Democrats outnumber Republicans in Pinellas County

From the St. Petersburg Times, it appears the county I grew up in has changing politics.

Pinellas County has turned blue, at least when it comes to voter registration in this GOP stronghold.

For the first time in more than two decades, figures from the Supervisor of Elections Office Friday showed registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans, 233,240 to 233,181.

The last time Democrats had the edge, according to records from the supervisor’s office, was in 1984. A decade ago, Republicans enjoyed a 30,000-voter advantage.

When my mom and dad moved there in 1963, they could only register as Democrats.

The reasons?

• National discontent with the GOP.
• Pinellas is becoming younger and more diverse

But what do voter registrations really tell us?

[R]egistration figures only tell part of the story. There are more Democrats in Florida than Republicans, yet the GOP controls nearly all levers [sic] of state government.

I guess we’ll see what happens. In Florida and nationwide.

Another potential McCain VP?

From The Week magazine’s website

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina has been touring poorer parts of the country with Republican presidential candidate John McCain, acting as an economic adviser and campaign surrogate. Fiorina, named the GOP’s ceremonial “Victory” chairwoman for 2008, is reportedly on McCain’s short list of vice presidential choices. (The Wall Street Journal) “We could do a lot worse than Carly,” said Republican National Committee Deputy Chairman Frank Donatelli. (NBC11.com)

What the commentators said
Carly Fiorina? Come on, said Shawn Wasson in the blog The News Junkie. She was a “failed executive” at HP, and “if she can’t run a computer company, she certainly can’t run this country.” If this isn’t a ploy on Fiorina’s part to garner “a little positive publicity for herself,” it’s clearly a “calculated move” to “confuse” the Democrats.

Of course, we saw comments like this at Sean Hackbarth’s also interview at The American Mind when she was in the area with McCain earlier this month.

But maybe since good business people haven’t done that well with the economy, we should let some poor business people try.

Will McCain ask Mitt Romney to be Vice President?

Redmanbluestate asks the question

I answer. Only if he loans the general election campaign as much as he loaned himself.

Republican VP choices

THEWEEKDaily.com gathers the op/ed pieces that speculate on whom John McCain should choose.

Romney Endorses McCain

From CBS News,

Republican campaign dropout Mitt Romney endorsed John McCain for the party’s presidential nomination and asked his national convention delegates to swing behind the likely nominee.

If, in fact, Romney’s delegates follow his recommendation, it should just about seal the nomination for McCain, depending on how you see the delegate situation playing out (I don’t think I’ve found two sources that agree on how many delegates any of the candidates have).

Fred Thompson Backs McCain

A tip of the conservative ball cap to James Wigderson.

No surprise here.

Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain Friday, calling on the party to “close ranks” behind the presumed nominee.

What happened to Mitt Romney?

Mitt Romney’s difficulties can be shown by these two pieces.

First Mark R. Levin on National Review Online goes through a litany of problems with John McCain and thinks we need to back Romney now to avoid a McCain nomination.

Then in The New York Observer, Steve Kornacki writes,

But for all of Romney’s griping, there is a certain justice in his campaign being sullied by such a disingenuous gambit. Romney, after all, has built his entire campaign on disingenuousness, wrapping himself in a language and ideology that he once told Massachusetts voters repulsed him.

So there you have it. He was the “only” conservative who could beat McCain, yet conservatives didn’t really trust him because of his flip-flops.

Romney ends his campaign

UPDATE: And now it’s official. The transcript of his speech is here and video is here. Fraley gives a good review here.

From Yahoo! News,

Mitt Romney will either suspend his presidential campaign or withdraw completely from the presidential race, The Associated Press has learned.

This would effectively give the nomination to John McCain, spin from the Huckabee and Paul camps notwithstanding.

According to the delegate count at RealClearPolitics.com, McCain has 720, Romney 279, Huckabee 194 and Paul 14.

Tommy Thompson endorses McCain

Did this surprise anyone?

McCain-Huckabee

The news media and the blogosphere, especially that part of the Cheddarsphere here in southeastern Wisconsin have been speculating (although some are skeptical) on some kind of deal worked out between John McCain and Mike Huckabee in that Huckabee would become McCain’s vice presidential candidate if (now when) McCain secures the Republican nomination.

It would be hard not to draw that conclusion. After Huckabee lost three consecutive races, after South Carolina, he stayed in the race. He has been polite and praising John McCain, while negative toward Mitt Romney. And then there was the West Virginia convention.

But I don’t see Huckabee as being the best match. If McCain is hoping to offer an olive branch to listeners/readers/followers of Limbaugh-Coulter-Glenn Beck, I don’t think Huckabee has too great a standing with them either. He might help with social conservatives (evangelicals, et al.).

McCain’s age will force him to look for a younger person that could be seen as stepping into the Presidency (e.g., NOT Dan Quayle). The presence of Obama, Clinton or both on the Democratic ticket will bring pressure to select a woman or an African American or both (Condi Rice, anyone?). And there is the regional balance, seemingly less important in McCain’s case since he’s done well in the NE and South.

Fred Thompson would be an obvious choice. Would Fred take it? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened this cycle. Fred is a friend of McCain and might do it for the good of the party. Fred would appeal to all three conservative factions (fiscal, social and security).

But Fred’s not young.

Rice is connected with the administration and I don’t think McCain will go for anyone with connections to this administration.

