Kudlow to jump in against Chuck Schumer?

From Eric Dondero:

As reported here at Libertarian Republican, the New York Governor's race is shaping up to be a completely chaotic free-for-all on all sides; a Cuomo vs. the hapless incumbent Paterson, failed Hillary foe Rick Lazio for the Republicans and even a Libertarian Party primary between a wealthy upstate lawyer and a celebrity call-girl madam involved in the take-down of former governor Eliot Spitzer.

Now it's increasingly likely that the previously unthinkable may occur: The State's two US Senate seats could be contested.

Rumors have been swirling for months of a Pataki challenge to Gillibrand. A new poll lends credibility to a potential Pataki effort. From The Albany Times-Union:

in a general-election matchup, Gillibrand lags former Gov. George Pataki 43 percent to 49 percent.

Kudlow's got the Conservative Party line if he wants it

And now this from LoHud.com (Lower Hudson Valley):

The state’s Conservative Party’s executive committee yesterday passed a resolution that urges CNBC host Larry Kudlow to run for the U. S. Senate against Sen. Charles Schumer.

The calls for Kudlow to run will likely increase after a Marist College Poll yesterday showed Schumer’s approval rating dropped below 50 percent for the first time in nine years.

There’s also a Draft Kudlow Committee set up by western New York political activist Michael Caputo.

So far, Kudlow hasn’t indicated he plans to run for the seat, though he has met with state GOP chairman Ed Cox and Conservative Party chairman Michael Long and said last week that he’s going to give it careful consideration.

Larry Kudlow Libertarian for Senate?

Kudlow is a known Ayn Rand devotee, and has been described on occasion as a "libertarian." Andrew Miller at BigGovernment.com reports the following, "Kudlow should run against Schumer":

New York Tea Party leaders are talking up the potential candidacy of CNBC Talking Head and former Reagan Advisor Larry Kudlow. A graduate of the University of Rochester, Kudlow is one of the architects of the Reagan tax-cuts that sparked one of the great economic boom in modern times... as a leading anti-tax supply side economist. Kudlow is also known as one of the most effective debaters on the Right.

Kudlow is the kind of candidate who could raise tea party money across America . Kudlow could also command the Republican and Conservative nominations and might even be able to petition his way on the ballot as the Libertarian party nominee.

Kudlow's entry would make for a very interesting Senate race, certainly overshadowing Pataki vs. Gillibrand. It would be a clash of the giants. The outspoken, tough-minded Kudlow no doubt has the ability to match the scrappy Schumer in the rough and tumble world of New York politics.

Rasta Muslim leader wants Death Penalty for Homosexuals

From Eric Dondero:

The home of Bob Marley, Ganja, white sand beaches and Coconut Rum has just gotten a little less tolerant.

Reports the Jamaica Observer:

Under Jamaican law, persons who practice buggery — the sexual penetration of the anus — can be sent to prison for up to 10 years.

But now the leader of Jamaica's Muslims wants to significantly increase these penalties. Mustafa Muhammad, President of the Islamic Council of Jamaica, has just called for the Death Penalty for Homosexuals.

Continuing:

Mustafa Muhammad, says he agrees with the Sharia law which prescribes death for people who openly flaunt homosexual behaviour.

Muhammad did not mince words as he lashed out against what he described as an unclean, unnatural lifestyle.

"It is illegal and in the Sharia law the punishment is death. If you follow Christianity it is a crime in the sight of God. He destroyed a whole city because of this thing. It is an ungodly practice and I apologise to no one for this," Muhammad said. [...]

He then went on to seemingly back the Muslim custom of females wearing head-to-toe burqas:

"If a Muslim woman chooses to cover up herself it is seen as oppressive, but it is wicked to criticise homosexuals?"

(H/t Jihad Watch.)

Dear Fellow Hoosiers,

In light of recent events, the Indianapolis International Airport, by order of Transportation Security Administration, has implemented the use of full body scanners. Many are unaware of the nature of this machine. We need all Hoosiers that care about their privacy to contact their Congressmen, Senators, the Indianapolis Airport Authority, and the TSA.

We have written two form letters that you can use to attach your name and send off.  You can download them here and here.

read more

by Clifford F. Thies

One of the craziest things about communism was being forced to listen to very, very long speeches. Fidel Castro was famous for haranguing his country with very long speeches. According to the Guinness Book of Records, he holds the records for the longest speech and for the longest uninterrupted speech to a captive audience, 32 hours and 21 minutes, and 7 hours and 10 minutes. One of the speeches of Joseph Stalin was released on vinyl records, a set of eight of them, with the flip side of the eighth being one long, standing ovation. Today, Hugo Chavez, the budding dictator of Venezuela, gives weekly speeches lasting as long as 6 hours, broadcast to the people of his country. So, why would anybody complain that Barack Obama took 71 minutes to deliver this year’s State of the Union address?

