Nic Shaykos RSS

Rookie is a Bomb Thrower

2008-09-04

I was listening to Cleveland Radio last Friday to see how they would take the Palin pick. One of the hosts made what turned out to be a prophetic remark about Hockey Mom’s. He said that Hockey Mom’s are not like Soccer Mom’s. Hockey Mom’s are the type that will cheer when her kid checks the other kid onto the ice.

Sarah Palin ab-libbed a joke into her speech last night, she asked, "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?"

The answer: “Lipstick”

Sarah Palin is for real. She is big time. Deion Sanders would say “primetime.” She was ready for it, and she made all the national “seasoned” politicians look like run of the mill players. And make no mistake, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giulani were on their A game. Huckabee did his thing and gave a solid speech. ...

Two Abortion Extremist, and only one is Right

2008-09-03

People often say that Politics are won at the middle. They are typically right. What do Barry Goldwater and George McGovern have in common? They are both on the far ends of their respective parties and they both got killed in their respective elections. Some issues though, you have very clear differences and they ought to be that way.

John McCain and Barack Obama are both extremist on the issue of Abortion. When asked at the saddleback forum when life begins, he said, plain and simple, “conception.” If you look at John McCain’s record on abortion, it is near spotless, with a 96% pro-life rating. He supports overturn of Roe. V Wade and advocates abortion only be legal in the case of rape, incest and life of the mother. Anyone who says John McCain is not a Pro-life President is fooling themselves.

Barack Obama is one of the most extreme anti-life politicians there is. ...

Why Bloggers Suck

2008-09-01

There is great power in the blogsphere. You could say it all started when Matt Drudge broke the Monica Lewinsky story that the mainstream press was reluctant to report. You will remember that the blog LittleGreenFootballs debunked the faulty George Bush National Guard story. These are good kind of things that blogs can do. They can become a check on the mainstream media.

Over the weekend, a horribly false story was started on the liberal blog The Daily Kos. This spread to other blogs because people wanted to believe it was true. I will not mention the story here because it is sick but if you want to know about it, you can find out. Sadly, even blogger friends of mine said that we should “look into” such accusations. The way things spread like wildfire over the internet is amazing. It can be used for good or be used for evil. Shame on the man who committed this slander. ...

VP Energy from Alaska

2008-08-31

I don’t think I have ever spent three days on the same subject, but I do today, and it is Sarah Palin. She is going over the base like wildfire. The McCain campaign has pulled in over 7 million dollars since the pick. If I was not broke, I would send him some money, something I never thought I would do. The base is ecstatic. Active social conservatives are going nuts, like me. Why? Because this is the best VP pick in modern Republican politics.

This girl reminds me of the girl my friend John from Rochester would like to marry. Too bad for him she is taken and with 5 beautiful children. I honestly don’t understand this hogwash coming from the Democrats. They have a man who has risen in the party quickly. He was a community organizer, meaning he dealt with local issues. ...

Sarah Palin!

2008-08-29

Is McCain the same? No! Does McCain like to gamble? Yes. An amazing pick for Vice President. I love it. Let’s go with 5 positives and few negatives. This is Quick, I will write something bigger later, giving you her bio.

Positives

Base Igniter: McCain has been walking on eggshells with Conservatives. Many of them were worried. This is someone who social conservatives who are political love.
Energy: This is an energy ticket that can not topped, Peroid.
Reformer. Palin represents everything good in the Republican Party. She is the anti-Ted Stevens, which you would know if you read my Politics section.
Woman- This is a game changer, going after those disgruntled Hillary voters will love this Woman’s story. ...

Finances of Spouses

2008-08-25

There has been much made of the fact that John McCain did not know how many houses he owns. I admit it is funny, but it really is much to do about nothing. Still, I see something in this issue that no one else is talking about that really make me sad about how life has become today.

The fact is that these houses are considered Cindy’s houses bother me. When two people get married, all of their stuff ought to belong to one another. A house is not a toothbrush. Still, no one seems to care. The issue is not that there houses are not considered his but rather that he don’t know the exact number. This is a shame. Still, I feel like I am fighting a lost cause. As Mr. Smith said, they are the only one worth fighting for.

