Two Years Ago

What I said two years ago.

But what I am sure of is there is a wave of irrationality. As to how large that wave is, I do not think we know.

I don't think anyone ever imagined the wave would get this high.

And yes, I called out one side.

Even though we don't know how pervasive the irrational fear is, leaders (and there is little denying some of the people I am about to name have been embraced as leaders) on the right have trumpeted it as a "movement" and "patriotic" and as "mainstream". We've reached the existential moment where fear of the unknown or ignorance of the known is not only seen as rational political thought but a reason to proudly thump one's chest and declare patriotism.

And there is no mushy middle here. I was right and I'm not too shy to say it.

Those that ride the tiger do not fear the dismount. They no longer care. They only revel in the red of tooth and claw as it continues to ravage anyone in their path.

George Will Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, George Will advocated a brand of conservatism combined with pragmatism which would no doubt in today's climate brand him a RINO or worse, a liberal.

U.S News Scott Gallupo compiles a collection of Will writings from a few decades ago, although given his recent tendencies, might as well have been written in cuneiform on sand tablets.

My personal favorite:

"[A]ll government takes place on a slippery slope. Anything can be imagined carried to unreasonable lengths. That is why the most important four words in politics are: up to a point... Sensible government is impossible when the citizenry succumbs to the corrosive suspicion that governors are incapable of reasonable distinctions. It is mindless to insist that any practice that conceivably could be carried to extremes is, for that reason, intolerable even when carefully circumscribed."

I still tend to look to George Will for sane conservatism, but his recent teenage-like infatuation with the saucy new girl in town, dressed in provocative swatches of the Declaration of Independence and topped with a tri-corn hat, drives me batty.

The Atlanta Machine

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder performs an absolute take down of Newt Gingrich's recent intellectually dishonest rhetoric about "machine politics" - he glibly asks why no one ever referred to Newt's use of the same parliamentary maneuvers as the "Atlanta Machine".

Money quote.

Interlude: which party introduced and passed an extremely complicated, extremely expensive Medicare prescription drug bill in the dead of night -- via a process that lasted three hours? Not the Democrats.

For those concerned about the Republican party driving off the cliff, the whole article is a must read.

The Fires Of The Stake

Prince of Georgia Politics, Tom Crawford has declared Florida Republican Charlie Crist's bid for the Senate dead. He's probably right.

How does a rock star GOPer with a 70% approval rating, the man who delivered Florida for McCain go from a 30 point lead to a 12 point deficit in a matter of months?

It certainly wasn't his support of the largest property tax rollbacks in Florida history. It certainly wasn't his support of a bill to ban gay adoption. It certainly wasn't his pro-life stance.

Rational analysis would conclude Charlie's dive into the abyss was the result of the catastrophic economic collapse. Florida's revenue formula based on property taxes, when suddenly no one was building houses, and tourism, twarn't nobody going to Disney World, meant the Sunshine State took exploding economic lava bombs straight in the shorts.

But we are not dealing in the rational world, so set these facts aside and step on to the e-ticket ride that is current Republican politics.

Charlie was undid by a hug.

Unlike his fellow Republican brethren who bellowed far and wide against the federal stimulus, then eagerly wallowed to the trough to partake of the "socialist" slop, Charlie openly declared it was the correct policy.

Then he hugged the man who brought the manna from D.C. Charlie hugged Obama and the witch burners ran to gather kindling.

And now he will burn.

Daily, we hear the witch burners cry the dogma of the purge. Only the true can remain. Only those who kneel, weep and prostrate themselves at the the golden raimants of the revered father of modern conservatism deserve redemption.

Only the stained dare touch the leperous Democrats. Only the infected show the buboes of the stimulus. Only the heretics preach surrender to terrorism evidenced by the closing of Guantanamo, moving the trial of Khalid Shief Mohammed to New York and allowing a trial for that fool who blew up his underpants.

Another important measure we have developed in our overall strategy is applying the rule of law to terrorists. Terrorists are criminals. They commit criminal actions like murder, kidnapping, and arson, and countries have laws to punish criminals. So a major element of our strategy has been to delegitimize terrorists, to get society to see them for what they are -- criminals -- and to use democracy’s most potent tool, the rule of law against them.

Ronald Reagan's top State Department Official on terrorism said that.

There is no place for Charlie Crist in today's Republican party.

There wouldn't be room for Reagan either.

He would be primaried.

UPDATE: I originally wrote Reagan said the above quote. It was actually L. Paul Bremer, talking about the Reagan Adminstration's policy in dealing with terrorism.

