Archive for June, 2011

Obama to North Dakota: Tough Luck Cracker Honky Whitey

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

At 7pm PST on June 30th, I will be guest hosting the Rick Amato show.

http://amatotalk.com

My guests will include Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Nevada State Senator Elizabeth Halseth. A good chunk of time will be dedicated to the flooding in Minot, North Dakota, and how we can help.

Given that I am loathe to try and gain partisan advantage out of a natural disaster, I would never make it as an employee in the Obama White House. Rahm Emanuel would have cursed at me and fired me for letting a crisis go to waste.

Yet a disturbing pattern seems to be emerging with regards to Barack Obama and natural disasters. While it is absolutely possible that he is being helpful behind the scenes, the man who has an opinion about virtually everything seems to go silent when human empathy in the form of comforting words is required.

Minot, North Dakota has been devastated by floods.

http://rallyminot.com/

http://www.minotnd.org/

http://www.mavensearch.com/synagogues/C3331

http://www.northdakotagop.org/2011/06/dalrymple-asks-president-for-additional-help/

The state is mostly conservative Republican and mostly white. The outward response to the floods from the Obama Administration seems to be “Tough Luck Cracker Honky Whitey.”

From floods in Tennessee to tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri to the North Dakota floods, Mr. Obama seems to be at his quietest when Caucasians are suffering. He was certainly very vocal about Hurricane Katrina.

Liberals have spent the last several decades calling conservatives racist for existing and breathing air. So turning the tables would really be fun. Yet we must be better than that.

Barack Obama is not a racist. He is just a bigot. He does not practice racial bigotry. He practices ideological bigotry.

Every decision Barack Obama makes is about getting to 270 electoral votes. Doing the right thing and letting the chips fall where they may is lost on this man. The people of North Dakota are simply not important to him.

North Dakota is a reliably Republican state in presidential elections despite having had two Democratic Senators for a long stretch until recently. They only have three electoral votes, giving them the worst combination in terms of getting attention. They are small and not a swing state.

After Hurricane Katrina it was trendy to attack George W. Bush as not caring about black people.

Rather than make the same vicious, insidious argument against Mr. Obama, let’s compromise and just say he is willing to let conservatives suffer.

He is on the golf course and holding fundraisers around the country. Would it kill him to hold a fundraiser in North Dakota?

Where are the Hollywood celebrities? Surely they could help, especially if he summoned them.

In the same way George W. Bush never received the benefit of the doubt despite noble actions, Barack Obama always gets a free pass despite perceived inactions.

He has to be doing something because that is the predetermined narrative of him.

Well the people of Minot, North Dakota need our help now.

So for those who can give, do it. Give money, food, and time if you have it. Many people already have shelter not because of the government, but because people preaching  “love thy neighbor” are extending their hands, hearts, and homes.

It is time for Mr. Obama to show an outward display of human empathy. Maybe he can send former presidents Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43 to the scene. That way he can go back to the golf course.

Being president is not just about policy and politics. It is about people, and showing them that when the chips are down, the president gives a d@mn.

The people of North Dakota are people first, white conservative Republicans second.

They are human beings. They are creatures of God. They need our help.

We individuals will rise to the occasion.

Just once it would be nice if the federal government under this administration did as well.

eric

Boeing and Gay Labor Unions

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The Washington Times Communities has my column where I explain the conspiracy between the North Dakota floods, the Boeing labor issue in South Carolina, and gay marriage in New York. I connected the dots.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tygrrrr-express/2011/jun/29/corrupt-gay-union-conspiracy/

eric

The 2011 NOW Left-wing Activism Conference

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

At the Washington Times Communities today I have my column about the 2011 National Organization for Women Conference.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tygrrrr-express/2011/jun/26/2011-now-left-wing-activism-conference/

They are to women what the horse and buggy is to transportation: old, haggard, useless, and decrepit.

eric

Anti-Semitism directed at Vikings Owner Zygi Wilf

Monday, June 27th, 2011

I just received an anti-Semitic email attacking Zygi Wilf, the owner of the Minnesota Vikings football team.

