7. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Although those who only glance at the final numbers from the polls will undoubtedly say Hillary won Indiana, I think that those who spend a little more time analyzing the results just might figure out that Barack  Obama was the real winner in Indiana on Tuesday.

The 50.9%-49.1% split in Indiana really was too close for Hillary to be able to claim much of a victory out of it, especially when you scratch just a bit below the surface.  Given the timing of the “Guns and Religion” flareup along with the Rev. Wright eruption, which had to have hurt Obama in conservative Small-Town Indiana, the race was far closer than many would have predicted a few days ago. However with CNN reporting 99% of the votes counted, Hillary had only won Indiana’s popular vote by 22,413 votes out of 1,254,136 cast. Because convention delegates are proportionally awarded instead of winner take all, Hillary only picked up a net of 4 additional delegates, 37 to the 33 won by Obama.  But on the day, North Carolina broke much heavier for Obama and he won the popular vote in North Carolina by  232,775 votes .  He also picked up 16 additional delegates, 58 to 42.  For those who only look at final numbers (or 99% final to be precise), at the end of the day Obama had picked up 210,362 more actual votes and 12 more convention delgates than Clinton.  Spin-it any way you want but if ”The Peoples’” primary vote actually counted instead of being subjected to a high stakes game of Democratic Superdelegate Convention Charades, this game would be over. 

But a key factor in the final tally was the crossover vote by Hoosier Republicans where there were few contested races to spark much interest in what little the GOP had to offer. Much of that conservative crossover vote probably was cast for Hillary, not Obama http://www.theage.com.au/news/us-election/crossover-voters-hijack-poll/2008/05/07/1209839709184.html   And I think Obama’s campaign apparently has nailed it once again with the analysis of what happened in Indiana http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/05/obama_team_talking_points_memo.html http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/05/obama_team_talking_points_memo.html  

Conservative political masterminds like Rush Limbaugh know that the GOP has some real problems staring them in the face for the November  election.  Especially if the Independent vote where Obama has demonstrated some strength or a Libertarian Bob Barr vote is factored into the general election equation.  But doing what is best for America is seconday, doing what is best for the GOP is the only thing that truly seems to matter to them. For obvious political power reasons, they would greatly benefit by having their guy face the weaker Democratic candidate - but also don’t forget how much on-air fun El Rushbo could have for the next four years with Bill & Hill back in the Whitehouse.  Heads he wins - Tails you lose.  

Operation Chaos shenanigans are a sharp contrast to the genuinely honest  comments of GOP misfit presidential contender Ron Paul who truly does put the interest of America first and foremost ahead of the GOP  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/02/paul-not-ready-to-endorse-mccain-likes-obamas-foreign-policy/

People who voted in the Democratic primary on Tuesday may have thought their “little guy” vote mattered - it didn’t.  The only votes that truly matter now are the handful of politically elite Superdelegate convention votes that are still on the table.  Somehow that just doesn’t seem very “Democratic” to me.

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3. May 2008 by Greg Kelver.

As a “Capital L” Libertarian who believes that political parties should choose their own candidates and taxpayers should not have to pick up the tab for it, I won’t be voting for Senator Obama on Tuesday.  But I am pretty impressed that he took time to visit Union Mills, Indiana on Thursday  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12945

With the  “Guns and Religion” comment blown way out of proportion by Clintonistas and media http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama13apr13,1,6505389.story , Obama could not have chosen a better small town to stop at for a political backdrop than the farm community of Union Mills. Guns and religion are part of what helps to give small communities like Union Mills their special character and represents the ideals that the Founders had in mind a couple of hundred years ago.  Clinging to those ideals certainly isn’t a bad thing.  However, Obama is right on target that there is a lot of “bitterness” in small town America - and no apology should be necessary for speaking truthfully about that. But that bitterness has been principally fueled by the misguided policies of an overly intrusive Federal Government that has been trying to pick winners and losers in a high stakes game of economic roulette.  Like our inner cities, Small Town America has seen firsthand just how well that has worked out under the Republicratic administrations of Clinton and Bushes and certainly has plenty of good reasons to be bitter.  However Federal policies that continue to grow a bigger, more intrusive Socialist government will only worsen that bitterness, not eliminate it.

