The only Republican convention-related events to take place on Monday are those absolutely necessary per party rules, John McCain ordered this afternoon. As he said, convention-goers will take off their Republican hats and put on their American hats.

“I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary, throughout our convention … to act as Americans, not Republicans, because America needs us now no matter whether we are Republican or Democrat,” he said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Rick Perry, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and about a dozen members of the Louisiana delegation will not be present at the convention as a result of the storm. Senator McCain and Gov. Palin’s very presence at the convention is now in question, with both presumptive nominees on the scene in the Gulf Coast.

There’s also word now from Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, that the convention will provide both material and financial support to the victims of Gustav. Fundraisers will be used to raise money for the Red Cross and other relief charities.

I’ll be covering both Hurricane Gustav and the limited Republican National Convention extensively here, so be sure to check back often.

Evacuations have already been ordered for New Orleans and elsewhere, while Hurricane Gustav teeters on the brink of a Category 5 storm. As Mayor Ray Nagin put it, “This is the storm of a century”. Please keep those in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers.

Republican Convention

Glenn Reynolds has a poll up this morning that asks what Republicans should do with their convention. Here’s how I see it: We GOPers are going to get slammed by the media one way or another, regardless of what we do. Why not get slammed while actually helping people? I say we turn the convention into the disaster relief center many had been talking about. Invite the Red Cross in and use convention goers as volunteers.

Governor Bobby Jindal

One of the signs of hope for this storm is Louisiana’s new Governor Bobby Jindal. Significantly more competent than the previous one, Jindal outlined evacuation plans on Friday. He has also ordered state vehicles to be used to assist evacuations of the areas in the path of Gustav’s wrath.

He jokes (at least I hope) that it indicates that God is on the Democrats’ side. While Gulf Coast residents are preparing for a potential Category 5 storm, the former DNC chief and a current Democratic Congressman are busy yucking it all up.

Via RedState.

With Hurricane Gustav rapidy approaching the Gulf Coast, the Republican National Convention may well be getting a massive overhaul. Rather than delivering political speeches and partying, Republicans would be transformed into volunteers to collect donations and goods for those in the path of the storm. McCain, who delayed his 2000 announcement due to genocide in the Balkans, says that helping victims takes precedence over helping those in harm’s way.

Sources told The Post that McCain himself might visit the Gulf Coast during the week of the Republican National Convention, which begins tomorrow. McCain is not scheduled to make his nomination speech until Thursday.

The contingency plan – a worst case scenario if the storm devastates coastal areas – would turn Republicans into Red Cross-type volunteers who would help collect donations, food and goods to help storm victims…

“It wouldn’t be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain told Fox News in a pretaped interview airing today.

Excellent idea. What’s more important? Partying in silly hats or helping those in harm’s way?

In continuing its attack on the McCain/Palin ticket, Politico pulls out “scholars” to call Palin unexperienced and faux shock at the pick. The best bit by far:

So unconventional was McCain’s choice that it left students of the presidency literally “stunned,” in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who’s of presidential caliber,” said Goldstein…

Palin, on the other hand, is a total “wild card,” said Stanford historian David Kennedy.

Wow, a “scholar of the vice presidency” and a “Stanford historian”, huh? Surely Politico ensured that they were unbiased observers, right? Right?

GOLDSTEIN, JOEL
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
6/16/08
$250 Obama, Barack (D)

KENNEDY, DAVID M
STANFORD UNIVERSITY/PROFESSOR
4/20/07
$2,300 Obama, Barack (D)

Woah! You’re telling me these two Politico contributors are actually partisan supporters of John McCain’s opponent and yet are being used as honest observers of the race, only described as scholars? Color me shocked.

Yet another gaffe from the team of Smug & Plugs. This time Joe Biden’s claiming he knew people that had yet to be born when he claims he knew them.

We’ll ignore the fact that he sounds drunk and focus on the quote in question:

Bob Casey was twelve years older than me, and Bobby Casey was twelve years younger than me. And I knew somebody famous was going to come out of Scranton, and I sure a’ hell knew it wadn’t gonna be me.

