DennisMansfield.com

Christ supports Sarah Palin

Hmmm...interesting title, I might say.

So is it true? Well...yes and no....wait a minute....you think I 'm talking about ....wait another minute...no, no that's not what I'm saying. Ok, I got it. You think I'm a religious right-wing-nut, don't you?

No, I'm talking about Christ...Troupis, candidate for State Senate. (Sorry for the bait and switch...tee hee). Christ (pronounced like twist) won a tight GOP race in May by only 21 votes and is now running for the State Senate seat in November. He spoke tonight supporting Sarah Palin's amazing impact on the GOP base...even in Idaho's strongly RED state...where things tend to  happen as if on GOP auto-pilot (my quote not his...)

We had a dessert/coffee at our house for him on Thursday night and had a great cross section of people there. We had teachers - public and private, a private school principal, a newly-minted mom, a financial professional and a WHOLE lot of conversation by businessmen and their wives. it was an nice intimate evening of tough issues and discussion. Troupis is a straight arrow guy. You may not agree with him, but he KNOWS his stuff...not like my State Senator...John Andreason... (but, then that's a story from another posting...tee hee)

Christ supports: 1.Protecting Idaho jobs by supporting Butch Otter's plan to increase exports and diversify our economy. 2. Improving our schools by improving teacher pay and by rewarding excellance. 3. Caring for the environment by working together for compromise, such as on the Idaho wilderness. 4. breaking gridlock on our roads; public transporatation needs to be expanded.

I like what he had to say, though his website totally sucks...ha - (Even he agrees with me on that.)

Well, at least he has a cool masthead:

Here's another couple pics from the night with some of those who attended.

Den

PS: let me know if you'd like to help with his race.

McCain/Palin vs Obama/Biden? Try "1960" vs. 2008. David Pietrusza's Masterpiece

Frequent visitors to this blog may remember a posting I did, this January, about author David Pietrusza's amazing book, "1920". His book has THE most comprensive coverage of the 1920 election that enveloped 6 past, present or future Presidents of The United States. No kidding - if you haven't read it, stop drop and roll...'til you do....especially given the close connections to the 2008 race.

Then....this past week, his long-awaited next book hit the shelves: "1960". Man....it is utterly amazing in its structure, content and connected dots. A person might, at first, ask the question: "Haven't all the books on Kennedy's election been already written, that SHOULD have been written?"

The answer is a big, whopping "NO"....this is even closer to the 2008 race, as it brings forward many of the JFK issues and "firsts" (read that: Barrack Obama issues and "firsts") and connects the dots with the Democrat primary defeat of LBJ (read that: Hillary losing)...coupling it to the rankerous general election against Richard Nixon (read that: John McCain).

If you are an avid historical/presidential reader, order it NOW. My comments today do not do it justice, trust me.

Den

SNL Begins Tonight. Black is Back...are YOU Black Enough?

SNL is known for their amazing spin on politics. (remember the other day's blog?) To help you prepare for what's about to bust out on Palin, let's look back at their Blackness Scale on Obama. Imagine The Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Irrelevant Al Sharpton.

Let's see what Michael Phelps has to say

The New Reformers: Progressive Conservatives & Gov. Sarah Palin

Churchill's adage that in politics, young men are liberals and old men are conservatives makes for a good plausible thought...but not a true fact. Regardless of Churchill's enduring observation of age (and obvious omission of gender), something else SEEMS to coalesce political types together, rather than age. But what is it? Maybe, a better take on those interested in getting people elected could be that politics is like high school.

Think about it: some are in the "in" crowd and others are simply crowding in - awkward outsiders with their noses pressed against the plate glass, "feeling-about" for their identity....(maybe feeling like they are looking for their lockers...)

The underlying theme of this metaphor is that whether folks are conservative or liberal, their ideology (dare I say neo-religion?) demands that they capture ground and keep it. Once "in", never again to be outside looking in.  But does that work?

In a sense, I suppose I am a "recovering high school student", finally loosening the bonds of attachments that created in me a "mini-adult" status so many years ago, watching too many political movies and TV Oval Office shows and trying to act and pose like actors who act and pose like candidates...At 52 years of age, it's about time to acknowledge that I've finally graduated...tee hee.

I see it in all levels of the Democratic Party and the GOP. "Them that's gots, keeps..." Could be the mantra, I suppose. For the purpose of this posting, allow me to center in on the GOP, as it is my affiliation. For the purpose of this posting I site Sarah Palin as someone who got into politics to do something and will get out. For goodnes sakes, she spent years in her PTA and on her local town council...not quite CareerBuilder.com stuff.

