Its Five Year Mission...To Explore New Worlds....

What began like this - an unprecedented and classy act of setting aside a campaign voluntarily to give the party's nominee a clear field - was perceived as being REALLY this, by cartoonist Paul Szep -


But, with the Associated Press stories today (this one from the Boston Herald, but the same story appears in the Cape Cod Times and dozens of other papers today) it appears that the media's love affair with John McCain is over, and they have discovered his penchant for salty language and his irascible temper.

What a pity there isn't a cool voice - respected, if a little technical, but of demonstrated loyalty and with efficient analytical skills, to act as a counterweight to the Captain. A team like this one -



Passion and Intellect. Foreign Affairs and Economy. McCain and Romney, 2008.

I'm Strong To The Finish...

From a friend in the State House...

That's the best Popeye imitation since Robin Williams!

"Yuc yuc yuc yuc yuc yuc, well blow me down!"

"Call me soft on immigration, will ya? I'll tear your face off !"

Today Is A Non-Political Day...Kinda....

Porcupine is about to abandon himself to pre-game shows. Local guys like Bob Lobel and Steve Burton, the Hated Felger, goofy Fred Smerlas and Steve deOssie - who must be the most torn commentator in football, as he is a former Patriot, a longtime Patriot gameday guy, who has a son Zack playing in the Superbowl for the NY Giants.

Still - there is chili and Fritos to eat, as we here in Massachusetts see if it IS possible to go 19 - 0 in the free-agent, salary-cap era.

A while ago, Porcupine suggested to the campaign that Mitt buy a Superbowl 42 ad, saying - "I'm rooting for my New England Patriots because I'm a Patriot too." That was made moot when the Superbowl announced no political ads would be sold (one Democrat and one GOP from New York, one from Massachusetts, and an Arizona GOP host as well). But the response from the campaign was interesting.

One response was that a single 30 second spot in the Superbowl would buy 300 regular commercials, which is true, but Porcupine suspeced the earned media would rival the Huckabee Floating Cross. Another response was that everywhere she went, the Patriots were HATED!! People wanted to see perfection fail!! Porcupine wanted to say she was campaigning in Florida, where the Pats had just taken away Don Shula's precious Dolphins record - but I paused. While Florida is a special case, what are the problems with perfection nationwide?

The big rap in the media on Mitt has always been that he's "too perfect". The perfect wife, the perfect kids, the perfect hair - they were reduced to talking about his great-grandfather in their search for scandal. Once, that would have been a good thing. Now, the media wants everybody flawed. Better story there.

So - will the Perfect Patriots triumph today? Porcupine has on his lucky Patriot socks, and is ready to root hard. Today, and for the OTHER Perfect Franchise from Massachusetts on Tuesday as well.

As Maine Goes, So Goes the Nation!

Mainers vote - about 73% of voters cast a ballot in 2004, compared with 64% nationally. Maine has the oldest median age in the nation, is 96% white, and as any visitor knows, over 12% of the state is below the poverty line in a high cost-of-living state.

Today, amid an ice storm and slush, they held their Republican Presidential Caucus to send 18 delegates to the convention this fall. Both popular moderate Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, spoke on behalf of John McCain.

They had a good crowd. According to the Associated Press, "Kim Pettengill, who has been a party activist for more than three decades, said Saturday's was the largest Kennebec County caucus turnout since 1980, the year Ronald Reagan won his first GOP nomination for president. Party Executive Director Julie O'Brien said other counties reported similarly heavy turnouts. In coastal Damariscotta, O'Brien said she counted about 400 people packing the meeting at the Great Salt Bay School, and local organizers said it was the biggest turnout they had seen."

To put this in perspective, Porcupine met Sen. McCain there at a rally for candidate Chan Woodcock in 2006, and 25 people was considered a big event.

But, at the end of the day, the caucus went to Romney, whose son Tagg attended the caucuses. The vote tallied Romney with 53 percent of the vote, John McCain trailing with 21 percent, Ron Paul was third with 19 percent, and Mike Huckabee had 5 percent. Undecided votes accounted for 2 percent.

A couple of observations - Huckabee blew it big-time by not campaigning here. Maine is Oklahoma with pine trees. The tiny town where Porcupine has his summer burrow has only 2,400 people - about the same size as the town of West Tisbury here in Massachusetts - but four competing Baptist churches. Also, all the flap about Romney not being backed by more Republican Governors - if both popular Senators personally spoke on caucus day for McCain, how influential are these endorsements, anyway?

Mainers are concerned about the economy - with good reason - and illegal immigration across their largely unpatrolled border. The 9/11 terrorists began their flight at the Bangor International Airport, flying in from Canada and proceeding to Logan Airport in Boston. Porcupine believes it was Romney's stance on these issues that proved so appealing, and wonders if this vote is a harbinger of next Tuesday.

Tired Old Script

Nowhere has it been more apparent that mainstream reporters are cliche clinging, almost pre-programmed in their coverage of stories, than in the coverage of the primary races.

Recently on Media Nation, Porcupine was debating a Boston Globe article by Jeff Jacoby, called "What Would Reagan Say?" , which implied that Romney's Michigan pledge to reinvent the car industry (something his Dad actually did with the introduction of the compact car) was anti-Reagan pandering.

