POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS

Senator Larry Craig is going to resign on Saturday in Idaho- GOP Lt. Governor to be likely successor-click on link for story:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RC9PLO0&show_article=1

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow quits- replacement named- click on link for story:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RC4J200&show_article=1

Governor Mike Huckabee is breaking ranks with "W" on the voting rights issue in DC. Some proposals have the district getting a Congressman and another being added in Utah. clink on link for story:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/huckabee-backs-d.c.-voting-rights-bill-2007-08-31.html

Michigan will have first Presidential primary- January 15th- click on link for story:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/NEWS06/708310401/1001/NEWS

The Dems are getting the Union endorsements. clink on link for story:
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/edwards-gets-in-the-union-endorsement-game-2007-08-30.html

Senator John Warner's big claim to fame was he was once married to Liz Taylor, but now he's quitting the Senate- not seeking re-election. click on link for story:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RC6D9G2&show_article=1

A plane carrying three Senators and one House member was fired on in Iraq yesterday. Senator Jim Inhofe was on the plane. click on link for story:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/31/iraq.main/index.html

Want to know who is planning to run against Senator Inhofe next year? Freshman State Senator Andrew Rice! Who is he? He's a Harvard educated divinity student- clueless, but educated. click on link to read his bio:
http://www.andrewforoklahoma.com/about/index.php

Oklahoma Democratic Chair Ivan Holmes said the Stonewall Democrats statement concerning Senator Inhofe was not the views of the State Democrats- Read what James Nimmo says he wished would have happened to Inhofe and Holmes response at my friend Mike McCarville's blog- link below:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/

McMahan can- and did- read all about State Auditor Jeff McMahan's troubles at the McCarville Report blog- link below:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/

FINALLY FRED!

Finally, the Fredheads can breathe. After months of waiting, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) will announce his entry into the presidential race next week. Thompson is set to announce his candidacy by video on his website Sept. 6, and then head out on a five-day tour of early voting states. Will Thompson immediately become the front runner? It's likely, but whether or not he can sustain the momentum remains to be seem.

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/thompson-finally-takes-the-plunge-2007-08-30.html

C L O S E C A L L !

On Tuesday night, August 28th- my son's 31st birthday- I was sitting in a restaurant in Mexico City called Rincon Argentino when a number of Mexican federal police and military entered the place. They ordered everyone "not to move" and to get down on the floor. They herded out about a dozen well-dressed men that had been sitting a couple of table over from us. It seems this was a BIG bust. We knew it was something big because Mexican elected officials begin to pour into the place after the incident to talk to the owner of the restaurant. When I got back on Thursday, my associate in Mexico called me and told me the Mexican press was reporting that we were dining with FIVE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MEN. CNN has a story on the bust- click on the link below to read about it. Frightening world we live in! By the way, I did have a great steak there. We stayed and finished our dinner.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/29/mexico.drugs.reut/index.html

THANKS CARTER COUNTY GOP!

Last night(Thursday), I traveled to Ardmore for the Carter County GOP fundraising dinner. Congressman Tom Cole was the speaker and it was a well attended event. I conducted the auction and we were able to raise a little money for the cause. I appreciate Marjorie Brown and her team in Carter County and all they do to help GOP candidates. It was a fun night and I appreciated the opportunity to "sell" some stuff to activists.

WHEN WILL MCMAHAN QUIT?

New Poll- When will the Auditor quit- or should he? Vote NOW!

I'M NOT GAY- I'M JUST HAPPIER THAN MOST GUYS!

U.S. Senator Larry Craig, R-ID, resigned his committee assignments today. He will likely quit the Senate after the scandal broke on his guilty plea to a "restroom" incident at the Minneapolis airport. The Senator- who was one of the Singing Senators- says "I'm not gay." Right! It's been rumored for years that Craig was a switch hitter. The Dems will be all over this and they should- FAMILY VALUES, HIGH MORAL GROUND, Senator soliciting gay sex in an airport restroom- it's the story that Dems couldn't have scripted better. Read the whole account on the link below.


http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/craig-i-am-not-gay-and-never-have-been-2007-08-28.html

WOULD HILLARY FIRE UP THE GOP?

