Barron's has made a bold projection that the GOP will hold both chambers of Congress. I'm beginning to believe again... most of the polls don't show the outlandish leads that so many Democrats and MSM outlets have proffered as reasons that the GOP base should not vote. Our analysis -- based on a race-by-race examination of campaign-finance data -- suggests that the GOP will hang on to both chambers, at least nominally. We expect the Republican majority in the House to fall by eight seats, to 224 of the chamber's 435. At the very worst, our analysis suggests, the party's loss could be as large as 14 seats, leaving a one-seat majority. But that is still a far cry from the 20-seat loss some are predicting. In the Senate, with 100 seats, we see the GOP winding up with 52, down three. Mike DeWine (amazingly) appears to lead Sherrod Brown in the latest poll. This, by the way, is the best site I've found so far for political junkies. "The Blogging Caesar" is offering his premium services free for the day, check it out, sign up. He also offers another great pep-talk to the troops. P-a-r-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n. Without even the pretense of a real plan for our future, the Democrats have hung their hopes on a depressed conservative base. It is the only way they can win. Swing voters mean little in the polarized political world in which we find ourselves. And the effects of that polarization are magnified in traditionally low-turnout mid-term elections where only the active and energized take part. The task for our opponents, then, is to win the war of emotional energy. So much of what we are seeing and hearing now from the talking heads in the media and the Democratic party is designed to accomplish two things. First, they hope the never-ending dirge of bad news and scandal will squeeze whatever small number of votes it can from a diminishing pool of fence-sitters. Second, and many times more importantly, they seek to demoralize and deflate the conservative faithful. For they know that every vote not cast by a disgruntled and despairing Republican Eeyore is one less vote they have to overcome in their quest for control. His title says it all, THE OUTCOME IS IN OUR HANDS. Get excited! Call your friends! We must get every potential Republican voter to the polls come election day. Do not wait, do it NOW! From the same article: Don't let it happen. I implore us all to resist that temptation to be driven into mopey political reclusion. Fend off the Eeyore inside that wants to sap your drive to win. For sure our leadership is far from ideal, but think about the alternative. If we lose the House, George W. Bush will be impeached. If we lose this Senate, only David Souter clones will have a prayer of filling any vacancies in the Supreme Court during Bush's final two years and we'll lose by default the critical battle we are now winning in the judiciary. The implications of this election when viewed through the lens of our country’s future history are enormous. We cannot afford to lose.

I was wandering Jimmy Akin's site for Catholic news, and was surprised to find this post. Apparently, Mike and the 'bots are releasing MP3 tracks to go along with certain movies (purchased seperately of course). It's grand to see these fellows, who had such a great idea to start with, come back and provide their particular flavor of humor for free. Watch out for snakes! Update (Same Day): This is NOT free, but it is NOT expensive.

Hugh has some good news! Zogby of late has been particularly favorable to the Dems, so this news may be even better than it looks on the surface. Bizzyblog has a great referral post regarding Ted Strickland. Apparently, he's quite the slimeball (big surprise). Brain Shavings has a good post on percieved conservative apathy. Conservative Culture has some great Ohio election coverage here. LargeBill Pontificates is aware of the media's apparent anger at our inability to concede 3 weeks before the election. NixGuy has the rundown for Strickland's latest scandal. VikingSpirit has some info regarding Issue 2 in Ohio... I agree.

Rightroots can lead you to your candidate. Here in Ohio: Ken Blackwell Mike DeWine Local: Jean Schmidt Steve Chabot Other Important Races: Rick Santorum Michael Steele George Allen Bob Corker These are just a few of the candidates we can support, check your local listings, give all you can in money and service. Let's PICK UP THE FLAG that the DEFEATISTS HAVE DROPPED! The media has made it seem as though Democrat control of Congress is inevitable. It is not, and if we stay motivated, it's not even likely.

