The musings of one Andrew Langer - defender of liberty, passionate protector of individual rights, foodie. (Note: Said Musings of Andrew Langer are his own, and the views represented herein are likewise his views, and not the views of any other people, entities, foodstuffs, etc [unless otherwise specifically and explicitly noted].)

Friday, August 29, 2008

IFL Release on Sarah Palin...

Thought I'd share. Had a piece on NRO earlier this week (they'd asked me to lay out the arguments in favor of my friend Michael Steele, which I did, despite knowing he wouldn't be the nominee), but this is what we sent on on Governor Palin. It's gotten a fair amount of play - picked up on Politicker, and I'm doing a number of radio shows from here and when I get to Minneapolis this weekend. Lars Larson today (in 10 minutes or so) and Mancow on Monday, for instance. At least I think it's Monday. I'll double check.

Anyhow - Governor Palin...

Palin The Right Choice

Advocacy Group Touts Record on Reform and Small Business

Washington, DC—A national small business advocacy group applauded Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

“John McCain needed an outside-the-box choice to really up the ante in this presidential campaign season. Sarah Palin is that, and more,” said Andrew Langer, President of the Institute for Liberty. “She’s got an exceptional record of support for small business, and has worked hard to shake up the corrupt elements preying on Alaska’s state government. When it comes to making choices this fall, the American people are going to be looking at what the candidates have actually done in their public service careers, not the empty rhetoric of campaign promises.”

According to surveys conducted by a wide variety of small business organizations, energy, health care, taxes, and regulation rank as the most serious problems facing small business today. In reviewing the proposals laid out by the Obama campaign, IFL sees them as coming up short, containing no workable ideas for reducing energy costs in the short term, no ideas for reducing health care costs without significantly increasing taxes and forcing small business into a government plan, and absolutely nothing on the regulatory front. Regulations cost the American economy more than a trillion dollars annually—translating into a nearly $8,000 per employee, per year cost for America’s smallest businesses.

“The Democrats have paid lip service to the issues of small business and government reform in the past,” Langer continued. “Both John McCain and Sarah Palin have focused squarely on the issues of ethics in government service, producing real results while Democrats throughout the nation have ignored ethical problems in their own camp. Jack Abramoff went to jail because of John McCain’s dogged efforts, while the Democrats have allowed William Jefferson to remain in Congress. Sarah Palin fits the mold of someone who shares John McCain’s values, and her policy positions fit solidly within those of the Republican base.”

IFL Senior Vice President for Policy Kerri Houston added to Langer’s enthusiasm, saying “The choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin throws McCain right over the goal line. She is the whole package—a solid yet gentle, gun defending, tax cutting, pro energy, pro life Mom with a solid supportive husband, and a son in the Army. Democrat and Independent women will crossover, Catholics who can't bear the double pro-choice democrat ticket with crossover; and evangelicals show up. Palin's pick changes everything. Obama did his thing in the Pepsi Arena—Palin is the real thing.”

The Institute for Liberty is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. It studies the impact of federal executive branch policies on small business and entrepreneurship. Andrew Langer is currently writing a book on these issues. Its title is, “The War on Small Business.”

7 Comments:

Blogger Karena said...

I'm shocked at the number of my friends who have finally decided to vote for McCain! They're saying it's all because of Palin. She is the "real thing" as you put it. I feel so energized now!

August 30, 2008 11:51 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

John Berlau to the white courtesy phone please!

He needs to give Palin a quick tutorial on the non-science of no global warming.

She needs to keep Eco-Freaks away from her kids, as it could affect their grades for the worse.

He can bring her some DDT to use on polar bears as she doesn't think they're endangered.

Palin needs to hope that Stephen Hawking and Biden are not friends. If Hawking coaches Biden, she'll redo the Berlau debacle and the McCain Palin ticket will be over before it gets started.

Gonna be fun.

August 31, 2008 6:33 PM

 
Blogger The leftist southpaw said...

don't you think he could have picked someone with more experience, even on small business issues?

August 31, 2008 8:32 PM

 
Blogger Andrew Langer said...

Kess -

I'm at the convention, and getting ready to go to the Delegation breakfast, so I'll be brief. I find the Democrat talking point about her experience to be disingenuous at best, and showing more than a bit of discrimination for rural states and small towns (this "mayor of a town of 9,000) talking point.

The fact is, when it comes to _executive_ experience, experience _implementing_ public policy, she's got more experience than both Barack Obama and Joe Biden (and John McCain, frankly). She's had to handle complex issues, even as a state and local government executive, and do so not just _IN_ the public eye, but while living in the community in which she governs.

