Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 69

On the Surging Tea Party
Since the Tea Party is making a splash, here are a some brief comments
– Reasons they can win in November:

• Many 2008 first-time voters won’t vote
• Tea Party enthusiasts will vote
• Electorate is not happy

– Reasons they cannot win in November

• Failure to capture independent moderates
• Frequent open mouth, insert foot tendencies
• They don’t represent mainstream America

Here’s a good analysis by columnist David Broder.

On the Bush Tax Cuts
Here are four points to remember about the debate:

• Democrats don’t understand spending cuts
• Republicans don’t understand less revenue
• Neither prefer policy over politics
• Both parties place a low priority on this country’s needs

On Tired of Political Ads
I’m already overloaded with political ads as we have key races for governor, senator, and one key House race – plus a senate race in Kentucky that will involve a lot of spending. Talk about a sheer fire way to turn off voters!

On Newt the Hoot
The more former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks, the more his credibility tumbles. Kathleen Parker has an excellent explanation of his latest gaff.

On Misplaced Priorities
I have frequently expressed that our elected officials favor party-first politics instead of good policy for the country. I equally blame and criticize Democrats and Republicans because their actions demonstrate my point. Here’s a David Ignatius column supporting my point.

More on the NYC Mosque

• This Kathleen Parker column is well worth the read.
• I also appreciate this CNN commentary about President Bush.
• Here is a good religion article from the NY Times

On a few Sports Shorts

• The season is early but is there a more exciting player in college football than Michigan QB Denard Robinson?
• The football UC Bearcats have lost their mojo. Guess I’ll see my first loss as a season ticket holder (my 4th year) next weekend.
• As the Cardinals continue to slide, I hope the Reds take the bull by the horns and close out the deal by winning.
• Bengals will be 0-2 by late afternoon this Sunday.
• An NFL lockout is a possibility. Here’s a good analysis by blogger Mo Morrissey.

Cheers to a good weekend!