THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

At the recent California State Republican Party Convention in Sacramento, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Massachusetts Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

One word that must be used to describe Mitt Romney is “likable.” Politics involves plenty of glad handing, and Governor Romney truly enjoys shaking hands and meeting people. Unlike some politicians that try to walk out the door as soon as their remarks are finished, Governor Romney is known to stay for long periods of time, all the while taking pictures with people.

The first time I saw Governor Romney was at a previous California State Republican Party Convention. That one was only blocks from my home, and Governor Romney wowed the crowd.

“Some say that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gets along better with Democrats in the state legislature than I do in Massachusetts. Of course Arnold gets along well with the Democrats. He is sleeping with one.”

“After I helped turn around the Salt Lake City, Utah, Olympics, Sports Illustrated wrote about me and featured me. My sons turned to me and said, ‘Dad, in all our lives, we never thought we would see you on the cover of the sports pages.'”

At that event I asked him, “Governor, why is Massachusetts having trouble passing tough drunk driving laws? Is there political resistance?”

Governor Romney did not miss a beat.

“Yes there is, but I am not going to elaborate.”

I then saw Governor Romney speak before the Republican Jewish Coalition 2008 Candidates Forum. His full throttled defense of Israel left zero ambiguity. His best line came with regards to the War on Terror.

“Forget closing down Guantanamo Bay. We shouldn’t close Guantanamo. We should double it.”

I briefly ran into him at the 2008 Republican Convention in Minneapolis. He was in a hurry, but still took time to shake hands with people.

At this current state party convention, he was there to show support for California Gubernatorial Nominee Meg Whitman, the founder and former CEO of eBay.

Throughout the weekend, Governor Romney would speak, and introduce Ms. Whitman. This time, they decided to reverse roles. Ms. Whitman got the crowd revved up, and Governor Romney kept up the excitement.

Due to the crowds, I was pushed so far forward that I was practically on the stage. I managed to find a crevice so that I was one to two feet from the Governor. He was in fine form right form the start.

MR: “You see, Meg builds crowds, and I take credit for it.”

“There are three issues in the 2010 campaign. They are jobs, taxes, and schools. JTS.”

(Despite being a staunch and unwavering supporter of Israel, Governor Romney was not referring to the Jewish Theological Seminary when he referenced JTS.)

“In California, your schools are a real problem.”

“It is hard for a Republican to win here, but Meg wWhitman can win.”

“First of all, she is a woman. That is a big advantage in this state. Come to think of it, it could be an advantage in all the states.”

(laughter)

“That does matter here. There are many Democratic women that will give Meg Whitman a look because they can identify with her.”

“Secondly, Do you Twitter? Tweet, Tweet, Tweet. Look, I am an old person by comparison. Meg understands the young people. She created the technology that they are using now.”

“The people running in the primary are all good Republicans. Yet she is the one that can win.”

Somebody in the crowd then yelled out “Romney in 2012!” The crowd chanted “2012,” and when that died down, I decided to interject my own comment.

“2009 when Obama is impeached!”

The Governor and the crowd cracked up. It was just a joke, and I am glad it was taken as such.

When I got to speak to Governor Romney, I asked him only lighthearted questions. He is so incredibly quick. Nothing I asked him will change the world, but he was affable as always.

It was not an official interview.

Tygrrrr Express: “Governor, I saw you in Century City. I loved your comments about Arnold. That was hilarious.”

He thanked me, and I continued.

“Governor, do you feel that you have been the subject of bigotry? Isn’t it true that the media has a hostility against you because you belong to a sect of people that is constantly inviting hatred, that being people with absolutely perfect hair?”

The Governor laughed heartily, expecting the question to be about his religious faith.

MR: “Absolutely they are jealous.”

Tygrrrr Express: “Aren’t you living proof that a man can have perfect hair without being vapid like John Edwards?”

The Governor’s response will remain off the record since this was not an official interview.