The Vikings play in an old stadium and are trying to seek funds from Minnesota to build a new stadium. Mr. Wilf as an owner would prefer public funds be used while taxpayers usually prefer private funds be used. This is a normal sports dispute that should not have anything to do with religion.

(Full disclosure: I often blog about the National Football League. I have never met Mr. Wilf, have no business association with him in any way, and have never taken a position on the stadium financing issue. I am neutral on the issue.)

Mr. Wilf is also the son of Holocaust Survivors.

I received an email thanking me for voting “yes” on a stadium petition issue. I never signed any petition related to this issue. Yet the first line of the email attacked Mr. Wilf personally.

Here is the email:

“Dear JewBoy Ziggy StealsFrom Goyim,

Thank you for signing the “Say “Yes” to Vikings Stadium” petition at iPetitions.com.
Your signature is valuable and makes a real difference. Please encourage others to sign the petition as well. Forward the text below to everyone who might be interested:

——- FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS ——-
Hi,

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:

“Say “Yes” to Vikings Stadium”
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sayyestostadium/

I really think this is an important cause, and I’d like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It’s free and takes just a few seconds of your time.

Thanks!
——————————

p.s. If you would like to start your own free petition, you can do so at
http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition”

I have contacted the Vikings and left a message with the Wilf family. I also contacted the Minnesota chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition and spoke with a guy in the sports department of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

They have copies of the email and are investigating.

I will be investigating this and updating this story as events warrant.

eric

GOP Convention 2011–Utah

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Utah GOP Convention. This was an honor and a privilege.

Utah may be the most conservative state in America. The Governorship and both Senators are Republicans, as are most of their house seats.

This was one of the shorter conventions in the country. Utah has a large share of religious Mormons, so no business will be conducted on Sundays. Do not expect after-parties in the suites because the Mormon religion forbids alcohol.

Yet for those who are either afraid or ignorant of Mormon religion and culture, go to Utah. Meet these people. They are as nice as can be, and among the most tolerant, loving accepting people I have ever met.

Were there people at the convention relentlessly proselytizing their religion and refusing to leave people alone until they either converted or walked away in anger?

Yes, but enough about Ron Paul supporters.

(Actually, to be fair, even the Ron Paul supporters in Utah are more polite than in other states.)

I was brought to the convention by Sarah Nitta, who is affiliated with the Utah State GOP. She is also active with the Republican Women and the Young Republicans. In short, she is Mrs. Utah GOP.

I was brought in for the Friday Red, White and Blue Jeans Convention Kickoff Barbecue.

I wanted to bring the Mormon faith into my routine because whenever I am anywhere I want the local people to feel part of the fun. The respectful way as an outsider to do this is not to make fun of Mormons. It is to make fun of others who misunderstand them. Mormons make fun of themselves and turn inward like any other people, but outsiders should take a lighter approach.

When I met Senator Orrin Hatch, a devout Mormon, I said to him one of my jokes. “Senator, I will not blame the entire Mormon faith for Harry Reid if you don’t blame the Jews for Barbara Boxer.”

Senator Hatch is one of the most decent, kind, thoughtful men a person will ever meet. The Utah GOP saw their other Republican Senator Bob Bennett go down in a primary challenge to Mike Lee. Mr. Lee was at the convention but I did not have the ability to meet him. Senator Hatch may face a primary challenge in a state where the GOP primary usually means a general election victory. Popular Congressman Jason Chaffetz is rumored to be considering a challenge. I met Mr. Chaffetz and like him very much, but I do not get involved in primary fights. I usually tend to side with GOP incumbents rather than roll the dice. So with no disrespect to Mr. Chaffetz, I hope he stays and becomes a great Congressman because Senator Hatch is one of the best human beings in political office I have ever met.

(For those who do not know, the late Ted Kennedy credited Orrin Hatch with saving his life by getting him to quit drinking.)

As for my routine, one joke I practiced before the barbecue was “There is a difference between Utah and California. Utah has a religion and belief system centered around a man named Joseph Smith. California has a belief system and religion centered around a man named Joseph Stalin.”

People who hear the joke like it, but I confess that at the barbecue i messed up the line. I said that in Utah they “worship” Joseph Smith. So to the two or three people who expressed concern, I rehearsed the joke all day and still messed it up. Most of the crowd got what I was saying and laughed. Nevertheless, I am all about personal responsibility. I bollixed it.

