Hub Politics recently had the opportunity to interview Robert Willington, who just announced his departure as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Republican Party. The following was conducted via email December 20-21, 2008.
Q: Last night you revealed that you were leaving the MassGOP as the executive director, can you tell us about that?
A: Yes. I think this interview exemplifies the power of new media. I loaded up my car and decided to share this personal experience with my followers on Twitter and it quickly turned into something much bigger. Bloggers were calling me, State Committee members were emailing me and my Tweeters were tweeting me (that sounds ridiculous).
Q: You are a big fan of Twitter, so clearly it was no coincidence that you revealed your departure from the MassGOP on Twitter, as opposed to a press release from the MassGOP?
A: oops,.. just answered that above. But to add to it, Twitter is a personal Google. For instance, the other day I was hanging with @davidall at McGann’s pub and he was saying how he could ask a question in Twitter and it would be answered immediately. Another person asked him, “can’t you do that with Google?” and he agreed and we both shrugged our shoulders, affirming the question. As I thought about it more, I realized why @davidall preferred getting his answers from Twitter. In life, we desire human, personal interaction and this is the power of Twitter. Google, although great, is a computer and twitter is human - this is why Twitter wins over google when looking for answers. We’d rather get an answer from someone than from a something. Follow me @willington and @massgop @keepthatfaith and @blogsforjoy !
Q: The question on everyone’s mind must be “Why is Rob leaving?” So, Rob, why are you leaving?
A: My heart is with the MassGOP….I’m from Massachusetts (go Rockport Vikings) and love working for the GOP in the bluest of blue states. However, I’m not the CR (College Republican) activists sleeping on couches in campaign headquarters anymore. When I joined the MassGOP, I was a single bachelor….I didn’t need much, I just wanted a basic salary and to travel around the state helping the GOP. Now, I’m married with two recent WeePublicans. My personal world has changed a lot.
Q: So what is more challenging, being the executive director for the Republican Party in a ridiculously blue state, or fatherhood?
A: Executive director for the Republican Party in a ridiculously blue state, my wife is a rock star.
Q: So, what is next for Rob Willington? How about your web projects, Keep That Faith and Blogs For Joy. Will you be focusing more on those now?
A: No, I’m going to be very, very busy. BlogsForJoy.com and KeepThatFaith.com have taken a lot of my spare time recently, but in a way, both projects have a mission to be open-source and collaborative. BlogsForJoy.com should do well without my 100% attention and the same is true with KeepThatFaith.com (donate content), are there any conservatives out there that know their way around Photoshop?
You will hear more from me very soon.
Q: Aside from your departure, Chairman Peter Torkildsen also announced last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection. How do you feel about the future of the MassGOP, given the change of leadership it is experiencing?
A: It’s often joked that “There is nowhere to go but up” but it’s not true - we lost 3 seats this year. The future for the MassGOP is strong because there are a NUMBER of tools for the new team to use. I wrote a detailed manual on what we are doing and how to continue the building at the local level. Politics Magazine noticed how we (MassGOP) were winning non-partisan seats at the municipal level; school committee, selectman, mayor etc…. these candidates attended our trainings and were given access to voter vault. This is revolutionary, empowering these local candidates with sophisticated campaign technology is very important. A state senator once told me over breakfast that the GOP won’t see these results for at least ten years; he is probably right. We launched GOP Farm Team as a site dedicated to building these municipal offices for the GOP.
Q: You made a huge push for internet based grassroots efforts. Do you hope your internet influence will remain part of the MassGOP’s game plan?
A: It will, because it’s all set up - all of the MassGOP Twitter followers, the MassGOP Facebook friends, the thousands that expect mass emails, those that have signed up for our Mass Text messages, those that are dedicated MassRootsGOP.com followers….the new team has no choice because it’s such an efficient way to communicate and get things done. The foundation is built, the contacts (names, addresses, phone numbers, emails) are in the system; we have identified over 50,000 contacts through our aggressive online tactics. This was not easy and the new team has a wealth of info to use.
