BLOGGERS FOR RUSSELL

"And as for YOU, you shall have NO earmarks for Christmas!"

Cong. John Murtha speaks authoritatively on The Surge:

“There is no way the surge will work.” John Murtha, March 2007

“I think the surge is working.” John Murtha, November, 2007




Generally, I don't cross-post between this site and my other one, but I'll make an exception thisweekend. You'll find a longer version of this piece at CampaignVictory2008A. Any ideas you want to share on defeating Murtha will be very welcome.

On my other site, you will see this weekend approximately 45 "Bloggers 4 Russell." All of them are "active blogs" who get a number of visitors every week. Some of the blogs may get 30 visitors in a week. Others, like The Pink Flamingo (Cindy's site), 911 Families (Tim's site), and the band of mothers (Bev's site) get tens of thousands of visitors in a week.

Michelle Malkin has one of the most popular blogs in the universe, and she's strongly supporting William. The Blogging effort does three things. First, it creates "buzz," that is talk about Russell's candidacy by many thousands of people. Second, it attracts volunteers who will mainly seek out voters. Third, it will draw contributors to Russell's site.

Right now, contributors are critical because a campaign can't run on "air." If you have a blog and support William Russell, you need to sign up now. You can do so by leaving a comment (with your e-mail address and/or blog link) or by e-mailing me at TalkTop65@aol.com.

By the end of this year (it's still 2007, isn't it?) we should have 100-plus Bloggers 4 Russell. By next October, a month before the election, we should have more than 500 -- and perhaps as many as a thousand. If bloggers approach the Russell-Murtha race systematically and frequently, they should attract (and include) thousands of voters in PA's 12th District.

They should also attract many contributors. Yes, we'd love to get the big bucks $2300 (or $4600) contributions that will flow into Murtha's coffers. But right now we're asking for $10, $25, and $50. Of course, we'll be overjoyed in those cases where we got larger contributions, as we have in several cases.

Australians and Americans: Brothers and Sisters in Freedom

Thanks to the visitors on my other site from Australia: Gympie, Queensland; Melbourne; Victoria; Sydney; Brisbane; and Bringelly. Oops, there are more! One just showed up from Perth. I've been reading Niall Ferguson's World of War (a stunning book), and he writes a fair amount Australians' superb performance in World War II.

I regularly talk about how some American political campaigns (William Russell, Heather Wilson, Jean Schmidt, Melissa Hart; and James Gilmore) must be national efforts. In fact, they should be international undertakings, as we join with our brothers and sisters around the globe. For several generations, Australia has been one of our noblest allies, and those of us in the U.S. look forward to working with you on critical issues.

If you're looking for SmartPolitics101's version of "Comedy Central," scroll down to the next column.

A lot of us complain about the heavy hand of bureaucracy. In the early 1800s, when the federal bureaucracy might have fit within a single building, someone asked President John Adams what he thought of the group.

Adams reflected for a few seconds, shook his head, and said: "Few die . . . NONE retire." As the French saying goes, "The more things change, the more they remain the same."

HILLARY'S FOLLIES, MURTHA'S JOLLIES: POLITICAL HUMOR

(Above) John Murtha Reacting to Lt. Col. William Russell's run for Congress

I promise today will not be a serious column. I shall instead look at the lighter side. I'm doing a separate light-side column on my other main blog. Please visit and tell all your friends -- well, at least tell both of them.

Why does John Murtha fear William Russell's candidacy? You might as well ask why a vampire isn't enamored with bright sunlight.

What does Murtha have in common with the Johnstown Flood? Both are all wet.
How long exactly has Murtha been in Congress? Since shortly before the Birth of the Republic.

Why did John Murtha cross the road? Because on to the other side he saw a lobbyist.

There's no truth to the rumor that Lt. Col Russell advocates re-naming Johnstown's "The John Murtha Cancer Center" and calling it "The American Taxpayers Cancer Center."

What did John Murtha change into when he stopped being a "hawk?" A chicken-hawk.

What was John Murtha's response when he got condemned for falsely criticizing the Haditha Marines? He asked, "Can't these people take a joke?"

Why does Hillary Clinton favor driver's licenses for illegals? Maybe she thinks one of them will run over Giuliani or Obama?

