X-Tra Rant

Okay, so Newt Gingrich is right on one count, his party is fucking doomed right now. But then he tries to come up with another magic plan for change. Because his “Contract With America” was implemented so well.

1. Repeal the gas tax for the summer, and pay for the repeal by cutting domestic discretionary spending

Stupid and bad. Every economist says this is at best just a stupid idea, at worst a very very bad idea that will end up helping the oil companies.

2. Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market.

Stupid and unhelpful. Really, a couple cents a gallon? A short term fix? This does nothing.

3. Introduce a “more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill” as a replacement for the Warner-Lieberman “tax and trade” bill

I also want to introduce a “more ponies at lower cost with more rainbows and greater national security bill.” What does this even mean?

4. Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009.

Ahhh the great McCain Earmark Gambit, that keeps slowly getting rolled back as he is challenged on exactly what earmarks he’d stop with a complete moratorium.

5. Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically.

Right. because the Census is a HUGE part of our budget. Man, if only we could radically cut the census we could get that new Ponies and Rainbows bill funded!!!

6. Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system.

Weeeee!!! Space!!! Sounds great, but want to hear an expert’s take on this.  Also, like #5, really how significant is this in the scope of the entire budget? Mor ethan likely a drop in the bucket.

7. Declare English the official language of government.

Ahhh Newt, you just gotta pander to the “They Took Our Jeeerrrrrrrrrbs” crowd, eh? Is this really an issue that will save the GOP when the economy, the war and health care are the top issues? Really?

Here comes the Pander Bear!!!

8. Protect the workers’ right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union.

Ahhhh but a significant minority of Americans are in a job with unions, so looking at a poll of all Americans about the right to unionize is like asking all Americans about a ballot initiative in Alaska. It doesn’t really matter.

I got you a Cherry Picker, Newt. I hope you like it

9. Remind Americans that judges matter.

We’ve heard this one for years. It’s really helping now, eh? Pandering to little wedge issues won’t save you now.

——–

Well, that was fun.

Alright so I should be sleeping but i want to get these thoughts out before sleep chases them off into crazy Jason dream land.

• Lake county still has more to report, there are a couple precincts left in Marion and Monroe counties as well. FiveThirtyEight is projecting a Hillary win by 0.9% as of the latest update on the thread there. I was thinking 5% and 2-3 delegate win for Hillary so I will be thrilled by this.
• I’m predicting, based on nothing at all, a 1.5%, 1 delegate Hillary win. Maybe 2 delegates depending on how the CDs break down. Again, I’m thrilled with this considering that Obama kicked her ass in North Carolina and the end result is making up the popular vote ground from Pennsylvania and gaining even more ground in the pledged delegates (which, dear CNN, is what is really important)
• CNN needs to quit with the Lake County conspiracy mongering. I learned from a former state election director that Lake County is one of the counties that uses a consolidated county ballot counting system, rather than the precinct-by-precinct system used in most counties (and in Marion county). This, combined with the large number of absentee ballots (11,000+) is causing the late returns. not some anti-Hillary conspiracy.
• Sadly but not surprisingly, David Orentlicher did not win his bid for the nomination in the 7th CD. David O. would have instantly become one of the smartest congressmen in the country and a great progressive voice. I hope he gets back into the political ring soon (maybe run for Mayor if Indianapolis against Mayor Chinatowns in 2011? I would pay an admission fee to see a debate between those two).
• No one seems to be mentioning the insanely close race for the Democratic nominee to take on Governor Mitch “Mitchy Rich” Daniels. Jim Schellinger is the party approved, powers that be candidate. Jill Long Thompson is the ‘outsider.’ Currently (as of the latest results on wthr.com at 12:56am) Schellinger is up by 609 votes with 4967 of 5230 precincts reporting. So since when is the party approved, Dan Parker/Evan Bayh approved candidate eeking out a potential narrow victory an upset? When your state party chairman is the inept Evan Bayh toadie Dan Parker who can only get Schellinger’s name ID up to 50% in the weeks before the election. As much as I hate to agree with Bayh/Parker on anything, I hope Schellinger pulls this off. If I want to vote for a candidate who will pander with ridiculous gas tax holidays and engage in property tax demagoguery I’ll vote for a Republican.
• If anything came of tonight’s result in Indiana, its that Evan Bayh’s endorsement means very little when it comes to Obama vs. Hillary and that he will not get tapped as the VP. If Bayh can only deliver a tiny victory that is essentially a tie, he’s not the force among state Democrats that has been assumed by some. I am not shedding any tears over this.
• (as of 99.49% of Marion County precincts reporting) And finally, turnout was insane. 35.32% turnout of all registered voters in Marion County. Unfortunately the Indygov.org website does not list registered voters by party, but the GOP only got 45,667 ballots cast to the Dems’ 182,252. Turnout among Democrats HAS to have been well above the 50% of registered voters mark. This is awesome news for November.
• Finally finally, thanks to everyone who came out to Drinking Liberally. We had a really good crowd and it was a great time. Thanks also to Spencer and Dustin, who always treat us great at Spencer’s Stadium Tavern (802 S. West Street. Stop in and have a few beers. it’s a fantastic place)