Like many of the divisive political warfare strategies that the Clintonistas have perfected over the years,  the Rush Limbaugh inspired “Operation Chaos”   http://blatherwatch.blogs.com/talk_radio/2008/03/rush-the-vote-i.html  is another prime example of what ails our political process today. Since the LaPorte County Republicans have almost no contested races on the primary ballot, many Zirkle Republicans probably will pull a Democratic ballot to cast a vote for Hillarity.  But a fear-driven Operation Chaos that helps choose America’s Biggest Loser definitely is not in the best interest of building a better America and fixing our problems.    

Obama deserves credit for trying to stay on a message that offers hope and seeks to unite America across racial boundaries instead of dividing America along racial boundaries for political gain.  Perhaps President Obama will somehow discover that Libertarianism of the future just might be a better way to do that than the failed Socialism of the past. Small Town America can only hope and pray that a few more of the already-elected Superdelegates might figure that out too. 

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23. April 2008 by Greg Kelver.

“If the 2008 fall election were to take place today, Republicans would have their lunch handed to them in an empty bag.  How do we Republicans ensure that the liberal secular regressives do not sweep the White House and Congress and use this unified power to install their activist, living constitutionalists?”- Republican Congressional Candidate Tony Zirkle, April 18th, 2008 http://www.tonyzirkle.com/CAMPAIGN/

Just when you think this already-too-long primary election fiasco can’t get anymore bizarre…….

With the presidential spotlight now shining on Indiana while the Clintonistas and the McPainites continue to shred Obama about his “guns and religion” comment, Republican Congressional Candidate Tony Zirkle raises the bar to an entirely new level with his campaign appearance at a National Socialist Workers Party event in Chicago

  http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12532 

Apparently, Mr. Zirkle believes that his campaign outreach to a Chicago political group that he may not have been familiar enough with “to support or oppose” is exactly what the Republican Party needs to save it from itself and give them a full lunch bag in November.

God help the Republicans.

As the current primary fight highlights, to maintain power in our incumbency protected two-party system, both of the Old Parties have to breed fear and conflict in voters.  But the political fear mongering designed to get someone to vote against the greater of two evils does not bring out the best in America - nor does it suddenly stop festering after the election is over. Mr. Zirkle’s comments about “liberal secular regressives” are perfect examples of our fundamental political fear mongering problem.  Big Government Democratic Liberals attack Big Government Republican Conservatives. While each side can clearly see the danger posed by the other side having control of government , neither can see the danger of Big Government as long as it is controlled by “their guys.”  Mr. Zirkle’s comments about his days as a “prosecutor” in Indiana going after Eastern Eurpoean gangs trafficking prostitution and pornography are troubling and more details should be provided to voters. But it is pretty ironic that while Zirkle was in Chicago for birthday cake and tributes, that city was experiencing the type of unusually violent crime rampage that will spur many more calls for Hitler style gun control. 

For clear thinking Independents, the picture in the News-Dispatch of Republican Zirkle at the celebration of  Adolf Hitler’s Birthday should be a jarring historical wakeup call of what can happen when government becomes too powerful and We The People don’t even have guns to cling to.

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17. April 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Ya gotta love how Republicans who get elected to office waving a smaller government/balanced budget banner magically morph into the biggest spenders  once they get in office.  Somebody’s Man Mitch has come up with yet another “brilliant” idea to have overburdened Hoosier Taxpayers pickup the tab for the first two years of college.

   www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/NEWS05/804170452

Indiana Taxpayers already pay an extremely high price to support Ivy Tech and the other state supported universities in Indiana. There certainly are plenty of ways for deserving students to get to college - we do not need yet another free ride entitlement program paid for by already overstressed taxpayers.  However, we DO need to radically reform our K-12 schools so that students are once again adequately trained to compete in the world after 13 years of schooling.  Better school choices at less cost to taxpayers is the concept that he and his merry band of legislators should be looking at. 