Also, using the internet is a way to multiply your office - this is what Chris Anderson calls the “Long Tail.” Many hands make light work. We can’t afford a huge staff, so what are our options? Only one answer - empower Joe Activist with the tools he needs to make things happen. When I started, I could not believe how much valuable information was stored on the MassGOP computers. MassRootsAction was my way of exporting this data out of the office and into the hands of the grassroots where it can be much more useful.
Q: Did you join the MassGOP with a set of goals, and do you feel that you accomplished those goals?
A: My goal was to turn the party inside out, to decentralize it. I think I made a major step towards this goal but more needs to be done. Before joining the MassGOP, I had a lot of campaign experience and I always had the perspective as a campaign manager out in the field (I managed two state rep campaigns in Massachusetts). I tried to have a “boots on the ground” perspective knowing how disadvantaged we were as Republicans in Massachusetts. I realized we needed some leverage and new media was the only way to give us leverage without spending a lot of resources. Almost all of the new media tools that we used were free.
Q: Is running for political office in your future?
A: Probably not.
Q: You sure? There is a Senate seat for sale in Illinois.
A: True, but considering the history of that particular Senate seat, I am way too qualified for it.
Q: Clearly, politics is a huge part of your life. What else are you about?
A: I’m working on my next step now - I have Keep That Faith and Blogs For Joy as side projects that keep me busy. But besides politics and new media, traveling, family, photography, anything British and trying to put a dent in my book collection.
Q: Do you think there is hope for Massachusetts?
A: Massachusetts voted for Reagan twice and recently had the longest running list of GOP Governors in America (16 years). So, Massachusetts voters can pull the lever for a Republican. In truth, most people are more motivated for personality than principle. I think it’s a mistake to say the Reagan victories were victories for conservative ideals and Obama’s victory is a victory for liberalism. Obama had a strong, likable personalty (the beer factor). Party building continues among the faithful - those that are motivated and involved because of the principles of the party. We can’t wait for a strong, likable personality (a Mitt Romney) to come and be the savior of the MassGOP. We need to act now, while knowing there are not going to be crowds of people coming to build.
One of the most destructive things within the party (and it’s not just the MassGOP that has this problem) is that campaigns feel entitled to MassGOP dollars just because they threw their hat in the ring. Talk about liberalism. If a campaign ignores our campaign schools and we know he or she will get in the mid or high 30’s on Election Day, why should we spend precious dollars on that candidate to bring them a few percentage points higher? What’s the value in bringing a candidate from 38% of the vote to 41% when we could be spending it on a campaign that we know is in the high 40’s? Too often, criticisms are served by people who are zoomed in on their district or area. Only if they could pull back and see the big picture they would have a much better perspective. This isn’t socialism where we are going to split the pot equally among all the campaigns.
The MassGOP can not bring a candidate from 39% of the vote to 50% plus one on Election Day - it’s up to the individual campaign to put themselves in a position to win, then the Party can come in to work like heck to put them over the finish line. Put us in field goal range. However, all campaigns deserve basic support - trainings, technology, lists, example fundraising letters, example direct mail, contacts and open communication with the State Party to serve as “in-house” consultants.
Q: Speaking of “The Beer Factor” there any pubs in Boston you will miss?
A: Yes, below the MassGOP HQ is Johnnies On The Side and we called it JohnniesDownBelow….great spot. Also, McGann’s as mentioned earlier, is a classic Boston Irish pub- you feel that you need to present your passport every time you walk in , it’s a perfect getaway (although there are pictures of John Forbes Kerry on the wall). And of course, the Red Hat was a short walk from the MassGOP HQ and it too has a great Boston atmosphere.
Q: As Executive Director, you were a big part of the Massachusetts Republican Party. With that behind you, who would you like to thank?