I am fighting for the institution of marriage. I am fighting for that it will be taken seriously. If it were up to me, there would be no such thing as a prenuptial agreement. ...

Joe Biden: A Solid Pick

2008-08-24

As a loyal GOP team player, I am supposed to bash Joe Biden as a horrible pick for VP. I am supposed to say that it was a pick made out of weakness, not out of strength. That Joe Biden himself said that Obama was not ready to lead. Well, I am not going to say that. Joe Biden was a solid pick that was made for two reasons. First, and probably foremost, he was picked because he will make a good VP should Obama win. Second, he balances the ticket with his experience and foreign policy credentials. Does this say that Obama lacks experience and foreign policy credentials? Yes it does, but a Good VP helps cover your weakness. Look at the good VP picks. They all filled a void in the Candidate. LBJ filled a similar role to Biden. Cheney gave Bush that “gravitas” in 2000. George H.W. was the establishment part of the base that Reagan lacked. All these picks filled something, and Biden is no different. ...

430 Electoral Demographics

2008-08-20

The Onion News Network break down some key electoral demographics:

Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

Rick Warren: The New Jerry Faldwell

2008-08-18

The Southern Baptist political force is changing. I would implore all of you to watch the Saddleback Forum online. For those of you unaware, on Saturday there was the Saddleback Forum, the first time in the general election, brought John McCain and Barack Obama to the same venue.

They sat down, back to back, and had a conversation with Rick Warren. Some of you know Rick as the pastor of a mega-church in California. The majority of you probably heard of him from his 25+ million sold copy book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” Well, it appears that Rick Warren is now seated to be a political force that reflects the backlash of the common modern evangelical from that of that of the “Moral Majority” evangelical of the 1980s.

In the 1980s, evangelicals became a political force. This happened because they felt that the things that they cared about were being stomped upon. ...

Gayle Harrell

2008-08-14

Gayle Harrell is running for Congress and she needs your help. Gayle is running for Mark Foley's old seat in Florida, district 16. It is a seat in a very conservative district, and it only went blue due to the horrible acts that Foley did. It should go back Red and it is a great opportunity to put a true conservative in there.

She is in a close race and you can vote on if HuckPAC will endorse her online. Vote Here!

If you want more on Gayle, her website is here. Also read why friend and fellow blogger Kevin Tracy says you ought to vote for here.

PS: In other news, I will be out of town this weekend for a wedding, will try to post still.

Random Thoughts

2008-08-13

I have a bunch of smaller issues I want to touch on, not enough there to write a whole post on.

Elizabeth Edwards: I am sorry for calling out Elizabeth Edwards in a recent post. I made bad judgment when believing John Edwards statement that he told Elizabeth before running for President. It appears now that this is not the case. I see no fault in her actions if she did not know about it until after the campaign began. It again was my mistake to pile onto her when I did not know what she knew when Michael Phelps: Amazing, don’t miss him.

Praying for Rain?: FRC put out a video basically saying to pray for rain on the night of Barack Obama’s big convention speech outside at Invesco Field. It was pulled after members complained about it. I found the video funny, and they claim it was a joke. It is unclear how much their claim is truth, but everyone needs to cool down a bit. ...

New McCain Web Ad

2008-08-11

Open Court Here. McCain has a new Web New Ad, I want your thoughts before I comment on it. Negative is the tone, not really a shocker in that respect.

Why does John Edwards Matter?

2008-08-10

Because affairs still matter. That is why John Edwards matters. I have heard many experts on the TV and many of my blogger friends say that we ought not to cover the fact that John Edwards had an affair while his wife is in remission of cancer. Just think about that. It is sick, and there are people in this country that say adultery is ok. Adultery is not ok.

Politicians ought not to be cheating on their wives (or husbands). It makes a bad name for him, it scars his wife and his family, it also makes people even more cynical of politicians as a whole. I keep arguing that most politicians are good people trying to make this country a better place. People like John Edwards run totally contrary to that argument. Many people have said that they still believe that Edwards really cares about the relief of the poor. He may, but I don’t really care. ...

