Bluey Blog - Official Blog of Robert B. Bluey

More Praise for Clarence Thomas

Last Monday I was able to hear Clarence Thomas speak to The Heritage Foundation’s President’s Club at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. (I posted the video last week.) It was an uplifting speech that inspired me to write this column for Townhall about his positive attitude, sound advice and commitment to principles.

Fighting Over Free Trade

My latest column on Townhall seems to have angered quite a few people, at least judging from the angry e-mails in my inbox. I tackled free trade this week, and as I suspected, this one touched a nerve. Here are some of the e-mails I received so far.

This is the biggest bunch of horsefeathers I’ve seen.

The “free” trade policies you speak of are nothing of the sort.

Benefitting the American citizen, NOPE!

Looks like you work for big business.

Here’s another:

o by, you will not see how foolish your comments on free trade were in 2007. Age gives a wisdom that books do not, and as an aging very conservative businessman, I can only tell you that I believe you are dead wrong. As an aside, to worry about whether the unions are now right or wrong is not material. There have been times in the past when they were needed and there might be times in the future when they will be needed again. The worry is whether free trade is good or bad in the long run, for the US. The times we are living in right now are only a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things, and I fear you might get an answer you do not expect in this fleeting moment. In any case as life passes for you I think you will find that you did not REALLY begin to learn anything until about the age of 55 or 60.

And another:

Boy o Boy are you out of touch.

And finally, there’s this gem:

as a true conservative and a christian it really shakes my head when conservatives tell me the economy is great we 9 trillion in debt and going deeper all the time people lose jobs and retrain at a lower wage red china getting stronger and we are weaker constant budget cuts as a veteran i cant even go to the va cuz i make to much?900hr plus my wife works at walmart america is dieing we and i vote republican but im not blind bob with all do respect george lives in a ivory tower

If you haven’t had enough, make sure you check out the comments on Townhall.

Ron Paul’s Online Fundraising Haul

Today on Heritage’s XM Radio show on POTUS ‘08, I talked about Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul’s unparalleled online fundraising success, specifically his $4.2 million haul yesterday. Click to listen.

Bush Picks a Fight Over Pork

In his first term, President Bush didn’t veto a single bill. In his second, he’s pulled out his veto pen on multiple occasions, rejecting embryonic stem-cell research and timetables for Iraq. As I write in my Townhall column today, Bush’s most unpopular veto came on Friday, when he sent back to Congress the Water Resources Development Act. The legislation’s $23 billion price tag was unacceptable to Bush — as it should be to any fiscal conservative.

UPDATE — Nov. 5, 11:36 a.m.: It’s not very often that I agree with the liberal Washington Post editorial page, but when it comes to this bill, we’re on the same page.

UPDATE — Nov. 6, 3:32 p.m.: Doug Bandow writes about this on OpenMarket.org.

What’s the Meaning of 1,000 Votes?

Liberals in Congress are clinging to anything they can to show they’re doing something. Last week it was the meaningless milestone of 1,000 votes. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story. In my Townhall column today, I explore some of the issues that need to be addressed: a dozen appropriations bill, reauthorization of SCHIP, the Internet tax moratorium, confirmation of Michael Mukasey and another Iraq supplemental.

A Third Radio Interview on Tap for Today

In just a few minutes I’ll be on XM Radio’s POTUS ‘08 channel, but that’s not the last time you can hear me today. Ed Morrissey of Captain’s Quarters has invited me to be a guest on Heading Right Radio at 3:30 p.m. (Click here to listen.) The Captain had Sen. John McCain on the show yesterday, so it’s an honor to follow such a distinguished guest.

Two Radio Interviews on Tuesday

If you’re up early on Tuesday, please tune in to Bill Bennett’s “Morning in America” show at 6:30 a.m. to hear me talk about my Townhall column about good economic news that never gets reported. Former Rep. Ernest Istook, who works down the hall from me at the Heritage Foundation, is guest hosting the show tomorrow.

Later in the day around 1:45 p.m. I’ll do my weekly update about technology and politics on XM Radio’s POTUS ‘08 channel. You need to be an XM subscriber to hear it.

UPDATE — 9:10 a.m.: During my interview this morning, Istook mistakenly said I was a father. While I do hope to be a dad someday, I am not one yet. I didn’t get an opportunity to correct him on the air, so I wanted to do it here.

All the Bad News That’s Fit to Print

The deficit dropped to its lowest level in five years last week, but you didn’t read about it the New York Times, Washington Post or Los Angeles Times. Today in my Townhall column, I question why the mainstream media always harp on bad economic news and never report the good news.

Does Congress Care About Poor Kids?

Today on Townhall I examine the debate over SCHIP in Congress. With Democrats refusing to negotiate and Republicans acting stubborn, it seems clear that most lawmakers want to play political games rather than help poor children. There’s one exception, however. His name is Sen. Mel Martinez.

UPDATE — 9:52 p.m.: The Daily Advertiser of Lafayette, La., apparently agrees with me. Check out today’s editorial about why SCHIP shouldn’t be a political football punted by Congress.

Bloggers Weave a Web of Influence on Capitol Hill

There’s a great article in the current edition of National Journal by Bara Vaida about the growing importance of blogging on public policy. I’m quoted in it along with Erick Erickson of RedState, David All of TechRepublican, Henry Copeland of Blogads, Matt Stoller of Open Left, Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit and John Aravosis of AMERICAblog.

The article begins with a recap of Sen. Dick Durbin’s experiment in legislating on Open Left and RedState. It also covers what works and what doesn’t on Capitol Hill, how Sen. Jim DeMint’s staff set the tone on immigration reform by using blogs, and how K Street is adapting to the culture of blogging.

Many thanks to Danny Glover of Beltway Blogroll for making the article available for free on his blog.