Tygrrrr Express: “Governor, thank you for your strong support of Israel. I am always apologizing to Christians for the 80% of my community that does not get it. Do you ever want to go up to Harry Reid and tell him to stop messing things up for the rest of your community?”

MR: “Absolutely. I have tried my best. There is nothing I can do about him.”

Tygrrrr Express: “Lastly Governor, you have ties to Michigan. Do you think General Petraeus and the United States military have what it takes to take back, secure, and turn around Detroit?”

MR: That is a good question. That I do not know.”

Governor Mitt Romney is great at “working” a room, but that should not be seen as a bad thing. It implies insincerity. Mitt Romney genuinely does like the crowds. He feeds off of the energy, and gives it back in abundance.

California is a mess. We would do well to heed the advice of a man who turned around the state formerly known as Taxachusetts.

Governor Romney, as always, it was a pleasure.

eric

At the California State Republican Party Convention in Sacramento, I and a few others had the pleasure of asking questions of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.

Governor Sanford was one of the shining stars of the convention weekend. While his manner is calm, quiet, and understated, his significance to the Republican Party cannot be overstated.

Despite being the keynote speaker at a dinner that went past 10pm at night, he still managed to find time for a 45 minute question and answer session that went past 11pm.

The event was put together by Josh Trevino. In addition to Josh and myself, others in the room included U.S. Senate Candidate Chuck DeVore and Claremont Institute Fellow Larry Greenfield.

Chuck DeVore got the ball rolling by asking Governor Sanford to discuss what he thinks the main recent GOP failings have been.

MS: “I will leave the specifics to the historians. In simple terms, the GOP lost its way. We have to get back to basics. If the choice becomes the growth of government or the growth of liberty, we have to choose liberty.

So where do we go from here?

A political party is a brand. One way to fix the brand is for Republicans to ‘do what you say you will do.’ We have to go back to what made our party great. We stand for less government and more freedom.”

Governor Sanford was then asked about card check legislation. Throughout the evening, his calm manner belied fierce conviction. Card check legislation was no exception.

MS: “I will support any legislation that is against card heck. Card check violates competitveness. Do you remember the 1920s Wagner Act? Card check is as bad as the Wagner Act.”

While several people in the room had questions on foreign policy, Governor Sanford let us know what his priorities were.

MS: “Foreign policy is a fluid situation. It is constantly changing. Governors that spend their time worrying about foreign policy are worrying about the wrong things. Governors have to run their state, which means taking care of their state economy and growing state jobs. I deal with foreign policy only as it relates to trade.”

Josh Trevino asked Governor Sanford to touch upon illegal immigration.

MS: “As Governor, we passed a stiff bill. We are a nation of laws, not men. We cannot wink and nond and simply look the other way. We have to be uniform in how this is dealt with.”

I asked him about Israel, and if he had any concerns regarding the new administration.

MS: “I believe in the Teddy Roosevelt model. We must walk softly, but carry a big stick. Also, we have to stick by our allies. Israel is our ally. However, I will reserve commenty on the new administration. It has only been 30 days.”

The Governor was asked if he felt that the President’s fear mongering over the stimulus law was bad for the country.

MS: “Fear mongering over any legislation is not good. Fear mongering leads to not great decisions.”

Another illegal immigration question dealt with how to regain support among Hispanics, which topped 40% under President Bush but cratered in 2008.

MS: “Legal immigrants want their rights protected. We as Republicans have to translate that in a tone that does not single people out.”

One questioner wanted to know if Governor Sanford felt that the current stimulus law was a wake up call to America to get away from socialism.

MS: “Ironically enough, these tough times have actually gotten Americans to the point where we have a positive savings rate. Yet instead of accepting a positive savings rate, we are being told to spend.

The economic challenge is a wake up call. The question will be, is who gets their message out louder?

I believe this stimulus package was a mistake politically. Enough people may not feel that it helps.”

One of the attendees pointed out that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was refusing the stimulus money. They wanted to know if Governor Sanford would do likewise.

