Dec 28 2007

What Will the Next President Face in Pakistan?

Tag: PoliticsConservativa @ 8:10 am

From Andrew McCarthy, and Roger L. Simon. Leading up to the caucuses, we look at trivial things (who said what in his or her YouTube Christmas video), but the next President may have to deal with a Pakistan that is collapsing… and has nuclear weapons. As the news drifts back to trivialities, because it always does, keep in mind that we need a President who will use good judgment, not pandering of any kind, to deal with the world as it is.


Dec 26 2007

What is Your Legislator Planning in ‘08?

Tag: PoliticsConservativa @ 10:22 pm

Want to see what your legislator is planning for this session? Start here: http://leg1.state.va.us/081/mbr/MBR.HTM and choose the legislator. Then click on the Chief Patron and Co-Patron links to see what the legislator is proposing or signing on to.

Loupassi and Massie, just elected, have signed on to HB 60. This was an issue they both campaigned on, so it’s good to see them sign on to this right away.

Creigh Deeds has introduced legislation to let people vote absentee in person, without giving one of the usual reasons (away on business, in the military, away at college, having a disability, etc.)

The Legislative Information System is a great site!


Dec 26 2007

It’s a Wonderful Life

Tag: New MediaConservativa @ 12:47 pm

Here’s some good post-Christmas reading: Frank Capra as avant-garde moviemaker. Why Miracle on 34th Street is “is the exact and precise opposite” of It’s a Wonderful Life. Enjoy this long but worth it essay on Capra by Rod Bennett.


Dec 25 2007

Christmas Morning

Tag: PhotosConservativa @ 8:32 am

[photo of manger scene]“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” -Luke 2


Dec 24 2007

Christmas, the Other Side

Tag: PhotosConservativa @ 5:14 pm

[photo illustration]“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. …The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter… And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.” –Rev. 12


Dec 21 2007

RTD Cantor Kudos

Tag: Politics, RepublicanConservativa @ 7:38 am

Followup on Cantor looking out for taxpayers, in this morning’s Times-Dispatch:

Central Virginians should be proud that one of our own, GOP Rep. Eric Cantor, helped lead the anti-tax forces. Cantor’s career has been marked by uncommonly good sense about tax policy and a ferocious respect for the people’s money — and their right to keep more of it in their own pockets.


Dec 20 2007

Cantor Commended

Tag: Photos, Politics, RepublicanConservativa @ 1:13 pm

[photo of Cantor at Advance]Nice mention in Redstate today for Eric Cantor’s efforts to get Congress to be more responsible with the spending.

H/T: Good Sense.

Photo taken at the Advance, where Cantor had a really nice hospitality suite. Photo details: Canon EOS 5D, ISO 1600, 1/60 at f/2.8, lens at 70mm. Look how contrasty the light is, and the 5D’s metering system pretty much nailed it.


Dec 19 2007

Cuccinelli Wins

Tag: Photos, Politics, RepublicanConservativa @ 5:47 pm

[Sen. Cuccinelli at Advance]Sen. Ken Cuccinelli has won the recount, according to this Fairfax Times story. Congratulations to Sen. Cuccinelli for a hard-fought win in NoVa.

Virtucon blogs the Cuccinelli win here.

(Congratulations also to the Cuccinellis on the birth of the newest little Cuccinelli, a son named Jack).

Photo taken at the Advance. Canon EOS 5D, ISO 1600, lens at 42mm, 1/60 at f/3.2


Dec 19 2007

Kilgore for Giuliani

Tag: Photos, Politics, RepublicanConservativa @ 7:59 am

[Kilgore at Advance]Jerry Kilgore talks to another Advance-goer. Kilgore is a supporter of Rudy Giuliani for president. One good reason he listed was that Rudy puts a lot of states in play - more than other, more traditional Republican candidates running this time.

Photo details: Canon EOS 5D, ISO 3200, 70mm, 1/25 at f/4.5.


Dec 18 2007

Good Morning!

Tag: Photos, RepublicanConservativa @ 7:16 am

[photo of GWB]Here’s your morning wakeup smile. This was taken a couple of years ago near West Point, when the President was promoting biodiesel. It was the first time I had ever seen a president. He seemed relaxed and cracked a joke or two. At first no one laughed - I think we were all a little in awe.

Photo details: Canon Elan 7, Fuji 400 NPH? 135mm lens. For some reason I was sure the event would be indoors, so I took 400 speed film. Instead, it was outdoors in the blazing sun and I wished I had taken 1oo speed film.