Crist And Jeb?

Daniel Larison of the American Conservative asks a reasonable question.

In policy, Crist is hard to distinguish from the tradition of former Gov. Jeb Bush, who angered a lot of conservatives with his liberalizing views on immigration but who has otherwise been widely respected and admired by many rank-and-file conservatives. Obviously, I am far removed from both Bush and Crist, so this does not recommend Crist to me, but what makes Crist the unacceptable “moderate” in the minds of movement activists that does not similarly tar Jeb Bush?

It's quite simple. When conducting a witch hunt, it is important to ignore the plank in order to spike the speck.

I Want The Truth

Flush with victory over the evil DeDe Scozzafava, The Witches Hammer opines in Politico on how NRCC Chair Pete Sessions and RNC Chair Michael Steele have strayed from the one true way.

Their “level of disingenuousness ... is disgusting,” Erickson said.

With the NY-23 sideshow out of the way, the big event is about to happen - the Florida Senate race between establishment candidate Charlie Crist and tea party darling Marco Rubio.

Erick pining for Republican truth to power on the eve of the big show brings up old questions.

In May, Erick asked his question.

Will we go with tanned, telegenic tax hikers with dubious personal issues, or young, telegenic conservative reformers who are not afraid to speak up for freedom?

Then, I asked my question.

Exactly what are these "personal issues", Erick? Is he corrupt? Perhaps, he takes kickbacks? Stuffed some ballot boxes? Kills kittens in his spare time?

We both know the answer, but Erick steadfastly refuses to say it aloud.

It makes one wonder how someone can label others "disingenous" when he himself finds talking straight most difficult.

Blessed Are The Rumor Mongers

Rumor and innuendo have always been tools of the trade in the muck trenches of politics, but few use them as wickedly as Erick Erickson. If you fall on the wrong side of the witch burner's line, beware - fact, fiction and simple decency will matter little. And if you happen to be a member of his party, prepare for the flames to lick your toes as the kindling is lit.

In May, following Florida Governor Charlie Crist's announcement that he would run for Florida's U.S. Senate seat, Erick issued his writ - Charlie was a liberal in disguise and Rubio was the man. But, Erick did not hold back his witches hammer. Why only point out the ideological divide when you can also tarnish the man's reputation with accusations of non-existent scandals.

Will we go with tanned, telegenic tax hikers with dubious personal issues, or young, telegenic conservative reformers who are not afraid to speak up for freedom?

Charlie is many things, but scandal ridden is not one of them. I asked Erick a simple question - 'what personal issues?' He did not reply. Why stick around to clarify, when you can watch the results of your myth grenade from a safe distance?

Now, he has taken aim at Georgia's Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.

If nothing else, there is clearly an undercurrent of desire for people to get him gone on the grounds that whatever was bad enough to stop him from running for Governor was bad enough to keep him from running for Lt. Governor.

Last I checked, the reason Cagle got out of the race was he needed to undergo potentially paralyzing back surgery.

Of course, like Charlie, rumors have always swirled around Cagle. It is often the case with people in power. But also like Charlie, they have remained nothing but rumors. This fact does not matter to the witch burners. In the fevered eyes of the zealot, guilt, innocence, justice, truth matter far less than the need for purification. After all, they have to be guilty of something, right?

Here We Go

Florida Governor Charlie Crist's entry in the Sunshine Senate race gives Georgia's grand poobah of pusillanimous insinuation to once again stir the back fence chatter.

Will we go with tanned, telegenic tax hikers with dubious personal issues

Exactly what are these "personal issues", Erick? Is he corrupt? Perhaps, he take kickbacks? Stuffed some ballot boxes? Kills kittens in his spare time?

Step forward and speak plainly, young man.

But that is a vaporous wish of the vain.

If a person puts pure rumor on his website regarding the marital status of candidates, if a person slanders a sitting Supreme Court Justice as a buggerer of boys - why would we ever expect that person to speak plainly?

What's Happening In Florida?

It appears Governor Charlie Crist will announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

What does this mean for we's and us'ens beyond the borders of the Sunshine State? The Republican Civil War is about to hot up again.

Crist will face former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, current darling of the Erick Erickson set, in the primary. Once again, we're going to see Moderate Charlie take on the right wing of his own party. The last time that happened was when he put a rented mule beating on Christain Right darling Tom Gallager in the 2008 Republican primary.

Should be fun to watch.

