Debate Monday at the National Press Club Between Candidates for the Chairmanship of the RNC

C-SPAN2 will replay today’s RNC chairmanship debate tonight at 8:29pm Eastern Time and again at 12:29am Eastern Time.

2:28
Debate closed.

2:20
Two minute closing statements.

Kent Blackwell: Advocates a shareholder revolt to effect an RNC "resurgency."

2:19
Question: Do you support the bank bailouts?

Everybody but Steele: Yes

Steele: The Bailouts are a bust, they should have never happened!

2:17
Everyone one-ups one another for Facebook and Twitter friends. Kinda lame.

2:09
Question: Will you encourage Republican politicians to sign the petition to oppose tax increases.

All: yes.

Tripe!Kent Blackwell: This nation is a great democracy because we have a great Republican Party...,

Gem!
Kent Blackwell: The corporate model that has been used as the model for the RNC has outlived its usefulness.

1:47
Question: What was the biggest mistake of the Bush Administration?

Duncan: The prosecution of the war in Iraq.

Steele: Lack of communication, Katrina,... etc.

1:45
Question: Pro Life? All: Yes

1:40
Question: What will the party use as an issue to rally around to rebuild the movement.

Steele: If we get back to what the movement was supposed to be about in the first place, the agenda will take care of itself.

Duncan: would use issues like the "Fairness Doctrine" to rally the party around.

Note: There's an awful lot of talk about using technology (Web 2.0) in campaigns going forward. This is something that the left has used often, and used well.

1:30
Who is your favorite Republican president? Everybody: Reagan.

1:18 PM
Questions start. First Question: What can & should the RNC do to see that the Republican Party IS the party of smaller government.

Steele: Relationships need to be built between state and national government.

Saltsman: We need to be rewarding politicians that act like conservatives, particularly in the tough times.

1:05 PM
Two minute introductions. Steele: All this talk about the Republican party is bunk. Don't believe it. We're alive & strong we're conservative.

Chip Saltsman: Establishes his credibility based on his work on the first Bush campaign.

Mike Duncan: Thanks everyone..., says he'll effect real change in the party. Fails to identify what. instead, points to his ten point plan.

1:00 PMThe candidates have just walked in to applause from a packed house. People are going crazy for Steele.

01/05 12:26 PM EST
We've just been allowed into the ballroom. Lots of milling about. The festivities ought to be getting underway in about thirty minutes.
 

Starting today at or arround 12:30 PM EST, the live blog of the RNC Debate will begin in this thread.

 Video Update Link

Cross posted at Fountainhead Zero

FoxNews.com reports that:

"Andrew Breitbart, the conservative founder of Breitbart.com and author of 'Hollywood Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon,' is launching a Web site he hopes will help challenge the status quo in what he believes has been a one-party, left-tilting town."  The website "Big Hollywood" is scheduled to launch on January 6th.

By Stella Hawkins

Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.--Ernest Miller Hemingway--

This story is about a soldier. Whatever your feelings are about the Iraq war and our government's decision to go forward with it is always up for debate and discussion. However, this is a human story, and not whether President Bush and Congress were right or wrong about Iraq.

Army Staff, Sgt. Darrel Ray Griffin, Jr. was killed by a sniper's bullet on March 21, 2007, while patrolling in Sadr City.

Darrel Ray Griffin, Jr. was more than solider. He was a husband, a lover of books and philosophy, and a lover of life
.
He had brought with him the works of philosophers Kant, Hume and Plato to Iraq. He was more than just a soldier..He was a thinker, and questioned the world around him. He had once said all those boots on the ground have flesh and blood in them. He wanted to relate what the philosophers say about war, and what man can do to man. He had already received a Bronze Star for valor in an earlier deployment in Iraq. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor for saving the lives of three

His father, Darrell Griffin Sr., is compiling his son's writings into a book and hopes to travel to Iraq to see where his son died. He has been pressed by many of his friends and colleagues in Southern California to join the ranks of the antiwar movement and use the story of his son's to help end the war. His father said, "They just don't seem to understand or accept that my son loved the Army—that the Army saved him in many ways—and that the thing he hated the most was politics getting in the way of finding real solutions for the Iraqis."

His last email to his wife was this:"Spartan women of Greece used to tell their husbands, before they went into battle, to come back with their shields or laying on them, dying honorably in battle. But if they did not return with their shield, this showed that they ran away from the battle. Cowardice was not a Spartan virtue ... Tell me that you love me the same by me coming back with my shield or on it."

Please go to http://www.freerangewhippets.com/Darrell.htm where you will find a tribute to this solider, and a place to send a note to his widow and family.

Griffin, Jr once said, “War is not just John Wayne giving an eloquent speech before he dies, but young men dying without a word and sent home with what is found of them.”

Darrel Ray Griffin, Jr RIP

Stella Hawkins - www.theconservativecontessa.blogspot.com

There will be a mass rally in support of Israel for this Tuesday at 12 30pm. (CHANGED FROM 1PM TO ENABLE MORE TO COME ON LUNCH HOUR) in front of the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan. (42nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue)

I ask that you come out in support and stand strong with us. Please bring friends, family, colleagues, members of your Churches & Synagogues.

