Sorry I haven’t had time to blog today, folks. Not much to say — or at least, nothing that needs to be said immediately — about the primary results. The overwhelming majority of our endorsees did well, I see. More about that later.
Right now, I’m playing hooky from a meeting (Bob Coble and Charles Austin are talking about Columbia city budget matters with Warren Bolton in our board room) to try to catch up on all sorts of neglected work, such as reading the live page proofs that I have to have to Mike in 18 minutes.
This is e-mail I got last night, and am just now seeing. I can’t stop to read it, but I’m sure it will be of interest:
June 10, 2008
News Release – For Immediate ReleaseRob Miller‘s Victory Speech
Victory Speech:
First, let me thank everyone who helped us win our first battle for change tonight, especially my wife Shane and my son Robert.
Blaine Lotz called me a few minutes ago. Blain is a good man, and he ran a good campaign.
Three-and-a-half months ago, I was a Captain in the US Marine Corps. On February 16, we began our campaign for change.
Tonight we celebrate this win, but tomorrow the real battle to change Washington begins.
The incumbent is a proud card-carrying member of the status quo. He’s been in Washington for years voting for ballooning deficits and out-of-control spending. He took money from and had fundraisers with corrupt and dishonest politicians like Tom DeLay, who he still says is a man of integrity. Joe Wilson has been in Washington too long. He doesn’t believe in change and is out of touch with the people he is supposed to represent.
This campaign, our campaign, is all about change. Unlike the incumbent, we understand that times are tough.
We’ll work for change by developing a sensible exit strategy for Iraq and reinvest those resources here at home to rebuild our infrastructure because we need good jobs, we need safer neighborhoods, and we need more affordable health care here in South Carolina.
We’ll work for change by pushing Congress to do more to develop alternative forms of energy so we can say goodbye forever gas that’s to $4.00 a gallon.
We’ll work for change by making the politicians in Washington balance the budget. Families all over South Carolina live within their means and it’s time for Congress to do the same.
The forces of the Status quo will not stand down without a fight. But, after serving 13 years in the Marine Corps, to include twice in Iraq, I’ve never been afraid of a good fight.
I understand I can’t win this by myself; I need all of you fighting with me.
Go to my web site at RobMillerForCongress.com and join our battle for change.
The battle for change begins tomorrow.
Thank you.
Noticing the last line, I should point out: "Tomorrow" would be "today" now, since this was sent last night.
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I did not follow this race closely, but I think one major reason why Miller won is because he got his advertising up much earlier than Lotz did. They were effective ads too. Lotz’s ads seemed a bit generic and didn’t really connect as well.
This man is either horribly naive or completely uninformed about the way congress works. Whenever you hear some new guy bloviating about how he’s going to work to make congress balance the budget, you can forget it: It’s going to be business as usual.
Some one ought to get him off camera and tell him that we don’t need congress to do more to develop alternative forms of energy. We need congress to get the hell out of the way and allow american capitalism to work. At $4.00 a gallon, it is economically feasible to extract petroleum from sources that were never before made sense.
If this Rob Miller character really had a grasp of the true nature of the energy problem this nation faces, he’d be talking about working to get congress OUT of the WAY. As it is, there is nothing new about this joker. I expect, sadly, more of the same from this bozo. Nothing will change until the american electorate gets truly fed up and ceases electing people like Miller. David
Now that I’ve had a chance to read what I posted, I have this observation:
Capt. Miller, recently of the USMC, has quickly learned one lesson of the way things work in the world of civilian politics: Until yesterday, according to his campaign, Blaine Lotz was the “card-carrying member of the status quo” who had “been in Washington too long.”
But today, he’s a good man, which to a former colonel (and a Vietnam vet with the Bronze Star) who according to his resume headed up intelligence for the whole Air Force, might sound a little condescending coming from a captain. But I’m sure Capt. Miller meant well.