He was 12 years younger than Biden at the time, huh? That’s remarkable considering he left Scrantion, via Hot Air, when he was just 10. That would mean that Bobby Casey was, er, just two years away from being born. Biden can see unborn people!

This is going to be a fun few months.

From Political Pistachio: Exit – Stage Left: California’s Proposed Departure Tax — Ronald Reagan knew that government was (and still is) the problem, not the solution, to the problem. He once said, “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And, if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

In California the economic and social environment has become so hostile to many, that a mass exodus has begun. People are leaving California in droves, as the illegal aliens gladly move in to set up their squatter villages.

The left has taken control of California, and the state has become a battleground in America’s war over values. Californians have been pushed with their kindness, their willingness, their openness, their leniency toward aberrant behavior, government control, and out of control taxation. When is enough enough?

The Liberals in California act upon all of their urges in all situations, letting it all hang out, following their guiding principle: If it feels good, do it. Anyone who disagrees is labeled a bigot, and then is run out of town, or at least pressured to do so if they don’t wish to participate in the antics of Hollywood and San Francisco, California’s own Sodom and Gomorrah.

Those that have self-respect and want better for their families, neighbors, and the sake of the country, are leaving. Those of the Right have values that keep them from taking a drink, lighting up a joint, or hopping in the sack with anyone that wants them to. Conservatives, more often than not, are the kind of people that drop to their knees and pray for strength, rather than give in to the worldly debauchery.

And as these people of values do what they can to escape California, as well as owners of successful businesses who have found it more and more difficult to conduct business in California because of all of the regulations and fees and taxes, the Liberal Left is doing what it can to take what it can from them as they leave.

A ballot proposal is underway in California that would amend the State Constitution with a Wealth Tax. Specifically, this is an additional tax to be levied against high valued property, and high income (between 36.5% – 54.3% one-time tax) should a resident die, or decide to leave the State of California.

The writer of the proposal is a CPA and liberal activist by the name of Paul McCauley. In addition to taxing folks for trying to get out of California (or simply dying, for that matter), the proposal imposes an additional 17.5% tax on total incomes of taxpayers with income exceeding $150,000 (which, considering the cost of living here in California, that is not really that high of an income) if single, or $250,000 if married; imposes an additional 35% tax if income exceeds $350,000 for a single person or $500,000 for a married couple, and requires the State to acquire shares of specified corporations to influence environmental policies and practices.

No wonder right-minded people are trying to get out of this idiotic State.

Why would anyone want to live in California with the rules we have, especially if this proposal were to pass?

The Liberal Democrats are basically saying that the American dream is a bad thing, and they will make it impossible to achieve such. And, if by some remote chance you do reach that dream, and become highly successful and prosperous, the government is going to step in and make sure you pay for it heavily so that you will never really truly get there.

This proposal is California’s way of saying, “Hey, welcome to success, cough it up before you enjoy it, please. How dare you succeed!”

Give me a break. A 55% wealth tax? Hollywood folks won’t mind that too much because they have so much frickin’ money they use it as kindling in the fireplace. As for the rest of us, under this rule, that is a lot of money to have to cough up – and if your business is barely operating in the black because of all of the regulations and fees already imposed, the soup line is right around the corner.

An exit/death tax? Are you kidding me? Since we want to get the heck out of Dodge, they are going to try to fence us in with this? And then if you couple this with the Federal Estate tax, in the end, no one can financially afford to die. So much for me being able to leave anything to my kids. Also, if Business “A” moves from San Francisco to New York the CEO has to cough up at least a 36.8 additional percent of both income and the unrealized appreciation he may have in asset that are valued in excess of $5 million. Remember, he is already paying 90% plus (With a producer’s existing Federal Income taxes, existing State Income taxes, payroll taxes and the many other taxes imposed, high producers will be lucky to net much of anything on their earnings. A self-employed individual could have a marginal tax rate in excess of 90%. Could you live on 10% of what you make?). This part of the ballot proposal was added to prevent a mass exodus that is already happening. A lot of money is leaving California because of the unfriendly environment to business and success, and they are simply trying to stop the bleeding.