The Radicalization Will Be Blogged: The Two Way Street

The man who said

The larger issue here is not about Palin, but about the mercenary political operatives who have no loyalty to the cause nor to the candidate, only the money. These people must be rooted out, exposed, opposed, and made lepers.

now has his holier than thou appendage out of joint because some have called for the ouster of CTIA's Steve Largent due to his wife's constributions to pro-Prop 8 groups.

In this country, we’ve gone from a Red Scare to a red, white, and blue scare. People with traditional American values are to be hunted down, fired from their jobs, and destroyed.

Plank. Splinter. Eye.

The War Moves South

With the sudden announcement by Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez that he will not seek re-election, all eyes shift to 2010 in the state of sunshine.

Former Governor Jeb Bush indicates interest in the open seat while the Hamlet of Tallahassee, current Governor Charlie Crist demures. Since Crist won his office by eschewing events with the Florida Family Policy Council and ignoring a nasty whisper campaign about his sexuality, his candidacy in opposition to 43's little brother would land Florida squarely on the front line of the Republican Civil War.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, culture warrior Erick Erickson says of Martinez departure, "good riddance".

Martinez crime? He dared criticize St. Sarah Palin.

The Party Of Not Good Enough

Twice, since I wrote a piece advocating a pro-gun, pro-business, pro-property rights stance, I've been called a leftist or near enough to count.

From the natural extension of President Bush's "fer us or agin us" to Rush Limbaugh's "we want moderates to vote with us, but they'll never be accepted", there are elements in the Republican Party who believe that if you don't toe every line you simply are not good enough.

Democrats certainly grouse about their Jim Marshalls, but outside of Joe Lieberman being skewered by the netroots, their party is never so quick to roll out the scarlet letters.

I've been called a liberal before and I'm sure I will be again - sometimes with humor, sometimes with venom. There are certainly differing levels of silliness in all politics, but what is far from silly is the belief of Republicans that all political discussions are all or nothing affairs.

As every gambler knows, if your only strategy is all or nothing, eventually you go bust.

An Appeal To The Other Side

Erick obviously chose his side some time ago. Today, he obliquely responds to calls for moderation in the Republican Party.

Remember: moderates and independents do not have a governing set of principles to guide them. They look at each issue on its own. There are plenty of issues out there that would bring the conservative coalition and add to it those it needs from the pool of unaffiliated voters.

My Appeal To Moderates may seem to re-inforce this statement, however as "so called conservatives" are wont to do, Erick takes a very narrow and mostly unflattering view of the issue.

Yes, moderates do tend to look at issues individually but what Erick fails to acknowledge is they tend to look at all issues. While he and other hardliners look to build coalitions of all or nothing single issue fanatics who for the purpose of winning tolerate a thin slice of those who mildly disagree, moderates wish to build coalitions based on the elements where everyone has a part of the conversation.

One of the battlelines in the war is the differing philosophies of principles. One believes principle is governed by single minded passion. One believes it is governed by reason.

One side also wishes to create a fog of war so that you believe the other side no longer exists. Fogs only blind those who remain still. Those who walk forward soon find the new and wondrous as well as the old and familiar.

Caesar

Jesus entered the Temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers'

You can purchase Erick's wares here.

An Appeal To Moderates

Moderates by their very nature avoid conflict.

For this reason, they spent the last 20 years operating in the shadows, sacrificing principle for the comfort of power as the radicals stomped across the landscape. They said all the right words and when necessary attended the appropriate services at the chapels of venom.

In 2000, when their standard bearer, John McCain was publicly flogged by the so called righteous, they said little.

For 8 years, they stood aside as their bloody brethren ripped at the Constitution - wetting their talons with torture and imprisonment.

In 2008, finally some ventured to speak against yet another disastrous choice and were met by a mob carrying stakes and kindling.

The witch fires have illuminated the shadows. There can be no more standing to the side as the looming beast now feeds on its own.

***

The beast is a chimera of many parts and it is on these parts which you must strike.

Sarah Palin - Fortune made her the face of the radicalism. She is not as some say unintelligent. Her weight on the campaign was not a lack of intellect but a lack of intellectual curiousity. It is not that she doesn't know the participants in the North American Free Trade Agreement - it is that she doesn't seem to care. She embraces the spirit of know nothingness which now grips your party. This standard bearer must be banished or you will wander in the wilderness for generations.

Abortion - You have lost your voice because those under 30 no longer hear you. They consider this most divisive issue settled and wish to move forward. If due to personal belief you must remain with this issue, you must concede reasonable exceptions. To do otherwise will guarantee those you need most will simply pass you by.

