2012 Texas GOP Convention Report, Part 1

There are so many things I could talk about relating to this year's Texas Republican Convention.  These thoughts will be somewhat random and will appear over the next several posts.

I was nominated by by State Republican Executive Committeeman (SREC), John Cook, to serve on the Temporary Rules Committee.  This meant that I was involved in the meetings that went on before the Convention actually opened on Thursday.  I was supposed to be there Monday at noon, but because of some mis-communication, I wasn't aware I had actually been appointed to the Committee.  I finally got there Tuesday afternoon, which was early enough to be involved in the discussion about most of the substantive rules.  I found myself on the minority side of a 22-9 vote on an issue that I felt pretty strongly about.  It was, and still is, my opinion that the then existing rule caused our Party to violate a provision of the Texas Election Code.  There are 31 Senate Districts in Texas.  Each one has a Caucus at the State Convention.  At the first meeting of that Caucus, each SD elects representatives for each of the Permanent Committees (Rules, Platform, Credentials, State Nominations).  I was elected without opposition, so I got to return to carry on with our work.  Four of our colleagues from the Temporary Committee had been defeated at their Caucuses.  After a few tweaks to allay some of the concerns from folks who had been on the Temporary Committee, the proposed rule change was presented again.  This time, my side was in the majority 17-14.  I was thrilled that we made the change to allow us to comply with the law.  I was flabbergasted that 14 people were more worried about practicalities and potential power plays than with complying with the law.

The major changes to the rules took out the term limits for Texas' members of the Republican National Committee; changed the procedure for the State Convention (the one I mentioned above); and eliminated one round for which our Delegates to the National Convention will remain bound to their pledged candidate.  The Ron Paul supporters had wanted us to change that rule to make our Delegates completely unbound at the National Convention.  First, even if we had, it would not have applied this year.  Second, there was no way we were willing to do that.  I'm not sure who in the room was actually fond of Mitt Romney, but none of us were willing to undermine the will of the majority of those who voted in the Texas Republican Primary.

The obligatory "catching up" post

It truly shocked me to see that I had not blogged since December 2010 (and that wasn't a real entry).  I blame Facebook.

Since my last real post, several things have happened.

Most importantly, my fifth daughter, Claire, was born in December 2010.

For those who followed my posts about marathon training, you should be pleased to learn that I did, indeed, complete the 2010 Dallas White Rock Marathon.  I also completed the 2011 Rock and the 2012 OKC Memorial Marathon.  I am currently training for the 2012 NYC ING Marathon in November.

I lost my job at the Dallas DA's Office at the end of 2010 and spent a few months trying to find a new job before deciding to open my own solo law practice.

My weight loss journey started back up again last fall.  During marathon training in 2010, I had lost 20 pounds.  When I took a few months off before kicking it back up in 2011, I had gained 10 of that back.  I thought I would be able to lose that 10 again just as easily as I had the year before, but it was not to be.  In fact, over the first 3 1/2 months of training last year, I gained 3 pounds to get back up to 250.  In September, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my phone and started tracking my daily caloric intake and burn.  I got down as low as 193 in April.  Right now, I'm back up a little because I haven't been as diligent as I need to be.

So, what inspired my return to this corner of the blogosphere?  I was a Delegate to the 2012 Texas Republican Convention last week.  Although I am not particularly thrilled with who wound up as the GOP Presidential nominee this year (sorry to my Ron Paul supporting friends, it really is a done deal at this point), the convention (as tiring as it was) renewed my enthusiasm for politics.  Thus, you can expect a decidedly political focus going forward.  That's not to say that I won't mention other things, but politics will be the primary subject.

I cannot believe I've been gone this long

Wow!

Really a year and a half without a post.

Am thinking it is time to get serious about regular blogging.

Spam

All of a sudden, I am getting tons of Spam comments. I've had to turn on Comment Moderation. I hate to do it, but I see no other way.

Maybe I'll do a better job of blogging.

But I make no promises.

A Few Random Thoughts

Marathon training has been a little rough. It never dawned on me that donating double red blood cells might not be a good idea when one is running about 20 miles a week.

Work has been a little weird because one of our prosecutors has had laryngitis since last Tuesday, so I've been having to go back out to the JP Courts to cover for her.

I'm about to turn 42, and I still get people who don't believe me when I tell them how old I am. Many are skeptical when I tell them how much I weigh, too.

I'm looking forward to our Pastor getting back from vacation this week. I miss his preaching.

We leave for Walt Disney World in 21 days. I anxiously anticipate seeing the looks on my kids' faces when we enter the Magic Kingdom.

Is it really possible that we might have a day with a high less than 100° this week?

Pushing It

Because of the opening of 42nd Street last Friday, I had taken the week off from running, so this morning was my first day back on the pavement since Saturday the 10th. I decided to push my pace a bit just to see if I could handle it. The schedule called for a 50 minute run. Out of that time, I walked about 5 minutes and ran the remaining 45. My pace during the running was between 11:15 & 11:30 minutes/mile, and my overall pace was 11:59 min./mile.

That's the best pace I've ever turned in.

It was pretty humid this morning, but there was an occassional breeze that felt nice.

A Long Week

This week has been pretty tiring as we have been in crunch for tonight's opening of 42nd Street at GSM. I decided that I needed to take a break from my marathon training because of the late nights, but I'll be back on that horse either Sunday or Monday morning.

