Stunning developments at Dem debate in SC--
John Edwards comes out of the closet
The ProConPundit endorses Obama
Clinton & Biden win !!

I watched with great excitement the first debate of the 2008 Presidential season among Democrats which took place at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg on Thursday, April 26. The most painful eight seconds (I counted) were when a dumbfounded, then ashamed, then embarrassed, then finally apologetic John Edwards admitted that he was gay. All right, he didn’t come out of the closet as a homosexual, he came out as a Christian. Edwards was asked who his role model was then he went excruciatingly silent for eight seconds and started to say that he didn’t really have a role model but then added, painfully, "I have my Lord who I talk to every day." At first I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Jesus or someone in England. Had a North Carolinian been hesitant to publicly proclaim homosexuality, I would get it. But shame and embarrassment over your Lord? Seriously, I don’t think Edwards is as ashamed of his God as he is afraid of his secularist left wing. This underscores one of the biggest problems the Democratic party has–the far left grip that results in a disconnect from ordinary people. Edwards joins John Kerry and Howard Dean as Democrats who clumsily deal with the issue of faith. Joe Lieberman is the only major Democrat in recent memory to be able to openly and comfortable speak of their religious faith. The issue is authenticity and integrity. If your religious faith is important, say so. If its not, that’s okay, too. Incidentally, Edwards could have said his wife and saved himself the dilemma. On the other hand, he is a trial lawyer and may truly not have a moral leader.

The ProConPundit is now issuing an endorsement of Barack Obama. My endorsement is based on his answer to what he would do, as President, in the event of another 911 type attack. He went on about checking on first responders, etc. Barack Obama, at that moment, stepped out of the pack and clearly showed himself to be the best candidate to be mayor of a medium to large size city. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews believed Obama was "clearly the most sophisticated" of the candidates. I think that sounds like calling him "fresh" or "clean." The ProConPundit disagreed. I think Obama is a great motivational speaker but I find him very light on the depth and real knowledge a President should have.

It causes the ProConPundit great angst to admit it, but I honestly believe that Hillary Clinton was one of two debate winners. She’s not a great public speaker and I really don’t like her–so I have no reason to want to find victory for her. Her grasp of the issues and ability to contain her responses to the amount of time allowed set her apart, for the most part. The other winner in my book was Joe Biden. I thought he, too, stood apart as one with real knowledge and pragmatic plans. The ProConPundit has been a longtime fan of Biden and thinks he would be a good President. His plan for Iraq, which is neither stay the course nor cut and run, is the only sensible plan on the table. He probably doesn’t stand a chance. Democrats tend to not nominate people based on whether they could be good presidents. Instead, they tend to nominate people they think can win and are right half the time.

Of the others on the stage, Chris Dodd of Connecticut gave the wrong answer when asked what his biggest mistake was over the past four years. He should have said turning his back on his former longtime friend and fellow CT senator, Joe Lieberman. Dodd is a pompous blow hard and the embodiment of senatorial speak.

The ProConPundit has had high hopes for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson but he got off to a bad start Thursday night. He seemed irritable, unable to hear the questions and caffeine deficient. Congressman Dennis Kucinich is back again and doesn’t seem crazy this time around. His presence in the race is a plus. He is knowledgeable and candid and sincere. He seems a tad prophetic at times and will hopefully force the others to be more honest. The role of Al Sharpton this time around will be played by former Sen,. Mike Gravel, of Alaska who seems more class clown than prophet. Like Sharpton, Gravel’s got a way with words and a flair for the dramatic.

This NBC/MSNBC sponsored debate took place at South Carolina State University. According to its website, http://www.scsu.edu/, SCSU was "founded in 1896 as the state's sole public college for black youth." Its disappointing that after all the brouhaha about Imus’ remarks on MSNBC that, in crafting the questions for this debate on such an historical black campus, that there was not one question about race relations or issues of concern in the black community such as rap music, teen pregnancy, inner city schools, etc.

What’s Big Russ going to tell his buddies at the legion hall?

This post will be printed as Letter to the Editor in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily Southtown, New York Post and Washington Times.

