Redstate

Posted at 2:32pm on Jan. 25, 2008 Disgusting. [Updated]

By Dafyd

Here at Red State, I haven't really come out in favor of this or that candidate. I've made positive remarks about Rudy Giuliani, tried to reconcile my problems with John McCain, spoken favorably of The Fair Tax, and been very positive on the positions taken by Fred Thompson and, to a lesser extent, Mitt Romney.

But this comment from last night's debate is just not worthy of a Conservative or Republican seeking the Presidency:

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Posted at 4:25pm on Jan. 24, 2008 The Economics of Risk and other points -- An Amateur's Meditation

By Dafyd

When I talk with some of my more liberal colleagues about the economy, they very often complain about the "fairness" of someone's wages. How can it be fair, they ask, that someone who works long hours in the service industry earns far less than someone who works in the office from 9:00-5:00 and goes home. Why is it fair, they ask, that a single mother barely makes ends meet while CEO's retire with multi-million dollar packages. This issue becomes especially heated because, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm studying at a Theological Seminary.

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Posted at 1:12pm on Jan. 23, 2008 Four years of McCain?

By Dafyd

John McCain, some say, would likely be a one-term President. This is a thought exercise for me, since my natural response to a McCain Presidency is usually, "No! No! No, with extreme prejudice!"

What, then, is he hoping to do in those four years?

A. On Taxes, economy

1) Repeal the AMT.

We're all in agreement that this is a MUST, and its absence is a show-stopper, yes?

2) Make the Bush tax cuts permanent

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Posted at 7:43pm on Jan. 17, 2008 How Thompson, Romney, or Giuliani coud kill Two Birds with One Stone

By Dafyd

Disclaimer: I write this as someone with the following priorities, in this order: 1) Federalism, and thus shrinking the reach of the Federal Government, 2) National Defense/Security, and 3) Life Issues. #1, for the most part, governs the rest. So!

Very rarely does a gift like this one present itself. While being interviewed on NPR, Huckabee responded to criticism about Push Polling in South Carolina. He gave the following response:

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Posted at 7:11pm on Dec. 23, 2007 A Question about Iowa, Moo Hampshire, and Debates

By Dafyd

So, I happened to look at the schedule for Presidential Debates, and I observed that ABC has scheduled one for Jan. 5 -- just after the Iowa caucus. In a similar fashion, Fox has scheduled one on January 10th in South Carolina, two days after New Hampshire.

Now I freely admit a someone large ignorance of caucusing. Will we have definitive results of Iowa by the Jan. 5th debate, and likewise for New Hampshire?

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Posted at 11:52pm on Dec. 20, 2007 A Little More Coolidge

By Dafyd

People often ask me which Presidents I favor the most. This line of inquiry, I suppose, serves as a decent gauge of someone's politics, but I can never provide just one President. I insist on giving three, whose names follow:

1) Ronald Reagan
2) Teddy Roosevelt
3) Calvin Coolidge

Most people know a great deal about the first two whom I have listed, but I have an especial soft spot in my heart for Calvin Coolidge. "Calvin Coolidge?" those who ask will often respond. "What did he do?" To answer that question, I have shamelessly mined his Wikipedia entry for juicy highlights.

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Posted at 8:00am on Dec. 6, 2007 Religion and the Big Government

By Dafyd

In my time at seminary, I've encountered a broad assortment of Christians of varying denominations seeking ministry--Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, here and there a Nazarene, and a cadre of Episcopalians. We have a dearth of Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox here, which should not surprise, given that it's a Protestant seminary.

At any rate, a great deal of them fuss very little at the prospect of large government that accomplishes what they consider to be "Christian" ideals--social security, healthcare, welfare, and various other spending projects. Many of them insist that the only Christian thing for our government to do would be to increase funding to these programs. They likewise support the United Nations Millenial Development Goals.

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Posted at 2:56pm on Nov. 28, 2007 A Case for a Federalist Approach to Abortion

By Dafyd

At least two candidates in the race, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, have expressed at some point sympathy toward a Federalist approach to abortion. Such an approach would require the overturning of Roe v Wade and allow states to establish their own standards for abortion law.

Now, various parties, including other candidates in the race (Mike Huckabee chief among them) argue something to this effect: Having fifty different standards in fifty different states is unacceptable when we're discussing human life. Those of us who are conservative on the abortion issue (myself included) categorize abortion as tantamount to murder, or at the very least, manslaughter.

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Posted at 9:36am on Nov. 27, 2007 A Brief Meditation on Terry Schiavo and Life Issues

By Dafyd

First, a full disclosure: I am a first year seminarian at a private research university, and my vocational goals are ordained ministry and military chaplaincy. Life issues, therefore, are of some importance to me.

Second, I don't have a horse in this race yet, but I'm giving Fred Thompson serious consideration. Mostly, I'm anxiously waiting for a white paper on health care.

So!

Somewhere or another, I read in the comments an objection to Thompson because of his stance on the Schiavo case. I remember the tumult among Social Conservatives about the case, and in particular the conflict concerning the roles of the Federal government and the Governor of Florida at the time. I don't, however, care to focus there much, except to say that I'm generally a Federalist and would rather not see Federal courts ruling on issues best left for states to decide.

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Posted at 3:18pm on Mar. 2, 2007 Giuliani the Federalist?

By Dafyd

Giuliani receives a lot of grief from the socially conservative wing of the Republican party, particularly with regard to abortion, marriage, and fire arms.

Now, I'm recalling his interview with Sean Hannity from several weeks ago, and the main lesson I carried away from it is Giuliani has the proper idea for the role of the Executive. Let's go down the list.

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