A: Hub Politics for sure, you guys rock. I’d also like to thank the State Committee members that were helpful and supportive, and everyone who saw the decentralized vision for the party that I had. I’d like to thank Darrell Crate for hiring me as Political Director three years ago and Peter Torkildsen for hiring me as Executive Director. Brian Dodge was a great Executive Director to work under and he helped me with the old-media when I took over as ED. I also want to thank every candidate that ran for office and carried the GOP banner in a awful year - those people are real GOP warriors. And of course, the troopers on the ground - the Massachusetts Young Republicans, the College Republicans along with anyone that made a phone call or knocked on a door. Amber Hillman and her victory staff were phenomenal with the amount of calls they were producing for John McCain. The BeverlyGOP and their self-organization skills (and volunteer skills) should be copied around the state, the Concord GOP for getting an office up and jamming it with volunteers, the AttleboroGOP for being a mini-MassGOP by traveling around the state helping other Republican Town Committees, and the BerkshireGOP with Peter Giftos, Matt Kinnaman and Jim Bashour. The Berkshire GOP has a full time office staffed by with an Executive Director out in Pittsfield, a very blue part of the state but they have an awesome team.
Q: Who are the political figures that you admire?
A: Washington, Churchill, Thatcher, Reagan. The non-political, but politically influential figures are: Friedrich Hayek, William F. Buckley, Whittaker Chambers, Frank Meyer, Russell Kirk, Dinesh D’Souza, & Thomas Sowell. D’Souza is one of the best minds that we have right now. This is why KeepThatFaith.com is having so much fun with Richard Dawkins, who refused to debate Dinesh D’Souza. This is the first KTF video and here is the follow-up video.
Q: If you could have a beer with any of the aforementioned political figures, who would you pick, and which pub would you choose?
A: Great question - probably comes down to either Whittaker Chambers since his life was so incredible, I loved his book Witness, but William F. Buckley also had an amazing life; former CIA officer, author to several books, ran for mayor, hosted Firing Line, brought the diverse conservative movement under one magazine, founded YAF, avid sailor - he did it all. Buckley is the godfather of modern American conservatism. Probably Buckley. I’d probably take Buckley to McSorley’s in NYC, would love to see him roll up in his scooter coming from the upper east side.
Q: Do you have last message of hope for the Republican in Massachusetts who are tired of the one-party rule here?
A: Yes, stop thinking in terms of “committees.” Someone once said, “if computers ever get too powerful, organize them into a committee - that will do ‘em in.” Next time you go to Washington D.C., or in the State House, look around for a statue of a committee - you won’t find any, there is a very good reason for that. Committees slow the process down and curve productivity (thank God Congress is comprised of committees). Folks, time is flying by and we need action in local communities now. First, set up a blog (our interns can get you one for free, very quickly) and become THE voice of your community, not just the GOP voice. Interview your board of selectman, interview your High School principle, talk to your police chief, how are the local shop owners doing? Take pride and interest in your community and use the blog as the window into it.
There are over 70 million blogs in the world, but there will only be 1 blog with a GOP perspective in your community. Pretty soon, many in the town will be visiting your blog to see what is going on, to see personalities and figures that they see every day - so long as you create good, quality content people will be coming back. Second, too often these committees will meet, eat, and retreat. After each meeting ask yourself this: how did we push back the Democrats and/or advance the GOP at this meeting? Did you combine your meeting with a phone bank targeting likely GOP activists to build the committee, did you combine it with a mailing to recruit new people or raise funds, or asking people to run for office? If we are about local action, then let’s see some local traction and stop looking up to 85 Merrimac Street for a hand out. I know of some other State Parties that often complain to the Republican National Committee for not getting funds or assistance - I have told the RNC directly that I don’t expect anything from them (however, they have given us a tremendous amount of support with our website, voter vault, and guidance…I often used the RNC as a non-monetary resource). Third, go door knocking and talk to the Unenrolled (independent) voters that voted in previous GOP primaries and invite them into the GOP - voter registration card in hand along with an invite to the Republican Town Committee social event that you are having next month. Grassroots means you knocking on doors.
