RNC in the "Census" business

CLEVER BUNCH, THOSE operators at the Republican National Committee. They've sent out a notice described as "2010 Congressional District Census" that was handed to me by a friend who was not fooled by its official bearing even though it was dressed up with a Census tracking code of #A10PD302 and looked quite authentic. . Fully profiled by now by the RNC, I didn't get one. Some of the questions were as you might expect from the non-partisan RNC.

Here's No. 7: Do you worry that the Obama Administration is committed to greatly expanding the government's role in your Life? Or No. 11: Do you think that all Americans should be required to have some form of health insurance even if it requires the federal government to underwrite the costs? Or how about this one on national defense: Do you believe the Obama administration is right in dramatically scaling back our nation's military?

There are others suggesting, in a questioning sort of way, whether Obama is a weakling on international policy.

I now own the document and plan to respond with my friend's copy with one answer. It will be for the one asking me whether I am a Conservative Republican, Moderate Republican, etc.etc. etc. I will answer BONOBO. I hope I'm not too late for today's mail.

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Colin Powell gave President Obama passing marks in his talk to a capacity audience (2,955) in E.J. Thomas Auditorium, while suggesting that Obama should have been less ambitious in his major goals the first year. However, Powell, who said he meets with the President regularly, said there was no time to delay the economic ballouts and stimulus plans when Obama arrived in office because the economy was heading into a Depression. The former Secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also again expressed his own resiliency in his support of ending the military's "don't ask, don't change" policy for gays and lesbians, which became law in 1993. "Attitudes change," he said. His appearance was sponsored by the Dorothy Garrett Martin Memorial Delta Gamma Lectureship on Values and Ethics and the Honors College at the University of Akron. It also reflected the rising cost of attracting speakers with star- power: $125,000, a ceiling-crashing six-figure fee that was set by Rudy Giuliani ($100,000) when he spoke to a full house in Thomas Hall shortly after 9/11. Earlier in the week, Newt Gingrich was much less successful in drawing a crowd of fewer than 300 in the same hall. His speech was sponsored by the Northeastern Ohio Health Underwriters Assn., which simply translates into health insurers.

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Have you heard about the latest fringe group? They're called "The Oath Keepers" and their founder, Stewart Rhodes, says the military need not obey the president if he is engaged in unconstitutional (illegal and immoral)acts. Rhodes even put off Bill O"Reilly by his defense of military rebellion in the U.S. Rhodes believes that the use of the military to enforce stability after Katrina was unconstitutional.

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Shouldn't one of John McCain's close friends quietly taken him aside and tell him, "John you've had a hard life. Why don't you take a year off from politics and smell the roses?" That seems so necessary as he continues to invent the history of his presidential campaign, only to be corrected immediately. It's happening quite often these days. Not funny any more.

Don't wait for the Morrison trial, et al...

WEEKEND LEFTOVERS:  Take a deep breath but don't hold it.  Once again the pretrial  (May 11, today) hearing and trial date (May 26) for Atty.  Jack Morrison Jr. have been been delayed on motions by  Morrison's lawyer, Paul Adamson.  New dates were not set at this writing.  Morrison, a University of Akron Trustee and advisor to the Summit County Republican Party, was indicted on seven misdemeanor charges arising from his son's purchase and profitable sale of a house on University property that was designated for use in the area that was being cleared for a new football stadium. The case is five months old.   Morrison has ignored calls for him to step down from the Board of Trustees, including one from Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut and the Beacon Journal.  Watch for an update around  Christmas.....

Dick Cheney has made it official:  He prefers Rush Limbaugh over Colin Powell as the inspiration for the Republican Party.   Have you noticed that Cheney is much more visible today as the GOP's spiritual leader on talk shows than he was as a  shadowy veep who spent some of his time in a real cave?  He's an old non-soldier who won't fade away...But something else appears to have faded away:  the aggressive PR effort to rehab George Bush's image has fallen silent.  One practical explanation:  It wasn't working.... 

Let's hope that the recall election for Mayor Plusquellic is set for the earliest possible date so that the city can get on with the important business at hand.  The effort by Warner Mendenhall and his pickup army to throw out the mayor will be one of the darker moments in the city's history, Warner's defense of "democracy in action" notwithstanding.  win or lose (he will lose this one) he will have gained some strategic information on the city's demographics should he decide to run for mayor himself.  But at what price to the city itself?

It is amusing to hear the right-wing "profiling" of an imaginary Supreme Court nominee that President Obama has yet to select.  I'm waiting to see protesting GOP  billboards rise with fill-in-the-blank nominees to be named later. 

Finally, does anybody besides Sean Hannity and  his ding-a-ling disciples care that Obama ordered a hamburger with  "elitist" mustard  instead of catsup?  There are days when I wish I could be president for eight hours.  I would  give Hannity an eternity of eyebrow raisers with my exotic Middle Eastern  palate. 

Limbaughminable

WATCHING A replay of Rush Limbaugh's explosive rants against Colin Powell I had to remind myself that he has made millions with the behavior of a harpooned walrus.  So I ask:

If Limbuagh fell from from a tree in the woods and there was nobody around to hear it, would there still be a sound?

If there are any audio engineers in the crowd, let me know.  Thanks.