Bluey Blog - Official Blog of Robert B. Bluey

Liberals Don’t Have a Monopoly on the Blogosphere

The liberal media establishment is lavishing praise on Democrats for their embrace of bloggers and new-media tools. Within the past 24 hours, both the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times have written glowing reports about the wonderful things liberals are doing.

Conservatives, it seems, need to do a better job of getting the word out.

The AP’s story about Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s interaction with bloggers could have just as easily been written about former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who welcomed bloggers to his Capitol office last summer. Just like Pelosi, Frist also employed a staffer (through his PAC) who dealt with bloggers.

Each week since last May, the Heritage Foundation and Human Events have hosted a weekly meeting on Capitol Hill for conservative bloggers. Members of Congress or their staffers regularly participate. Just last week, the White House sent a representative to address the group.

Also, what’s so impressive about Pelosi’s hiring of a new-media director when Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has already done the same thing? Jon Henke has been blazing a trail for the past month on Capitol Hill. Sen. Jim DeMint, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, has a seasoned blogger on his staff, too.

And when you look at who has been more successful in terms of actual accomplishments, let’s not forget it was N.Z. Bear of Porkbusters who propelled a bill on government transparency from obscurity in the Senate to the President’s desk last fall. Conservative bloggers scored another victory earlier this month when DeMint took on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to win a vote on an earmark reform amendment.

The Los Angeles Times’ attack on conservatives suggests we’re far behind in terms of incorporating all the latest gadgets. But what the Times fails to note is that the three leading Republican contenders haven’t officially declared their candidacies. And even so, Mitt Romney does have Web 2.0 features, such as Mitt TV.

While I’m a strong believer that conservatives need to do more, liberals don’t have a monopoly on the blogosphere — far from it, in fact.

John McCain Blows Off House Conservatives

House conservatives will gather in Baltimore later this week to plot their course and hear from speakers ranging from Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney. But one likely 2008 candidate, Sen. John McCain, has decided to skip the gathering.

McCain was invited to attend the annual House conservative retreat, sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, but he didn’t even bother to respond to the invitation. Roll Call reported on McCain’s decision blow off House conservatives.

McCain campaign spokesman Danny Diaz did not address why his boss wouldn’t attend, or why he didn’t respond to the invite, but he said the Senator enjoys many friendships on Capitol Hill and has daily opportunities to reach out to conservative lawmakers.

McCain’s failure to appear at the retreat is yet another sign he is losing ground to his competition to win the support of House members. Romney has been on roll with House Republicans, announcing several supporters in recent weeks. Gingrich, meanwhile, has won praise for his inspirational speeches invoking conservative principles.

Rudy Giuliani was also invited to speak at the retreat, but he cited a scheduling conflict. He will be on the West Coast later this week.

One has to wonder why McCain is avoiding House conservatives, especially at a meeting he could use to improve his image. Instead, the Arizona senator once again befuddles the very people he needs most to win the GOP nomination.

Disclosure: Later this week I will start my new job at the Heritage Foundation, which is sponsoring the retreat.

UPDATE — 2:48 p.m.: Pat Hynes, who works for McCain, tells me that Phil Gramm will speak on McCain’s behalf at the conservative retreat, but the retreat’s sponsor says that Gramm was invited before McCain and Gramm will talk about policy, not the ’08 campaign.

According to the retreat’s schedule, Gramm will address the group of conservatives on Friday afternoon, offering his reflections on “advancing conservatism in the minority.” He will be introduced by his long-time friend and former aide, Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R.-Tex.).

Gramm doesn’t have an official role with McCain yet, Hynes says, but “he has already endorsed [McCain] and will be an integral part of the campaign.”

According to the Heritage Foundation, Gramm’s invitation had nothing to do with McCain’s invitation. Gramm has been a speaker at the retreat in the past and was among the first speakers invited to attend.

Brad Dayspring, RSC communications director, had this to say about the McCain-Gramm situation:

RSC Chairman Hensarling has a long relationship with Senator Gramm and is proud to consider him a mentor. Jeb has served in various capacities for the Senator, including as his Executive Director for the NRSC. He is thrilled that Senator Gramm — who will be representing himself — will be able to speak and offer guidance about the Conservative movement and other important issues.

Mike Huckabee Won’t Rule Out Raising Taxes

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee today announced he will file papers to create a presidential exploratory committee, declaring he is “an authentic conservative who has a proven record of results.” However, even before Huckabee kicks off his presidential bid, he’s already facing criticism for his record on taxes.