What will John Murtha's first TV ad look like? Him waving a white flag?Tuesday on NCIS Agent Gibbs said "There's no such thing as an ex-Marine." But has Agent Gibbs ever met John Murtha?

Hillary Clinton says there will be "no co-presidency" with hubby Bill. In that family, we know who wears the pants suits.

What's the difference between Washington lobbyists and Murtha? They write the checks -- and he signs them.

What will happen to Murtha's Johnstown cronies when he leaves the political scene? It will be forever known as "The Night the Lights Went Out."

What did Bill say when Hillary first confronted him with the Lewinsky rumors? "Liar, liar, your pants suit's on fire."

This is the year from "halves" in the Democratic Party -- Obama is half-Black, Richardson is half-Hispanic, Kucinich is half-grown, and Hillary is . . . half-baked.

Endorsement of the Week: "I support Dennis Kucinich because . . . I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates who are more popular." (Larry Flynt, pornographer)

Why does Hillary really want to be President?

Oneupwomanship?

Votes For Sale: A poll of New York University students revealed that 20% would give up their vote in the next election for an iPod . . . Imagine that, college students with the right priorities.

Hillary's Follies, Murtha's Foolishness: Poltical Humor

John Murtha Reacting to Lt. Col. William Russell's run for Congress

I promise tomorrow (well, today, since I stayed up late) will not be a serious column. I shall instead look at the lighter side. I'm doing a separate (mostly) light-side column on my other main blog.

Why does John Murtha fear William Russell's candidacy? You might as well ask why a vampire isn't enamored with bright sunlight.

What does Murtha have in common with the Johnstown Flood? Both are all wet.

How long exactly has Murtha been in Congress? Since shortly before the Birth of the Republic.

Why did John Murtha cross the road? Because on to the other side he saw a lobbyist.

There's no truth to the rumor that Lt. Col Russell advocates re-naming Johnstown's "The John Murtha Cancer Center" and calling it "The American Taxpayers Cancer Center."

What did John Murtha change into when he stopped being a "hawk?" A chicken-hawk.

What was John Murtha's response when he got condemned for falsely criticizing the Haditha Marines? He asked, "Can't these people take a joke?"

Why does Hillary Clinton favor driver's licenses for illegals? Maybe she thinks one of them will run over Giuliani or Obama?

What will John Murtha's first TV ad look like? Him waving a white flag?

Tuesday on NCIS Agent Gibbs said "There's no such thing as an ex-Marine." But has Agent Gibbs ever met John Murtha?

Hillary Clinton says there will be "no co-presidency" with hubby Bill. In that family, we know who wears the pants suits.

What's the difference between Washington lobbyists and Murtha? They write the checks -- and he signs them.

What will happen to Murtha's Johnstown cronies when he leaves the political scene? It will be forever known as "The Night the Lights Went Out."

What did Bill say when Hillary first confronted him with the Lewinsky rumors? "Liar, liar, your pants suit's on fire."

Endorsement of the Week: "I support Dennis Kucinich because . . . I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates who are more popular." (Larry Flynt, pornographer)

Why does Hillary really want to be President? Oneupwomanship?

For sale: A poll of New York University students revealed that 20% would give up their vote in the next election for an iPod . . .

CONSERVATIVE CHEAPSKATES? LIBERAL FAT CATS

Let's see, Republicans are the candidates with all the money, and the poor Dems have to run a bare-bones operations, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. A recent analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) shows that the Dems are way ahead of Republicans might as well be selling pencils.

Here's what the CRP says: "Top industries and interest groups have increased their giving over 2004 by 46 percent, the Center finds. As money shifts to Democrats, giving from Republican strongholds is mostly flat.

"The sharpest increases since 2004 tend to be in the ideological sector. Democratic/liberal interests have increased their giving 396 percent since 2004, fueled particularly by Internet fundraising organizations such as ActBlue."

"Candidates have been donating money to each other at a greater rate, too. Contributions from candidate committees are up 164 percent compared with four years ago, and contributions from leadership PACs—political action committees formed by politicians to support other candidates—are up 88 percent over the '04 [election] cycle."

