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January 28, 2008
Some of the Kennedy's Endorse Obama
When I was a little kid, my mother and I were for some reason in the parking lot of the Eagle Tribune when she spotted Ted Kennedy walking into the newspaper.
"Ugh, that man is despicable", lurched out of my mother's generally pristine lips. And this was long before Chappaquiddick. As a kid I wondered why she would say that about our Senator. In typical fashion, when I asked, my mother said nothing.
Since them my mother's bona fides as a died-in-the-wool liberal have grown substantially. The same woman who drummed into me that I could be whatever I wanted to be as long as I was willing to work hard enough, now supports John Edwards. When I asked her how his message jibed with my upbringing, she commented that she didn't understand the question. Huh? His theme is "Two Americas" for gosh sake, hardly the theme of personal empowerment.
Maybe she likes his hair.
I will admit that during Ted Kennedy's glowing endorsement of Obama I was waiting for him to fall down. (He didn't)
I'm inclined to agree with Ramesh Ponnuru's take on the endorsement:
[Caroline Kennedy] says that Obama could be a president like her father. I assume that means that he'll be overrated, not that he'll bring us to the brink of nuclear war.
Oh me of little faith...
Kennedy Endorses Obama
When I was a little kid, my mother and I were for some reason in the parking lot of the Eagle Tribune when she spotted Ted Kennedy walking into the newspaper.
"Ugh, that man is despicable", lurched out of my mother's generally pristine lips. And this was long before Chappaquiddick. As a kid I wondered why she would say that about our Senator. In typical fashion, when I asked, my mother said nothing.
Since them my mother's bona fides as a died-in-the-wool liberal have grown substantially. The same woman who drummed into me that I could be whatever I wanted to be as long as I was willing to work hard enough, now supports John Edwards. When I asked her how his message jibed with my upbringing, she commented that she didn't understand the question. Huh? His theme is "Two Americas" for gosh sake, hardly the theme of personal empowerment.
Maybe she likes his hair.
I will admit that during Ted Kennedy's glowing endorsement of Obama I was waiting for him to fall down. (He didn't)
I'm inclined to agree with Ramesh Ponnuru's take on the endorsement:
[Caroline Kennedy] says that Obama could be a president like her father. I assume that means that he'll be overrated, not that he'll bring us to the brink of nuclear war.
Oh me of little faith...
January 27, 2008
South Carolina
The results in the South Carolina democrat primary yesterday were simply breathtaking with Obama taking a massive 55% of the vote in a three way contest. Good for him.The press (and many in Congress) and in a sprint to distance themselves from Billary these days, and it is truly fun to watch. Tom Maguire rounds up the liberal commentary. Time and the Clinton News Network show their stripes with the headline: Obama's Rout Rejiggers the Race, until they thought better of it.
My personal favorite is from Don Surber, who can't be confused with being a liberal even on his worse day.
Democrats not charged with endorsing a candidate or commenting on one seem strangely silent. Could it be that they are starting to realize just what their idols the Clintons are like? I don't expect them to admit that, even if true. It's pretty embarrassing if it takes 15 years to catch on. Hell I'm embarrassed that it took me 8.
January 26, 2008
The Barrett Report
The Washington Times speculates on the reason John Kerry, George Miller,and Patrick Leahy, are endorsing Obama.
January 25, 2008
My Favorite Romney Story
I am by default becoming a Romney supporter. He wasn't my first choice, and I suffer with his lack of charisma like everyone else. But I think he would be the best executive, so right now he's got my support.
In that spirit I want to share my favorite Romney story which happened in 2006 while he was the Governor of MA.
Have I mentioned that MA is the bluest of blue states? 85% of the legislature is democrat. All Congresspeople and Senators are democrats. On occasion we elect a Republican Governor primarily to fix what democrats like our current governor, Deval Patrick, have done to the state.
At any rate, Back in the '70's the people elected Michael Ruane to the State Senate. At the time, Ruane was ineligible for the statehouse pension because he had a municipal disability pension. That seemed to be okay with Ruane as he was reportedly against that sort of entitlement.
In 1994, the state amended its rules to allow Ruane to get into the legislature's pension system and actually have it funded back to 1975 with no additional contribution from him as long as he paid in going forward.
Ruane declined.
In 2005 Ruane retired from the MA state senate, and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with cancer and died. After the diagnosis and before his death, Ruane reportedly asked the legislature to award him a pension for his wife. His friends in the legislature enacted a special bill designed to give his widow a pension at the expense of the taxpayer.
Governor Romney returned the bill with the recommendation that instead of burdening the taxpayers, each legislator, as well as the governor and lieutenant governor, contribute 0.5% of his or her salary to the pension fund for Mrs. Ruane. Since neither Romney or his lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey, were taking a salary, both offered to pay out of their own pockets. According to Boston.com:
"Romney estimated the cost of his arrangement to the legislators was $275 per member per year, and $675 and $600 annually for the governor and lieutenant governor, respectively."
This is what Governor Romney said:
Without my proposed amendment, the bill would play favorites by creating a special benefit for the family of one former legislative colleague that is not available to other similarly situated persons. Through my amendment, the elected officials responsible for this legislation will be able to demonstrate compassion and at the same time bear all the costs associated with the bill.
The legislature balked. After all if they could rob the taxpayers why should they dip into their own pockets? Eventually the governor vetoed the bill and the legislature passed it over Governor Romney's veto 101 - 39.
He may have lost the battle, but he fought it the right way.