Well, I'm more of a Goldwater Republican myself, but as to what would Reagan say, per Mr. Jacoby? Reagan would say he bailed out Chrysler.

Reporters like to follow a well-worn rut when doing political reporting. Romney has more delegates, more first place finishes, and more campaign funds than any other candidate and yet the Punditocracy keeps syaing he'll have to drop out. Because he isn't following their script. Of course, the front loaded primaries weren't on their script either, and that is what is driving events. The reporters sound like Paul Harvey talking about what was, not is or will be.

Why was all the media attendion on South Carolina, with 31 delegates, instead of Nevada with 34? Because that's how the old script was written. I'm sorry that reporters loathe Mitt Romney (Why? He's always been unfailingly polite with them...) but media can't shape public opinion any more just like unions can't deliver membership as voters any more either. Actual voters are choosing Mitt Romney - he's gotten more votes than any other candiate, too. In fact, in Nevada, he got more votes by himself that all the Democratic candidates put together!

McCain cannot win without independents to prop up his numbers in open primaries. In the closed primaries coming up, Mitt Romney will secure the nomination. Florida will be the beginning.

The Boiler Room

Porcupine went door to door for George Bush in Maine in 2004, and got to picket John Edwards at a speech in Lewiston. The zest of a Presidential campaign is astounding, so naturally, Porcupine took one of the daily buses from Mass. to Manchester, to work in Mitt Romney's telephone boiler room. Here's a shot of the outside, with some McCain volunteers wasting their time in the snow -

But, inside it looked different. As we came off our various buses, we were divided into activities - door to door, sign standout, or like here, telephoning.

Like most campaigns, we were given coffee, water, tonic and pizza. But, we had one additional incentive - the person who made the most calls in a shift would win a Mitt Romney bobblehead! While I was able to make a few hundred, the lady who won had made 430, and had driven up from Virginia to stay with her sister and work for the campaign. I DID get a Mitt Mobile keychain, though....

Also - GOP Reps. Brad Jones, Mary Rogeness, Bob Hargreaves (BEST on the phones!), Lou Evangelides, both Poiriers (Kevin and Betty), and Richard Ross were all there phoning and going door-to-door in the snow! National Committeeman Ron Kaufman was there, as indeed he has been everywhere with the campaign throughout.

One of the most interesting visitors was Congressman Tom Tancredo. While Porcupine was aware that he had endorsed Mitt, he was very surprised to see his trim demeanor at the Manchester HQ, and answering questions - here is is below with Porcupine's neighboring caller, Andrew (Andrew - the better 'posed' photo died in Porcupine's phone, so all I have is this candid; my apologies).

Porcupine was able to talk with the Congressman for a while, and told him he admired his campaign. Porcupine considered telling the Congressman that Central Mass Dad on Blue Mass Group had identified him as the Most Successful Candidate in the race (see BMG post HERE), but Porcupine was worried about being tossed into a snowback as a mole. Or being made to carry a McCain sign. Congressman Tancredo was there to do an endorsement along with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of Maricopa County Arizona, who had a few things to say on the subject of illegal immigration and his own Senator's failure to respond - not just this year, but for many years. Illegal immigration is a tremendously hot issue, so naturally, there was no word in the mainstream media about these endorsements.

What was the overall demeanour? Since Porcupine was calling 'undecided' voters, he frequently said that he was sorry to be another annoying political phone call, and that they must be getting hammered. Usually, they laughed and agreed, and Porcupine pointed out that was what they got for being first in the nation. Some were intrigued that Porcupine had worked on the State House staff while Mitt was Governor, and had some specific questions; primarily, Porcupine vouched for the fact that Mitt is a decent and intelligent man, and that if Government needs anything at all right now, it's a big infusion of 'smart'.

But one call was most memorable - a woman, aged 82, was very upset that all of the GOP candidates struck her as weak on the Second Amendment. Porcupine asked if she would not agree that the salvation of the right to bear arms would be the Supreme Court rather than legislation. She did agree, and Porcupine asked her if she knew that Judge Robert Bork had endorsed Mitt Romney, calling him the best choice to appoint strict constructionist Justices to the Court. She had NOT known that, and was very excited. "I'll tell my whole gun club!", she cried. And that is how the boiler room works - changing one mind at a time, and helping to win elections bit by bit.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Last year on this date, a little after 5 p.m., Porcupine was standing outside the wrought iron gates of the Massachusetts State House, and snapped this picture of Gov. Mitt and Ann Romney as they paused for the traditional 19 gun salute for the departing Governor.

The central doors of the State House are only opened for a current President, a head of State, and a departing Governor. The Long Walk is usually very festive, and this was no exception. Gov. Romney had just completed the exchange of traditional symbols of power, giving them to Gov.-Elect Deval Patrick - The Pewter Key, a ceremonial key to the lock on the Governor's office door; The Gavel, made from wood from the U.S.S. Constitution; The Butler Bible, given to the Commonwealth by Gov. Benjamin F. Butler when he departed office in 1884; and the Massachusetts General Statutes, a two-volume set of the state's General Statutes dating back to 1860, in which each Governor leaves a note to his successor inscribed in the volumes.

