novatownhall blog

The tightrope walk begins.

“I think my record indicates that I’m a solid conservative,” McCain said, while noting that with some in his party, “we’ve got disagreements on specific issues from time to time.”

I suspect we will be hearing a LOT more about the horse trading aspect of John McCain’s message, particularly on the illegal immigration issue. I think the overriding theme from here on out will be what we, the inconvenient base, will be asked to swallow in the name of pragmatism.

At very least, we know John McCain’s supporters in the U.S. Senate hold the legal residents of the U.S. in the highest regard.

We just viewed one of the best movies I have seen in years, King of Kong. It represents the epitome of documentary film making, with an oddball story line that touches the heart and real-life characters that central casting could not have better devised.

Technically, it is a masterpiece, presenting extraordinarily comprehensive video captures of a real-life slice spanning about a year and a half. This is right up there with those National Geographic films that happen to capture the hawk grabbing the mouse.

Renowned, polished classic video game champion Billy Mitchell against everyman Steve Wiebe: Even if you did not come of age in the 70s and 80s, you will still appreciate this tense comic drama in the realm of Donkey Kong, Missile Command, Pac Man and Transcendental Meditation.

I would love to write a biting commentary on Twin Galaxies, the self-declared international overseer of all video game records which is one of the biggest jokes revealed in the movie – but, don’t have the time right now.

I highly recommend renting or buying it – we’ve already watched it twice and the special features are … interesting – and as a plus it’s totally PG-rated so don’t be afraid to watch it with older kids around. (Actually, it’s G except for about 15 seconds).

My wife has a really good overview of the film here.

Governor Tim Kaine said yesterday he would sign some of the immigration enforcement laws sponsored by Republican legislators in the Virginia General Assembly.

Some immigration-related bills sponsored by Republican Shenandoah Valley lawmakers may have the support of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine if they get through the General Assembly.

During a wide-ranging discussion on Monday in Harrisonburg, the Democratic governor said he could support immigration laws if they deal with people who commit crimes.

Specifically, the Governor indicated support for:

Sen. Mark Obenshain’s SB782

Provides that it is cause for disciplinary action by any regulatory board established pursuant to Title 54.1 against a regulant if such regulant has been convicted of a state or federal law prohibiting the employment of persons who are not legally eligible to be employed in the United States.

Del. Todd Gilbert’s HB929

Adds a presumption, subject to rebuttal, against admitting to bail any person who commits a felony or any violation of § 18.2-266(DUI) and is identified as being in the United States unlawfully and requires judicial officers prior to a bail hearing, to the extent feasible, to verify whether a person is a citizen or is otherwise lawfully present in the United States.

Granted, the Obenshain bill is the most significant and is limited by some major contingencies, but this is a start and indicates a modicum of intellectual honesty by our Democratic Governor.

Government sanction of illegal hiring practices is a slap in the face to Virginia’s blue collar workers, presumably key members of the Democratic constituency. The official policy of winking at DUI and other motor vehicle violations by illegals is blatantly unfair to legal residents of the commonwealth and needs to be ended. The Governor’s positive signals on these bills indicate he is truly taking a common sense approach to the illegal immigration problem in Virginia.

Here are two excellent essays by JB Williams:

John McCain is an outright liar

How the Republican Party committed national suicide

Go read ‘em both!

Next Tuesday, February 12th, we finally get to vote in the Virginia primary elections.  For the first time in quite a while, Virginia might actually matter.  Each of us must not only answer the question, “Whom do I want to be our candidate,” but we must also decide which race is more important to us.  The rules of Virginia’s primaries allows us to vote in either race.  I have voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries.  I voted in the Webb-Harris primary (there was only a 3.44% turnout — where were you?), mainly because it was the only game in town.  However, even when both parties have primaries, I have gone to the Democratic side of the room.