One joke I forgot to tell was “In Utah many people belong to LDS, the Latter Day Saints. In California they worship a cult of BDS, Bush Derangement Syndrome (Now PDS, Palin Derangement Syndrome).

One other line I said throughout the weekend was that “The bigotry against Mitt Romney has to stop just because he belongs to a sect that is misunderstood and demonized. It is not fair to attack Romney just because he is tall with perfect hair.”

“This is why people attack the Mormons. Forget that Romney’s hair is perfect. Forget that his jaw is perfect. Forget that his wife is perfect. Any man with five children, the law of averages says that one of them has to be a screwup into drugs or something else. They’re all perfect. If anything was wrong, the media would have found it. Yet what really bothers people about the Mormons…look at Romney’s five sons. Their hair is all perfect. People just want to go up to them and muss up their hair. Can’t you Mormons have bad hair days like the rest of us?”

One interesting note was a different gentleman who happens to be Mormon, also has very good hair (not Romney good but still pretty good), but was not at the convention. Jon Huntsman was about to enter the presidential race, so it seemed strange that the former Utah Governor was not at his own state convention.

As for the people who were there, they were well received.

I had the privilege of meeting the current Governor Gary Herbert. He is nice, likable, conservative, and very well respected in his state. He has a friendly legislature, but he is also very good at working with people. He has a pleasant nature that just instantly comes across as likable. Like most of the people I met at the convention and throughout the state of Utah, he was down to Earth and genuine.

On person who lit up the convention was Grover G. Norquist. Grover has been very nice to me personally. I am Jewish and he is married to an Arab woman. Yet we both care about our other religion with fervor and passion. That other religion is supply-side economics.

Grover knows how to light up a crowd. My nickname for him is “Raid.” Like bugs, he finds taxes and kills them dead.

Unlike other states, there was less diversity among the delegates simply because the population in Utah is fairly homogeneous. This should be a non-issue since liberal lily-white states like Rhode Island and Vermont seem to get a free pass where conservative white states like Utah get attacked. The convention chair was a woman, and a very telegenic Latino Man named Mr. Reyes is running for Attorney General.

The convention lasted until late afternoon on Saturday. I had dinner Saturday evening with the Utah Young Republicans. Given that I do not drink alcohol, I fit in perfectly. They were all incredibly nice. One of them told me how he and his wife had adopted a child who happens to be black. I identified because my close friend had adopted one from Guatemala.

So for those who want to label Utah and its people, again I implore that people go there. Meet these people. They are kind, warm, friendly, loving people who just want to leave America better than they found it.

The number of people who proselytized to me about Mormonism was exactly zero. They were live and let live, the same as I am with my Judaism.

After experiencing the Utah GOP Convention, there is only one label I will stick on the people I met. It crosses all races, creeds, and social strata.

They are proud conservative Republicans.

I look forward to many return trips to Utah.

eric

Random acts of kindness Sunday

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

I have been the recipient of a couple of random acts of kindness. Given how unappreciative I can sometimes be of life in general, I wanted to devote this Sunday to a pair of people who I may never see again, yet who I will never forget.

Last weekend I was scheduled to take a night flight from Utah back home to Los Angeles. It was Sunday, and Sundays in Salt Lake City are fairly quiet. I went to the airport, and was confirmed on the 3pm flight rather than the 10pm flight.

Normally this would be great except that my 10pm seat was in first class. 3pm provided no guarantees. This is not about being a prima donna. First class sometimes has plugs below the seats. I can get work done on my computer without draining the battery. I can recharge my cellphone. Most importantly, first class allows me to check in three bags free instead of two. This is vital when determining how many books I can bring with me when I do a speaking engagement or trade show.

The upgrade did not come through, but I was fine with it. It is not like I was bumped from first. I could have stayed at the airport another 7 hours. I made the sensible decision (law of averages and all). When I got to my seat somebody else was sitting in it. Again, I was not angry. People make mistakes, and for all I knew the mistake could have been mine. This young person (about 24) asked if they were sitting in my seat, and I confirmed this in a pleasant manner.

