As Republicans prepare for the upcoming convention and the unveiling of their 2000 platform, be sure to see the quintessential Federalist Platform at http://reagan2020.us/ advocating individual, family and community rights and responsibilities in acts of self-governance, as set forth by our Founders, in originally establishing our nation by the Declaration of Independence and later codifying our governing principles in our Republic’s Constitution.

From the Bush campaign journal…

It is “Veepstakes” week, and we speculate that Mr. Bush will pick Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating. Mr. Keating has fewer negatives than most other candidates, despite comments like this one in 1998 after he was elected chairman of the Republican Governors’ Association: “The Catholic Church is a big tent religion. In this country, we have a clear separation of church and state. We do what our consciences tell us is best to do.”

Memo to Mr. Keating: Might want to check in with the Pope on that “big tent religion” thing, and please, do show us where any of our Founding documents state or imply a “separation of church and state.” That Congress should not authorize an official national religion is a far cry from a “wall of separation.”

In other V.P. news, sources close to John McCain quote him as saying, “If the governor asked me, you know I would serve. I would prefer not to, but I’ll serve.” That is a significant departure from McCain’s previous position – which, after all, is typical of Mr. McCain.

For the record, Alan Keyes remains our pick! Mr. Keyes does have a major negative – he is the most dangerous black man in America, an extremely articulate, conservative intellectual, hailing from the most liberal state in the nation – the People’s Republic of Maryland, and a Catholic like Keating. Liberals and the media are totally perplexed when confronted by a black man whose father gave him a middle name of “Lee” in honor of General Robert E. Lee’s refusal to accept Abe Lincoln’s call to command Union troops in deference to his allegiance to Virginia, his home-state. A true federalist!

Observation Points: “Bush needs to make a choice [of running mate] that will show that he understands that personnel is policy, and that he is seriously preparing to lead an administration in which both are rooted in the first principles of American liberty.” –Alan Keyes {} “This [Bush’s self-contradictory position on bilingual education] is certainly bilingual in that it consists entirely of doubletalk.” –John O'Sullivan on Bush stating: he supports bilingual programs “that work,” he opposes “English only” programs as divisive, and he opposes policies like California’s Prop. 227 to substitute English immersion for failing bilingualism. {} “The contest between Al Gore and George Bush for the office of national school superintendent means Washington will expand its role in education. …If School Superintendent Gore or Bush wants school discipline that arises from a moral environment that socializes children, he should consider how schools stopped being moral communities and became cockpits for lawyers and playgrounds for therapists.” –George Will

From Bore2000 – The Vice Prevaricator…

Al Gore continues to club Mr. Bush with the social welfare standing of Bush’s home state of Texas – apparently forgetting that Bush inherited many of the state’s problems from the host of the 1992 Democratic convention, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, whom Bush defeated in 1994.

Gore has railed against the “1999 Bush tax cut” in Texas, apparently forgetting that the tax reduction was approved by Democratically controlled Texas House and the state’s Republican Senate by a combined vote of 174-1. And if Clinton/Gore had left a few more federal tax dollars in the hands of generous Texans, who are renowned for their support of community-based “compassion,” perhaps the status of the state’s impoverished lot would have been long-ago improved.

Gore also continues his lament on the “do-nothing Congress.” But Rep. J.C. Watts translated the Gore rhetoric: “Do you know what it means when [liberals accuse us] of doing nothing? It means we are not raising taxes. That means we are not spending enough of the surplus. We have not raided the Social Security surplus. We are not making government regulations burdensome enough.”

And a note about Gore and those greedy tobacco vultures…. The DNC has netted its largest soft-money campaign contributions from lawyers like the firm of Williams Bailey, which gave the Demos $703,500 over the past year. And the Association of Trial Lawyers of America contributed more than $6.2 million to Democrats. The whole tobacco deal is nothing more than quid pro quo extortion to fund the Sociocrats’ agenda.

Gorebabble: “We need more police. We need more crime-fighting prosecutors. And then we have to give them all the tools and resources they need to make even the toughest crime hot spots safe and secure. I want to be a law enforcement president….” –Gore proposing to hire 10,000 more prosecutors across the nation. **Undoubtedly they will be necessary to prosecute all those patriots who do not relinquish their guns, should Gore be elected. {} “If America doesn’t keep making the right choices, we will never be able to give our families the help they need.” –Gorespeak for “Elect me and I will keep your family on the government dole.”

Observation Points: “Gore seems well on his way to blowing the election. He should probably be blowing a little pot. … He needs to take a walk in the woods, have a smoke and get a vision.” –Washington Post columnist Judy Mann on what Gore needs to do to shed is image as “an oversized wind-up doll.” {} “Obviously, it would be great for those people who have been convinced for eight years that he’s just a boring stiff, an unable-to-speak guy – that he comes through as a real person.” –Gore Campaign Chairman William Daley {} “Gore…seems to deplore his manhood, so concerned is he for the composite human being, part male, part female, one-quarter Asian, one-third African-American and one-tenth gay.” –Wm. F. Buckley {} “The guy’s been given thousands of pieces of advice and he ought to just forget all of it and just be himself – whatever he is.” –Demo Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack {} “I think the greatest condemnation of this once-working-families’ party, the Democrat Party, is that, in the last 10 years, they have become very good at electing very bad Republicans.” –Ralph Nader