Speakers in democratic countries generally respect the time required of their audience to not only listen to their speech but also to consider critical analysis and contrary viewpoints. The difference between the length of the State of the Union address between recent Democratic Presidents, e.g., Obama and Bill Clinton, and recent Republicans, e.g., George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, is small, but is noticed. These two Democrats have tended to speak a bit longer, and to go beyond the apparent target length of one hour.

We now have a long history of Presidential addresses, including inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses (which sometimes have been delivered orally and sometimes in written form), and Nomination Acceptance speeches. I have developed charts of the lengths of these addresses from the data of John Woolley and Gerhard Peters of the University of California at Santa Barbara with respect to the State of the Union addresses, and by using the word count function with respect to inaugural addresses and acceptance speeches.

With regard to the State of the Union addresses, it is clear that the written presentations have tended to be longer than the oral. It also appears that the length of the State of the Union address when it has been in written form, has been growing over time. Jimmy Carter’s last State of the Union address, which was in written form, is the longest.

With regard to the length of inaugural addresses, the longest is William Henry Harrison’s two-hour speech. While nobody knows how long that speech would have lasted if the man had not contracted pneumonia while making it, the lesson was learned that you should not make your speech too long when you are to deliver it outdoors during the winter. The shortest inaugural address was George Washington’s second. Not only in terms of word count, but also in terms of substance, he was just phoning it in. The third shortest, Abraham Lincoln’s second, is widely considered to have been the best. John F. Kennedy’s inaugural is widely considered to be one of the better ones, and it is on the short side.

Looking at acceptance speeches, Bill Clinton’s in 1996 was relatively long, but, William Howard Taft was not only our largest President, he was also the most verbose as far as acceptances speeches are concerned.

As to whether Democrats since Grover Cleveland tend to give longer speeches, I checked it out, and – statistically speaking – they don’t. The computer model I developed takes into account whether the address is in written or oral form, the tendency of each form to grow over time; the type of address, and whether an address is the first of that type given by a particular president or presidential candidate. The lengths of the speeches of Clinton and Obama are simply within the range of unpredictable variation.

Editor's Note - Dr. Thies is willing to forward the graphs as an attachment to anyone interested. If you'd like, send me an email request and I'll forward it along to him, ericdondero@yahoo.com.

by Paul Jacob

Meg Whitman is running for the California governorship. Obviously, Whitman very much wants Californians to cast a vote for her this year. And then, apparently, she wants to stop Californians from casting a vote on much of anything else in the future
Repeatedly, the billionaire former CEO of eBay has attacked California's ballot initiative and referendum process. Last May, right after California voters clobbered a number of issues referred to the ballot by legislators, measures that would have raised taxes and played three card monte with parts of state spending, Whitman told an audience, "In many ways, the proposition process has worn out its usefulness."

Last week, she told the gang on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program:

I mean, the referendum process, you know, dates back to 1918, I think. And it has its useful purpose, but there's no question we have too many referendums on the ballot and too much spending has been, ah, you know, propositioned into process. So, I think you got to have a different approach, no question about it.

Some might argue that Whitman simply isn't a fan of voting at all, period, since she didn't vote for 28 years until she was 46 years old, and then only voted sporadically. But she has repeatedly apologized for her serial omissions, or at least repeated the same apology over and over again, refusing to elaborate. (Her latecomer status as a voter echoes in her latecomer status as a party member: She waited to register as a Republican until 2007.)

Frankly, I can better understand someone being too busy or even uninterested in voting than someone wishing to actually remove the other voters from the process of government in whole or part.

What is she against, exactly? Golden State citizens being permitted to propose laws or constitutional amendments or to force a referendum vote on acts of the state's majority Democrat legislature. Why? Well, she predicates her opposition on the propensity of voters to spend money via the ballot box.

Perhaps not coincidentally, that's the charge hurled forth again and again by California's elite, from politicians to pundits to judges. The only problem is that the charge is false.

Oh, sure, people have occasionally voted to spend tax money or protect education funding. But this misses the forest for the scrub brush.

As three analysts with the Reason Foundation wrote last year in the Wall Street Journal: "Whatever the wisdom of ballot initiatives . . . they are not the root cause of California's fiscal disaster. That cause is the government's spending addiction. From 1990 to 2008, California's revenues increased 167%, but total spending soared 181%."

Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, recently told legislators on the select committees on Improving State Government, "Most of the ballot-box budgeting has come from you." The Center found that 84 percent of ballot measures that required additional state spending between 1988 and 2009 were put forward by legislators, not through citizen initiatives.

Yet, we certainly don't hear Meg Whitman suggesting the legislature has "worn out its usefulness."

There's another important element in the debate: Proposition 13.

Prop 13 cut property taxes back in 1978, when an arrogant and out-of-touch government splurged on programs, while ignoring the plight of citizens losing their homes to soaring tax bills. The citizen initiative, championed by the legendary Howard Jarvis and opposed by virtually every politician of any stripe, also required a two thirds vote of the state legislature to hike taxes.

Those looking for ways to destroy or severely curtail the ability of Californians to initiate ballot measures have a very clear goal: Kill Proposition 13. Why? To make it easier to raise taxes. Side goals include such things as slaying the state's legislative term limits, which again came from the people by initiative . . . not from the legislature.

Certainly, Whitman's position against initiative and referendum is far from the only one that would likely disturb conservatives -- or members of her own Party, the GOP. She supports public funding of abortions, saying, "[I]t's unfair to women who cannot afford an abortion, and that's why I support public funding." She supported, contributed to and raised money for Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's 2004 campaign. And Whitman has a deep affection for Van Jones, who resigned as Obama's "green jobs" czar after his involvement in a communist group was exposed.

But for all Californians, her opposition to allowing them to vote on the issues that affect their lives provides the best reason to look for someone else.

From Eric Dondero:

Rand Paul is a diehard Ron Paulist on economics and Constitutional matters down-the-line. But his image and emphasis on the issues may be more closely matched with newly elected Massachusetts Senator.

From The Louisville Courier-Journal:

Republican prospects in every state, particularly in federal elections, improved still more a couple of days after the Massachusetts vote.

Paul's father is U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, whose 2008 presidential campaign base provides the financing to make his son competitive. But Rand Paul is not just running on that base or his father's name.

He is riding much the same wave that elected Scott Brown: Voters who don't believe the economic stimulus package was worth the $1trillion it added to the national debt, who fear health reform, and who want the federal government reined in, starting with its spending habits.

Notably, the younger Paul has broken with the elder on foreign policy issues. For instance, Rand Paul takes a Scott Brown position opposing the closure of Gitmo and relocation of Gitmo detainees to the United States.

As the article out of Kentucky suggests, he seems to be "catching the Scott Brown wave."

Warren Redlich will now seek both Libertarian Party and Republican nominations

From Eric Dondero:

On Sunday, Libertarian Republican broke the news nationwide of the expected Libertarian candidacy of former Female Escort Service Madam Kristin Davis for Governor of New York. We reported that Ms. Davis would face off against lawyer/mathematician Warren Redlich for the nomination.

We wrote:

If Davis does indeed follow through, the nomination won't be a cakewalk. A serious-minded, though admittedly rather dull Libertarian has already declared for the nomination.

Warren Redlich is a "Ron Paul Republican," from upstate New York. He served as one of Paul's attorneys in his 2008 Presidential campaign. He also ran for Congress twice on the GOP ticket in 2004 and again in 2006.

Now there has been a completely unexpected development. Late last night, Libertarian Republican received word from Steven Redlich, brother of Warren Redlich:

My brother announced his candidacy today for NY Governor.

In a move that could very well be without precedent, Redlich will simultaneously be seeking both the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party nominations against two primary opponents: on one side he'll be battling the ex-Madam for the Libertarian nomination, and the other he'll be going against a former Congressman for the Republican nod. (Dual-party nominations are common in New York. However, 2nd nominations are usually obtained without primary battles.)

Steven included links to various New York media. His announcement got picked up by the Albany Times-Union, Channel 10 News, CBS Albany, and NY Newsday.

From Newsday, "'Tea Party' Republican seeks GOP line for governor":

Republican Warren Redlich says he's seeking the GOP line for governor in New York against Rick Lazio.

He says he wants the Libertarian Party line as well as the Republican nomination to represent the anti-establishment Tea Party wing of the party, which held high-profile protests last year against President Barack Obama's proposed health care reform. Redlich, a lawyer from Guilderland...

Some background. From Redlich's bio:

He started his own law firm... worked for the New York State Court System and for an insurance company.

Born and raised in New York State, Warren graduated from Rice University with a degree in Mathematical Economics. He has a Master’s degree from Stanford University and a J.D. from Albany Law School.

He is also a sitting elected Libertarian serving on the Guilderland Town Board.

The likely nominee on the Democrat side will be Andrew Cuomo, who is currently running against incumbent Gov. David Paterson. Polls show Cuomo has been running way ahead of the embattled Paterson for the primary race and comfortably ahead over Lazio for the general.