Porcupine watched as Gov. Romney left the State House, giving a friendly wave to the reporters standing up on the balcony. By today, that cordiality might be tempered somewhat - at a recent party, Porcupine was talking with a Romney campaign operative from California, Dan Centrinello, who said he had never in his RNC work all across the nation seen such a vindictive and misleading media corps as that in Boston. But really, much of that is due to their complete and utter disbelief that Gov. Romney might triumph where Sen. John Kerry failed; here in the Bluest State, how can our random speck of Red be a national success?


Exactly one year later, Mitt and Ann Romney are at the Iowa caucuses, with New Hampshire early next week. Gold or Silver, as the Governor likes to put it, it has been an amazing effort by a formerly obscure Governor from a population-losing, doctrinaire New England state.

For Porcupine, the hard work will make Romney's inauguration in one MORE year and a few weeks all the more enjoyable.

Huck-A-Whoops!

Porcupine is watching Mike Huckabee stammering his explanation on Hannity & Colmes about how showing an attack ad to a room full of high-octane reporters, and then piously announcing that he WASN'T going to attack anybody, while the ad ran behind him and there were foam core images of the attack, wasn't REALLY important, but how we should instead talk about "hunger, poverty and the enviornment".

Above is a captured copy of his ad - could his epiphany about negative campaigning have anything to do with the jab that Mitt Romney failed to execute any criminals while he was Governor? (pssstt....Mass. HAS no death penalty...in fact, while Governor, Romney filed what he called a 'gold standard' death penalty bill, requiring DNA evidence, eyewitnesses, etc. - and the Legislature still voted it down). Huckabee explained that he SHOWED the ad to all the reporters - getting it on national news for zero bucks - because unless he DID, the reporters would think he didn't really HAVE an ad. There was nothing WRONG with the ad....

Porcupine would have enjoyed Huckabee's explanation of this factual error. It must have been Jesus' kid brother that made him do it....

Hey, You Can't Deport 12 Million People!

This sentiment has always been a favourite of the pro-amnesty crowd. There are too many people here illegally already, we really want to know where and who they are. We need to coax them out of the shadows, so we must create a Path to Citizenship, which will not penalize them as law breakers and line jumpers (since they chose to ignore the existing Path to Citizenship of applying for it, getting a green card, etc.).

Now, there is evidence from Gov. Mitt Romney’s home state of Massachusetts that with proper enforcement, you may not need to deport 12 million people – when they realize that amnesty is not forthcoming, they begin to leave under their own steam.

First, a brief Massachusetts timeline on the issue. In June of 2006, Gov. Romney began negotiations with the Federal government to allow Mass. State Police to detain and hold illegal immigrants in cooperation with ICE (a post on the subject is HERE), right after the Federal government created the program. In Dec. of 2006, the final contract was approved with the Executive Office of Public Safety. At the time, Porcupine wrote of Gov.-Elect Deval Patrick, “He touted his experience as a Clinton Dept. of Justice appointee, and even went so far as to claim during debates that he had been a prosecutor (well, perhaps not in an actual courtroom, but support staff are important too!). Given his legal credentials, it will be difficult for him to refuse to enforce the law, and his base won't allow him to do so.” Porcupine was wrong – immediately upon taking office, Gov. Patrick cancelled the enforcement agreement that Gov. Romney had negotiated – amnesty for all! But law enforcement was down, not out. Using Romney’s agreement as a template, the Sheriffs of Massachusetts took the same training that the State Police had taken, and two counties, Barnstable and Bristol, were certified for ICE detention as well. What practical effect has this had?

Well, the Cape Cod Times - newspaper of record for Barnstable County - is reporting that Brazilians there are returning to South America in record numbers (Link HERE). "Here, I don't have immigration documents. I have little opportunity," Denevaldo Dos Santos, an illegal immigrant working as a landscaper, said in the story. According to the Times, many Brazilians bought homes using sub-prime mortgages (how exactly was THAT accomplished with no Social Security number?) and are now facing ballooning interest payments and are choosing to default. "They've been here for so long and expecting this law that never came," said Connie Souza, an immigrant advocate with Catholic Social Services in Hyannis.

That is correct, Ms. Souza. And now that the realization has set in that the hoped for amnesty will not materialize, well, it may not be necessary to deport 12 million people. This is a real result of law enforcement, and sealing the borders, and it is from Gov. Romney’s home state; it could have been a state-wide result instead of a county-wide one, but the Democratic Gov. Patrick, backing Obama for President, prevented that. You won’t read this story in the Boston Globe, or hear it on CNN – but it is true just the same.

Fox News Gets It Dead Wrong!

Glories, like glow-worms, afar off shine bright, But look’d too near have neither heat nor light.
John Webster (1580?–1634)

The last debate before the Iowa Caucuses! The horserace is on in earnest, the bets are being laid, and the Punditocracy was slavering over who would attack who - Mitt on Huck? Fred on Rudy? Alan Keyes on....just EVERYBODY??? (They were right about that). They strapped themselves in, giddy as children, to watch the GOP carnage.