The oldest three calvinatorettes started Children's Theatre camp at Terrell Actors Playhouse this week as well. They seem to be enjoying it so far. Their camp performance will be in two weeks.

Back Again

It has been a crazy spring moving into summer. As you can see from the posts below, I started running in January in an effort to get in shape and start the preparation for the White Rock Marathon.

As I'm sure anyone who is reading this knows, I appeared on Jeopardy! in June. The shows taped back in February, so that interrupted my training. I started back on the road in March and managed to run my first 5K in May. I even came in under my goal of 40 minutes.

I also was cast in a semi-professional production of 42nd Street at Garland Summer Musicals. I'll be playing Bert Barry, and we open this Friday. If you call the box office for tickets (972-205-2790), if you use my name, you get a four dollar discount per ticket.

A new approach

Okay, I've decided to get more structure for my running. A friend at work suggested Couch to 5K, so I downloaded the podcasts, and I'll be using it to help me avoid burnout and injury.

This Running Thing

I have never liked running. I would prefer to ride a bike, but I know that running is actually a better cardio-vascular workout. Plus, I have that goal of running a marathon. That's not a "bucket list" kind of thing, though. It's just something I've always wanted to do. I don't plan to expend all this effort; run the marathon; and then give up running altogether.

On today's run, about a third of a mile out, I thought, "Why the hell am I doing this?"

Right now, the only only answer I could give was, "Because I want to."

For now, that's enough.

RunKeeper Shared Fitness | Running Activity

Day 2

Ran a mile. Walked the rest. This has to get easier.

My hands were freezing, too.

RunKeeper Shared Fitness | Running Activity

Details of my first run for the dual goals of getting in better shape and Running the Rock.

Kaufman County Politics

Before the February 16th opening of early voting, I will post my opinions on the various contested races in Kaufman County and Precinct 2. I won't opine regarding the Precinct 4 Commissioner's race.

I reserve the right to restrict the comments to the political posts. I won't let my blog become a forum for the candidates and/or their supporters to campaign.

I am likely to make some people unhappy with my opinions, but I've decided the time has come to speak up without fear of alienating certain people.

Ready to Hit the Pavement

I swung over to Luke's Locker after work this evening to get some running shoes. They examined my feet and watched me walk and run to get an idea of what type of running shoe would best suit me. Turns out, I'm a "neutral." I'm still not 100% sure what all the jargon meant, but I trust that they don't want to put me in a shoe that isn't best for me because I'm sure they want me to come back as a repeat customer, and if the shoes don't fell good, I would be less likely to return.

The associate who worked with me recommended that I set a goal of doing the Half-marathon this year and the full next. I understood her point, but I still consider the full my goal for this year. I reserve the right to change my mind on that at any time.

Always look on the Bright Side

I can use the time that the Cowboys would have been playing next week and on Super Bowl Sunday to exercise.

Reset

I had received over 18,000 hits here since I first started in July 2005, but I've reset my counter to reflect the new era.

New Shoes

As I mentioned in my last post, I plan to attempt the White Rock Marathon in December. Thus, I shall need some good running shoes. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.

I'm going to get started with early training this week.

Long, Strange Trip

I can't explain why I haven't updated here since April. Let's blame it on Facebook.

Life has been through many twists and turns over the past 9 months.

To keep it short:

Work is still work.

I won an acting award for my performance in Suessical: the Musical as Best Actor in a Featured Role at the Awards Gala for Kaufman County Civic Theatre.

I decided to run for District Attorney in my county, and then at the last minute I had to drop out because of a work-related issue.

As a result of my candidacy, I missed an opportunity to appear on "Jeopardy!" I can only hope that now that I'm no longer a candidate, they will give me another shot. This is only the latest installment in this saga. You can read a brief account of my Jeopardy! Tale of Woe.

I've gained a little weight, but not so much that it's depressing.

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but I have decided to get in shape and prepare to Run the Rock in December 2010.

Go Tar Heels!!!!

Great game by UNC to win the NCAA Division I basketball championship.

I still can't figure out how Wayne Ellington was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four™ instead of Ty Lawson.

Lawson outscored Ellington and his 8 steals in championship game set a record.

Meet the Coach

My oldest three girls all started softball this morning with H.E.A.D. (Home Educators Association of Dallas). The middle two are playing T-Ball, and the oldest is playing Coach Pitch. I am one of the two coaches for that group. We don't have enough kids to make up even one team, so for now, we're just teaching some skills. We're hoping that more kids will come out in the next couple of weeks so that they can actually play some competitive games.

My oldest got hit in the head twice this morning. The first time, it was just one of those things that happens. She missed the ball when it was thrown to her, and it hit her right in front of her left ear. The second time, she was afraid of getting hit in the head, so she turned away at the wrong moment. In her effort to avoid getting hit, she wound up getting smacked in the back of her head. She is fine, if a little sore.

Not quite the ending I had hoped for

Congratulations to Penn State. The Nittany Lions played terrific perimeter defense to hinder Baylor's 3-point shooting most of the night. I would have loved my Bears to win the NIT, but I am proud of the way they pulled things together for the Big XII tournament and this one.

Back in Pain

I have a spot between my left shoulder blade and my spine that hurts on occasion. It feels like the muscle are completely knotted up. the past few days have been one of the painful occurrences. I think I am in serious need of a massage. If that doesn't take care of it, I may have to break down and go to a chiropractor.