MS: “I am not sure she is refusing all of it. I think she is refusing some of it. Several Governors including me have discussed refusing some of the money, but I do not think any of us will refuse all of it. Also, Governor Palin has oil revenues. South Carolina doesn’t get that.”

I then asked Governor Sanford what he thought the Bush legacy would be.

MS: “His main legacy will be that since 9/11, we have gone eight years without being attacked. Additionally, with the exception of the steel tariffs, his commitment to global free trade is another legacy. Supporting open trade is like pushing a rock uphill these days.”

The Governor was asked what his main priorities were regarding small businesses.

MS: “I am responsible for keeping small businesses in South Carolina. I view our state as a country. I have to run it in a way that makes businesses want to do business here. You in California can do that. Yet California is tyring to raise taxes during tough economic times. In South Carolina, we cut the state income tax for small businesses. There used to be a bifurcated rate where big businesses paid 5% and small businesses paid 7%. We eliminated that disparity. Now, all businesses pay the same lower rate. As I said, we have to run the state like a country because trade is global. We in SOuth Carolina are competing against Latvia, Estonia, India, and China.”

Josh Trevino asked Governor Sanford about burdensome and excessive environmental regulations.

MS: “We love the planet too in South Carolina. We’re just not as ‘Californian.’ I’m a Teddy Roosevelt conservative. We have to take care of our financial resources and our natural resources. Not all rules should be based on raw science. This places unfair burdens on businesses, which hurts everybody. Balance is doable. Remember, it was Florida Governor Jeb Bush that protected the Everglades.”

I then decided to lighten the mood.

“Governor, I have a softball. First of all, (University of South Carolina) Gamecocks or (Clemson) Tigers? Secondly, has (Carolina Panthers quarterback, who had six turnovers in a 2009 playoff loss) Jake Delhomme written you a letter of apology yet for that loss against the Arizona Cardinals?”

Governor Sanford was good-natured in his response.

MS: “You said you were asking a softball question. That’s not a softball.

(laughter)

As for choosing between the Gamecocks and Tigers, I support all of the South Carolina schools. The voters are very passionate about both sides, and that is my stand. As for Jake Delhomme, my sons were heartbroken over that came. Both of my boys felt that this was the year for the Panthers. The team looked like a Super Bowl contenders. They kept telling me they were going to win it all. So as for that Cardinals game, it hurt both of my boys. They were crushed. It was a tough loss.”

The final question of Governor Sanford was what he expected his own legacy to be. As lighthearted as the mood was, the Governor’s answer was very sobering and serious.

MS: “My father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease when I was in high school. He lived another six years. he was only given six months. It was a real homestyle funeral. We built his coffin, and buried him under oak trees. I take things day by day. So as for my legacy, I honestly don’t have a clue.”

I would like to thank Governor Sanford for being very generous with his time and very sincere in spirit. The people of South Carolina are fortunate to have him. The people of California could learn from him.

After the room cleared out, I asked the Governor if he had any plans to surpass Strom Thurmond for the South Carolina longevity record in politics. Governor Sanford was matter of fact about it.

MS: “It ain’t gonna happen.”

Meeting and interviewing Governor Sanford is yet another example that when escaping the coasts of New York and California, there is much common sense to be found. Yes, every state is different, and yes, South Carolina is a much smaller state than California. That does not change the fact that the states face many similar problems. From taxes to immigration to other issues, California is dysfunctional and South Carolina is functional.

Of course we should listen to what Governor Mark Sanford has to say.

The bottom line is not what feels good, but what works.

South Carolina works. This is in no small part due to the fact that it is well governed.

eric

President Obama spoke to America last night.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/obama_address_to_congress.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/the_republican_response_americ.html

I will not be providing a complete transcription, because my opinion does not matter.

The stock market is what matters.

So far, the stock market does not seem to like President Obama or Secretary Geithner.

(For those wanting substance, the guy who really matters is Ben Bernanke. Yes, like a typical Federal Reserve Chairman, he is boring. Unlike the President, his lack of style belies deeply substantive remarks.)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/bernanke_testimony_sentate_banking.html

On a personal level, the president is very likable. He is affable, funny, and pleasant. Yet politically, the man who ran one of the best campaigns in history seems to have hit a brick wall with regards to Wall Street.

