Books: Goldwater’s “Conscience of a Conservative”

June 30, 2008

http://www.amazon.com/Conscience-Conservative-Barry-Goldwater/dp/9563100212/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214868579&sr=8-1

I’m embarrassed that I’ve never read this. It certainly lives up to its reputation as the bravest, most lucid book written by someone in office. Writing in 1959-60, Goldwater diagrams exactly the play he would run in 1964. It would bring tears to my eyes and a song to my heart if someone could distill the progressive equivalent:

“The turn will come when we entrust the condudct of our affairs to men who understand that their first duty as public officials is to divest themselves of the power they have been given. It will come when Americans…decide to put the man in office who is pledged to enforce the Constitution and restore the Republic. Who will proclaim in a campaign speech: ‘I have ilittle interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. it is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed in their purpose, or that impose on tghe poeple an unwarranted finacial burden. I will not attempt to discover wither legislation is ‘needed’ before I hav efirst determined whether it is constitutionally permissable. And if I should later be attacked of rneglecting my constituents’ ‘interests,’ I shall reply that I was informed their main interest is liberty and that in that cuase I am doing the very best I can.”


Jon Stewart on Big John

June 30, 2008

Say of the Day: Terry McAuliffe

June 30, 2008

From CNN

“Terry McAuliffe said the former president was angered by media reports suggesting he bore a grudge against Obama after the sometimes bruising primary campaign and did not plan to actively support Obama in the general election.”

Terrific. So now President Clinton is angered by reports that he’s angry. It would be far preferable if he were unavailable for comment on rumors that he’s disappeared, but I don’t suppose that’s in the cards.

It’s NOT his party:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/27/its-my-party-ill-cry-if-i_n_109735.html

And I think he’s got the notion of ass kissing right, except he ought to be the kisser, not the kissee:

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/256709

Bill Clinton was something of a hero to me. Nothing has made me sadder in this campaign cycle than his scorching meltdown into a puddle of narcissistic goo.

I’m trying to think of anyone-public figure or in my personal life-for whom I’ve lost more respect, more quickly. Nobody comes to mind.


Fascinating Stuff on European Demos from NYT

June 30, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/magazine/29Birth-t.html?scp=1&sq=europe+population&st=nyt


Say of the Day: HuffPo on Rs’ Self Loathing

June 29, 2008

The money quote is delivered by a long-time GOP loyalist: “The Republican Party is a dead rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of Weekend With Bernie [sic], handcuffed to a corpse.” I didn’t think it could be done, but that tops Republican Rep. Tom Davis’ classic “If we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf.”


Obama and Hate Groups

June 29, 2008

The New Political Lineup of the VA’s-WashPost

June 29, 2008

OK, so I accept that some of Thomas Frank’s conclusions may not be as data driven as some academics would like. But I still think his conclusions should drive the tactical decisions of the Dems in rural and poorer areas. THE SAM’S CLUB VOTER IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE 15 YEARS HENCE. There is no reason we shouldn’t be ascendant here-guns be damned.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/28/AR2008062802124.html?sub=new


Alexa Wesner Blue Texas Remarks

June 29, 2008

Good afternoon, and thank you so much for being here. I’m Alexa Wesner, and it’s been a real honor to chair this event. Anyone who knows Jack Martin and Chet Edwards knows that they have a talent for making things seem like somebody else’s idea. I can assure you that this event was a great idea but it wasn’t mine.

BlueTexas really has two purposes. The most obvious and immediate is to take back as much of the Texas Legislature as we can before redistricting in 2011. I’m pleased to report this goal is important enough to have inspired you all to donate over $1million to the cause.

It’s an amount that is amazing, humbling and inspiring all at the same time. And most importantly, many or most of our donors are either brand new to Texas state politics or haven’t played in some time.

This is a big deal. As one of my friends told me recently, “Texas has changed a lot. I never thought I’d see Republicans speaking Spanish and Democrats with money!”

Our second purpose is a little less tangible but maybe even more significant. BlueTexas was conceived to unite the great wisdom and experience among Texas Democrats with the pent-up energy of a new generation of voters, donors, and activists who’ve lately gone missing from state politics. You might say that I have a foot in both camps: whereas I’m new to Democratic politics, I do fit at least part of the old stereotype. I really do own a Volvo and have 1.5 kids.

***

I’m not much of a college football fan, but I’m married to genuine fanatic. And you don’t know fanatical until you share a house with a former President of the Student Body at OU. So much for any designs I had on elected office south of the Red River.

Anyway, Blaine showed me a quote from Bear Bryant, the great coach of A&M and Alabama. He said something to the effect that “it’s not the will to win that counts. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

It seems to me that the will to prepare that Coach Bryant had in mind is very much the combination of experience and energy. Today is testimony that we are preparing to win.

Our experience comes from the fact that most all of you have forgotten more about Texas politics and good government than I’ll ever learn.

Our renewed energy comes from at least three sources.

First, from the top of the ballot. Our national party was blessed with an embarrassment of riches this year, and we ultimately had the privilege of participating in an amazing race between two truly transformational public servants. I know that any of us would have been proud to follow either of them into battle. Senators Clinton and Obama have energized a new generation of supporters in a way that hasn’t happened in our country in nearly 50 years. We owe Senator Clinton a tremendous debt of gratitude. And in Senator Obama, I’m convinced that I’ll never again see his kind of influence from the top of the ballot. Our kids will never forgive us if we don’t seize this opportunity.

Second, our energy comes from a fresh realization that the goal really is within within our reach. It is a real tribute to the resilience of Texas Democrats that, as awful as 2002 was for our party, we are only 5 seats away from taking back the House. And once that happens, everything else is in play.

Finally, we really are mad as hell and aren’t gonna take it any more. The last time there wasn’t a Bush on the ballot in Texas, I was in kindergarten in Virginia. Next year, my daughter goes to kindergarten in a state that I have adopted by way of Germany and the mid-Atlantic. But it’s her home state. I owe her whatever I can do to return to government at all levels which actually seeks to be better-year after year. Texas has lacked this sorely for over a decade; our nation has done better as a result of the Clinton’s leadership, but a lot worse in the last 7 years.

We’ll never have a better chance to reverse a tide that simply must be reversed.

This is a big day for Texas. I’m convinced that by the time *this* one starts Kindergarten, we’ll look back and say we helped launch something magical in this beautful place.

Thank you so, so much.


Say of the Day: Tom Friedman in NYT

June 29, 2008

My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline — not terminal, not irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who need a better-functioning democracy — more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not working.

Since President Bush came to office, our national savings have gone from 6 percent of gross domestic product to 1 percent, and consumer debt has climbed from $8 trillion to $14 trillion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/opinion/29friedman.html?hp


ProPublica on NewsHour

June 28, 2008