Steve Gill: Opinion

Skyrocketing gasoline prices have finally attracted the attention of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. While their proposed solutions to prices surging past $3.60 a gallon at the pump range from the muddled to the misleading, a key point of friction between the candidates has been their support or opposition to a Federal gasoline tax “holiday.”

The federal gasoline tax collected at the pump is currently 18.4 cents a gallon. John McCain and Hillary Clinton have both embraced the idea of eliminating that tax this summer in order to give drivers a break. The “gas tax holiday” would reduce federal tax collections by about $9 billion dollars, which has sparked disagreement between Clinton and McCain. Clinton wants to make sure the federal government doesn’t lose any money, and has proposed an “excess profits” tax on Big Oil companies — who would promptly pass the tax along to consumers as part of the price at the pump.

McCain acknowledges that the “gas tax holiday” is not a long term solution to energy problems plaguing the nation, but notes that it would give low-income drivers “a little break.” McCain has not proposed any tax increases to make up the difference to the Federal treasury, nor has he suggested any specific cuts in Federal spending either. He is apparently happy to simply run up the national credit card.

Unfortunately, at least for Tennessee drivers and those in several other states, a Federal “gas tax holiday” may not help much…if at all. Tennessee Code Section 67-3-206(a) provides that if the Federal gasoline tax is reduced, even temporarily, then “the existing state tax imposed on the sale and/or use of such products shall be adjusted so as to maintain the amount of funding for the Tennessee department of transportation generated by the federal tax. The adjustment in the state tax shall become effective simultaneously with the reduction in the federal tax.”

That law is intended to insure that Tennessee road construction money is not lost, including that which comes from the Federal Highway Trust Fund. The last time a “gas tax holiday” was discussed, the Tennessee legislature put a moratorium on enforcement of this law through July 1, 2008. Thus, if Clinton and McCain are successful in pushing their “gas tax holiday” through Congress, Tennessee drivers will get the benefits of the plan for roughly the first month of the “holiday” – unless the Tennessee legislature extends the moratorium before adjourning. Many other states have a similar “snapback” provision to deal with reductions in the Federal gas tax.

Barack Obama has called the “holiday” a political ploy because it will only save the average driver $28 over the course of the summer, which breaks down to about thirty cents a day. He bases his math on the average driver filling up about once every ten days. While most families fill up a bit more often than that, nobody is claiming that the “holiday” will solve the gas crunch, it is simply intended to help…a little.

More importantly, Obama voted for a “gas tax holiday” at least three times while serving in the Illinois State Senate. He supported temporary elimination of the state’s 5% gasoline tax when prices were around $2 a gallon, but now opposes a virtually identical plan when drivers face $3.60 a gallon prices. Obama claims he doesn’t trust the oil companies to pass the savings on to consumers. Yet, he apparently believes these same companies will accept new taxes on their profits without passing those new costs on to those same consumers. Really?

While the candidates quibble over the details of a “gas tax holiday” they do seem in agreement when it comes to reducing supplies of oil by continuing to ban drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), thereby increasing prices. And they all seem supportive of higher federal gasoline taxes (after the election is over) and/or new taxes to punish the oil companies, thereby increasing prices at the pump. Unfortunately for American drivers, their agreements are likely to cost us a lot more than their minor areas of disagreement on dealing with gasoline prices this summer.

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Steve Gill is a statewide radio talk host and political analyst. His website is www.gillreport.com

“Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices.join Democrats who are working to
lower gas prices now.” - Then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), April 19,
2006.

The average price of gasoline hit $3.33 a gallon last week, a stunning
$1.14 higher than it was when the Democrats took control of the U.S. House
and Senate following a campaign built in large part on campaign promises to
dramatically LOWER gasoline prices. The price of a barrel of oil was
$56 the day Nancy Pelosi took over the Speakership of the House. Now, it is
around $112 per barrel.

Will things get better soon? Don’t count on it. Government forecasters
predict that drivers will be paying $3.54 a gallon by June. They also say
that $4 a gallon gas could be just a bit further down the road.