Bush Makes the World Proud

2008-08-09

George W. Bush and the Olympics go together like bacon and eggs. I am so happy to see Bush over there enjoying himself and representing the country well. Everyone talks about how his approval rating is so low and from every account I see, people find it a joy to meet him. Thanks in part to his pep talk, the Woman’s Fencing Team swept the Individual Sabre event. The US got it first medal in the event in 2004.

Bush really was making the rounds at the Olympics. He hung out with the US Softball team, watched the USA women basketball team beat the Czech Republic in their first game. He went biking on the Olympic trail and while difficult, he held his own. My favorite is that he visited with the US woman’s beach volleyball duo, and Kerri Walsh offered him the opportunity the traditional beach volleyball butt slap, which Bush did not do, but he smartly went for the middle back instead. ...

Nevada: Las Vegas and Everything Else

2008-08-07

Nevada is a little old State that holds more power than a state like itself would typically hold. The state is 38% registered Republican, 42% registered Democrats and 20% independent. The last loser the state voted for was in 1976, when it voted for Gerald Ford’s Reelection. The state is very politically independent thinking, even among its partisans. It was a state that went heavy for Ross Perot in 1992. These attitudes make this state a true battleground that could go either way. Nate Silver of 538 currently makes McCain the favorite by the slightest of margins, with a 53% chance of winning the state. It makes his top 5 list of both Tipping Point states (state that puts winner over the top) and his Return on Investment list (gauges how much it takes to win vs cost). Thus, Nevada could truly go either way.

To understand Nevada, you need to understand how the state operates. ...

Real America- Leetonia, Ohio

2008-08-06

I rarely take a photo that I really love. I once shared with you my picture Garko’s Girls, which is one of my favorites all time. In January, I took at picture of Mike Hucakbee playing guitar that I love. Well, I have a photo that I took from my travels from Cleveland, Ohio to Washington, DC. I decided on an odd route, avoid the toll roads. I took the OH-422 to Ohio-11. I was driving south of Youngstown and I saw this old building off the side of the highway. I pulled off the exit and took photos of it. It is below for you to enjoy.

Tire Gauges Take Obama off Message

2008-08-05

Tim Pawlenty, last week made a comment that was witty and showed something you need with a Vice Presidential candidate. He delivered and attack against Barack Obama with a smile. Pawlenty pulls out a tire gage as a prop and he says this:

“Barack Obama stood up at a speech recently and said that one of the things that is really important from energy policy from his standpoint is to check the pressure in our tires, so here’s a tire gauge and you can go out in the parking lot here and check your tires. Now, that’s an interesting thing — we want you to have good pressure in your tires, you know, it will very mildly add to your fuel efficiency — but checking the air pressure in your tires is not an energy policy for the United States of America,”

He makes a good point, and I would like to note that Pawlenty did not say that it was not a good idea. ...

Is it OK to run a Negative Campaign?

2008-08-03

I think it is clear that McCain is going to run a negative campaign. If you don’t believe me, look at the newest series of ads but out by the McCain camp. Still, people are acting surprised that McCain has decided to go this way. My question for them is, Why?

Every expert, myself included, has said that this election will be about Barack Obama. If that is the case, then what is John McCain to do? Well, natural wisdom would say that he has to run a negative case against Obama. That is exactly what he is doing. His latest TV ad asks “Is he ready to lead?” Tim Pawlenty, the totally on message McCain surrogate said that voting for Obama is the “political equivalent on bungee jumping”

This is where the battle will be waged. If Obama shows that he is able to lead, he will be the President of the United States. ...

Does the Gallup Tracking Poll Matter?

2008-08-02

The short answer is yes, the Gallup Tracking poll does matter. The specific numbers though do not matter. That is, the tracking poll now shows Obama and McCain tied. What a tracking poll is good for is in fact, tracking. It is good at seeing how events affect the range.

For example, we saw Obama get a bounce out of his trip overseas. Everything was flowing Obama’s way and the tracking poll showed Obama’s lead grow from 2 points all the way to 9 points. However, that bounce was short lived, and now the poll shows two tied. Now, I don’t believe that this race is tied. Most polling experts don’t either. But it looks like McCain finally broke the Obama dominated news cycle and everyone is talking about if Obama is ready to lead. If this is the debate, McCain wins. Just asking the question is a loser for Obama.