Don’t just be a Republican that shows up once every 2 years to hold a sign on the street corner while sipping a Dunkin Donuts coffee - signs have not, and never will win elections. Enough with the signs. Get to a training and learn about voter identification and GOTV and become a little more sophisticated in your targeting and approach. Sign waving is a secondary campaign activity, not a primary one. GOP campaigns need to focus on the fundamentals that win elections (personal contact from trusted sources) not counting beeps and thumbs-ups on street corners. There are a lot of great posts on MassRootsAction on this stuff.
Finally, I say this as a conservative; enough with the “RINO” talk. What a waste of time. It wasn’t until the 1964 election that the conservatives began to find a political home in the GOP. Liberalism is an old political movement, conservatism is not. The Republican Party used to be the Party of the Lodge’s and Rockefeller’s. The people tossing around “RINO” are acting as if the GOP has held their particular view since the 1800’s. Folks, the movement began only 40 years ago, this thing is still pretty new. If you are a conservative and you retreat because of the “RINO’s” in the Party, then you are giving up on this fairly modern effort and the Party will be less conservative as a result. The same is true with the other camps in the GOP - when I met with the Log-Cabin Republicans, and the Rockefeller/Lodge Republicans etc and they complain that the Party is too conservative I tell them to get more involved because politics is about showing up. If you are complaining about a certain wing of the Party, chances are, it’s because that wing has showed up and you have not. You have two options: show up, or continue to complain about the other group showing up.
Lastly, if you are passionate about an issue then seriously start thinking about starting a PAC (political action committee) to raise funds to help in the 2010 battle. The GOP candidates got hammered with special interest money from the unions and other left-wing groups in 2008. We have a few solid allies on our side, but we need more ammunition. Start a PAC, develop a fundraising team and start building the bank to help candidates in 2010.
If you need help with starting a PAC, or if you want to reach me for any reason (for criticism, or for my address to send me iTunes cards for Christmas) you can reach me at rwillington[AT]massgop[DOT]com
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone and please just do a little something this Holiday season. Joy is not finite - you can create a lot of it today and tomorrow by simply doing something. Visit Blogs For Joy and check the Joy Avenues to find out how you can create joy.
KeepThatFaith,
Tags: Amber Hillman, Blogs For Joy, Brian Dodge, Friedrich Hayek, Hub Politics, Jim Bashour, John McCain, Massachusetts Republican Party, MassGOP, MassRoots, Mitt Romney, Peter Torkildsen, Richard Dawkins, RNC, Rob Willington, Thomas Sowell, unions
December 21st, 2008
Is anyone surprised that there was an effort by a University of Massachusetts Amherst chaplain to offer college credits to students willing to help out Barack Obama? I’m not.
University of Massachusetts officials on Monday quashed efforts by an Amherst campus chaplain to offer two college credits to any student willing to campaign in New Hampshire this fall for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Chaplain Kent Higgins told students in a Sept. 18 e-mail, “If you’re scared about the prospects for this election, you’re not alone. The most important way to make a difference in the outcome is to activate yourself. It would be just fine with (Republican candidate John) McCain if Obama supporters just think about helping, then sleep in and stay home between now and Election Day.”
Higgins added that an unnamed “sponsor” in the university’s history department would offer a two-credit independent study for students willing to canvass — identify supporters — or volunteer on behalf of the Democratic nominee.
University officials disavowed the effort after inquiries Monday by The Associated Press. They said it could run afoul of state ethics laws banning on-the-job political activity, as well as university policy.
“We do not engage in or sponsor partisan political activity,” said Audrey Alstadt, chairwoman of the history department. “We certainly do not give academic credit for participation in partisan politics.”