The Left claims that the ridiculous price of a gallon of gasoline is just a
reflection of and part of the cost of the Bush Administration’s “folly in
Iraq.” Really? Weren’t we in Iraq in January, 2007 when Nancy Pelosi and
Harry Reid took over the leadership of the House and Senate? The biggest
change in U.S. policy since the Democrats took charge of the Legislative
branch has been their insistence on huge tax increases on “Big Oil”, which
has produced an even bigger hit on “Little Taxpayers.”

Their insatiable demand for higher taxes has also fueled a recession, cost
homeowners trillions of dollars in equity in their homes, pushed up the
unemployment rate and obliterated consumer confidence. So much economic
damage in so little time! What is really frightening is that they have only
just gotten started!

Congressman John Dingell (D-Michigan), the powerful Chairman of the Energy
and Commerce Committee, wants an additional fifty cent per gallon tax to
“punish” consumption and reduce pollution. Democrats like Dingell often rail
against “Big Oil” and their obscene profits, but the fact is that “Big
Government” gets a lot more profit from a gallon of gasoline than the oil
companies. The Tax Foundation says state, local and federal taxes combine to
take 45.9 cents per gallon on average, more than double the profits that
even the most aggressive company could hope for. With Dingell’s help that
tax figure could rise to nearly a dollar a gallon! Now THAT is obscene!

While gasoline prices have skyrocketed during their reign, the Democrats
have absolutely refused to allow any expanded drilling for oil in the U.S.
since they took control of Congress. There are an estimated 10 billion
barrels of oil beneath the frozen tundra of the Alaska National Wildlife
Reserve (ANWR) that remain off limits. The ANWR is a huge tract of land
totaling 19.5 million acres. Only a small portion of the ANWR would be
affected by oil drilling — less than 1.5 million acres, representing only
about 8% of the ANWR and less than .4% of the total territory in Alaska.

Offshore drilling also remains banned by the Congress. In fact, 85% of U.S.
coastal waters are off limits for oil exploration. Nevertheless, China is
currently conducting exploratory drilling just fifty miles offshore from Key
West, Florida, thanks to a contract with Cuba. U.S.
companies are penalized while China and India continue to dramatically
increase both consumption and production of oil.

The Democrats have pursued a clear energy policy since capturing control of
the Congress. First, increase taxes on the oil companies, which increases
the price at the pump. Second, prevent access to new oil sources by
continuing to ban exploration and drilling, which restricts supply and
increases the price at the pump. And finally, increase regulation and
bureaucratic red-tape imposed on the oil industry in order to satisfy the
demands of environmentalists, which increases the price at the pump.
Contrary to their campaign promises, Democrats have done virtually
everything they can do to raise the price of gasoline for U.S. drivers.and
their plan has worked to perfection. The only question is why they aren’t
doing more to take credit for the success of their plan?

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Steve Gill is a statewide radio talk host in Tennessee and chief political
analyst for WKRN News 2 in Nashville. His website is www.gillreport.com.

Read More Gill:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/who-printed-that-mccain-08-t-shirt/

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/is-al-gore-about-to-make-his-move/

The important Spring ratings period for radio is not starting out with a
bang for the already beleaguered liberal talk radio format. Millions of
dollars have been poured into liberal talk networks by Democrat Party
activists determined to create a supposed counter-balance to conservative
talkers. But despite these efforts to create a powerful new weapon in the
Liberal arsenal, both listeners and advertisers have turned away. The
turmoil, financial and otherwise, that has plagued liberal talk radio
continued last week.

Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes was suspended by the network because of
an F-word filled tirade she directed at Senator Hillary Clinton and
Geraldine Ferraro during a public appearance for Air America affiliate KKGN
in San Francisco. The program director for the station claimed Rhodes’
appearance was the biggest event that KKGN had ever held and that she even
signed about 500 autographs!

