Monday’s political round-up

May 14, 2007

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson delivered the keynote address to the secretive right-wing Council for National Policy over the weekend, and the group was reportedly impressed. The media was forbidden from attending the event — CNP members aren’t even supposed to acknowledge the group’s existence publicly — but the far-right Washington Times quoted some members who liked what they heard. One said, “He’s right on the issues…. He’s better than all of the above.”

* Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich inched closer to a presidential campaign this morning, telling Diane Sawyer that there is a “great possibility” that he will run. “You said you’ll make a decision at the end of the September,{is it} more likely, less likely this morning?” Sawyer asked Gingrich. “I think right now, it is a great possibility,” Gingrich said.

* John McCain’s staff shake-up continued late Friday when his campaign fired its New Hampshire campaign manager. It’s the fourth major staffing change Team McCain has made in the last few weeks.

* Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) made a big mistake over the weekend, telling an audience in Wisconsin that someone other than Brett Favre is the best NFL quarterback in the game. Discussing the need for the nation to focus on families, Brownback said, “This is fundamental blocking and tackling. This is your line in football. If you don’t have a line, how many passes can Peyton Manning complete? Greatest quarterback, maybe, in NFL history.” The crowd booed. Brownback touted Bart Starr, the former Packer great. The crowd continued to rustle. Finally, he mentioned Favre, and the audience was satisfied.

* And speaking of Wisconsin, former Gov. Tommy Thompson explained that he flubbed a question on discrimination at the recent GOP presidential debate because he had to go to the bathroom. “I’ve been very sick…. I was very sick the day of the debate. I had all of the problems with the flu and bronchitis that you have, including running to the bathroom. I was just hanging on. I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom.” Last week, Thompson said he’d misunderstood the question.

Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, that’s really way too much information we need.

  • I hope Tommy Thompson doesn’t catch a cold when something really serious and important is happening. Imagine if he “misunderstood” a question on nuclear weapons….say, “Should we launch missiles, Mr. President?”

    Scary. 🙁

  • What the hell is up with McCainiac? Methinks he is trying to take Krazee Kat Harris’ “Most campaign workers frightened off in an election cycle” title.

    As for Tommy Thompson-Gun: Yikes. I just looked at the picture of T.T. and now I have to go potty!

    But I have to give him props for trying to back away from the big old bigot label (in this instance at any rate). How many GOP candidates are there who don’t want to be seen as flaming ‘phobes?

  • Yeah, I know just how Thompson feels. Whenever I have to take a crap really bad, I always think it’s okay to fire gay people.

    [/sarcasm]

  • Run, Newt, Run! I couldn’t be happier if it the Republican race came down to Newt and Rudy.

  • I’m liberal enough to think it’s everyone’s first amendment right to have only people one likes work for you.

    If you’re anti-gay, you shouldn’t be forced to pay money to a gay waiter, any more than a gay restauranteur should be forced to pay a fundamentalist, Bible-thumping homophobe waiter he accidentally brought on.

    Everyone has the right to be ignorant in this country, I thought.

    Governments are paid for by everyone and must take everybody, businesses are paid for by individuals with constitutional rights to freedom of assembly.

    Unpopular to my fellow liberals, sure, but then so are many constitutional rights.

  • You never, never, bash Brett Favre when you’re in Cheesehead country. Sam needs to do a little more homework before he opens his mouth. St. Vince (that’s Lombardi to you non-Cheeseheads) belived in practice and obviously Sam needs a lot more of that.

    Matter of fact, the rest of the GOP candidates need a little more practice too. On a hut one, hut two….

  • Speaking as a gay man, I have to say that I don’t entirely disagree with you, Bill Jacobs (post #7), but there comes a point where a business becomes large enough that such considerations are secondary. Grow your business large enough, and your employee base expanding accordingly, one can’t afford to discriminate for any reason. That’s a lesson Cracker Barrel and others have learned through experience.

