That’s Elbert With An E

In all the discussion regarding McCain’s choice for Vice President, the names Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin come up again and again. Bobby Jindal is the current governor of Louisiana. Sarah Palin is the current governor of Alaska. Both got into office promising real reform and real change for their respective states. Both governors are conservatives. Both would be an asset to McCain, who could use all the help he can get. While it would be very cool to have either one in that position, I think it would be very bad for them.

Personally, I think both Jindal and Palin need time to make the needed changes in their own states. They need to build their resumes. It would even be good if they would encourage other like-minded candidates in other states. While the nation as a whole needs their kind in high office, we would be better served by them at a later date.

So for Vice President, I will say no to Jindal and Palin… for now (actually, doesn’t Jindal/Palin or Palin/Jindal look like a good ticket?).

On a side note, Jindal is facing some trouble with change in his own state. During his campaign, Jindal promised to veto pay increases for legislators. Now it looks like he will sign a bill allowing those raises. In this post at Hot Air, it appears that the taxpayers are revolting. So Jindal is facing the difficult choice of angering the taxpayers that voted him in or angering the legislators that will help him get his reforms through. It is one of the tests of leadership. Hopefully he will do well.

The News Journal is reporting that Republican Dave Graham is suspending his campaign for governor. As the News Journal reported:

Graham has been unable to win the favor of Republican Party leaders in both of his gubernatorial campaigns. In 2004, he was nominated at the state convention, but the nomination was not seconded. He got 6 percent of the primary vote that year, losing to Lee in a three-way race. Protack finished second. At the GOP convention in May, none of the more than 300 delegates nominated Graham for the race. The day the convention started, Graham told a live radio audience and The News Journal that he believed Lee was an alcoholic and not fit to be governor. His claims were vehemently denied by Lee and others, and the incident put Graham’s name on many Republicans’ black list.

For Graham, it’s a good move. I can’t say that it will take him off any black lists, but it may help. Mike Protack is the only other candidate that may make a primary fight for Bill Lee. Protack needs to back out considering he will loose the primary and still end up on the ballot in November for the Independent Party of Delaware. Protack is going to get what he wants because any registered voter can cast their vote for him in November. He can save that $5000 filing fee and spend it on something else.

The News Journal story is here.

I’ve found a Presidential candidate I could vote for (hat tip: gazizza.net): John McClane (website)

And when it comes to Presidential candidates, this guy tops the Democrat’s list. His presence is felt throughout every candidate, almost like they are channeling him or reading his talking points. He is the candidate of change.

Finally, Dave Graham has finally joined the 21st century and gotten a web site for his campaign for Delaware governor. Look, if I ever entered the political arena, the first dollar I’d spend in a political campaign would be for a domain followed closely by web hosting. You’ve got to have a web site and have it early. Good grief, even everybody’s favorite candidate Mike Protack understands this. He even has a YouTube page with campaign videos. Bill Lee will be caught up soon, I’m sure.

There are a number of issues that the new president is going to meet after they take the oath next January. The new President has to deal with economic issues. The President will need to make decisions regarding health care. The President will need to decide how they will deal with Iraq and the war on terror. We have got three speech-makers that are contending for the top job, and so America gets to see if they’ve got the fortitude to handle the leadership for which they have been chosen. Regardless of America’s choices, I believe we are looking at the new President being a one term President.

I think the Long War, the war on terror, will be a stumbling block for all three. The democrats say they will pull our military out of Iraq immediately. Once they get into office and reality hits them, they will disappoint their base by leaving those troops in there. Actually, their base will develop another strain of Bush Derangement Syndrome and rage against their own candidate. McCain will probably stay in the and get the job done. Where McCain will stumble along with the democrats is our border security. Truth be told, none of them care about it. And yes, border security is part of the war.

The economic difficulties we face didn’t come overnight and won’t be corrected overnight. Difficulties with our fuel supply will mostly be corrected by the market. What would make an improvement is relieving the burden of ethanol on the gas supply. It has proven to hurt our food supply, doesn’t reduce “greenhouse gases”, and takes more energy to make than refined gasoline. Second, reduce or remove the gas tax. Third, open up ANWR and other areas to drilling. Unfortunately none of the candidates will do anything but offer some government program or more regulation or something other than getting government out of the way.

Health care, well what do I say? All the democrats have to offer are the same failed programs from Canada and the UK. McCain could and ought to do something about it other than just putting off socialized medicine, but he won’t.

