No stranger to controversy, Lou Dobbs, anchor for CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” will visit Roger Williams University as part of its Civil Discourse Lecture Series on the evening of Thursday, January 31, to share his insights on the most topical issues affecting our country today.

“Civil Discourse is designed to bring to campus as many points of view as possible,” said University President Roy J. Nirschel. “Recent speakers run the gamut from Salman Rushdie to Gary Bauer, David Gergen to Bob Geldof. Whether they agree with him or not, Lou Dobbs will certainly energize our students.”

Dobbs will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the university’s recreation center gymnasium on the Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. The event is FREE and open to the public as space allows. Members of the media are encouraged to attend.

During his presentation, Dobbs will discuss a wide range of topics such as the economy, immigration, politics, business and investing.

Dobbs, a self-proclaimed “independent populist,” anchors “The Lou Dobbs Financial Report,” a nationally syndicated financial news radio broadcast and writes columns for Money magazine and U.S. News & World Report.

The award-winning journalist has received a George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash and earned a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics in 1967.

“Against the Bush Tax Cuts”… “More Restrictions on Gun Owners”… “Joined Ted Kennedy to Sponsor Amnesty”… “Mentioned as Running Mate with John Kerry”… Hillary Clinton? No, John McCain. Surprisingly LIBERAL.

This new 30-second television spot, entitled “Surprisingly Liberal,” challenges Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain on his seemingly liberal voting record on taxes, gun rights, and immigration.

The ad will air on the FOX News Channel nationally beginning on Thursday, January 31st. Produced and paid for by Citizens United Political Victory Fund.

An important statement from Rush Limbaugh:

Thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to all of those gathered here — my loyal staff, my enthusiastic supporters, those of you who spread the word to every neighborhood, every precinct — thank you. Thank you so much for all of your tireless hard work. We all work tirelessly, even I. I personally travel from my home to my studio, and back — and I travel from my Florida studio to my New York studio. But, alas, we did not win.

Now, I know that there are reports of campaign irregularities, but I want to point out to all of you: This is no time to quit. This is no time to feel down. This is no time to feel defeated. (wild applause and cheers) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The same media… (boos) The same media that could not call New Hampshire right still… (boos) Ladies and gentlemen, please. The same media that couldn’t call New Hampshire right still shamelessly in the prediction game, is predicting my demise and your demise. (boos) But I say, “Bah!” The same media that’s losing circulation and readers and viewers and respect (applause) is predicting my demise…

Oh, you didn’t know Rush was running for President? Neither did he.

(h/t) The Rush Limbaugh Show

The beautiful Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California will be the setting for the final Republican presidential debate before “Super Tuesday.” I have visited the Reagan Library, and can think of no better place for Republicans to be!

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation has joined forces with CNN, the Los Angeles Times and POLITICO.COM to host the final Republican Presidential Debate before the 2008 “Super Tuesday” primary in California and 19 other states.

The debate will be held in the Reagan Library’s Air Force One Pavilion and will give voters one last opportunity to hear the GOP front-runner candidates discuss their positions in a debate format before casting their votes in the February 5, 2008 primary.

The debate will begin at 8:00 P.M. EST.

Registration Now Open for OCG Candidates School 2008

The OCG Candidates School is a non-partisan educational seminar held every election year in Rhode Island since 2002. It is designed to broaden citizen involvement in state and local government by empowering citizens with the knowledge they need to get involved in the political process.

Whether its for the school committee, city or town council, state legislature, general office or federal office, if you are running for office or considering a run for office, or planning to work on any campaign, get the information you need to make a difference!

Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Time: 7:30 AM - 5 PM (Breakfast at 8 AM)
Location: Quonset ‘O’ Club, North Kingstown, RI

Seating is limited - Enroll early
Registration Fee: $95 (includes meals)

Click here for registration details

This may be a first. Now that you’ve heard President Huckabee’s Bush’s State of the Union speech, hear now “The Conservative Response” from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee:

(h/t) RedState

No stranger to controversy, Lou Dobbs, anchor for CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” will visit Roger Williams University as part of its Civil Discourse Lecture Series on Thursday, January 31, to share his insights on the most topical issues affecting our country today.

“Civil Discourse is designed to bring to campus as many points of view as possible,” said University President Roy J. Nirschel. “Recent speakers run the gamut from Salman Rushdie to Gary Bauer, David Gergen to Bob Geldof. Whether they agree with him or not, Lou Dobbs will certainly energize our students.”

Dobbs will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the university’s recreation center gymnasium on the Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. The event is FREE and open to the public as space allows. Members of the media are encouraged to attend.

During his presentation, Dobbs will discuss a wide range of topics such as the economy, immigration, politics, business and investing.

Dobbs, a self-proclaimed “independent populist,” anchors “The Lou Dobbs Financial Report,” a nationally syndicated financial news radio broadcast and writes columns for Money magazine and U.S. News & World Report.

The award-winning journalist has received a George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash and earned a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics in 1967.