I'd argue hers is the safer plan for the nation to enjoy, than the perpetual high school student councils elections of Biden, Kempthorne, Kennedy(s), Craig and Nixon.

I've been around the GOP for 32 years, run for office, lost and run again. With each passing year, I move further and further away from the goofiness of political in-fighting and power plays...and towards reform, progressive conservative reform. Please do not consider me bragging, but rather, illustrating the path of a progressive conservative - a reformer, encouraging others to reform their lives, cities and government like Sarah Palin has done.

• Get in and get out. I supported the Term Limits reform in Idaho. When the legislature overturned the will of the people, I led the actions that put the Referendum into place - forcing the issue back on the ballot for a final vote by the people.
• Turn them in, get them out. Reform demands that a person do what's right. I "turned in" my then-boss, a CA legislator (Assemblywoman Doris Allen), who was operating unethically.
• Run for office, even if it looks like political suicide. In 2000 I ran for US Congress against Butch Otter. People told me I was crazy. Though a good friend and a sitting Lt. Governor, Butch represented years of "in" crowd GOP back-slappers. No reform. No vision. In a field of 8, I came in 2nd to Butch. My race for State Senate was not too dissimilar.
• Stand up, speak out. Even if your friends  don't agree. Reform doesn't mean winning the first time, but it can happen. Don Paradis was on death row. I didn't see him as guilty and led the effort to have his case reviewed. Governor Batt amended his sentence and Don is a free man today.
• Change the world. We opened New Hope Community Health to help secure sobriety housing and classes for ex-addicts/ex-inmates. Godly, Christian, Republican neighbors opposed me. Hmmm...Reform means change. Change is painful. Changing the world is REALLY painful.

Progressive conservativism simply means well thought-out reform, regardless of personal costs; all accomplished from a traditional reference point. Getting rid of personality-driven public policy is key to it. Teddy Roosevelt did it 100 years ago. Sarah Palin is being called on to do it this centrury. My call is that a progressive conservative movement will rise within the GOP  - a movement of home makers, outsiders, part-timers and reformers.

After all, remember that the term status quo means "he/she who stays".....

Den

Sarah Palin: From"Who's She?" to "Who's Who" and BTW...Hillary Who?

I'll be adressing some thoughts on poltics and high school on Monday's blog, but until then...

I find it interesting that in a brief but powerful political week we've seen two women capture the attention of the world. Hillary Clinton, as she left the scene and Sarah Palin, as she arrived on it.

It's like we are watching a "Who's She?" become a "Who's Who"...right while we are seeing the political world ask itself "Hillary Who"?

How fitting that it is happening during the first week of high school, all across the nation...'cause it all feels sort of high school-ish, doesn't it?

The "cracked ceiling" about which Hillary repeatedly spoke now has a new female to possibly break it. But Sarah Palin doesn't seem to be the right "kind" of female, does she?

Somehow, many don't want to accept her. She seems to be the wrong type of woman from the wrong type of party with the wrong type of look. It's like the "ugly" people of high school are trying to have their revenge...or so it seems.

Two females, two stories. One goal? I'd hope so...but maybe not.

Why do I sense I am listening-in on a series of catty conversations at a middle-aged female sleep over, with Janice Ian's one hit wonder, Seventeen, playing nervously in the background, ad nauseum?

It's really a sort of reverse-Seventeen, though, this time around. Suddenly in politics, a pretty (and smart) female Republican VP seems worthy of mocking. Or is it just me that feels this way?

Den

"I learned the truth at seventeen

That love was meant for beauty queens
and high school girls with clear skinned smiles
who married young and then retired."

Governor Sarah Palin, GOP VP - what will women voters do?

Unbelievable!! John McCain chose a woman VP - Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska...wow.

McCain may have ultra-syncopated the political rhythm of our times.

The case can now be made that the 18 million cracks in the ceiling will be broken by a conservative, pro-life, hockey-mother....

John McCain knows strategy...and he knows combat...and he knows how to win elections. His choice was superb.

Now, the question for the male and female feminists of America is whether Sara Palin is "female enough" to be supported by them....or whether it's not REALLY a matter of  being a woman in high office, after all - it might be a variation on the theme from Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are MORE equal than others." Hmmm...we'll see.

Welcome to a new world. This ain't your Geraldine Ferraro's Oldsmobile. BTW: Gov. Palin is a University of Idaho graduate...a little slice of Idaho.

Here's a little bit of Fox News background on Sarah Palin's history. Alaskans have a bumper sticker that says: "Coldest State. Hottest Governor" How funny....

