July 2007

On the Bright Side

ArchPundit July 5, 2007 8 Comments

Shimkus not teaching students this crap

“When I taught government and history,” Shimkus added, “by definition, what is the best form of government, the most simple, is a compassionate monarchy – a monarchy that loves and respects its citizens and … is able to make easy decisions without the weight of a bureaucracy we’d have to fund.”

Shimkus taught in a private high school before he was in Congress.

There is a reasonable argument about liberalism versus populism. In the Political Science literature, Ryker’s Liberalism versus Populism makes a case that liberalism is more realistic, and certainly Fareed Zakaria has talked about the importance of developing institutions and conditions for democracy to flourish.  There may be a need for transitional arrangements before going directly to elections and certainly, as in the United States, you limit democracy to not interfering with individual rights.
However, no one in the right fucking mind says the best form of government is a , the most simple, is a compassionate monarchy.

Inherent in such systems is corruption and censorship.  Even within a Constitutional Monarchy such as Great Britain’s before it became a democracy, people censored and thrown in jail without adequate due process.

Of course, even Great Britain respected Habeas Corpus.

Go Read Rob on Jackson Jr’s Comment

ArchPundit July 3, 2007 7 Comments

Misusing the pardon was expected by the Founders

Why do Republicans hate the Constitution?

Democrats Make a Play for Hastert Seat

ArchPundit July 3, 2007 3 Comments

Democrats Make a Play for Hastert Seat
June 28, 2007
By Nicole Duran,
Roll Call Staff

It would be difficult to find a Republican, or Democrat, in Washington,
D.C., or Illinois who thinks former Speaker Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.) will seek a 12th term next year.

Even with the tantalizing prospect of an open seat dangling in front of
both parties, Democrats seem to be the only ones mobilizing.

"I think it speaks to the real appetite for change in the district and
the frustration on the part of voters that not much is being done in
Washington," said Thomas Bowen, campaign manager for physicist Bill
Foster (D).

Foster already has a team in place, dropped his first mailing and
declared this week that he intends to spend $1 million of his own money
to secure the 14th district Democratic nomination and another $1 million
if he makes it to the general election. But he will not have the
Democratic field to himself.

 Read More

DCCC Targets Kirk and NRCC Adds Kirk to Program to Aid Incumbents

ArchPundit July 3, 2007 No Comments

Wilmette, IL– The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced yesterday that it will be targeting Congressman Mark Kirk with a series of ads focusing on his continued support for the President and his failed Iraq war policies. Mr. Kirk’s office attacked Dan Seals yesterday in response to the activity by the DCCC.

 

Mark Walker, a member of the Northwest Suburban Veterans Advisory Council, stated that, “It is too bad the needs of veterans have become political footballs, and personal attacks on candidates have already begun.”

 

He continued, “We all should be working together to meet these needs. Dan Seals has shown a direct and personal interest in Veterans’ issues, and has asked for input from local veterans, specifically on benefits for veterans and their families, healthcare, the VA claims process, and PTSD challenges.  He has shown a sophisticated understanding of funding and budgeting shortfalls for veterans at the national level.”

 

Meanwhile, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) added Congressman Kirk to a list of their most vulnerable incumbents.   By adding Mr. Kirk to the ROMP (Regain Our Majority Program), it’s an acknowledgement of his vulnerability and the competitive nature of the race taking shape for 2008.

 

View the press release from the DCCC at: http://www.dccc.org/news/headlines/Dems_prepare_attack_ad_GOP_targets06282007/

 

View the DCCC video at youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZl1y6K5FkM&mode=user&search

 

View the press release from NRCC: http://www.nrcc.org/news/view_article.asp?id=274

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/JZl1y6K5FkM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Happy 4th of July

I’m Not Angry About Libby

ArchPundit July 3, 2007 1 Comment

I’m just numb at this point.  Not everyone is

He’s Saving Us Per Diem

ArchPundit July 3, 2007 No Comments

Fritchey reports in from London:

Having spent the last six days in London, I figure that it’s time to share my thoughts on a few random different topics, the first of which being to preemptively answer why I didn’t postpone my trip in order to remain in Springfield, as well as my thoughts on the upcoming special sessions (which experience has shown me are never that special).

Had I thought that anything substantive was going to occur requiring me to postpone my trip, I would have done so. But the last couple of months of (in)activity in Springfield left me relatively confident that nothing of consequence was on the verge of happening. For better or worse, it appears I was right.

And no the title isn’t a shot at Fritchey.  He has some good analysis below.

Just Ran Across These Comments

ArchPundit July 2, 2007 8 Comments

===This is absurd. I will eat my computer if the Republicans lose 30 seats in the House and the safe money says they retain the Senate. John Kerry guaranteed at least 4 points across the board when he demeaned our fine men and women in uniform. But he’s been doing that for 35 years now.

==Look for Republicans to make huge advances in the next week… polls are already showing a Republican surge as the economy races further ahead (Oil at record lows and the Dow blowing past 12,000). The Dems were never as far ahead as the polls indicated as the samples were skewed over and above the normal 5-6 pct. Dem bias.

Those are from a resident troll last summer and fall who disappeared after November 4th.  We hope that it wasn’t from heavy metal poisoning while ingesting his computer.