Politics Blog

Unfortunately, I have come down with a nasty bug and am planning on taking some medicine and probably going to bed before midnight, so I will not be posting my compilation of Polipundit readers’ (and several bloggers whose names you will recognize) favorite blog moments until sometime tomorrow. The good news is that my email and the comments thread here is still open for submissions.

Happy New Year to all and thanks so much for an incredible 2004!

UPDATE: Jeff, a Polipundit reader, has a new blog with a great post today. Check it out.

— Lorie Byrd

Yours truly predicted on the night before election day that the GOP would pick up 4-5 Senate seats. I’m now back with more political predictions for the year ahead.

There are three major prizes up for grabs this year - Governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the Mayorship of New York City. Of course we have been cheated out of our win in Washington State, but please do not let that loss get you down. There is good news in a new poll.

“The GOP polling firm Strategic Vision, LLC found that 54 percent of voters “do not believe” that the final hand recount that certified Gregoire as the victor “reflects the actual election results,” reports Friday’s Washington Times. Only 37 percent believed the recount was accurate, and that Gregoire truly defeated her GOP opponent, Dino Rossi. Nine percent were undecided. Fifty-three percent of Washington voters say the results in heavily Democratic King County, where hundreds of votes mysteriously appeared on the eve of a final recount, were not legitimate. “

Now if we can just convince Dino Rossi that he should run for the Senate, Maria Cantwell will be retired in 2006 and sent home to enjoy her fortune. Oh wait…

Back to the big three:

Virginia: Attorney General Kilgore will pick up this one for the Republican Party, humiliating current Governor Mark Warner and returning the Old Dominion to the solid GOP fold. It won’t be close. Kilgore is from Southwestern Virginia, and Kaine, the Democratic nominee, is the former Mayor of Richmond. As John Behan explains, this geographical divide is going to result in a disaster for Democrats.

New Jersey: No one knows if Acting Governor, Richard Codey will decide to take on Senator Jon Corzine in the Democratic primary. If Codey announces his candidacy, then we can expect other Democrats, including Congressman Robert Andrews to also run. Corzine, given his financial resources, might have the advantage. However Codey is from Essex County, and Andrews is from South Jersey. Between them they would put Corzine in a bind, forcing him to rely on Hudson County for his victory.

Such a situation would be tailor-made for the Republican Party, if it could ever get its act together. The GOP field is dominated by two men who have already lost statewide bids. The first is former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, who, don’t get me wrong, is brilliant. However he has no self-control and says whatever is on his mind. That’s the wrong candidate in a state that is covered by the Philly and NYC media markets. The other candidate is Doug Forrester who has deep pockets but did not impress many people with his incompetent handling of the 2002 Torricelli/Lautenberg switch.

Everything here depends on what happens in the Democratic primary. If Corzine can avoid a primary fight, he will be the heavy favorite in November. If he must fight for the nomination, then the Republicans will have a chance.

New York City: I’m actually feeling rather bullish about this one. I know that most of our readers are not fans of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. I’m certainly not a fan of his. However he is the right kind of Republican for the city. I expect the Democrats to form a circular firing squad and then to select the liberal (read: weakest) nominee. That should give Bloomberg an opening to hold this crucial position for the Republican Party.

And no, I do not want former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to run. His best bet is to seek the Governorship in 2006, crush Eliot Spitzer, and remove the Pataki team that has decimated the once-proud New York Republican Party. If Giuliani is going to run for President in 2008, the path goes through Albany.

So 2005 may be a very good year for us politically, boosting our chances in the 2006 elections that will decide the fate of both political parties in America for a generation.

— Alexander K. McClure

January 1 - Democratic Presidential Hopeful (DoH) John Kerry asks his wife, Tereza, for a loan to run for President. Tereza laughs and reminds John about the pre-nup.

January 15 - George Soros announces he will spend “whatever it takes to defeat George W. Bush“, essentially declaring that he, a foreign currency trader, intends to buy the election.

January 19 - John Kerry wins the Iowa Caucus. Howard Dean’s scream ends his viability as a candidate. America smiles.

January 20 - President Bush addresses a Joint Session of Congress, for the State of the Union speech. John Kerry is miffed that he did not get equal time.

February 1 - The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers in Superbowl XXXVIII. John Kerry later claims he was a starter, or at least wrote the playbook.

February 24 - Tereza informs America that she considers herself an ‘African-American’. A gagging sound is heard from the NAACP, as they restrain themselves from responding.

February 25 - Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” opens in American cinemas. There are no reported outbreaks of violence or protests, the film sets records for the season, and the world continues to rotate on its axis, to the consternation of the ACLU.