And keep in mind that the businesses being targeted by this, those horribly successful corporations that are somehow ruining America in eyes of the idiot Left, are the individuals that are producing growth and jobs. These targeted businesses that are now finding it hard to do business in California are the major driving forces behind the State economy. A tax like this removes all of the incentive to do any of these things, and is simply another reason to get out of California. In the end, these entities with either move to another state, or they will stop producing.

Why work extra hours to make a measly 10% of your earnings when you could spend it with your friends and family elsewhere?

The goal of this proposition is to gain revenue from the rich, give it to the poor, and keep anyone from leaving the State of California. Idiotic taxes like this ballot proposal actually do the opposite of what they desire. Instead of gaining revenue, they scare away more of the businesses that keeps this economy moving, which in the end takes away more jobs, and leaves more people in the poor-house. The left doesn’t seem to understand that a profit driven economy needs profit to survive. The American Dream is all about that profit. Removing any and all rewards for producing and making more money will only do one thing – turn the high producers into takers, and make more people poor.

Democrats believe there is a class war going on, and wishes to eliminate the classes so that we can all be the same. At the rate they are going, they will be a rousing success soon, because the class war will soon come to an end because there won’t be any rich left. In the end, there will no longer be any disparity between the classes because we will all be poor – except for those elitist politicians who will rule from the top with the absolute power of regulations, fees, and taxation.

by Douglas V. Gibbs

From the time Palin was announced at noon today until 6pm this evening, Team McCain successfully raised $3 million or $500,000/hour. No word yet on the day’s total haul, but there’s no doubt that Palin has been good for business.

A note for those considering a donation: McCain will no longer be accepting donations from the public after the Republican National Convention. He can spend whatever he raises before his acceptance speech on efforts before and during the convention, however. If you’re looking to donate, please don’t hesitate.

For most conservatives, the announcement of Palin as running mate today was welcome news. Heck, even Huckabee is singing her praises. But if you’re Michael Savage, this is a sign that McCain is…throwing the election.

McCain has thrown the election. It is clear now with his choice for Vice President that he has no desire to win in November. Why else would he chose an inexperienced woman, whose only apparent qualification is that she won a beauty pageant in the 1980s? Why else would he refuse to say Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name? Why else would he run an ad praising Obama and congratulating him for winning the nomination?

I think I just lost a few IQ points just reading that. First of all, Palin isn’t inexperienced. She has been in elected office since 1992, during which time she has served as councilwoman, mayor, and governor. She has more executive experience than the other candidates combined and has been the commander of Alaska’s national guard for several years now. Second, saying Obama’s middle name as a presidential contender is political suicide. Do we call him “John Sidney McCain” or “John McCain”? The only reason to call Obama by his middle name is to scare people and that wouldn’t fly. Finally, he ran the congratulatory ad for strategic purposes: He was the good guy while Obama slammed him and he stole some of Obama’s thunder by reminding viewers that he’s still in the race.

If McCain had chosen Mitt Romney, a man with real leadership ability, real charisma, and real experience, he might have stood a chance.

Romney, as much as I love him, would’ve been worse. He would’ve continued the “old white rich guys” and only has 1/4th the political experience Palin has. Meanwhile, he would’ve turned off many social conservatives and wouldn’t have caused much of a stir/surprise at all in the news.

We don’t want a panderer, we want a president.

Good luck with that. Non-pandering presidents are few and far between.

This’ll be a fun 2 months, folks. He’s like a gaffe junkie: He simply can’t keep away from saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

At the Windmill Ice Cream Shop in Aliquippa, Penn, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, asked his running mate if he was getting hard of soft ice cream.

“Let’s see what we’ve got here,” Obama said as he approached the counter.

“So,” he said to Biden, “you decided to go with soft?”

“I’m getting hard,” Biden said. “I’m a hard guy.”

Wow.