In a city as liberal as San Francisco, with a listening audience of over 6
million people that is not impressive. In fact, Rhodes captivating
liberalism, in what is likely the most liberal market in the country, helped
that Air America station to a 28th place finish for the most recent ratings
period! Yep, 28th place! After a few days of suspension, Rhodes decided not
to return to Air America and instead accepted an on-air job with KKGN in San
Francisco - the same station she has helped to 28th place.

While Rhodes was being suspended the former head of programming for the
network, Thomas Athans, admitted publicly that he had been caught with a
$150 an hour hooker in Troy, Michigan. In addition to running another
liberal talk network Athans spends his spare time being married to U.S.
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan). In the midst of all this turmoil,
liberal talker Ed Schultz, another of Air America’s “best and brightest,”
called John McCain a “warmonger”-which led to immediate condemnation from
the Obama campaign. All in all it was just another warm and fuzzy week in
Liberalville.

The bottom line is that liberal talk radio hosts are floundering, even in
markets where there is a huge base of partisans who share their Leftist
ideology. It is failing because the failure to provide compelling and
credible infotainment necessary to attract listeners and advertisers
ultimately leads to financial bankruptcy. It is failing because the lack of
a moral foundation in their world view leads directly to moral bankruptcy.
And it is failing because hosts who rely solely upon the strength of their
voices and how loud they can yell rather than the strength of their
arguments and how clearly they can communicate lead inevitably to
intellectual bankruptcy.

The Mainstream Media has been a powerful and reliable ally for the Left as
it thrived in monologue form.whether in print or in the network news format.
But cable news outlets, the internet, talk radio and other forms of “new
media” have brought dialogue into the process - and exposed the fault lines
that lie beneath the foundations of “liberal thought”. In the increasingly
competitive arena of ideas those who talk the talk must be able to walk the
walk with some level of ideological consistency.
Attempting to fill the Left’s void of ideas with F-words and ad hominem
attacks cannot disguise that void and it will not fool the listeners for
long - even in San Francisco.

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Steve Gill is a statewide Tennessee radio talk host and political analyst.
His website is www.gillreport.com.

Most politically savvy Tennesseans have been focused almost exclusively on the Presidential race over the past year. The continuing battle for the Democratic nomination, and the looming war for the White House between John McCain and whoever prevails in that fight, will draw the lion’s share of attention in the next few months. But, unless Tennessee somehow emerges as a battleground state in the presidential race, the real focal point for Tennessee politics will soon shift to the legislative races.
In the 99-member State House, Democrats currently have a 53-46 majority. If Republicans can win a net gain of four seats they would achieve a numerical majority in the House and be in position to elect the Speaker. While a numerical majority is no guarantee of actual control, the power shift would dramatically alter the way the House conducts business.
A net pick-up of four House seats in 2008 looks unlikely for Republicans, but they do appear to have a reasonable shot at narrowing the gap by two. The retirement of Representatives John Hood (D-Murfreesboro) and Randy Rinks (D-Savannah) have opened opportunities in two increasingly Republican districts that have long remained in Democrat hands largely due to personal appeal and the power of incumbency. Republicans will pull out all the stops to win both seats.
In the State Senate, Republicans and Democrats are split equally at 16 seats each and there is one Independent, Mike Williams of Maynardville. Williams was a Republican until he backed the reelection of former Democrat Lt. Governor John Wilder despite Republicans gaining a majority in the 2004 elections. Last year he ended up voting for Republican Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey – but not until after Democrat Senator Rosalind Kurita broke ranks to cast the deciding vote in Ramsey’s favor. Republicans are counting on 2008 being the year they secure a working majority in the Senate, and they have three seats in their target sights to achieve that goal.
The first seat is the one held by Williams who announce a few weeks ago that he would not seek to return. The district is decidedly Republican, and it should be a relatively easy task for Republicans to regain that seat, but Williams filed for reelection at the last minute as an Independent. As a result, voters will now choose between a Republican, a Democrat AND Williams. In a three-way split, anything is possible.
Two retirements have also buoyed Republican chances of expanding their razor-thin edge in the Senate. Wilder has left his seat open in a West Tennessee district that has become increasingly Republican over the years. Senator Tommy Kilby (D-Wartburg) also chose not to retire, leaving another district that leans Republican up for grabs. Republican success in all three races could lead to a 19-14 split in the Senate, a majority that would enable Lt. Governor Ramsey to strengthen his power base.
If Republicans pick up a net gain of just two seats in the House (for a 51-48 split) and secure a 19-14 majority in the Senate we could see a major political upheaval. Three Constitutional Officers — the Treasurer, Comptroller and Secretary of State — are elected by a combined majority of the House and Senate. The combined 65-67 Republican majority under those circumstances COULD give Republicans an historic opportunity to gain those offices as well as exercise majority control of the State Election Commission and the county election apparatus in all 95 counties!
Most American voters will be anxiously awaiting the results in the Presidential campaign on November 4. But astute Tennessee political observers will be closely watching the returns in a handful of State House and Senate races to see if a political shockwave occurs. With so much at stake, the normally second-tier legislative races could make the bloody infighting at the Presidential level look like a church picnic.
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Steve Gill is a statewide talk host and television political analyst for Nashville’s WKRN News 2. His website is www.gillreport.com.

