Doubt That Erhardt Will Run As A Democrat

I have speculated in a previous post that Ron Erhardt may run again this time as a Democrat and not an Independent. However, with the announcement that Staunton is running again for the DFL and this website I stumbled across, it doesn't look like Erhardt will not be welcomed by the Democrats in 2010. The Edina Moderates.org site has content primarily directed at the 2008 race. However it is interesting to note that the site continues to be updated, as recently as June 2009:

PoliticalModerates.org associated publications and website presentations are circulated as a matter of principle and are not circulated on behalf of or in cooperation with any candidate, political party, or ballot question. © 2009 All Rights Reserved Last Update: 06/23/09 08:59 PM -0700

Now maybe it is just wishful thinking on the part of Dick Novack that Erhardt will run again in 2010, but he continues to keep the infrustructure of the website updated and public. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Why You Should Obey Your Elder (Chad That Is)

Caught up with Chad the Elder on Fraters Libertas today. He had a good post on Sarah Palin and her latest media tour. Here's the post. All The Right Reasons

Caught a good bit of Rush's interview with Sarah Palin today over the lunch hour. I thought her performance was decent if a little uneven. She displayed the same down-home folksy Palin charm that we saw on the campaign trail last year. And there's no denying that there's a certain appeal to that. But she was also very vague (perhaps intentionally so) on most of the issues they discussed. She must have used the words "common sense" a dozen times, although exactly what that meant as far as policy solutions go was not clear. Northing in the interview really changed my existing impression of her. While I'm far from Palin's biggest fan, I am willing to listen to what she has to say (as I did today) and I remain open to the possibility that she has a significant role to play in the conservative movement (did I really just use the "m" word?). However, I am going to judge her on the merits of her words and actions. Just because liberals and the media exhibit open disdain for Palin does not automatically mean that conservatives should embrace her. That's one of the painful lessons that conservatives (myself included) should have learned after eight years of George W. Bush in the White House. Too often we were willing to give Bush a pass in areas where he deserved criticism for fear of doing anything to aid and abet the left (and the media) in their relentless quest to destroy his presidency. When we witnessed the incessant and often unfair attacks on Bush on almost a daily basis, our reaction was to circle the wagons around him and close ranks. There's nothing wrong with defending a politician whom you generally agree with when they're under assault, especially when that assault is being mounted by forces that you adamantly oppose. But that defense should not extend to a blanket of support of all the actions that a politician undertakes or policies they espouse. Again, I think that on too many occasions conservatives fell into that trap with President Bush. And I think that some degree of the conservative backing that Palin enjoys is similarly founded. If the Democrats, feminists, media elites, and Beltway insiders despise her so, then she must deserve our full-fledged support. While that sentiment is understandable, it's one that conservatives should resist this time around. Let Sarah Palin earn our support. And let her earn it for all the right reasons. Labels: Politics-National (08-10) Posted by Chad--Link

I totally agree with Chad. It is easy to support something because you know people on the other end of your ideology are for it. I have liked Sarah Palin from her first speech at the Republican convention. I heard someone espousing beliefs that I shared and they weren't old or male. Her delivery was pretty good, too, considering her recent elevation to the national stage. We have had over a year to get to know her better. The media informed us on her personal life but didn't really delve into any substantive issues that she not only stands for and acted on as Governor of Alaska. I'm looking forward to see if she shines on this book tour for the issues she supports and is able to get that message across. I don't even necessarily wish she would run for public office ever again. I think she could possibly be an even more effective force for conservatives not being a politician. She certainly gets that politicians and government don't have all the answers and that bureacracy may not be the best place for her. Whatever she decides to do, she is breath of fresh air on the political stage and certainly doesn't fit any molds. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Retailers Who Still Support Christmas