But this debate was being hosted by Iowa PBS and the venerable Des Moines Register, and the single questioner was editor Carolyn Washburn, not some familiar Beltway type who could be disposed of with the usual 15 second bio. Ms. Washburn had other ideas. "By the time I get on stage, I will have spent between one and four to five hours with most of the candidates,'' she said. "I got to look them in the eye and get a sense of who they are.'' David Yepsen, the Register's veteran political columnist, said that the candidates should expect a grilling by Washburn. "She asks tough questions and pointed questions,'' he said. "She doesn't mess around. She's really being diligent about this.''As Carolyn Washburn began her questoning, she said, "We'll dig in on issues that need more clarification. Iraq or illegal immigration may come up because, of course, everything is interreoleated, but we're not going to spend concentrated time on those" (as opposed to CNN, which devoted the entire first half of the SnowHoax Debate to the single issue of illegal immigration). Here are some of the 'dull' questions that were asked -

The Comptroller General of the United States said that the US faces a tsunami of debt that is a great threat to our national security. Does you agree that our country's financial situation creates a national security risk, and why or why not? (As it happens, this was the first question, and it caused Porcupine to sit up in his green leather chair a litle bit.)

What sacrifices would you ask Americans to make for debt reduction?

What about the relationship between international trade and human rights violations?

What segment of taxpayers - poor, middle class, wealthy or corporate - are paying more than their fair share under the current system?

What specific changes would you make to NAFTA?

Do you think it's more important for the next President to be a fiscal conservative or a socail conservative?

What government program is vital enough that you would be willing to run a defecit in order to sustain it?

What educational standards does the U.S. need to adopt or improve to compete in the global economy, what will you do to moveus to those standards, and what's your timetable?

A TRANSCRIPT of the debate is here, and a link to video at Iowa PBS is HERE.

Aah, but where were the FIREWORKS? Fred Barnes said the debate was dull and groused that it was all 'just stuff they had heard before'. WHERE? In what alternative debate universe? Mort Kondrake called Ms. Washburn 'Nurse Ratched' for having the temerity to actually enforce time limits. Porcupine wonered if this was a Fox phenomonon, and checked in with the others - Blitzer on CNN and MSNBC's Nora O'Donnell (not a relation to Larry O'Donnell, surely?) were also calling the debate dull and bland. The 'top tier' candidates didn't get to 'engage' one another one on one. The scrupulous inclusion of all candidates was such a drag! And the subjects - HOW can they compete with Bible Boy, or Stars and Bars, or Sanctuary Mansions? WHERE is the sound bite?

How insulting to the populace that the 24/7 mainstream television media universally decried the only debate with substance as not worthy of attention. They only want sizzle, and don't care about steak, and expect the rest of us to subsist on a diet of cotton candy, too, to make the headlines more shocking for the well-coiffed newsreaders that have replaced reporters on television.

Ath the end of coverage, Brit Hume sniffed that he didn't see how there would be any 'lead' for the news, as it was all so serious. He seemed to think that was a bad thing.

Reaction Run Amok

"I used to laugh and dismiss this talk about how we were — that there was a liberal bias in the mainstream media. But I have to say in the four years I’ve been at Fox, I’ve come to believe that there is a bias.”
Chris Wallace, Interview on Politico.com, Dec. 10, 2007

Porcupine has been laid very low with a variant of the virus which actually closed the Chatham schools, and can do little but fret, make demands, drink liquids and look at the television. Nevertheless, on Sunday, he witnessed the most virulent and frightening display of hate speech he has ever seen on a national news broadcast, made all the more disturbing in that the transgressor was given free rein, and was only mildly contradicted. Of course, he IS a big television editor.

Last Sunday, the McLaughlin Group took up The Speech. On the McLaughlin Group web site, the segment is called 'The Latter-Day Saint'. With his usual gusto, John McLaughlin began the discussion by saying, "Okay, Mitt and Jesus".

MR. ROMNEY: (From videotape.) There is one fundamental question which I'm often asked: What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Question: Does this acceptance of the divinity of Jesus Christ hit the issue of Mormonism head-on?

MR. O'DONNELL: No. There's a big problem. Look, I'm not a Mormon, but I do play one on TV....

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Are you a Christian? (Actually, Porcupine learned from his later interview on Hugh Hewitt that Mr. O'Donnell is a classic lapsed Boston Cafeteria Catholic).

MR. O'DONNELL: -- On Big Love, the HBO series (O'Donnell has a recurring role on the show as a shyster lawyer, taking his scriptwriting skills honed on The West Wing and using them in service of his bigotry), that has been a real headache for Romney. Here’s the problem. He dare not discuss his religion. And he fools people like Pat Buchanan who should know better. This was the worst speech, the worst political speech of my lifetime, because this man stood there and said to you, this is the faith of my fathers. And you, and none of these commentators who liked this speech, realize that the faith of his father is a racist faith. As of 1978, it was an officially racist faith. And for political convenience, in 1978, it switched, and it said okay, black people can be in this Church. He believes, if he believes the faith of his fathers, that black people are black, because in Heaven, they turned away from God. In this demented, Scientology-like notion of what was going on in Heaven before the Creation of the Earth, and the Garden of Eden is in Minnesota....

Pat Buchanan: Are you saying that his Mormonism disqualifies him from being president of the United States?

LO’D: I’m saying he’s got to answer…when he was 30 years old…

PB: He does not have to answer..