While Daniels apparently doesn’t have a plan on how to pay for his latest brainstorm, he certainly can do an election year pander that matches the biggest spenders that Democrats have to offer. We can only hope that he doesn’t mislead Hoosier Taxpayers as bad about the cost of his new education entitlement as he did about the cost of the Medicare Drug Coverage or the Iraq War when he was Bush’s director of the OMB. 

www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3738/

 www.whitehouse.gov/omb/speeches/daniels_04budget.html

Beam me up Scotty.

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8. April 2008 by Greg Kelver.

The Daily Kos has picked up that there is definite change in the air and the bandwagon is quickly picking up momentum…  

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/4/8581/30964/172/490040

Over the last eight years, the Bush Republicans have clearly demonstrated what the Clinton Democrats proved beyond doubt in the mid 1990’s - neither Old Party retains any moral authority to lead America.  Both are corrupt-at-the-core and have sold out our fundamental constitutional rights for political trinkets and cold cash.

But it is encouraging that more and more grassroots citizens are finally starting to wake-up and realize that it is time for America to find a new and better way to go forward into the future. Let us all just hope and pray that the next president finds time to read and understand the wisdom of Jefferson at the beginning of his term instead of at the end of it.

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2. April 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Because of the way Indiana and other states psychologically stack the deck against Alternative Political Parties with the taxpayer funded “primary” elections, Old Party candidates enjoy billions of dollars in free coverage from the “mainstream” media that covers their made-for-TV dog and pony show.  But come November, voters will have an opportunity (or at least the electronic illusion of an opportunity) to cast their real vote for or against the bullshit that both Old Parties have been feeding us.

Although Obama and Hillary have suddenly discovered flyover states like Indiana, thinking independents should take a serious look at what some of the other parties will be offering this fall. Congressman Ron Paul’s spirited campaign  has clearly demonstrated that there is a large chunk of America that is hungry for and highly supportive of the libertarian ideas he offered.

Unlike the false promises of “change” offered by Old Parties that are inherently incapable of changing, Ron Paul was totally serious about the changes he would make - and he has the voting record in Congress to prove it. Of course that is yet another reason why his campaign never really stood a chance to get through the GOP gatekeepers

 http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1724358,00.html  

But in my opinion, his biggest mistake was in not returning to the Libertarian Party as a candidate so that Independent voters could have an opportunity to vote for him in November.     

With more and more people clamoring for a “Third Party”, an intriguing possibility would be what would happen if delegates to the Libertarian Party Convention chose to offer voters a Barr-Gravel presidential ticket for the November general election.

Mike Gravel is a former Democratic senator who has just left the Democratic Party and joined the Libertarian Party  http://www.lp.org/media/article_573.shtml  As a former senator, Gravel clearly understands that America is not going to get fixed by either the Democrats or the Republicans - it is going to take something far larger than either of the corrupt-at-the-core Old Parties can deliver. 

Likewise former Republican Congressman Bob Barr has demonstrated that he is a highly qualified individual who has the right stuff to be trusted in a national office and is now considering a run

 http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/01/report-bob-barr-weighing-presidential-run/

Barr clearly understands the Constitution, and since joining the Libertarian Party a few years ago I suspect he has a new and better appreciation for civil liberties than he may have had as a Republican.   Barr is the serious kind of guy who won’t wait for the phone to ring at 3 AM because he will be making the necessary calls at 2 AM while Hillary, Obama, or McCain are still sound asleep.

A Barr-Gravel Libertarian ticket would offer voters a highly qualified option that could provide a much better right-left balance that is more closely aligned to Middle America than the ticket either of the Old Parties will offer this fall.  Isn’t it about time that America is once again given the opportunity to actually vote FOR something instead of being fear-mongered into voting  against the greater of two evils?

