The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

From Newsweek:

1. Avoid mindless opposition. We should support President Obama when he is right (Afghanistan), persuade him when his mind appears open (trade) and oppose him when he is wrong (taxes). It is the Republican Party’s job to hold him accountable on the merits only.

4.Republicans must regain ground among critical voting groups. Voters ages 18–29 voted Democratic by a 2-to-1 margin. A market-oriented “green” agenda that’s true to our principles would help win them back. Hispanics dropped from 44 percent Republican in 2004 to 31 percent in 2008. The GOP won’t be a majority party if it cedes the young or Hispanics to Democrats. Republicans must find a way to support secure borders, a guest-worker program and comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens citizenship, grows our economy and keeps America a welcoming nation. An anti-Hispanic attitude is suicidal. As the party of Lincoln, Republicans have a moral obligation to make our case to Hispanics, blacks and Asian-Americans who share our values. Whether we see gains in 2010 depends on it.

& probably what I think is the most important:

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“If we’re going to be the majority, we’re going to have to see we need to grow the party. We cannot compete in the Northeast, the West; we’re losing seats in the Great Lakes region. We have a large deficit with women, Hispanics, African Americans — people with modest financial circumstances. That is not a formula for a majority.” - Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaking today at the Republican Governor’s conference in Miami.

He also said, in what could be interpreted as a swipe at Palin:

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One of McCain’s veepstakes finalists reveals he ended up taking himself out of contention. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is just 37, & is frequently mentioned as a way to bring diversity to the GOP ticket in 2012.

From the Fix:

“Jindal was approached by McCain forces to gauge his interest in the vice presidency and told them he was not interested in being vetted due to his desire to continue on with his current job, to which he was elected just one year ago.

While the official reason that Jindal took his name out of contention was his lack of a desire to leave the Louisiana governorship, there was also real trepidation within his political inner circle that Jindal might wind up as the pick — McCain was attracted to his comprehensive health-care knowledge — and be caught up in what they believed to be a less-than-stellar campaign that could pin a loss on Jindal without much ability to change or control the direction of the contest.”

Yes, this is hindsight, but that was ultimately a wise decision.

There’s already a push to make him the nominee, as this YouTube clip demonstrates:

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As you can see, four - or in this case eight - years in the White House takes its toll on a President’s facial features (this applies to all presidents, not just the current one.)

The folks at PopPhoto.com provided some helpful insight into how four years of the presidency would change the appearance of each of the three major candidates.

& no, it’s not pretty.

Click “read the rest of this entry” to peer into the future — if you dare!!!!!!!

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New Florida polls show a surge for Romney & a slump for Huckabee & Giuiliani.

The Wall Street Journal reports Mike Huckabee campaign is strapped for cash. Can Huck survive ’til Super Tuesday?

What role would religion play in a Barack Obama administration? The candidate gives extensive answers in an interview with BeliefNet.

The New York Times’ Gail Collins wonders if Hillary has sufficiently learned from her husband’s managerial mistakes while he was president (free registration required). And William Grieder over at The Nation argues the Clintons have reverted to their true nature on the campaign trail recently.

Are you better off than you were 8 years ago? The House Democratic Congress has built a chart comparing several economic indicators of the years 2000 & 2008. (The gas price comparison alone is a guaranteed eyebrow-raiser).

Michael Medved tries to debunk what he says are six lies many of his critics are spreading about John McCain at TownHall.com.

Pierre Atlas at RealClearPolitics.com illustrates how a McCain-Obama matchup would represent -yet again- the Battles of the 1960’s we still somehow can’t seem to shake.

My goodness, 2012? Yes, someone’s already talking about it. Spencer Ackerman at the American Prospect argues why that race is General David Petraeus’ to lose.

Is Ralph Nader going to run again?

We’d all love to trade in our bodies for new models. But the Houston Chronicle reports one House candidate tried to do just that in a photo used in a recent campaign flyer.

And finally, Washington Post political cartoonist Tom Toles has a humorous guide to the candidates.