Conservatives trump Canadian elections

Michael Barone, senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, has coverage of yesterday's Canadian elections that saw a Conservative win. His closing paragraph:

Going into this election, center-right parties were in various kinds of minority status in the four major Anglosphere democracies, as the minority party of government in Canada, as the dominant party in a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom, as the minority party by virtue of a couple of independent MPs in Australia and as controlling the House of Representatives but without a majority in the Senate and without the White House in the United States. Now the Conservatives are the majority party of government in Canada. An omen?

There's more Canadian coverage from Opinion Online Editor David Freddoso here and here, and from Neil Hrab. More election updates from CBC.

"Strictly VA" ... new blog on the block

It's all about Virginia the state ... Virginia the people ... Virginia the places and byways and highways that we love. It's mostly about Virginia politics.

There's a new blog in the blogosphere. Strictly VA will offer contributions by conservative bloggers who will offer information, opinions, talk-back, and more.

It's all Strictly VA.

David Frum blogs....

... at NewMajority.com.

Former George W. Bush speech writer, he live-blogged yesterday's inauguration speech which he called "flat."

NewMajority.com describes itself as, "... a site dedicated to the reform and renewal of the Republican party and the conservative movement. It is edited by David Frum and published by NewMajority LLC." It includes an interesting array of writers offering opinions on a myriad of subjects.

H/T Fishersville Mike

A conservative quits the Republican Party

Sobering and thought provoking ... a conservative quits the Republican Party.

Politico: "Right-leaning media brace for shut-out"?

Politico reports that the conservative Weekly Standard, in conjunction with other conservative media, is bracing for lean times during the upcoming Democrat-controlled Washington, DC.

Weekly Standard's editor, William Kristol, put a positive light on the new president-elect.

“We’re not going to sit around sniping and wailing and wish, ‘if only things had gone differently,’” Kristol said. “We’ll try to be cheerful.”

And Kristol is not the only one channeling Reaganite optimism at the start of the Obama years. The post-election issue of the National Review, a conservative journal that was frequently critical of McCain, features a sunrise adorning the cover, with one-word in the center: “Renewal.”

But conservatives have never shut down when Democrats were in power ... indeed, they have thrived. Rush Limbaugh's popularity soared during the Clinton administration as he passed along information to the masses that was not readily available through mainstream media. Page A12 stories became headlines on conservative talk radio.

“It’s really about the first steps of revitalizing ourselves as conservatives,” said editor Rich Lowry.

Looking inward makes sense now that access will likely be reduced during an Obama administration. It’s doubtful that David Axelrod will answer the phone as quickly as Karl Rove, or that Joe Biden would provide a Weekly Standard writer with the exclusive access that Dick Cheney gave when he sat down with Stephen Hayes for his biography of the vice president.
...
But there may be some upside to the view from outside. Just because fewer copies will arrive on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue doesn’t mean all is lost. Lowry pointed out the “countercyclical” effect that opinion magazines often encounter when their party is out of power.

“People get ginned up when the other side is in power,” he said, noting that the National Review’s circulation increased to 280,000 during the first two years of the Clinton administration, substantially higher than its historical baseline of 150,000. Similarly, The Nation’s circulation nearly doubled during the Bush years.

Good read.

Augusta Water Cooler on BlogTalkRadio ... today's guest is SWAC Girl

The SWAC corner of the blogosphere is entering a new realm as local blogger Jason Bibeau explores the world of BlogTalkRadio. His Augusta Water Cooler talk show hit the air this week with the inaugural show originally broadcasted on Wednesday.

He kicked off the first show with Neil Diamond's They're Coming To America and then offered the "inaugural brain droppings of a conservative blogger" ... fifteen minutes of conservative thoughts and commentary from Jason himself. His topics of interest included the Second Amendment and Barack Obama's record on gun ownership as well as a look back at the 2008 election.

Today he will present the second broadcast, and I have the honor of being his guest. The subject will be blogging as two political junkies sit down together and talk. The show link will be provided when available.

Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift has been doing something like this for a couple of years but it is new to us so who knows what will come out of this show? And who knows where it will lead in the SWAC area. Today ... 1 pm ... should be fun!

Reaganism is not dead

Rush Limbaugh reported on a Scott Rasmussen poll that proved Reaganism is not dead. From RushLimbaugh.com:

RUSH: Scott Rasmussen has an op-ed piece today in the Wall Street Journal, and it confirms my instincts and it confirms what we've also learned from exit polling. " 'The Polls Show That Reaganism is Not Dead.' -- Down the campaign homestretch, Mr. Obama's tax-cutting promise became his clearest policy position. Eventually he stole the tax issue from the Republicans. Heading into the election, 31% of voters thought that a President Obama would cut their taxes. Only 11% expected a tax cut from a McCain administration. The last Democratic candidate to win the tax issue was also the last Democratic president -- Bill Clinton. In fact, the candidate who most credibly promises the lowest level of taxes has won every presidential election in at least the last 40 years."

Now, here's the thing. We have brewing problems on the right because so many of our so-called intelligentsia are totally misreading the reason for this loss, for this defeat. They're wanting to throw in the towel and become liberal light. The fact is Reaganism hasn't been tried in 20 years. They want to say that the era of Reagan is over.

