Libertarian presidential hopeful Bob Barr is hoping to gain ballot access in the Mountain State. To do so, the Barr campaign must collect and submit over 15,000 signatures on state-approved petitions by August 1. Recently, a Barr petitioner posted an article on Barr's campaign Web site lamenting the difficulty of gathering signatures in the state for a third party. The petitioner ascribed the difficulty to West Virginia's love affair with the Democratic Party, and, get this, Barack Obama. The author might as well have written that the earth is flat.
While it is true that West Virginia was once a Democratic stronghold, it voted for George Bush by substantial margins in both 2000 and 2004. Moreover, if West Virginians are in love with Barack Obama, they sure hid their infatuation well in the Democratic primary. Voters awarded Hillary Clinton a crushing 31 point victory over Obama. If that is love, it must be the tough kind.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Will the Real Conservatives Please Stand Up!?!?
I have been known to describe myself as a conservative first and a Republican second. Any allegiance I have given to the GOP over the past decade or so has been based largely on the fact that I truly believed that the Republicans were more closely aligned with the ideals of true conservatism - balanced budgets, self-reliance, limited government, minimal foreign entanglements, measured and patient social reform.
Unfortunately, these past few years have so tried my patience that I am about ready to jump the GOP ship. Quite simply, the current crop of Republican politicians wouldn't know true conservatism if it smacked them in the face with the force of a Ronnie Reagan one-liner. The list of modern GOP crimes against conservatism is as endless as my patience is nonexistent: amnesty for illegal immigrants, corporate and investment banking bailouts, predatory lender bailouts, massive tax "rebates" that do not go to the people who can truly stimulate the economy and are financed by assuming even more Chinese debt, an intractable and seemingly endless (not to mention unnecessary) war - and now, another record budget shortfall!!!
Worst of all, when these pseudo-Conservative sellouts do not get their way on legislation that would fit quite comfortably in a Clinton or even Roosevelt presidency (see the amnesty bill), they pitch a fit - condescendingly blaming and demonizing the very constituency who voted them in!!!
Will the real conservatives please stand up!?!?
Unfortunately, these past few years have so tried my patience that I am about ready to jump the GOP ship. Quite simply, the current crop of Republican politicians wouldn't know true conservatism if it smacked them in the face with the force of a Ronnie Reagan one-liner. The list of modern GOP crimes against conservatism is as endless as my patience is nonexistent: amnesty for illegal immigrants, corporate and investment banking bailouts, predatory lender bailouts, massive tax "rebates" that do not go to the people who can truly stimulate the economy and are financed by assuming even more Chinese debt, an intractable and seemingly endless (not to mention unnecessary) war - and now, another record budget shortfall!!!
Worst of all, when these pseudo-Conservative sellouts do not get their way on legislation that would fit quite comfortably in a Clinton or even Roosevelt presidency (see the amnesty bill), they pitch a fit - condescendingly blaming and demonizing the very constituency who voted them in!!!
Will the real conservatives please stand up!?!?
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