He even began his speech by saying, “The First Lady of the United States, who is around here somewhere.” She then blew him a kiss. As I said, he gets the symbolism. The concern so far has been with the substance, or to be more specific, the lack of it.

He began with empathy, before announcing that America absolutely would rebuild and recover. He then mentioned words like “boldly” and “take responsibility.” I waited for the meat on the bones.

He said that he has “no desire to lay blame or look backwards.” He then pointed out that we have to look at how we as a nation got to this point.

He correctly pointed out that for decades, nothing was done about getting off of foreign oil, fixing health care, and fixing the educational system.

Yet he incorrectly pointed out that “regulations were gutted,” getting us into this mess. That is not true.

The chamber was clearly on his side. They even clapped when he said that his plan was “about jobs.”

In speaking about supporting bigger government, he flat out said, “I don’t.” This is not true.

He claimed that 90% of the 3.5 million new jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We shall see. It could happen, although even if those jobs are materialized we will not know if it was because of his plan. Nevertheless, I give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

He then acknowledged that some “are skeptical” of his plan.

Yet his way of dealing with that skepticism is having Vice President Joe Biden lead an “unprecedented oversight.” This is a platitude.

He did say that he was appointing an Inspector General with real powers. If this turns out to be true, it is a positive step.

The chamber of sycophants clapped when he pointed out thata  failure to lend would choke off the recovery. I am not sure why that is a sentiment worthy of loud praise.

One thing that caught me by surprise was that a camera shot of Hillary Clinton showed her with a dour expression. I thought she left that attitude behind with the previous administration. Apparently anybody being President that is not her forces that facially unpleasant reaction.

President Obama kept using the word accountability.

Yet he then took a moment to bash Wall Street. It was a mild bashing, but more tough talk against Wall Street is not only not necessary, but harmful.

The verbal thrashing of Wall Street and corporate CEOs needs to stop.

If the President wants to let Wall Street know that he is unhappy with them, he has succeeded. They have been tarred, feathered, and excoriated.

The problem with this is that the stock market is you and me. Every day that it keeps dropping, real wealth of ordinary Americans is destroyed. The corporate CEOs will be fine. They will cut costs and lay off worker bees. This verbal assault on Wall Street is throttling Main Street.

The President said that “the cost of action will be great, but the cost of inaction will be greater.”

We do not know that. I personally disagree, but the President gets his chance, and deserves it.

A camera shot of Charles Rangel made it look like he died while sitting there. His tongue was hanging out.

The president kept using the words “bold,” and “big.” Yet what followed was neither. He did praise the G.I. Bill, which was created by JFK. The sycophants in the chamber clapped.

He again mentioned that energy, health care, and education were critical. The sycophants clapped. Yes, these speeches involve pomp and circumstance, but this speech added little else.

His rhetoric soars. He speaks well. At the moment he speaks, he inspires. The problem is when his words are processed, the markets react violently against him. The financial markets are not sold.

Spending a bulk of time on renewable energy sources brought thrills to the Pelosiraptor and Barbara Boxer, but those two women are hostile towards Wall Street.

Senator Carl Levin was asleep. If anybody should pay attention, it is a Senator from what might be the most failed state in America, Michigan.

Hillary could not even smile when the President announced that health care reform was critical. Apparently she is disinterested unless she is in charge of it.

Yet again, his goal of “seeking a cure for cancer in our time,” while noble, is not a plan. This was rhetoric in the JFK mode, but the reason JFK is lionized is because when it came to some of his bolder ideas, such as going to the Moon, we actually did it. President Obama should not bring up something so bold unless he actually can articulate a plan to put the wheels in motion so positive occurrences actually take place.

