tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40495636292184114212011-06-08T01:22:12.341-05:00Views on politics and the world from a conservative teen.GallFirenoreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-49031624560684985042009-02-21T18:01:00.006-06:002009-02-21T18:51:38.206-06:00

There have been several interesting developments around the world since I last wrote here.First, Benjamin Netanyahu has been picked to be Israel's next prime minister - and, based on statements by Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak, I have a feeling that the coalition Netanyahu forms will be almost exclusively right-wing. Maybe now they can get somewhere. A lot of places around the internet are talking

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-12944046933904862682009-02-03T10:18:00.003-06:002009-02-10T08:55:56.898-06:00

Yet another Obama person has just withdrawn their bid for some seat due to, you guessed it, tax problems.First it was Bill Richardson.Then there was Tim Geithner.Then you had Tom Daschle.Now we have Nancy Killefer - Obama's chief performance officer.You know the saying, "Three strikes - you're out!" - well for some strange reason, Obama keeps getting away with nominating these people with all

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-83493277543252045162009-02-02T22:31:00.004-06:002009-02-02T22:37:53.558-06:00

Well, Michael Steele has been picked has the new chairman of the RNC - and I couldn't be more pleased.I have been pulling for him from the beginning, because I think he has the vision and ability to rebuild our party, and fix many of the problems we have been having.Not to mention this kinda makes it hard for the liberals to say that "no blacks are Republicans unless they are paid" - which I have

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-40310955288284326422008-12-23T12:04:00.003-06:002008-12-23T12:13:51.682-06:00

Well, I thought about writing on this before, but then I got busy...The entire process has been nuts over there, and it isn't just Franken I want to complain about...If I recall correctly, about a month ago Coleman tried to get it so that any ballots that voted for both McCain and Franken be cast out, due to voter conflict or something.I may be a Republican, but my goodness, if you are going to

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-67247182673542370262008-11-14T12:17:00.013-06:002008-11-14T13:50:35.486-06:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking since the election.What is the future of the Republican party - what does it need to do to survive and flourish?What is the future of this blog?How will Obama govern with the Dem majority in Congress?How will the world react to Obama now?I have felt for a while now that the future of the GOP is the moderate vote.I believe the GOP must become the party of the

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-22219049432893918592008-11-04T18:28:00.012-06:002008-11-04T21:57:19.043-06:00

Ok, so I am watching exit poll data on FoxNews, they are already giving Kentucky to McCain and Vermont to Obama, with 10% of the vote in or so - which I think is a little early.Now they have added West Virgina to McCain.But the interesting thing is, McCain is leading on average through the BattleGrounds by 7-10% out of a few hundred thousand votes already - so perhaps some good news, but way too

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-62435918876025161592008-11-03T23:23:00.003-06:002008-11-03T23:31:24.211-06:00

Today my blog turned one year old. It seems incredible how much the political landscape has changed in just that time, and how fast it has gone.Another awesome milestone - it appears as if we have now, finally, won the war in Iraq.This article has a lot of good stuff. I have heard more encouraging news as well, but I can't find any links at the moment - but there were no American deaths from

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-4051276208303651712008-11-02T21:54:00.008-06:002008-11-02T23:27:23.420-06:00

It sounds way too good to be true, but some reports are showing McCain doing far better than mainstream polls are indicating.Zogby reports that on Friday (only, no 3 day average) McCain surged into the lead, 48-47%, with undecided's beginning to break heavily for McCain - I have seen reports that the margin may be as high as 4 to 1.There is also a poll out, supposedly from GOP internal polls,

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-22020034622639397322008-11-01T22:17:00.007-05:002008-11-01T22:55:09.350-05:00

In my previous post I remarked on how it was now McCain's race to win, as it had been Obama's to lose and he blew it.Apparently the things he had already done weren't enough for him though.Now, Obama has come out saying anyone who doesn't support his "redistribution of wealth" plan is "selfish".The polls continue to move in McCain's favor as well, as he now clearly has the momentum in the

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-34015100414074686962008-10-30T10:06:00.004-05:002008-10-30T10:26:50.412-05:00

With 5 days to go, it is now John McCain's race to win.Before this week it was primarily Barack Obama's race to lose, and I think he has.With the Dow rising again this week, Joe the Plumber (more importantly Obama's response) surfacing the other week, the video of Rashid Khalidi the LA Times won't release (probably causing more damage for Obama than less),  McCain being able to get the race topic

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-56085901303706976652008-10-21T11:22:00.003-05:002008-10-21T11:50:25.349-05:00

Lot's of happenings these last few days.Biden made a serious gaffe on Sunday, which McCain has already begun to use in his speeches. (link)Basically, Biden said that the world is watching this election, and if Obama wins, he will be tested with a "generated crisis" to test his mettle.Obama supporters are trying to spin this to mean that the generated crisis in Iraq will test whoever wins.The