Don’t look at the exact numbers of the tracking poll. ...

John Piper on Being a One Issue Voter

2008-07-31

I have never done this before, but I will do it here. People often ask me if it is ok to be a "one issue voter." It has this negative stigma to it that you are not thinking through all the issues if you are a one issue voter. Well John Piper, a pastor and writer in Minneapolis, Minnesota who has written a great piece on being a one issue voter, which I feature below.

One-Issue Politics, One-Issue Marriage, and the Humane Society by John Piper

Jamuary 1, 1995

Investigating dog life in Minnesota has solidified my decision to vote against those who endorse the right to abortion. So then what is my response to the charge of being a one-issue voter?

No endorsement of any single issue qualifies a person to hold public office. Being pro-life does not make a person a good governor, mayor, or president. But there are numerous single issues that disqualify a person from public office. ...

Does McCain Not Being Computer Savy Matter?

2008-07-29

John McCain is not a technology freak. He understands that the internet is useful and here to stay and he is slowly learning about it. He (gasp!) does not even own a blackberry. In a world that is more and more online daily, does it matter that our commander in chief is in the bottom 50% in terms of understanding computers?

The liberal bloggers seem to think that it is a big deal. As a liberal friend told me “How can we have someone who don’t even know how to use a computer lead us into the 21^st century.” Us hip young people put too much stock into computers. What do I mean? Well being on the internet is not the most important thing in the world. In fact, there are many, many things that matter much more than if you know how to write a text message or watch the newest Obama girl clip.

What matters is how you are going to deal with foreign threats. ...

100 Days till Election Day: My Predictions

2008-07-26

My Predicted Electoral Map

I have been wanting to do this for a while and fellow blogger and friend Kevin Tracy beat me to the punch in the circle of things I read. I believe that Barack Obama will win this election. It is possible for McCain to win, but as many have said, he really has to draw an inside straight. I have 13 leaning states which I will be featuring here in the near future individually. I have already featured Virginia and Ohio. I am not going to go in depth of a state by state basis because I will do that when I feature the states.

First off, McCain can’t lose in the south, period. ...

Andrea Mitchell: Ticked off at Obama

2008-07-25

Everyone is saying that Barack Obama overseas is a big hit. Everyone one, that is except Andrea Mitchell on NBC news. Mitchell really is a great reporter who deserves much respect. She did not like the way reporters were shut out in the Middle East. I quote you her own words from Hardball on Monday.

Andrea: Let me say something about his message management. He didn’t have reporters with him. He didn’t have a press pool. He didn’t do a press conference while he was on the ground either on Afghanistan or Iraq. What you’re seeing is not reporters brought in, you’re seeing selected pictures taken by the military, questioned by the military and what some would call fake interviews because they’re not interviews with a journalist so there’s a real press issue here. Politically it’s smart as can be, but we’ve not seen a Presidential candidate do this in my recollection ever before. ...

Ohio: Where the East Meet the Midwest

2008-07-23

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. The last President to lose Ohio yet win the Presidency is John F. Kennedy in 1960. It, along with Virginia, is birthplace to the most presidents. McCain can not win this election without winning Ohio. Nate Silver gives McCain a 3% chance of winning the election if he loses Ohio. It is also hard for Obama to win without Ohio, Silver giving Obama a 23% chance of winning without Ohio.

So how does this State breakdown? Well, Ohio has many different parts to it. The part I am from is the Cleveland area, which is a blue collar town, which I describe as a cross between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Cleveland has cars like Detroit, and it has Steel like Pittsburgh. It really is a hybrid of the two. Often overlooked is Cleveland’s financial prowess. It is the Headquarters to both National City and Keycorp, two of the larger Regional Banks. This is due to the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland. ...

McCain's VP Announcement Strategy

2008-07-21

Robert Novak is saying that John McCain will say who his VP choice is coming this week. It is very clear why McCain would do this. He is trying to blunt the Obama steamrolling over the last week. McCain is getting his head handed to him of late.