    Let’s face it. Bigotry is stupd and counter-productive. Those who still engage in it are dinosaurs awaiting their inevitable extinction.

  • Bill wants to go back to the days of discrimination, where you could fire people (or simply not hire them) based on race?

    Or should we force people to live in the 21st century, where people’s actions are more important than how they were born?

    Yeah, liberals sure do like to limit people’s freedoms. Not.

  • I don’t know what’s worse…. the Republicans whining about not being able to fire people who are gay, or the Republicans being unable to fire people who are incompetent.

    Maybe if we pass the word that Wolfie likes to sing Broadway show tunes or that Karl Rove thinks Lance Bass is “dreamy” we might get some results.

  • businesses are paid for by individuals with constitutional rights to freedom of assembly.

    [Bill Jacobs]

    We have got to get some better spoofs. Work-place discrimination is not protected by freedom of assembly rights. And the examples are … how shall I say? Hella-lame.

    Assuming the diner knows his waiter is gay, by BJ’s (har) example a diner can welch out on on his bill and the cops can’t touch him for theft. The restaurant owner refusing to pay a waiter he finds obnoxious is even worse… Unless you’re a business owner of the Enron variety. “Yeah, thanks for those two weeks but by I just decided your religion stinks, so no paycheck for you.”

    Where’s the guy with the hook?

  • It is OK for a cheesehead, I am one, to quietly disparage Farve; for others it is strictly taboo. Farve is family.

    The CNP sounds like a scary bunch. Perhaps the American people should know more about them. What a rogues gallery their membership list is. CNP may be the group that perverted conservatism and the already morally challenged Republican party.

  • “Council for National Policy”? The vaguer the name, the more nefarious the organization. I hold the same reservations about the “Church of Christ.”

  • I think what he’s saying is that he wasn’t feeling well and accidentally told the truth. Whatever. Flubbing because you need to use the bathroom (and I’m pretty sure he was saying he had diarrhea) isn’t unheard of. My daughter blew her geometry final for the exact same reason. Her teacher was sympathetic and let her retake it. Too bad about Thompson – I don’t think there’s any way to retake a debate…

  • If this from the orifice of Richard Ballrest Cheney isn’t censure-worthy, then I don’t know what is:

    “So if you’re going to be a public official advocating withdrawal from Iraq, you, in fact, are also saying that what you’re recommending is validating the al Qaeda strategy.”

  • McCain is turning out to be more Bushlike than I had originally thought. He’s been running around the world effing up and sticking both feet in his mouth at every opportunity – yet, instead of taking responsibility he scapegoats a staff member, forces the blame elsewhere and employs distraction tactics to keep us from looking directly at him and his booboos.

  • Wow, the Council for National Policy sure knows how to ignite their membership. They brought in Rick Santorum this past Spring to talk about the Gathering Storm. It’s worth a read (even if its just for the laughs). Some excerpts:

    Let me first start with new project that I’ve got involved with and many of you have come up and asked about it. It’s with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which is a think tank in Washington, D.C. It is a project called the American Enemies Project…

    Watch out…if you’re reading this blog, you’re name may already be on it.

    On Osama and his supporters:They look like a bunch of ragamuffins. They have crude telecommunications and even cruder weapons. This is who we’re afraid of? This is who the United States of America is going to lose to? No, people don’t believe that. You’re not afraid of a guy you don’t see. You don’t even know if he’s alive, how are you afraid of him?

    Remember to fear God though, Rick.

    The following appears in order: How do we win this war? I want to share with you some of my ideas. I suggest that we evangelize, educate, engage, and eradicate….Evangelize: I don’t mean Christianize Muslims by evangelizing…Second, we need to promote religious freedom everywhere…Third, we need to re-evangelize Europe…Second, educate…We have to engage the Americas…And finally, we have to change the government of Iran.

    I don’t know. Is it me, or does Evangelize, promote religious freedom and evangelize sound a bit counter-intuitive. And why so many second points?

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