Emphasizing education is fine for a long term strategy, but is useless with regards to the short term financial situation. President Obama can speak until he is blue in the face about education, but unless he takes on the teachers unions, his words are meaningless. He mentioned the word “reform,” but stopped short of anything that could be seen as having guts.

“Dropping out of high school is not an option. It is not just quitting on yourself. It is quitting on your country. This country needs the support of every American.”

The line is fabulous. The ability to back it up is impossible. This is the heart of President Obama.

The obligatory praise of Ted Kennedy was cleverly packaged in the words of JFK.

President Obama is 100% right whyen he says that parents must “put away the video games and read to our children. I say this not just as a President, but as a father.”

This is an example where words can make a difference. The President cannot raise our children. However, the bully pulpit can be invaluable on this issue.

Yet the President cannot help himself when it comes to preaching responsibility for others while deflecting it in himself. First he praises bipartisan cooperation. Then he speaks about “the deficit I inherited.” Democrats leapt to their feet while Republicans stayed sitting.

Nancy Pelosi leapt to her feet quickest when the President promised to end corporate loopholes for corporations shipping jobs overseas. Yet the Pelosiraptor has fought for such loopholes for corporations in her district. Try getting those loopholes closed.

President Obama then went back into campaign mode, playing the class warfare card with regards to taxes. The man is a Keynesian, not a supply sider. He won the election. He is still wrong. Taxing the producers is what killed California. He wants to implement the California model nationwide.

He promised to “responsibly” end the Iraq War, before blathering about how tough he would be on terrorism while gutting the effective methods that have kept us safe. Democrats love to stand up and clap loudly when bellicose rhetoric on military matters is brought up, provided they are the ones chest thumping. The problem is they don’t mean it. The proper way to deal with the war is to let General Petraeus handle it, and actually listen to him.

He can thunder from the top of his lungs that closing Guantanamo Bay and condemning torture makes us safer, but he is dead wrong. He still has not told us where he is going to put the Gitmo detainees.

The President won the election, but he is in perpetual campaign mode. He is fabulous at giving the speeches, but so far has remained detached about actually doing the work.

It is for that reason that I am refusing to grade this speech. Again, my opinion does not matter.

I will let the stock market interpret the speech over the coming months.

The President very appropriately finsihed his speech by acknowledging that those that disagree with him are patriots that love America. Time will tell if those words mean anything when the disagreements actually take place. The left seems more interested in demonization over the right than actually solving problems. They live for the blame game.

President Obama entered the White House free from such viciousness. The test will be if the Pelosiraptor drags him down to the gutter, oir if he forces her to be lifted up in the name of getting things done.

As with most Obama speeches, this speech was light on substance. Yet if Wall Street ends up happy, I will be as well.

I don’t need platitudes. I need to see results.

AGain, the President is very likable. He has the good will of the people. Yet this will be fleeting if he does not translate his personal likability into real tangible results.

The President can speak forcefully, but he cannot dictate to the markets. They are even tougher than him.

They will decide. I pray that they start having confidence in this President. I pray that he gives them a reason to have this confidence.

The substance began when Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave the Republican response.

Before Governor Jindal spoke, Sir Charles of Krauthammer pointed out that, despite all the JFK references, President Obama is more interested in being the next LBJ.

It is important to keep in mind that while President Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by 2013 (he did not mention this in the speech), he has increased the deficit by 1/3 in only one month since he took office. Again, in only one month, he has skyrocketed the deficit. The same man who thinks that growth through tax cuts will not be a self-solving problem actually believes we can spend ourselves into saving and debt reduction. He is gambling. I think he is wrong, but I hope he is right. He won the election.

Now he needs to stop blaming his predecessor and start taking responsibility. It’s his Presidency.

Governor Jindal pointed out that where we disagree with the President, we have an obligation to stand on principle.

“The strentgh of America is not found in our government.”

Governor jindal gave a moving story about how some bureaucrat nearly got a ton of people killed after Hurricane Katrina by not allowing rescue boats to go on the water without insurance paperwork.

Governor Jindal, unlike the President, gave specifics elements of the stimulus bill that were wasteful spending.