I've written a column about this for National Review Online - do you think Barack Obama has made a political decision and then had people come to dispute that decision in his front yard while he was weeding his garden (I have a friend who was the head of our Town Council, the equivalent of our mayor, who had to deal with that frequently).

Plus, she's actually had to work to keep budgets balanced, something neither Obama nor Biden have had to do.

And we could talk about experience with reform and change, but I've got to run.

The bottom line is, the Democrats can't talk about change, and then criticize John McCain for selecting someone who is so far removed from DC. The Democrats can't talk about experience when the person at the top of their ticket is frankly more inexperienced that McCain's VP selection.

And the Democrats can't keep insulting small town America and expect to gain that small town vote come November.

September 01, 2008 8:43 AM

 
Blogger The leftist southpaw said...

I hope you're enjoying the convention. The DNC convention in '92 was one of the best experiences of my life. A simpler time, before the internet and the text message, before there was a poll being taken every 15 minutes... (sigh!)

September 01, 2008 5:42 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 6, 2008
“McCain’s Ties to Shadowy Security Company Confirmed”

John McCain makes occasional mention of his friend, Admiral Chuck Larson, whose distinguished career includes the command of nuclear submarines and the management of the Naval Academy.

Not as well known but by no means concealed is Larson’s link to Washington’s ViaGlobal Group, the successor company to ViaFinance and Galway Partners.

ViaGlobal was serving as the “business incubator” for Rosetta Research and Consulting LLC, best known as the company involved in luring Afghan tribal chieftain and accused drug kingpin Haji Bashar Noorzai to the U.S., where he was arrested in April of 2005.

One of Rosetta’s Department of Defense sponsors, believed to be a senior staff member in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, brokered an introduction to CNN military commentator General David Grange, who serves as an advisor to ViaGlobal.

Grange made the initial arrangements between Rosetta, represented by former Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman partner and ex-NSC attorney Joseph Myers, now with the International Monetary Fund, and ViaGlobal’s chairman, Frank Gren.

Another former Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman partner, Carole Van Cleefe, brokered a deal between Rosetta and Oracle. Oracle project managers Barbara Bleiweiss and Peter Bloom attempted to establish a joint venture using an existing contract vehicle with the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FTTTF), but was unsuccessful due to Rosetta’s cost demands.

Gren and his colleagues sought to obtain additional funding for Rosetta, as millions of dollars in investment money had been spent on payments to secure the confidence of Noorzai. Myers, Gren, and others sought sources of funding such as a contract with the FBI as well as an investment from fallen tobacco lawyer Dickie Scruggs.

ViaGlobal appears to have used McCain, acting through staffer Chris Paul, to divert a 2004 FBI internal investigation into dealings between Rosetta contractors and certain FBI employees. This was the subject of a meeting held with the FBI’s Deputy Director John Pistole in late 2004.

In mid 2006, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General conducted an investigation into criminal activities of the same FBI employees. Rosetta’s phone, email, and contractual records were subpoenaed. In addition, several Rosetta officials and advisors were questioned for several weeks.

Papers filed as part of the Noorzai case show that Rosetta, acting under the orders of senior U.S. officials, promised Noorzai he would not be arrested. Rosetta also paid substantial sums to various foreign government officials who then lied to Noorzai about the actual purpose of the meetings. Noorzai had been indicted as a drug kingpin, and since efforts to secure his cooperation in other matters had failed, the decision was made to bring him to the United States and arrest him.

The papers also show that Rosetta sought and obtained in excess of ten million dollars from investors, who believed they were investing in a security company. Instead, the money was being used to finance the lavish and extensive travel needed to locate Noorzai and gain his confidence. The investors are understandably upset, but since the Rosetta principals are known only as “Mike” and “Brian” no success has been had in locating them.

Rosetta also had improper relationships with a handful of FBI employees, who were later investigated for contributing to Rosetta’s alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices and Neutrality Acts.

As part of the incubation arrangement, ViaGlobal sought to obtain ownership of Rosetta’s proprietary database of terrorist financiers as well as access to the extensive network of contacts in the Middle East developed as part of the dealings with Noorzai.

###

September 06, 2008 7:56 PM

 
Blogger The leftist southpaw said...

a question. In your column you wrote:

"And from a practical standpoint, Obama and Biden have never had to contend with making the hard fiscal choices that small-town mayors and small-state governors have to. They've never had to balance a budget. Local officials do. Every year. They cannot go into debt. "

Yet they do go into debt. Palin left Wasilla $20 million in debt. I realize this was the result of investments in the town for the long term, but it is still debt.

It's just that you seem to be dealing in absolutes. There is a difference between "cannot" and "should not." If they "cannot" go into debt, what happens when they actually do?

Or did I miss your point? look forward to your response!

September 12, 2008 1:52 PM

 

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