Mitt Romney really stepped in it in Iowa.

Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a “tar baby” during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn’t know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet.

In a speech Saturday, Romney, a Republican considering a run for president in 2008, acknowledged he took a big political risk in taking control of the project after a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse, but said inaction would have been even worse.

“The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can,” he told a crowd of about 100 supporters in Ames, Iowa.

Something about the recent order in Iran, working to eliminate foreign (specifically, English) words that have entered into Farsi discourse in the last few years, just seems French. Not a particularly creative way to stick it to the man.

I generally approve of linguistic purity efforts. I am reminded of Tolkien, who disliked Shakespeare for his adoption of so much of that vile Gallic tongue. On the other hand, I imagine Mssr Ahmadinejad is actually up to very little good with this.

The Senate passed the Child Custody Protection Act Monday night. The law makes it a crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion. This will prevent people from circumventing parental notification laws.

Even pro-choicers must admit that if children under the age of 18 cannot consent and parents are responsible for the health of their children, this law is greatly needed. It’s classic doublespeak when parental notification is required when a child so much as needs an asprin, but abortion is this magical exception. Child predators will now have to think twice before sexually exploiting children. If they get pregnant they won’t be able to cover their wrong-doing by taking their girls across state lines for an abortion.

This law was a real opportunity for Democrats to gain credibility for supporting American families. But, true enough, a vast majority of them cannot be trusted.

14 Democrats had enough common sense to vote for this law, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. 4 Republicans, 29 Democrats, and 1 Independent, however, did not. Among them was none other than Pennsylvania’s senior Senator, Arlen Specter.

Arlen, your vote is a disgrace to yourself and the Party. I hope to God that this will be your last term in the Senate.

The Club for Growth has compiled a master list of how every Representative fared during Rep. Jeff Flake’s recent 19-amendment assault on the recent appropriations bill in an attempt to strip pork out of it. The Club will link to blog postings for each of the Representatives (so titled, “435 Districts - 435 Blogs Against Pork”).

I am proud to report that my Representative, Tom Price (R - GA-6) voted FOR 16 of the 19 amendments, or 84%. Price has been consistent in voting against pork.

Most of the other Georgia Republicans also scored relatively well, with the exception of Appropriations Committee member Jack Kingston (GA-1). He voted for 0 of the amendments.

Here’s how the entire delegation stacks up:

Kingston (R) - 0/19
Bishop (D) - 0/19
Marshall (D) - 1/19
McKinney (D) - 0/19
Lewis (D) - 0/19
Price (R) - 16/19
Linder (R) - 14/19
Westmoreland (R) - 18/19
Norwood (R) - 17/19
Deal (R) - 18/19
Gingrey (R) - 8/19
Barrow (D) - 0/19
Scott (D) - 0/19

Alex’s earlier post got me thinking about the plight of Israel. 18 nations, including the United States convened an emergency meeting in Rome to discuss a cease-fire agreement in the Israeli/Hezbollah conflict. They failed to reach an agreement.

How do you discuss a cease-fire when one of the parties in the conflict is a terrorist organization? How about lets help Israel eradicate Hezbollah and her enemies. Let’s free Israel of the shackles of restraint so they can adequately defend themselves. Then once Hezbollah, Hamas, (insert Islamic terrorist group here) are defeated and decimated, can we then and only then begin to discuss a cease fire. Islamic terrorists declared war on Israel and the US decades ago. When are we going to wake up and realize it?

Wow.

In the shortest, most concise, most clear form I’ve seen, Powerline succinctly states how the Democrats feel about national security:

Let’s look at where liberal Democrats stand on national security. They oppose military action against hostile nations like North Korea when they are in the process of developing nuclear weapons; they oppose systems that might defend us from nuclear weapons after these hostile nation develop them; they oppose any serious effort to secure our border from terrorist infiltration and would condition even a relatively unserious effort on the granting amnesty for millions of illegals; they oppose obtaining information from terrorists through interrogation techniques that stop short of inflicting physical pain; and they even have reservations about surveillance techniques that enable us to listen-in on terrorists.

There you have it in a nutshell, folks. But of course, if Kerry were president the Middle East would be full of rabbits and sunshine right now. And global warming would just miraculously go away, all of the sudden not such a great crisis. And Elvis would be back to life, and Tupac would’ve been sighted.