Some Republican activists are rooting for Senator Hillary Clinton- D, NY to win the Democratic nomination for President. Why? Because they believe she is such a polarizing figure that she would be the easiest to beat in the general election. Republicans were in Indianapolis this weekend for the biennial Midwest Republican Leadership Conference. The host county chair- Howard County (Ind.) GOP Chair Craig Dunn got excited when asked if Hillary being the nominee would improve Republican chances of retaining the White House. "Absolutely, absolutely!" he exclaimed animatedly, grinning widely. "We’ve never elected a president of the United States who started off with 45 percent unfavorable ratings!"

It is true that people either love or hate Hillary. There are few who are in the middle. But Hillary winning the nomination is not the key to the Republicans winning the White House in 2008. That responsibility falls to the Republicans. Republicans have to get out the vote and energize the conservative base to win elections. In 2006, when the GOP lost control of both chambers of Congress, it was because Congressional Republicans failed to act like Republicans. They were not conservative fiscally and looked and acted like Democrats. The conservative base-disgusted with the lack of guts and ethics in Congressional Repubs stayed home. If Democrats honestly believe they won last November because of a huge ideology swing in America, they are sadly mistaken. That loss was self-inflicted.

The Dems nominating Hillary will not sweep whatever Republican wins the nomination into the White House. There are some interesting other dynamics in play this year. When you consider for the first time in many years, Democratic candidates for President are raising more money than Republican candidates, that indicates Democrats are already energized and expect to win the White House.

In the second quarter of the year before each of the past three presidential elections, the total amounts raised were $34.1 million (1995), $55.3 million (1999) and $65.9 million (2003). But this year, we have second quarter totals for the top three candidates in each party. Those six candidates alone raised $110.7 million. And Hillary and Obama are the candidates leading the money race.

Ed Goeas is President the Tarrance Group, a nationally known polling organization. Ed went to Cameron University in the ‘70s. We took several courses together. He says, "As Hillary Clinton becomes the nominee, Republican intensity will simultaneously spike." I agree with Ed that Hillary winning the nomination would "fire up the troops," but unless the GOP nominee energizes the base, she will be President. You might remember that New York Republicans were excited when Clinton won the Democratic nomination for Senate because they thought she would be easy to beat in the blue state. She proved to be an able campaigner, connected with the voters and won easily in a year when Republicans nationally did well. You can’t underestimate the Clintons when it comes to politics. They are aggressive, organized, and engaging. If Republicans hope to avoid a replay of ’06 in ‘08, they will do three things.

First, we must nominate a principled candidate for President. There is way too much talk in GOP circles about "who can win the general election." Everyone has suddenly become an expert on demographics, politics, and voter trends. If we don’t nominate a principled candidate, the conservative base will not turn out and Hillary will be President.

Second, we must have a candidate that addresses the hard issues. Candidates that dance around the tough issues and "stick to the script" will not fire up the troops. Romney has proven to be incapable of handling questions about his religion or his position on abortion without losing it. If we have a candidate that avoids dealing with the hard issues, Hillary will be President.

Third, we must have a candidate that embraces the grassroots. When Barry Goldwater won the GOP nomination in 1964, his battle cry was "A Choice, not an Echo." Goldwater won the nod by getting the activists across the country fired up. His strategy worked well enough to win the nomination, but he abandoned it in the general and got beat like a drum. If we have a candidate that doesn’t recognize and embrace the grassroots, Hillary will be President.

I agree with Rove that Hillary is the odds on favorite to be the Dems nominee, but I disagree with my fellow county chair that she can’t win the general election. Rewind back to 1992 when her then little known husband knocked off an incumbent President. The Clintons are political animals that understand what must be done to win and are committed to doing whatever is necessary to win. Thus far, the crop of Repubs in the race have not shown the level of commitment or risk taking necessary to beat her. Hopefully, a candidate will emerge from the pack that will excite the conservatives- and it won’t be Hillary.