Blogging Green Day

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Blog Action Day is about MASS participation. That means we need you! Here are 3 ways to participate:

• Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
• Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
• Promote Blog Action Day around the web

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Petro Politics

Newfoundland yesterday proved that it had entered the age of Petro Politics. Like Alberta it gave Danny Williams and his Progressive Conservatives a landslide, an unheard of majority government. And like Alberta, Danny gained his popularity over the Atlantic Accord, and his recent offshore oil deals. And like Alberta he is furthering his political profile by taking on Ottawa.

Unfortunately being a One Party State is not good for democracy.

Harpers Conservative MP's are doomed in Newfoundland Labrador after last night. So the sly fox steals Danny's thunder by announcing a side deal with Nova Scotia to save seats there. An announcement that had been waiting since August to be made public.

Harper not only stole Danny's thunder but being mean to the end, still rejects any return of Bill Casey. Pity since that means he will lose that seat too.

"Mr. Casey is not welcome into our caucus ... when there is a next federal election, there will be a Conservative candidate in Mr. Casey's riding, and it will not be Mr. Casey," he said.

Danny's victory and Steve's side deal was enough encouragement for Lorne Calvert and the NDP in Saskatchewan to announce the obvious.

Saskatchewan goes to the polls November 7



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Huckabee A Red Tory

The real conservative, Canadian style, in the Republican Presidential race is Mike Huckabee. He is actually a Red Tory, and has potential to come from behind and be the American 'Everyman' the Republicans say they want to lead them.

He is folksy being called Mike not Michael, and not afraid to lay down some mean riffs. The common man of the party of Abraham Lincoln, not Reagan. And heck he is from Arkansas so even Clinton gives him the thumbs up him, Bill, not Hillary.

It also appears that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee did receive a bounce from his second place finish in Ames. After garnering only 4 percent in the May poll, Huckabee scored 12 percent support in the latest survey, putting him in a race for third place with Giuliani.

Yesterday in the CNBC/MSNBC debate he said something that most pundits missed, while most of the other candidates promoted 'Free Trade' he called for 'Fair Trade'. It passed over all their heads, without a response from them or the pundit questioners.

Fair trade has been actively discussed by exactly two of the GOP Presidential candidates: Huckabee and Hunter*. The other candidates have expressed only free-trade sentiment, with varying degrees of clarity and stridency. Could this issue also be a part of Huck's climb in the polls? Perhaps.

It didn't even come up on Kudlow's show after the debate interview with him. Though Huckabee got support from an unlikely source Kudlow's guest Democrat Robert Reich.

Aside from a few exceptions last night, there really wasn’t much beef.

Sam Brownback did propose an optional flat tax. And Gov. Huckabee is staying with his fair tax/national sales tax. But none of the big four are touting these ideas.

You see Huckabee supports a Fair Tax and Fair Trade, not Free Trade.

• I believe in free trade, but it has to be fair trade.
• Globalization, done right, done fairly, can be the equivalent of a big pay raise by allowing us to buy things more cheaply.

His fair tax is a consumption tax, all other taxes would be eliminated. Thus leveling the playing field for workers with the rich. A plan similar to one I have discussed here. Reich supports Huckabee's Fair Tax idea as well.

Kudlow took him to task over unions as did right wing bloggers. Though Huckabee was not alone, it appeared last night like all the candidates had suddenly discovered Sam Gompers was a libertarian. They were in Michigan, union country on the eve of a pending strike at Chrysler.

Huckabee predicted unions would gain strength in the coming years because of the growing disparity between executive pay and the working class. When people have their pay dramatically cut, they will turn to unions, he said. “That’s when unions are going to come back in roaring form,” Huckabee said.

Later when questioned about this by Kudlow, Huckabee hit back with the line that if the Republicans and CEO's continue to enjoy the spoils of the capitalist boom without sharing it with the rest of America then they will face the largest unionization drive ever. Wow. From a Republican yet.

Huckabee said that ‘unions will become more powerful’ because of wage deflation. Huckabee also promoted the ‘Fair Tax’ because it ‘untaxes productivity’ and ‘levels the playing field” he emphasized that the “The Fair Tax lifts everybody.”

The Fair Tax is a 23% consumption tax proposed to replace the income tax. Huckabee said it would ‘end the underground economy”.


The real problem, Huckabee said, is that American companies have to pay more in taxes on their products than their foreign competitors. That’s why people in the U.S. and Michigan are losing jobs, he said. “This party is going to have to start addressing it or we’re going to get our britches beat next year,” Huckabee said.