"The industries with the smallest increases [in political giving], and even decreases in several cases, tend to have Republican-leaning track records. The automotive industry, which has contributed 75 percent of its money to the GOP since the 1990 cycle, has decreased its contributions by 20 percent since 2004."

'Democratic donors seem unusually mobilized for this election," [one expert] said, "but those industries who've traditionally given to Republicans seem to be either nursing their wounds from '06 or sitting this election out."

"As interest groups and industries contribute substantially more money, they are also shifting their giving to Democrats, both to members of Congress now that the party is in control and to Democratic presidential candidates. The typical big-giving industry is now giving 57 percent of its contributions to Democrats, a shift of 14 percentage points from both 2006 and 2004, when the party and its candidates collected only 43 percent of the money."

The CRP article notes that the sectors increasing their political giving include the securities and investment industery, lawyers and law firms, and the entertainment business -- all traditionally big donors to Democrats.

What's the good news for Republicans in the piece? There isn't any.

CRP drives the nail in us by saying, "As interest groups and industries contribute substantially more money, they are also shifting their giving to Democrats, both to members of Congress now that the party is in control and to Democratic presidential candidates.

Overall, CRP says, "The typical big-giving industry is now giving 57 percent of its contributions to Democrats, a shift of 14 percentage points from both 2006 and 2004, when the party and its candidates collected only 43 percent of the money."

Clearly, the CPR story isn't exactly the kind of music that's going to get the GOP elephant dancing in the streets. It makes one think that the pasting we took in 2006 may be nothing compared to the beating we experience in 2008.

A major reason SmartPolitics101 exists is to discuss ways that under-funded Republican campaigns can still be winners. This blog's columns emphasize the need for organization and relatively low-budget communications, mainly those that take place over the Internet. Essentially, it means we have to knock on every door in order to get voters to support our candidates.

I'm also emphasizing the need to get people who have never contributed to a political campaign to turn over a new lead and become at least small donors. My assumption is that somebody who finally unlocks a wallet or purse and gives $25 probably will donate again. They'll be "invested" in a campaign in a way that will make them effective activists.

Specifically, there are hundreds of thousands of people (probably millions) who would really like to see Lt. Col. William Trower Russell defeat John Murtha. If 10% of the people who believe "MurthaMustGo" made even small contributions to Russell, he would have enough money to wage a winning campaign.

Being a conservative doesn't mean just having spouting off regularly on what's wrong with America. It also means doing what is necessary -- including making contributions -- to ensure conservative views get a real hearing in Washington, DC.

Frankly, we do more for terrific candidates than just wish them well. We need, as the saying goes, to start putting our money where our mouths are.

There are 85,000 military veterans in the 12th District of Pennsylvania. If one percent of that number -- 850 people --make a relatively small donation to William, which they should, it could add tens of thousands of dollars dedicated to his effort. He's making a big sacrifice, and all of us should make at least a small one.

The upshot: If you haven't contributed yet to Lt. Col Russell, please do so today. Otherwise, we'll all end up singing the same old sad song the day after the Election.

John McCain, William Russell: How to Combine Efforts

Hillary Clinton: The Candidate We Love to Hate

The Economist magazine recently announced a poll that shows the "Hillary Paradox." They asked voters which candidate they would most like to come to dinner at their house and go on a family vacation with them. The winner (with the highest percentage total) was . . . Hillary Clinton.

Guess which candidate the highest percentage of voters would least like for the dinner/vacation combo? In fact, the loser was . . . Hillary Clinton.

Clearly, she's the woman Americans love . . . and hate.

I sent the following to Brad, an outstanding activist working hard on the John McCain Campaign. You can find Brad's current Internet enterprise here.

I hope at some point you might suggest to people on your extensive mailing lists that they would benefit from visiting William Russell's site and offering him any support they can (hint! hint!).

If they like John McCain, they're also going to like William Russell (and, I believe, the other candidates I'm targeting for support). For example, Heather Wilson of NM is the only female veteran -- Air Force -- ever elected to Congress, and she's in a tough battle in her state for the Senate nomination.

Second, you've contributed $50 to the Russell Campaign, and I told you I'd reciprocate by contributing $50 to your personal fund-raising effort for Senator McCain. I'm ready to donate when you ask.