Interesting point to ponder: Did Capt. Miller just get a head start on name recognition, or did he succeed in pinning responsibility for Iraq on Mr. Lotz for having served as assistant secretary under Rumsfeld (which of course is deadly in a Democratic primary)?
The thing about elections is that, barring well-conducted exit polls asking the right questions, you never know.
Rob who?
He’s running for Congress?
What state?
Reading “The Trooper News,” who the hell would ever know?
Although I plan to vote for Wilson again in Novmber, I listened to both Lotz and Miller on Keven Cohen’s show the other day and had I voted in that primary, Lotz would’ve gotten my vote, as he came across as someone who better understands the issues and how congress works. Should Joe step aside for any reason, I believe Lotz would offer the Dems the best chance to take that seat, but neither man gave me any reason to believe that they’d be better than Wilson.
Nothing I said above was intended to demean Millers’ service in the US Marine Corps. I love the Marine Corps and think a lot of men and women who enter therein to serve and defend their country.
But military service neither qualifies one for public office necessarily nor earns one a pass when their ideas are either just wrong, or more of the same old same old. And with Miller, believe me, this is more of the same old. If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard some joker spew about how he’s going to be the one to change congress and get them to “balance the budget” (like we really even HAD a budget) I could retire again.
Rob Millers’ speech was boilerplate politicianspeak: He obligatorily beat the drum about his military service (sounding eerily like John Kerry…who served in Vietnam by the way); He mumbled some gobble de gook about how his fresh brand of liberalism was different and would balance the budget; and he took the standard swipe at the “status quo” which he determines to fight with all his might…after ALL ~ he DID go to Iraq doncha know.
I ask you…how much more status quo could you get than Mr. Miller? David
By the way, when I say boilerplate, I mean it. Millers’ meaningless platitudes are almost identical to Obamas. Which are nearly identical to the ones Nancy Pelosi showered upon her faithful whenever she took over the House.
Miller is indeed the same old same old. To their acolytes, cultists and sycophants, Miller, Obama and Pelosi (along with the other “change” agent charlatans we see on the scene today) are conveying the words of heaven.
To conservative realists however, these are billowing clouds of empty rhetoric that ring nicely in an auditorium after a primary win, but will be dropped and forgotten like yesterdays’ State newspaper once said charlatan gets in office. Dvid
And if you don’t believe these words will be forgotten, look at exhibit A: Nancy Pelosi. What a dismally uneffective loser she has been, and she’s got the record low approval ratings to prove it. Expect the same from Miller and you won’t be disappointed. dave
So I guess you’ll be lining up behind the candidate who exhorts millions to chant “More of the same!” and “No Change!” and “Yes, we won’t!”. I get what you’re saying, but any person trying to defeat an incumbent is going to say they want to change things. You can decry that as politics as usual, and it is, but really, what’s the point is getting all worked up about that? “Oh no, he really thinks he can change things, what an idiot!”
For what it’s worth, I can’t find any text from when Joe Wilson was first running for congress, but I’ll bet that it included very similar language, just directed at the other side of the aisle.
Jay, I think my points are pretty much unassailable. I’d say the same things about ANY candidate, democrat OR republican, who spews the kind of nonsense Miller is apparently (according to you) going to get away with.
You accuse me of haveing the motto “More of the same!”
No.
My point is that ‘more of the same’ is exactly what a realist knows Miller will deliver in spades.
But…
“Yes we won’t!”
Now THAT has a ring to it. I could definitely go with that where Miller is concerned. David
“I think my points are pretty much unassailable.”
I think that should be the motto of anyone who ever posts anything on the internet anywhere. It pretty much sums it up. And I wasn’t accusing you of anything, you’ll notice I said ‘I get what you’re saying…’
By the way Jay, does it not bother you…even just a tiny bit…that these politicians hoot and bleat so loudly and conspicuously about whatever military service they’ve been engaged in? Especially whenever they think it will help their immediate political fortunes?
Now, I love military service.
But the ostentatious display and shameless exploitation of ones’ military service as nothing more than a voting point (the way John Kerry tried to do it and sort of the way Miller did it in his victory hoo-ha) is, to me, sickening.