Sic 'Em Bears

I went to the Dallas unofficial Baylor watching location for tonight's National Invitational Tournament's semi-final game with San Diego State University.

Ran into an old college fraternity brother, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the game with dozens of fellow Baylor Alums.

It's a Wonderful Life

Not just the title of my favorite movie, the heading of this post is pretty much true for me, as well. I have been blessed by God with a loving, supportive wife and four beautiful and smart daughters. My parents did a great job raising me and my brother and sister. My siblings are genuinely nice people who are always willing to listen and lend whatever support they can.

Unlike George Bailey, I wouldn't want to know how the world might have been different had I never been born, but more importantly, I wouldn't want to know how my life would have been different if any of the important people in my life hadn't come along.

Short Update

I'm still out here. Life has been hectic since November. No excuse for not at least posting a little now and then.

Work is work.

Family is fine.

Life is good.

I'll post more later after I get home from rehearsal.

Hope in Waco

My beloved Baylor Bears blew out they-who-must-be-hated, the Texas A&M Aggies. Maybe, this time, the program will be able to turn it around and become competitive in the Big XII. I have no delusions that we will ever be able to fight for a Division and Conference Title on a year-in, year-out basis, but there's no good reason why we can't get to the point of being bowl eligible every year.

2008 Presidential Election Prediction

After I did so well four years ago, I hesitate to put my prognostication skills to the test again, but here goes:

I foresee a win for Senator Obama, but not by nearly the margin that many predict. I have Obama winning 22 states plus the District of Columbia. That means Senator McCain will win more states (28) but they won't be the right ones to get him to 270 Electoral Votes. I have Obama at 273 EVs and McCain at 265. I believe the most EVs Obama will get is 291

If McCain does not win Virginia, I believe it's all over. I have never believed the possibility of flipping Pennsylvania, so McCain must win VA/FL/NC/OH/IN. Then, he has to pull out Colorado because I think New Mexico is a lost cause.

Here are the states I am calling for Obama with their Electoral Votes in parentheses:

California (55)
Colorado (9)
Connecticut (7)
Delaware (3)
District of Columbia (3)
Hawaii (4)
Iowa (7)
Illinois (21)
Maine (4)
Maryland (10)
Massachusetts (12)
Michigan (17)
Minnesota (10)
New Hampshire (4)
New Jersey (15)
New Mexico (5)
New York (31)
Oregon (7)
Pennsylvania (21)
Rhode Island (4)
Vermont (3)
Washington (11)
Wisconsin (10)

The iMac is Back

After going with the family to story time at Borders, we headed over to the Apple Store to pick up my iMac. Hurrah!

Initial Debate Reaction

John McCain needs to talk to the camera and not directly to Jim Lehrer.

His looking off to the right is off-putting.

Barack Obama sure does stammer a lot and uses the verbal filler "uh" too much.

Wonders never cease

Lo, and behold, they restored access to blogger at work. Just discovered this toward the end of my lunch hour.

Computer Woes

The logic board on our iMac has gone bad. Again. We had it replaced last November, but the new one has gone bad, too. It isn't under warranty.

Even with the cost of the repair, it is cheaper to repair than to replace.

Health Update

Went to the Doctor on Friday. I had lost 15 pounds since March. Cholesterol was down to 142. Bad Cholesterol is down to 88.

Doctor was happy. I'm happy.

I still need to lose about 50-60 pounds, but I've made a start.

Well, that went well

After that promise to start being more regular in blogging, I disappeared for a while again. Work has been nuts. We are short an attorney in our Division, so I've basically been doing the work of 2 people for about a month. We get our replacement on the 29th, and then once I get him trained, I can get back to only handling my duties.

Also, the powers that be at the office have once again blocked our access to much of the internet, so blogging on my lunch hour is much more difficult.

What's Going On?

I've been on a blog hiatus for a little while. No more.

We took a vacation to Half Moon Lake in Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Despite having no air conditioning in the lake house and no hot water the first night, it was an enjoyable time. I read 2 1/2 books and did very little else.

At work, there are some issues that have cropped up in the past week and a half, but I don't like to blog about work things, so lets just leave it at: I could use your prayers.

I'm rapidly approaching my 40th Birthday. If you haven't received an invitation to the party (some went out in the mail, some via Evite) and feel like you should, let me know. I tried to think of everybody, but I'm sure I inadvertently omitted some folks.

Another Review of Damn Yankees

Elaine Liner gives a mixed review in The Dallas Observer. The only mention of my performance gets this line, "The men's voices blend nicely on the miles and miles and miles of 'Heart.'"

Damn Yankees Reviews

The first review is online only. The best parts as far as I'm concerned were:

The singing in this version of Damn Yankees exceeds the film and original cast recording. The emphasis on this production was the vocal performances versus the dancing. The tunes are classic staples of musical theatre and have become ingrained in the popular culture. To hear them sung so well is a delight: a big treat!

* * * * *

The cast for Damn Yankees is rather large and the entire company chews up the scenery. There are no weaknesses here.

I'm not entirely sure that "chew[ing] up the scenery" is a good thing, but the reviewer seems to have meant it in a positive way.

A second review came out today on the Dallas Edge website. (A guess a warning should be given that the site is a GLBT site).