With Redlich's unanticipated move, what some saw originally as a rather mundane crowning for Cuomo, has all of a sudden become an interesting spectacle, which brings a new uncertainty to the race.

From the official Colorado Libertarian Party blog, Jan. 31:

The dozen tax increases, House Bills 1089 - 1200, are fast tracked and have now made it to the Colorado House, where they will pass as democrats hold the majority. They will then have to get through the Senate.

Wednesday, 250 people attended the committee hearing, 30 were government and non-profit lobbyists funded by taxes, the other 220 were taxpaying citizens opposed to the tax increases. It didn't make one bit of difference to the democrat committee members who all approved the unconstitutional measures (the Dems argue that because they are lifting an "exemption", these are not "new" taxes subject to a vote by the people - as TABOR requires), while all the republicans opposed the bills.

Economic impact out of taxpayer's pocket is estimated at $130 -140 million, annually.

Political backlash will be the only bright spot as people realize they'll now pay sales tax on paper bags at the grocery store, higher food prices from additional burden on farmers and ranchers who pass the cost on to food consumers, plus many other ways to reach into taxpayer's pocketbooks

by Eric Dondero

Today is Republican Primary Day in the State of Illinois. All the attention is focused on the big Governor's race, and the even bigger Senatorial contest for Barack Obama's old seat. Tea Party Patriots and libertarians are pulling for Adam Andrzejewski for Governor. On the Senate side Congressman Mark Kirk has it in the bag, leading his nearest opponent by some 30 points in the latest polls.

But who will take the Kirk seat?

Some reports suggest Dr. Arie Friedman has had a late surge in a field of 6 in this Republican-leaning district. Friedman is a bit of a reluctant candidate having had qualms of leaving his medical practice. Like Kirk he's a Military combat Vet, having served in Desert Storm. He's also a staunch supporter of both the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like Andrzejewski, he's become the leading favorite of Tea Partiers.

No doubt the support was gained for his outspoken fiscal conservatism. Friedman told the Chicago Tribune:

We need to immediately freeze federal spending. We should use tax cuts to increase revenue (remember the Laffer Curve?). My cuts would include a one year payroll tax holiday, decreased corporate tax rates, elimination of the death tax, stopping “tax and trade,” and stopping “healthcare reform” with its plethora of new taxes. Spending cuts should include the elimination of Medicaid and its replacement with a sliding-scale catastrophic care safety net. We need a line-by-line examination of the budget – nothing stays if it cannot be shown to serve the purpose of improving the lives of the American people. NO MORE EARMARKS!

More specifically on Medicare:

For Medicare, everyone within 20 years of receiving Medicare should get what they are expecting – the rest of us should be moved to a Medicare Advantage-like system and receive vouchers for competitive insurance plans.

We'll see later tonight, if Northshore Illinois Republicans are willing to move from a moderate-to-conservative Republican as their representative, to a libertarian-conservative budget slasher?

A great positive for both the Rand Paul and Sarah Palin movements

Statement from Republican Liberty Caucus National Chairman Dave Nalle:

Palin’s current political destiny is unknown, but by endorsing Rand Paul she both enhances her credentials with the libertarian wing of the GOP and also helps out a worthy candidate. She accompanied her endorsement with a donation from her PAC. Paul has also been endorsed by many other liberty-oriented groups including the Republican Liberty Caucus and FreedomWorks.

Paul repaid Palin with effusive praise, commenting that:

“Governor Palin is providing tremendous leadership as the Tea Party movement and constitutional conservatives strive to take our country back…Sarah Palin is a giant in American politics. I am proud to receive her support.”

RLC.org

Rand Paul for US Senate HQ
David Adams

National political icon and conservative leader Sarah Palin has endorsed Dr. Rand Paul in his bid for United States Senate from Kentucky. The Paul campaign has received a generous donation from Governor Palin’s PAC.

Sarah Palin has clearly seen that Rand Paul supports smaller, constitutional government and is taking the fight to the career politicians and will shake up the tax and spend crowd in Washington D.C.

“Governor Palin is providing tremendous leadership as the Tea Party movement and constitutional conservatives strive to take our country back,” Rand said.

“Sarah Palin is a giant in American politics. I am proud to receive her support.”

“I’m trying to go to Washington to fight to lower taxes and spending, and for term limits and balanced budgets. I will go to protect the lives of our unborn children,” Rand said.

“I will strive to capitalize on the support of Governor Palin and so many others to go to Washington and fight for liberty and limited government and put an end to the current climate of insider politics, runaway deficits and out-of-control growth of government.”