Talk Radio - Recently the voice of the beast was asked if there is room in the Republican party for moderates - Rush Limbaugh responded "We want their votes but they'll never be one of us". A brighter line was never set. If Democrats are the enemy to be fed upon, moderate Republicans are merely the ground the beast walks across. Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Malkin and all those who cry for blood must be rejected. You must stop appearing on their shows. You must stop parroting their insanity. The last two elections have shown the market is rejecting their brand of rabble rousing. Assist the market in hastening their demise.

The Despair of KnowNothingness - Reason must prevail over the heart of the beast. If someone asks you if you believe in evolution, you must say yes, but you leave these issues to science and it does not bear on faith. If someone asks you if you believe in global warming, you must say yes, but add the task will be difficult and we must seek solutions that better us all. You must discount the brand of dishonesty which claims to hold the one true knowledge at the expense of those whose life work is the quest for knowledge.

***

Now, it is on this ground where you must fight - for it is good ground.

Gun Rights - Heller rightly established the Second Amendment as an individual right and not a collective one. You will find allies across the ideological landscape who are gun owners and believe that owning guns is not a sin. But do not seek them in the halls of the N.R.A. Seek them in the hunting camps of Georgia, the small businesses in D.C. and the indoor target ranges of L.A.

Property Rights - If Heller was absolutely right, Kelo was absolutely wrong. The mere idea that the government can swoop in and take a person's property without a fare-thee-well is more abhorrent than any of the issues the radicals put forth as critical. Forget promising platitudes of nominating judges who rule on "strict construction". Promise judges who understand that as with guns, property is a right of the individual and not the collective.

Business - If you must be the party of business then do so. There are plenty of people who understand the economy doesn't work without big business. But also be the party of small business. It may be the Wal-Marts which make our nation a partner in the global economy, but it is the mom and pop restaurants which make every small town in this country a partner in the whole's greater success. Support small business loans. Support microloans. Offer support to all rungs of the ladder and those who you need most will help raise that ladder to new heights.

Spending - Yes, we must talk about taxes but for the love of all that is good, let us talk about spending first. When John McCain talked as a spending hawk, CNN's fancy dial-a-vote devices went through the roof. When he wandered back into the land of the beast, they fell through the floor. The people want smaller government. They want more local control. They will understand the hard choices to be made. Instead of promising a tax chicken in ever pot, promise we won't have to sell Oregon to pay off the Chinese. It is for their children and their children's children. Every parent understands sacrifice to make the next generation's world better. Talk to your constituents like the adults they are and they will listen.

***

Not that long ago, I had a conversation with Republican State Senator David Shafer. We met in a not unusual way. He disagreed with something I wrote on embryonic stem cells. Sen. Shafer and I agree on nothing about right to life issues. However, once we set aside that deadly conflict, a conversation emerged on the future of Grady Hospital. I learned more about the issues of local health care in this half hour conversation than any number of position papers, activist marches and stormings of the Grady board meetings ever taught me.

All it took was momentarily setting aside the differences in order to discuss areas where we agreed. It was in that country, not yet touched by the beast, where we not only found common ground but solutions.

It is in these refuges of reason where the battle can be won. But first you must be willing to make your stand. The time for the stalwart has come. The engagement is at hand and the decision must be made - do you fight for this good ground?

Bringing The Witches Hammer To Georgia!

Erick wants all you good Georgians to sign his petition!

He's also trying to roll back the breadth of his little crusade.

The larger issue here is not about Palin, but about the mercenary political operatives who have no loyalty to the cause nor to the candidate, only the money. These people must be rooted out, exposed, opposed, and made lepers.

The only problem is Erick's original post mentions Kathleen Parker as leper number one. Last I checked, Parker was not a McCain staffer. No, Parker's only sin was to call the nomination of Palin idiocy.

As much as Erick and his modern day witch burners want to make this about rogue staffers, they cannot mask the "purge" for what it truly is.

The Red State Of Godwin

Godwin's Law: As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.

Diarist alexmiller at RedState today:

But the wall of money about to descend on GA is going to be unbelievable. Jim Martin, (who looks a little like Hitler), has already purchased one million dollars worth of ad time and is up on the air right now. [italics mine]

Make no mistake, RedState has never claimed to elevate the conversation, but the crazier they become the more the conversation will leave them in the dust of history.

UPDATE: To his credit, Erick Erickson has edited out the Hitler comment and this was a diary. It never appeared on the front page of RedState.