Out of nowhere this young man asks “How would you like my seat in first class?”

My jaw dropped, but they were serious.

The young man wanted to sit next to his sister. He got the upgrade. She did not.

I accepted his ticket, and quickly moved into first class. While I was sitting there I thought about how many siblings loathe each other. I would have let my sibling sit on the outside wing or in the lavatory for a first class ticket. This young man was willing to give up the comforts of first class just to sit next to his sibling. Family was more important than money.

Realizing this, I noticed that these were not wealthy individuals. Most people in their twenties are struggling. So I went back to his seat, and asked if they wanted me to buy them drinks. They said that they wanted drinks on the plane, but that they were too expensive. I gave them enough money. They had their drinks. The young man was surprised, but as much as that money meant a lot to him, sitting in first class and getting down to business meant something to me.

A week later I had already lost perspective. This past Friday I was having trouble with a rental car. I had left my GPS tracker at the hotel. I am terrible with directions, and although I knew my Dallas hotel was only 3 miles from airport, that was far enough away for me to screw it up.

Nobody at the rental car company could adequately explain to me how to get to my hotel. I was getting frustrated. When I tried to leave the rental car center, the gate would not work. Naturally I got far more upset than I should have. When I am lost, it brings out the worst in me.

Then a man came over to me and saw my concern. He was very tall, well over six feet, less than seven. He was from Senegal, and let me know that everything would be ok. He took the time to explain to me where to go in a clear manner, He actually did a lot more than that. To say he went above and beyond would be an understatement.

I asked for permission to contact his boss at the rental car company so I could pay him a compliment. He stunned me by saying that he did not even work for the rental car company. He worked at the airport for a different company but had nothing to do with the rental car company!

In the course of our brief conversation he told me that he has seven children back in Senegal. He is a devout Muslim, and that means he is obligated to help people in need. He loves America because anybody can make it here. He worked at a rental car company for 15 years, and then was laid off. After 10 months, he found work and still hates to see others hurting.

I told him that many people in America live well but do not appreciate it. They take it for granted. At that moment I was talking about myself. I offered him a small amount of money for his troubles and was glad he accepted it.

What does one say about a man like this? I think there is a special place in heaven for people who take joy in doing good deeds for the sake of the deeds themselves. This guy was as altruistic as it gets, because any ulterior motive he had was lost on me.

Thanks to this man, I made it to where I was going and had a pleasant evening. All I can say is I hope God looks after him and his seven children back in Senegal.

I need to do a much better job of bringing out my better nature. It does exist, but sometimes gets lost in a fog of worry and concern. That is an explanation, not an excuse.

For now, I just want to thank the two people who allowed acts of random kindness to be directed toward me.

On this Sunday, I hope many people are engaging in random acts of kindness. I will add myself to the list. It really does benefit the giver and receiver.

eric

Solace Seeking Saturday

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

On this Saturday, I am simply seeking solace. Before getting on a plane tonight from Dallas to Los Angeles, I have squirreled myself away from the world.

Last night I looked in the mirror, and I did not like what I saw.

I am under 40, and at the rate I am going I may be dead before age 50.

I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs. I have no serious physical or mental health problems that I know of.

I have a loving family and the best friends a guy could ask for.

I lead a happy life.

Yet I am driving myself over the edge of sanity by constantly being angry about stuff that does not merit anger.

My desperate struggle to mellow out is not going well.

There is healthy and unhealthy anger. If a referee makes a bad call during a sporting event and it hurts my team, I may curse for a few moments. Then I get over it. Sports is just fun. It is not life and death.

With politics, I may yell at the television on occasion, but rarely. I come across as angry when I write, that is mock outrage at times.

Sports and politics are not the problem.

My real anger comes when feeling powerless. When something happens I cannot control, I get enraged. This usually occurs in two types of situations.

When I am lost, I scream my lungs out. It does no good. Yet I am simply unable to remain calm when I am in my car and I have no idea where I am. Traffic does not bother me nearly as much as when I get bad directions. I am convinced that I will end up dead in some unknown area because somebody insisted that they knew how to direct me.

If I miss a turn and then have to go a different way, I am pounding my fist in frustration.