Sarah Palin’s endorsement is another major success in a long list of achievements for the Paul campaign. Dr. Paul was recently identified as one of the five most important candidates to support by Dick Armey, Freedom Works and the National Tea Party Movement. Dr. Paul has also received endorsements from Concerned Women for America, Gun Owners of America, Steve Forbes and RedState.com,

Recent independent polls show Rand holding a double digit lead in the Republican primary and large leads over either Democratic opponent. Rand Paul has raised over $1.8 million dollars, including over $650,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Editor's Note - Hat tip to alert LR reader Rae.

BREAKING NEWS... LR EXCLUSIVE!

From Eric Dondero:

I'm happy to report that a personal friend and political ally of mine, is planning to run for state legislature this year. Longtime libertarian activist Scott Tillman contacted Libertarian Republican with the news that he will announce next week his candidacy for the Michigan House of Representatives. Scott is well-known to those who've been involved with Americans for Limited Government, Sam Adams Alliance, and the nationwide Property Rights/Spending Limits movements. Scott, a close friend and ally of Paul Jacob, has campaigned for economic libertarian initiatives in Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Washington State, and most notably in Oklahoma. He has also been closely involved with former MI State Rep. Leon Drolet and the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance.

His home district is mid-coastal northwest Michigan (light blue area on map). The largest town is Fremont. So far, three other Republicans have let it be known that they're interested in the seat. The incumbent Republican is term-limited.

Look for more details on his race here at LR soon...

New from the Michigan Macinac Center

The Michigan Film Industry tax break allows for film makers who produce movies in Michigan to receive more funds back from the State than they actually pay in. Moore, a Board Member of the MI Film Industry Commission, took full advantage of the Tax Refundable program for his movie "Capitalism: A Love Story."

Ironically, Moore, as a Council Member, originally opposed the program:

"Multi-national corporations, ViaCom, GE, Rupert Murdoch, all these studios. Why do they need our money from Michigan, from our taxpayers? We're already broke here..."

BREAKING NEWS!!

by Eric Dondero

Kristin Davis, famed New York City Madam, is flirting with a run for Governor of New York on the Libertarian Party ticket. Ms. Davis showed up to a local Libertarian Party meeting in Manhattan last night, accompanied by the often eccentric GOP political consultant Roger Stone.

Stone is a self-described "Republican hitman." He served in various capacities in Ronal Reagan's presidential campaigns in the 1980s, and was responsible for the infamous "Willie Horton ads," for Bush '88. He's also a close friend and political confidante of Donald Trump. He describes himself as a "Goldwaterite libertarian." Many also know his former wife Republicans for Choice President Anne Stone.

From the Examiner:

At the Manhattan Libertarian Party Convention on Saturday, a curious entourage invaded the subterranean confines of the Ukrainian Village Restaurant on Second Avenue. Kristin Davis, the madam who ran the call girl service that Eliot Spitzer was so fond of, was escorted to the event by the notorious Republican political trickster, Roger Stone. Ms. Davis is seeking the gubernatorial nomination from the Libertarians.

We first reported on Madam Davis back in July. She had appeared on the Opie & Anthony Sirius/XM show and hinted strongly that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell had also been a client of her Escort Service. From LR, July 25:

Some respectable Right blogs and media are now zeroing in on Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as the mysterious "John" mentioned by Madame Kristen Davis. She had asserted in a recent magazine interview that Elliot Spitzer wasn't the only client of her escort firm who was a Governor. Davis said that one of her "courtesans," had multiple visits from another prominent head of state. The escort described her client as polite, and a real gentleman. Further, she hinted that Client II was relatively quick in finishing his business, unlike the somewhat kinky, overly demanding Spitzer.

(Source: DeusExMalcontent)

A Shock Jock, a Socially Libertarian former Governor, and now an Escort Service CEO

This won't be the first time the New York Libertarian Party has run Celebrity Sex candidates. Howard Stern was a candidate for the Party's nomination for 3 to 4 months in 1992, after ultimately dropping out. He said at the time, his lawyers looked into the legalities, and found that it would be a great conflict with his syndicated radio show. However, others speculated that Republican Senator Alfonse D'Amato, talked Stern out of the run, figuring he'd take votes away from George Pataki.

Also of note, William Weld, in his New York Governor's bid in the 2008 Republican primary, briefly sought the Libertarian Party nomination. Though, after he was soundly defeated for the GOP nomination, he declined to run on the Libertarian line.

There's some speculation that Republican mischief may be at work with the Davis candidacy as well.