February 27 -The National Journal ranks John Kerry as the nation’s most Liberal Senator.

March 11 - Terrorists bomb a train station in Madrid, killing 190 and wounding more than 1,200. Spain goes Frenchy in their elections, and pulls out from the Iraq Coalition. Osama, Chirac, and Kerry cheer. Spain mourns its losses, while the Marines gut it up and move on.

March 23 - Democrats, noting their sliding numbers in the polls, blame President Bush for the “wanton, deliberate, and unrestrained use of facts” in his campaign commercials.

April 12 - John Kerry admits that his first Purple Heart had nothing to do with combat

April 19 -Polipundit announces he is bringing Guest Bloggers on board. The Democratic Party protests the use of intellect and rational analysis in an election year.

April 22 - Documents are released, revealing the first evidence of the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food scandal.

April 22 - Pat Tillman is killed in Afghanistan. The reactions from Right and Left illustrate the stakes in the election decision.

April 30 - The New York Times breaks the Abu Ghraib scandal, is also the first to blame the Bush Administration for the scandal, even though no connection is ever demonstrated.

May 11 - General Vo Nguyen Giap thanks John Kerry for his personal efforts to insure a Communist victory in Vietnam.

May 21 - In one of his more prescient moments, John Kerry considers not accepting the Democratic nomination at the Democratic National Convention, but as usual, changed his mind several times.

June 1 - In a blatant and clumsy effort to claim the VP nod, suitor John Edwards follows gifts of flowers, chocolate, jewelry and BreckTM haircare products with some cheesy poetry. Scholars later debate which did the trick.

June 5 - American legend Ronald Reagan dies.

June 10 - MoveOn.org carries an advertisement comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler. The ad runs for over 30 days.

June 11 - State Funeral and National Day of Mourning for President Ronald Reagan. Democrats suffer severe lacerations from having to bite their tongues for the entire week.

June 25 - Michael Moore’s Slanderama, “Falsify 9/11” is released in movie theaters.

June 28 - Iraqi Sovereignty is restored to the Interim Government. Iraqis cheer, the Left goes into denial.

July 12 - WhoMe.org finally “discovers” the Bush=Hitler ad on its site, leaves it playing for 48 hours after admitting it was there, then denies any connection, support, or advocacy. Moron.org also fails to apologize for the slander.

July 16 - Tereza explains to a reporter, “You pay taxes, I don’t“

July 19 - Clinton henchman Sandy “Pantsburglar” Berger is investigated for stealing classified documents from the National Archives.

July 25 -Tereza, having just finished a speech where she called for a more civil tone in politics, tells Pittsburgh Tribune reporter Colin McNickle, to “Shove it!”.

July 27 - Michael Moore’s “political independent” claim is belied by his VIP treatment at the Democratic National Convention, which he accepts as his due.

August 2 - The first Swift Boat Veterans for Truth commercial begins to air. Democrats react in panic, vitriol, and litigation, citing damage caused by an intense allergy to truth and integrity.

August 13 -After embarrassment by Swift Boat ads, John Kerry is forced to admit that he did not, in fact, visit Cambodia, after all.

August 13-29 - At the Olympics in Athens, the United States wins 103 medals, of which John Kerry admits to throwing “several” away, even though none were his.

August 29 -Laura Bush wows America at the Republican National Convention. Tereza and Hillary sulk to such an extent, that their residences are designated “Depression Danger Zones” for the next 90 days.

September 1 - Terrorists in Beslan murder 350 civilians, mostly children and women.

September 8 - CBS Parody Show “60 Versions” uses forged documents in an attempt to slander and defame President Bush. The fraud is quickly discovered by American citizens with access to working minds, a commodity lacking in the network towers. Network executives are shocked to discover that they will be held to standards, after all.

September 11th - The vicious attacks by terrorists on our nation, and the heroic sacrifice made by our troops, are remembered by the citizens and veterans of America. John and John catch up on “Sex in the City”.

October 9 - The first-ever free elections in Afghanistan are held. John Kerry demands to know why he wasn’t on the ballot in Kabul.

October 20 - Tereza informs America that mothers do not have “real jobs”

October 27 - The Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series in a sweep. John Kerry claims it was his pep talk which rallied the team. A pitcher names Schilling sets the record straight on national television.

November 2 - In a stunning upset, America decides to keep the man as President, who actually seems to know what he’s doing, and who actually is known to possess and use a backbone.

November 11 - “Saving Private Ryan” is shown, uncut, on national network television.

November 23 - Dan Rather announces his resignation from the CBS Evening Pravda desk, preferring to skulk in the background as a “contributor” to “60 Excuses” and other network fare.