LO’D: …and he firmly believed in the faith of his fathers that black people are inferior, when did he change his mind? Did the religion have to tell him to change his mind? And when he talks about the faith of his father, how about the faith of his great-grandfather, who had five wives?

PB: Well, look. My great-grandfather had slaves. And I don’t believe in slavery. (Buchanan also went to to note that Baptist Churches actively condoned slavery, and cited scripture to support for their position, but he was hard to hear under O'Donnell's rant. Eleanor Clift just looked like a deer gazing at headlights, and spoke briefly, only when spoken to.)

Larry O'Donell is the Senior Political Analyst at MSNBC. But his shouting and screaming over others actually frightened and shut up John McLaughlin, no mean feat. How can anyone think that he can cover this race with any kind of objectivity? Imagine for a moment if he began to shout about Joe Lieberman in 2000 that his kind were responsible for the crucifxion of Christ by denying him, and Lieberman would be taking money from the usury of his coreligionists. Would he still be on the air, let alone remain the person who edits the stories of others?

This was no 'off-day' for Larry O'Donnell - he went out of his way to reiterate is views in an interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio show HERE.

Hewitt persistantly asks a question that has also occured to Porcupine. If Romney is reponsible for racism of Mormons, than why isn't Kerry or Kennedy responsible for sexism against women? Why isn't Sen. Clinton responsible for the vote her church took to reaffirm a decision to bar gays from the clergy in 2004? This is O'Donnell's disingenuous response:

HH: Then I assume you are condemning Biden and Leahy and Kennedy and Kerry for being part of a sexist organization which they haven’t condemned?

LO’D: No. They’ve got the same flexible relationship to it that I do. You know Kennedy. You know Teddy’s in favor of abortion rights, he’s for…

HH: Well, no, he hasn’t come out and condemned the Church. We should be demanding they condemn the Church.

LO’D: No, no, no. They all have to live, you know, they live with this very uncomfortable…the Catholic…Democratic liberal politicians who are Catholic, and you know there are many coming out of the Northeast, Italian Irish Catholics, they have an extremely uncomfortable relationship with the Church, and they’re kind of always ducking, because there’s always that possibility that a Cardinal somewhere will call them on the abortion issue, as one did during John Kerry’s run for the presidency, with John Kerry. And you know, there’s a bob and weave that all Catholic politicians who are pro-choice are doing all the time. But that…

HH: But shouldn’t they have to stand up and defend what they believe, and condemn, or at least leave the Church of which they are a part?

LO’D: No, Catholicism, as I told you, is extremely flexible, and the Church doesn’t say you have to leave. Rudy Giuliani doesn’t leave…Rudy Giuliani, there was a time, you know, in Catholicism, in the 50’s, for example, in the kind of pre-divorce explosion in the United States, where if a Catholic got divorced, it was considered automatic excommunication. Now all the guys we’ve mentioned, with the exception of Mario Cuomo, have been divorced. And they continue to consider themselves Catholic. The Catholic Church doesn’t say they’re not Catholic. It’s, you know, there’s a 21st Century version of Catholicism. There’s a late 20th Century version of American Catholicism that allows for all sorts of things that were not allowed, and not believed in the first half of this century, including, by the way, the notion, prior to 1950, that if you weren’t a Catholic, you would not go to Heaven. That was a universal… "

So we non-Catholics were all going to Hell, but O'Donnell is concerned about past racism. But hey - those guys are liberals, so no questions need be asked.

It should be noted that there actually IS no 'late 20th century version' of the Roman Catholic Church, except in the 'flexible' imagination of Larry O'Donell. Oh, and the Chruch is anti-gay, too, but that's 'flexible' as well.

Imus was fired for less, but the punditocracy will continue to protect its own, while claiming that MSNBC and CNN (host of the Debate of the Plants) are bastions of cool headed unbiased reporting.

The Speech

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people...Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
John Adams, Author of the Massachusetts Constitution

Porcupine's favourite quotes from Mitt Romney's speech on faith:

"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."

"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."

"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong....The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust."

"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'

"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements...My faith is grounded on these truths."

"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed. In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion - rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

SnowHoax Litmus Test

Click to Enlarge

As we all know, litmus paper turns RED when exposed to acid conditions, and BLUE when exposed to alkaline conditions. As an acidic personality, Porcupine was always vaguely pleased with the Redness of his litmus. But in the wake of the CNN Snowman Hoax debate (hereafter referred to as the ‘SnowHoax’), another Red-Blue divide is emerging – those deeply involved in bare knuckles politics are turning red, and those with more moderate interests are turning blue.

For example – Porcupine rarely disagrees with his Beloved, as Beloved is generally smarter about most things. But in discussing the SnowHoax, the dialogue went like this.

Porcupine: I love the Internet! Before, this kind of stuff would stay buried forever! I bet the Globe NEVER acknowledges it! (Porcupine was right about that). The cheating Dems were caught almost immediately! In fact, Anderson Cooper can’t claim not to know, because he CITED a Politico story to gouge Rudy during the debate, and Politico had a story up exposing the General as a plant at 9:53 – BEFORE the debate was even OVER. They didn’t have the Clinton connection, but had his involvement with ‘Veterans for Kerry’ while he was still asking the question!