UMass-Amherst spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said Higgins had previously arranged history department credit for students working on disaster relief efforts or other humanitarian ventures, and had raised the idea of similarly rewarding students who got involved in the political process during the 2008 election.
Blaguszewski said university officials had envisioned that the efforts would involve nonpartisan work such as get-out-the vote campaigns, but changed their minds about the proposal when they saw a portion of Higgins’ e-mail.
Of course, after the fact, Higgins said he didn’t intend for it to be just volunteers for Obama.
Higgins said he never intended for the program to be limited to supporters of Obama. Regardless of the opinions expressed in his e-mail, he said he would also have been open to those students who wanted to canvass for McCain.
“The idea was there just to see if we could help with folks who want to be active with any of the campaigns in New Hampshire,” he said during an interview with the AP. “We have to be bipartisan, multilateral.”
That’s some serious backpedaling isn’t it? The text of his email is pretty clear; what he means to say now is that he regrets he got caught. Higgins won’t release the name of the unnamed history department sponsor, which, if this was meant to be a bipartisan/multilateral effort, there should be no shame in revealing the sponsor.
The Massachusetts Republican Party is disappointed “but frankly not surprised, that the liberal academic elite have once again decided to promote one candidate over another. Our tax dollars pay their salaries so they can teach our children how to make up their own minds, not to advance a partisan political agenda,” said GOP spokesman Barney Keller.
Chaplain Higgins should reveal the name of the sponsor, or lose his job. I certainly don’t believe for one second that his intentions included volunteers for McCain, and that kind of blatant disregard for school policy and not-so-subtle interjecting of politics into the academic arena should not go unpunished. It should be important for the University to know who was going to sponsor this charade, but it could have been almost anyone in the history department–this is UMass, after all.
Plain and simple: reveal the sponsor, or lose his job. Students have a right to be educated, not indoctrinated–especially when taxpayer dollars help pay for their education.
Tags: Barack Obama, Barney Keller, John McCain, Kent Higgins, Massachusetts Republican Party, UMass
September 23rd, 2008
While Democrats attempt to paint Senator John McCain as “out of touch” with the “average American” by focusing on his 13 cars and 8 houses, you can’t help but ignore the fact that when it comes to wealthiest members of Congress, Senator McCain is not at the top of the pyramid. That honor belongs to our junior senator, John Kerry.
1. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) $230.98 million he Massachusetts Senator claims the mantel of richest Member in the 110th Congress. Kerry’s actual holdings, however — including those of wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, widow to ketchup heir Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.) — are likely much greater. In an April 2008 article, Forbes.com estimated Heinz Kerry’s net worth at $1 billion. Kerry’s disclosure forms list the value of more than 180 assets — including Heinz family trusts and investment funds — only as “over $1 million,” rather than the more specific ranges including $1 million to $5 million. Senators are allowed to list assets in the “over $1 million” category only if the items are held independently by a spouse or dependent child.
And as we all remember, John Kerry was the democratic nominee for president in 2004. McCain does make the Top 50 list, but not before reaching another senator from Massachusetts.
9. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) $47.62 million Much of Kennedy’s wealth stems from family trusts, and the Massachusetts Senator reported almost no change in 2007, with an increase of less than 1 percent. Kennedy lists one family trust valued from $25 million to $50 million, as well as four trusts worth at least $5 million each and a blind trust totaling at least $1 million. The Bay State lawmaker also owns a rental property in Hyannisport, Mass., valued at at least $1 million and lists a plot of undeveloped land in Lafayette, La., owned by his wife, worth from $500,000 to $1 million. Kennedy lists $1 million in mortgage debt from Northern Trust Co. for his Hyannisport property.
