One thing is for sure - with truncated coverage the convention's key speeches are easy to cover.
Here is a review of the major speakers:
Day 1 - Bill Clinton - Grade A, Hillary Clinton - Grade C, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore - Grade D. Hillary was too much an angry female for me - in large part that's how she comes off. By the way, in small groups she is very slick. President Clinton is the master and the Democrats great communicator and probably gave the speech of the convention.
TCR puts Carter and Gore together because both are in another world. Carter is probably one of the worst presidents and is the father of much of our current problems. Remember the fall of the Shah and the rise of fundamentalist Islam? Gore is just lost in space - both were road kill.
Day 2 - Howard Dean - Grade C, Barack Obama - Grade A and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry - incomplete. It's too bad Dean isn't the nominee because he really fits the delegate profile. Barack Obama - Democratic Senate candidate in Illinois was good but overrated - yes he has a nice story but all that makes him is a nice package for old-style liberalism. Mrs. Heinz-Kerry, a first, the candidate's wife speaks and after her performance, maybe the last. She is out-there somewhere and to think they believe she can fill Laura Bush's enormous shoes - give me a break.
Day 3 John Edwards & Al Sharpton, etc. - Grade B - Certainly the best oratory combination, though Edwards reminds me of someone who has gotten away with the treasure and wants you to know it. He is a good speaker but TCR believes he's just giving another good jury argument and really doesn't believe it. Of course in truth, he is very liberal and very inexperienced to deal with key issues, given that we are at war. Al Sharpton is a preacher on wheels but got only a handful of delegates and is far to the left of mainstream America.
TCR Wonders - Where are the pro-family, pro-faith, pro-freedom, pro-tax cut and spending-cut Democrats at? Are they gone or in hiding?
Day 4 John Kerry - Grade B. TCR asks who is John Kerry? What does he really believe in besides getting elected? Can he truly be all things to all people? What happened to core Democratic positions like abortion on demand, gun control, gay marriages, open borders - hidden as a part of the attempt to "track" mainstream America?
TCR liked reporting for duty, but the speech was long on Vietnam and short on the last 20 years of his career and very short on answers to the great issues of the day like social security, health care, the war on terror, energy independence and the runaway overall tax burden. From Kerry, no new ideas, only platitudes.
TCR Comment - Overall, the convention got the meager coverage it deserved. TV ratings were dismal and the bump in the polls - little or none.
Democratic Convention Delegates Do They Reflect America?
In a word, NO - 93% believe getting rid of Sadaam was not worth it while the country is 50-50, 44% support same sex marriage while 25% of America says yes, 75% support abortion on demand while 34% of America agrees and last but not least, 3% of the delegates are self-described conservatives while 20% of the Democrats in America are.
Texas Congressional Race of the Week Ted Poe v. Lampson
As part of our ongoing coverage, TCR is reviewing the seven key congressional races in Texas. All are critically important, as all the GOP candidates are conservative and their organizational votes in 2005 will be to keep Dennis Hastert as Speaker and keep Nancy Pelosi as minority leader.
In the Texas Second District, former State District Judge Ted Poe (R) faces Nick Lampson (D). This district runs from the 1960/Humble area of Harris County east ending in the Beaumont area.
This district has an ORVIS (optimal Republican Voting strength) of 55% plus and in 2000 voted for Bush and Hutchinson, and in 2002 voted for Rick Perry & John Cornyn. Having said that, this district is still possibly in play for a few reasons - (1) Lampson as a current congressional member who will have more money, (2) In the Spring 2004 primary, more people voted in the Democratic primary in the district than in the GOP primary and (3) the uncertainly of the effect of Texas not being contested in the race for the White House.
Ted Poe is the best candidate the GOP could run here. A longtime high profile and successful state District Judge who was well known for innovative sentencing and fierce independence. His strong conservative leanings have excited Republicans and independents alike.
When sent to Washington, Judge Poe will stand up to the big spending, tax raising and appeasing members of Congress and can help to lead a conservative renaissance in Washington. Volunteer and send money to:
TED POE FOR CONGRESS, P.O. BOX 14222, HUMBLE, TEXAS 77347 PHONE 281-358-8866, WEBSITE - WWW.TEDPOE.COM
Oxy-Moron - The International Court of "Justice", the Israel Security Fence and U.S.