Damn Yankees opens in a week

Garland Summer Musicals production of Damn Yankees opens Friday June 20th. I play the Catcher for the Washington Senators baseball team, Smokey. I am featured in two songs, "Heart" and "The Game," and I also dance in "Shoeless Joe" and "Two Lost Souls." Our wonderful cast includes Joshua Doss as Joe Hardy, Morgana Shaw as Lola, and John Garcia as Applegate. The rest of the cast is tremendous, too.

The show should be a blast, so please come check it out.

You can order tickets by calling the Box Office at 972-205-2790. If you use my name (Marty Scott) when ordering, you will receive a $6.00 savings off the regular price of $25.00, so you will pay the cast price of $19.00 plus a $1.00 service charge per ticket.

Performances are June 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, & 29. Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Fast, Effective Weight Loss Plan

Want to lose 5 pounds overnight? Get a stomach virus like I did yesterday.

I'm feeling better already, but I was miserable from about 9:00 last night until I fell asleep at 11:30 this morning and slept for 5 hours. My stomach still isn't completely right, but I'm pretty sure the worst is over.

Quick Update

I've been busy lately. I bought a bicycle about a month and a half ago. Then, I joined a local gym a few weeks after that. In all, since I bought the bike, I have lost 11 pounds, and my waist has started to shrink already.

I finished The Philadelphia Story at KCCT in April, and yesterday, I had my first rehearsal with Garland Summer Musicals for Damn Yankees. It should be fun, but tiring.

A little sickness is going around the family. First, it was Hannah, then Erin. Tonight, my stomach started feeling not quite right. I hope I can avoid the unpleasantness the girls have had to go through.

A Theatre Milestone

I just looked again at my theatre resume and noticed that my current show is my 30th in my acting "career." That's a few more than I thought. My full resume can be found HERE.

Blind Refs?

I am no fan of Texas A&M, but they got jobbed in their game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against UCLA. Here's the photographic evidence. That was on A&M's final drive in an effort to tie the game at 51-51. In the second half of the game, A&M went over 10 minutes without a basket from the field. Several times, they took the ball inside and got rejected. I have to wonder how many of those "blocks" were really fouls as well.

Daylight Saving Time

Am I the only one who doesn't like Daylight Saving Time? There is just something wholly unnatural about having to get out of bed before the sun has come up.

Johari Window

I created my own Johari Window personality assessment. You can contribute to it here. Or you can get your own Johari Window

Arena (known to self and others) confident, intelligent, observant, witty

Blind Spot (known only to others) complex, dependable, idealistic, independent, religious, trustworthy

Façade (known only to self) friendly, self-assertive

Unknown (known to nobody) able, accepting, adaptable, bold, brave, calm, caring, cheerful, clever, dignified, energetic, extroverted, giving, happy, helpful, ingenious, introverted, kind, knowledgeable, logical, loving, mature, modest, nervous, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed, responsive, searching, self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, silly, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, warm, wise

Dominant Traits

100% of people agree that TheCalvinator is confident

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (0%) adaptable (0%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (0%) cheerful (0%) clever (0%) complex (50%) confident (100%) dependable (50%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (0%) giving (0%) happy (0%) helpful (0%) idealistic (50%) independent (50%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (50%) introverted (0%) kind (0%) knowledgeable (0%) logical (0%) loving (0%) mature (0%) modest (0%) nervous (0%) observant (50%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (0%) relaxed (0%) religious (50%) responsive (0%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (0%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (0%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (50%) warm (0%) wise (0%) witty (50%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 24.6.2008, using data from 2 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view TheCalvinator's full data.

Is this the change he means?

Take a gander at this picture taken in the Houston Barack Obama Volunteer office.



Just in case you aren't up on your Communist iconography, that's the national flag of Communist Cuba with the image of Che Guevara superimposed on it.


The image is a screen capture from the video located HERE.

Yet Another Reason I Like Mike (Huckabee)

At the California GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Library, the last question was asked of all 4 participants. "Would Ronald Reagan endorse you for President?" Governor Huckabee was fortunate to get the final word of the evening, and this is what he said:

I think it would be incredibly presumptuous and even arrogant for me to try to suggest what Ronald Reagan would do, that he would endorse any of us against the others.

Let me just say this, I'm not going to pretend he would endorse me. I wish he would. I would love that, but I endorse him, and I'm going to tell you why.

It wasn't just his specific policies, but Ronald Reagan was something more than just a policy wonk. He was a man who loved this country, and he inspired this country to believe in itself again.

What made Ronald Reagan a great president was not just the intricacies of his policies, though they were good policies. It was that he loved America and saw it as a good nation and a great nation because of the greatness of its people.

And if we can recapture that, that's when we recapture the Reagan spirit. It's that spirit that has a can-do attitude about America's futures and that makes us love our country whether we're Democrats or Republicans. And that's what I believe Ronald Reagan did -- he brought this country back together and made us believe in ourselves.

And whether he believes in us, I hope we still believe in those things which made him a great leader and a great American.

Those, my friends, are the words of a true Statesman.

Picked up at Church this Morning

It's easy to love God. It's hard to love God most.

Republicans and Limited Government

To hear some Republican establishment types, the raison d'etre of the G.O.P. is to reduce the size of the Federal Government. This has been the basis for some of the criticism of Mike Huckabee in the Presidential race. The truth is that the only candidate with any credibility on this issue is Ron Paul.

And just how many of those establishment types are supporting Ron Paul?

Exactly!

So, the next time you hear this attack aimed at Huckabee, you can ignore it because you know it's insincere.