But what do I know, I’m just part of the vast right wing conspiracy. A conspiracy which involves evil things such as deposing dictators, tax cuts for all, free trade, and *gasp* enforcing immigration laws.

Memo to Joseph T. McCarthy: does “limited government” mean anything to you? Anything?

Click here.

What’s very odd here is they polled the Texas Senate race, where Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is running against a Dem attorney who never held office before, but completely ignored the Montana Senate race, which is very competitive.

Pa. results: Santorum 40.2%, Casey 49.2%

“I hate to keep beating people over the head with the Bible, but that’s the only instrument I know, the only thing that stays true.”
-Bob Dylan

H/T First Things

Its a little known fact that a person many counter-culture liberals take for their own, Bob Dylan, doesn’t exactly fit the mold. Dylan’s personal beliefs are not entirely well known though his children were raised in both Jewish and Christian faith backgrounds. Just some food for thought.

In the wake of a recession in 2001, the Tech Stock bubble busting, 9/11, coporate scandals, and hurricaines galore our economy is going like gangbusters. Unemployment is at 4.6%, home ownership is at an all time high.

My question: Can President Bush take credit for it?

Here is a frightening article on how the PM of a major European country, Spain, is openly anti-semitic and is courting Hizbollah and other nefarious groups. I must say that it is an interesting dynamic that the centre-right forces in Spain are largely catholic affiliated organizations, and they are now the biggest defenders of Judaism in Spain.

By the moment the Benarroch couple had left the table to express their regrets, Zapatero was explaining his lack of surprise about the Holocaust: according to the people present, Zapatero claimed to understand the Nazis. By the moment the Benarroch couple had left the table to express their regrets, Zapatero was explaining his lack of surprise about the Holocaust: according to the people present, Zapatero claimed to understand the Nazis.

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill

I am really not alarmed by this yet. Giuliani is leading primarily because he is virtually a household name across the country because of the role he played as mayor of New York City on 9-11.

I doubt anyone would question Giuliani’s ability to be an affective leader during the War on Terror if he were to become President. I don’t get the impression that he is someone who would put up with a whole lot of crap from an aggressive militant group like Al-Qaeda or a country like North Korea. However, on a social perspective the man is far, far too left wing to represent the Republican Party. He supports abortion on demand with taxpayer funding, gay marriage, and gun control. Once these issues get out during the primaries I predict that he will drop very quickly. His stance on guns I think will sink him big time in the South.

People should be leary, though. He will certainly realize that these stances will be problems for him and if he is a smart politician he will try to moderate himself more. Freedom loving Republicans should not be fooled.

Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain typically vie for the lead in Republican preference polls, but a greater percentage of Republicans say they would find Giuliani acceptable than say this about McCain (73% to 55%). Four in 10 Republicans say they would not find McCain to be an acceptable GOP presidential nominee. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also widely considered by Republicans to be an acceptable nominee.

Gallup

I just got home from the Cagle Victory Party. What a great event.

It was not even close. 12% up by last count. Around 10:00 (24% reported, Cagle up by 10%) we knew something was up. Cagle’s family was gathered up from the crowd. And then there it was on the monitors. Reed conceded.

Montana is a pretty reliable state for Republicans in Presidential elections, but they do have a Democrat governor, senator, and their State Legislature is controlled by the Democrats as well. Rather strange for this socially conservative state, but when the GOP allows corruption in the form of Conrad Burns to continue gestating what can you expect? There is a very good chance that Burns will be defeated and the Republicans will lose what should be an easy hold. While Conrad Burns has certainly had an excellent conservative voting record, it is no substitute for backroom corruption. He should have done the honorable thing and stepped aside, allowing someone else to be the Republican nominee. And, the State party should have had the balls to make him.

Democrat Jon Tester leads Republican Senator Conrad Burns 50% to 43% making Burns the second most vulnerable Senator seeking re-election this year (Pennsylvania’s Rick Santorum is still the most vulnerable). This is the first Rasmussen Reports election poll in Montana since Tester won his primary victory to become the Democrat’s nominee.

Rasmussen

I really hope that Michael Steele pulls this out in November. He is a strong, principled conservative who I think holds the true values of this country at heart. He is also a large step forward for bringing black Americans back to their roots in the Republican Party.