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer desperately needs a creative way out of his scandalous interlude with a high-priced prostitute in an exclusive Washington, D.C. hotel. News that he paid $4,000, plus train tickets, cab fare, mini bar and room service, travel time and hotel, for a Valentine’s Eve flurry of fun, have placed his political career (and presumably marriage) in jeopardy. Fortunately, he can follow the Al Gore “global warming” formula for cleansing his record.

Al Gore, in his mad dash to profiteer from global warming, has helped develop the “carbon credit” industry which allows those who want to pollute-at-will to simply buy forgiveness for their destructive impact on the planet. The “carbon credit” offset scheme essentially lets individuals and companies purchase the non-polluting activities of others to balance out their own excesses.

In other words, if I am causing twice the “acceptable” level of harm to the environment and you are causing only half of the same level of harm, I can “buy” your positive environmental impact to offset my negative impact. Between the two of us we will “balance” out. The best part of the deal, at least for Al Gore, is that he and some of his buddies are getting fabulously wealthy from this scam while yet other celebrity “Friends of Al” have the opportunity to pretend to care about the environment without undertaking the actual burden of changing their lifestyles.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is just the latest high-profile “green activist” to use “carbon credits” as an excuse for his environmentally damaging behavior. The self-proclaimed “green Governor” flies his private Gulfstream jet home to Los Angeles from Sacramento each day, so he can sleep in his own mansion.

The $10,000 an hour cost of the flight is picked up by the Governator rather than taxpayers of California, but the damage to the environment from these daily roundtrip flights is massive! In fact each of these daily trips consumes as much fuel as the average family car uses in a year! Schwarzenegger, through his staff, has explained away his apparent hypocrisy by noting that the Governor has purchased “carbon credits” to balance out his environmental excesses.

This is exactly what Eliot Spitzer should do! He needs to find someone who does not patronize prostitutes at all. Ever! By paying “hooker credits” to this other guy he could balance out his seemingly inexcusable behavior with the higher plane of morality lived by someone else. There are plenty of monogamous men who would happily accept a $4,000 payment from Governor Spitzer anytime he feels the need to pay a similar sum to “go kinky” with a call girl. Imagine getting paid four grand for simply NOT having sex with a hooker!

Perhaps Al Gore can expand his “carbon credit” business to help folks like Spitzer out. “Hooker-Credits-R-Us” would be just the thing for Spitzer and other politicos, preachers and business types who want to play for pay while loudly condemning the rapid decline of American morality.

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Steve Gill is a statewide radio talk host and political commentator in Tennessee. His website is gillreport.com.

As the number of Democrat delegates available in the remaining state primaries and caucuses dwindles down, the likelihood that neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will be able to secure the delegates needed to claim the nomination before the Democratic Convention in late August increases. Numerous factors complicate the issue, but none is more divisive than the controversy over potential delegates from Michigan and Florida. The fact that those two states also loom large as swing states in the November
election exacerbates the problem for Democrats.