— DJ Drummond

Unfortunately, I have come down with a nasty bug and am planning on taking some medicine and probably going to bed before midnight, so I will not be posting my compilation of Polipundit readers’ (and several bloggers whose names you will recognize) favorite blog moments until sometime tomorrow. The good news is that my email and the comments thread here is still open for submissions.

Happy New Year to all and thanks so much for an incredible 2004!

UPDATE: Jeff, a Polipundit reader, has a new blog with a great post today. Check it out.

— Lorie Byrd

Yours truly predicted on the night before election day that the GOP would pick up 4-5 Senate seats. I’m now back with more political predictions for the year ahead.

There are three major prizes up for grabs this year - Governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the Mayorship of New York City. Of course we have been cheated out of our win in Washington State, but please do not let that loss get you down. There is good news in a new poll.

“The GOP polling firm Strategic Vision, LLC found that 54 percent of voters “do not believe” that the final hand recount that certified Gregoire as the victor “reflects the actual election results,” reports Friday’s Washington Times. Only 37 percent believed the recount was accurate, and that Gregoire truly defeated her GOP opponent, Dino Rossi. Nine percent were undecided. Fifty-three percent of Washington voters say the results in heavily Democratic King County, where hundreds of votes mysteriously appeared on the eve of a final recount, were not legitimate. “

Now if we can just convince Dino Rossi that he should run for the Senate, Maria Cantwell will be retired in 2006 and sent home to enjoy her fortune. Oh wait…

Back to the big three:

Virginia: Attorney General Kilgore will pick up this one for the Republican Party, humiliating current Governor Mark Warner and returning the Old Dominion to the solid GOP fold. It won’t be close. Kilgore is from Southwestern Virginia, and Kaine, the Democratic nominee, is the former Mayor of Richmond. As John Behan explains, this geographical divide is going to result in a disaster for Democrats.

New Jersey: No one knows if Acting Governor, Richard Codey will decide to take on Senator Jon Corzine in the Democratic primary. If Codey announces his candidacy, then we can expect other Democrats, including Congressman Robert Andrews to also run. Corzine, given his financial resources, might have the advantage. However Codey is from Essex County, and Andrews is from South Jersey. Between them they would put Corzine in a bind, forcing him to rely on Hudson County for his victory.

Such a situation would be tailor-made for the Republican Party, if it could ever get its act together. The GOP field is dominated by two men who have already lost statewide bids. The first is former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, who, don’t get me wrong, is brilliant. However he has no self-control and says whatever is on his mind. That’s the wrong candidate in a state that is covered by the Philly and NYC media markets. The other candidate is Doug Forrester who has deep pockets but did not impress many people with his incompetent handling of the 2002 Torricelli/Lautenberg switch.

Everything here depends on what happens in the Democratic primary. If Corzine can avoid a primary fight, he will be the heavy favorite in November. If he must fight for the nomination, then the Republicans will have a chance.

New York City: I’m actually feeling rather bullish about this one. I know that most of our readers are not fans of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. I’m certainly not a fan of his. However he is the right kind of Republican for the city. I expect the Democrats to form a circular firing squad and then to select the liberal (read: weakest) nominee. That should give Bloomberg an opening to hold this crucial position for the Republican Party.

And no, I do not want former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to run. His best bet is to seek the Governorship in 2006, crush Eliot Spitzer, and remove the Pataki team that has decimated the once-proud New York Republican Party. If Giuliani is going to run for President in 2008, the path goes through Albany.

So 2005 may be a very good year for us politically, boosting our chances in the 2006 elections that will decide the fate of both political parties in America for a generation.

– Alexander K. McClure

January 1 - Democratic Presidential Hopeful (DoH) John Kerry asks his wife, Tereza, for a loan to run for President. Tereza laughs and reminds John about the pre-nup.

January 15 - George Soros announces hewill spend “whatever it takes to defeat George W. Bush“, essentially declaring that he, a foreign currency trader, intends to buy the election.

January 19 - John Kerry wins the Iowa Caucus. Howard Dean’s scream ends his viability as a candidate. America smiles.

January 20 - President Bush addresses a Joint Session of Congress, for the State of the Union speech. John Kerry is miffed that he did not get equal time.

February 1 - The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers in Superbowl XXXVIII. John Kerry later claims he was a starter, or at least wrote the playbook.

February 24 - Tereza informs America that she considers herself an ‘African-American’. A gagging sound is heard from the NAACP, as they restrain themselves from responding.

February 25 - Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” opens in American cinemas. There are no reported outbreaks of violence or protests, the film sets records for the season, and the world continues to rotate on its axis, to the consternation of the ACLU.