Democratic Congressman Ben Cardin still leads Republican Lt. Governor Michael Steele, but no longer by double digits in this tightening race. Cardin now leads Steele by just six points, 47% to 41%. In February he had led Steele by fourteen points, which by April had dropped to a ten-point lead (see Crosstabs).

Steele is neck-and-neck with Democratic NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, with Steele nominally leading, 45% to 44%. In April Mfume led by four points, after the two had been neck-and-neck in February, Steele 42%, Mfume 41%. The main change for this match-up is that more voters have made up their minds.

Rasmussen

Need more persuasion? You can look through the whole Ralph Reed saga, which Alex did a good job summarizing, on Wikipedia here.

You can read a great piece by a former Reed supporter about an issue we haven’t hit yet, Reed’s rather unChristian work to give China Most Favored Nation status, here on Peach Pundit.

You can read GQ’s forthcoming article, “The Sins of Ralph Reed” in advance of the magazine’s next release in August. Thank goodness they released this article early. It’s long, but even more detailed than Wikipedia and Alex’s post combined, and it also shows Reed’s smug, arrogant, elitist attitude that has rubbed many of his former supporters and others the wrong way.

And, in a more positive light than negative, 23 Georgia State Senators on why Casey Cagle should lead their chamber (the obvious reason being he’s actually served there - what a concept).

Sorry to those of you not in GA for all of the coverage of this lately, but it is imperative for the Republican Party, and the integrity of our political system as a whole (not that it’s a shining beacon of integrity, but still…), that politicking hypocrites such as Reed not be given elected office.

The Georgia Lt. Governors race may turn on an issue that might seem strange to everyone outside Georgia. Heck this is strange or silly at best.

So here is the back story. Back in 1956 southern states, including Georgia, were segregated societies between black and white. I don’t need to rehash the history here. In Washington moves were being made to enforce the integration of schools throughout the South.

In protest the Georgia Legislature changed its flag to the one to the left. Noted with its Confederate Battle emblem, this flag flew above the state capital until 2001, when Democratic Governor Roy Barnes signed into law a bill changing the 1956 a compromised proposal for a new Georgia flag featuring all flags to fly over Georgia.

The new flag (right) sparked controversy, partly because it was passed quietly with no media attention. Enter the Flaggers. The Flaggers lead primarily by the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans, vowed to get the flag changed back to the 1956 flag and punish Governor Barnes in the process.

The Flaggers galvanised rural voters sympathetic to their cause and helped elect Republican Sonny Purdue. In the 2002 election Purdue promised to bring the issue before the Georgia voters in a referendum. With The Flaggers help Purdue became the first Republican Governor elected in Georgia since Reconstruction.

Keeping his word Purdue put the issue before voters, except the 1956 flag was not an option. The Flaggers see this as being double-crossed. The Flaggers have vowed to take down Purdue in 2006 as they did Barnes. Wrapped up in the controversy is Ralph Reed, Republican candidate for Lt. Governor who served as head of the Georgia GOP and who is often credited with getting Purdue elected. It was Reed that brokered the unholy alliance between the Flaggers and Purdue. To the Flaggers Reed is as culpable as Purdue and is expected to receive their wrath.

In all honestly The Flaggers do not have nearly the power they had in 2002, because voters feel the issue was resolved with the referendum. The Flaggers still are a sizable group and could be the tipping point if they throw their support as they have indicated behind Casey Cagle, whom this blog has endorsedand who has not taken a stand on the issue.

Interesting note Georgia’s current flag (to the left) is similar to those prior to the 1956 flag. All are reminiscent of The First National Flag of the Confederacy.
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Some interesting notes are on the RealClearPolitics blog about two races that this blog has made endorsements in.

The first is about David McSweeney, running in Illinois’s 8th district against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean:

IL-8: The good news for Republican challenger Dave McSweeney? He slightly outraised incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean last quarter, $604,000 to $548,000. The bad news? Bean is sitting on close to $3 million in the bank while McSweeney has less than a half million. Senator John McCain is in town for an event today that will raise another $125K for McSweeney.