Third, in 2004, a number of students from Massachusetts (and many other states) came to Pennsylvania, a presidential battleground state, to campaign for GWB and other candidates. The students knew that Massachusetts would not be competitive. I'm hoping some of them (and others) will return in 2008 to go door-to-door for the Republican presidential candidate and other fine candidates such as Russell and (Melissa) Hart.

Fourth, I write on my Camp2008 and SmartPolitics blogs about some old (and some new) campaign methods that will work for many Republican candidates. For example, in the 12th District there are 85,000 military veterans. The vast majority of them will vote for William if we can get to them and point up William's "Warrior" status. If we can get to all of the 85,000 veterans and their families, William will wake up one day next November as Congressman-elect.
The methods I talk about in my blogs also will work for McCain and other Republicans aiming for the presidential nomination. Frankly, for William to win his race, it's essential that the presidential nominee perform strongly in PA. If most voters cast their ballot for a McCain or a Giuliani, they'll be more likely to vote for William.

Fifth, it's important to ask potential supporters to make small contributions. Heather Wilson is asking for as little as $25. The idea is that if someone contributes $25, they'll probably contribute more at a later date. Such a person will also be "invested" in the campaign in an important (financial) way.

At Heather's site people can contribute as little as $10. My belief is that when people hear about all the millions going into presidential campaigns, they get intimidated. Ten bucks or 25 bucks won't scare people away.

OpenSecrets.org says that out of every 100 voters, only about 3 actually contribute to ANY political campaign. If we can -- somehow -- find a way to double that (to 6 out of 100), we will raise a good deal of money.

Six, tonight William Russell will appear at 10 p.m. Eastern on Political Pistachio Blog Talk Radio. I'm a believer in Blog Talk Radio, because it appeals to Republican activists, ones who vote, contribute, and influence others.

I'll do what I can to advance McCain's cause, partly because I'm so impressed by your actions on his behalf. I've said that the race could come down to McCain-Giuliani, which frankly would make me happy. I believe either of them could defeat either Clinton or Obama.

Brad, let's keep working together. As Benjamin Franklin put it, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."


Steve Maloney

William T. Russell: Thinking "Outside of the Box"

The 12th Congressional District's Favorite Sourpuss, John Murtha

William T. Russell is running for Congress in the 12th District, which is south and west of Pittsburgh. So why should William look to the 14th District -- centered in the city of Pittsburgh and represented by Democrat Mike Doyle, who always runs unopposed for support?

A little background: The 14th congressional District is a classically Democrat area. It includes all of Pittsburgh and several mostly working class suburbs to the east, south, and west. There's some green-lawn suburbia here, but much of the district is in the Monongahela Valley, where the steel industry once (but no longer) belched flames and provided jobs.

There aren't many Republicans or moderate Independents in such a place, right? Wrong!

Consider the 2004 presidential election, in which John Kerry won the 14th by 69% to 30% over George W. Bush. Perhaps Kerry's win constitutes a real skunking, but it hides an important truth.

In 2004, GWB's vote total in the 14th was 88,0000-plus votes. In other words, there are a lot of voters mostly unrepresented by Mike Doyle, a predictable tax-and-grab Democrat.

So, where does William Russell fit into this equation? Frankly, he needs to go into what many regard as enemy territory -- the 14th -- and seek contributions and campaign support from those 88,000 people.

If he spent a few days in the 14th in targeted meetings with Republicans, he could raise funds and find people willing to help in the 12th District race against Murtha. The 88,000 voters who cast ballots are not going to be friendly to Murtha. They can't vote for William, but they can help him in many other ways.

Of course, one of the important groups supporting Russell consists of veterans. In the 14th, there are more than 85,000 veterans, most of whom will not be fans of anti-military John Murtha.

I'm suggesting something almost unheard of in congressional races. Candidates just don't do that kind of thing -- going into "someone else's" district. Well, in this case, it's time to break with precedent.

Yes, Mike Doyle will take decent care of the Democrats in the 14th. However, William Russell should assure his supporters there that he'll take care of their interests -- especially keeping their taxes down -- when he's elected to Congress.

In the recent Pittsburgh mayoral election, Republican candidate Mark DeSantis received 35% of the vote. He also raised more than $300,000. Based on DeSantis' success, it should be possible for William to raise over time more than $100,000 in Pittsburgh.