Right Wing Nation

I used to be able to post comments at Right Wing Nation with no problem, but apparently I committed the mortal sin of defending Mike Huckabee over there, so now I'm on "administrator must approve" status.

So much for the free exchange of ideas.

The offending comment was made on this post. After rightwingprof's response, I pointed out that his calling Huckabee a "a soft on crime socialist who spits in the faces of crime victims" is no different from those who attack by calling John McCain, MCSHAMNESTYMCCAIN! And that was the type of attack that he was condemning in the original post.

People don't like it when their hypocrisy is exposed.

UPDATE: Now, he's calling me an amoral idiot. Yup, really bringing the level of discourse up over there. Really avoiding the ideological nonsense he was condemning.

Hello kettle, this is the pot . . .

Fracture

Just wondering:

Why is Mike Huckabee accused of trying to fracture the so-called Republican coalition, but Giuliani, Romney, & McCain aren't?

Social Conservatives' values are ignored by Giuliani, belittled by McCain, and pandered to by Romney.

When less than desirable candidates from a social conservative perspective are nominated (Bush '92 & Dole '96 spring immediately to mind), values voters are told that we have an obligation to support the Republican Party because the Democrats are much worse. That may be true, but it's no less fracturing than Huckabee would be in asking fiscal conservatives to come along for the ride this year. In fact, I believe that fiscal conservatives have far less to fear from Huckabee than social conservatives would have to fear from Rudy, John, or Mitt.

After all, Huckabee is the only candidate proposing to completely do away with Corporate Income Taxes.

And personal income taxes, and estate taxes, gift taxes, social security taxes, medicare taxes, self-employment taxes, and capital gains taxes.

Republican Debate: Final Assessment

Thompson disappeared in the final segment.

Final Grades:

Thompson B+
Giuliani B+
Huckabee B
McCain B-
Romney C+

The focus group was completely opposite me on First and Last. They liked Romney most and Thompson least.

They thought Huckabee's first response was weak and waffling.

The focus group thinks Romney can beat Obama. They are deluded.

This woman just said "He speaks off the cuff and is very, very well-versed." I don't think she even understood that her statement was internally contradictory.

Republican Debate: Closing Arguments

Why are you the candidate to beat the Democrat?

Giuliani: I've fought the battles and gotten things done. Has worked successfully with Republicans and Democrats

Thompson: Only one at the table who has never lost an election. National Security, tax cuts, balanced budgets, good judges, pro-life. Has the courage to speak the truth to the American people.

Huckabee: Lived a life like most people live. Believes in lower taxes, lower spending, pro-life, Second Amendment, Experience in governing and practical problem-solving.

Romney: "I got in the race because my family told me I oughta." I know how to draw on the American spirit. I will work to change Washington.

McCain: We need leadership, and I bring the experience and the knowledge necessary to make the decisions. Will reach out to Independents.

Republican Debate: McCain's Age

McCain will not pledge not to seek re-election. He's exactly right. Making that pledge would make him a lame duck from Day 1.

Huckabee took the opportunity to compliment McCain.

Republican Debate: Giuliani Scandals

Giuliani admits some mistakes, but points out that some of the attacks that have been made against him were shown to be untrue in the New York Times. He just wished it hadn't appeared on page 39.

He had a good line that if anyone hasn't made any mistakes, then that person probably hasn't ever done anything.

Republican Debate: Flip-Flopping

Romney tries to put the best face on his flip-flops. He says that yes he changed his opinions on some things. Then, he turns around and fires off his litany of negative attacks on Huckabee.

Republican Debate: Negative Campaigning

They showed clips of two of Romney's attack ads against Huckabee and McCain.

Huckabee echoed something I've said, that people want to vote FOR somebody and not AGAINST somebody.

Romney claims his ads are not attack ads. I think the voters in Iowa told us differently. Romney recited his tired line about not touching his hair. Can this man be any more plastic?

Republican Debate: Second Break Assessment

Whew, that Immigration section was painful.

Interim Grades:

Thompson A-
Huckabee B
Giuliani B
McCain B-
Romney C+

Republican Debate: Immigration

Boring. Nothing new from anybody.

Republican Debate: The Table Dynamic

Once again, it seems to be coming through that 4 of these guys like each other, but none of those four really like Romney.

I think the sitting down works against Huckabee. He seems to be more in his element behind a lectern than sitting around a table.

Republican Debate: Huckabee on Foreign Policy

Huckabee promotes his travels abroad. Nothing new there. Now points out that he has more Executive experience than anyone else in the race. Maybe non-political junkies haven't heard this, but nothing new is coming out here.

Huckabee says that his convictions and moral clarity count for more than experience when it comes to Foreign Policy.

Republican Debate: Too much Romney/McCain

I guess it makes sense since they are polling 1 & 2 in New Hampshire, but it's making for a boring debate. We need more Giuliani and Huckabee to liven things up.

Republican Debate: Leadership vs. Experience

Romney sounds too much like a CEO. People want inspiration, not cold, calculating analysis.

McCain tries to sound cute, and it falls flat like his "you are the candidate of change" remark last night. When he says that some of those Governors who got elected President didn't work out too well, the Republican audience is more likely to think of George W. Bush & Ronald Reagan than Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Republican Debate: First Break Assessment

Nobody is doing great. Nobody has completely lost it though.