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15. March 2008 by Greg Kelver.

After watching the just concluded legislative lovefest, I think I finally understand what just happened in Indianapolis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJZvMX283u4&feature=related

It is just too bad that Hoosier Taxpayers will once again be the ones who will get kicked in the groin by  the assophants. 

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10. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

Saturday, I had the opportunity to accompany a couple of local high school students to Senator Lugar’s 31st Annual Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders at the University of Indianapolis.  It was an outstanding event that may very well be a life changing experience for several of these future leaders as they start to become more aware of an outside  world larger than themselves.  The students participated in discussions on issues such as energy, immigration, and global warming. Adults had the opportunity to hear some excellent presentations from foreign exchange students who are living in Indiana and journalist Brian Howey who had accompanied Senator Lugar and Senator Nunn on a trip to Russia commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. Howey’s account of the trip was extremely interesting but a grim reminder that the world is still an incredibly dangerous place despite the end of the Cold War and the best efforts of concerned leaders like Senator Lugar.

Senator Lugar is clearly an amazing individual and a perfect example of the type of highly respected statesman that America should have representing our diplomatic interests abroad. As a citizen, I do appreciate the leadership he has provided and his efforts to try to make the world a better place - I believe we have been very well represented by the Gentleman from Indiana.

In Northern Indiana, we don’t really have much direct media exposure to what either Senator Bayh or Senator Lugar really say on most issues. We usually just get an occasional 10 second sound bite or a couple of comments on an AP story. So it was a bit of a shock as I sat in the afternoon session where Senator Lugar answered many direct questions from the audience on a wide range of subjects.  As I listened to those candid responses, I could not figure out whether I should stand up and scream out NO, NO, NO or just lay down and hopelessly bawl because of how obviously lost the Republican Party is now from their Reagan Revolution inspired Contract with America heyday.  On domestic issues such as government schools and energy, many of the answers Senator Lugar offered land firmly on the side of more and more intervention by the federal government. For those of us who believe in the voluntary cooperation of individuals over the forced coercion of government and prefer free markets over free flowing FRN’s (aka money), it is very sad to see that the very idea of limited government has completely left what remains of the GOP tent. One question that I did want to ask Senator Lugar was how he viewed the fundraising success that republitarian Ron Paul has recently experienced and the buzz that he is creating among the internet crowd. But I suspect that I wouldn’t have found the answer to that question to have been very comforting either.

Sometimes it is pretty painful for fans to watch our superstars as their game starts to slow. But in the last election, the Indiana Democratic Party did not even bother to show up to field a candidate to run for U.S. Senate.  Although that may be the way that other countries choose to run their elections, that lack of political competition has no place in America.  As well respected as Senator Lugar may be, it is still inexcusable that the Democratic Party decided to not run a candidate to represent the interests of millions of Hoosiers at the federal level.  Indiana voters at least deserved an opportunity to cast a vote that closest represented their views and the Democratic Party failed to deliver even that.  But I am proud that the Libertarian Party did offer voters an option - and that is why we need solid third and fourth party candidates who offer real choices to independent voters at all levels.  But if ever there was a time and place where federal government involvement could be helpful, term limits for federal politicians coupled with mandating Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails to insure fair and accurate elections in an electronic age would sure be a good place to start. And if a seasoned superstar could happen to hit that one out of the park, I would love to be wildly cheering for him at the game. 

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5. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

OK.  So if a couple of Indiana  Democrats have finally figured out that a sales tax increase is a bad idea and people are going to get hurt, why can’t some Indiana Republicans figure it out too?

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/12/04/news/top_news/doc96d0c58841a7469b862573a7000f89dc.txt

Perhaps it  accidentally slipped out but at least Mr. Kitchell has figured out the root of the problem - just say no to more spending. 

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25. November 2007 by admin.

Apparently, the Governor’s race is already starting to heat up  http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/LOCAL19/711250409&template=printart

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