From Albany Libertarian stalwart Eric Sundwall (2009 special election candidate for Congress - Kirsten Gillibrand seat):

So Stone (photo - bottom left) trots in the one time fancy of A-Rod (photo - top right) and has her tout her credentials as a high school valedictorian, hedge fund manager, successful entrepreneur and future recipient of an unnamed Master’s degree. All great stuff for the political rubes who brought you the nominations of Howard Stern and William Weld. Both of whom left the doe eyed libertarians at the electoral alter. Only to be replaced by relative unknown party stalwarts who carried the water to the finish line without the prize of 50,000 votes which presumes to bring legitimacy to the endeavor by so many believers.

Sexual Libertine vs. the Ron Paul man

If Davis does indeed follow through, the nomination won't be a cakewalk. A serious-minded, though admittedly rather dull Libertarian has already declared for the nomination.

Warren Redlich is a "Ron Paul Republican," from upstate New York. He served as one of Paul's attorneys in his 2008 Presidential campaign. He also ran for Congress twice on the GOP ticket in 2004 and again in 2006.

From his Bio (RedlichforGovernor.com):

He started his own law firm... worked for the New York State Court System and for an insurance company.

Born and raised in New York State, Warren graduated from Rice University with a degree in Mathematical Economics. He has a Master’s degree from Stanford University and a J.D. from Albany Law School.

A lawyer/mathematician versus a flashy media savvy escort service Madam; ought to make for an interesting Libertarian primary battle. Ironically, at the moment there's little if any excitement on the GOP side. The only prospective candidate is the guy who lost to Hillary - Rick Lazio.

Surely Republicans can come up with a bit more pizzaz than that. This is New York, after all.

Speculation has run rampant since Republican Scott Brown's miraculous victory on Jan. 19, that his win stopped ObamaCare dead in its tracks. Now comes solid confirmation.

From The Hill, "Health deal was reached days before Brown's Senate victory" Jan. 30:

The latest revelation shows how agonizingly close Democrats came to passing a final healthcare bill in time for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

[Tom] Harkin (D-Iowa), who attended healthcare talks at the White House, said negotiators were on the cusp of bringing a bill back for final votes in the Senate and House.

Harkin said “we had an agreement, with the House, the White House and the Senate. We sent it to [the Congressional Budget Office] to get scored and then Tuesday happened and we didn’t get it back.” He said negotiators had an agreement in hand on Friday, Jan. 15.

Note - Scott Brown will be seated in the US Senate on February 11.

Scott Brown confirms he's pro-choice, but against government funding.

From the AP via Breitbart, Jan. 31:

Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts says he opposes federal funding for abortions, but thinks women should have the right to choose whether to have one.

Brown says the abortion question is one that's best handled by a woman, her family and her doctor. He also says more effort needs to go into reducing the number of abortions in the U.S.

He says he's fiscally conservative but more moderate on social issues.

Editor's Note - The vast majority of libertarians, myself included, are pro-choice. All libertarians oppose government funding, and most support parental notification laws, and oppose late-term abortions. However, in fairness, pro-life libertarians, though a distinctly minority view, are valued and welcomed members of the libertarian coalition.

The Old Chicago Gang back together again

by Eric Dondero

High political drama coming out of Chicago this week. It's almost like something straight out of an HBO series.

The Democrats appear to be on the verge of nominating a Tony Rezko (photo w/Obama) friend and confidante as their Senate nominee in Illinois. Alexi Giannoulias (photo - right) is a snazzy guy. A consumate back-slapper, he's well-liked and popular among the Chicago set. The Democrat machine is pleased cause he's got a proven ability to raise the big bucks. But he's also got a decidedly shady past, stemming from questionable land deals, loans, and past associations with convicted criminals.

From the Washington Post, Jan. 31:

CHICAGO -- Not a good week for the Democrats here trying to hang on to President Obama's old Senate seat.

The party's leading contender -- state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias -- has spent these last precious days before Tuesday's primary scrambling to explain why regulators have targeted his struggling family bank for greater oversight. Giannoulias, once a senior lending officer at Broadway Bank, is being pressed relentlessly by his Democratic rivals and the media about his role in the bank's woes.

In an interview, Giannoulias played down the impact the bank's problems could have on his campaign, noting that "these are challenging times for community banks, and my family is not immune." But the news lands on an electorate highly suspicious of banks, and in a state yet to recover from former Democratic governor Rod Blagojevich's indictment on charges he tried to sell this very Senate seat to political contributors after Obama was elected president. He finally appointed Roland Burris, who will not run for the seat
Giannoulias said he hasn't worked at the bank in four years. Still, both Kirk and Democratic rivals have pointed out that large loans were made to people with questionable reputations on his watch, including convicted felon Tony Rezko.