Semi-funny story. You can’t see it in this picture, but there are several tractors behind the president, parked in front of that building. As the President was leaving, a guy behind me asked about the camera I had. “Is it digital?” No, but I’m having the film scanned. Are you interested in prints? “Well,” he said pulling a business card out of his pocket, “We’re from John Deere,” indicating his two friends, “and if you got any nice pictures of the tractor…” The leader of the free world was addressing us, from just a few feet away. And the guy wanted pictures… of the tractor.


Dec 17 2007

Durham Township

Tag: PhotosConservativa @ 7:36 am

If politics is making your head hurt, take a break and look at this beautiful photoblog: A Walk Through Durham Township.


Dec 14 2007

Gilmore Tracker Spotted?

Tag: Photos, PoliticsConservativa @ 7:50 am

[photo from Advance]Apparently the Democrats are so worried about Jim Gilmore’s senate run that they have reportedly hired a tracker. COULD THIS BE THE GUY?

Just kidding. This person was dressed as George Washington, and walking around during the Advance, reminding people that this is a Republic. Here he is at the straw poll, taping the proceedings.

Photo details: Canon EOS5D, ISO 1250, 200mm lens, 1/60 at f/2.8.


Dec 12 2007

Huckabee and the Iowa Polls

Tag: PoliticsConservativa @ 8:06 am

Pundits have been wondering about the Huckabee surge. He came out of nowhere! He’s way past Romney! Iowans have fallen in love with the Huckster! How could he be so high in the polls?

Maybe he isn’t really. I have a theory, backed up only by intuition. That is this: when people are asked to take part in a poll, especially if the poll is not between only two choices, people will sometimes answer the poll in such a way as to get across a more complex message than the poll is designed to take in.

For example, the Huckabee result: I think it is not so much that Iowans love Huckabee but that they are sensing that the choices are narrowing to two, Giuliani and Romney. They don’t like parts of Giuliani’s past - there are wearisome Clintonian echoes in his personal life. Romney’s leadership qualities don’t seem as strong and some are uneasy about his religion. A lot of people like Fred but his campaign is not catching fire.

Keep in mind what a test-happy society we are. People take many multiple-choice standardized tests. After a while you learn how the questions and answers are written. You begin to figure out what answers are expected. Is it too far-fetched to think that Iowans being polled, wanting to get across their points of view, could sometimes be answering the questions in such a way as to get across a more complex view than is being asked about in the poll? And the more questions a poll has, the more chances the respondent has of answering in such a way as to shape an answer deliberately that either fits a script or flies in the face of the script that is apparently being offered by the polling firm.

I think Iowa voters giving Huckabee those high ratings are not so enchanted with Huckabee. They are just giving a high rating to those qualities that they perceive that he has that Giuliani and Romney don’t have. The high poll numbers for Huckabee, in my opinion, are the Iowa public’s way of saying, “We want to make it clear to the other two guys that we aren’t sold on either of them.”

Why would people do that?

They don’t like having pre-anointed candidates presented to them. They wish to say, “Yes, we know this or that one is supposed to be inevitable and that other one is supposed to be the upstart challenger, but we aren’t interested in your media-written storylines.”

They may not feel that they have much of a voice, so when a poll-taker contacts them, they know that poll will be on the news. Hard to resist joining in on that.

I say, good for the people of Iowa. They are saying to Romney and Giuliani that they have work to do to win over the people. They are saying to the the polling firms that they, Iowans, won’t go by the script. This is a good messages. I hope the candidates are hearing it.


Dec 11 2007

Great Video from Cantor’s Office

Tag: New Media, PoliticsConservativa @ 1:23 pm

Already been linked to lots of places, but it deserves another. Funny stuff. Really nice editing. Heh.

How Have House Democrats Performed Their First Year? (YouTube link)

Cantor blog post with video embed and comments


Dec 11 2007

Vote for Rob Wittman!

Tag: Photos, Politics, RepublicanConservativa @ 7:14 am

[photo of Rob Wittman]1st District voters: today is the day: vote for Rob Wittman for Congress!

Here Wittman talks with some other Advance-goers.

Photo details: Canon EOS5D, ISO 1600, lens at 70mm, 1/80 at f/2.8.

UPDATE: Looks like Wittman has won, with about 63%. Congratulations to Rob Wittman!

State Board of Elections results here.


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