Ian Donnis, writing in The Ubiquitous Mr. Crowley at Not for Nothing notes:

“By his own admission, energetic labor activist Pat Crowley, a bete noire for conservative Rhode Islanders, had a little time on his hands recently, so he catalogued the number of blog mentions devoted to him on Anchor Rising and The Ocean State Republican. The answer: 47.

Pat, who clearly wears the other side’s opprobrium as a badge of honor, asks whether he should at least get a prize.”

We agree. By the power invested in us by the VRWC and the “Dictatorship of the Proletariat,” we hereby award Pat “The Finger” Crowley the coveted Soviet “Medal for Valiant Labor.” *

Established on 27 December 1938 by Comrade Stalin himself, the Medal for Valiant Labor was only awarded to laborers who have heroically dedicated themselves towards the construction of a socialist society. This award ranks above the Soviet Medal for Distinguished Labor. Citizens of the Motherland, as well as foreigners were eligible for this award.

Congratulations, Comrade Crowley on your 48th blog mention!

* Since the Soviet Union no longer exists — except in the memories of socialist revolutionaries, due to the efforts of President Ronald Reagan — recognition of this medal worldwide is somewhat irregular at present. However, it is still known to be recognized in The People’s Republic of North Korea, as well as in Vermont and Barrington, RI.

Twenty-two years ago today, President Reagan was scheduled to deliver his fifth annual State of the Union Address. However, that was not to be, as history — as it has a tendency to do — intervened. The address would be rescheduled, because earlier that day, the Space Shuttle Challenger, with it’s crew of seven aboard, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, exploded 73 seconds after lift-off.

As a result, President Reagan would address the nation from the Oval Office, to deliver what is widely considered one of his finest speeches.

…The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of Earth” to “touch the face of God.”

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, “On Monday night, I will address the American people about the state of our union. I will report that over the last seven years, we’ve made great progress on important issues at home and abroad. I will also report that we have unfinished business before us, and we must work together to get it done. … I am confident that we can work together to meet our responsibilities in these areas — and leave our children a stronger and more prosperous America.”

[Audio]

As noted on a number of conservative blogs and of course on talk radio, on Sunday, January 27th, 2008, our nation celebrates a momentous political anniversary. Ten years ago today, [then First Lady] Hillary Clinton went on national television with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer and said:

“This is the great story here for anybody willing to find and write about it and explain it is this Vast Right Wing Conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president.”

…And thus was born the VRWC which we’re all happily a part of to this day.

P.S. More than a few people thought it was a “great story here for anybody willing to find and write about it and explain it,” including Mark W. Smith. What’s a birthday without a gift? Support The OSR today, by buying The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy!

A Message from Jim Haldeman, Candidate, District 35 State Representative:

After knocking on thousands of doors, sending out several mailings and holding dozens of sign holding events, I faced a crowd of supporters on November 7, 2006 and conceded my 8 point loss for the District 35 State Representative seat. That night I quoted F. Scott Fitzgerald who said, “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” This November I plan to honor his words when I overcome those 8 percentage points.

I overcame adversity when I was a student at Holy Cross College, when I was a Marine Corps Fighter Pilot, when I was a Commander of the Fallujah Civil Military Operations and when I was a Captain at American Airlines. With your help I know I can do it again in November.

If you help send me to the General Assembly, I will dedicate myself to bring excellence to math and science education, to foster high-paying job creation, to reduce property taxes and to make health-care affordable for employees and employers. If you are unable to attend the event on the 5th, you can still make a secure online donate to the campaign by clicking here.

Thank you in advance for any support you can show our campaign.

On Tuesday, February 05, 2008 at 7:00 PM, come enjoy pizza and drinks while watching the “Super Tuesday” primary returns with us. Help Jim Haldeman win election as your State Representative in South Kingstown, District 35!

Casey’s Grill and Bar
191 Old Tower Hill Rd
Wakefield, RI 02879

For more information, contact: Sean O’Donnell at sod9292 [at] gmail [dot] com

I’m not one to believe in not believing in conspiracy theories, but I’m really starting to think that the Libs are deliberately trying to sabotage Sen. John McCain during this particularly critical point in the primary season, in order to lessen the chances of him possibly becoming the Republican nominee, as a future “compromise” choice.

First, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) received the endorsement [read: kiss of death] from The New York Times:

Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.

Now, Bill Clinton [who is having a lot of trouble keeping his mouth closed nowadays], has this to say about the Mac:

“She and John McCain are very close,” Clinton said. “They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history, and they’re afraid they’d put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other.”

Of course, since I am not supporting John McCain for President, this is perfectly fine with me. However, I imagine it would be of concern to McCain’s campaign, especially with the “winner take all” Florida Primary on Tuesday. Oh, and then there’s McCain’s mother…

Saturday Prediction: I expect that Obama will easily win the South Carolina Democrat Primary later today. So does everyone else — which means that if somehow he does significantly less than expected — he’s toast. Of course, I’m hoping he wins BIG (for my own reasons).