 Many Republicans are not happy with any of their candidates still standing.  Many believe that it is all over but the crying, and McCain is unstoppable.  Many Democrats may be ambivalent about their candidates, but feel that McCain is a Republican they could live with.  Others might fear a McCain candidacy and vote for Romney — thinking he will be easier to beat.

 Many Republicans think that such “crossover” voters have hijacked the Republican primaries.  I disagree.  Without such crossover and independent voters, both parties would end up with the candidate that most played to their lunatic fringes.  (And I am generally included in that category.)  But as President Bush said, we need a uniter, not a divider.  The lunatic fringe candidates cannot do that.

 So, Democrats, feel free to vote in the Republican Primary.  You are!  Republicans, feel free to vote in the Democratic Primary.  You are!

 For myself, I would vote for Richardson if he were still running.  As it is, I would rather have Obama than Clinton, and I would rather have Romney than McCain.  (I would rather have Keyes, but I think I am more likely to win.)  Those choices made, I still have to decide which race to vote in.

Let’s assume John McCain is the Republican nominee. Maybe that’s a hypothetical but, er, maybe not.

- It will be weird for the next 10 months to have the mainstream media praising the GOP candidate while the conservative grassroots abhors the candidate. Quite a change from the past eight years.

- First, this means a lot of conservatives are going to tune out to some degree. NASCAR season starts in a couple weeks, so it’s not like there won’t be anything else to focus on. The turnout tonight on the Republican side was about half the number of Democrat voters so I would submit this is already happening.

- Now, if Hillary is the Democratic nominee, we’ve been promised the contest between her and McCain would be the most cordial in American history. Ditto on the importance of NASCAR, and then of course the NFL kicks in around August. But it will be like … I don’t know … having Oprah on in the background while you’re making dinner. You would not really pay attention but rather treat it like a droning audio backdrop while you’re doing other things.

- If Obama is their nominee, what do the candidates mainly argue about? Certainly the war – hard to see how the MSM fawning over McCain would continue. Still, if anyone could inspire the media to deal thoughtfully with the possibility of a 100 year presence in Iraq, I guess McCain would be the one to do it. Yee hah. Certainly, the MSM would treat McCain with extreme deference and civility in his battle against a man 30 years his younger because they would be presiding over a brewing, slow-motion Republican defeat of biblical proportions – so why not keep a happy face about it.

- Could there possibly NOT be a third party run? Seriously, even if Lou Dobbs does not pan out, by the time June rolls around we’d have had that Oprah program droning on for over 4 months and someone is bound to say, what the heck why not run for president since half the country has already forgotten it’s an election year? NASCAR races are four hours long and by June it’s really hard to maintain commitment to watching the race every Sunday. We’ll need a diversion.

- Prediction: No October surprises against John McCain. It won’t be needed. We’ll be in Iraq for 100 years. Yee hah.

- By July, when reports surface that Republican self-identification is at an all-time low and the RNC forms alliances with Andy Willoughby and Cutco to offset the fact that total donations have trickled to $50 a month, McCain will say “screw it” and unleash his Hispanic outreach director, Juan Hernandez, for a massive, pro-open borders, campaign for the Latino vote. This will mean running to the left of the Democrats on illegal immigration.

- An entrepreneurial teenager in Modesto, CA will register a trademark for “Republican Party Convention” which the Republicans have stupidly never bothered to secure, and will attach it to a new Texas Hold ‘em league, and thereby force the Republicans to hold their September meeting under the name “Elephant Party Convention.”

- On October 10 John McCain will announce that he has reached across the aisle and accepted the offer to serve as Secretary of Energy in the event of a Democratic administration – but insist that he fully expects to win the presidency in his own right.

He will become a weekly guest on Oprah, usually discussing the threat of global warming.

I was going to write about this circus going on tonight, but then I accidentally discovered this academic paper on the reasons Mexican immigrants assimilate so slowly compared to other immigrant groups, and it’s pretty interesting stuff. So I’m going to keep working through the paper.

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