My Morning Wooten

Welcome to the roller coaster. It appears the Obama mandate has brought back the eternal conflict of reasonable Jim vs. wacko Jim.

U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, the Republican pork-barreller from Alaska, found guilty just before the election of seven felonies involving work done but not billed by contractors on a house he owns, stands shockingly on the verge of re-election. I’m convinced that one of the most pervasive forms of corruption in politics is not reporting improvements made on property politicians own, or getting contracts to provide services or advice to companies or organizations pursuing a
public policy agenda.

Surely there must be some hidden agenda here but I can't find it. The horrific hubris of Stevens apparently shocks even Jim.

Secretary of State Karen Handel gets the treatment that partisan Democrats accorded Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — and that is to attempt to tarnish her so that she’s no future political threat to them. Conservative women and blacks do have that cross to bear. How about Palin-Jindal ticket (as in Louisiana Gov. Bobby) in 2012? Jindal-Palin works, too. For the record, Handel superbly managed a difficult election where partisans were gunning for something that would gin up Democratic turnout.

Let's take this one in two parts. First, Handel's handling of the election was decidedly mixed, but we'll have plenty of time to discuss her performance over the next two years. As far as Palin? Thank goodness wacky Jim is back. If I agree with Wooten too much, Scott Freeman tends to lose his mind.

After all the partisan election hoopla is past, the General Assembly does need to establish a clear standard, not subject to interpretation, to determine where a candidate lives. A homestead exemption for those who own a home is the highest and best. While they’re at it, they should absolutely eliminate the requirement that members of the Public Service Commission live in districts. There’s no
logical reason whatsoever for that provision

Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. Reasonable Jim is back.

In the Georgia House of Representatives, 16 seats had no incumbent. Of those, only one changed parties — that of Republican Robert Munford of Conyers, who retired knowing that his district had become solidly Democratic. It was, too. Democrat Toney Collins won with 62 percent of the vote. Only four of the 16 were even challenged by the other party. Redistricting software and the Voting Rights Act have virtually eliminated party competition.

I know the swipe at the VRA is snide and it's an issue far more complicated than so-called conservatives would have you believe, but ultimately, Jim's analysis is correct.

Veteran Democratic legislator Jeanette Jamison of Toccoa lost Tuesday in one of those districts that has gone to the other party. She brought a great deal of good common sense as well as institutional, and education, knowledge to Atlanta.
She could have switched parties but chose to remain a Democrat. It may have been principle, but probably was just stubbornness

Praise for a Democrat? But notice the implication that Democrats never act on principle. Enjoying the rollercoaster? It's about to go through a loopty loop.

Georgia State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) and I practiced unity across the great ideological divide — to no avail. We both opposed Amendment 2 and it squeaked by statewide.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

California voters, despite the state’s Left Coast reputation, can be surprisingly sane. They affirmed that marriage is one man/one woman, and rejected a measure to ease punishment for drug offenders and another to require utilities to generate half of their power from “renewable” sources by 2025. Rejected too was a proposal that would have obligated California taxpayers for $325 million per year for renewable energy research. When voters discover who’s paying the tab for some group’s zealotry, sanity usually kicks in.

Thank God we are back on the flat part of the track. Tell me something, Jim. What tab has to be paid when two people in a committed relationship want the same contractual recognition other loving couples are afforded? I thought commitment was a conservative principle.

The left loves John McCain again. Nobody is quite so dear to them as the
maverick Republican they once loved who loses.

You know who loves John McCain? Independents and moderates. The people who left his ticket in droves once the true horror of the Palin pick became apparent. The same people who wept a little at his gracious concession speech and probably wondered what could have been. You know who I would argue does not love John McCain - the people who forced him to campaign as something he was not.

Speaking of those people.

No sooner had Barack Obama been elected than the interest groups on the left jumped up to claim credit — or to interpret his win as evidence of the popularity of their cause.

And no sooner had John McCain been pushed aside than some on the right felt the need to embrace the cold comfort of the witch hunt.

Please exit the vehicle to the right.

Selah.

The Radicalization Will Be Blogged

And it will begin in Georgia.

Listen to radio troll Glenn Beck and our own Erick speak of certain Republicans wishing McCain had been elected, then have age take its inevitable toll so their wet dream of President Palin would be fulfilled.

The soul searching has begun and as predicted Sarah Palin is a standard bearer in this philosophical war.

Radicalization or reason - what say you Republicans?

My Morning Wooten

Check Jim's last line.

You betcha.

Methinks someone wants to assure the witch hunters he is on the side of the Lord.