We have gotten a great response: Some of the many sponsoring orgs: Fuel for Truth, UJA, AJC, ZOA, Act for America, National Council of Young Israel, CJC-AMCHA, AFSI, Mothers Against Terrorism, Students for Peace in the Middle East, Betar, Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future, Aish and Hasbara Fellowships, Northeast Queens JCC , Westchester Jewish Conference and more.

Thousands of rockets have been launched by the terrorist organization Hamas into Southern Israel since Israel left Gaza in the name of peace. Israel has the right to defend herself. Please come out and show your support for Israel's war on terror.

 . . . with the clear purpose of making Israel look bad.

Mere Rhetoric points out a number of instances.

FReepers are wondering if they have found another instance on the part of Reuters via FOX News.

One wonders whether such apparent hatred of Jews will eventually be called what it is.

By Leslie Sacks

A series of boats, stocked with reporters and (on second thought) presumed medical and food supplies have plied the waters of the Gaza coast, hoping to provoke a strong Israeli reaction. The ongoing blockade by Israel's small but efficient navy prevents shipments of TNT, rockets, bombs, guns, ammunition and assorted other war/terrorism materials from reaching Hamas and their full time Jihadists. Israel's detractors call Gaza a "jail" in turn.
 
Whether these boats are stopped or allowed through, their wake of publicity churns through the world's media at such a rate that coverage of the ongoing tragedies in Congo and Darfur, among others, appear as mere oversights, as footnotes to the real story: namely, the Palestinian victims of Israel's brutish hand.
 
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped on June 25, 2006 by Hamas gunmen inside Israel. He has been a pawn ever since: Hamas demands the release of over 1,400 murderers, terrorists and the like for Shalit's return, a price that is clearly too dear for (even) Israel to pragmatically consider.
 
Shalit's family should take a page from Hamas' propaganda machine, which - along with those of Hezbollah and the PLO under the deceased Yasir Arafat - have been the world's most effective propaganda worldwide since the end of the KGB (indeed, the KGB taught Arafat his most effective propaganda tools). The Shalits should charter a boat and sail into Gaza, with a similar horde of journalists and videographers, to demand the release of Gilad. They should call loudly to meet with Hamas, with the UN representatives in Gaza, as well as with all the various Gaza clan leaders. Whether ignored or imprisoned, they would inspire the world's sympathy - no jail could long hold the pleading parents of young Gilad Shalit. Either way, a propaganda coup.
 
Well worthy of consideration, no?
 
 
Hamas parades mock Gilad Shalit before crowd of thousands in Gaza
Gaza-bound Iranian ship has hidden agenda

Got myself revved up for my year-end 2008 Top Five/Ten/Honorable Mentions of Music this weekend when I inexplicably realized how much music I had left pretty much unturned. More fool I, but I'll get to some bullet-point quickie reviews a paragraph or two down the line to give those proper nods.

Before that, though, a confession: For better and worse, came to the sad conclusion that while 2008 didn't live up to the promising musical expectations I had by mid-year, when so many great releases were coming at a machine-gun pace, I couldn't be more hopelessly mainstream. Actually, that deflating fact became all too apparent upon reading my friend Josh's year-end wrap-up over at Facebook. No longer "hipper than thou," what my friend Brian called the compilations I made for him in the 90s, I humbly submit what made my ears the happiest in 2008. Maybe not so strangely, this list looks frighteningly similar to what my list would have looked like 20 years ago. Um, thank you, 2008?

AC/DC - Black Ice: Still cranking out the best rockin' riffs and even throwing in a slide guitar-dominated song to make things interesting.
Paul Westerberg - 49:00: Back-to-basics deconstruction equals the most blessed rediscovery of what made him my favorite songwriter.
Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark: With the huge leap forward he made on his second collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, hard to believe the Diamond's technically in the swan song phase of his career.
Marah - Angels of Destruction: Combine the brilliantly loud sloppiness of the Replacements with the angel-in-the-gutter weariness of Springsteen's 1970s glory years and what's not for me to love?
Motley Crue - Saint of Los Angeles: Sleazy ... and that's a compliment.


From the Almost Forgotten Files
The Baseball Project - Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails: Well-timed coincidence that I finally got around to sharing Looking for Oscar, my love letter to 1970s baseball, the same year that this album hit the airwaves. The ultimate ode to America's favorite pastime.
Metallica - Death Magnetic: Brutal in the best definition of the word. Took them about as long to rediscover their muse as Westerberg, too. Not that I'm complaining with an album on which producer Rick "That's right, I can do little wrong" Rubin mines the best aspects of every phase of Metallica's career to make an album that damn near rivals Master of Puppets or ...and Justice for All.
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy: Psst, Axl. Just because Scott Weiland made two of the best GN'R-style records with a few of your old bandmates is no reason to make your Stone Temple Pilots album. Check that. Try and make your STP album. I thank you for your work from 1986-1991, but burn out or fade away, please.
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip: More from the "back-to-basics" department, Trent Reznor eschews the concept album structure that made his Year Zero album come up short of the early 1990s genius that he found on 2005's With Teeth. Eh, nobody's perfect, but nice to have Reznor back in form.
John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love and Freedom: Save for clumsy attempts at political allegories ("Troubled Land" and "County Fair") that recalled the worst of Freedom Road's dumbed-down lyrics, and victim-minded Woody Guthrie-light ("Jena"), Mellencamp plays to his road- and life-weary strengths and comes up with his best album since Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky. That's also a compliment. See, Mellen-Nation, I can say nice things about the Hoosier Daddy.