The other interesting tidbit, of course, is on the GA Republican primary for Lt. Governor:

GA Lt. Gov: More good stuff from Baxter and Galloway at the AJC on the final hours of this dead heat race:

“Let’s ponder on [Matt] Towery’s contention that this race will be a 1,000-vote contest. If that’s so, then it won’t be over until Cobb, Cherokee and north Fulton counties weigh in.

Remember that it was Jared Thomas, as campaign manager for Tom Price, who pulled the upset of 2004 with a primary victory in the GOP race for the 6th Congressional District. Which covers exactly that territory. Thomas, of course, is now directing Reed’s campaign.

Tom Price is my Representative in Congress, and a pretty darn good one, at that (has voted with Flake against earmarks, has the right stance on immigration, etc). Too bad his former manager is now running Reed’s campaign.

To all Georgians: Read (or Reed… sorry bad pun) our posts on Ralph Reed’s lack of ethical integrity. I don’t care if you are a Socialist, if you’re a Democrat, or if you are voting Green or Libertarian in November… it is absolutely necessary that Ralph Reed not be allowed to have any elected position, in this state or anywhere else. You can also read here about Reed’s refusal to talk to media and answer questions. Electing someone to a statewide position whose claim to faim is exploiting devout Christians and engineering elections, all the while in cahoots with people like Jack Abramoff, is not right for Georgia.

Vote Casey Cagle for Lt. Governor in the Republican Primary tomorrow.

Recent news that has been surprising to the mainstream media and liberals, but not to those whom understand economics, has shown that Treasury revenues are up about 15% over this period last year, and Bush’s much-ridiculed goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 will not only come true, but will actually arrive in 2008, a year early, should the current trend continue.

The good news is obvious: supply-side economics, specifically the notion that lower taxes encourages more economic activity, which will actually boost tax revenue for the government, has been proven yet again to be true. Liberals who claim that tax cuts “only benefit the rich” and are anathema to the federal budget, which only contribute to higher deficits, are soundly pimp-slapped by the recent news.

The bad news: the decrease of the deficit and the economy-boosting tax cuts help to hide the irresponsible and reckless spending spree that this Republican Congress and administration have taken. The Republican majorities in the House and Senate have been successful with these tax cuts despite themselves. This will likely only embolden mainstream congressional Republicans with Potomac Fever who will continue the spending binge and just count for tax cuts to be their savior.

The results of these tax cuts show the fundamental truths of supply-side economics: let people keep more of their money, and their will be more economic activity; lower (preferably eliminate, but who knows if that will happen) taxes on stock dividends, and it will spurn increased interest in the stock market and help drive up investment, most importantly amongst the middle class; allow businesses to pay less taxes, and they will be more productive in their industry, be able to employ more workers, and invest more funds in research; all of these factors contribute to significant economic expansion, which benefits all Americans. Lest we not forget, and just to throw the liberals a bone, the economic growth encouraged by tax-cutting also increases tax revenues for the government (like they need more money).

Message to liberals: wise up and realize that a freer economy that allows for individuals to keep more of their money to save, spend, and invest on their own, and for companies to keep more of their profits to research, invest, and dole out to fat cat CEO’s who help drive the economy ;), is the path to a more vibrant economy and even higher tax revenues. This country was founded on economic freedom because the private ownership of property and assets is one that is fundamental to the individual citizen’s independence of the government.

Message to Republicans in Congress: don’t quit while you’re ahead and continue on your drunken, irresponsible, reckless, and unconstitutional spending just because higher tax revenues will still cause the deficit to shrink. There’s still a large deficit. There’s still thousands and thousands of unconstitutional earmarks doled out in bill after bill, year after year. There’s still the looming entitlement crisis, only increased by your pandering to liberals with Medicare Part D. Start acting like Republicans. Start listening to Pence, Shadegg, Hensarling, Coburn, Flake, Toomey, McCain, et al. Quit putting people like Jerry Lewis in charge of Appropriations. Quit listening to “old bulls” like Lott, Cochran, and Stevens about fiscal matters just because they have seniority and have been there for a while (too long, but that’s another article for another day). Quit sending or trying to send federal dollars to relocate a railroad in Mississippi for a private company, to renovate a city’s swimming pool in California, or to build an expensive bridge connecting a town of 200 to an island of 50 in Alaska when there is already a ferry service. Start paying attention to the Constitution, and start respecting the tenets of Federalism.

Supply side economics work. But there is still much more to be done.