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CHUCK MUTH'S NEWS & VIEWS
April 8, 2004
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PASS THE DOOBIE
In response to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's contention that since illegal aliens are
already here we may as well just accept the fact and give 'em driver's licenses,
one News & Views reader wrote: "When is Florida going to legalize marijuana?
People are going to smoke it anyway so officials should just accept that fact,
just like the illegal (alien) situation." Good point.
TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS
Seems like it was only yesterday - well, the end of January to be exact - when
conservatives were up in arms over a series of Bush administration policies,
especially regarding government spending and amnesty for illegal aliens. In
fact, our January 31st online "Survey Says!" poll showed well under 50% support
for re-electing President Bush if the election had been held back then (and even
that was high due to some last-minute ballot-box stuffing by some Bush
supporters).
Now, just two months later, all seems to be forgiven. Or maybe reality just set
in. Kerry really IS scary. In any event, last week's "Survey Says!" online
poll shows the President now enjoying a healthy 84% support among News & Views
readers, with 7% going to "Somebody else," 6% going to Libertarian candidate
Gary Nolan and "Stay Home" getting 2%.
DUKAKIS REDUX
"Democrats have been keen to dismiss any suggestion that John Kerry's campaign
would resemble the campaign of fellow Massachusetts liberal Michael Dukakis in
1988. But those handing out these assurances were a little chagrined this week
when Mr. Kerry appointed John Sasso, the original campaign manager for the
Dukakis campaign, to be general election chairman of the Democratic National
Committee. 'It's like bringing the captain who put the Titanic through its sea
trials back for an encore,' one Boston political consultant said."
- John Fund, Political Diary, 4/6/04
FRANKEN-GOOF
"How does Al Franken respond to legitimate criticism of his new liberal talk
radio program? With an expletive and by changing the subject.
Tucker Carlson, the co-host of CNN's Crossfire, had Mr. Franken on the ropes
yesterday when he accused him of throwing only softball questions at Senator
Hillary Clinton, such as 'Senator, you went to Iraq and Afghanistan right after
Thanksgiving, right? Tell us a little bit about that.'
"'I think that you took that out of context,' replied a slightly taken aback Mr.
Franken, 'because I said -- and I think you would have liked this better --
because I think you left out, I said, 'Tell us a little bit about that, bitch.'
'"
- John Fund, Political Diary, 4/2/04
THE WAR AGAINST WAL-MART...AND AMERICA
"Because non-union Wal-Mart represents the leading edge of this American
business revolution, the left's crusade against it has emerged as a clash of
worldviews, as unions and their allies try to convince the public that
super-efficient operators like Wal-Mart lower workers' standard of living. . . .
A coalition of more than 30 unions and left-wing groups kicked off the campaign
with a national day of protest in October 2002, urging shoppers to boycott the
company as a 'Merchant of Shame.' The boycott got no results, but the coalition
has more effectively waged legislative battles around the country.
"...Not surprisingly, the press downplays Wal-Mart's virtues: that it has never
been accused of funny accounting; that it doesn't reward its executives with
exorbitant salaries or perks; that not only do other executives call it the most
admired company in America, but shopping surveys show it is the consumer's
favorite store. But acclaim from common folk may not protect a company when
elite opinion turns against it, influencing legislators, regulators and the
courts.
"That's why Wal-Mart has become the chief private-sector target of trial
lawyers, sued more than any other company, as the plaintiff's bar and its allies
seek to achieve through litigation what activists struggle to accomplish in
organizing drives. And every battle they win will cost the American consumer."
- Columnist Steven Malanga (Read the full story here:
http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_2_what_does_the_war.html)
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
"Brewery giant Pete Coors will enter Colorado's U.S. Senate race today,
potentially giving Republicans a well-known and well-financed candidate to
challenge Ken Salazar, the Democratic attorney general. Coors, CEO of Coors
Brewing in Golden, will face former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer and Colorado Springs
lawyer Dan O'Bryant in the Republican primary to replace retiring Sen. Ben
Nighthorse Campbell.
"...Schaffer announced his candidacy last month and has waited for weeks to see
if a big-name primary opponent would emerge. Real estate magnate Dave Liniger
flirted with a run but nixed it this week. Some Republican leaders have
publicly expressed doubts about Schaffer's chances against Salazar, the state's
most popular Democrat, and they refused to call the field set on Tuesday."
- Rocky Mountain News, 4/7/04
AU REVOIR, AMO...WE'LL HARDLY MISS YOU
"Rep. Amo Houghton, an upstate New York Republican who was CEO of Corning Inc.
before entering politics, is retiring after nine terms, the Associated Press
reports. The AP dubs him a 'moderate' Republican, but that's only because
Republicans never get called 'liberal,' a label Houghton arguably deserves. He
voted against all four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton, one of only
four Republicans to do so. And not only did he oppose the liberation of Iraq -
one of only six House Republicans to cast such a vote - but he responded to the
perfidy of erstwhile allies by trying to appease the French, of all people."
- James Taranto, Best of the Web, 4/6/04
CANNON FODDER
As the pressure mounts over his pro-amnesty immigration positions, Rep. Chris
Cannon (R-Mexico City) is blowing a gasket. Columnist Joe Guzzardi relates the
latest wackiness, which includes a conversation an immigration reform activist
had with Cannon on his cell phone. The activist describes Cannon as lacking
"the basic common sense and mental acuity of a bucket of water." Personally, I
think the activist was being too kind. You can read the full column by going
here:
http://vdare.com/guzzardi/the_moral.htm
THE SOYBOY PLAYBOY
Nathan Tabor, a GOP candidate for North Carolina's 5th congressional district,
isn't just nuts. He also sounds like a spoiled trust-fund brat who never had
anyone tell him "no" before ("I want an Oompa-Loompa NOW!!!").
The 30-year-old millionaire - dubbed the "Soyboy Playboy" after the family
business which makes soy supplements - has come unglued over opponents who have
the audacity to point out mistruths Richie Rich has regularly claimed in his
campaign. In various pre-pubescent email temper-tantrums to us over the past 48
hours, Tabor's thrown out everything but a "nanny-nanny-boo-boo."
Our friend Kay Daly - whose husband happens to be working on Tabor opponent
Vernon Robinson's campaign ("Conspiracy! Conspiracy!") - recently remarked in
The Hill, "I think it's time that he (Tabor) be given a heavy does of Ritalin
and a bottle and be put in his crib." If our email traffic from this goofy kid
is any indication, he may need a diaper change, as well. But this is what
happens when one measures their manhood by the size of an inherited checkbook, I
guess. Let's just hope 5th District voters don't let this clown "buy" this
congressional seat. We need more adults, not kids, in Congress.
THE (CAMPAIGN) DOCTOR IS IN!
You can't change public policy if you don't change public officials. So Citizen
Outreach has established a separate website project dedicated to helping
under-funded, underdog campaigns...especially at the state and local levels.
Visit today...and make sure you sign up for FREE email "hot tips" on how to get
more votes, more money and more volunteers for your campaign or grassroots
organization. Go to:
www.campaigndoctor.com
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