While Governor Jindal is totally right that cutting taxes, including business taxes, is the solution, the election may have ended any hope of that common sense solution taking place. The Governor mentioned nuclear power and oil drilling, which the President avoided. The President promised during the campaign to support nuclear power. Time will tell if that was hollow.

Governor Jindal pointed out that the stimulus law enacted was not read by the people who passed it.

The President used to be a Senator. Senators are speakers. Governors have to actually do things. Governor Jindal has turned Louisiana around. He has credibility in talking about the roots of the GOP because he was not part of the GOP spending spree. He was powerful when he said, “We lost your trust, and deservedly so. We will work to regain your trust.”

This is called candor.

The President had his say and the Governor had his response.

Now the stock market will sort it out.

eric

At the California State Republican Party Convention, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Chuck DeVore, the California Republican nominee for the 2010 United States Senate Seat. He will be taking on one of the worst Senators in the history of any government in any nation, Barbara Boxer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_devore

Mr. DeVore was overwhelmingly generous with his time. He has strong beliefs. He is not wishy-washy.

On Sunday he addressed the crowd. It was on this same Sunday that I also met the lovely and gracious Dianne DeVore.

Below is some of the wisdom of Chuck DeVore, followed by my interview with him.

“California has the highest state income tax in the nation, the highest sales tax in the nation, and the highest gasoline tax in the nation. At least Proposition 13 has kept property taxes around the national average.”

“California got in trouble because we did not live within our means, not due to not having high enough taxes.”

“The new budget gave us another massive tax increase. Who here believes the revenue from that will be enough? Mark my words, in two to three months a second tax increase will be proposed.”

“We have nine billion barrels of oil off of the California Coast. One billion barrels of that oil is within three miles of the California coast. This is state oil. This oil does not belong to the federal government.”

“By using slant drilling and other newer oil technology, we could put five billion dollars in the California treasury today.”

“Otherwise, we could buy foreign oil. That money we give to foreign governments is used against us in the form of suicide bombers.”

“Barbara Boxer has beliefs that are rooted in the 1970s. She does not believe that Americans should utilize American oil.”

“In addition to taxes and oil drilling, we must harness new technology, including the new media. We have to get on Facebook and Twitter, and talk to the bloggers.

While he was a star on Sunday, his interview with me on the previous Friday was a low key and cerebral affair. There was plenty of red meat to chew on.

1) The Republican Party keeps failing to take down Barbara Boxer. We had good candidates, but the national party is so cheap. They don’t support California financially. Will you have enough money to compete?

CD: “Yes, but 2010 is going to be a different election. I will have enough money to run a strong race, but dollars do not necessarily get people to vote for you.

Look at the 2008 campaign of President Obama. Hillary Clinton had the finest consultants that a 1990s campaign could buy. She got beaten by him. He appealed to the base and utilized modern technology. He connected to people in a new way.

We are going to run a web first campaign. The web is not going to be an adjunct part of the campaign. It will be the centerpiece. Only recently, I added 3000 people on Facebook, 1500 on Twitter, and every speech, people are showing up who are not members. A rally in Rosemead had 37 people, but only six of them saw it online. Three of them drove two hours. Word of mouth counts. You have to styand for something, and capture the imagination. There is no forcing friendship on Facebook. People have to voluntarily join.

I also write for Andrew Breitbart on his site, “Big Hollywood.” One article that was written was entitled, “Democrats gave me syphilis today.” This was written about the 400 million dollars given to STD research in the stimulus package.

The culture affects the hardwiring of people. Culture, religion, and how we are hard wired is all how we are affected and how we link.  Don’t wait for an opinion poll or a focus group. My campaign it the 1000 donor threshhold in two months. The internet plus word of mouth gave President Obama the victory. Word of mouth will lead to more television, radio, and traditional media coverage.”

2) Republicans have won stateside in California, but only by being moderate such as Pete Wilson or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conservatives such as Dan Lungren have gone down in flames. How do you keep your conservative principles and win over an electorate that has not been kind to conservatives?