The Dems have a strategy for cheating during recounts. They used it in the Rossi–Gregoire race, and some of the same people from that Washington race helped out Franken in Minnesota. They were very aggressive about it. According to Powerline, which has a good piece of analysis here, Coleman was not nearly as aggressive.

Moreover, according to this piece from December 22nd (and others we have seen), the officials in Minnesota have been helping this Frankenfraud every way they can.

This AP piece via FOX News suggests that Lawsuits Await Minnesota Senate Recount Decision.

They dang well better! We cannot continue to allow them to get away with this in the interests of civility or being good sports or anything like that. It was a nice try: John Thune did it in South Dakota, John Ashcroft did it in Missouri, and Dino Rossi did it in Washington. Oh, and Nixon did it in 1960. They were, I assume, hoping that the American people would see and respect their decisions, and that maybe the Democrats would be chastened out of using these various forms of fraud and mischief.

They were wrong. Letting the Dems get away with this just emboldens them to do it again.

Sue, Norm, sue.

By Dick McDonald
 
The website www.rebuildtheparty.com has asked for new ideas for the Republican Party to adopt in order to recapture the White House, Congress and the state legislatures and administrations in the coming years.  Michael Steele and six others running for the Republican Party Chairman have endorsed RebuildtheParty.com’s 10-step plan which basically is a bottom-up grassroots and digital technology plan. The group is searching for policy messages that will resonate with voters.
 
Right now Ron Paul’s listing has the most number of votes.
 
Today I submitted “The Rise Up America Plan” (RUA) to that site — www.riseupamerica.us. If you believe in our plan, please go to that site and vote for the Entitlement Reform – The Rise Up America Plan.  RUA is a powerful message. It will motivate all Americans as it is a non-partisan plan lifting the fortunes and the quality of life of all Americans
 
These are the steps to vote for the Rise Up America plan.

1. Go to the website     www.rebuildtheparty.com
2. Click “YOUR IDEAS” on the top right-hand side of the home page
3. That will take you to the Feedback Forum page. Type the word “entitlement” into the box right under the phrase “The next RNC Chairman should”… The box will have the phrase “enter your idea for the GOP Chairman” in light text.  Put your cursor on that text and it will disappear and you will be able to type the word “entitlement” in that space.
4. Click the “Search” button directly to the right of the box.
5. The search should result in your reaching the “Entitlement Reform - Rise Up America Plan” listing. If it is not the first item, please scroll down until you find it.
6. Directly to the left of the listing there is a “vote for” button – please click it.
7. If you are not a member of Rebuild the Party clicking the “Vote for” button will take you to a sign up page where you can enter your information.  Upon submitting your information you will be taken back to the RUA listing.
8. When you click the “vote for” button again there will be a dropdown list which asks you “How Many Votes 1, 2 or 3”
9. Click the “3” number and you are finished.

 
It is imperative we get the message out that Republicans have solutions that will deliver the American Dream of financial security to every citizen, streamline the bureaucracy, cut our national budget in half, generate the largest tax cut in history and annually infuse $1.5 trillion of new capital (not printed, not borrowed) into our financial markets to solve our current financial crisis and put the economy into hyper-drive. In addition it will immediately extinguish the $45 trillion in unfunded debt run up by Congress.
 
The Republican Party and their candidates are presently stumbling around trying to sell Republican values and principles without concrete proposals that will motivate the pocketbook mentality of the voters. RUA is the real change we have been waiting for to ignite all Americans to put the country back together again fiscally and socially.
 
Please circulate this message to everyone you know or communicate with – it will be greatly appreciated by your sons and daughters, and grandchildren. Their life will be the better for it.
 
Happy Capitalism

It gobbles the biggest chunk of our federal budget, but the third rail of American politics can’t seem to whip up the confidence of the majority of American voters. According to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey, only 13 percent of Americans are “very confident” the Social Security system will deliver on promised benefits. And since August, even the percentage of voters with at least some confidence the system will come through has taken a 10-point nosedive from 49 percent to just 39 percent.

It’s no secret Social Security has been faltering for years, but perish the thought that Congress – or the incoming administration – will loosen its vice-grip long enough to let Americans sneak a penny of their own Social Security money into a fund that will not only pay them back but may actually pay them back with interest.

Then again, maybe the sages on the Hill think confidence levels are good – after all, they’re better than Congress’s own recent approval ratings.

Rasmussen Reports - Social Security

Rasmussen Reports - Congressional Performance