Clearly, the labeling of John McCain as “out of touch” with average Americans is based on his wealth. So, Senator Kerry, who is more than 10 times as wealthy as Senator McCain would have had to of been much more out of touch with average Americans when he was running for president. However, you never heard Democrats make that suggestion. Today, aha, it’s a different story. Senator McCain, a Republican, is out of touch because his fortunate financial circumstances allow him to have more than two cars and one house. Odd, isn’t it? Oh, and Barack Obama and his own private plane… sure, most of us working class Americans can really relate to that. If you look at the candidates for president and vice president, there is really only one you could argue is in touch with the average American, because outside of holding a political office, she really is an average American dealing with issues many average Americans have to deal with.
We could argue about who is more in touch with average Americans until November, but let’s face facts here, if you set your eyes on just the Top 50 Wealthiest Members of Congress and look at their disclosed finances, how could any of these people be “in touch” with average Americans? The “least wealthy” on the list, Rep. Emanuel (D-IL), has somewhere around $5 million. Do average Americans earn $5 million? Do any of these congressmen know the struggle that most Americans are facing today?
I venture to say that even the lowest paid member of Congress, based purely on their congressional salary alone, can no longer relate to the average American–both Republicans and Democrats alike. It’s a transition that starts upon winning an election, and secured when you are guaranteed your congressional pension. Is Senator McCain out of touch with average Americans? Is Senator Obama out of touch with average Americans? The answer is the same for both: of course. Let’s move to something substantive, please.
Tags: Barack Obama, John Kerry, John McCain, Ted Kennedy
September 22nd, 2008
Click on to see the speech as prepared by Governor Mitt Romney.
For decades, the Washington sun has been rising in the east — Washington has been looking to the eastern elites, to the editorial pages of the Times and the Post, and to the broadcasters from the coast.
If America really wants change, it’s time to look for the sun in the west, cause it’s about to rise and shine from Arizona and Alaska!
Last week, the Democrats talked about change. But let me ask you — what do you think Washington is right now, liberal or conservative? Is a Supreme Court liberal or conservative that awards Guantanamo terrorists with constitution rights? It’s liberal! Is a government liberal or conservative that puts the interests of the teachers union ahead of the needs of our children? It’s liberal!
Is a Congress liberal or conservative that stops nuclear power plants and offshore drilling, making us more and more dependent on Middle East tyrants? It’s liberal!
Is government spending — excluding inflation — liberal or conservative if it doubles since 1980? It’s liberal!
We need change all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain!
It’s the same prescription for a stronger economy. I spent 25 years in the private sector. I’ve done business in many foreign countries. I know why jobs come and why they go away. And I know that liberals don’t have a clue.
They think we have the biggest and strongest economy in the world because of our government. They’re wrong. America is strong because of the ingenuity and entrepreneurship and hard work of the American people.
The American people have always been the source of our nation’s strength and they always will be!
We strengthen our people and our economy when we preserve and promote opportunity. Opportunity is what lets hope become reality.
Opportunity expands when there is excellence and choice in education, when taxes are lowered, when every citizen has affordable, portable health insurance, and when constitutional freedoms are preserved.
Opportunity rises when children are raised in homes and schools that are free from pornography, promiscuity and drugs; in homes that are blessed with family values and the presence of a father and a mother.
America cannot long lead the family of nations if we fail the family here at home!
Liberals would replace opportunity with dependency on government largesse. They grow government and raise taxes to put more people on Medicaid, to take work requirements out of welfare, and to grow the ranks of those who pay no taxes at all. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity.
It is time to stop the spread of government dependency to fight it like the poison it is!
It’s time for the party of big ideas, not the party of Big Brother!
Our economy is under attack. China is acting like Adam Smith on steroids, buying oil from the world’s worst, and selling nuclear technology. Russia and the oil states are siphoning more than 500 billion dollars a year from us in what could become the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history. This is no time for timid, liberal empty gestures.
Our economy has slowed down this year and a lot of people are hurting. What happened? Mortgage money was handed out like candy, speculators bought homes for free — when this mortgage mania finally broke, it slammed the economy. And stratospheric gas prices made things even worse.
