Michael Patrick Carroll's blog

Political discourse in America contains much in the way of intellect or intellectual honesty. One considers the Federalist Papers with wistful awe: that advocates offered such documents to the public as political arguments astonishes us. Fancy: honest, intellectually respectable political arguments.

And, then, we peruse the latest effort by no less a personage than the President of the United States – Mr. HopeandChange himself – on the subject of health insurance reform and we wonder: how does a man of such obvious intellect offer such self-evidently vacuous, downright dishonest arguments?

Not that Republicans are wholly innocent, but leftists raise demagoguery to an art form. Recall during the Clinton Presidency, when Republicans suggested restraining Medicare’s rate of growth, the Democrats produced a litter of kittens – and a plethora of attack ads. Clinton himself branded the "cuts" as "draconian". Democrats ran as the unapologetic advocates of unlimited growth in Medicare spending.

In a rebuke to Judge Sotomayor, who found neither empathy nor justice for victims of obvious racial discrimination, the SCOTUS struck another blow for a color blind society.

Now, one case does not (necessarily) a career make. But few cases decided by the New Jersey Supreme Court in recent years rankle Republicans as much as the infamous Torricelli switcheroo case.

Recall the facts: Senator Torricelli long labored under an ethical cloud, but as the 2002 general election approached, the Senator’s flagrant misbehavior exceeded even the tolerance of the jaded and forgiving New Jersey electorate – and that of the wholly cynical Democratic Party. With poll numbers plumbing depths even President Bush never explored, Torricelli stood little chance of reelection. Faced with the loss of a crucial Senate seat, the Democratic power brokers importuned the good Senator to step aside in favor of a more electable alternative: former Senator Frank Lautenberg.

One tiny, weeny difficulty: NJ statute permitted substitution of a withdrawing candidate only up to 51 days before the election; Torricelli’s "withdrawal" occurred a scant 36 days prior thereto. Hence, pursuant to any reasonable reading of the statute, no substitution could be legally effected.

Govenror Corzine channels the Jim McGreevey class warfare philosophy, funding one-shot rebates with destructive tax increases.  There are better options.

No white males need apply.

After working in Jeff Bell’s campaign during the summer of 1978 (as well as interning with the state GOP), I importuned Kemp’s folks and secured an internship in DC for the Fall. Every Thursday and Friday, off to DC on the rickety old local, to room 2244 (or was it 4422?) RHOB. Kemp was something of an icon among College Republicans; he attended numerous meetings throughout the DC area and always tarried after speaking to mingle with awestruck teens. He brought passion and enthusiasm to politics, as well as a willingness to chat on policy with any 19 year-old who wished to engage.

The office, of course, featured many reminders of his previous vocation, including Pat Summerall’s daughter as his receptionist. One picture in particular stood out: a defensive lineman about the size of a truck towering over, and apparently about to squish, a cringing, diminutive QB.

Interns, generally, enjoyed little face time with The Boss, but toward the end of my brief tenure, the student union at JHU decided to run a fund-raising auction and asked each student group to donate some object to the enterprise. As an officer of the College Republicans, it fell to me to secure an autographed football from the erstwhile quarterback.

The Left sheds crocodile tears for "irrelevant" Republicans, but they want an opposition party which doesn't oppose.

Thousands of protestors gather around the country to protest ballooning government; will NJ be the first stage in the new tax revolt?

The Left celebrates envy based taxation while the economy collapses around them.

Our Legislative Districts are illegal.  They should be redrawn now.