Interim grades

Giuliani B+
Thompson B
Huckabee B-
Romney B-
McCain C+

McCain would have graded much higher, but his crowing about pushing Campaign Finance Reform cost him dearly.

Republican Debate: Change part 3

Thompson needs to stop mentioning Social Security. He's starting to sound pessimistic.

Giuliani makes a good point that change for change's sake is not good. We need good change, not bad change like the Democrats would promote.

Republican Debate: Change part 2

Romney tries to ride the coattails of Huckabee on his success in Iowa. Romney claims that his 2nd place finish shows that they liked him as an agent of change.

That's new spin from Romney for his colossal collapse in Iowa.

Republican Debate: Change

McCain claims to have been an agent of change for years. His specific example is his encouragement to the Administration to get rid of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.

Touted Campaign Finance reform.

YIKES!!!!

Romney once again backs off an attack he made when the object of the attack wasn't around because now the object is sitting right next to him.

Republican Debate: FairTax part 2

Candidates are asked if they think the FairTax is a good idea or a bad idea.

Giuliani: Went off on a tangent about his WorkFare program in NYC. Never answered.

Thompson: Likes certain elements of the FairTax. Fears that we wouldn't get rid of the Income Tax, so that we would end up with both Consumption and Income Taxes. Wants a flatter Income Tax. Said any plan must be revenue-neutral. My question would be Why??? Why not reduce spending?

Republican Debate: FairTax

Good move by Huckabee swinging the Corporate issue to the FairTax. He touted that he's the only one promoting a plan that would completely eliminate Corporate taxes.

Republican Debate: Populism

Huckabee is talking about the struggles of average Americans. I saw a stat yesterday that 80% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. It's that 80% that Huckabee is talking about. It doesn't make those people think the economy is in the toilet, but they don't think things are great just because the Dow Jones is hitting record highs. That's not class warfare. Rather, it's a recognition that the Republican Party needs to be the Party of the MIddle Class, not just the Upper Class.

Republican Debate: Fred Thompson

Fred is sounding much better than he did last night in the Facebook debate. Last night, he came across as gruff. Tonight, he sounds energetic.

Live Blogging the Republican FoxNews Debate

I just got my wireless network back up. First question goes after Romney for his Fee (read: Tax) increases.

Romney has a hard time articulating when things aren't going his way. He stammered and sputtered regularly. He tried to attack Huckabee on his record as Governor of Arkansas. Huck should have flipped something Romney said about prior funding. Romney had claimed that certain fees were too low (in Taxachusetts???), so he had to raise them. Huckabee could have pointed out that nobody in Arkansas history had allocated taxes to preserve and improve the infrastructure (read: Roads), so the tax increases were necessary to provide basic services, such as education and roads.

Reading Lips, etc.

It looked to me like Hillary Clinton just told Rudy, "You were great."

What was up with McCain hugging everyone? I didn't see if he hugged Hillary, but he gave Obama and Edwards big hugs.

McCain's Barb at Romney

John McCain tried to get a hit in on Romney by saying that he wanted to say that Romney is definitely the Candidate of Change.

I say "tried" because it took more than a few seconds to figure out that it was an attack, and what that attack was supposed to mean. I finally figured out that it was supposed to refer to Romney's flip-flopping, but because I had to take those few seconds, the moment had passed.

Facebook Debate

I'm watching the Republican ABC/WMUR/Facebook debate. I don't pretend to be objective, but my take is this:

Positive: Huckabee & Giuliani
Negative: Romney & Paul
Mixed: Thompson & McCain

Thompson comes across as a bit gruff, even when he's making a good point. Actually, especially when he's making a good point.

McCain was practically absent most of the debate. When he did speak up, he sounded okay.

Romney looked old and tired at first, but he livened up. Unfortunately, he was lively but wrong most of the time.

Paul sounds like a kook, even when he's right.

Huckabee got solid hits every time he spoke.

Giuliani defended himself well without sounding defensive. He also got the best zinger of the night when he mentioned that Reagan had an Amnesty plan, so he would have ended up getting attacked in one of Romney's negative ads.

A Little Levity

Let's get away from politics.

The site has a few videos you should check out. "The Home School Family" music video is pretty good, and the guy's stand-up is funny and clean.

Ron Paul

If you read a lot of political writing (like I do), if the online story allows for reader comments, it usually doesn't take too long before the Ron Paul supporters start flooding the comments with their opinions about how Paul is the only electable Republican for President and how the MSM is suppressing him and his message. I always seek out the Liberty Caucus booth at the Texas Republican State Convention, and I am somewhat libertarian leaning, but I don't support Ron Paul's Presidential campaign.

Why?

Partly because despite his devotees' insistence to the contrary, he would be crushed in November 2008.

Mainly, however, because we don't need one Ron Paul in the White House. What we need is about 218 of them in the House of Representatives. Fifty-one in the Senate would be nice, too. We need serious, dedicated Constitutionalists in Congress. Right now, we have a handful. If we accept that a candidate could not get the endorsement of the Liberty Caucus without being mostly right on the Constitution, we have about 20 members of the House of Representatives who fit the bill.

The Ron Paulites remind me quite a bit of the Constitution Party folks. They want the White House, but they would be better off working toward electing candidates to lower offices. That would lay the groundwork for a President down the road.