Thank you to Stella Borealis for a link to American Family Association's 2009 listing of top retailers and how they recognize Christmas as of November 10. Thankfully Target is not on the naughty list. Companies FOR "Christmas" updated 11-10-09 Amazon.com Bass Pro Shops Bath & Body Works Bed Bath & Beyond Belk Big Lots Collective Brands Costco Dollar Tree Family Dollar Dollar General Hallmark Hobby Lobby Home Depot JC Penney Kmart Lowe's Macy's Meijer Menard's Michael's Stores Neiman Marcus Petsmart Rite Aid Sears Super D Drug Stores Target Toys R Us Walgreens Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Companies marginalizing "Christmas" updated 11-10-09 Best Buy Hy-Vee Stores Kohl's QVC Safeway Companies against "Christmas" updated 11-10-09 Advance Auto Parts Aldi Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million Braum's Ice Cream CVS Pharmacy Dick's Sporting Goods Gap Stores Harris Teeter Stores H.E.B. Stores Home Shopping Network Kroger Limited Brands McDonald's Nordstrom Office Depot Olive Garden Outback Steakhouse Publix Radio Shack Staples SUPERVALU Victoria's Sec Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Sarah Palin on Oprah

I had hoped to live blog while Oprah was on today. But alas, conservative baby had other plans. I was able to watch though and have the following impressions:

• So proud of her speaking her values on protection of life and abstinence.
• As a fellow Mom of a special needs child, I so identify with Palin and her son. Talk about someone walking the walk. She was provided a perfect situation in which to stand up for what she believes and not abort her Downs Syndrome baby, as 90% of people do nowadays. Yes, 90% of Downs Syndrome kids are aborted, which is why you see very few of them under the age of 15.
• She also struck a chord when she described her husband's reaction to their baby being born with Downs Syndrome. Instead of saying why us, he said why not us. I never thought of it that way before. But, what better situation to bring a child like to the world than in a two parent, loving Christian family.

The interview with Oprah of course covered mostly Palin's personal life and tabloid like topics, i.e. Levi Johnston. No real substantive political policy talk, which is what I hear the crux of the book is really about. I can't wait to buy my copy and read all Sarah has to say.

Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

The Dash

So, as you can see with the last post, I am somewhat discouraged with the tone of things in the political blogging world. It occurred to me that most of what I write is for myself. I don't really expect that anyone else will be much interested in what I have to say. Now that I have some experience with my posts, I find the blog is a useful tool for me to remember where I was and what I was thinking at certain moments as it relates to politics. Or, maybe an archive of links and articles I can refer to later. Well here is one I'd like to save and refer to when life gets me down. How will you live your 'dash'?? http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/ Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Blogger Ethics or Just Decency

In my almost two years of blogging, surfing and posting on blogs, I have come across many liberal and conservative Minnesota blogs. Some I've read consistently and some I just check in from time to time or stumble upon. But, the actions recently of a few liberal bloggers has gone over the line and is unlike anything else I have seen out there. In recent months, one liberal blogger put out a call to boycott my employer because of my views. I know many bloggers who are self-employed and whose businesses have never been targeted in such a way. The NARN guys in particular are pretty high profile and I have never heard of such an attack on them. I guess I always admired that there were at least some kind of blogger ethics or unwritten rules. Last week, another liberal blogger used the name of one of my children in a response in his comment section. Upon request of his mistaken information, he has refused to delete the post and therefore do the right thing and protect the privacy of a minor child. I choose to use Conservative Cravings as my pen name when blogging. I'm not trying to hide who I am nor am I ashamed of my views. I simply don't think my identity provides any real significance to my posts. And, I have children and a husband who should in no way be held to account for my views. These are MY thoughts, words and feelings. I guess my paranoia has been proven in that if someone knows your identity they will use it to spread falsities. I WILL NOT LET THESE TACTICS KEEP ME FROM BLOGGING. That, after all, is what they want. I must be saying some things that hit pretty close to home to be such a center of attention. So, I will continue to purport my beliefs, provide facts and try to educate and persuade people about conservative ideals. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Murder Does Not Need A Label