Democrats want to use the slowdown as an excuse to do what their special interests are always begging for: higher taxes, bigger government and less trade with other nations.
It’s the same path Europe took a few decades ago. It leads to moribund growth and double-digit unemployment.
The right course is the one championed by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago, and by John McCain today. It is to rein in government spending and to lower taxes, for taking a weed whacker to excessive regulation and mandates, for putting a stop to tort windfalls, and to stand up to the tyrannosaurus appetite of government unions!
It is to pursue every source of energy security, from new efficiencies to renewables, from clean coal to non-CO2 producing nuclear, and the immediate drilling for more oil off of our shores! And I have one more recommendation for energy conservation — let’s keep Al Gore’s private jet on the ground!
Did you hear any Democrats talk last week about the threat from radical, violent Jihad? Republicans believe that there is good and evil in the world. Ronald Reagan called-out the Evil Empire. George Bush labeled the terror-sponsor states the Axis of Evil.
And at Saddleback, after Barack Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!
Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!
Republicans, led by John McCain and Sarah Palin, will fight to preserve the values that have preserved the nation. We will strengthen our economy and keep us from being held hostage by Putin, Chavez and Ahmadinejad.
And we will never allow America to retreat in the face of evil extremism!
Just like you, there has never been a day when I was not proud to be an American. We inherited the greatest nation in the history of the earth.
It is our burden and privilege to preserve it, to renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.
To this we are all dedicated and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed.
President McCain and Vice President Palin will keep America as it has always been — the hope of the world.
Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, Mitt Romney, RNC, Sarah Palin
September 4th, 2008
Rep. Barney Frank says Sarah Palin’s family is “fair game.” He is among the first to make this suggestion, and is breaking ranks with the de facto party leader and Democratic nominee for president Barack Obama.
“They’re the ones that made an issue of her family,” Frank, D-Mass., said Tuesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
Republicans stressed Palin’s conservative family values in announcing her selection as John McCain’s running mate on Friday. Frank says the recent disclosure about her daughter blunts conservative claims that liberalism harms family life.
“Apparently she’s a great favorite with the conservative social movement,” Frank said. “They have said that it’s liberalism and liberals who have undermined families — same-sex marriage has been a problem, they don’t want gay people to adopt … This helps undercut those arguments.”
Not so, Congressman. Growing up with conservative values in the home does not 100% shield you from liberalism, and vice versa. You can’t walk down the street, go on the internet, or turn on the television to see how liberalism has undermined family values. Parents can only do so much to impart their values on to their children. Let’s face it, it is impossible for parents to safeguard children from values that do not align with their own, short of keeping them locked up in a dungeon somewhere with no outside contact.
Revelations about Palin’s 17-year-old daughter’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy and other family troubles reflect the stresses and strains of modern everyday life more than anything else, said Frank.
“Well, hers is a family in great turmoil,” added Frank. “She fired the state police commissioner because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s ex-husband. She has a daughter who became pregnant. That’s not her fault.”
I don’t understand why her family is “in great turmoil” for simply having to deal with the stresses and strains of modern everyday life. Many families deal with these issues, and some many times worse. But you are correct, Congressman. It’s not her fault. You can fairly go after the actions of Sarah Palin, but when it comes to her children, or any politicians children, listen to your messiah, “children are especially off limits.” Let’s keep it that way, for the children of a politicians regardless of what party they are. If Palin’s children are fair game, then all politicians’ children are fair game, and I don’t think we want to go down that road, Congressman.
(Will Congressman Frank say that Senator Biden’s son and brother are also fair game?)
Tags: Barack Obama, Barney Frank, John McCain, Sarah Palin
September 3rd, 2008
Our junior senator John Kerry was on ABC and had some words to say about Senator John McCain’s runningmate and her experience, or rather, in his opinion, the lack thereof.
