RNC chairman candidates debate

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is poised to elect a new chairman to serve as their master strategist following two elections that have proved disastrous for the party.

Michael Steele, GOPAC Chairman; Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State; Chip Saltsman, former Chairman of Tennessee’s Republican party; Katon Dawson, chairman of South Carolina’s Republican party; Saul Anuziz, Chairman of Michigan’s Republican party; and current RNC Chairman Mike Duncan met in a debate sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform to make their case for the position.

The candidates agreed on most of the issues, including reaching out to more Ron Paul supporters, young conservatives, and minorities, but the majority of the debate rested on the specific steps each candidate would take.

Steele, who dismissed allegations that the Republican party was dead as “bunk,” said that in order to increase the party’s influence, the chairman would have to rally state leaders behind the cause.

“How long have we been talking about this? When are we going to start doing it, for goodness sakes? This isn’t anything any of us can do individually as chairman of this party. The state organizations are where the rubber meets the road…. They’re the ones with the courage and leadership at the national level to get it done,” said Steele.

Blackwell touched upon how the RNC could reach out to more voters by increasing the committee’s technological reach, complete with the recruitment of a Chief Technology Officer.

Anuziz suggested using the technological capabilities to do more than just campaign, claiming that it could be a key networking tool.

“We need this to be part of everything we do. And not just a certain section of what we do. And I think the way we do that is make it part of everything we run as a party because that is the best way to network every single grass roots activist that wants to be part of the system,” said Anuziz.

The candidates were asked if they had Twitter, and if so, how many followers they had. Steele and Dawson replied that they have around 300-400 followers and Anuziz claimed that he had just under 3,000. Blackwell responded that he used twitter, but also noted he had an impressive 4,000 friends on Facebook. Duncan explained that he did not have a twitter account himself, but understood how the website worked.

The candidates touched upon the notion that the party had deviated from its general values in recent years and discussed the need to be return to their roots.

“People come to Washington as rat killers, and a couple years later they’re rodent control officers and the rats are their constituents,” said Saltsman.

“We’ve got to make sure we elect people across this country … that know who they are and will stand up during the hard times, just like the folks have done in Florida, where they’re sitting with a budget deficits like they are in many states but have decided not to raise taxes but rather go after spending restraints.”

Third-party candidates unify, Bob Barr snubs

Third-party presidential candidates held a press conference today at the National Press Club. In attendance were Ron Paul (no longer a presidential candidate), Cynthia McKinney (Green Party candidate), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party candidate), and Ralph Nader (Independent). Bob Barr was expected but did not appear; see below for more.

The candidates held the press conference to announce agreement on a list of principles, including ending the Iraq war, no more national debt increases, investigation into the national reserve system, and protection of privacy and civil liberties. They also explained their reasons for splitting from the major parties and criticized the Commission on Presidential Debates. Ron Paul gave an idea for a better way of determining debate elligibility: if you're on the ballot in enough states that you could theoretically get enough electoral votes to win, you're in.

Paul also mentioned that he had gotten a call from the McCain campaign yesterday asking him to endorse McCain. Paul said the campaign had offered him no policy concessions in return. Paul refused to endorse, saying today that the request "didn't make a whole lot of sense" and laughing.

Nader was asked why Bob Barr was not attending and if he really agreed with the principles. Nader said he had spoken with the Barr campaign this morning and they had indicated Barr would be there.

Barr, however, did not attend and instead called his own press conference an hour later. At Barr's press conference, he said that having "bold, specific leadership" was the way to get policy changes made, not by presenting "an amorphous agenda." He did not want to appear with the other candidates because he did not want to "dilute" his message. Barr also mentioned he had offered Ron Paul the VP spot on the Libertarian ticket, but he had not heard a response. I asked Barr if his actions today should be taken as an indication that he would be unwilling to compromise if elected, and he said it should "absolutely" not be taken that way; he said compromise is necessary.

The statement of principles (which does not include Bob Barr's name) can be found here.

Billions from Bush to Bank

A Bush administration proposal aimed at expanding cleaner technology in developing countries was discussed by the Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology Subcommittee. Speakers agreed that developing states are inclined to turn to inexpensive, polluting forms of technology in an effort to increase GDP and improve the national standard of living.

President Bush’s plan calls for a two billion dollar contribution from the United States to the World Bank. An additional eight billion dollars would come from other developed countries. Funding would then be distributed through the World Bank, a decision met with skepticism by Brent Blackwelder of Friends of the Earth. Blackwelder said that the World Bank has a history of allocating funds for damaging projects and that there is “no confidence” that the bank has changes its policies.

Jacob Wersman, , program director of the World Resources Institute's Institutions and Governance Program, said that the United States was at last taking the lead in issues pertaining to global climate control, adding that the Clean Technology Fund has potential to also reform the United States’s energy sector.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) expressed discomfort with the monetary price of instituting the program, a discomfort that Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) pointed out challenges a policy formed by Paul’s own party. In reference to government spending, Paul said that the United States “will have to wake up and be responsible.” Frank said that, though he supports the initiative, the Clean Technology Fund would likely be cut ahead of other government projects.

Military operations in Iraq "led to the destruction of the country"

The Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on "The Future of U.S.-Iraqi Relations: The Perspective of the Iraqi Parliament." Chairman William Delahunt (D-Mass.) said that the most important relationship Congress can build is one with the Iraqi Parliament.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said that he believes everyone has the right to self-determination, and that the U.S. is suffering the consequences of "bad decisions" that could have been prevented, such as loss of life and financial chaos. He said the "sooner we get out of the way" and turn responsibility over to the Iraqi people, "the better," and asserts "Iraq is capable to defend itself."

The Honorable Nadeem Al-Jaberi from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said the Iraqi government still does not have full reign of the sovereignty because of the thousands of foreign troops in the country. He believes any bilateral agreement with the United States would be better if made after the withdrawal of American troops. He said a stable and strong Iraq is in the interest of the U.S. and the region, and that negotiations between the U.S. and Iraq will not be successful if both parties are not equal. He believes Iraq has the capabilities to defend itself and to build up military forces, and that U.S. troops are no longer needed in the way they had been before.

The Honorable Sheikh Al-Ulayyan from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said he salutes the American people for standing against the war with demonstrations and protests. He said the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq needs to be organized in a way to guarantee the integrity of Iraq and to keep order everywhere in the world. He said he would like to see the U.S. invest in all aspects of reconstruction. He said he would have preferred if the U.S. had not conducted military operations to rid Iraq Saddam Hussein because it "led to the destruction of the country."

Ron Paul autographs copies of his latest book

Rep. and presidential contender Ron Paul (R-TX) addresses an audience at his book-signing event to promote his latest publication, The Revolution: A Manifesto, and autographs copies for fans.