Stories by Alexham
Posted at 10:25am on Mar. 4, 2008 Calling all GOP Purists: It's time to support John McCain
By Alexham
Barring a political miracle, Senator John McCain will win the GOP primaries in Texas and Ohio today, and most likely garner enough delegates to lock up our party's presidential nomination. I know many of you aren't thrilled about supporting McCain, and some of y'all have even made blood oaths that you will never vote for "that man." And trust me. I get it. I know exactly where y'all are coming from. For some, it was McCain's opposition to President Bush's tax cuts. For others, it was McCain's cheerleading for patently unconstitutional campaign-finance legislation. For social conservatives, it was McCain's support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. And for many, it was all of the above, as well as McCain's propensity for bucking the Republican establishment and cozying up to liberal dems like Ted Kennedy. Understandably, these things have irked many a conservative, including yours truly.
(More below the fold)
Posted in 2008 | John McCain — Comments (83)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:00am on Feb. 21, 2008 McCain to address NYT smear at 9:00 a.m.
By Alexham
Now that Senator McCain has the GOP nomination firmly in hand, the NYT "rathers" him with baseless accusations about a personal relationship he had with a lobbyist around the time of the 2000 presidential election cycle. In a nutshell, the NYT is claiming that, because of this allegedly improper relationship, McCain sought favors on behalf of this woman's clients. You can read the NYT article for yourself, and draw your own conclusions; but my opinion is that this is a good old-fashioned smear job. And I suspect most folks will view it that way as well.
In any event, McCain will address the allegations this morning at 9:00 a.m.
Consider this an open thread.
Update: I really like Cindy McCain. What a class act. She may just be the good senator's greatest asset.
Posted in 2008 | John McCain | new york times | Yellow Journalism — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 5:33pm on Feb. 19, 2008 McCain's Campaign Theme Song?
By Alexham
From the "you gotta be kidding me" files:
[McCain], who had already been banned by John Mellencamp, the American rocker, from using his hits 'Our Country' and 'Pink Houses', found out that he has few fans in Scandinavia when he tried to adopt Abba's "Take a chance on me" as his campaign song. After running into difficulties with the Swedish supergroup, McCain lamented to reporters on board his plane that it wasn't as easy to play the song as he thought.
Just who in the heck is advising McCain? Is there anything less manly than this?:
Geez. I am having a hard enough time getting myself pumped up to support McCain without having this kind of nonsense thrown at me.
You want a kickin' campaign theme song, Senator McCain? Try this one on for size.
Or perhaps something a little more subtle. I am certainly open to suggestions. :)
Posted in 2008 | John McCain | Seriously what the Hell were you thinking? — Comments (117)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:44am on Feb. 18, 2008 Bill Clinton's true colors
By Alexham
You stay classy, President Clinton:
At a later event today in Steubenville, OH, Bill Clinton snapped hard at an anti-abortion protestor who had interrupted him.
“I gave you the answer. We disagree with you," Clinton said. "You wanna criminalize women and their doctors and we disagree... I reduced abortion… Tell the truth, tell the truth… If you were really pro-life, if you were really pro-life, you would want to put every doctor and every mother as an accessory to murder in prison. And you won’t say you wanna do that because you know that because you know that you wouldn't have a lick of political support. Now, the issue is who … the issue is, you can't name me anybody presently in politics that did more to introduce policies that reduce the number of real abortions instead of the hot air putting out to tear people up and make votes by dividing America."
“This is not your rally. I heard you. That's another thing you need is a president, somebody who will stick up for individual rights and not be pushed around, and she won't."
You know, I don't know many people who are more active in the pro-life movement than I am, and I cannot recall ever hearing a prolifer express an interest in prosecuting or jailing women. To be sure, there are plenty of prolifers who favor going after doctors who perform illegal abortions. Indeed, I am one of them. But the prolifers I know have no desire to prosecute women who seek out abortions in a post-Roe world. No, what they need is our mercy and support. Bill Clinton, of course, knows this to be the case. But when you cannot debate the merits straight up, I suppose the only thing you can do is attempt to mischaracterize your opponent's arguments or engage in baseless personal attacks.
Has there ever been a man less worthy to occupy the White House than Bill Clinton? I think not.
Update: You can view the video here (LvJS).
Posted in Abortion | Bill Clinton | Culture — Comments (21)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:44am on Feb. 13, 2008 It's time to "go gentle into that good night"
By Alexham
Governor Huckabee-
Alexham here. You know me. I've been a strong supporter of yours for quite some time now--long before you received the "Colbert bump" or even came close to registering as more than a blip in the national polls. I've put a great deal of time and energy into your campaign, and I would love nothing more than to see you as the GOP's presidential nominee. But that's not going to happen.
To be sure, there are other reasons besides winning to stay in a presidential race: to speak out on issues of importance (e.g., life issues), to keep the presumptive nominee from veering too far to the left, and to position oneself for another presidential run (to name just a few). And up until last night, I truly felt like you should stay in the race for all of these reasons. But the time has come to bow out gracefully.