Minutes after announcing his plans on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Huckabee addressed conservatives at the National Review Institute summit in Washington, D.C. He spoke to reporters and bloggers following his speech.

I asked Huckabee about his record on taxes. As the Club for Growth has noted (here and here), Huckabee has raised taxes during his tenure as governor. The libertarian Cato Institute gave him an “F” for his “insistence on raising taxes at almost every turn throughout his final term.”

“Will you, right here and now,” I asked, “pledge not to raise taxes if you’re elected President?”

Huckabee declined to take my pledge — and by extension signaled that he won’t sign Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge. (Grover Norquist publicly ridiculed Huckabee on ATR’s Christmas card in 2006.)

In defending his record, Huckabee noted that 90% of the Arkansas budget is made up of spending on “prisons, Medicare and court-ordered education spending.”

He said the 3-cent gas tax he signed wasn’t his fault because voters approved it. Besides, he said, Arkansas had one of the worst road systems in the country, suggesting the tax hike was warranted.

Huckabee gave Russert a similar answer earlier in the day on “Meet the Press” when pressed on the issue of taxes.

RUSSERT: Because of the war in Iraq, because of deficits, health care and infrastructure, would you keep raising federal taxes on the table?

HUCKABEE: I don’t think taxes is really where we need to go. It’s not that our taxes are too low, it’s our spending is too high. Arthur Godfrey said I’m proud to spend taxes but it’s about getting spending under control.

RUSSERT: Read my lips, no new taxes?

HUCKABEE: I think you have to be careful. I wouldn’t propose any new taxes or support any. But if we are in a situation where we are in a different level of war where there is no other option, it is a dangerous position to make pledges outside the most important pledge you make, and that is to uphold the constitution and protect the people of the united states.

The Club for Growth will release a report on Monday detailing Huckabee’s record on fiscal issues. Huckabee knows the criticism is coming. The question is whether he responds to it by pledging not to raise taxes (as candidates Sam Brownback and Mitt Romney already have) or keeps playing defense.

Harry Reid Gets Schooled by Bloggers

I have an article in the Washington Examiner today about last week’s earmark fight that turned bloggers against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) for his refusal to accept strong anti-earmark language.

The point I make is this: With a couple seasoned bloggers now working in Senate offices — Jon Henke in Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s and Tim Chapman in Sen. Jim DeMint’s — conservative bloggers really have it pretty good.

It’s a point my friend Pat Hynes addressed in a column on Townhall.com a couple weeks ago. It’s nice to see that Senate Republicans are taking the new media seriously.

Reid Again Stands in the Way of Reform

After last week’s embarrassing defeat on the Senate floor, I figured Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) would’ve learned something valuable about earmark reform. Apparently not.

The Senate is embroiled in another fight this afternoon on the issue — this time involving an amendment offered by Sen. Judd Gregg (R.-N.H.). Gregg wants the Senate to have an up-or-down vote on his proposal to reduce wasteful spending. Reid wants nothing to do with it.

Andy Roth at the Club for Growth, Mark Tapscott at the Examiner and Andrew Moylan at the National Taxpayers Union have more details. You can also watch the Senate’s proceeding online.

UPDATE — 4:53 p.m.: We’re now hearing that Reid has agreed to negotiate with Gregg. However, I don’t have any details or if this is a serious effort to avert a conflict.

UPDATE — 4:56 p.m.: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) is backing Gregg in this fight.

Fiscal responsibility is not just an election-day issue. If we are serious about reform, we must take the steps necessary to marry fiscal rhetoric with fiscal reality. The commonsense reform offered by Sen. Gregg is an opportunity to do that — it deserves a vote.

UPDATE — 5:58 p.m.: Sen. Jon Kyl (R.-Ariz.) says members of the Senate Republican Conference, which he chairs, “will vote to continue debate on lobbying reform legislation until important Republican amendments to strengthen the legislation are included.”

The following amendments are a few examples of the many reforms proposed by Republicans to strengthen the current lobbying reform legislation:

Cornyn Amendment – To require 72-hour public availability of legislative matters before consideration.

Gregg Amendment – To establish a legislative line item veto. The Second Look at Wasteful Spending Amendment allows the President to rescind wasteful spending measures and send them back to Congress for reconsideration.

Coburn Amendment – To prohibit members from requesting earmarks that may financially benefit that member or an immediate family member of that member.

Vitter Amendment - To prohibit the spouses of Members of Congress from lobbying any Member of Congress.

Democrats Are About to Raise Your Taxes

The U.S. House hasn’t voted to raise taxes for 13 years, but that streak is about to come to an end — less than three weeks after Democrats took control of Congress.