If Miller wants to make the point that he’s been to Iraq as a grunt and knows first hand what troops there are experiencing and need, OK. But if he’s going to try to make the point that because the Marine Corps happened to send him to Iraq, that NOW he’s uniquely qualified to clean up Washington like no one else ever could…please. Could you just stop it Mr. Miller? I ain’t buying it for a minute. Same old same old. Somehow I don’t think you buy that hogwash either, Jay. David
Jay, I just read your last post…I was too busy bloviating. I intend no malice towards you either.
Of course every joker like me that’s ever posted anything on a blog believes he’s got the stone tablets. You got me there. Dave
You know, I’d be willing to bet that if Mr. Miller had been a Navy Yeoman Third Class at a recruiting station in Orlando Florida, we wouldn’t be hearing too awfully much either about the arduous nature of his military service and sacrifice, or how that service uniquely qualifies him now to go to Washington and “fight for us.”
If ones’ military service can be worn like a badge or used like a bludgeon, it’s nearly all we hear about. If it can’t, silence.
I’m just sayin. David
how is he going to help the gas prices when his personal money is coming from oil and he’s profiting from those increasing gas prices? how about donating some of that back to the american people?
A lot of Americans can serve well in the military without having any knowledge of our heritage, principles of freedom and the relationship of free market economics to personal liberty.
As David points out, Mr. Miller has no fully-formed political philosophy that we can see from his platitudes, but he appears to believe in the democratic socialism of having the majority vote itself the material things they don’t want to buy from business.
Why is it no one calls McCain out regarding his military service? does the same hold true for him…
“But the ostentatious display and shameless exploitation of ones’ military service as nothing more than a voting point”
maybe the best leaders are the ones who don’t get captured.
John McCain’s military experience is a great advantage over the total ignorance of Barak Obama, but most Republicans and independents do not consider it sufficient reason to nominate him.
That is why McCain has lukewarm support, and desperately needs a VP with credentials of support for the Bill of Rights, limited government, and free market capitalism.
Liz,
I dislike McCain on many, many different levels. And he has said/done and continues to say/do things that are absolutely infuriating. Even he has used his military record as a talking point than I’d like. But, be honest. Have you ever heard him shamelessly wave his POW flag or exploit his military service the way John Kerry did? Or even like the less aggressive way Rob Miller did in his victory hoo-ha above?
By the way, John F’ing Kerry was shown to be a lackluster performer in the US Navy, who was pretty widely disliked and ill-trusted by his men. Even to this day we don’t know exactly what his military record contains, because he refuses to release it fully. And yet, there he was at the democrat convention with that ridiculous salute.
As for Rob Miller, I’m not 100% sure about his profeessional performance either. He touts his service and tours to Iraq alright, and I am positive he was released from his commission with honor. But why did he only rise to the rank of Captain after thirteen years of service? This could be explained if he had prior enlisted time or something like that, but a straight commissioned officer, either regular or reserve, should have been promoted to the rank of Major given thirteen years of service.
I’m not the burning bush on this, but I believe I’m correct. I retired from the navy ten years ago, and that was certainly true for naval officers then. I don’t think things have changed that much.
Any way, I think there are lots of reasons to dislike McCain…but shameless use of his military record isn’t one of them like it has been for others. David
Oh…and to the extent that John McCain DOES use his military service as a talking point or to score political points…you are absolutely correct. He is as wrong and it is as sickening for him to do it as it is for the others to do so.
Military service is not a qualifier for the office of the presidency or for whatever offive Rob Miller is campaigning for.
And anyone who is fooled when a guy like Miller tries to extrapolate from his USMC Iraq service that he’s the guy who can change Washington deserves to be fooled. Again, given what he’s said he thinks this nations’ energy and budget problems are and what he thinks the answers are, how could you get any more status quo than Rob Miller? This is pure, old plain vanilla liberalism with a Semper Fi tatoo. David