Back in October of 2008, long before any thoughts of a Giannoulias candidacy for US Senate, reporter Rick Moran did some investigating. From American Thinker, Oct. 11, 2008:

Rezko is not necessarily a problem for Obama. But one of the convicted fraudster's cronies might be:

It is the Giannoulias family and their ownership of The Broadway Bank. Specifically, the bank's vice president and chief loan officer Alexi Giannoulias who has, to put it mildly, a rather checkered history:

A man who has long been dogged by charges that the bank his family owns helped finance a Chicago crime figure will host a Windy City fund-raiser tonight for Sen. Barack Obama.

Alexi Giannoulias, who became Illinois state treasurer last year after Obama vouched for him, has pledged to raise $100,000 for the senator's Oval Office bid.

Before he promised to raise funds for Obama, Giannoulias bankrolled Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a Chicagoan twice convicted of bookmaking and promoting prostitution.

Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state's speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama's help.

And this from the Chicago Tribune via Citizen Wells:

In the 2006 Democratic primary, for example, Obama endorsed first-time candidate Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer despite reports about loans Giannoulias’ family-owned Broadway Bank made to crime figures. Records show Giannoulias and his family had given more than $10,000 to Obama’s campaign, which banked at Broadway.”

Back to the Post:

Republicans are relishing that the trial of the ever-colorful Blagojevich is expected to start in June and could create an unwelcome circus for Democrats.

Should Giannoulias win on Tuesday, the corruption issue will certainly become front and center in the Illinois Senate race, and could virtually hand the seat to Mark Kirk and the GOP. But the ramifications stretch far wider. With Giannoulias as a poster boy Democrat Senate nominee in a major state right in the middle of America's Heartland, Republicans could make hay of the corruption issue in Senate races nationwide.

Votes for Taxpayers 58% of the time

by Eric Dondero

The big news in the political world until Wednedsay will be out of Illinois. The State is the first to hold absurdly early primaries. The Republican side is pretty certain.

Moderate-to-conservate GOPer Mark Kirk looks all but certain to lock up the nomination. He's way out ahead in the polls over his staunchly conservative challenger, Paul Hughes.

Kirk is a four-term Congressman from the North Shore. He's also a longtime Naval Veteran, with two tours in Afghanistan under his belt. Conservatives are suspicious, mainly due to his moderately pro-choice stance on abortion and middle-of-the-road on gay rights. But he's a good fit for socially moderate Illinois. From the Washington Post:

Democrats will portray Kirk as a Washington "insider" and a "flip-flopper" who veered to the right to satisfy conservatives to win the primary.

This is the first primary in a series of states where moderate Republicans are being pushed to the right by the conservative "tea party" movement, raising GOP concerns that winning primary candidates will find it difficult to return to the middle for the general election.

Ironically, the Dems plan to hit him as a "Sarah Palin-ite." Continuing:

Democrats have criticized Kirk for soliciting support from Sarah Palin...

Still, social conservatives, most notably radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, have been crusading against Kirk, and for their choice little-known challenger Patrick Hughes.

GayPatriot reminds fellow Republicans:

Kirk did vote against the “stimulus” and against Obamacare. He may not be as good as Hughes, but he’s better than whatever Democrat the president’s party nominates...

[He's] not ideal, but then again, Scott Brown is not ideologically ideal... [With Kirk, we'll] have someone voting for you 60% of the time, instead of voting against you 90% of the time.

And although Kirk is not a favorite among social conservatives, he has some other support on the Hard Right. Chicago Libertarian stalwart Jeff Wartman is supporting him. From Libertarian Republican, Jan. 12:

While it’s true that many social reactionary Republicans will oppose Congressman Kirk based on a small amount of fringe issues, the fact of the matter remains that Congresman Kirk has been helping to lead the fight to oppose the Democrats national takeover of health care, reduce the deficit, cut taxes, and keep our country safe.

On the latter, Kirk takes a firm stance on a key national security issue: He is one of the most vocal opponents to Obama's "Illinois Gitmo" plan. (See video House floor speech)

Here's the bottom line: Mark Kirk scores an all-time 48 on ACU and a 58 on NTU. The American Conservative Union score includes social issues. So, from a purely libertarian/socially moderate perspective, a 48 score is not so bad. National Taxpayers Union is more reflective of libertarian thought. And a 58 score, is decent, particularly considering this is Illinois. And his "Yes" votes came on some very key Tax legislation:

* Capital Gains & Income Tax cuts

* Eliminating Estate Tax

* Making Bush Tax Cuts permanent

* Providing Tax Relief and Simplification

* Eliminate the Marriage Tax Penalty

Now compare that 58% score to the last available scorer on NTU for the Illinois Senate seat, which was a lowly 5%. No, that lowly score does not belong to Roland Burris. It's too soon to index his votes. But rather, to Burris's predecessor Senator Barack Hussein Obama.

