Fantasy Politics USA

The Huffington Post, Yahoo, and Slate Magazine are teaming together to host on line only debates for the Presidential candidates scheduled sometime after Labor Day. These will be the first on line only debates. They plan on having one for the Republicans, and one for the Democrats. The candidates will be able to communicate with each other from different places using video cameras, with Charlie Rose from PBS acting as a moderator. Yahoo will host the debates and offer technical support. Voters will be able to submit questions for the candidates. Huffington said they have contacted all the campaigns and most are interested in participating. Sounds like fun, but face to face debates with all in the same room is still the best way. The next debate like that will be this Thursday in South Carolina, on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. All eight of the declared Democratic candidates will participate. It will be moderated by NBC News anchor Brian Williams. The Republicans will have theirs May 3rd at the Reagan library.
Alan Cosgrove

The Constitution Party would like to find an alternative to the two major parties, and have started a poll to find that candidate. The party is convinced that the national parties will never nominate candidates like Ron Paul, Alan Keyes, or Tom Tancredo. According to James N. Clymer, National Chairman of the Constitution Party, “You see, neither of the presidential candidates that will be chosen by the Democrat or Republicans parties will acknowledge God the Creator as the source of our rights. Neither will stand for Constitutional liberties. Neither will fight for a limited Federal Government. Neither will be a strong defender of the unborn. And neither will stand against the illegal invasion that is destroying our country.” So the Constitution Party would like one of these major party cast offs to run as their candidate. Knowing to attrack candidates of this stature they will have to build a strong foundation for them. So they are starting a Presidential Poll. To participate in the poll click here. As of this writing Ron Paul is ahead with 42% of the vote and Tom Tancredo is second with 23%. The rest is spread out among 8 other candidates. The poll also asked for a second and third choice. Tom Tancredo is tops with the second choice with 27%, and Ron Paul is second with 19%. Duncan Hunter is also in included in the poll, and comes up in the 7th or 8th place in all three choices. So help the Constitution Party pick a candidate or two. Currently the only one running as a Constitutional Party candidate is James Gilchrist of California, and a founder of the Minuteman Project. The one thing this poll does help prove is if you put Ron Paul in an internet poll he usually wins, just like the Pajamasmedia Presidential Straw Poll, and the Fantasy Politics USA Presidential Idol. So we know Ron Paul can win on the internet, but can he win a national campaign? I really look forward to the GOP debate at the Reagan library so we can get a good look at Ron Paul.
Alan Cosgrove

Since the shootigs at Virginia Tech most of the candidates have been quiet except to express sorrow, but not John McCain. He has used this as an opportunity to declare his support of the second amendment, and the right to bear arms. McCain said at a rally on Tuesday, “We have to look at what happened here, but it doesn’t change my views on the Second Amendment, except to make sure that these kinds of weapons don’t fall into the hands of bad people.” “I do believe in the constitutional right that everyone has, in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon,” McCain said. “Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens.” The only other candidate to speak about guns since the shootings was Rudy Giuliani who told a crowd, “this tragedy does not alter the Second Amendment.” He believes it is up to the states to determine their own laws on gun controls, not the federal government. As New York mayor and Senator candidate he advocated strict gun controls. He has changed his mind a bit, just like NRA member Mitt Romney who also once advocated stricter gun controls. I really have not heard any rally cries to ban guns since the Virginia Tech tragedy, except maybe from the Brady bunch, and I don’t expect to. There really was no reason for McCain to express all this support for his second amendment rights. It looks like he is taking a preemptive shot at the left for no reason.
Alan Cosgrove

Sam Brownback used tax day to promote his idea of having a flat tax as a option. “I’m not taking on the current tax code from the standpoint of removing it,” Brownback said, “I’m saying create an alternative and let people pick.” He is still working on all the details of the plan, but expects to have it ready soon.
Brownback was also in the news today talking about the Supreme Courts decision to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. “I am very pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the ban on partial birth abortions,” said Brownback. “This ban was enacted to put an end to one of the most grotesque forms of abortion, and it is completely in line with the respect for life that is at the very heart of our Constitution. This is a great step forward for our nation’s citizens, born and unborn.” He hopes this is a sign that the Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v Wade and once again make abortions illegal in America. Brownback said, “I applaud the Court for finding that the constitution ‘expresses respect for the dignity of human life,’ and hope that this decision signals the Court’s willingness to revisit and reverse Roe v. Wade.”
Alan Cosgrove

The candidates had until midnight on Sunday to report to the Federal Election Commission all the money they have raised and spent so far in the first quarter. Hillary was the big winner because she transferred ten million from her Senate campaign, giving her a total of 36 million raised. Without Hillary’s Senate money Barack Obama has about the same amount of cash. The difference is Hillary has maxed out many of her donors with the $2300 limit, but Obama’s donors are mostly small cash amounts, so his folks can give again. The big spenders were Republicans with Mitt Romney already spending 11 million, which is about the same as Hillary and Obama combined. John McCain has already spent 8 million, and is 2 million in debt. Another big surprise is Ron Paul who has raised more than Huckabee, Hunter, Thompson, and Gilmore on the Republican side. He has managed to raise most of these funds through basic grassroots campaigning with 100% of it coming from individual contributions. Ron Paul hasn’t spent to much either, so he is building up a good size war chest. One candidate is already in the hole, Democrat Mike Gavel is $88,000 in debt with only $498.00 in his bank account. Sounds like me. He is also the only candidate to spend more than he has raised. For the figures from all the candidates click here.
Alan Cosgrove