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-49187969869737825532008-10-16T22:35:00.003-05:002008-10-16T22:43:57.785-05:00

Well, this campaign has been getting rather heated, so I think everyone must have agreed it is a time for a truce, and a little self examination (read bashing).Tonight McCain and Obama "squared off" in their final meeting. The subject? Humor.There were some good ones from both, but you have to watch to really get them all, but it is definitely worth it...McCain:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-70393054744163045232008-10-15T22:42:00.002-05:002008-10-15T22:49:00.180-05:00

This was by far McCain's strongest showing - in my view as well as others (including Democrats).I think McCain actually won this debate, in that he made more points, he was on the offense more, and he actually gave specifics (such as which government programs he would cut).Obama was more eloquent (though he did stutter a bit as he was trying to phrase tough answers so as not to offend anyone) and

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-6747403450617775442008-10-15T12:07:00.005-05:002008-10-15T14:20:06.494-05:00

Following Obama's notorious statement about "spreading the wealth around is good for everyone" (link) - and the obvious socialist tint of that, some new information has come out about his past political associations.Remember when everyone made that big fuss about Todd Palin being a registered member of a radical third party in Alaska? Well now it has been shown that he was a member of the "New

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-9934250522524440602008-10-13T13:54:00.004-05:002008-10-13T14:07:51.921-05:00

Barack Obama continues to attack John McCain on the issue of equal pay for equal work for women.While this is all well and good, maybe he should start doing what he is speaking...In Obama's Senate office, women staff make 83 cents on the dollar what men are paid.Of his top 5 payed staff, only one is a woman, and of his top 20 only 7 are women. (source/link - cbsnews, and JohnMcCain.com)Compare

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-66126828929141955292008-10-13T11:02:00.004-05:002008-10-13T12:16:16.019-05:00

Well, following the last debate I had the distinct impression Obama won (yes, you read the correctly).McCain just seemed very... off, and little whiny (part of that is just how he talks as it is, but still...).Obama on the other hand seemed Presidential and ready to tackle these issues.While I still disagree with him on a lot of issues, and i still don't think he has the experience, and I still

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-61297482815134331602008-10-03T13:23:00.004-05:002008-10-03T13:41:40.870-05:00

Following the first Presidential debate, Obama has opened a large lead, both nationally and in many key battleground states.The polls have now remained steady for a week - so the only conclusion I can reach is Obama did indeed win the first debate.McCain did far better than I was anticipating, and it looked like point for point he got in more hits on Obama - but obviously the American audience

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-3283280353977122532008-09-23T16:23:00.005-05:002008-09-23T20:36:39.809-05:00

He seems to be in quite a pickle - and for good reason.When he was first picked I was actually quite pleased - but not in the same way as some Republicans were, in that he is gaffe prone.I actually quite liked Biden - because he seemed a lot more experienced, reasonable and better on the issues that matter to me than the other Democrats who had run for the presidency.But the more I listen to him,

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-58349216129019966742008-09-22T15:19:00.007-05:002008-10-13T16:03:37.924-05:00

With a lot of people commenting lately about how he being black has been a major contributor to why he is not absolutely destroying John McCain in the polls, I started getting rather annoyed.Personally, I would suggest that he start thanking his lucky stars that everyone thinks he is an African-American, instead of complaining about people voting against him because he is an

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-59671711112506282912008-09-05T20:16:00.004-05:002008-09-05T21:08:31.936-05:00

New polling data from rasmussen, this being the first day to really take into account Sarah Palin's speech, has some interesting results.First, she is now viewed favorably by 58% of voters, compared to 57% apiece for McCain and Obama, and only 48% for Biden.Second, McCain is now back to within one point of Obama, trailing 46% to 45%, and, I would like to mention, this poll does not yet take into

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-86717578736709007232008-09-04T22:18:00.002-05:002008-09-04T22:22:56.481-05:00

I thought he did a really good job, considering the crowd kept drowning him out every sentence to paragraph - and often in the middle of a sentence.I think it had way more substance than Palin's, but wasn't delivered as well.But Palin's goal was to introduce herself, and for that substantive, policy discussions are not as necessary.McCain ended on a particularly good high note I think, even

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-26126237572913844222008-09-03T22:30:00.004-05:002008-09-03T23:53:37.499-05:00

What an incredible speech this was. The policy, the points, the wit and humor, the attacks and defenses. It was perfect, or very close.The audience was one their feet more often than not.In that speech she really looked VEEP, or even POTUS material.The way she described her approach, and McCain's approach to politics and issues was delivered very well.And the one liners - wow. Usually I don't

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-31183255377425812442008-09-03T21:21:00.004-05:002008-09-03T21:29:10.661-05:00