February 27 -The National Journal ranks John Kerry as the nation’s most Liberal Senator.

March 11 - Terrorists bomb a train station in Madrid, killing 190 and wounding more than 1,200. Spain goes Frenchy in their elections, and pulls out from the Iraq Coalition. Osama, Chirac, and Kerry cheer. Spain mourns its losses, while the Marines gut it up and move on.

March 23 - Democrats, noting their sliding numbers in the polls, blame President Bush for the “wanton, deliberate, and unrestrained use of facts” in his campaign commercials.

April 12 - John Kerry admits that his first Purple Heart had nothing to do with combat

April 19 -Polipundit announces he is bringing Guest Bloggers on board. The Democratic Party protests the use of intellect and rational analysis in an election year.

April 22 - Documents are released, revealing the first evidence of the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food scandal.

April 22 - Pat Tillman is killed in Afghanistan. The reactions from Right and Left illustrate the stakes in the election decision.

April 30 - The New York Times breaks the Abu Ghraib scandal, is also the first to blame the Bush Administration for the scandal, even though no connection is ever demonstrated.

May 11 - General Vo Nguyen Giap thanks John Kerry for his personal efforts to insure a Communist victory in Vietnam.

May 21 - In one of his more prescient moments, John Kerry considers not accepting the Democratic nomination at the Democratic National Convention, but as usual, changed his mind several times.

June 1 - In a blatant and clumsy effort to claim the VP nod, suitor John Edwards follows gifts of flowers, chocolate, jewelry and BreckTM haircare products with some cheesy poetry. Scholars later debate which did the trick.

June 5 - American legend Ronald Reagan dies.

June 10 - MoveOn.org carries an advertisement comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler. The ad runs for over 30 days.

June 11 - State Funeral and National Day of Mourning for President Ronald Reagan. Democrats suffer severe lacerations from having to bite their tongues for the entire week.

June 25 - Michael Moore’s Slanderama, “Falsify 9/11” is released in movie theaters.

June 28 - Iraqi Sovereignty is restored to the Interim Government. Iraqis cheer, the Left goes into denial.

July 12 - WhoMe.org finally “discovers” the Bush=Hitler ad on its site, leaves it playing for 48 hours after admitting it was there, then denies any connection, support, or advocacy. Moron.org also fails to apologize for the slander.

July 16 - Tereza explains to a reporter, “You pay taxes, I don’t“

July 19 - Clinton henchman Sandy “Pantsburglar” Berger is investigated for stealing classified documents from the National Archives.

July 25 -Tereza, having just finished a speech where she called for a more civil tone in politics, tells Pittsburgh Tribune reporter Colin McNickle, to “Shove it!”.

July 27 - Michael Moore’s “political independent” claim is belied by his VIP treatment at the Democratic National Convention, which he accepts as his due.

August 2 - The first Swift Boat Veterans for Truth commercial begins to air. Democrats react in panic, vitriol, and litigation, citing damage caused by an intense allergy to truth and integrity.

August 13 -After embarrassment by Swift Boat ads, John Kerry is forced to admit that he did not, in fact, visit Cambodia, after all.

August 13-29 - At the Olympics in Athens, the United States wins 103 medals, of which John Kerry admits to throwing “several” away, even though none were his.

August 29 -Laura Bush wows America at the Republican National Convention. Tereza and Hillary sulk to such an extent, that their residences are designated “Depression Danger Zones” for the next 90 days.

September 1 - Terrorists in Beslan murder 350 civilians, mostly children and women.

September 8 - CBS Parody Show “60 Versions” uses forged documents in an attempt to slander and defame President Bush. The fraud is quickly discovered by American citizens with access to working minds, a commodity lacking in the network towers. Network executives are shocked to discover that they will be held to standards, after all.

September 11th - The vicious attacks by terrorists on our nation, and the heroic sacrifice made by our troops, are remembered by the citizens and veterans of America. John and John catch up on “Sex in the City”.

October 9 - The first-ever free elections in Afghanistan are held. John Kerry demands to know why he wasn’t on the ballot in Kabul.

October 20 - Tereza informs America that mothers do not have “real jobs”

October 27 - The Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series in a sweep. John Kerry claims it was his pep talk which rallied the team. A pitcher names Schilling sets the record straight on national television.

November 2 - In a stunning upset, America decides to keep the man as President, who actually seems to know what he’s doing, and who actually is known to possess and use a backbone.

November 11 - “Saving Private Ryan” is shown, uncut, on national network television.

November 23 - Dan Rather announces his resignation from the CBS Evening Pravda desk, preferring to skulk in the background as a “contributor” to “60 Excuses” and other network fare.

— DJ Drummond