I briefly had a chance to listen to Rush Limbaugh today, and he was going over what he refers to as a "pre-mortem" from some conservative bloggers. There's a reason I delinked the most popular "conservative" blog on the internet, though that it appears to be cheerleading the pre-mortem reinforces my decision. A simple fact of life is that if you expect to lose, you will lose. If you play not to lose, you will lose. If you think you can win, you might win. If you believe that you will win, and bring that enthusiasm with you into the game, election, or board meeting, there's a better chance than not that you will win. I'm sick of hearing Republicans and conservatives bellyache about how the polls are terrible, the RINOs are frustrating, and how we have no chance to save this election. We are going to win, and if we don't, it will be because SOME in the party/cause have decided their ideals and principles just aren't worth driving down the street to spend 2 minutes casting a vote. I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to sit down and let these individuals, so hostile to national security in our dangerous times, take our Congress without a fight. Skymuse at RedState.com puts it much better than I. Please read this, it inspired me to take up the fight again, and hopefully it will inspire you as well. If you loved Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, you'll love a Democrat controlled Congress. I understand that conservatives are loathe to "reward" a RINO or misbehaving Republican with re-election. But this is not a ballgame -- by withholding votes from Republicans and costing them seats and possibly control of a chamber, we are effectively giving the other side homefield advantage for the entire next season. There are plenty of issues that have not been properly addressed according to conservatives -- border control and immigration, permanent tax cuts, SocSec reform, the passing of McCain-Feingold, wishy-washy foreign policy, and many other issues. The situation is decidedly non-ideal. Some would decide that our current leadership does not deserve any more time at the trough and are planning to stay home on election day or vote 3rd party. If that happens, we *ALL* lose, not just the Republicans. No lessons will be learned, and we will be in for years of something much worse than NON-IDEAL. It will be catastrophic, and we will all wish that we could simply get back to non-ideal. There are times when it *IS* enough to vote for Republicans simply because they are not Democrats, and we are living in one at this moment. Please vote. For the future of our great nation, let's not let the media elites dictate our national policy any longer. We are relying on you... to vote, to convince your friends and family to vote. Make it a goal to get at least one more person to the polls this election. Here in Ohio, we have Mike DeWine maintaining the tradition of Ohio RINOs as well as he can. I supported his opponent in the primary, but the time for petty differences has passed and he will receive my vote in November. We are voting on the future of the nation.

Before the search parties are sent out. I've just been kind of tired lately, and haven't been posting. Ultimately, I'd like to get back to the point where I'm motivated to pontificate about multiple current affairs daily. It's been several months since my most prolific days, but when I'm enjoying it the posts come easily. In the mean time, I'd recommend the following blogs in alphabetical order: The Anchoress Bizzyblog Bonfire of the Vanities The Cafeteria is Closed Hugh Hewitt Little Green Footballs Michelle Malkin The World According to Oatney

I've never understood the fascination with banning gambling (or smoking, or having an open container of beer in the car, or mandatory seat belt wearing, but I'm letting my libertarian side sneak out a bit), and Bill Frist further distances himself from being a serious presidential contender by slipping an online gambling ban into a PORT SECURITY bill. Congressmen do this all the time, but that doesn't make it right. It's this kind of reasoning that will lead us to national bankruptcy and a totalitarian state, slipping spending and banning provisions into otherwise important and necessary legislation. Viking Spirit sums it up well: Shame on Senator Frist for inserting this provision. Not only were his actions wrong by inserting this provision the way he did, his actions are also an assault on our personal liberties as Americans. Are there any true leaders in the Republican party anymore?

Almost everyone I have spoken with disagrees. In a combination of 2 of my favorite things, South Park's season 10 premiere last night focused on the gaming phenomenon World of Warcraft. I love the show, I love the game, but the episode felt rushed. It's kind of like a few other South Park episodes where they had a great idea, but chose to go in only one direction, and put in half the effort they should have. I felt it reflected badly on the game, as the world seemed very small and bland, whereas it is actually a ridiculously large gaming area with many varied climates and terrains. Also, the cleverly interjected actual WoW music seemed out of place in the scenarios with which it was used. As I write this, I'm realizing I play the game way too much. Regardless, I'd give this particular episode of SP a 7.0 for lack of effort. It was still an entertaining plot which did portray a portion of WoW's culture, and did have at least one moment that made me cringe and almost look away from the screen. That's the SP touch.

