Adam J Schmidt com

Election Journal

Haven’t had much to say about the Democratic primary race because the overall dynamics have remained mostly the same since Super Tuesday. Of course with yesterday’s results in North Carolina and Indiana things appear to be shifting rather significantly toward Obama. At least that seems to be the consensus amongst the pundits. Personally, I’m not comfortable proclaiming a presumptive nominee until they have locked down the requisite number of delegates.

What I’ve found more compelling is the fraud, cheating and dirty tricks exposed by the bloggers at Election Journal. Nothing terribly conspiratorial or widespread yet, just the jarring reality of our electoral process in action. I know we’d all like to think that we left these sorts of things behind us with the demise of Tammany Hall in the mid 20th century but it simply isn’t the case.

However, I’m hopeful that with the ability to capture video now so readily accessible the volunteers at sites like this will be able to bring transparency to the process and help improve the integrity of our elections by shining light on abuse.

Tags: blogging, democracy, election, Election Journal, fraud, politics, tools, transparency

Agree to Disagree

Last week I noticed a paid Facebook advertisement for an event called “Protest the Pill Day ‘08” sponsored by American Life League, along with Pro-Life Wisconsin and Pharmacists for Life International Associate marking the June 7th anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which determined that (according to the linked summary) “The Connecticut statute forbidding use of contraceptives violates the right of marital privacy which is within the penumbra of specific guarantees of the Bill of Rights.“   Not as widely known as Roe vs. Wade, but perhaps a more important case due to the precedent it set.

I posted the following in response:

However, my understanding is that the birth control pill prevents conception. Therefore it would follow that this reduces the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus the number of abortions.

I believe the pro life movement could build a broader base were it to embrace a more results oriented position emphasizing the number of abortions performed in the United States and the negative impact of abortion on women rather than demonizing the birth control pill.

Such a modulation would not preclude continuing to seek the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, but the primary focus would shift to reducing unwanted pregnancy. This would force pro choice groups to either moderate their stance or stick to an absolutist agenda of unlimited abortion on demand that is out of step with a broad swath of the country.

Cross Posted from Facebook

The event has since disappeared from Facebook but appears to have been reposted here.  What I find disturbing is the attempt to stretch the definition of “chemical abortion,” which I believe should be properly understood as a prescription (such as RU-486) that causes the body to abort a fetus. These groups are including in their definition prescriptions intended primarily to prevent ovulation that in same instances may also prevent implantation.

I simply cannot agree with the thought that preventing an embryo from being implanted in the womb is morally equivalent to aborting a fetus, particularly when so many embryos are never implanted under normal circumstances.  An article in Reason a few years back makes this point more eloquently than I ever could.

Tags: abortion, activism, birth control, Facebook, Griswold vs. Connecticut, messaging, politics, pro choice, pro life, protest, SCOTUS, strategy

McCain Conference Call

Had the opportunity to take part in the McCain blogger conference call Friday, the questions focused mostly on the North Carolina GOP’s decision to run an ad involving the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I’m hoping the next discussion will get into health care. The campaign just launched their latest ad on the issue and I’m looking forward to hearing more about McCain’s common sense market based solution to the problem.

Hat Tip: FullosseousFlap

Tags: 2008, ad, campaign, controversy, health care, McCain, North Carolina, politics, primary

For the Last Time: Bush won Florida!

I’m not sure how many times this needs to be repeated, but in case it hasn’t been made sufficiently clear, George W. Bush won Florida in 2000. A consortium of 8 media organizations conducted a comprehensive study and determined this irrefutably in 2001. Under every possible recount scenario Bush won Florida, and thus, the Presidency.

I only bring this up because I was inexplicably watching Verdict with Dan Abrams earlier this evening and sat through a segment bashing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia largely for his views on the Bush vs. Gore decision. If MSNBC wants a show heavy on self righteous insinuation and low on facts why not just extend Keith Olbermann for another hour?

Why even cast a lawyer if he’s not going to be able to cite the facts of the case with any certainty? It looked like they just threw up the video and had him ad-lib based on his recollection of the case from 2000.

Were it not for Morning Joe and appearances by Tim Russert and Chuck Todd I wouldn’t bother with the channel at all.

Tags: 2000, bias, Bush, Florida, Gore, MSNBC, outraged, recount, SCOTUS, sloppy journalism

Close this City Down?

Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to “close this city down”… -AP-

I’m not an expert on these sorts of things but I have to believe that with only guesswork seemingly behind the claim that you’re got a crowd numbering in the “hundreds of people” you’re going to be hard pressed to close down the Village of Brewster let alone all of New York City.  It’s a big town people.  Maybe he should start small, try to shut down Staten Island say, before making the leap to all five boroughs.

Tags: Al Sharpton, New York, NYC, protest

Andrew Sullivan

“It was indeed in the end about smearing and labeling Obama as a far-left, atheist, elite, pansy Godless snob fraud.” -Andrew Sullivan-

So Senator Obama never made any statements that might have given credence to this narrative?  I seem to recall Andrew Sullivan providing objective analysis at some point in his career; seems he’s drunk the kool-aid.

Tags: 2008, analysis, campaign, Democrats, Pennsylvania, politics, primary

Shepherd One

I’m impressed with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for launching a blog dedicated to the Papal visit. Yet I couldn’t help but laugh while reading the first line of their press release yesterday: Shepherd One, the Holy Father’s plane, landed at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland shortly before 4:00 p.m. EDT today (April 15).

Anecdotally though, it does speak to the reach and influence of our nation that the Pope’s plane is named in a riff off that of our president’s. Talk about the new world influencing the old!

UPDATE: Seems the Shepherd One designation is more nickname than call sign.

Tags: America, Catholic, globalization, papal visit, Pope, USA

Snob: The Backlash

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. -Barack Obama-

Wanted to pass the word that a Facebook group has been started in response to Senator Obama’s condescending remarks. Already 117 people have joined to share their belief that words matter.

Crossposted from Blogs 4 McCain

Tags: 2008, Blogs4McCain, campaign, crossposted, election, elitist, Facebook, Obama, snob

In Training

Attending the RNC’s Campaign Victory School the next three days.

Tags: campaign 2008 RNC training

Where were you in 2000?

Seems the Connecticut General Assembly is considering a proposal that would allow 17 year olds to vote in a primary provided they will turn 18 in time for the general election. Would certainly have saved me a good deal of heartache back in 2000. With a May birthday I missed out on the opportunity to cast my ballot for John McCain in the Connecticut primary that year. However, it was the excitement and promise of that primary campaign that cemented my interest in politics and encouraged me to attend college in Washington, DC.

Tags: 2000, Connecticut, McCain, primary, Washington DC