The shootings at Fort Hood this week again brings up a debate on how to label this tragedy. Some argue that it should be called a terrorist attack because of the Muslim ties of the assailant. I find it interesting that the same people who would argue that we not use the the word terrorism or terrorist are usually the same people who support the recent legislation for hate crimes. Murder has been segmented in recent years. While we have had 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree, manslaughter etc categories for some time now, the rise of minority voices has created a new category called hate crimes. When someone is murdered because of a minority status (race or sexual preference are the most common), it can be categorized as a hate crime and the punishment can be more severe than just a run of the mill murder. I do not support the labeling of murder in any form. But I would argue that if you want to label some murders as hate crimes than you should also be OK with calling the Fort Hood incident a terrorist attack. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Why I Am Glad the Health Insurance Bill Passed in the House Tonight

It was a squeaker folks with 219 Democratic votes and 1 Republican with 215 others opposing. Listening to the analysis leading up to the vote earlier today, it was very unlikely they would vote if they Dems didn't have a more substantial majority in support. But a W (win) is more important for Pelosi and the Democrats than to save face. With only a simple majority 50% plus 1 needed to pass any legislation in the House, the battle that has been waged since the spring within the Democrats own caucus has shown how weak their caucus is and how much opposition there is to the solutions they have offered. But let's get down to why I am glad tonight that it passed:

• The 220 legislators who voted for this bill now have a vote they have to support when they begin campaigning in two months or so. The physical vote counts alot for the opposition when advertising against them.
• The close vote as mentioned shows the weakness of the Democratic coalition
• This was an inevitable outcome with the huge majority Dems have in the House so the fight that was waged in recent months by the voters and the light shed on substance of the bill(s) and the ugly process involved in passing it will come to haunt the Dems in less than 12 months.
• The Senate will now be watching the reaction of the voting public over the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks and will see how much public opposition there really is to the Democratic solutions.
• It looked very unlikely the Senate, with their varying rules and culture, would be able to arm twist a victory like their House colleagues, and the close vote has sealed the fate of the movement to die by the end of 2009.

So in the end the socialized heath insurance agenda of the Democrats has been fully exposed. The tactics they will resort to get the votes has seen the light of day and in the end, the current liberal movement for health care will die in 2009. My hope is that in 2010, we can start over, let Republicans come to the table and get some real reform solutions to lower health insurance costs for all.

Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Edina School Board Election Results

It probably could not have gone any worse for conservatives when it comes to outcome of the Edina School Board elections. Though, the close race might trigger a recount, it looks like Jeff Johnson might be out. Results for Selected School District Contests SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER (ISD #273) (ELECT 4) RANDY MEYER 1654 JEFF JOHNSON 1566 IDITH ALMOG 1760 REGINA NEVILLE 1648 LONNI SKRENTNER 1581 WRITE-IN** 55 Only 15 votes separates the two candidates with the largest gap in political philosophy, Johnson and Skrenter. If Skrenter prevails that will put two new people on the board. According to a commenter on my post on Skrenter that would leave all Democrats a.k.a. liberals with victories. Though, I still stand behind my research that Meyer and Almog are still more conservative leaning than Neville and Skrenter. So why would partisan views be so important when it comes to electing School Board member?

• Negotiations with teacher's unions. The more left leaning the more you identify and sympathize with the idea of a union.
• Curriculum decisions - evolution versus creationism or a combination of both - history book selection - the promotion of the study of other cultures over western civilization.
• Budgets - liberals to love spend money, especially other peoples and aren't as likely to prioritize expenses but instead continue to look for school levies to raise revenues

All politics are local people and this election could have been won easily by Johnson if only a few handfuls of conservatives had turned out. I know I did.

Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Progressive Endorsed Skrentner Can't Have It Both Ways

Recent letters to the editor in the Edina Sun Current have discussed the partisanship of Lonni Skrentner, candidate for Edina School Board. One commenter says, " It's a shame that the misusing of the progressive label attempted to replace qualifications with partisanship in a school board election. Throwing labels at someone for simply trying to better themselves as a candidate is misguided at best." Well Ms. Skrentner has given herself the Progressive label. She is listed as an endorsed candidate by Progressive Majority. Progressive Majorities self-proclaimed agenda is Progressive Majority's mission is to elect progressive champions. We accomplish this by identifying and recruiting the best progressive leaders to run for office. If Ms. Skrentner wants to have coaching and support of her candidacy with strategic message, campaign, and technical support from Progressive Majority than she and her supporters should not baulk at the "progressive label" that has been put upon her. I agree that the education of our children should not be politicized. But, it seems only one side is allowed to have political influence. Environmentalism, social justice, revisionist history and the arts are examples of educational areas that have been used to insert political agendas into our classrooms. For example, Blake School's fall play with be about hate crimes against gays. When a liberal is labeled as a progressive, let's not pretend to be astonished that politics is a part of our education process.

Conservative Candidates for Edina School Board

The Edina School Board election is on Nov 3rd. There are 5 candidates to fill 4 open spots. But how do you what side of the political aisle these candidates might rest on? My research shows that Jeff Johnson, Randy Meyer and Idith Almog (all incumbents) all run in Republican circles as district delegates or campaign contributors. Even though you can vote for up to 4 people, your vote would mean more if you only voted for one or two of your top choices. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Staunton to Challenge Downey... Again

Kevin Staunton has decided to make another go in 2010 at the 41A House seat in Edina. Rookie, Keith Downey beat both Staunton and 18 year incumbent Ron Erhardt in 2008. STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 41A KEITH DOWNEY 8925 36.69% Democratic-Farmer-Labor KEVIN STAUNTON 7626 31.35% Moderate Independent Party RON ERHARDT 7760 31.90% Write-In WRITE-IN** 16 0.07% Staunton has an uphill battle for a number of reasons:

• 41A in Edina has never elected a Democrat for a representative
• Edina went for Obama in 08 but Norm Coleman and Erik Paulsen also got the majority of their votes.
• Erhard could decide to run again as an Independent. Why would the outcome in the same three way race be any different in 2010 than in 2008, especially without the democratic pull Obama had in 2008.
• If it ends up being a straight two way race between a Republican and Democrat, Downey now has the experience to show what kind of representative he is and what a wise choice Edina made in 2008. Some Erhardt supporters who are still Republicans would have a hard time checking that Democratic oval for Staunton, so I predict that more than half of Erhardt voters in 2008 would go for Downey, making it a blowout win this time.

The wild card is that Erhardt could decide to challenge Staunton in the Democratic primary. He has appeared at the 41A Democratic conventions and others organizational meetings this past year. Though I doubt that Staunton would have announced if he wasn't sure that the Democratic machine in 41A was solidly behind him as their candidate.

Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Edina Resident Meffert hyphen Nelson to Run Against Paulsen

Check out a candidate who has announced his intentions to run against Erik Paulsen for the CD3 spot in 2010, Jim Meffert-Nelson. Though on his blog, he has lost the hyphen Nelson, maybe a little too progressive for the CD3 electorate. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Separated at Birth: Orbitz Guy and Keith Olbermann

I know this comparison is already out there alot. But, now I notice that Orbitz is advertising during Olbermann's show. And, Orbitz is in the made up controversy about dissing gay people in their latest ad. They have a two for one special for couples but dis a man who want to bring his friend (also a man). Wow, not at all PC enough for MSNBC.

Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.

Elliot Spitzer: Contributor for MSNBC?

You heard right. Former Governor of New York, Elliot Spitzer, is now a formal MSNBC Contributor. I tune in from time to time to MSNBC. It's like a car crash, you just can't not watch the live self-destruction of an entire news organization. I've seen him several times on more than one show with the subtitle under him reading Elliot Spitzer: MSNBC Contributor. What did MSNBC run out of Air America personalities to waltz on air? Or, maybe they used up all the former MTV VJ's - like Alison Stewart to guest host their shows. Since they have virtually lost all of their 24-54 demographic. Maybe they are now going for the 15-23 year olds. Conservative Cravings blog represents the individual and personal thoughts and opinions of its authors.