Beloved: That’s what turns me off about this stuff. The Democrats trying to cheat…

Porcupine: But no – I mean, it’s sort of their JOB to cheat – it’s CNN’s job to act as gatekeeper and they totally blew it - they’re either complicit or idiots…

Beloved: NO! It is NOBODY’S job to cheat! THAT is what is wrong with this state! You have become so much a part of the political culture here that you think cheating or misrepresenting could EVER be acceptable! No matter who the head of the Massachusetts Democratic Party is, the true head will always be James Michael Curley – a corrupt mayor and governor but a brilliant and lying politician. THAT is what lies at the heart of political culture here.

Porcupine: Wow…y’know, you should read Jon Keller’s book, ‘the Bluest State’…

Beloved: I don’t have to. I live here. I could have written it.

Porcupine pondered this, and realized there was a litmus test here – one that tested degree of political involvement. Not liberal or conservative, but in making the appeal, or outside being appealed to.

Here are three responses Porcupine received from journalist acquaintances in response to an indignant email about SnowHoax –

“I did know that a Hillary campaign worker was allowed to ask a question, which is bizarre. I've said before how the YouTube debates ought to be run. Pick six or eight issues. Let people submit videos in whatever category they like. CNN's role should be to make sure they are aimed at all the candidates rather than singling someone out. They could eliminate stuff that's just too offensive or weird, too, I suppose. Then let the community vote on which videos get used. The way CNN's doing it is not citizen media, it's just cheap entertainment.” Test result – Pink, but on the Blue side

“I don't get too worked up about these things, though CNN can and should have done a better job. I can recall the old call-in radio days, when they'd have a political guest on the show and a plant would call. Sometimes it would be pretty funny if the guest or host knew who the caller was, nailing him on air. Made for fun entertainment. ... Please don't vote for Mitt. The country can do better. The only problem: Who else on either side? They're all nuts and/or mediocre.” Test result – Alkaline Blue.

“Wanted: A Pure Questioner, with no interests, no agenda and no point of view, to administer the Sacrament to these Most Pure of Candidates. Good grief. It’s an American political campaign!!!! It’s a made-for-TV event!!!!. It’s publicity!!!! It’s theater!!!! Good thing they don’t have to sweat in the hot sun and take questions in the public square anymore.” Test results – Bright Red.

The interesting thing is that all three of these respondents are politically liberal – their red/blue gradation has more to do with direct involvement in politics and campaigns.

Porcupine is going to try to recapture his commitment to Governance over Gladiatorial Politics – and hopes others will as well. (Unless Porcupine is just trying to lull you into a false sense of complacency…)

YouTube Republic

Well, the snowman was there and said Hi! to Mitt Romney in his helium voice. The Florida Republican YouTube debate was tonight. A CNN transcript is HERE, and YouTube's video recap is HERE.

Porcupine thought the questions were decent enough on the whole, if a little predictable. Why there were no questions of the enviornment, health care or education is a travesty. It was nice to see all the candidates get some time, and Duncan Hunter was a particular beneficiary of the work of Anderson Cooper to give all eight a chance to participate. UPDATE - the mom with toys from China was a union manager; the girl asking about abortion works for the Edwards campaign; and the Log Cabin Questioner is a declared Obama supporter, in ADDITION to the Clinton campaign plant - Porcupine's opinion of the questions and the editing process has just taken an elevator ride to the basement.

Each candidate got their own 30 second YouTube spot as well. Guiliani’s 30 second spot was the very best, using his quirky humor to take credit for 'Decreased Snowfall in New York!'. But the humor blew up in his face when he accused Romney of not merely having a sanctuary city, but a sanctuary mansion by having illegals work on his law. “Wait a minute – if you hire a company to paint your house or put on a roof, do you go out and demand to see the papers of anybody who is a different color or has a different accent than you? THAT is Un-American!”. Later, Fred Thompson chipped in that he was surprised Guiliani would bring up employees, as 'I guess we've ALL hired some people who didn't work out exactly the way we thought they would...', a reference to Bernard Kerik.

McCain was the straight talk guy again. On amnesty to Ron Paul - 'That kind of isolationism brought on WW II'; on torture to Romney - 'I am shocked that you think that kind of tretment could ever be used by Americans' and suggesting that we need to either abide by the Geneva Convention or leave it. Romney said he didn’t think it was wise for a candidate to be too specific, which Porcupine happens to think is a prudent position but a poor debating point.

Mike Huckabee had the best spontaneous jokes of the night, and his appeal is obvious. He personifies compassionate conservatism, and comes across as warm and engaged.

The only real ringer of the night was a YouTube question selected from retired Army general, Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr. After listing his military credentials, he said at the end of his video that he is an openly gay man and wanted to know why gays can't serve in the professional military. It produced discomfort from all the candidates as Anderson Cooper needled them to respond. Later, Politico reported that Kerr was on the Steering Committee of "Veterans for Kerry", and now Nightline reports that he serves on the advisory committee for the Clinton campaign.

Anderson Cooper opened the debate by saying that "All the questions come from you", and that there were 5,000 questions, about 2,000 more than the Democrat debate attracted. CNN represents this as 'The People's Debate'. Based on Cooper's choice to have the Clinton campaign not only be selected to ask the questions, but to be seated in the audience for follow up, Porcupine is curious as to what 'people'they refer to, as Porcupine awaits the use of Karl Rove as a questioner in the next Democrat debate.