Well, I missed most of the speakers tonight - but I've been watching Rudy Giuliani - and he has been rocking - I can't wait to see Palin after this!And he has highlighted one of th worst traits of Obama - change position every different day.Accept federal funds, then not.Support an undivided Jerusalem, then not the next day.And the list goes on...As Giuliani says, Biden better get that VEEP deal

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-17806934886845511102008-09-03T00:24:00.004-05:002008-09-03T21:34:36.865-05:00

Well, I totally missed the first day, and was really bummed out, as Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman were slated to speak Monday...Then I woke up this morning and saw that I hadn't missed them, they'd been moved to Tuesday!So, I started watching just as Fred Thompson stepped up. He definitely looked healthier and more energetic than during the campaign.I really liked his speech, though I thought

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-54029122569038437422008-09-02T11:17:00.006-05:002008-09-02T11:49:54.504-05:00

A while back a forensic expert apparently proved that Obama's birth certificate was forged. (read the analysis here)Now there is a lawsuit in federal court (link) started by a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter.He also, reportedly, has had several other names, "Barry Soetoro", etc. Thus he was lying in his bar application in Illinois when he stated he has never gone under any other name.He was

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-36495347872979817172008-08-29T12:07:00.004-05:002008-08-29T13:15:48.640-05:00

Well, McCain picked Sarah Palin. While I was hoping for Eric Cantor, Palin was my third favorite, after Romney. I just don't think she will bring as much in terms of experience or help in key states as the other two.Clearly McCain is hoping Palin will appeal to a wide range of people, from Clinton supporters who were hoping for the first woman, to conservatives looking for someone to add a little

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-12958362916763773072008-08-26T12:46:00.005-05:002008-08-27T14:23:57.396-05:00

After Obama picked Biden it has become even clearer that the VP's may well decide this race. With McCain and Obama about even in every poll, it may come down to wh picks the better VP.I think Biden was the best choice for Obama. For numerous reasons, but for me personally because Biden was my personal favorite of the Dems - which isn't saying much I know. Another reason is his experience will

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-34440668933342163072008-08-26T09:15:00.005-05:002008-08-26T23:43:20.494-05:00

Well, I woke up this morning, and I checked rasmussen as I usually do. Yesterday I received an email from John McCain's campaign about how they were expecting Obama to get a little bounce in the polls out of the DNC and Biden. And Obama had gained two points on rasmussen since he picked Biden - so I thought maybe they were right...Now I checked this morning and McCain is once again tied with

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-67493636381358424702008-05-17T10:41:00.004-05:002008-05-20T23:46:19.798-05:00

Well - following McCain's speech the other day - I was truly surprised.He looked strong. He had a vision. He talked about the same change Obama is always throwing out - but also added the specifics on how we will get there.When I saw him - it was plainly clear he knows where he stands, what he has planned, and how to get there.He did not look flustered as he has in the past. Nor did he contradict

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-88941121991256276682008-04-26T14:52:00.011-05:002008-05-10T07:33:49.949-05:00

Well, I'm back now from a break following the buildup and climax of Super Tuesday.I haven't been posting a lot, but I certainly have been thinking a lot since then.It is really strange how my opinions on many things have changed since I started this blog - and even since my last post.I now think, of the three remaining contenders, that Barack Obama is by far the most dangerous.John McCain, in my

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-49312280116634152892008-02-05T14:33:00.000-06:002008-02-05T14:59:20.383-06:00

McCain/Huckabee against Clinton/Obama (or Obama/Clinton or something, take your pick...).Huckabee won the first Super Tuesday state, West Virginia, when John McCain's campaign ordered his delegates to swing to Huckabee to propel him past Romney, who had nearly 50% or the vote on his own.It now is clear that McCain and Huckabee are working to destroy Romney together.They tag-teamed him in Iowa and

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-29651252637020257582008-02-05T10:35:00.000-06:002008-02-05T12:29:39.940-06:00

After Fred left, I felt rather disappointed, but I soon came to the conclusion that I should find another candidate to support, because I did not want Huckabee, Giuliani or Paul to be the nominee, and voting for Thompson would in essence be a vote against the more conservative alternatives.I had by that point already narrowed the choice to McCain or Romney.So, I decided I would investigate them,

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-47947261791058704222008-01-16T14:46:00.000-06:002008-01-16T21:12:15.568-06:00

My brother and I got this idea after something similar was started at blogsforfredthompson.Basically, we took each pf the candidates, and our impressions of them, and compared them to Star Wars characters.So, first, the Republicans.Mike Huckabee - Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious, because at first glance he appears to be all for the good of the country (or Republic if you are in Star Wars ;) ),

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-79863822417878427412008-01-02T08:43:00.000-06:002008-01-02T08:57:38.518-06:00