Obviously, replacing Obama/Burris with Kirk, and going from 5% to 58% would be a significant improvement.

On Saturday, January 30th, the LPIN held our 2010 Stategic Goals meeting in conjunction with the regular first quarter meeting of the State Central Committee. 
 
Well over 50 LPIN members from all over the state gathered to consider the 2010 LPIN Roadmap developed by Executive Director Chris Spangle for this crucial election year. Any current, dues paying member may recieve a copy of the 2010 Road Map by emailing Spangle at lpinhq@lpin.org.

Among the goals for this year are to maintain ballot access by achieving at least 2% in the Indiana Secretary of State election (we have averaged about 4.5% over the past two election cycles), gain financial stability by doubling the monthly pledges to our 1994 Socity, recruit 125 candidates for the Indiana General Assembly to support our SOS candidate and to increase LNC members in Indiana to place us in the top 10 state affiliates.
 

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Famed Tucson Tea Party Whistle-blower uncovers connection

by Eric Dondero

Robert Mayer is the "boy wonder" of the Arizona Tea Party movement. He is the co-organizer of the Tucson Tea Party group. They are currently leading a recall movement for the Mayor and City Council, called "Take Back Tucson."

Mayer, originally from Boston, refers to himself as a "Scott Brown" diehard.

He's also a bit of an international freedom fighter. From Tucson Tea Party:

I spent 2005-2007 studying, writing about, and connecting with the people involved in the democratic revolutions sweeping the former Soviet bloc states of Georgia and Ukraine, among other countries. After the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, I traveled to the capital Kiev and did some work with democracy activists there and in Belarus — the last dictatorship in Europe.

Some commentators are drawing comparisons, calling this win the “Brown Revolution“. My friend Andy Ignatov, whose work in the Orange Revolution helped connect and organize activists using the internet, used Facebook to type up his agreement, “Yep :)”.
So let me get to the point: If it can happen in Massachusetts, it can happen anywhere.

Mayer may now be taking on bigger fish than just the Tucson Mayor, the Council, and even Dictators in Belarus.

Mayer watched Obama's State of the Union speech Wednesday night, and something clicked in his freedom-obsessed mind. Ecotality, an Arizona-based firm, was featured prominently in Obama's speech. Turns out it wasn't by accident.

From Mayer this morning via Gateway Pundit:

Ecotality, based out of Scottsdale, and it was the lead receiver of a $100 million grant from the Department of Energy through the stimulus bill. (Ecotality, which used to be called Alchemy Enterpreises, has MANY subsidiaries, so much of this money is actually going to those subsidiaries rather than directly to Ecotality. One such example is Electric Transportation Engineering Corp., a division of Ecotality, which will be putting in electric vehicle infrastructure as far away as Oregon).

President Honors ECOtality/eTec in State of the Union Address

Total jobs added? According to them, 15 in 2009 and 27 in 2010. For $100 million. Am I supposed to cheer for that?

And it appears on the surface that there are political connections — of course, there always are! — to how Ecotality got this grant.

Its CEO, Jonathan Read, is a successful entrepreneur with wide-ranging political connections in Phoenix. He maxed out his political donations in 2006 to Harry Mitchel (D), who beat incumbent JD Hayworth (R) that year. Ecotality falls within Mitchell’s district.

Slade Mead is on the board of directors. He is a lawyer and former Republican state legislator turned Democrat who has given more than $17,000 to Democrats since 2005. He maxed out to Harry Mitchell’s 2006 campaign.

Further, Colin Read is the Vice President of Corporate Development. He was the Assistant Finance Director for Harry Mitchell’s successful 2006 bid for Congress.

They also met with VP Biden not all that long ago.

Mayer goes on to conclude:

The real take away from this? Obama points to this company as an example of the stimulus bill’s success; but it is really just another example of money being doled out to political allies to little effect. How much of that stimulus money do you think will end up going back as political contributions?

Mitchell now faces a tough re-election bid. His most likely Republican opponent is Tea Party Patriot and former Maricopa Budget Auditor David Schweikert (photo). The District leans Republican. It's notable that during the effort to defeat Hayworth, allegations surfaced of Democrat voter fraud and even possible ACORN involvement.

If the GOP re-takes this seat, no doubt certain individuals involved in these sheananigans may receive a real audit by Arizona taxpayers and tea party patriots.

Schweikert for Congress