The other time I get angry is when dealing with defective human beings.

I have tried to be patient with these people. I can’t do it. I made the mistake of flying American Airlines, which I never do. They still suck even by airline standards. I booked a package of a flight and three days hotel. My plane landed on time, and I called the hotel. They had no record of my reservation.

It took almost two hours, but American Airlines admitted that they neglected to fax the reservation to the hotel.

This is when I explode. I am sure other people remain calm in this situation, but how hard is it to fax one piece of paper?

I know it is not worth getting worked up over, but a combination of exhaustion and frustration led me to use language at a decibel level I am uncomfortable with.

I just can’t stand defective human beings. I want to rip their throats out. What I always told people was that when I worked in management, I was not warm or fuzzy. I could be heavy handed. Yet I was effective. I got things done. People knew they could count on me.

So to bring it back to getting lost in a city, I am too hard on others but even more ridiculously unbelievably hard on myself.

Some people would say “these things happen.”

I responded by saying “they shouldn’t happen.”

The response I get is that if I do not chill out I will heaven forbid have a heart attack or stroke.

I know this. That is why I am worried.

Slow internet access really makes me spit blood. Because my career involves me contacting people to book events, working internet is my financial lifeblood. I do not need a five star hotel. I just need working tv, phone, and internet access. That’s it. If I cannot make business calls and send out my resume, then my career grinds to a halt. Enough days like that, and I end up homeless on the street flat broke and dying of diseases found on those streets. It all starts without internet.

If somebody screws something up and it costs me money, I fantasize their generations burning in Hell. I don’t even have stuff to buy with the money. I don’t even need another possession. I have my toys. Yet when somebody causes me to lose money and is the callous about it, verbally beating them senseless makes sense at the time. It could be a soda machine that has my drink get stuck. I will shake that machine until it breaks, but I am getting my soda. I hate being cheated.

I know I am not crazy. I do not run around arguing with inanimate objects. Yet I also know that I have to somehow calm down.

There is an expression about people changing what they can, accepting what they cannot, and knowing the difference. I am terrible at this.

I got so angry this past Friday because I was lost on the way to synagogue for Friday night services. As I cursed and pounded my fist, somehow it hit me that I needed to be in synagogue more than I realized.

Synagogue for me has always been about the social scene. I see my friends, make new ones, and of course meet women. The prayers are often ancillary.

Yet this past Friday night saw me in a temple when I needed it most. I paid attention to every prayer, and cried in between more than one of them. Little by little perspective began to return as prayers for the ill and the deceased reminded me that I was neither.

There are people who have lost their homes due to natural disasters. Some have lost their family members.

In a world of real disease, war, famine, natural disasters, and other human suffering, I should thank my lucky stars that my life is very good. I have virtually everything a guy could want.

Yet the one thing I have been unable to do is accept my limitations. I am not superhuman. Humans make mistakes. They get lost in strange neighborhoods. It does not make them losers or bad people.

Yet I need to stop losing my patience with people and be more understanding. I also need to stop beating the daylights out of myself when I make a mistake. Otherwise, that early grave I am driving myself to will come much sooner than even I anticipate.

So last night rather than socialize in Dallas, I went back to my hotel room by myself and just forced myself to calm down.

Today on this Saturday I am engaging in solitude. I have everything in this world going for me, and I must calm down. Screaming my lungs out at people, even if I think they deserve it, is bad for everybody.

This does not mean I have to become a chump who just lets people walk allover him. Yet it also does not mean I have to be a battering ram with people just for making mistakes.

I will right a letter to American Airlines asking for compensation for my troubles, as the lady on the phone told me to do. Yet I will make sure I am calm when I write it.

It really will be ok. I just need to remind myself of that.

Then I need to breathe. Then I need to breathe some more.

After a completely fried Friday, by healing shall begin on Solace Saturday.

It will not be easy, but nothing this important ever is.

I have to do it. Stress kills, and I put too much on myself.

Besides what’s the point of great achievements if I cannot even sit back and enjoy them?

I love being alive, and am not prepared for my own death.

I built a business from scratch, and should be content. Yet being all business all the time has me so tightly wound that my lifelong short fuse is practically non-existent now.