Dan Clifton of the American Shareholders Association reports that Democrats will bring an end to the “golden era” of taxpayer-friendly policies this Thursday.

It took just 15 days of new found power for the Democrats to raise taxes. The first vote of the 110th Congress removed the 3/5 supermajority to raise taxes. The following day was a vote to enact a new rule requiring offsetting tax increases for every tax cut.So it was only a matter of time before the first actual vote to raise taxes came up. The significance of this should not be underestimated as Thursday’s vote is the first step in reversing what could be considered the best run for American taxpayers since the creation of the income tax.

In the short term, President Bush can simply veto the Democrats’ tax hikes. But, Clifton reports, it won’t be long before the next President — Republican or Democrat — is left no choice but to enact tax increases.

Just how disastrous would the Democrats’ plan be for our country? A new report from the Heritage Foundation reveals the threat to America’s prosperity.

Any tax increase on top of this rising burden would put America well on the way to European-level taxes, causing European-style economic stagnation, slow income growth, and unemployment. Even France has begun to recognize how damaging such levels are, and French President Jacques Chirac has proposed to cut France’s corporate income tax rate from 33 percent to 20 percent. Congress must ensure that the U.S. does not take even one step down the road to higher taxes and a slower economy.

Fortunately, Americans for Tax Reform is vowing to enforce its National Taxpayer Protection Pledge — and it could be a rude awakening to Democrats who must choose between honoring the pledge or following Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s orders.

President Bush’s Other Legacy

Earlier today, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives kicked off the first in a series of Compassion in Action Roundtables that will be held over the next year.

Today’s session, which drew more than 100 people to the White House, dealt with youth violence. The two-hour program featured about a dozen speakers, including Robert Woodson, founder and president of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, and Michael Grebe, whose name is familiar to conservatives for his role as president and CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

The Compassion in Action Roundtables are the work of Jay Hein, deputy assistant to the President and director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Yesterday, Hein reached out to bloggers, sharing the goals of the program and the work his office has already accomplished. (Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics joined me on the call.)

During President Bush’s first term, the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives came under repeated attack from the liberal press. But aside from David Kuo’s “Tempting Faith” last fall — an election-year ploy that embarrassed Kuo more than Bush — the office has escaped criticism.

That could be because the office’s work is transcending partisanship. Hein spoke proudly of the 33 governors who had created offices in their states. The one person he singled out: Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona. As president of the National Governors Association, Napolitano has the opportunity to convince her counterparts of the good deeds associated with faith-based and community initiatives.

As Hein continues the education process, he’s also excited about the Compassion in Action Roundtables. In February, Hein will welcome to the White House those involved with fighting malaria in Africa. A March roundtable will focus on the Ready4Work prisoner re-entry initiative. More events will be announced soon.

In the meantime, Hein and his team at the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives plan to continue doing what they enjoy most: making a difference in the lives of Americans. Whether that means changing an agency rule or rolling up their sleeves to get to work, it’s pretty clear they’re having an impact.

Say It Ain’t So: Hill Tops Romney in Poll

Rasmussen Reports has news Mitt Romney’s campaign doesn’t want to hear: Both Sen. Hillary Clinton and former VP Al Gore would defeat Romney in a head-to-head race in 2008.

To make matters worse for Romney, Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani would win in a head-to-head race against Hillary or Gore.

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots Have No Class

Dean Barnett is dead wrong about his beloved New England Patriots. His team may have won yesterday, but they once again did so without any class.

A week after Barnett’s “greatest coach of the modern era” Bill Belichick bowled over photographers after a win against the New York Jets, Patriots players took the cake for their overzealous celebration even before the game was over.

And Dean says to the Chargers, “Stay classy.” You’re talking to to the wrong team, Pats fan.

Romney Campaign Removes Hit Piece

Mitt Romney’s campaign must have taken my criticism to heart. After calling the campaign “un-presidential” for its attack on conservative “gadfly” Brian Camenker last week, the Romney folks have removed the hit piece from the campaign website.

While I suppose this is an acknowledgement that the campaign erred by going after Camenker, it’s regrettable the whole episode had to take place at all. I hope Romney’s campaign uses this opportunity to refocus on a positive message and put an end to negative attacks.

UPDATE — 3:30 p.m.: My good friend Matt Lewis at Townhall offered some excellent advice to the Romney campaign about the whole Camenker ordeal.

UPDATE — 5:44 p.m.: Over at Townhall, Lewis reports that the hit piece is back online. The Romney campaign apparently chalked it up to a “technical glitch.” It was either that or flip-flopping on a flip-flop.