Nobody who cares about America wants to see a bad president in the White House.  So  for those who may be voting for the first time but don’t know a heck of a lot about politics, what follows is a handy guide of do’s and don’ts for the coming election in November:

(1) Don’t vote for the person who simply smiles better or cuts a more dashing appearance.  Do vote for the person who appears more “real.”  Remember that boring old adage your elders told you, “Don’t judge a book by its cover?”  Well, guess what?  It’s true.  Demeanor and looks won’t produce  policies that will prevent terrorist attacks so you and your friends (or somebody else and their friends) don’t get incinerated — you know, like those poor people in far-away lands you see on TV every so often, or, for that matter, 3,000 of your fellow Americans on……now when was that day?….oh, yes, September 11….of course…..

(2) Don’t vote for the better talker.  Do vote for the one who knows what they’re talking about.   The purpose of hearing a speech is not to get your ears tickled.  It’s to glean what the speaker will do if elected.  Once you find that out, you can make an informed choice on whether the candidate deserves your vote.  

(3) Don’t vote for the one who “inspires” you more.  Do vote for the one whose ideas are better for the country and for the people you care about — including you.  If you want to hear a pep talk, hire a life coach.

(4) Don’t vote for the candidate who wields a tax club (or any other kind of club) to divide the rich against the poor or everybody else.  Do vote for the one whose policies work for the whole nation.   This is not the Middle Ages; it’s the modern interdependent world.  The shin bone’s connected to the ankle bone, so no matter who gets their taxes raised, others will get hurt, too.   No pity parties for the rich, but we don’t want to be biting our noses to spite our faces.  Friends don’t let friends vote for high taxes on anybody.   If the government’s devouring more than what’s coming in, raising the tax burden isn’t the answer.  What it needs is to go on a diet. 

(5) Don’t vote for a candidate who blames the messenger when the news is bad.  Do vote for a candidate who heeds the message, precisely when it is bad.   High gas prices are the messenger.  So what’s the message?   Not enough oil and too many people wanting to buy  oil.  And the answer?   For the consumer — buy less of it.  (Do we really have a choice?)For the folks who produce it — In the short run, let them drill for more oil — unless you enjoy emptying your wallet with every trip to the pump.  And in the long run, well, you know the rest — alternative energy. 

This is a good start.  Privileged person that you are, you are among the few human beings in history who actually will have a say in choosing who the most powerful person in the world will be starting next January.  So consider these things between now and Election Day.

 It looks like the New York Times, America’s paper of liberal record, has been caught with its pants down again.

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The “virtual fence” isn’t working. Perhaps they should build a real one?

Story from page A-1 of the Washington Post.

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To: Republican Candidates for President

From: Your Friendly Republican Base (most of us, at least)

Date: Now

Re: How to Win our Support

(1) To John McCain: We like your courage and prescience on foreign policy, particularly Iraq. You’re acceptable on (continue reading post »)

The latest from pundit-land is “no” since up to 50% of Americans say they will definitely not vote for her.

But for those of us who have watched her public appearances over time, from speeches to debates, the answer isn’t so clear.

Here’s a good analogy: If you’ve seen the original Rocky movie on DVD (or VHS), you may recall a scene where Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion, (continue reading post »)

Last week, the NAACP held its annual convention in Detroit and, true to form, chairman Julian Bond in his opening remarks uttered something breathtakingly asinine. He accused Uncle Sam of “lynching” blacks in New Orleans by essentially failing to find a magic wand to wave over the city and make its post-Katrina ills go away.

Truth be told, Katrina merely highlighted New Orleans’ pre-existing problems — namely (continue reading post »)

From spending to immigration, many conservatives are disappointed in President Bush, with some labeling his presidency a disaster for conservative values and principles.

Are they right? (continue reading post »)

Senate leaders agreed today that they would wait until June to act on the bipartisan “immigration reform” compromise which is quickly unraveling before everyone’s eyes.

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It’s becoming increasingly clear that Rudy Giuliani has an obvious problem: Since he has refused to move away from his radical-left position on abortion, his only path to the nomination is to be tougher than tough on the war on terror. Yet it took Ron Paul’s blaming America for 9/11 to get Rudy any traction in the second presidential debate on what was supposed to be his number-one issue. Worse, at the end of the debate, it was Mitt Romney and Duncan Hunter who had the most authentically strong responses to the questioner’s asking what the candidates would do in the event of a series of terrorist attacks on shopping malls.

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Every presidential candidate should be required to answer the following questions, but don’t count on it happening: (continue reading post »)