This cannot continue. My life in its current form is unsustainable.

It is time to somehow calm down. It is time to mellow out.

It starts today with solace.

eric

GOP Convention 2011–Montana

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the Montana GOP convention in Butte.

I had never been to Montana before, so this was exciting. I can say with certainty that I look forward to going back to Montana many times.

Butte is considered the most liberal part of Montana. It is also the smallest known city in the state. So why on Earth would the GOP choose Butte to have their gathering?

The decision actually made perfect sense. The Montana GOP correctly reasoned that rather than preaching to the converted, coming to an area with divergent opinions could result in “flipping” new people to the GOP. People vote with their wallets, and the local store owners were very appreciative of the traffic. More than one person expressed how much more action was taking place than usual. When it was pointed out to them that the Republicans were in town, they seemed glad that it resulted in a spike in business.

For those who had never been to the Butte airport, it is smaller than some (very) large homes. I asked which gate I was supposed to go through, and the security person required, “the gate.” While waiting for the plane I read a copy of the local paper, the Montana Standard.

(In my home of Los Angeles we have the LA Times, forever now known as the “sub-standard.”)

The convention itself was held at the Copper King Hotel. Convenience is an understatement. The Copper King is literally across the street from the airport. It is a short walk, although a 60 second car ride also gets the job done. The Copper King is a great place to stay on vacation. It is family friendly, and the indoor pool has one of the best water slides I have ever been on outside of a theme park.

As for the people of Montana, they were every bit as friendly as I expected. This is Western Country, and cowboy hats, buckles, and handlebar mustaches were in attendance. Yet these people were not all hat and no cattle. They were there for serious business.

People think of Montana as a “red” state. Yet while there are many conservatives in Montana, the Governorship and both Senate seats are controlled by the Democrats. The lone congressional seat is held by Republican Denny Rehberg. Congressman Rehberg is running for the Senate seat currently occupied by John Tester. Tester has a reputation outside of Montana as a “Montana Democrat,” which means moderate. Yet his voting record is quite liberal. Mr. Rehberg is considered a serious challenger.

Some conventions claim to be three days, but usually that means arriving very late the first night just to check in, having one day of business, and then checking out very early the third morning. This was a real three day convention. There was a ton of business to get done.

The first evening contained a welcome celebration put together by State Chairman Will Deschamps. Mr. Deschamps is very respected, and his reelection as Chairman occurred during the convention. I was the main speaker at this event, and the crowd was boisterous and ready for red meat.

(Oh and for those who don’t know, recently retired LA Lakers Coach Phil Jackson is known for driving his motorcycle around Montana. He did not crash the convention, which was good. Given that he is a socialist and much bigger than me, it would not have ended well for me. My anti-Laker comments would also not have pleased him.)

After my remarks, there were different options for people. I attended a dinner where the keynote speaker was RNC honcho Saul Anuzis. Mr. Anuzis remarks shall remain off the record (I never asked him either way, so I am erring on the side of caution).

One misconception about American politics is that the parties are dead and that everything is about individual candidates. The term “party hacks” is bandied about unfairly. Mr. Anuzis explained very well why the RNC and the GOP matter. He made it clear that candidates who take GOP money and then bolt the GOP to run third party races will face consequences. He also made it clear that liberal news media will not get to decide where and when Republicans have their primary debates. The dinner discussion was very substantive. Mr. Anuzis is passionate about strengthening the GOP as a whole.

One thing that was palpable throughout the weekend was that 2012 will bring a national relevance to Montana that it has not experienced in a very long time. Montana is not a swing state. While Democrats do hold the top political positions, it is still a conservative state. It is seen as fairly safe in the Republican column at the presidential level. It is also a small state, so the three electoral votes will not be fought over in itself. So under normal circumstances, presidential candidates and the current president would ignore the state.

Yet 2012 is different. A perfect storm of events has the Governership, Tester’s Senate seat, and the Congressional seat all up for grabs. Republicans are well positioned to sweep everything back into their column. This could bring visits for some very important fundraisers on both sides of the aisle. Control of the Senate could make Montana a major national battleground.

