Loading ...IT WAS A GRAND OLD PARTY
We had some problems this weekend with the blog but we have worked them all out. Post away.
I spent most of this weekend attending the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference. It’s a gathering of Republicans from across the Midwest where they talk issues and strategy and get visits from presidential candidates. The last time it was held in Indianapolis George W. Bush paid a visit. This year it was Former Senator Fred Thompson, Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
I had the opportunity to talk to each of the candidates and on the fundamentals. There really isn’t that much difference. They all believe the United States should not pull out of Iraq until the job is done. They also believe in cutting taxes and they are “pro-family.”
Where the candidates distinguished themselves is in style and presentation. I found former Governor Romney to come across as someone who understood the issues from an analytical perspective, but he didn’t quite seem to have that ability to make an emotional connection. He came across as “programmed optimistic.”
Thompson suffered from the curse of high expectations. Although he hasn’t formally declared, he pretty much has. His campaign has been plagued with rumors of disorganization, which he acknowledged some mistakes had been made, but attributed that to a “changing of the rules.” There was also some private griping by GOP insiders about his staff and how they treated some of the Indiana delegation.
He did seem a little more frail than what I was expecting; the curse of watching him on “Law and Order.” And his speech at the Saturday night dinner, while touching on typical Republican themes, didn’t quite seem to deliver the punch I thought it would and really fire up the crowd.
Governor Huckabee was actually the dark horse in this race and performed better than expected. While behind Newt Gingrich in the latest polls, he did one thing the other two front runners didn’t quite do: really make a connection. Of the three candidates, Huckabee seemed the most relaxed. Huckabee began his morning talking to the press. When he entered the room, he shook every reporter’s hand, and then was relaxed and genial answering their questions. He took every question that the press corps had, and his answers were folksy, yet detailed. On the other hand, Romney and Thompson have begun to play President. They walked in with several aids, which cut off questioning after a few moments. But Huckabee seemed to enjoy fielding questions from the press, signing autographs in the lobby of the hotel, and speaking to a crowd of 500. A number of delegates told me that they felt inspired after listening to him. They weren’t quite ready to make the commitment, but they were willing to give him a second look.
Another interesting note was during a media panel I sat on the audience was asked how many of them were still looking for a candidate to support; about 80 percent of them raised their hands. Some people think that it’s a bad thing that the Republicans haven’t coalesced around a front-runner. I don’t. I think there is something wrong when 15 months before a Presidential election the winner is already chosen. That’s how you run elections in third world countries. Candidates should have to work for voter support. They should have to shake hands, kiss babies and eat a lot of rubber chicken and peas at political functions. It’s the least they can do in exchange for your vote. And whomever wants the GOP nomination for President is going to have to do a lot of that.
WXNT Producer Christopher Spangle contributed to this report.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:23 am
I saw a brief interview with Huckabee on FOX News on Sunday. They asked him what he thought about his 6th place position in an online poll.
I didn’t hear his response because in the brief moment that the poll results were on the screen, something didn’t look right to me. I played back the scene (Thank God for digital cable!) and paused it on the poll results. Of the six candidates listed, the total percentage was just over 50%. What happened to the other 40-some percent of the votes, and who received them?
Don’t you just love poorly executed propaganda? I’ve seen the same thing on CNN and ABC, where they list the poll “results” but a large percentage of the votes are left unattributed.
Is there a non-corporate candidate out there whom the media refuses to acknowledge? Sounds like election fraud to me.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I heart Huckabee.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:07 am
One might think that the candidates might want to avail themselves of the opportunity of presenting themselves to the younger guard of the party wherever they could.
On the surface, it appears that this conference was not given as much consideration as it might have been given by the frontrunners.
I hope that issues and strategies talks made up for the lack of visiting candidates.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Were any of the Marion County Republican Party “leaders” in attendance, or were they all busy doing nothing as usual? It sure would be nice to see them pour money into the Ballard campaign like they did with Brizzi’s last time!