Fred Dooley has predicted Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi. He’s youngish (60), conservative like Thompson, and has worked with Democrats in Mississippi.

There is also Romney, although it would be hard to imagine these two getting together now. But if Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan could almost do it, I suppose anything is possible, especially in politics.

Other candidates are possible, Hunter or Tancredo. They might help McCain in the mountain west, where Romney won on Tuesday.

Who else is there? Or is there no one who would save this ticket from a revolt on the right?

The perfect conservative?

In Monday’s Waukesha Freeman, Victor Davis Hanson has a sober look at the Reagan presidency. His observations:

1. Reagan raised taxes.
2. Expanded government departments, rather than eliminate those he promised to eliminate.
3. Two of his Supreme Court appointments, O’Connor and Kennedy are more liberal than George W. Bush’s appointments, Roberts and Alito.
4. Signed the 1986 immigration bill, the source of many of our immigration problems today, granting amnesty to illegal aliens.
5. Advocated nuclear disarmament.
6. Failing to retaliate against terrorists in Lebanon after the explosion that killed 241 Marines helped embolden Hezbollah.
7. Selling missiles to Iran’s terrorist-sponsoring theocracy, in Iran Contra.

In short, he sometimes baffled his conservative base, this writer included.

He concludes,

So what is the real Reagan legacy? It is mostly the great communicator’s uncanny ability to distill complex problems, offer a more conservative solution than America was used to or ready for, and then inspire and enact difficult change through a brilliant “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” turn of phrase.

… But these candidates [Ed. And their followers] only do his memory – and their own careers – a disservice by claiming sainthood for Ronald Reagan, and thereby demanding a standard of immaculate conservative conduct that neither Reagan nor they could ever attain.[Italics mine]

Comment?

More reaction on the Republican You-Tube Debate

Eric at THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS had a good summary, I thought. This is but one small example,

One person asked what 3 programs or entities would be killed. Thompson mentioned social security and medicare but then backtracked if they were the top 3. He mentioned the OMB list of 100. Rupaul mentioned the department of education, energy, and homeland security. He may be nuts, but he at least answered the question. [Ed. - And not badly, IMO] Huckabee pandered by mentioning the IRS.

The Recess Supervisor criticized the question selection, something I and quite a few others have done. This section was especially good,

Congratulations America, you are filled with idiots. It’s like CNN picked a bunch of questions to deliberately make the GOP look bad. Why is it that we never ask Democrats about the Bible, or what federal programs, if any, they might act? CNN has a debate for them and it’s filled with a bunch of people asking “will you give me a handout too?” Gosh, that’s tough for a Democrat to answer.

He also has five entertaining questions for Democrats next time. They are entertaining.

And Christian Schneider at Atomic Trousers had his own view of things, as always,

Under normal circumstances, I’d rather staple my lips to a zamboni machine than watch another GOP debate.

That pretty well gives the tenor of his post.

Pat Robertson Endorses Giuliani for President

This is huge

Rudolph W. Giuliani scored a coup today by winning the support of Pat Robertson, who, as one of the nation’s best-known televangelists, could help Mr. Giuliani reassure Republicans who are wary of his support for abortion rights and gay rights.

Yes, the dude says some off-the-wall things, but he also has the ear of a large segment of the Christian Right. This has got to be a blow to Romney and Huckabee.

Also, former candidate Sam Brownback endorsed John McCain for the Republican nomination.

“John McCain has spent a lifetime standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24-year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn.”

They can hope all they want …

GOP Hopes Voter Anger Cuts Both Way (from Breitbart.com)

Republican strategists hope a volatile electorate will save the party from congressional losses in 2008 that appear possible due to a string of setbacks.

Democrats hold clear edges in raising money, limiting retirements and deflecting public anger.

In the latest sign, the party’s House campaign committee said Wednesday it has about $25 million to spend on targeted races next year; its Republican counterpart is in debt.

Facing such news, the GOP’s top House strategist summoned reporters to his campaign headquarters to put the best possible light on matters.

In short, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., people are angry at lawmakers and the Democratic-controlled Congress in general, and massive fundraising will not save Democratic incumbents from voters’ wrath.

Wow. Am I the only one getting dizzy here?

Another Republican in Congress to Retire

From AP via Breitbart

Rep. David Hobson, a nine-term Republican from Ohio, announced plans to retire Sunday, the 12th member of his party to do so since the beginning of the year.

“I wanted to go out on top,” said Hobson, who said his health is good. He would have faced token opposition at best had he sought a new term.

Who else? Maybe we should have a pool on the next one to retire. Sensenbrenner?

Romney Says He Represents GOP Values

From Breitbart News

Republican Mitt Romney criticized presidential rival Rudy Giuliani on Friday, arguing that his own real-world experience and socially conservative values represent the “Republican wing of the Republican Party.”

This, of course, is contrasted with the time he was governor of Massachusetts and espoused fairly liberal views.

I agree with Newt

From Yahoo! News

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that top tier Republican presidential candidates are making a mistake by skipping a forum focused on issues of importance to black voters.

Again, this touches on a point I made recently, if we believe we are right, we should compete for the hearts and minds of all voters.

More Republican debate reaction

Video of the debate can be found here.

Jessica McBride posted here, here, and here.

Prof. Althouse points to the Washington Post summary.

Daniel at GOP3:The Triumvirate thought Huckabee had a good night.

Aaron at BiPolarNation.com has this reflection.

Badattitudebaptist tells us he’s supporting Huckabee.