I think that Americans will be just as unhappy with their leaders four years from now as they are now. The President’s approvals will be low. Congress will remain right where it is now, low. The only thing that might reduce the misery will be a revolution in 2010 like there was in 1994. More than likely there will be primaries in both parties in 2012. If the sitting President isn’t taken out in the primary, he or she will go down in the general election.

The idea about a gas tax holiday is still being discussed. The current three front runners in the Presidential race have all taken a stance on the issue: McCain (RINO) supports it; Clinton (D) supports the idea if the tax burden is shifted to oil companies; Obama (D) says it is a gimmick. I think it’s a good idea. Any tax relief is a good idea.

Clinton’s proposal is stupid. Have the holiday, and the government will create a new tax and stick it on the oil companies. How will oil companies pay for the new tax? They will raise prices. So the break you’ll get from federal tax relief will be taken up in the wholesale price increase. I can’t believe that someone on her staff doesn’t have a clue how to run a business.

One must remember that the Dark Side loves to tax. You can’t stop taxing. The rite of taxing is part of their religion or something.

Fox News discusses some bipartisan support and opposition in this article. I have two posts on this here and here.

Paul Smith, Jr. at Gazizza.net is live blogging the Delaware GOP convention today. The link is below:

http://www.gazizza.net/2008/05/liveblogging_the_gop_state_con.htm

He indicates that he had seen several other Delaware bloggers present. I was asked to attend but woke up with a headache this morning. Headaches are serious for me, so I opted out of going. Driving one hour from Laurel to Dewey Beach was not a good idea. It’s not even a good idea for me to drive across town like that. Anyway, considering all the activity over at this post regarding the Tim Smith campaign, it’s worthwhile to repeat what I was texted by an attendee and was posted on Paul Smith’s blog:

UPDATE (11:15): Christine O’Donnell won the endorsement with 60.7% of the vote just over the 60% requirement. Smith has promised to drop out and support the endorsed candidate.

So Christine O’Donnell is going after Biden. Godspeed!

UPDATES: There’s a couple of additional things worth pointing out from the GOP’s event:

• The results for the nomination for governor: Lee 250, Protack 60, Graham boycott. According to Paul, no one even nominated Graham.
• Bill Lee was in Disneyworld with family so his son accepted for him, and my friend Marlene Elliot-Brown gave second speech.
• Terry Strine is resigning from his post as chairman effective May 9. Tom Ross was chosen to replace him.
• No one nominated me for governor. Well, I only got about 4 supporters and one of them bailed on me.

I have to say thanks to Paul Smith, Jr. for his live blog and to Jim Brown and his son Mike for the text messages during today’s activities. It was greatly appreciated!

ANOTHER UPDATE: I was hoping Dave Burris would have something on his blog, and he does.

I thought this news story was worth some comments. WBOC has a story on their site called “Delaware’s Political Landscape is Changing.” They point out recent shifts in voter registration:

Political observers say the landscape in Delaware is changing and elections officials say the number of democrats is growing in the first state.

It’s safe to say that most of those shifts come from some residents wanting to have an influence in the Democrat primary in September, where Markell and Carney are fighting it out for governor. Let’s see how many shift back to the Republicans in the fall after the primary. That might tell quite a bit.

Brad Bennett (D) is running against Rep. Donna Stone (R) in the fall. In the story it says:

[Bennett] said on the campaign trial he’s noticed people want a change in leadership.

“Basically a lot of them are upset about the direction Delaware has been heading the last few years. So yes they are looking for change,’ said Bennett.

If voters were looking for a change, they wouldn’t be voting for democrats, who have been running the state senate and governor’s mansion for quite a while. If you want change in the state, you’d toss out the moderates and liberals in both parties. They are the ones that have been driving us into the ground. You will never bring any change by putting more of them in power. They are the problem not the solution.

If the Republicans want to regain or at least maintain the level of leadership they have currently, here are some of my ideas.

• Republicans need to gather behind a unified platform, like a “Contract With Delaware”, and every candidate run with this in mind.
• They need to run away with fear the tendency to be simply The Other democrat Party. Be different. If you give voters a choice, they would probably vote for a real democrat instead of voting for a democrat in Republicans’ clothing, also known as a RINO. That issue is the one thing that would make Mike Castle vulnerable.

If voters really want change, they will never get it from the Dark Side… err, I mean the democrats. It will come from the Republicans, the Constitution Party, the Libertarians, or The Independent Party of Delaware.