The Governorship is an open seat. I saw 7 or 8 different GOP candidates vying for the seat. The candidates I met were pleasant. They seemed determined not to turn the convention into a circular firing squad. Lobbying the 300 delegates in attendance took place during convention business and during the social events. All three nights of the convention had a dinner with a different speaker. Hospitality suites were buzzing with competing meet and greet candidate events. The hotel bar had delegates enjoying comedy night and politics into the night.

My only regret is that I had to leave during the second day. I was in Montana for less than 24 hours. Yet thanks to Chairman Deschamps and Executive Director Bowen Greenwood, I made friends that I look forward to seeing many times over. At this convention the Tea Party and GOP seemed harmonious. The Bozeman Tea Party in particular has a strong presence.

Next year the Montana GOP Convention will take place in Missoula. Missoula is also fairly liberal, but is a much bigger city.

Until then, I can only wish the Montana Convention attendees well. I got to have fun. After I left they had two days of heavy lifting. As expected, it was mission accomplished. The state party leadership is in place, and next comes the intense primaries on the way to flipping the state back to the GOP. Based on the dedication of the delegates I met, this is very doable.

eric

If only Mr. Obama’s father had withdrawn

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Barack Obama announced to the nation that he will continue the policy of simply being against anything his predecessor was in favor of. George W. Bush was against killing puppies and kittens. This means Mr. Obama is most likely in favor of it. Hide your pets now.

Mr. Obama is obsessed with withdrawal, and he finally was able to leverage the killing of Osama bin Laden with his greater goal of surrendering faster than one could yell “Vive La France!”

On the subject of withdrawal, it is now clear that America and the world would have been better off if Mr. Obama’s father had withdrawn in time.

I have no idea how religious Christians can be pro-life and against contraception knowing that people like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi roam free. I am amazed that the NOW do not cite them in their desire to preserve Roe vs Wade.

Now, that I have offended virtually everybody, let’s get down to why Mr. Obama is surrendering in a war his military generals desperately want to win.

One more thing must be ingrained into every American’s skull. This is now Barack Obama’s foreign policy. There is no more blaming George W. Bush allowed. Any people who get murdered in the Middle East can now thank Barack Obama.

In Syria, Assad is murdering with impunity because he knows he can.

In Libya, Khadafi has zero respect for Mr. Obama. He feared Reagan and Dubya. He laughs at Obama.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban is ready to reassert dominance the moment America leaves Afghanistan. Time is on their side.

The price of oil is skyrocketing because our enemies…real enemies, not Republicans or American corporate executives in blue suits and red neckties…know that Barack Obama will cave.

This is not “peace with honor.”

This is not “winding down” an operation.

This is absolute surrender.

Mr. Obama is tired of foreign policy. It distracts from his domestic agenda.

He wants Israelis and Palesimians to come together and share high speed rail trains.

He wants the Taliban to put down their guns and “embrace green collar jobs.”

He wants Iran to stop threatening to blow up Great and Little Satan so he can focus on universal health care.

How dare OPEC make him look bad! Don’t they understand he is trying to get them gay marriage?

This is not about terminology, whether it be called isolationism, non-interventionism, or defeatism.

It is about reality. The reality is that the rest of the world is not going to stop being crazy just because Barack Obama wants to get reelected.

The decision to withdraw troops is nothing but naked electoral politics. It is not about 33,000 soldiers risking their lives. It is about 270 electoral votes.

Barack Obama is willing to lose a war to win an election.

Like Vietnam before us, we have told the world that if our enemies just wait long enough, a liberal American president will win the White House and encourage…make that discourage…Americans to lose their resolve.

The military will do its job. The civilian leadership didn’t do theirs.

Killing bin Laden did not end the conflict. Sadly enough, tough polls at home did.

For those who are “war weary,” I just thank the heavens that you were not consulted during World War II. We would all be speaking Russian or German now.

Today is a bleak day for Afghanistan and America. It is a victory for terrorists everywhere.

If only liberals had hijacked the schools and taught about contraception decades ago, Mr. Obama’s father would have spared us this indignity.

We would not be withdrawing our best had he just withdrawn his mediocre (redacted).

eric

Jon Huntsman enters the race and falls in the forest

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

If Jon Huntsman were to enter a presidential race and fall in the forest, would he make a sound?