Of course, William will need a significant amount of money to conduct a winning campaign, but his main emphasis will be on using volunteers wisely and generally conducting an effort relying on "outside-of-the-box" thinking.

Because of so many years of Democrat misrule, the 14th District is losing population at a rapid rate. A lot of people have given up hope on living there. William Russell can "keep hope alive" in Pittsburgh, while also benefitting his campaign for Congress.

(See the column below this one regarding declining population in Democratic districts, including Doyle's.)

Go for it, William!


Note: I'll cross-post this at some point on my main blog. If you'd like to contribute to Russell's campaign, you can do so by clicking on the link at the start of this column.

Smart Politics 101 Born: Beating John Murtha

Beginning Monday, SmartPolitics101 will come to fruition. The first column will be a re-post from my other blog, http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com. The main emphasis will be on how moderate and conservative candidates (mostly Republicans, admittedly) can solicit funds, attract volunteers, and win elections.

I now write at several sites on blogspot, including the blog listed above and at: http://murthamustgo.blogspot.com. I hope many people come here frequently -- and tell their friends about the site.

The following column will appear on my other site on Monday. After that, almost all the columns here will be individual posts for this site.

A lot of people in the U.S. believe Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania's 12th District is unbeatable. However, in politics NO ONE IS UNBEATABLE.

Do you remember when Congressman Thomas Foley of Oregon was a national powerhouse? Well, in the 1990s Foley was beaten by George Nethercutt.

Or do you recall Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota? He was for year the Majority Leader of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate. But he was beaten by John Thune.

In New Mexico, Heather Wilson supposedly had no chance of winning. The district she’s in (Albuquerque) is 43% Hispanic, and the Democrats ran extremely well-financed Hispanic-American candidates against her. But Heather Wilson won both those races – and now she’s running for the U.S. Senate and probably will win that race also.

Or think back to the 1990 race of Christine Todd (“Christy”) Whitman against Senator Bill Bradley, often mentioned in those days as sure-thing for the Democratic presidential nomination. In that race, Bill Bradley spent $11 million. Christy Whitman spent $900,000 – about one-twelfth as much as Bradley. She did very few TV ads, relying mostly on radio “chats.”

She didn’t win. In fact, she lost by a scant two points, but she ended Bradley’s visions of a presidential candidacy.

What about William Trower Russell in his battle with Murtha? One key to his winning is to lock up support from people who have a lot of influence in the district.

I’m not really referring to affluent people, although their support can be valuable – and their contributions are necessary. Instead, I’m talking about people who have a lot of contact with others.

Lately, I’ve been talking about woman named “Mel,” who is a hair stylist during the day and a bartender during the evenings at a popular Jamestown, PA night-spot. She’s thinking of going back to college.

Mel is pretty, funny, smart, and a great communicator. She’s an extremely social human being. She also likes what she hears about Lt. Col. William Russell.

Why are the Mels of the world important in political campaigns? Because they're the true "opinion leaders" of our time.

Over the course of a year people like here have contact with thousands of individuals, most of them voters. People who go to nice restaurants and top hair stylists are exactly the kind of individuals who vote. They also talk politics.

William Russell needs to target individuals who have a lot of contacts. They include hair stylists, barbers, bartenders, police personnel, real estate agents, insurance agents, ministers, priests, and rabbis. If they think well of a candidate, they’ll tell their friends, neighbors, and customers.

The key is to ask highly social people for their support – and give them a clear reason to do so. Also, ask them for help. Specifically, request that they talk to people about the importance of spreading the word.

One problem with Mel: she’s not registered to vote. That’s easily rectified. In fact, there are tens of thousands of people who are either not registered or just don’t vote often.

If most such people were inclined to register and vote for Murtha, they’d have done so. But they haven’t. Why? Because they recognize that Murtha symbolizes everything that’s unsavory about modern politics.

Nearly every day between now and the Nov. 5, 2008 election, William and his supporters will run into several people like Mel. The key is to get them registered (if necessary) and to have them serve as advocates for the Russell campaign.

The race won’t ever be easy, but with enough “Mels” behind him William Trower Russell can win. To that end, people like Mel are his secret weapons.

Note: Comments and Questions are always welcome! I'd love to hear from you.