And here's the thing: You've already won. You've established yourself as a force to be reckoned with in the GOP for the foreseeable future, a major contender in 2012 or 2016, and, more importantly, as one of the most eloquent spokesmen for a "Culture of Life" in this country. Please don't ruin that hard-earned reputation for the sake of a few more days in the media spotlight. You've always said that your campaign wasn't about you, but was instead about the promotion of transcendent values/principles in government. Well, now is the time to prove that you meant what you said by stepping aside gracefully, and allowing Senator McCain to begin the process of "putting the band back together." The stakes are simply too high to do otherwise.
Posted in 2008 | Mike Huckabee — Comments (25)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:39am on Feb. 12, 2008 "College Junior Breakfasts With Chelsea Clinton"
By Alexham
So, tell me again why the HRC is upset about Shuster accusing her of "pimping out her daughter"?
Truth hurts, eh?
Posted in 2008 | Big Pimpin | Chelsea Clinton | Hillary Clinton — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:26am on Feb. 6, 2008 Obama: The Democratic Front-runner
By Alexham
Wow.
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but this scares me to death.
I don't agree with the vast majority of his public-policy positions, and yet I still find myself getting sucked in when he speaks.
I understand all of the reasons why Obama shouldn't win the presidency even if he ends up being the dem nominee, but something tells me we should all start praying that HRC pulls this thing out.
Otherwise, I am afraid we're going to be back in the wilderness for another eight years.
Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama — Comments (143)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 9:37am on Jan. 28, 2008 Question o' the day: What should Huckabee and Giuliani supporters in Florida do?
By Alexham
O.k., I have a simple question, sportsfans: If you live in Florida, and support either Mike Huckabee or Rudy Giuliani for president, do you stick with your man, or do you go ahead and pick between McCain and Romney?
It's a tough call, to be sure. But let's face it, either McCain or Romney is almost certainly going to be the Republican nominee. So, do you go with your head or your heart?
Suffice it to say, whoever wins Florida has a huge advantage going into Super Tuesday.
I am not sure what I would do, but I am interested to hear what others have to say; especially those who live in Florida.
Posted in 2008 | 2008 Presidential Campaign — Comments (139)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:35am on Jan. 25, 2008 Romney Rising: And this time, it's for real
By Alexham
There weren't many fireworks during last night's debate, but one candidate did stand out in a big way: Mitt Romney. He was good. Very good. Indeed, for the first time I thought to myself: "You know, this guy is pretty damn impressive. I think I will take that BMW after all." And his line about Bill Clinton "in the White House with nothing to do" was nothing short of priceless.
So, what happened? Why does Romney all of the sudden strike me as the best person to represent the Republican Party this fall in the presidential election?
Come with me below the fold.
Posted in 2008 — Comments (205)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:51pm on Jan. 22, 2008 President Bush at his best
By Alexham
President Bush spoke to several March for Life rally participants today in the East Room of the White House. Here are his eloquent remarks to those in attendance:
I see people with a deep conviction that even the most vulnerable member of the human family is a child of God. You're here because you know that all life deserves to be protected. And as you begin your march, I'm proud to be standing with you.
Thirty-five years ago today the United States Supreme Court declared and decided that under the law an unborn child is not considered a person. But we know many things about the unborn. Biology confirms that from the start each unborn child is a separate individual with his or her own genetic code. Babies can now survive outside the mother's womb at younger and younger ages. And the fingers and toes and beating hearts that we can see on an unborn child's ultrasound come with something that we cannot see: a soul.
Today we're heartened -- we're heartened by the news that the number of abortions is declining. But the most recent data reports that more than one in five pregnancies end in an abortion. America is better than this, so we will continue to work for a culture of life where a woman with an unplanned pregnancy knows there are caring people who will support her; where a pregnant teen can carry her child and complete her education; where the dignity of both the mother and child is honored and cherished.
We aspire to build a society where each one of us is welcomed in life and protected in law. We haven't arrived, but we are making progress. Here in Washington we passed good laws that promote adoption and extend legal protection to children who are born despite abortion attempts. We came together to ban the cruel practice of partial birth abortion. And in the past year we have prevented that landmark law from being rolled back.
We've seen the dramatic breakthroughs in stem cell research that it is possible to advance medical science while respecting the sanctity of life. Building a culture of life requires more than law; it requires changing hearts. And as we reach out to others and find common ground, we can see the glimmerings of a new America on a far shore. This America is rooted in our belief that in a civilized society, the strong protect the weak. This America is nurtured by people like you, who speak up for the weak and the innocent. This America is the destiny of a people whose founding document speaks of the right to life that is a gift of our Creator, not a grant of the state.
My friends, the time is short and your march is soon. As you give voice to the voiceless I ask you to take comfort from this: The hearts of the American people are good. Their minds are open to persuasion. And our history shows that a cause rooted in human dignity and appealing to the best instincts of the American people cannot fail. So take heart.
Take heart, be strong, and go forth. May God bless you.
On days like this, we are reminded why it matters so much to have a man who genuinely believes in the inherent dignity of the unborn occupying the White House.
God Bless you, President Bush.