When Losing Is Winning

According to Politico, the political hacks among us are forecasting a double digit loss of Democrat seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I question heavily whether the GOP can win back the House, but the following assessment sounds about right.

At the mid-August Netroots Nation convention, Nate Silver, a Democratic analyst whose uncannily accurate, stat-driven predictions have made his website FiveThirtyEight.com a must read among political junkies, predicted that Republicans will win between 20 and 50 seats next year. He further alarmed an audience of progressive activists by arguing that the GOP has between a 25 and 33 percent chance of winning back control of the House.

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Now that's change I can believe in.

Obama's Approval Rating Sinks

President Obama returned from his August vacation in Martha's Vineyard yesterday. Even while the President traveled south to Washington, his poll numbers have followed suit.

Rasmussen reports a new low for President Obama with only 46% of voters signaling their approval of the job he is doing.

Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That’s the lowest level of total approval yet measured for Obama. Fifty-three percent (53%) now disapprove. Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats approve while 83% of Republicans disapprove. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 66% disapprove. See other recent demographic highlights from the tracking polls.

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports™

Of course, poll numbers are not the end all be all for the President. Indeed, things like visionary leadership, bipartisanship, reasonable efforts at reform, and taking on the firebrands - both left and right - tend to get rewarded by voters.

Unfortunately, the President has done none of the above since taking office.

Playing Politics with Security

Many apologies dear readers. This past week found me settling into a new apartment with the wife, and resuming classes in my final year of law school. Needless to say, it's been a busy few days around these parts.

Yours truly has also been fairly quiet during August because very little goes on in the political arena while Congress is out of town. Though September isn't quite here yet, the interview below was too interesting to forgo.

Former Vice-President Cheney speaks out about Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to launch an investigation into the CIA's enhanced interrogation program for terrorists. What makes the decision audacious, if you will, is that President Obama had previously committed himself against launching just such an investigation - proving once again that in the Obama Administration principle is no obstacle to expediency.

While Cheney remains far from popular, popularity is no substitute for being right. And regarding the Attorney General's investigation of the CIA, Cheney makes a lot of sense. Posts should flow more regularly this week. Enjoy.

RIP: Sen. Ted Kennedy Dead

I was no fan of his politics, but one cannot help admiring the passion he brought to his job.

Sen. Kennedy dead at age 77.

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McCain Defends Obama

Instances like this only make me appreciate Sen. McCain all the more.

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Best Website Ever?

The Mrs. and I were driving through Southern Indiana this afternoon and heard the following website advertised on the rado:

www.DoNotLetEvanBayhKillJobs.com

I'm opposed to dispensing with the union secret ballot too, but seriously? A seven word domain name? You've got to be kidding me.

You can't make this stuff up...

Thoughts on My Wedding Day

In roughly 1.25hrs, I will stand at the alter of Avoca Baptist church and pledge my love, and life to Gwyn Hamrick (soon to be Fodder).

My vantage from the small window in the alcove of the church shows an absolutely perfect day with only wisps of clouds in the sky. A crane of the neck looks out at a field of green behind the church. The warmth of the sun feels a lot like the Father smiling down, and feeling pleased. It's the kind of day made for beginning life anew.

It might seem strange to some, adding my thoughts on marriage, and life here in this space normally devoted to political wranglings, and snarky remarks.Yet in other ways writing here could not be more appropriate. This peculiar hobby of mine has been one of the few things that I have continued throughout my formative years- from college, through my time in Boston, to my days of law school down in Tucson, until now. Why not share some thoughts with an old friend?

The single thought that occupies my mind in these waning hours of my single, adult life is the notion of loyalty, and its implications. I remain convinced, now as much as ever, that love is fundamentally a commitment. We choose whom to love. And love is something borne out in life's great struggles as the commitment to another is tested, time and time again.

I am under no delusions that love, and marriage will be an easy commitment to keep. Any commitment given proper consideration requires some quid pro quo from both parties. But in marriage, the agreement should never terminate. Given this depth and breadth of commitment, deciding whether to marry or not is among the most profound decisions one can make.

And so marriage, in many ways, is not unlike any other major decision that life brings our way. We simply make the best decision we can with the information available to us, and proceed accordingly. I am confident in my decision. I am appreciative of my betrothed for her agreement. And I am joyed at our mutual decision to love each other.

And on this we can build a life.

In sum, I love my bride to be with all of the commitment a life time can afford. My feelings on this auspicious occasion are quite serene. The wedding itself, the reception, the entire production is ancillary to the actual commitment between the two of us that this day is set to commemorate.

But, 'to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3.1). Today is our day to love, and to laugh.

And this is good.

Weight and Marriage

With the big day looming on Saturday, it was unsettling to read today's Daily Beast article on marriage and weight gain.

According to a recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health, adults entering a long-term cohabiting relationship, particularly those who get married, are prone to higher rates of weight gain and obesity than those who remain single.

The author's solution endorses a heavy-handed government intervention in America's obesity problem:

So where does this leave us? Ultimately, the Obama administration should fully embrace weight control as a societal issue, and realize it is not something that can be left to individual responsibility. There are so many useful things the government could do that would make it easier, from subsidizing the right types of farming to reining in the food industry and funding health-maintenance programs at worksites.

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The prescription does not square with the ailment. Later in the article, the author notes several tips for keeping the pounds under control even after tying the knot - chief among them eating less, and exercising more. One might be tempted to call such suggestions commonsense, and personal responsibility. Although, in the age of Obama, such notions are quaint.

Even so, the warning is a good wake up call for all Americans as health care reform dominates the Nation's political landscape. In many ways, the health problems we face are ones of our own creation. The choices we make in life, and in marriage have real, long-term consequences.

Here's hoping the future missus and I can learn to adopt healthy habits - lest Big Brother 'make sure' that we do. Ja?

Coburn on Obamacare

Having spent the summer working on Capitol Hill, I was impressed by Oklahoma's Tom Coburn, and his efforts on the Senate floor to call attention to America's ballooning deficit.  Naturally, Obamacare only exacerbates the problem, and Oklahoma's Senator did an eloquent job of stating the obvious: Obamacare is a bad idea.

Sen. Coburn adds to the debate in a National Review piece below. 

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Republican Moderates

Too funny. Yet for me, sadly, increasingly true.

"Moderates! What's become of this world?!"

Jon Stewart Has Become Increasingly Un-Funny

I had long suspected this to be true, but below is yet more proof that Jon Stewart is an Obama Administration hack.

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And the tragedy of the matter is that being an Obamaphile makes Stewart blind to the comedic riches all around him.

Three words: Cash for Clunkers.

I Can't Resist

And neither can you according to recent study but out by Northwestern University.

The study has implications for all corners of our personal lives, Nordgren figures. For instance, can a recovering alcoholic attend booze-saturated parties and stay sober? Can a dieter frequent his favorite dessert buffets and refrain from binging? Can a committed husband have drinks with a past fling without fear of infidelity?

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The bottom line: flee temptation.

Sen. McCain Set to Oppose Sotomayor Nomination

For purely selfish reasons, I am extremely proud of the speech below.

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Clearly Being Obama

According to a brief story by Politico, President Obama's favorite canned phrase is "Let me be clear."

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This makes an abundance of sense.  The President is rarely clear on anything, so when he needs to get his point across the phrase is a ready tool for reclaiming people's attention.

It is only too bad that he doesn't apply the same standard of clarity to any of his policies...