Michigan and Florida were stripped of their delegates when they broke Democratic Party rules and moved up their primary elections. Hillary, who was the only candidate on the ballot in Michigan, won the states in the elections they held despite national Party opposition. Both states are now considering “do over” primaries. However, the costs of holding two new primaries would almost certainly have to be covered by the Democrats, who would prefer to spend those millions of dollars defeating John McCain. Without Michigan and Florida, Clinton and Obama need 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. With those states back in play, either candidate would need 2,209. At this point, Obama leads Clinton by approximately 1,367 to 1,225 in “pledged delegates”, which are based on votes they received at primaries and caucuses.

Because the Democrats will award the remaining delegates proportionally in each state rather than on a “winner take all” basis, it appears unlikely that Clinton can overtake Obama in the races remaining. But it is also unlikely Obama can reach the magic number of 2,025. So what happens if NOBODY wins the nomination during the primary/caucus process?

There are 800 Super Delegates who could decide the issue for one or the other, but unless they overwhelming flow to one candidate in the next few weeks the nominee will not be clear until the Democratic Convention convenes in Denver. Obama, with his lead, says the Super Delegates should follow the will of the voters. Clinton says they should vote their conscience. The rules are clear: The Super Delegates - Democratic Party officials and Democrats elected to either Congress or statewide offices - are absolutely free to support the candidate of their choice. They can do whatever they want.

With the prospects of a divisive and potentially chaotic Convention looming, some Democrats are starting to think - and talk — about other options. Pushing Obama aside in favor of Hillary would cause serious problems among the African-American base that the Democrats rely upon. But despite Obama’s rhetorical skills, many Democrats remain concerned that his lack of credentials and experience make him vulnerable to McCain. If neither candidate can lock up the delegates to claim the nomination by the time the
Democrats gather in late August, some party leaders are thinking privately that Al Gore might be the only one who could bring the party back together and carry it to victory in November.

As a former member of both the House and Senate along with his eight years as Vice President, his experience is unquestioned. His military service, including a brief stint in Viet Nam, balances against John McCain’s war hero credentials. With an Academy Award and a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on environmental issues, he can tout leadership on one of the critical issues of the day. Many Democrats would see a Gore-Obama ticket as a true “dream team,” one that can not only achieve victory in November but also get Obama the experience to be President in eight years. At this point, the Gore Scenario is only being talked about in hushed whispers. But as the bloodletting between Clinton and Obama continues, don’t be surprised to hear the talk increase in volume.

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Steve Gill is a statewide Tennessee radio talk host. His website is www.gillreport.com.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidency is on life support. After a rash of victories for Barack Obama, including a sweep of primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, the two candidates find themselves in a virtual dead heat in the delegate count. But all the momentum is on Barack’s side, and Hillary must now make a desperation play for the delegate-rich states of Ohio and Texas that are up for grabs on March 4. So, what cards does she have left to play?

When Barack played his Oprah Winfrey card in the early battles in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina the Clinton campaign counted on Bill to turn the tide. When it became apparent that he was not enough to trump the star power of Oprah then First Daughter Chelsea became a much more visible fixture on the campaign trail. They even brought out Hillary’s mother! It was all for no avail as Obama won Iowa.

When polls predicted huge victory for Obama in New Hampshire just days later, Hillary tried tears to help turn the tide and they got her a much needed win in the Granite State. (The fact that large numbers of Democrat and Independent voters chose to vote in the Republican Primary for John McCain in the state’s open-primary system did not hurt either.)

Oba-mania got back on track with his big South Carolina primary win and helped him to a split field and a virtual dead-heat in the delegate count after all the votes from Super Tuesday had been counted. But the fact that Obama won in states that Hillary had expected to put in her column gave him the “winner’s” tag in most headlines the next morning.

Facing the prospect of another miserable day of defeat in the Potomac Primary the Clintonistas looked increasingly desperate. Just days before the votes in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. the Clinton team leaped on an intemperate remark by MSNBC pundit David Shuster about whether they had “pimped out” Chelsea for political advantage. They may have been legitimately outraged, but it also looked like an attempt to create a potential “victim” bump with voters. In any event, it had no apparent impact on the voters.