First, Phil Gramm has left the campaign. That is not the big issue though. The big issue is that the Iraqi government basically supports the Barack Obama position. McCain’s biggest advantage is that he is vastly more experienced in foreign policy than Barack Obama. McCain is trying to argue that the only reason Maliki can say what he is saying is due to the surge. This is probably correct, but it doesn’t matter. The voters look less at what you have done and more on what they think you are going to do.

When the Iraqi government says they are basically for a timetable similar to Obama, that is a problem for John McCain. Now back to our opening point. ...

Politics of Hope

2008-07-20

I feel compelled to write something non-partisan and good that I know you cynics will resent.

No matter who wins the White House this year, that person will go into the oval office with the intentions of making this country a better place. I am sick of this politics that rips people down. Expect less of that here. Will this PBS blog? No, it will not, but when I dispute Obama or McCain it will be on the issues, not on this petty issues of Obama made this slip up so that proves he is not qualified or something even worse than that.

What I am saying is that I will be direct in what I say. I am nothing compared to Jesus but I strive to be more like him everyday. I get upset when Jesus is displayed as some Gandhi-like guy who was just walking around not wanting to offend anyone but rather just walked around making friends and healing sick people. If you think Jesus was this way, I employ you read any of the Gospels. ...

Virginia: A Real Swing State

2008-07-18

For the second Presidential election in a row, I may be voting in what will turn out to be the most important state of the campaign. Well, Nate Silver of 538 still has Ohio as the most important state, and he probably is right, but it is amazing that Virginia, a state not won by Democrats sine LBJ in 1964 is in play this campaign season.

Three polls have came out in Virginia in the last month, two of them show Obama up by 2 and one shows McCain up by 1. Again, I go with the Nate Silver Election Day projection and he has McCain winning the state by 1.1%. Basically this state could go either way and it is 13 electoral votes. It does not carry the heft of an Ohio or a Michigan but it a lot bigger than a New Hampshire. I want to look at what is important to watch in Virginia.

Virginia is really two states in one. Most of the state in area is very southern, very Republican. ...

Stock Killing

2008-07-16

Many of you have been following what I do in the market on my stock section of the site of which I update everyday. Those of you who follow will notice that I went from 4% up overall to 4% down overall in one day. This happened from to dramatic fall in my speculative stock, Neurogen. Neurogen is a Biotech company that went down 40% in one day because they stopped their trial on their insomnia drug, which was the furthest along drug in their pipeline. I bought the company with the catalyst that they would get this drug through. Thus I take a huge hit.

Still, those of you follow any news know that the market has taking a beating. On June 23^rd I was up 11.29% while the market as a whole was down 0.36 percent. Since that day I have been down 12 of 15 days, including 4 days over 2% down. The market as a whole has taken a beating too, down 9 of 15 days, with 2 days over 2% down. ...

Why I love the Two party system

2008-07-11

I hear many people complain about their choices in a two party system. They say that there are no choices and I often hear that the parties don’t represent them and there is no real difference between the parties. Well, there are differences between the parties, some more significant.

The goal of a political party is to win elections. It is not to be held to certain values or issues. It builds coalitions in order to win, and then those coalitions implement policy. The modern GOP is composed of conservatives, moderates and liberals. The liberal wing of the party has basically been knocked away by the conservative wing. The conservative wing can be further broken down to social conservatives, economic conservatives and foreign policy conservatives.

So the coalitions are very broad. On the flip side, we only have two of them. There is a winner, and there is a loser. There are no “coalition governments. ...

Mitt Romney, the VP leader, who we must oppose

2008-07-09

Mitt Romney is the frontrunner for the VP nomination. Why? Well let me make the very simple argument that would lead someone to Mitt Romney. First off, Mitt Romney is an economic specialist. He was a very successful venture capitalist who Jim Cramer called “the best businessman in America” This election is most likely going to hinge on the economy. The only other economic specialist with VP timbre being talked about is Rob Portman of Ohio, and his ties to Bush probably keep him off the ticket.

The other major reason is that Romney helps in the must win region of the country, the rust belt. Romney specifically helps in Michigan, which is a state that McCain probably needs to win in order to win the White House. In fact, McCain probably needs to win Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. If they can do that, it is hard to see Obama winning this election, even if he does win Virginia and Colorado. ...