TNR's Kirchick Vindicated for Revealing Ron Paul's Racist Past

James Kirchick who wrote a piece in The New Republic in January knocking down the former candidate for president, Rep. Ron Paul, as a bigoted nutbag has been vindicated.

Steven Walters in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reveals today that "(f)ormer Republican presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas will keynote Saturday's session of the 50th anniversary of the Appleton-based John Birch Society."

The John Birch Society, dating back to the 1950s, is infamous for its conspiracy-minded, anti-Semitic, Joe McCarthy-supporting whacks.

Writes Kirchick in the January 8, 2008 The New Republic on Paul:

Finding ... (Ron Paul's) pre-1999 newsletters was no easy task, but I was able to track many of them down at the libraries of the University of Kansas and the Wisconsin Historical Society. ... (Ron Paul's) The Freedom Report's online archives only go back to 1999, but I was curious to see older editions of Paul's newsletters, in part because of a controversy dating to 1996, when Charles 'Lefty' Morris, a Democrat running against Paul for a House seat, released excerpts stating that "opinion polls consistently show only about 5% of blacks have sensible political opinions," that 'if you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be,' and that black representative Barbara Jordan is 'the archetypical half-educated victimologist' whose 'race and sex protect her from criticism.'

Wisconsin Says Wrong Direction

Wisconsin is saying we're heading in the wrong direction, and they're not talking about Brett Favre ['we'll always have Green Bay'].

A record-low seventeen percent of Wisconsin voters think the country is going in the right direction, according a new poll conducted by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, a right-leaning public policy think tank.

And yet, everyone will note, Obama leads McCain by only 44% to 38% among likely voters in the same poll.

So what? For one thing, the polls are generating much angst among those terrified that McSame will win in November.

But as a writer at MyDD scoffs, 'We're Doooooooooooooooomed!'

The point is well-taken

Does anyone know when in the last 48 years (arguably the modern era) has a non-incumbent presidential nominee of any party ever been ahead by, say, eight points in early August polling?

I can't recall any time, maybe going back to Ike in '52? If anyone has any data, please post it.

This can't close-the-deal crap pushed by Will, Novak (hope his health improves), and others is bullshit.

The corporate talking heads are pushing the 'horserace' for their corporate masters to sell air time; and the race, such as it is, sees McCain way out of his league. But the corporate broadcast media will not say that.

As Alan Abramowitz, Thomas E. Mann, and Larry J. Sabato write:

... virtually all of the evidence that we have reviewed--historical patterns, structural features of this election cycle, and national and state polls conducted over the last several months--point to a comfortable Obama/Democratic party victory in November. Trumpeting this race as a toss-up, almost certain to produce another nail-biter finish, distorts the evidence and does a disservice to readers and viewers who rely upon such punditry.

Anti-Catholic Man's First Salvo at Assembly Dems

The first candidates for Tom Reynolds' (R-Outer Reaches) Clean Sweep Wisconsin's project to run some 12 candidates against Milwuakee-area Democratic incumbents in the Democratic primary are now public.

The Reynolds' folks are: Phil Landowski (running against state Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee)) and Josh Hoisington (running against Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis), West Allis being Reynolds' home turf), reports Daniel Bice in yesterday's Journal-Sentinel.

Reynolds, almost universally blasted during his tenure in the state senate (see Waxing America's profile on Reynolds and his anti-Catholic cavorting from 2005 and Milwaukee Shepherd-Express on Reynolds), has reportedly convinced several candidates to run against incumbent Assembly Democrats for reasons not entirely clear.

Bice notes, "State Republican Party officials emphasized last week that they are not affiliated with Clean Sweep and won’t be giving it any help."

Bice does not offer auspicious press for Reynolds' people. Of Landowski, Bice profiles in part:

Landowski is a graduate of Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian school that barred interracial dating as recently as 2000 and has been accused of being anti-Catholic. Landowski said he opposed the ban as a student and isn’t sure if he would send his children to Bob Jones.
But his alma mater is the least of the first-time candidate’s concerns.
Landowski was busted in ’99 for carrying a concealed weapon, a charge that was later reduced to a civil violation and fine.

The status of Reynolds' purported targets in his ambitious project are listed below:

Tony Staskunas (D-16) - Reynolds man, Hoisington, has him in his sights
Pedro Colón (D-8) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
David Cullen (D-13) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Jason Fields, (D-11) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Tamara Grigsby, (D-18) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.

Frederick Kessler, (D-12) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Jon Richards, (D-19) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Christine Sinicki, (D-20) - Reynolds man, Landowski, has her in his sights
Barbara Toles, (D-17) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.

Sheldon Wasserman, (D-22) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Annette Williams, (D-10) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Leon Young, (D-16) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.
Josh Zepnick, (D-9) - Awaiting the Reynolds ax.

Tuesday, July 8, is the filing date for Assembly candidates. Will keep you posted.
Check out the Journal-Sentinel for more info.