Hillary has tried everything. She has used Bill. She has used tears. She has used her daughter and even claimed “outrage” over attacks on her daughter in an increasingly flailing effort to stop Obama. What’s left? There are two long weeks until Hillary’s March 4 “Last Stand.” Don’t be surprised if sometime during this period Bill Clinton suffers from some “health crisis” and has to receive emergency medical treatment, perhaps even with an overnight hospital stay.

Cynical? Perhaps. But the Clintons will literally do anything and everything it takes to get Hillary her turn in the White House. The only surprise over the next two weeks will be if nothing surprising occurs.

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Steve Gill is the host of a statewide radio talk show that airs on a dozen
stations across Tennessee. His website is www.gillreport.com.

–
Steve Gill
STEVE GILL SHOW
www.gillreport.com

Republicans expecting to wake up the morning after Super Tuesday with their presidential field winnowed down awoke with a hangover of post-Fat Tuesday proportions. Instead of clarity Republicans have a more muddled situation than ever. With John McCain, Mitt Romney and Huckabee splitting victories Tuesday all three may be unable to secure enough delegates to win the Republican nomination prior to the Convention in Minnesota.

Putative front-runner McCain, for example, must capture about 77% of the remaining delegates up for grabs in order to reach the magic number of 1,191 needed to lock up the nomination. Huckabee actually finished behind Ron Paul in three of the Super Tuesday contests, is in third place in the delegate count and has shown little support beyond the Bible Belt. While Romney touts the fact that he has won eleven states so far, plus eleven second place finishes, he is far too short of the finish line to be able to win the nomination.

So if NOBODY can win, what happens then? A brokered convention with backroom deals? Does the Party look beyond the three remaining candidates for a savior to emerge? Perhaps; but sailing off into the uncharted territory and chaos of the first brokered convention in the modern era is not a good recipe for political success.

Republicans may wonder why they have not had better candidates to choose from. The collective failures of the Republican-controlled House and Senate and the Bush Administration were certainly a factor. The abandonment of fiscal restraint by the Republicans in Washington and their orgy of pork barrel spending, exemplified by the “Bridge to Nowhere,” the Amnesty debacle, and a series of resignations and prosecutions of numerous House members, led directly to the 2006 political meltdown that produced Democrat majorities in the House and Senate.

When Republican political fortunes collapsed in 2006 the impact rippled far beyond the halls of power in Washington. The GOP also lost several rising stars that might have improved the Presidential field in 2008. Virginia Senator George Allen, Missouri Senator Jim Talent and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist all saw their potential presidential hopes for 2008 washed away in the tide of defeat in 2006.

Republicans lost several other potentially strong Presidential candidates in recent years for a variety of reasons. Popular Mississipi Governor Haley Barbour passed on a race for President to focus his attention on post-Katrina rebuilding efforts in his state. Former Colorado Governor Bill Owens was once a rising superstar in Republican circles until his career was derailed by his embrace of tax increases and personal scandal. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush might have made a great presidential candidate…if his last name had been anything other than Bush. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich remains hampered by past personal scandals.

Ultimately, Republicans will have to make the best of what they can in 2008. But as they look to 2012 and beyond, developing a deep bench and a better farm team for producing presidential candidates should be a high priority.

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Steve Gill is the host of a statewide radio talk show that airs on a dozen stations across Tennessee. His website is www.gillreport.com.

A combative President George W. Bush gave his final State of the Union Speech Monday night. After rolling over for excessive and wasteful spending fostered by Republican majorities in the House and Senate during his first six years in office he finally found his veto pen and promised to use it.