Tim Russert’s notoriety increased as a result of his books, Big Russ & Me and Wisdom of Our Fathers. Russert told a touching story of how his dad, of the greatest generation, worked hard, won the war, and raised a family with good values and decency. Like a lot of authors whose books reach the top of the New York Times best seller list, he could attribute some of his success to his Imus In The Morning appearances. Russert not only promoted his books on Imus, he did so tearfully at times. Russert was not just another guest on Imus. He was among the most frequent guests and judging from his own admission of sending gifts to Imus’ son, he held himself out as a friend to Imus. Some friend.

In Russert’s April 15 interview of Gwen Ifill on Meet The Press, after Imus had been fired, he asked her if it was necessary for Imus to be fired. Russert implied that a better solution might be for Imus to stay on the airwaves and to become a champion of the cause of overcoming hate-speak as he has successfully championed so many other causes. It’s a shame that in the preceding week when Russert could have used his own influence to add a sensible voice to the so-called dialogue to reach a fair solution, that he remained publicly invisible.

During a week when America’s leading hypocrites Sharpton and Jackson were out for blood, and people like Ifill and Roker made sensible, heartfelt arguments, Russert could have uniquely made the argument in favor of Imus. An argument he was only willing to make in retrospect as a question to someone else. Russert is much better at asking the tough questions than he is with wrestling with them, let alone trying to answer them.

The shameless parade of limousine liberals who couldn’t wait to go on Imus but later said they were only on for the substantive stuff or were unaware of the “darker” side of Imus remind me of people who say they read Playboy for the articles. Even Hillary Clinton wants to go to Rutgers to speak out when a week before Imus went off the air one of her lap dogs was on Imus trying to get him to invite her on the show.

Imus repaired his injury to the Rutgers women by meeting with them privately and apologizing. They accepted his apology in the wake of the tumult done to them not by Imus but by the media and Sharpton. When the incident happened, they dismissed it. Later, they would claim lives were ruined because of it. Imus has repaired his damaged reputation but there are plenty of others with blood on their hands.

Don Imus put pressure on to raise the active military death benefit from $ 12,000 to $ 250,000, get the Center for the Intrepid built, and provide needed and neglected care for children with autism and cancer. While his mouth should been washed out with soap, he should not have been silenced. I believe most of America rolls their eyes and says, “There they go again,” when the cowards at NBC and CBS caved to the mob mentality that carried the day. At least Imus can point to good he has actually accomplished and a living he has actually earned. Real threats to the black community continue to be ignored while the wagons circled around Imus, an easy scapegoat.

Tim Russert has often paid homage to his Catholic education and the noble efforts of the nuns who taught the faith: right from wrong, forming one’s conscience, and standing up for what you believe. These were the lessons that Big Russ’ generation got. It’s a shame that when Little Russ had the chance to take a stand, he took a duck. Little Russ has never looked smaller.

Robert J. Moynihan
Chicago, Illinois

ProConPundit.
A progressive conservative reclaims a common sense moderate majority
over left wing silliness and right wing craziness.


Let the games begin!

As if there is any shortage of my opinion, as if anyone really needs to know what I think, and in the event that I have any thoughts that have actually gone unsaid or unpublished, today I launch a blog. Not my blog, but a blog. Three friends of mine (John, Paul & Francisco) have been encouraging me to launch a blog for over a year. While they, too, have never suffered the indignity of being without my two cents, if I have inferred correctly, they think my own political stance may be a stake of ground not officially declared but possibly comprising a greater constituency than gets air time anywhere else.

What’s in a name? ProConPundit. The name came from my friend, John, who serves as editorial and ethical advisor and, on occasion, the microphone for my conscience. It’s a catchy name and I like it. I am a progressive conservative. What does that mean? I am not exactly sure so I started a list.

First, I am a conservative. I didn’t want to be a conservative. I wanted to be a liberal. I tried to be a liberal. It seemed fun and sophisticated and urbane to be a liberal. I come from a long line of Chicago Democrats. My dad was a Democratic precinct captain in Chicago. I don’t think most Chicago Democrats are liberals. I think they are part of a larger party which has become increasingly liberal and, in my view, actually intolerant of diversity that isn’t extremely liberal. Ask Joe Lieberman. Trying to be a liberal gave me headache.