Connecting the Dots - Local Edition

If then His providence Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labour must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil.
John Milton (1608–1674), Paradise Lost - The First Book

From Roger Simon's weekly column from Politico.com -

N.Y. Daily News, "Welcome to AIR RUDY:

Rudy Giuliani jets to campaign stops using casino kingpin's plane," By David Saltonstall:

"The Republican presidential hopeful anted up more than $122,000 last summer alone for jets traceable to casino kingpin Sheldon Adelson, whose Las Vegas Sands empire has made him the third-richest American, a Daily News review of campaign records shows. Last quarter, The Sands' innocuously named Interface Operations LLC was the top provider of corporate jets to the frequently flying Giuliani, who was whisked around the country on the casino's plush Gulfstream G-IV in late August and early September, records show. 'You have to follow the money and ask, 'Why is Sheldon Adelson partnering with Rudy Giuliani?'' asked Stacey Cargill, an anti-gambling and Republican Party activist in Iowa, where the nation's first presidential caucus is set for Jan. 3. Cargill, who views even legal gambling as a magnet for crime and vice, said, 'If Rudy Giuliani wants to be the crimefighting candidate, why is he partnering with a large and growing gambling empire?' "

Above and beyond the appropriateness of a Presidential candidate accepting favors from a player in an industry not noted for its Puritan pedigree (it isn't an accident that the "legitimate" Michael Corleone wound up in Las Vegas...), this story has local dimensions as well.

For who was hanging about the State House importuning legislators in the Senate Reading Room on behalf of Deval Patrick's Cerebrus Gamble-Port plan? Why, it was one Sheldon Adelson!

It would appear that in his race to the bottom, Gov. Patrick doesn't even know who he has gotten into bed with anymore.

Rudy - In His Own Words

I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies all right. But my damn friends...They're the ones that keep me walking the floor nights!
Warren Gamaliel Harding, (Nov. 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) 29th President of the United States

Since Bernard Kerik has been indicted and is facing trial, there is a strong odor of criticism wafting around Mayor Rudy Giuliani for giving him the post of Police Commissioner in New York City, and for pushing him as head of the soon-to-be-created Homeland Security ageny, an opportunity President Bush passed on, after a week of support.

Since Porcupine is a notorious Romney supporter, he will allow the Mayor to answer these charges in his own words, via Politico.

On the campaign trail in Iowa, Giuliani conceded that he "made a mistake" in not sufficiently vetting Kerik, but defended the crime-fighting record he and his onetime protege accumulated.

"I mean when you're mayor of New York you make 100,000 decisions," Giuliani said at a press conference in Dubuque. "Some of them you make wrong. Then the question is what happened to the city as a result of those decisions."

Mr. Mayor - do you think that the President of the United States has fewer decisions to make?

"Crime went down by historic proportions. Shootings by 74%, homicide by 67%. New York, I think people here in Iowa even know that, New York went from being the crime capital of America to being the safest large city in America. Has to be that I mostly made the right decisions in order to get that result."

Didn't that Bill Bratton guy, that you ran out of the office to give the job to Kerik, have something to do with that result?

Later, in an interview with ABC tonight, Giuliani said he was not downplaying Kerik's alleged crimes by touting the results.

"How about it's realistic?" Giuliani retorted to Jake Tapper. "It's the complexity of human life. and the reality of human life." Richard Nixon, Giuliani noted, also had great accomplishments despite his troubles.

Ah. Invoking the ghost of Richard Nixon in a primary fight. Rudy - you sure can pick 'em. So maybe, we need to limit those picking opportunities.

One Year from Today

Time for daydreaming to stop, and action to begin. We will elect the 44th President of the United States of America on Nov. 4, 2008.

I have long advocated the position that I would rather win with somebody I agree with 90% of the time than lose with somebody that I agree with 98% of the time.

This is an important election. Not that all Presidential elections aren't important, but our Nation and Republic are under unique and imminent threats and we need a smart, decisive, honest person in the Presidency for the next four years. I've made my choice, and have begun work.

Please - make yours, and use this last 365 days to effect.

What's-His-Name, that Guy Running for President....

Porcupine has learned why so many of the twenty-odd candidates haven't been able to get their ideas across. Nobody has heard them.


From an excellent piece in Journalism.org, "The Invisible Primary", comes the following statistics -

While Hillary Clinton led in the derby for press exposure (she was the primary subject in 17% of all campaign stories), the largely antagonistic attention of conservative talk radio accounted for most of that edge. Clinton was the focus of nearly a third of all the campaign segments among the conservative talkers studied (the three most popular conservative radio voices, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage). Clinton is not nearly as a popular subject among liberal radio talk show hosts.

The second-most covered candidate, Democratic rival Barack Obama (14% of stories), got a boost in that coverage from being the No. 1 focus of all the candidates from network evening news.

Two Republicans were next in media exposure. Giuliani led among Republicans with 9% of the stories, followed by McCain at 7% and Romney at 5%.