Electability

My brother commented earlier:

on electability, see my blog posts where i analyze voter trends back into the 80s, and conclude that Huckabee would get 50.4% of the vote, in a pure head-to-head race against an undetermined Democrat.

http://huck-the-system.blogspot.com/2007/11/pew-political-typologies.html

http://huck-the-system.blogspot.com/2007/12/typologies-potus-vote-patterns.html

Let me be clear, I'm not conceding the prevailing opinion that Huckabee is less electable than, say Giuliani. In fact, Rasmussen's latest Head-to-heads show Huckabee doing better against Clinton than anyone other than McCain.

Of course, National polls are meaningless. Not just now, but always in Presidential Politics. Thanks to the Electoral College system, the Presidential election is really a series of 50 State races rather than a national race. It's nice to garner the Majority (or even a plurality as Bill Clinton demonstrated), but it's not necessary, as George W. Bush proved in 2000.

However, perhaps even more telling for Huckabee, his Favorable rating is higher than all the Republican candidates other than McCain, and his negatives are the lowest of the main Republican contenders. Duncan Hunter is lower in unfavorables, but I'm certain that's because nobody knows who he is. Given his low recognition, his Unfavorable rating is actually pretty high.

If Huckabee can win the Republican Nomination, his chance of winning in November 2008 is as good as any other Republican's, and better than some.

Vote For, Not Against

One of the main reasons I finally decided to support Mike Huckabee for President in 2008 is that I like the prospect of voting for somebody rather than against someone else. In 2004, I noted to anyone who would listen that John Kerry wouldn't beat Bush because it is too tough to rally people long-term in voting against somebody. The Democrats kept talking about how much they hated Bush, and they tried to turn out the vote with an anti-Bush message rather than a pro-Kerry one.

I feared that 2008 would be a mirror image. Only this time, it would be Republicans trying to GOTV with appeals to the scariness of Hillary Clinton (and make no mistake about it, she is plenty scary). This strategy is a loser. It's also why I never jumped on the electability bandwagon. In the Republican race so far, "electability" has most often been defined as "somebody who can beat Hillary." Yes, several people would be inspired to come out to vote against Hillary, but firming up that support is much easier if the Republican is someone the people want to vote for.

Mike Huckabee is the kind of candidate that many people will want to vote for, even if they don't agree with him on every issue. I've only voted "against" somebody once in my life. That was in 1996. I wasn't particularly thrilled with Bob Dole, but I knew he was preferable to Bill Clinton.

I'm excited to have a candidate I can vote for in 2008.

No Stranger to Dark Horses

My "late to the party" support of Mike Huckabee for President in 2008 isn't the first time I've latched onto a so-called Dark Horse Candidate. In 1996, I made my first ever political contribution to Alan Keyes. I even drove from Waco to Denton to hear him speak in person. Maybe it was that Quixotic support that cause me to hold back so long on Huckabee. I didn't want to pick a candidate with absolutely no shot at getting the nomination. Now, as I examine the polls, I think there's good reason to think that this race has become Huckabee's to lose.

First, the attacks aren't sticking.  Reagan was called the Teflon President.  Huckabee may very well be 2008's Teflon Candidate.

Second, Fred Thompson has to drop out sooner or later.  I'd prefer it be before South Carolina, but even if he waits until after South Carolina, as long as he exits before February 5th, this can only help Huckabee.  There's no way to know for sure, but once Thompson drops out, the most logical place for his supporters to go is to Huckabee.  Except, if McCain is still in the race, Thompson might endorse McCain.

Third, except for Thompson, there's really no other viable choice for Christian Republicans.  I'm not knocking my friends who have chosen for various reasons to support Giuliani, but I just don't buy the "Rudy is the only one who can beat Hillary" argument.  Duncan Hunter may be a fine man and would likely be a good President, but barring some sort of miracle, he's dead.  Maybe he'll realize it after Iowa and New Hampshire.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Uncle Don.  He turns 66 today.

In case you don't catch the significance of that, he was born on Pearl Harbor day.

Huck the System

That's the title of my brother's pro-Mike Huckabee blog. I don't agree with former Governor Huckabee on 100% of the issues, but he's the closest I'm gonna get this year in any reasonably viable candidate. I won't have to hold my nose to vote for him like I would if most of the other Republican candidates got the nomination.

Religious Tests

Much has been made lately about the US Constitution's prohibition against Religious Tests for public office.  It has been implied in several op-ed pieces that this legal restriction has (or should have) a far broader application than it does.  The Constitution rightly prohibits the government from requiring a candidate to espouse a belief in any given religious tenet, or even any religious tenet at all, in order to be eligible for office.  This does not, however, apply to individual voters.  If a voter has a personal requirement that a candidate be of a particular faith, there is no Consitutional violation.  If I want to insist that I will only vote for Evangelical Christians (I don't have such a requirement), I can do that, and by doing so, I am not violating the Constitution, nor am I violating any nebulous idea of separation of Church and State.

After Mitt Romney gave his "Mormon Speech" yesterday (which wasn't really a "Mormon Speech" at all), some pundits criticized him for giving credence to those who would let religion affect their voting decisions.  First, Romney was being far more realistic about the issue than his critics.  Second, his critics are wrong.  Third, many of his critics are hypocrits.

Romney is more realistic because a large percentage of Republican Primary voters do care about religion, and among those, a large percentage have serious concerns about voting for a Mormon.  His critics are wrong because of the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph.  A personal Religious Test is neither unconstitutional, nor unreasonable.  The hypocrisy of the critics can be found in the fact that many of them believe that a candidate who accepts the Bible as authoritative and believes that his faith should guide his actions should be disqualified from being President.  In short, they apply a sort of anti-Religious Test.