Mr. Huntsman is tall, has good hair, and is inoffensive. Yet that is only three out of the four qualities necessary for him to be elected. The fourth issue is the one question that I am not sure he answered in his introductory press conference. Maybe I blinked and missed it, but something seems unknown to me.

Why is he running?

I have nothing against the man. He seems affable enough. Yet every other candidate running has a clear rationale for running.

Mitt Romney is the front-runner. He is the businessman who will focus on the economy. He was a successful governor in the most liberal state in the country.

Tim Pawlenty is the successful governor of a liberal state.

Both of these men already fill the tall, good hair, inoffensive quota.

Mr. Huntsman was considered a good chief executive running Utah, but with all due respect, that is a much easier job. Utah is the most conservative state in America. He had a friendly legislature. This was not the same as what Chris Christie has to go through. That is not Mr. Huntsman’s fault, but his job was to not mess things up, and he succeeded.

Rick Santorum is the socially conservative candidate.

Michele Bachmann  and Herman Cain both bring diversity to the race in addition to successful careers as entrepreneurs. Congresswoman Bachmann ran a tax service while Mr. Cain ran a major pizza chain.

Ron Paul brings a foreign policy approach that differs from the interventionist wing of the GOP. I totally disagree with him, but he does fit a niche.

Newt Gingrich brings the intellectual heft. He is the ultimate policy wonk. His campaign has been besieged with staff defections but that does not diminish his distinguished career. He did play a major role in helping the GOP gain the House after 40 years in the minority.

Even the fringe candidates have told us why they want the job. Gary Johnson wants to legalize drugs and Fred Karger wants to legalize gay marriage.

The only thing even political junkies outside of Utah may know about Governor Huntsman is that he is the son of a billionaire. His father is friends with Glenn Beck.

There is not a single angle to Mr. Huntsman that appears unique.

Is he the Mormon candidate? Mitt Romney has that covered.

Is he the Mr. Rogers candidate? Tim Pawlenty has that down. Bill O’Reilly compared Pawlenty to Bob Newhart, but Pawlenty is like Herman Cain in the fire department compared to Huntsman.

None of this is meant to denigrate Mr. Huntsman, and I regret that it appears this way. Yet a person who announces their candidacy needs to tell us why we specifically need them.

His billion dollars makes him an automatic player, but I am not sure what his record of success is. He was the Ambassador to China, which means he most likely learned how to bend over.

The race still does not have a Southerner. With Haley Barbour opting out, Rick Perry is eyeing the race. Perry is bragging about creating half of the jobs in the nation. Huntsman does not have the other half.

There is still room for a foreign policy candidate to enter the race. Both Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton are weighing runs. Right now economics is dominating the race, but a foreign policy crisis could change things in a heartbeat.

It seems that Huntsman may want to run as a liberal Republican. Yet he is socially conservative.

By coming across as a nice guy, Huntsman could become the darling of the liberal media. He will be one of the “good” Republicans as opposed to all those mean, evil, nasty Republicans who dare to be conservative. For those who think this will benefit him in any way, remember John McCain. The media lamented that he changed, but this is nonsense. Once he became a threat to Barack Zeus Obama, McCain was considered as evil as any right-winger. Huntsman would be demonized in the general election as quickly as he may be adored by the left now.

Jon Huntsman comes across as a decent, calm, thoughtful man. Yet if he is going to run for the highest office in the land, he needs to let us know why he wants the job.

If his plan is to just be a calm, likable technocrat, that strategy does not work. Ideology and vision defeat competence every single time.

Maybe after four years of speeches, a calm sober adult could win the job. Yet even calm adults need to inspire people. When a man is too generic to appear on the cover of the fictional “Average Non-Descript White Guy Monthly” magazine, that is problematic.

I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about Jon Huntsman. I was just at the Utah GOP Convention, and he seems to be a respected individual.

There is plenty of time for him to tell his story to the American people. Yet time goes by fast, and in a crowded field, the ability to gain traction starts with name recognition.

Mr. Huntsman may just be the calm, normal guy from across the street (with a billion dollars of course).

That is not enough. He needs to tell us who he is. It is not up to us to guess.

eric