Rasmussen himself says the polls show that Reaganism is not dead, the Democrats have stolen it. This gives you an idea of just how hapless the Republican Party has become. Now, I know a lot of you are saying, "But Rush, but Rush, McCain was talking tax cuts, and --" He wasn't using numbers! People's attention span is people's attention span. As far as most people that voted believe or are concerned, Obama is going to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. We're running around saying, "Well, that's okay, but 95% don't pay taxes." It doesn't register. Ninety-five percent versus whatever McCain was saying one day and then the next day, and the next day. There was no consistency in the message.

But losing the tax cut issue and then thinking conservatism is dead when Obama, one of the reasons he gets elected is because he's perceived as the number one tax cutter of the two candidates. I mean is that incompetence or ineptness on our side or what? To lose it to a socialist! To lose the tax cut argument to a socialist. Now, if he follows through and starts raising taxes on people, then there's going to be a little hell to pay because people do think that Obama was a tax cutter, and not just raising taxes on the rich. Ninety-five percent of Americans are going to get a tax cut and we'll see how he manages to pull this off. He can do that. He can create the illusion of that with the redistribution of wealth, spreading it around.

Election 2008 is but a bump in the road. New conservative leaders will rise from the ashes of this election.

Tom Delay to speak at JMU on Monday

From Lt. Governor Bill Bolling ... should be a great event!

On Monday, October 27, 2008 the College Republicans at James Madison University, together with the Madison PAC, will sponsor a lecture with former Congressman Tom Delay.

Delay, one of the leading conservative voices in our country, will be speaking on the topic: A Providential Nation: The importance of the faith of our Founding Fathers and how the U.S. is still a blessed nation. This promises to be a very special event and one you will not want to miss.

Congressman Delay’s speech will begin at 8:00 PM in the Ballroom of the JMU Festival and Conference Center. The speech is open to the public and is free of charge.

However, prior to his speech the College Republicans will be sponsoring a private reception with Congressman Delay in the Alleghany Room, which is also located in the Festival and Conference Center. The cost of the reception is $100 per person, and I would encourage you to attend this reception and help the College Republicans make this event a huge success.

Additional information on this event is set forth on the attached flyer.

I hope you will plan now to attend this event, and I hope you will seriously considering attending the pre-speech reception and making a generous contribution of $100 to the College Republicans.

To make your reservation for either the reception or the speech, please contact the JMU College Republicans.

Zo ... black, conservative, Republican, Christian....

He is black, he is young, he is a Christian, he is conservative, and he is Republican.

He supports John McCain and Sarah Palin ... and he tells it like it is to other young blacks.

Zo describes himself on his blog:

I'm a musician; A drummer, guitarist, and bassist. I'm a martial artist. My objective is to be a career entertainer. I'm a Christian, conservative republican patriot. I love kickin' it with my wife. She's never lackin' for conversation, and laughs. I'm a sci-fi nerd, dork, whatever you wanna call it, I dig it fo' real!

Watch his YouTube video, The Diddy Retort.

Rush Limbaugh: "Bill Buckley was my greatest inspiration"

I was running errands today when I heard on Rush Limbaugh's radio show that Bill Buckley had died. Somehow the gray overcast winter day seemed just right for such sad news. And Rush seemed to be the proper source for me to hear it from ... I believe Bill Buckley was his hero.

He told of not liking school -- finding it boring and a burden -- and telling his father he wanted to be like Bill Buckley by writing, talking, thinking conservative thoughts. His dad blasted him because everyone in his family had attended college and he reminded Rush that Mr. Buckley had not gotten where he was without going to school.

Rush never did finish college ... but he did become much like his hero and very often met and talked with Mr. Buckley.

Bill Buckley passed away last night in his study while working on his latest book. Somehow ... it seemed fitting.

Rush talked at length throughout his show today about the great leader of the conservative movement. NewsMax.com reported:

Rush told listeners on Wednesday that his “desire to learn” came not from school, but from his father, his grandfather — and conservative icon Buckley.

Rush said he began reading Buckley’s newspaper column around age 12 and remembers being “mesmerized” by Buckley’s observations, which he said “literally created my desire to learn…

“The single greatest motivation I had to learn to read, write, and speak the English language as best I could, to expand my vocabulary, came from Bill Buckley.

“He is irreplaceable. There will not be another like him. His intellect and good humor were inspiring to me.

“Buckley was one of the formulative forces in my world view, my politically conservative view of all things.”
...
Rush recalled that when he told his father he was quitting college after one year, he said he was setting off “to be like Bill Buckley,” to be able “to sit around and write and speak.”

Limbaugh also remembered that when he first called the offices of Buckley’s National Review magazine to request a subscription, “I felt as if I was calling God.”

And years later, after he established himself as a leading conservative talk radio personality, Rush was invited to a National Review editors’ meeting at Buckley’s New York apartment. Rush said he felt as if he was being “summoned by as close to God on earth as you can get.”

Bill Buckley, you will be missed. Thank you for your wisdom and guidance. We will continue to carry the torch and pass it on to our children....