August 28th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Regarding my post about the Huchabee interview and only of a fraction of the poll results being displayed to the pubic, I found this from a former FBI agent. Maybe a reporter should give him a call:
Gage County
State of Nebraska
SWORN STATEMENT
I, Ted L. Gunderson, a retired FBI Senior Special Agent in Charge [www.tedgunderson.com], hereby swear under penalty of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of Nebraska and the United States of America that I have obtained personal and imputed knowledge that known and yet unknown owners, executives and employees in the established mainstream media including but not limited to ABC, NSNBC, FOX, CNN, CBS, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald and The San Diego Herald-Tribune and, in fact, nearly all (if not all) news sources which have become monopolized by a few wealthy class individuals who are intentionally and with evil intent acting as co-conspirators in perpetrating crime and the unlawful censorship of Dr. Ron Paul; and, these same individuals are participating in an illegal conspiracy rising to the level of RICO to control the outcome of the 2008 Presidential Elections. The level of felony crime, corruption and conspiracy victimizing Dr. Ron Paul and the America people in these 2008 Presidential event is unprecedented in the history of the United States and needs to be investigated and prosecuted without further delay. The conspirators know they have a duty to the public to impartially cover all news worthy “news” but have colluded to create an uneven playing field favoring select candidates while ignoring or virtually disregarding Dr. Paul and others.
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I, too, am a bona fide Federal and State victim-witness to this crime along with countless millions of other defrauded Americans. The media owners and executives who are involved in this illegal monopoly, RICO racketeering and conspiracy include but are not limited to: David Rockefeller, Edgar Bronfman, Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone and Ted Turner. Known and other yet unknown individuals working in collaboration with or for these media barons including but not limited to executives, legal consultants, representatives, news personnel and employees who are—more likely than not—actively involved in this felony crime and conspiracy and who should also be arrested and investigated for their participation. I also formally accuse these individuals of treason against the people of the United States of America…pursuant to my extensive research and other information I have obtained…who individually and collectively—more likely than not—possess evil intent to overthrow the United States Republic form of government and our hard-won national sovereignty as established by our founders and for this diabolical purpose they have used their tremendous wealth, power, influence and illegally monopolized control over this nation’s media/news sources to facilitate this criminal conspiracy. For example, as documented in the February 9, 1917, United States Congressional Record wherein it was announced in pages 2947- 2948 that J.P. Morgan interests had bought 25 of America ’s leading newspapers and inserted their own editors in order to control the press. I have proof that this conspiracy has tremendously escalated and expanded into all other media/news sources since that time. Moreover, I have other meritorious information which has led him (and others) to believe that these conspirators and their cohorts have controlled past elections through the felonious manipulation of electronic voting machines.
Further, I hereby formally accuse the Republican and Democratic Parties via known and yet unknown members—having membership in the Counsel on Foreign Relations, an organization I believe I can easily prove to be a subversive unAmerican and anti-American criminal organization via rogues therein—of actively participating with evil intent, directly or indirectly, in the aforementioned felony crime and conspiracy in willful collaboration with the accused aforementioned outlaws in the mass media.
I have acquired much evidence to prove my meritorious criminal allegations. Moreover, henceforth, any public officers, employees and/or contractors who become aware of these felony allegations and information who refuses, neglects or otherwise fails to perform their duty to uniformly enforced the rule of law pursuant to this formal criminal complaint shall be deemed by this Federal/State victim-witness to be co-conspirators in said felony crime. I reserve my right to citizen arrest all accused felons herein named and their accomplices, cohorts and co-conspirators.
Executed this 26th day of August, 2007, with intent that an immediate criminal investigation be initiated and that all accused criminals and their cohorts be arrested and prosecuted pursuant to clearly established law bearing in mind that “no one is [supposed to be] above the law” regardless of how powerful, rich or well-connected they are.