers: Let your voice be heard. GOP in 2012! If you’re not on the right, you’re wrong. Ready by 2011 to win in 2012! Enjoy!
WASHINGTON – Dissension within Democratic ranks over President Barack Obama’s health care initiative all but paralyzed the House Friday, typifying just how many political land mines are littering the path to enactment.
The Obama White House figured on some pushback from congressional Republicans, but leaders of his own Democratic Party struggled to get things moving. A powerful House committee chairman threatened to force a floor vote to break the impasse within Democratic ranks — a drastic step that could roil the House.
Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said negotiations with fiscally conservative Democrats on his panel cannot continue indefinitely. But a floor vote would put fellow Democrats in an exposed position, having to cast a vote on a $544-billion upper-income tax increase that the Senate is unlikely to embrace to help pay for covering the millions of uninsured Americans.
The problems on the House side of the Capitol come a day after Senate Democratic leaders announced they would not go ahead as planned with a floor vote before Congress departs for its August recess. Senate Democrats are also divided. While some are negotiating with Republicans, others want to plow ahead on their own.
“We’re going to have to look at perhaps bypassing the (Energy and Commerce) committee because we’ve got to get moving on this legislation,” Waxman said. “I hope we don’t come to that conclusion.”
Two House panels have already passed legislation. Waxman is stymied because seven conservatives on his committee — part of a group called the Blue Dog Democrats — are sticking together.
Negotiations are continuing, but Waxman said he’s running out of patience.
“We’re not going to let them empower the Republicans to control the committee,” he said.
“This can’t be an interminable discussion,” Waxman added. He’s agreed to a study to address why Medicare rates are lower in rural areas in hopes of mollifying the Blue Dogs, many of whom represent small town constituencies. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake. Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he hoped the talks would end on a positive note and the bill could proceed through Waxman’s committee.
As lawmakers continued to haggle, the White House said Obama will keep working on health care in August even if Congress goes home.
“Nobody in planning meetings decided we should just take August off,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. “For a long time we planned to continue the discussion on the issues that are important, be it the economy, health care … education. That had always in many ways been priced into the scenario.”
Obama envisions legislation that would, for the first time, require all Americans to be insured. A new government insurance program would compete with private insurers, and insurance companies would be barred from excluding people with pre-existing conditions. The goals are to hold down costs and extend coverage to most of the 50 million uninsured. The price tag: $1 trillion-plus over a decade.
Obama met Friday morning at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. Reid said Thursday that the panel will push to complete a bill before the Senate breaks Aug. 7. Baucus has been negotiating with the panel’s Republicans in hopes of producing a bipartisan bill.
Finance Committee negotiators are looking at a bill that probably won’t satisfy Democratic liberals. One of their top goals is a new government-sponsored insurance plan, and that was a centerpiece of legislation passed by the Senate’s health committee. But Finance Committee members are looking at nonprofit co-ops instead.
In the House, the Blue Dogs want more done to try to control rising medical costs.
Democratic leaders say the back-and-forth is a normal part of the legislative process, but Republicans are latching on to the disarray in delight. The Republican National Committee has taken to issuing news releases headlined “Chaos” that highlight disagreements within the Democrats’ ranks.
In a Tweeter post on Friday, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, gave a shout-out to the Democratic dissidents: “bludogs keep barkin.” Grassley is Baucus’ counterpart in the Senate health care negotiations.
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