You know, we’ve been warning against the third term of George Bush. With the choice of Governor Palin it is now the third term of Bush-Cheney. Because what he’s done is chosen somebody who actually doesn’t believe that climate change is man-made. He’s chosen somebody who has zero, zero experience in foreign policy. The first threshold test of a president, of a nominee, in choosing a vice-president is to prove to the American people that the person that you’ve chosen can fill in tomorrow. That they come with the requisite experience to lead the nation in foreign policy and in national security. You know, she may be, I mean I’m sure she’s a terrific person. I’m not attacking her. I think John McCain’s judgment is once again put at issue because he’s chosen somebody who clearly does not meet the national security threshold, who is not ready to be president tomorrow.
This is particularly funny coming from John Kerry, who picked John Edwards as his running mate. Besides having been elected to the Senate, and believing in man-made global warming, what other credentials did he have?
When it was suggested that Governor Sarah Palin has more experience than Senator Obama, Kerry got defensive.
That’s just ridiculous on its face. Barack Obama has been in the United States Senate. He has not been absent more than he’s been there. She’s been a governor for what, two years now. Barack Obama in four years.
So four years in the senate makes you qualified? Casting a few votes and showing up to work is all it takes?
But moreover, Barack Obama has traveled abroad. Look at the trip Barack Obama took. I mean its remarkable to me that the Republicans would try to denigrate a trip that a candidate for president takes where he attracts more attention, more support if you will, than a sitting president of the United States of America. That’s what you need in leadership for a president. You need somebody who can go to Europe and say to them, “We need more help in Afghanistan.” He actually called the Europeans to account on their need to be frankly more front and center in the effort to deal with Afghanistan than President Bush has. I think that’s leadership and I think the United States of America is well-served if we have a president who is able to do that.
Traveling abroad; another pre-requisite. Listen up all you college students studying overseas–you too are also qualified to be president under Kerry’s logic. (I suppose Kerry met the foreign policy requirement to be president after making one trip to Paris in 1971.)
Barack Obama has been recorded as being present during senate roll call a hundred times or so in 4 years, and traveled abroad–this, according to John Kerry, makes him qualified to be president. How many Americans out there show up to work (a thousand times, give or take, over 4 years) and have traveled abroad? I’ve been overseas, and I show up to to work, so I must be qualified to run for president according to John Kerry. Kerry says Obama also attracts more attention (and support) than a sitting president, and that makes him qualified for president. Heck, so does Paris Hilton, or even Michael Phelps (who just got back from China…), should they run for president?
Kerry is clearly trying to argue that a first term governor, particularly one having only served two years, is not qualified for vice president. Oddly enough, there have been a few governors once considered by Obama for his running mate, some also still in the midst of their first terms. Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, who started his first term in January 2006; Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, who is a few years into her second term; Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a first term governor; and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who originally was vying for the nomination. Sarah Palin has been governor of Alaska for two years; what executive decisions has Barack Obama made besides picking Joe Biden as his running mate? That answer is none. What has he done in the Senate? According to govtrack.us, Obama has “sponsored 136 bills since Jan 4, 2005, of which 122 haven’t made it out of committee and 2 were successfully enacted.” He has missed 23% of the votes since his term started.
Historically, there are six examples of one term governors who went on to serve as vice president: Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, Thomas Hendricks, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Marshall, and Spiro Agnew. Half of them went on to be president. How about this for a history lesson: former two-term Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge, elected to the corner office in both 1918 and 1919, was elected vice president in 1920; succeeded President Warren Harding after his death in 1923; and was elected to his own term as president in the 1924 election. Palin is not alone.
If you objectively consider Barack Obama’s credentials for president and Sarah Palin’s credentials for vice president, there is no comparison. Palin is much more fit to be vice president than Obama is to president.
Sorry Senator, but your argument for why Obama is more qualified for president than Palin is for vice president is much like your own bid for the presidency: failed.
Tags: Barack Obama, John Kerry, John McCain, Sarah Palin
September 2nd, 2008