Of course he redeemed himself as a Republican by saying he would not tax CEO salary increases, but instead eliminate taxes, especially payroll taxes on the working class. Failure to share the wealth he said, sounding like John Edwards, will lead to further working class unrest and assure the success of unions.

Here’s what the Machinists say:

“Mike Huckabee was the only Republican candidate with the guts to meet with our members and the only one willing to figure out where and how we might work together,” said Buffenbarger. “He is entitled to serious consideration from our members voting in the upcoming Republican primaries.”

Mike Huckbee’s campaign fills out a little what they talked about:

Huckabee spoke before over 700 members of the IAM in Orlando, Florida on Monday about jobs, globalization, health care, and other 21st century domestic issues.

What does that mean? Specifically, on trade, or "fair trade" as Huckabee calls it:

Huckabee also said he believes in fair trade. “Free trade has to be fair trade. We are losing jobs because of an unlevel, unfair trading arena that has to be fixed. Behind the statistics, there are real families, real lives, and real pain. I’m running for President because I don’t want people who have worked loyally for a company for 20 or 30 years to walk in one morning and be handed a pink slip and be told, ‘I’m sorry, but everything you spent your life working for is no longer here.’"

And while Fred Thompson did get chuckles for his zingers last night, given the softballs tossed at him by the Hardball crowd, Huckabee was no slouch in the off the cuff humour department.

Funniest Man: Once again, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was the most fluid and humorous communicator. He worked in references to the "Jetsons," the "Flintstones," Gomer Pyle and Goober -- excellent stuff for Baby Boom voters.
HUCKABEE – He really is an enjoyable presence up there, a very able politician. If Fred’s not the nominee, Huckabee may have earned himself a spot on the ticket.

Wouldn't the American presidential race be interesting if it was a showdown between a Republican and Democrat from Arkansas.

So far of all the candidates who stand a chance of coming from behind, to take on the four front runners it appears that Huckabee stands the best chance. And as a conservative Christian, he can appeal to the evangelical right as well as to the social progressive compassionate Christians at Sojourners. He is not only pro life, unlike Romney, Giuliani and Thompson, but he is Anti-Poverty. Which is unusual for a Republican.

Huckabee says one of his priorities is to address poverty because it's "consistent with me being pro-life." He calls his desire to fight poverty a "faith position" rather than a political position. He says that it is impossible to address poverty without prioritizing stable homes and families, which he sees as "critical economic issues."

Huckabee is the only Republican politician with substance amongst the leading contenders in this race. The others are hacks.

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Fred Thompson WYSIWYG

Yep its all true the laconic slow speaking southern drawl of the last guy in the Republican Presidential race Fred Thompson is all there is. WYSIWYG. We saw it yesterday the Saviour of the conservative right, the voice of the south, is really the tortoise in the race. And slow and steady is what ya get with Fred. No omph, no pizazz, no vim, or vigour, just a laid back wannabe in a race of wannabe's. No platform just platitudes.

First to Fred | 4:02 p.m.: Newcomer Fred Thompson gets the first question. What will he do to ensure economic vibrancy in this country? He says there is no reason to believe we’re headed toward a recession. His voice is a little froggy and he drew a blank there for a few seconds, apart from not offering his prescription for the economy.

From the Transcript:

The stock market seems to be doing pretty well. I see no reason to believe we’re headed for — (pause) — for economic downturn. As far as the economic prosperity of the future is concerned, I think it’s a different story. I think if you look at the short term, it’s rosy. I think if you look at a 10-year projection, it’s rosy. But we are spending money we do not have.

Well he at least lived up to expectations, which is that he underperformed, his was a campaign that was all sizzle and no steak. His first performance will be his last. He was the great white hope, and it was all illusion fostered by his Law and Order persona. The real Fred is what we saw yesterday on CNBC/MSNBC Michigan Debate on Economics. You get aw shucks bluff and bluster and no substance.

Senior advisors say Thompson's goal for the event is to demonstrate "intellectual vigor" and to show voters that "he is prepared to be president."

Sure if this was nineteen fifty when TV was black and white and cars went a maximum of sixty miles and hour.

It’s Over | 6 p.m. Fred Thompson is asked about his first debate. He says it was “a lot like home. I didn’t say which kind of home.”

He added: “I’ve enjoyed watching these fellas. I’ve got to admit, it was getting a little boring without me, but — (laughter) — I’m glad to be here now.”

Yuk, yuk, see what I mean that was a nice aw shucks retort, but now that zinger is used up he will have to actually expand his platform from platitudes to specifics which he does not have. WYSIWG. You saw Fred last night, and he is what you get. Which is not much.

He cannot win nor is he a genuine voice of conservatism; there is only one such voice and it ain't coming from any of the front runners it comes from Huckabee.


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