You probably recall the recent "decision" by the International Court of Justice that the Israeli security fence - built to stop homicide bombers from murdering Israeli and Arab women and children is "illegal". Recall almost 1000 Israeli civilians have been killed by these butchers as they blow up schools, buses, cafes, etc. and that the equivalent if this happened in the U.S. would be almost 80,000 deaths!
In a world upside down, this unelected court who really has jurisdiction over zip, makes a radical left political decision based on ignoring historic rights of nations, like the right of self defense and the right to protect its people from terrorism.
Regardless, the Court decision is absurd and the U.N. General Assembly vote is equally a joke, especially from the Europeans, led by France, who voted to enforce the decision. In essence, the General Assembly has said Israel shouldn't defend herself against murderous, Palestinian terrorists. Note these hypocrites do this while genocide goes on in Sudan in Africa and it is ignored. In fact, the UN is so bankrupt that it gave one of the perpetrators of genocide a seat on the UN Human Rights Commission.
Fortunately, the U.S., led by President Bush and Colin Powell, are clear thinkers and understand reality and reject both the Court decision and the General Assembly's vote and believe in truth and justice.
Cheap Abundant Oil - Adios?
With oil prices heading to historic highs, excerpts from this fascinating article by Charles Allmon of Growth Stock Outlook are well worth reading.
"I think we can say with some finality that the dawn of this new millennium is witnessing the twilight of abundant, cheap oil." In the 2010 - 2015 period, we should expect the price of gasoline to hit $6 per gallon, when available. In 1956, M. King Hubbert accurately forecast that US domestic oil production would peak in the early 1970s. Now the whole world rushes pell-mell to the gas pump, rapidly depleting a finite world supply."
"Our planet consumes about 81 million barrels of oil daily, with two thirds used to power planes, cars, and trucks. Who are the five biggest oil guzzlers? US, China, Japan, Russia, and Germany, in that order. China could pass the US as number one sometime in the 2010-2015 period. Consider that auto purchases in China were up 70% over 2002. U.S. oil consumption is expected to grow 50% in 20 years. Until the gasoline price climbed sharply last year, your cost of gas at the pump amounted to about the same as you paid in 1980, adjusted for inflation. A gallon of crude oil today is cheaper than a gallon of water. No one with an ounce of brains doubts that the end of cheap oil and the internal combustion engine is in sight."
"U.S. oil imports today amount to 59% of our national consumption. Who are the principal suppliers of this oil? Saudi Arabia 17%, Mexico 16%, Canada 16%, Venezuela 13%, Nigeria 6% and Iraq 5% are all principal suppliers of oil imports."
"With oil production worldwide a losing game in the long run, this unthinkable dilemma is on a collision course with our U.S. way of life. Our lives will be turned upside down unless a new energy source powers the internal combustion engine. And quickly."
"Russian ranks first in oil output, with Saudi Arabia second. But the Saudis haven't found a big new field in decades. What's more, Saudi Arabia oil reserves might be substantially less than experts tell us, not unlike the recent revelation that Royal Dutch reserves were grossly inflated. Many Middle East oil fields suffer from water problems, with the life and productive capacity of some fields now questionable. Goodbye oil well when water becomes a problem. Look at it this way. Even if there is 50% more oil than is believed to reside in all underground reserves of all countries around our planet, that will not last long with sharply growing demand."
"The once-promising Caspian Sea oil reserves now are estimated at 17-33 billion barrels, less than half thought to exist a decade ago. No doubt there will be other big surprises."
"So what is the answer to this coming worldwide dilemma? Nuclear power appears inevitable on a broad scale worldwide, regardless of the do-gooders' rants. Here are the current nuclear power nations and their energy production as a percentage of 2003 total electricity output. South Korea 33%, Russia 13%, France 75%, Germany 32%, Belgium 60%, Finland 30%, Ukraine 47%, Spain 29%, Switzerland 41%. Britain 27%, Hungary 40% U.S. 20%, China 0.5% and Japan 35%."
"Tell your children and grandchildren to plan ahead for $10 - $12 per gallon gasoline, super-small autos, the end of SUVs and monster pickup trucks, plus cooler homes in winter, less air conditioning in summer, perhaps the end of monster homes. Our national addition to plentiful, cheap fuel is drawing to a close."
TCR Comment - This article by a conservative economic and investment advisor is important and causes one to think. We clearly need a conservative energy plan for America's future.
Thanks to Growth Stock Outlook, P.O. Box 15381, Chevy Chase MD 20825.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who recently completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his ninth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last three years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant and can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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