I am not writing this to defend Romney.  I have decided to support Mike Huckabee.

I think something he said in the speech was very significant.

Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience.

Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.

Romney jettisoned his supposed pro-life beliefs in order to become Governor of Massachusetts.  Now, he has jettisoned his supposed pro-choice beliefs in an effort to secure the Republican nomination.  Republicans should reject him because of this, not because he is a Mormon. 

 

A New Beginning

I've put on a few pounds recently. After losing 50 pounds three years ago, I've let 25-30 of them creep back onto my frame. It's time to do something about that. I got back up on the Gazelle Freestyle Elite tonight for thirty minutes.

I need to get rid of the excess baggage.

Here's the new "BEFORE" pic:

Reason #7143 why I love Apple

I got my iMac back after only 2 days. It's better than new.

I am oh, so very happy.

Links

Until I get my computer back, any link I post here will not be properly formatted.  It's rather frustrating.

Computer Woes

First, the bad news. My iMac G5 died a few days ago. I took it to the Genius Bar at the nearest Apple Store today. It didn't take long for the guy to come back with the even worse news. The logic board and the power supply had both gone bad.

More bad news. I didn't purchase the extended Apple Care Plan when I bought the computer in 2005, so the warranty expired over a year ago.

But then, there's good news.

It turns out that the logic board/power supply problem was a known issue with my model, so even though I'm not under Warranty, Apple is still going to replace the parts at no charge. Otherwise, it would have cost me about $800.

It's Birthday time

calvinatorette IV is three years old today. My, how time flies.

The Rest of the Republican Field and all the Democrats Tremble in Fear

Chuck Norris Endorses Mike Huckabee for President

Pics from Brighton Beach

I have posted a couple of pictures of the set from my latest show Brighton Beach Memoirs over at my theatre blog.

Computer Issues

We had lost internet access at home a few days ago. We were sure it was a problem with our ISP, but it turns out our Ethernet port was dead. Unlike some computers, the iMac does not have a swapable ethernet card. To replace it would require replacing the entire logic board. Instead, I decided to get an Apple Airport Express base. Once I opened it up and plugged it in, we had internet access in about 30 seconds. Also, if we ever invest in newer computers for the calvinatorettes or Macbooks for me or Mrs. Calvinator, we can access the internet on all of them through the wireless hub.

For those who haven't seen

Here's a picture of my newish tattoo.

I got it in celebration of my 39th Birthday.



Creideamh = Faith
Grá = Love
Dóchas = Hope

UPDATE: In response to my brother's suggestion, I will reveal that the tattoo is on my upper left arm and shoulder area.

Weight Update

I have somehow managed to drop 8.5 pounds in the past 6 weeks or so.  I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary.  In fact, I think I've probably eaten worse than usual.

Whatever the cause, I'll take it. 

Living in a Van Down By the River

Just because you can never watch this too many times:

Come to the Beach

I Directed Brighton Beach Memoirs for Kaufman County Civic Theatre. We opened Friday, have a matinee tomorrow at 2pm, and run for two more weekends. You can leave a comment here and let me know you're coming (I'm also running the light board—It is community theatre after all), or you can call the theatre at 972-563-8991 and leave a voicemail for reservations.

Tickets are $12 ($10 for Senior Citizens).

If you come, I'll go have a drink with you after the show. Terrell has a really great place to get a Margarita! If you're under 21, you can always come along and get a Dr Pepper. ;)

The show is rated PG-13 for language and some adult discussions.

Please come. I think you'll like it.

My Car is Mine

We made the final payment on my '02 Olds Intrigue late last month. The Title arrived in the mail today. After five years, and over 100,000 miles, I own the sucker free and clear. It hasn't been the most trouble-free car in the world, but overall, it hasn't been too bad. It will be nice not to have that $300+ car payment every month.

Something to Ponder

Does buying a Sport Bike turn people stupid, or do only stupid people buy Sport Bikes?

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

I awoke at 3:20 a.m. this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went ahead and got out of bed at 4:00, got ready, and came on in to work.  I got to the office at 6:15.  Still dark.

I figure that I'll be "crashing" by 10:00 this morning, but for right now, I seem to be doing okay.

It is, however, already time for a 20 oz. Diet Dr Pepper. 

Here I Am Again, Fellas

Up way too late when I have to be in Court in the morning (I can't think of those words without thinking of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. Speaking of Neil Simon, I'm directing Brighton Beach Memoirs at KCCT. Rehearsals don't start until August 27th. Thankfully, I have been able to cast the entire show. Now, I want to make sure we promote the heck out of it because its a great show that I think people will enjoy, and it would be a shame if we only average audiences of 20.

If I were a Simpson

I finally got around to getting my very own Simpsons character based on a picture of me. You can do yours here.

So, without further ado . . .

TADA!
























Okay, so that was a little more ado.

Toddler Logic

Tonight after dinner, I had a Philly Swirl, Reduced Fat Sugar-Free Fudge & Chocolate bar. My daughters asked if they could have one, but we don't let them have things with artificial sweeteners, so I said, "They're only for grown-ups. Calvinatorette IV, our almost 3 year old, said "Can I be a grown-up?"

Worst Blogger Ever

That'd be me. I think of things I want to say, and then when I get to the computer, I forget them.