Den

O-bama Mia! The Musical Unveiled...

Well, tonight's performance by Barrack Hussein Obama has everything depending on it.

He's on the national AND international stage this evening. O-bama Mia's curtain will rise!

The music will swell, the announcer will introduce him and Senator Barrack Obama will have to perform.

Will he be the Dancing King? Will he follow Hillary's request to "Take a Chance on Me"? Nope, I'm thinkin' a little bit more nostalgic, perhaps...

If a guys gotta be a Rock star....then it's REALLY time for him to live the Dr. Hook lyrics of long ago, I suppose:                

"Well we're big rock singers, we've got golden fingers
And we're loved everywhere we go.
We sing about beauty and we sing about truth
At ten thousand dollars a show.
We take all kind of pills to give us all kind of thrills
But the thrill we've never known
Is the thrill that'll get you when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rolling Stone

How about this version? (Don't miss it...tee hee.)

Den

What Hath Dean Wrought?

David Zalubowski/AP Photo
Scott Kwasny, front, joins Duke Austin and Christian Wright in wearing American flag bandanas across their mouths as they join other members of the Alliance for Real Democracy, a coalition of protest groups, to outline their plans for protests at the Democratic National Convention during a news conference outside the Pepsi Center in Denver on Wednesday. The arena will play host to the Democratic National Convention starting on Monday. One of the issues is that protesters are being kept too far away from the convention venue.

Apparently, this is an attempt by the Democrats, under Chairman Howard Dean, to avert another organization called Recreate 68. Or will it actually cause EVEN MORE chaos, that will in turn feed this riotous spirit? Your guess is as good as mine.

But I have to ask this question: Are you kidding me?

Do the Democrats REALLY want to host another Chicago Democratic Convention event??

Who is "in the know" on such things for the D's? Chairman Dean?

1968 had horrible, horrible things happen in it.

What an irresponsible action by some radical D's to birth this on all of us.
Den

Where in the world is Jimmy Sandiego?

I love Jim Risch.

Ok, ok...I like Jim Risch. But he's reminding me a lot of Carmen Sandiego these days....

Hmmm...maybe I should say, I love Jim Risch's politics.  'Cause saying that "I HEART Jim Risch" is a little like saying "I HUG porcupines". It's just a little bit difficult to embrace or be embraced by him, at times. Even campaign babies can tend to flinch...It just ain't his style. And it works...sort of.

Look, Jim's always been there for conservative causes and he's Idaho's pro-life champion...few compare with him. Very few.

What he does do, really well, is to show up and debate. He's the MAJOR GENERAL of issues.

And right now,he is AWOL on debates. Larry LaRocco deserves better than this. So does Idaho. Rex whats-his-name shows up, but who cares?

I know, I know...the "pros" are all keeping their "package" under wraps...wow, cool. And boring. Even Carmen Sandiego came out of hiding once in a while...

C'mon, politics is a contact sport and it's time to have two great opponents begin the brawl.

It's either that, or we should all just return to the days of Dirk Kempthorne's coronation(s)....

Den

The misdirected attack on Wayne "Sali-Hoffman"

The recent events surrounding the Bill Sali for Congress Campaign dust up is interesting for me to observe. The argument seems to be that Wayne Hoffman, media leader for the campaign (and former print journalist) was too sensitive to negative articles and attitudes about his boss, the Congressional Campaign and to Wayne's own professional behavior.

Wayne's rebuttal seems to have left some burn scars in the hands of Canyon County news folks and others.

In fact, the burns seem to have run way-deep fairly quickly. VDid it seem to you that Vickie Hollbrook voiced her opinion admonishing her old employee about his apparent over-reaction?

Hmmm...interesting.

I've known Mr. Hoffman for many years - might have even been since the time he moved to ID from Arkansas, covering the then-Governor Clinton. He's always been a stand-up reporter. To my knowedge, he never mistreated any political people - always seemed to have balance as his main goal. I know, i was one of them.

For those reasons his former bosses (aka News Editors) all seemed to have given him glowing comments in the past. He moved up the ladder fairly quickly, for Idaho standards.

His switch over to the position of Press Secretary for US Congressman Bill Sali was not some type of nefarious thing. Look at Butch Otter's press staff - now and in the past. News people often move over to elected officials' offices.

It's just that Wayne Hoffman is today using the same news standards he used so well as a political reporter to hold the press accountable for its stories (and spin?).

And for this he gets attacked? What am I missing?

No, I think a slightly-dirty little secret might have slipped out.