CD: “Let me start by rejecting that assertion. I don’t believe Californians have a problem with conservatives. If you remember the recall between Governor Schwarzeneger and Cruz Bustamante, the highest vote total after that was Tom McClintck. Schwarzenegger was a celebrity, but the libral candidate Bustamente got trounced. Even with a Republican winner, there was strong support for the true conservative. In another race, McClintock came close to winning.

In 1992, Barbar Boxer benefitted from a climate that was against the first President Bush because he said “no new taxes,” and then raised them. In 1998, Lungren ran a 1980s campaign out of the George Dukmejian playbook. In 2004, President George W. Bush wrote off the state. He didn’t compete for it. Also, it was a generally pro-incumbent election.

2010 will be different. The stimulus package will prove unpopular. Plus, taxes have been raised again in California. By 2010, people will be anti-Stimulus and anti-Boxer. She opposes tax breaks. She opposes oil drilling. She has not helped create jobs. She will be vulnerable to her extremis policies.

The abortion issue has changed. It is less highly placed compared to the economy. Yet among those who do vote based on abortion, the pro-life voters outnumber the pro-choice voters. Her iron clad devotion to abortion is radical. She wants to eliminate reasonable restrictions that have passed muster in most other states. Her fellow Democratic Senator Bob Casey says that her bill can’t pass.

The economy is in trouble. People want jobs and dignity, not a lamaker stuck in the radical 1960s, who wants to overturn reasonable restrictions that have been accepted in 45 of 50 states.”

3) How would you like to be remembered? What would youwant people to say 100 years from now about Chuck DeVore the person?

CD: “That I was a man of faith, and that I deeply loved the lord, my family, and my nation.”

4) Who are your three political heroes?

CD: “Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchhill.”

I would like to thank Chuck DeVore for being beyond generous with his time.

With help from God, the blogosphere, and a national party that truly decides to fight for the state that Mr. DeVore feels is treated like a “national ATM,” California can truly become the Golden State again.

It will not be easy, but as always, Barbara Boxer is beatable. The rest is up to us.

eric

It seems that the anti-Semites at UCLA, just like their Palestinian homicide bomber friends, just cannot stop themselves.

As we get to the latest terror supporting professor at UCLA, a brief history lesson is required.

In late January of 2009, I attended a symposium at UCLA entitled “Gaza and Human Rights.” The symposium was pure blood libel. It was your standard anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, left-wing, terrorist justifying claptrap. On February 3rd, 2009, I published an extensive writeup of the event, part of which was published for Campus Watch and Front Page Magazine.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2009/02/terrorism-and-blood-libel-reaches-ucla/

On February 4th, 2009, Judea Pearl, the father of butchered Jew Daniel Pearl, offered his assessment in the Wall Street Journal. The terrorist supporters that made up this faculty symposium neglected to mention their colleague Judea or Daniel, who was murdered for the crime of EWJ (Existing While Jewish).

On February 5th, 2009, Lisa Hajjar, one of the terrorist supporting “academic scholars,” had her department shut down for “budgetary reasons.” She was the woman who screamed at me at the Symposium that, “My Zionist hat was screwed on way too tight!”

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2009/02/an-arab-terrorist-professor-surrenders/

On February 9th, 2009, I published delightfully spectacular hate mail. As I have often mused, Arab terrorist enablers do not need a homeland. They need a thesaurus.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2009/02/more-irrational-hate-mail-from-arab-terrorist-lunatics/

Now that we are up to the present, a friend of mine has been attacked by another example of the decline of UCLA as an institution of higher learning. My friend Ben Meiselman had the nerve, as did I, to publish a column condemning the hate speech that masqueraded as anything offering an iota of academic thought.

For this, another leftist academic bully has surfaced. Her name is Sondra Hale.

She refers to herself as “the chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Center for Near Eastern Studies.”

In other words, she lacks an actual job that contributes anything useful to society.