Being a conservative means working hard, attempting success and giving something back to society so that society, too, may flourish and succeed. Giving something back does not mean excessive, wasteful taxing and spending. Being a conservative means helping people in need, caring for the most vulnerable in society. Helping them means giving them the tools so that they might have a real shot at life and succeeding themselves. It doesn’t mean affirmative action and it doesn’t mean feeling guilty.

Second, I am progressive. If being a liberal gave me a headache, being a conservative--without being progressive--gave me an icky feeling. Conservatives need to be forward thinking and in touch with reality. Being conservative does mean conserving what is good and valuable and treasuring who and what we are as Americans. We don’t hold our treasure in a bunker and we have to be transformed from the right wing hijacking of the conservative movement.
Timing is everything. The reason for this blog really is to create a meeting place and exchange of ideas and views as the 2008 election cycle unfolds–early as it is. Today marks the first televised debate among the Democratic hopefuls. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18326264/).

Finally, for the fun of it I would like to throw out some predictions and positions to be covered in greater detail along the way, as well as a dedication.
1. The goal of the ProConPundit is to see anyone become the next President except Hillary Rodham Clinton.
2. The ProConPundit believes that Barack Obama deserves the Congressional Medal of Freedom for outstanding service to God and country by becoming an obstacle to Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations. He should not, and will not, however, become President. George W. Bush is arguably among the least competent presidents. He will not be replaced by someone with less experience even if he is brilliant, "fresh," speaks well and looks good in a bathing suit (to some).
3. Risking credibility, the ProConPundit believes that neither Hillary nor Barack will be the nominee of the Democratic party. I believe that John Edwards or Bill Richardson will be. This is not an endorsement , though if it works toward # 1 goal (anyone but Hillary), the ProConPundit is all good with it.
4. The ProConPundit is a McCain Republican or Lieberman Democrat. I supported John McCain in 2000 and agree with Don Imus who said, among other things, that McCain has the potential to be a great president. I agree with that. I think that, pitifully, we all too often vote for lessors of evils in the voting booth. I truly believe John McCain could be a great president. That said, I think he looks tired and angry and that his ethical consistency on the war may have cost him the presidency. At this moment, however, the ProConPundit unequivocally and unconditionally endorses John McCain providing he gets some more sleep, talks less about the war, buys suits a size larger and that no one else gets in the race that I like more.
5. If the Republicans want to hold onto the White House in 08, they need to lose losers like Brownback, Huckabee and Romney. Its McCain, Giuliani or Thompson (Fred). If Fred Thompson gets in the race, the ProConPundit predicts (happily) that he will be the next president. Governors trump senators in elections and actors beat all. America loves actors in the White House.
6. The ProConPundit believes that states rights have been increasingly extinguished, that gays should have domestic partnerships, that marriage should not be redefined but that this is a state issue.
7. The ProConPundit believes that anyone who has a front door with a lock or a fence around their yard has already endorsed the securing of borders.



I am dedicating this blog to the memory of our 38th President, Gerald Ford. I believe that Jerry Ford was a progressive conservative, a decent man, a good Christian, and exactly what America needed. I believe that he was under appreciated by the American people and maligned by the media. It took Bob Woodward until Ford’s death to deign to discern that Ford wisely pardoned Nixon. I was a freshmen in high school when I knew it was the right thing to do. But I am no Bob Woodward.
America is searching for something new, something transforming, someone who can unite us.
President Bush promised to be a uniter and not a divider and has failed miserably. President Clinton talks about how he brought people together. He didn’t. He inspired red states and blue states. What the ProConPundit most wants to see is all the Bushes and all the Clintons go away.
Obama, Giuliani and Fred Thompson are all projections of America’s desire to do better and become better. Past presidents like Ford and Truman are also great examples.

So the blog begins. As Seinfeld, says, not that there is anything wrong with it but I won’t talk about my summer vacation or favorite restaurants. I’ll mostly be sharing my thoughts and diatribes on politics and inviting yours. I hope to do it humourously and I promise to publish whatever you send to the blog unless its out of line or really makes me look stupid. I don't need your help!

Bob Moynihan
Chicago, Illinois