Thompson is doing 8 events today, 5 television and radio, and 3 are city calls to Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Davenport.Here is the complete line-up:*All times central7:30 amFred Thompson does a live interview on "Morning in America" with Bill Bennett 9:35 amFred Thompson does a live interview on "The Laura Ingraham Show" 10:45 amFred Thompson is a guest on Fox News' "Happening Now" 12:50

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-65806954901863693542007-12-29T20:36:00.000-06:002007-12-29T21:16:04.170-06:00

It seems that Fox is no longer happy simply to ignore Fred, they must now attack him.Their arguments have always been shallow, but now seem to be moving towards the pathetic.This recent article - Fox News - accuses him of being lazy, too old and "no fire in the belly" - the single argument people have used against him, at all, this entire campaign.Here is a quick summation:Question about

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-33882978972596076142007-12-23T02:27:00.000-06:002007-12-23T02:45:47.149-06:00

Why does it seem like there is only one major candidate running who I really can pull for?Based on everything I have written on Romney recently, everyone knows I don't prefer him for a candidate.But the sickening thing is that, among the major candidates, he is now my number two pick.My current ratings are:Fred ThompsonMitt RomneyJohn McCainRudy GiulianiRon PaulMike HuckabeeIt seems like Thompson

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-91784344892136397272007-12-06T00:00:00.000-06:002007-12-06T18:40:33.100-06:00

Note: blogger has been acting up for me, so a few times in the post large blocks of text are large and bold. Apologies, I am not intending to yell or be obnoxious, I just can't seem to fix it.Well, I must admit, some of the candidates that I detested are looking better, while quite a few really shot themselves in the foot.So... I'm just going to showcase snippets of the debate, some high-points,

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-87974227513434385582007-11-28T11:50:00.000-06:002007-11-28T18:11:25.294-06:00

I have another article on Romney here, entitled "Warning!"Why is it that the candidate who is spending the most time and money to get the publics attention is the one "flying under the radar"?He is spending a 85,000+ dollars a day on television advertising, more than any other candidate in history.He has spent a whopping 10.2 million dollars on ads already.His closest competitor, John McCain, has

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-14524056656399820292007-11-28T11:06:00.000-06:002007-11-28T11:48:56.628-06:00

Note: I had originally planned on posting the entire interview with my thoughts about it when he was on, but I found that it would take too long, and be too cumbersome of a post.Thus, I will be writing a series of posts about Fred Thompson on "Meet the Press".This second one will deal with the part of the interview on abortion and gay marriage.The first part can be found here.You can read the

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-12639374299832914522007-11-09T21:35:00.000-06:002007-11-09T22:28:21.029-06:00

Fred Thompson seems to be catching on to the surge of Huckabee, if not outshining it.While you can't see this in individual polls really well (he has been dipping 3 or 4 percentage points in the last few weeks - though the same can be said for most of the candidates), you can tell by rank.A few weeks back he was holding a steady 3rd or 4th place in the nationals. Now he is going up, and quickly.

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-41820985633845317332007-11-09T10:25:00.000-06:002007-11-09T21:40:09.002-06:00

Mitt Romney is possibly the most liberal candidate the republicans might actually be able to back.I had thought it was a lock-up with Giuliani taking the cake, and that Mitt Romney might really be as conservative as he sounds.Then I began seeing some people saying things like "He was a democrat 2 years ago", or "He only started being a republican 7 years ago" and a few others like it.Uh-oh, "too

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-48462761608749936972007-11-04T18:47:00.000-06:002007-11-07T22:41:55.061-06:00

Well, if I like nothing else about Fred Thompson it is his absolute honesty on subjects.He does not shy away from risky topics, nor give pat answers.Tonight I watched him on MSNBC's "Meet the Press", and I must say, I am impressed.With no other candidate can I say I agree entirely with what they have to say. While I know you can never have everything you want or hope for, it is refreshing to

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-22078379820877119892007-11-04T13:39:00.000-06:002007-11-06T10:40:20.901-06:00

Well, I was just reading over at fred08.com, and I found this particular article very interesting.It is amazing to me how so many things could just "fall into place" like that. And it is even more amazing to me how many people have the same chances, but never grab hold of them, and really take off."As a young lawyer in the 1970s, Thompson took up Marie Ragghianti's lawsuit against Tennessee's

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049563629218411421.post-55216736812503611132007-11-03T15:54:00.001-05:002008-09-03T00:40:02.696-05:00

And welcome to my blog.I am a conservative, republican teen, who lives in a blue state.I will be eligible to vote in the next election, so I'm trying to gather as much information on politics and all the candidates(both conservative and democratic) as I can. I hope to post what I find, think or hope for here, so others can benefit as well.Currently I think Fred Thompson is our best bet for

GallFirenoreply@blogger.com0