Update:

• Looks like JLT pulled it out with the same white votes that came in for Hillary from Crown Point and such. As a friend of a friend said: “I blame Crown Point”.  JLT will get trounced by Daniels. There goes that opportunity. Heckuva job, Dan Parker.
• I still haven’t seen the delegate counts out of Indiana. Nothing official anyway. This is what matters, not the popular vote.  Will update here when I see it.
• Chris Bowers has the quote of the night:

So, please correct me if I am missing something, but if a shift of 4-5% and two or three delegates in Indiana and North Carolina is enough to end the Democratic nomination, then why didn’t anyone frakking tell us that the campaign was so close to ending? Why was there this massive kabuki theater pretending that it was still a close campaign where Clinton had a legitimate chance at winning? Why were Clinton’s attacks on Obama repeated again, and again, and again, without anyone mentioning that Clinton was a desperate candidate hanging by a thread who would probably say anything in order to stay afloat?

The reason is simple: the established media was never covering the Democratic nomination campaign. They were, instead, covering some form of kabuki theater where reality is ignored and liberals are ritually gutted on the public stage for the pleasure of elite, rich, white, male pundits who like to pretend they know what is in the mind of the “common man” or some other formulation that is equally rustic, offensive and laughable. That is all that we have been watching since the Wisconsin primary, since the delegates have not improved for Clinton since the Wisconsin primary (and have actually gotten much worse, if you include the supers). If we had been watching something else, then tonight would not be the end of the campaign, because nothing really changed tonight. If this is the end, then the last two and a half months have been a Clinton-fueled fairy tale, which is basically a white-hot lie about the nomination campaign. Puns intended in the previous sentence.

• Kim Brown won a Judge slot due to her name being at the top alphabetically, even though she wasn’t a slated candidate and most people don’t even pay attention to the judges anyway. Swell.

Well when I first read this link courtesy of CJ, I was thrown for a loop. Mayor “Chinatowns” Ballard supporting mass transit and potential taxes to make it happen? It was as if my world had been turned upside down. Bit then it all became clear at Drinking Liberally: Indianapolis last night…

Mayor Chinatowns is going to import low wage Chinese workers to build our light rail system, then put them into an area of the city so that we can have our very own Chinatowns!! Two birds, one stone bitches! Now thems The Ballard Rules!

Photos From Teh Futar!!

Photo Circa 2010: Chinese workers build the light rail line in Indianapolis.

Photo Circa 2017: Indianapolis Chinatowns, Morris & West Streets

(In all seriousness, I really do hope he is behind light and regional rail for Indianapolis. We need it badly. And thanks to Nick for the rail-chinatown connection)