I will not be linking to her column because nothing can be gleaned from her of any value. I shall simply offer some of her own words to show why, like colon cancer, she is another pain in the rumpus that should be removed from UCLA before her disease filled words spread any further.

“I have to wonder, as anyone who attended the symposium might have wondered, if Meiselman had actually attended the panel or if a member of the neo-conservative Campus Watch (all too present at the event) reported it to him.”

So she posits that he fabricated his story. She offers no evidence for her “theory.” Then she attacks “Neocons,” which as we all know, is another way of slandering the people that have big noses and are diamond merchants. Stupid is as stupid does, Ms. Gump Hale. Also, she resents the fine people at Campus Watch because they have the nerve to disagree with her. She supports hate, Campus Watch opposes it.

“However, to not present the humanitarian crisis in a vacuum, two UCLA faculty and two UC Santa Barbara faculty presented historical and legal factors, placing Israel and Palestine and the Gaza Strip in context.”

Nothing was in context, and just because five thugs with fancy titles spoke crisply (well two of them anyway) does not mean anything they said was accurate. A guy can call himself the CEO of executive managerial operations at McDonalds, which means he flips burgers with a suit on. It doesn’t make him an expert on worldwide food trends. The presentation at UCLA may have been hysterical, but not historical.

Sondra Hale then goes on to claim that these five insignificant non-entities were “well respected.” This is because in academia, people speak to people they agree with, compliment each others’ works and like-minded opinions, and call that success and critical thinking.

“Clearly, these are scholars who are very well-informed on the subject of the symposium and whose scholarship is beyond repute. They are scholars who bring pride to the University of California. This was a group of highly informed and qualified Jews, Israelis, Arabs and Arab Americans examining and trying to make sense of the human disaster of Gaza and criticizing the state policies that have lead to this calamity.”

Clearly? Beyond repute? Scholars? Highly informed? Apparently knowledge and grasp of facts no longer qualify. What Jews? It was a 100% Arab symposium bashing Jews. There was no Jewish perspective offered.

“No one on the panel exempted Hamas or suicide bombers from charges of human rights abuses or violations of international law. All clearly condemned the Hamas rocket attacks.”

This is a bold faced lie. Sareek Makdisi loudly thundered, “If you want the rocket attacks to stop, then end the occupation.” That is not condemnation. That is justification.

As for Ms. Hajjar and her claim that suicide bombings were an act of “perfidy,” she could not have used more tepid or tortured language. She then made the moral equivalence claim. What she did not say was that she condemned the suicide bombings. None of them did. In fact, her irritation at being forced to even address the issue was what led her to make her anti-Semitic remark towards me.

Ms. Hale, I WAS THERE.

Nothing you can say will change that. Trying to erase me from that room is no different than fictional invented creatures known as Palestinians, or as they should be called, “defective Arabs,” trying to erase Israel off of the map.

If Ms. Hale wants to attack my friend Ben Meiselman, let her come after me.

No amount of whitewashing will get the blood off of her hands. I heard and saw every word.

Now if only Ms. Hale were forced to live in some of the Arab countries under Sharia Law, she would not be so quick to criticize the democracy of Israel for its justified use of self defense against Arab terrorist murderers.

Ms. Hale has some letters after her name. Do not confuse this with actually knowing anything, or communicating anything truthfully.

Ms. Hale supports murderous monsters. I support the Jews of Israel.

I was there. I could remark that perhaps her burka is wrapped on too tight, but I have no desire to sink to the levels of the animals.

Besides, perhaps her girdle can be stretched into a burka in the same way the Palestinians try to stretch their fictional existence from zero square feet to the entire state of Israel. Like her overtight girdle that is restricting the flow of oxygen to whatever passes for her cranial cavity, the only solution to the Palestinians is to choke off their supply of everything until their fanatical death cult ceases to exist.

They will act civilized, or they will be treated like animals, which is how they act now.

THAT is what Ms. Hale should mention in the future.

She can’t. She would not know how. After all, she does not know anything. She is merely a left-wing “academic.”

eric