Turning the Triple Play

David Frum, over at the Republican Leadership Council hits it on the head with his article Turning the Triple Play. Frum outlines several ways we need to address or in some cases not address issues, including Iraq, health care, taxes and the middle class. A real foreign policy, tax cuts for a larger share of people, and stop alienating large groups all are ideas we need the GOP to take on. Follow Reagan's lead darn it!

The Billary Road to Republican Victory

Frank Rich, of the New York Times, has a great OP/ED piece on the Clintons and how if she would secure the nomination face a tough time against McCain. Good points on how lots of Billary problems are being kept off the radar until she gets the nomination. Then let the party start!!

No Substitute for Virtue Why conservatives should be open to John McCain.

Benjamin Storey & Jenna Silber Storey have an article over at the Daily Standard about Virtue and how conservatives must stop with the rigid ideology and look at what McCain is trying to do. I think it is something that we must take into consideration with all people no just John McCain.

Is the GOP the party of inclusiveness?

Is the GOP the party of inclusiveness? This is a great question in my opinion and one we need to get the party focused on.

Back in 1956 Eisenhower gave a speech where he stated, "The Republican Party is the Party of the Future be­cause it is the party that draws people together, not drives them apart. Our Party detests the technique of pitting group against group for cheap political advantage. Republicans view as a central principle of conduct-not just as a phrase on nickels and dimes that old motto of ours: "E pluribus Unum"-"Out of many one. "

Is this true today? The party was once referred to as the party of the big umbrella. The important part of the umbrella is the central core stick. Everything depends on that central core, the rest of the ribs that come from the central core give the party shape but if they are not connected to the central part they are not much use.

We cannot tolerate purging the party of people who we don't see as a "real republican." We cannot have litmus tests and survive as a party that wants to represent and serve the nation. Moderates and conservatives are both needed. One side or one group cannot dictate the terms of how the party operates. If we want to truly win elections we have to appeal to the great moderate center of the US population.

Moderates and conservatives need to be comfortable in our party. We will not survive without each other. Both sides have contributions to make and need to be respected. Not only to win elections but to govern, we need to realize that accomplishing good means accommodation and compromise. Politics should be the art of the possible, something that we do not seem to see today.

That does not mean we have to forgo discussions and disagreements. They should be lively and respectful! But we do need to find common ground if we are to succeed.

Indiana Voter ID Law a scam? I think not!

An opinion article by Cynthia Tucker, alluded to Republicans needing to cheat voters using the law to deny them right to vote. Before this law anyone could walk into a voting precinct say a name and be given a ballot. No checking was done at all. Now you have to show a valid federal, or state ID either a drivers license or a state ID. If you do not have one you can ask or will be given a provisional ballot which allows you to vote, however it will not be counted unless you show up at the Voter registration office within 10 days with proper ID.
So previously anyone could pick a name that they knew was unlikely to vote,(because we don't purge our voter lists, even if they are dead) and be given a ballot. Hard to prove because who would know? Even if it was suspect the authority in charge has no reason to check it because they are usually the party in power and the party benefiting from the bad votes.
I am still waiting for a serious effort from a newspaper checking on the voting records of dead people. I still cannot understand how any reasonable person would not think ID is a good thing. We check your ID for driving, for checks, sometimes for credit cards, and even movie rentals. So why would we not check the validity of voters?

I think the next big step would be to find a way to look into the other area of abuse the absentee ballot. There needs to be a better way to take care of these so there is reduced chance of fraud with them. After delivering them on the last election day to each polling place, I was amazed at how badly they are done. I delivered to about 12 polling places and saw 12 different ways that the ballots were received and checked in.

So far as I can see ID is a good thing and I hope the US Supreme court agrees.