Countdown to Election Day

There are only a few days left until we choose a new President. While there are some signs of a tightening race, the election remains Obama's to lose.

On one hand, you might wonder how it could possibly be close. Howard Fineman, writing in Newsweek, pointed out the challenges facing McCain. Some of the key points:

"Consumer confidence is at an all-time low. The job performance rating of the outgoing Republican president is at Nixon-Carter levels. Nine out of ten voters think the country is off on the wrong track. The Democrats lead in the generic congressional preference vote by a double-digit margin.

Obama has outspent McCain on TV advertising three or four to one (though McCain is matching him in some key states here at the end). Obama has four thousand paid organizers in key states, an unheard of number. Most voters think that McCain’s running mate is not qualified to be president. Many people wonder aloud if McCain is in fact too old (72) to be president. Much of the media coverage of Obama has been fawning to say the least, and with good reason. He is one of the most winsome, charismatic candidates to have appeared on the scene in decades."

Still, the race is apparently not quite over. It may be that thanks to "Joe the Plumber", some of Obama's real ideas slipped out through the protective screen thrown up by the media. Frankly, most Americans don't agree with the central tenets of Obama's plan of action; namely, redistribution of wealth and further expansion of government into more parts of our lives.

Charles Krauthammer has written two consecutive endorsements of a McCain Presidency. His analysis is clear. He makes the case for McCain better than anyone else I've read.

I just don't know if there is enough time for doubts about Obama to stop his coronation.

GOP's "Big Tent" Empties

The nomination of John McCain was supposed to be the culmination of the effort to draw more moderates into a broader and more diverse Republican party. I admit that I was swayed by the notion that a McCain candidacy was likely to draw moderates and independents.

Strangely, though, we have seen a parade of moderate Republicans repudiate McCain and throw in their lot with Barack Obama. Colin Powell, William Weld, Kenneth Adelman are notable among them. What can explain this?

Frankly, I was perplexed until I heard Rush Limbaugh discuss the issue. Among other things, Rush read this column by Charles Krauthammer during his show. He also played some clips of Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress.

Taken together, I now understand that for many people, whether they be politicians, journalists, scholars, or bureaucrats, the allure of the Washington spotlight is too much to resist. It is clear that the desire to curry favor and remain relevant to the inside-the-beltway powers that be, trumps principle, loyalty and personal dignity.

Krauthammer's article eloquently called out those shallow politicos and pundits. The clips of Greenspan were sad and disturbing. In order to preserve his "reputation" with the liberals who appear to be coming into complete control in Washington, he meekly expressed his "shock" at the "failure of the markets". Thus, having pleased the liberal nabobs on the committee by blaming capitalism (rather than pointing out the failure of government, including Congress, or his own errors as Fed Chairman) for the economic crisis, he assured himself a continuing seat at the table.

The future of the GOP and the conservative movement do not and can not include such people. The reality is that the middle of the road is where the line is. If you go there, you get run over. Partisanship is not a dirty word if it means standing up for principle.

The GOP's big tent is coming down; I say good riddance.

Opinion Polls and Tea Leaves

There have been a number of polls released recently that have some Conservatives hoping against hope that McCain still has a shot. His supporters are trying to sift through the data to divine some sign of a tightening of the race.

I remain hopeful but skeptical.

Lets face it, McCain is campaigning hard in North Carolina and Indiana. He's fighting to hold on to Florida and Missouri. Virginia hasn't voted Democrat since 1964, but it appears lost to Obama. If these are the toss-up states, I fear an electoral vote bloodbath.

We can only hope Obama doesn't have coattails. Republicans need to hang on to enough seats in the Senate and House to remain relevant. Right now, that's not guaranteed. It could be a long, cold four years.

UPDATE: As if we needed confirmation, check out this article from the US News.

Kuhl Must Be A Lock

I had read and heard that Randy Kuhl's re-election campaign was going pretty well, but now we have confirmation of sorts; to wit: the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has given Kuhl its endorsement.

Anyone who is a long-time reader of the D&C knows that they endorse a few Republican candidates each election cycle, just to "prove" that they are "fair and balanced". A review of those GOP endorsements, however, reveals that the D&C's usual modus operandi is to endorse only those Republicans whom they expect to win.

I can't think of an endorsement of a Republican candidate who was not the favorite, nor even one where the race really hung in the balance, and where the D&C endorsement might push the Republican over the top.

So congratulations may be in order for Congressman Kuhl, if the D&C's endorsement history is any guide.

The Last Debate

Last night, John McCain did as well as he has in any of the debates. He was clearly on the attack and he had Obama acting rather defensive.