Bush called for a major crack-down on the pork barrel practices of Congress, saying he will veto any spending bill that does not cut in half the number and cost of congressional pet projects, known as “earmarks.” He followed up his speech with some action the next day when he issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to ignore earmarks that are not explicitly enacted into law. This Order erases a common practice by which Congress inserts pet projects into nonbinding documents that accompany legislation and counts on government bureaucrats to treat those spending ideas with the force of law. The Bush plan, however, leaves nearly 12,000 earmarks approved by Congress last year untouched. The total tab for those earmarks totals about $17 billion.

On a night when Republicans and Democrats regularly rose from their seats to applaud particular favored passages in the President’s speech, though seldom together, the attack on earmarks evoked a nearly unanimous standing ovation. But after the speech was over, Democrats were quick to criticize the President for his threats against their precious earmarks. They noted that his tough stance comes only after they have taken control of the House and Senate, while he ignored the problem when Republicans were in charge.

It is a legitimate criticism, but the President finally has it right…even if it is a bit late in the game. Before Democrats decide to stake their election prospects for 2008 on maintaining their right to engage in pork barrel spending “just like the Republicans used to do” they might want to take a moment to look back at the election results in 2006. Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate after voters rightfully got fed up with the congressional addiction to frivolous projects like the infamous Alaskan “Bridge to Nowhere.” Overburdened taxpayers are not likely to be any more patient with Democrat porkers than they were with Republican porkers.

Had President Bush and the Republicans in the House and Senate embraced earmark reform five years ago they probably would not have been thrown out of power last year. Nevertheless, they do seem to “get it” now. As campaign slogans go, “Better Late Than Never” may not be a great one. But it sure beats “We Want OUR Turn To Rip You Off.”

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Steve Gill is the host of a statewide radio talk show that airs on a dozen stations across Tennessee. His website is

When Fred Thompson first opened the door to a potential race for President last March he generated unbridled enthusiasm from many conservatives throughout the country. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was sitting on a significant lead in most national polls and the media was anointing him as the Republican nominee. Possessing a gruff, no-nonsense style, movie star celebrity and solid conservative credentials, Thompson was seen as perhaps the only one who could stop Rudy from winning.

Conservatives anxiously awaited Thompson’s entry onto the presidential stage. And waited. And waited some more. Critics claimed he lacked the “fire in the belly” needed to wage a successful nationwide campaign. Opponents said he was “lazy” and that it was too late to form a winning campaign operation. His supporters responded, “Just wait; Fred will show them!” And so they waited. And waited.

After several campaign kick-off dates came and went, Thompson finally emerged to announce his entry into the presidential race on the Jay Leno Show in Hollywood. Then, he campaigned at a few events before disappearing back stage again.

Instead of working to disprove the impression that Thompson lacked the desire or passion to become President, the Thompson campaign seemed intent on proving that he was “strolling” rather than “running” for the job. That impression was fostered by his opponents and driven home by the media…and it stuck to Thompson like Super Glue.

Over the past month Thompson finally kicked it into gear and ran an energized and effective campaign in Iowa and South Carolina. In politics, the lack of money is usually the “kiss of death,” but for Thompson it provided an ironic “breath of life.” Lack of financial resources forced Thompson to get on a campaign bus and actually engage in the grassroots, personal campaigning that marked his successful 1994 bid for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee. In both states he went from asterisk to contender in the polls as voters finally saw the candidate they had waited so longingly for throughout the summer. Unfortunately, it proved to be too little too late.

In politics and sports fans love the second-string quarterback; the guy on the sideline who holds so much promise. In both arenas the challenge is making the transition from sideline to game action without fumbling, throwing an interception, or being ineffective. Thompson’s early stumbles on the campaign trail got him benched in the minds of voters before he could ever get his “game legs.” By the time Thompson finally got his act together a third-string quarterback from Arkansas named Mike Huckabee had led his team to a couple of big wins relying on the same fan base of conservatives, Evangelicals and southerners that Thompson was counting upon.

Huckabee has masterfully played himself into the final rounds of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Thompson and his team are left to ponder the “what ifs” and “might haves” as they come to grips with how quickly first impressions become lasting impressions…

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Steve Gill is the host of a statewide radio talk show that airs on a dozen stations across Tennessee. His website is www.gillreport.com.