Wednesday

The new Home Page pic is just a random shot of my bike along the seawall in Salerno.  Nothing particularly significant about the time or the ride.  Just the fact that the bike that's normal resting place is on Maplecrest found it's way to the Amalfi Coast in Italia.

The dinner at the Bettendorf Convention Center last night was for the local Republicans annual yee-hah to remember the Good Old Days of Ronald Reagan.  I had a client kinda twist my arm to take an open seat at their table created when he had received a late cancellation.  I was mildly curious of the numbers and composition of those who might be in attendance, so I elected to accept his invitation.

Some take-away's from the event:

1.  The Left would have been pleased to report that the crowd was exclusively White, predominately older, and the oratory was very predictable.

2.  They had a string-quartet playing tea-room music during the cocktail hour.  It gave the room a lethargic, visitation-like feel.  If this was their idea of a pep-rally, the R's are in deep do-do.

3.  Cash bar.  That really rev's up a crowd.

4.  The silent auction had numerous items that they would have had trouble giving away!

5.  Scott Brown, the literally one-time Senator from Massachusetts, gave an uninspiring stump speech that emphasized compromise, both within the party, and across the aisle.  Hmmm.  Was he speaking to the media reps (or Left moles) in attendance, or to his audience?  Red meat it wasn't.

6.  The undercard of (way too many) speakers included Iowa Governor Branstad who got in his best line when going through a litany of economic/financial differences between Iowa and Illinois and said, "Look at their former governor's.  Most are in jail!  I came back and got re-elected!" A true statement.

7.  Four individuals who have announce candidacies for the R nomination to the US Senate seat up for grabs next year when Tom Harken, a long-serving Democrat will not run for re-election, gave short, introductory schpiels on themselves.  (The Democrats have already anointed current Eastern Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley as their candidate.)  Braley will win against any of these choices.

8.  A two-hour program (that admittedly included some down time for the main course), after a 75+ minute cocktail hour, is way too long to hold a Tuesday night audience.

9.  I'm convinced that preaching the truth doesn't really matter in most elections.  Promise enough, trash the opponent, get your supporters to the polls, and if you have a bigger turnout, you win.

10.  Brown kept mentioning 2016.  Ugh!  Does this stuff ever stop?

I'm thinking that I may head down to Geneva tonight and drink some of my pal Roy's select wines.  He keeps saying that he is "long" on wine in his house.

Make it a good day in your neighborhood.

BCOT