Still, I don't think it was a "game changer". As I wrote in my inaugural Monroe Rising post, I think Obama and the Democrats are poised for a big win on November 4th.

One reason is the fact that Obama continues to glibly skate away from any claim and from any fact that might be perceived as negative. He coolly denied his pro-abortion votes in the Illinois Legislature, secure in the knowledge that his media allies won't do a "fact check".

The fact is that he voted against a law that would protect the life of a baby which survived an abortion attempt. He also voted against a ban on partial-birth abortions. Most telling was the fact that he cast those votes in committee, behind closed doors. Then, our courageous Senator Obama voted "present" on the same bills when they went to the floor for open votes.

I guess he was protecting women....and his future candidacies. Too bad the national media will let him get away with it.

Repoman at Monroe Rising

I wanted to let all of you "fans" know that I am going to be posting at Monroe Rising from time to time, as well as here at the Moot Points blog.

Monroe Rising is a top-notch local Conservative blog. It gets a lot of traffic and a good deal of commentary. Many excellent bloggers post there and I was happy to be able to join them.

Check it out!

Time's Running Out For McCain

John McCain did pretty well last night, but I doubt anyone thinks he scored enough points to change the dynamic of the race. There were a couple of places where he could have hammered Obama (e.g., on Obama's epiphany on nuclear power) but he did not throw the knock-out punch.

He also failed to really tie Obama to Bill Ayers in any meaningful way. For some reason, it just doesn't appear to be in McCain's nature to really go for the throat.

While there is some tentative evidence that the race may be tightening a little, I'd say that if its true, its as much due to Palin as it is to McCain. I don't think much he did last night really moved the needle. Clearly, he's running out of time to make that happen.

Moreover, I, like many conservatives, was floored by his announcement regarding directing the paydown and renegotiation of delinquent mortgage loans. For a moment, I thought that Obama and McCain had switched bodies (ala "Freaky Friday"). It surprised me that such an anti-capitalist proposal was being pushed by a so-called conservative Republican.

But, lets face it, John McCain is not a regular Republican. I just wish he wouldn't keep reminding conservatives why he wasn't their first choice

Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen

For the past week, we've been hearing how vital passage of the bailout bill is. Yet, in order to pass it, the once three page bill Treasury Sec. Paulson offered is now several hundred pages and includes the following:

Extensions of the AMT patch, tax deductions on state and local sales taxes, tuition, teacher expenses and real property taxes and tax credits for business research and new market investors;
Energy tax credits and incentives to encourage wind and refined coal production, new biomass facilities, wave and tide electricity generators, solar energy property improvements, CO2 capturing, plug-in electric drive vehicles, idling reduction units on truck engines, cellulosic biofuels ethanol production, energy efficient houses, offices, dishwashers, clothes washers and refrigerators, and fringe benefits for employees commuting by bicycle;
A requirement for private insurance plans to offer mental health benefits on par with medical-surgical benefits;
Tax relief provisions for victims of this summer's Midwestern floods, and Hurricane Ike;
Freezing of deductions for sale and exchange of oil and natural gas, mandatory basis reporting by brokers for transactions involving publicly traded securities and an extension of the oil spill tax;
Economic development credit to American Samoan businesses;
$10,000 tax credit for training of mine rescue team members;
50% immediate expensing for extra underground mine safety equipment;
Tax credit for businesses with employees from an Indian reservation;
Accelerated depreciation for property used mostly on an Indian reservation;
50% tax credit for some expenditures on maintaining railroad tracks;
7-year recovery period for motorsports racetrack property;
Expensing of cleaning up "brownfield" contaminated sites;
Enhanced deductions for businesses donating computers and books to schools, and for food donations;
Deduction for income from domestic production in Puerto Rico;
Tax credit for employees in Hurricane Katrina disaster area;
Tax incentives for investments in poor neighborhoods in D.C.;
Increased rehabilitation credit for buildings in Gulf area;
Reduction of import duties on some imported wool fabrics, transfers other duties to Wool Trust Fund to promote competitiveness of American wool;
Special expensing rules for film and TV productions;
Increasing cover of rum excise tax revenues to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands;
Making it easier for film and TV companies to use deduction for domestic production;
Exempting children's wooden arrows from excise tax; and
Income averaging for Exxon Valdez litigants for tax purposes.

A bill that was so clearly vital needed all of these extra items to be included to get it through? I can only wonder what intelligent leaders around the world think of us today.

I'm sorry, but I'm embarrassed to be an American.