I’m testing a fun new text do-hickey on this site. Don’t put your mouse’s cursor over the black areas until you’ve answered the following statements in your mind. Have fun!

WASHINGTON — It was a remarkable moment: A young, free-thinking presidential hopeful named Bill Clinton sat down with reporters and editors at The Washington Post in October 1991 and started saying things most Democrats wouldn’t allow to pass their lips.

Ronald Reagan, Clinton said, deserved credit for winning the Cold War. He praised Reagan’s “rhetoric in defense of freedom” and his role in “advancing the idea that communism could be rolled back.”

“The idea that we were going to stand firm and reaffirm our containment strategy, and the fact that we forced them to spend even more when they were already producing a Cadillac defense system and a dinosaur economy, I think it hastened their undoing,” Clinton declared.

Clinton was careful to add that the Reagan military program included “a lot of wasted money and unnecessary expenditure,” but the signal had been sent: Clinton was willing to move beyond “the brain-dead politics in both parties,” as he so often put it.

His apostasy was widely noticed. The Memphis Commercial Appeal praised Clinton two days later for daring to “set himself apart from the pack of contenders for the Democratic nomination by saying something nice about Ronald Reagan.” Clinton’s “readiness to defy his party’s prevailing Reaganphobia and admit it,” the paper wrote, “is one reason he’s a candidate to watch.”

Original Text Courtesy of The Washington Post, via RealClearPolitics

In response to Pat “The Finger” Crowley’s referral of The Tax Foundation as somehow being engaged in a “fraud,” we thought you might like The Tax Foundation’s response. The Tax Foundation does an excellent job systematically taking apart the CBPP’s arguments, which we’ve partially excerpted below.

Pat “selectively using facts” for his own leftist purposes — who would have thought?

Analysis of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Criticism of Tax Freedom Day and State-Local Tax Burdens

Executive Summary: Each year, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) releases a criticism of the Tax Foundation’s annual calculation of Tax Freedom Day. Their criticism relies on three main arguments, none of which stand up to close scrutiny.

First, they assert that Tax Freedom Day should focus only on tax burdens of the middle one-fifth of earners, and ignore the taxes paid by the remaining four-fifths of Americans. Second, they assert that the Tax Foundation should employ the CBPP’s unofficial preferred definitions of “income” and “tax” rather than the official definitions used by U.S. government statistical agencies. Finally, they assert that the Tax Foundation’s state and local tax burden estimates are unreliable because—like all statistical estimates based on official government data—initial estimates are revised when improved data become available…

Conclusion: The CBPP makes three basic criticisms of Tax Freedom Day. They assert that it should focus only on middle-income earners rather than all Americans who pay taxes; that it should employ their preferred definitions of “income” and “tax” rather than the BEA’s official definitions; and that the Tax Foundation’s state and local tax burden estimates are unsound because they are revised to reflect new and more accurate government data as it becomes available.

As outlined above, each of these criticisms is based on either factual errors, unsupportable political value judgments or misleading interpretations of the Tax Foundation’s tax burden estimates. For these reasons, the CBPP’s criticisms are unpersuasive.

Read All About It: The Tax Foundation

Courtesy of Hot Air: You remember Jason Mattera of the Young America’s Foundation, right? Last we heard, Jason was still enjoying his work with the YAF and the Reagan Ranch in sunny California. Of course, here in Rhode Island, we remember him as the very active former Chair of the Roger Williams University College Republicans.

In the following video, Jason hosts his first VENT and hits on a timely topic: The GOP’s trouble with the youth vote — and how to get it back.

Of course, we’re sad to hear about the passing of long time State Senator Roger Badeau (D-Woonsocket). In the interest of good taste, we’ll wait until after his funeral before we start discussing his replacement.

Say what you might about him, but he meant well…

[March 2005] Rhode Island Senator Roger Badeau says he was appalled when Red Sox players participated in an autograph-signing event in his state last year and charged children $200 per autograph. Feeling that the state needs to send a message that sports figures should not be preying on children, he sponsored a bill on the subject that has now passed the state Senate unanimously and is being considered by the House.

The bill imposes a $100 fine on any professional athlete or entertainer who charges anyone under 16 for an autograph. Since the going rate for autographs in Rhode Island is apparently $200, I’m not exactly sure what message that really sends, other than maybe, “autographs in Rhode Island will now cost $300.”

I certainly don’t disagree with the post-debate assessment by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. I think this was possibly Mitt Romney’s best debate performance yet — and the timing couldn’t have been better, coming only 5 days before the crucial “winner take all” Florida Primary. Romney came off as Presidential, poised, and very knowledgeable. I think his “General Hillary Clinton” line was probably the most memorable one of the night. I’d expect it to be repeated in future “stump” speeches.

Of course, it’s not too difficult to dominate a debate when you’re not being attacked from all sides (mutual non-aggression pact?) and when the moderator seemingly gives you so much time to make your points. A very good night for Romney.