This is amusing, from World Can't Wait: PLEASE JOIN US THURSDAY OCTOBER 5 TO STAND UP IN PROTEST TO THE BUSH WAR PARTY! LET YOUR FELLOW CINCINNATIANS KNOW THAT WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO FIGHTING TERRORISTS! WE MUST SPEAK THE TRUTH AND FIGHT FOR JUSTICE, AS IT SEEMS THESE VALUES ARE NO LONGER IMPORTANT TO THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON D.C.!!! IF YOU ARE FIGHTING MAD ABOUT THE ENDLESS IRAQ WAR AND THE GOP'S FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICIES...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! HOLD UP YOUR FIST AND DEMAND THAT OUR PRESIDENT TAKE ACTION TO SECURE AMERICA AND END THE U.S. OCCUPATION OF IRAQ. BRING YOUR SIGNS AND ANY INFORMATION YOU MAY HAVE TO ADD. IF YOU CAN PRINT FLYERS OR HELP IN ANYWAY, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP! THANKS AND HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU THERE! dm7harts@earthlink.net Where is this rally to fight the power and rouse the populace into a frothy froth of indignant resistance? 4 pm - 8pm Corner of Kenwood and Montgomery - Parking in Kenwood Mall lots For those that aren't aware, this is in one of the wealthiest areas of Cincinnati, with a great mall, lots of eateries, and likely convenient to the at least 2 that will attend. I wonder if Kenwood Mall has worked with them to arrange this? I'll have to give them a call. Update (Same Day): I just called Kenwood Towne Center. They were not aware, but they are now!

Except every single one he can think of in the limited time before justice is hopefully served. He was an alcoholic... he was abused by an unammed clergyman of an unnamed denomination (Foley claims to be Catholic). Next, he will have been abducted by space aliens and probed, thus creating a scar that stayed with him through his many years and prompted him to send patently obscene messages to young male congressional pages. From Foley's lawyer: "Mark does not blame the trauma he sustained as a young adolescent for his totally inappropriate" e-mails and instant messages, Roth said. "He continues to offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct." Are they serious, or trying to be (not) funny? So now not only is Foley a wannabe child molester, he's insulting the trauma alcoholics go through, and libeling an entire church in a frenzied attempt to get as many excuses out to the public as possible. Even for a Representative, the allure of power can be too much. You're guilty of one thing in particular Mr. Foley, a drunkeness not borne of alcohol, but of power. You, like some in the past, were caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Fess up, admit to your problem, admit you're a scoundrel and a fool. Is there anyone on your list left to betray? Update (Same Day): Pro Ecclesia * Pro Familia * Pro Civitate also has some good commentary on Foley's clerical accusation. Conservative Culture blames the Church... not only for Foley, but seemingly for the Amish shooting, and just about everything that ails the world. Update (10/05/06): My goodness, it seems religious bigotry is once again on the rise in America.

Some members of the Royal Congress of the United States feel even more privilaged than others, and simply taking your money to spend on their power isn't enough. Mark Foley is one of them, and was outed this week by the Democrats, who choose to do good only in limited situations when it will most harm Republicans. While this situation is tragic, fortunately the only real harm done (that we are aware of so far) was through email and instant messages. To hang Denny Hastert, of whom I am not a huge fan as a leader, for this would be a huge mistake on the part of the Republican leadership. Foley did the right thing in resigning immediately, and barring any future evidence that the Republican leadership was "in the know" about much more horrible events that had transpired, we should leave it at that. I believe Right Wing News put it best: What the Washington Times is actually calling for is a standard of justice that makes the Salem Witch Trials look calm and measured. What did Dennis Hastert and the House Leadership have back in 2005? Some emails from a congressman to a page that weren't sexual, didn't ask for a meeting, and didn't suggest any illegal activities. In and of themselves, the emails weren't criminal or an ethics breach, the parents didn't want the matter pursued, and the newspapers that were given the text of the emails found them to be of such little interest that they didn't even bother to print them. No one wants to say it, for fear of being labeled a supporter of child molestation (thus is the ridiculous world of moral equivalence in which we live), but this is clearly a late "dirty trick" from the left which is already politicizing the issue. Since they are bereft of ideas, leadership, principles, and generally anything to vote FOR, the Democrats are going to run against Bush (as they have every year since 2000), and try to slime all Republican members of Congress as supporters of child molestation. This, despite the fact that no actual physical molestation occurred (that has been made public), unlike the situation involving a certain president and an intern in the 90's. If the GOP leadership goes into a prevent defense, prepare to lose both chambers of congress. Any time a Democratic candidate brings up the Foley mess, his or her GOP opponent should immediately retaliate by asking if they are being accused of supporting child molestation. If the Democrat actually responds, likely with a "no," then they should be asked why they brought it up in the first place. Ultimately, the page program is dated and useless. While the Royal Congress may feel it is their right to have teenagers hand deliver their mail and bring them coffee, it only reinforces their general attitudes regarding superiority and being "more equal than others" in the land of freedom and justice. Do away with the program, and we won't have to deal with this issue again.