They were followed by former Senators John Edwards (4%) and Fred Thompson (3%), whose level of coverage relative to their party rivals probably puts them in what is best considered a second tier. Interestingly, Thompson, the lobbyist, actor and former Tennessee Senator, enjoyed this level of coverage (and name recognition in polling) even though he did not actually enter the race until
September.

The rest of the candidates would have to be considered not second-tier but third, at least in media attention. None received more than 2% of the coverage.

Put another way, of the more than 1,700 campaign stories examined from January to May, Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee each were the focus of fewer than a dozen stories. The second tier Democrats fared only slightly better. There were five stories about Chris Dodd, 28 about Bill Richardson, one about Dennis Kucinich, and 41 about Joe Biden. For most, their coverage peaked the day of their announcement and went downhill from there.

How dominant were Clinton and Obama as newsmakers? Together, these two candidates commanded essentially the same amount of coverage as all the of the GOP hopefuls combined.

So, in a sense, we have nobody but ourselves to blame. Conservative pundits talk about the Democrats and Liberal reporters talk about...the Democrats.

The entire piece is worth reading, and is a good objective display of how conservative ideas and principles have tough sledding in getting exposure - even if at least half of the country agrees with them.

His LAST Debate

Porcupine usually likes a party. The guest of honor revealed his flagrant bias at this one. From Examiner News -

The event was a 'birthday Party' for the MSNBC political show 'Hardball'. Included among the guests were such NBC/MSNBC brass as NBC Senior Vice President Phil Griffin (the former "Hardball" executive producer called "Hardball" the "best show on cable television"), "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, "Today" show executive producer Jim Bell, NBC News Specials Executive Producer Phil Alongi, "Meet the Press" Executive Producer Betsy Fischer, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC Vice President Tammy Haddad, "Hardball" correspondent David Shuster and Vice President for MSNBC Prime-Time Programming Bill Wolff.

In fact, the only person Porcupine noticed missing is Helen Thomas, the Wicked Witch of the West Wing. Reading the list of luminaries present, it is fair to say that they represent the 'unbiased' mainstream media that is 'objectively' covering the Presidential race, and more specifically, the Republican candidates. To continue:

Chris Matthews had barely finished praising his colleagues at the 10th anniversary party for his “Hardball” show Thursday night in Washington, D.C. when his remarks turned political and pointed, even suggesting that the Bush administration had "finally been caught in their criminality."

In front of an audience that included such notables as Alan Greenspan, Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Matthews began his remarks by declaring that he wanted to "make some news" and he certainly didn't disappoint. After praising the drafters of the First Amendment for allowing him to make a living, he outlined what he said was the fundamental difference between the Bush and Clinton administrations. The Clinton camp, he said, never put pressure on his bosses to silence him.

“Not so this crowd,” he added, explaining that Bush White House officials -- especially those from Vice President Cheney's office -- called MSNBC brass to complain about the content of his show and attempted to influence its editorial content. "They will not silence me!" Matthews declared. "They've finally been caught in their criminality," Matthews continued, although he did not specify the exact criminal behavior to which he referred.

He then drew an obvious Bush-Nixon parallel by saying, “Spiro Agnew was not an American hero."

Matthews left the throng of Washington A-listers with a parting shot at Cheney: “God help us if we had Cheney during the Cuban missile crisis. We’d all be under a parking lot.”

Following his remarks, a few network insiders and party goers wondered what kind of effect Matthews' sharp criticism of the White House would have on Tuesday's Republican debate in Dearborn, Michigan, which Matthews co-moderates alongside CNBC's Maria Bartiromo.

"I find it hard to believe that Republican candidates will feel as if they're being given a fair shot at Tuesday's debate given the partisan pot-shots lobbed by Matthews this evening," said one attendee.

Indeed. And of course, they were not.

Matthew's behavior and questioning has been widely commented on. This was to have been a debate on economic issues, and about halfway through - apparently bored with actual policy points which might give voters an insight into how the next President will handle the economy, jobs, social Security, the Federal deficit, and so on - he decided to ask Rudy about the Yankees management. Of course, Chris never WAS any good at math. He also allowed a spin-out into the Iraq war, and was downright rude to Fred Thompson.

This man is unfit to host a League of Women Voters School Committee debate, much less a national debate on economics. He should not be allowed to moderate at any more GOP debates - ever - until Bill O'Reilly and Michelle Malkin have had a crack at Hillary and Obama.

The Glob Mis-Explains It for You Once Again!

From the (alleged) Political Intelligence column of the Boston Glob comes speculation about the possiblity of genuine, brokered conventions -

Rudy Giuliani is leading in the national polls, but is followed closely by Fred Thompson. John McCain appears to be resurging. And Mitt Romney, while fourth in most national surveys, is leading in Iowa and New Hampshire. (Glob Chagrin!)

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is well ahead in the polls and could wrap up the nomination well before the Democratic convention next August in Denver. So Judis says that if Republicans can't settle on their nominee until the convention, that could help Democrats, who would have a head start in coalescing around their standard-bearer.

"It's the Republicans, not the Democrats, who are looking at a political nightmare in 2008," he writes.

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor at 10:04 AM

Mr. (?) Rhee - it isn't the REPUBLICANS who are looking at the political nightmare of having to justify Hillary Clinton as the Party's Official Nominee and Philosophical Standard Bearer!