Last night the proposed auto bailout bill died in the U.S. Senate after the failure of Democrats and Republicans to come together on a compromise. The possibility of federal financial assistance for the auto industry, however, may still rise like a phoenix from the ashes as President Bush has pledged that U.S. automakers will not be allowed to fail. The option that is being explored now by President Bush and his administration is one that would give U.S. automakers funds from the financial sector bailout to survive for the immediate future. So the saga continues for America’s greatest economic soap opera. Please stay tuned for the next episode of “As Detroit Turns.”

This week former CEOs of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae went before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to be questioned about the role of their companies in the current credit crisis. The consensus opinion among the four horsemen of the financial apocalypse was that they and their companies were merely innocent bystanders in the economic maelstrom that swept across the United States this year.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx took the former CEOs to task for acting as if they held no responsibility for the current economic crisis since both Freddie and Fannie are major players in the credit market. Foxx asked them exactly what they were responsible for doing as CEOs since they were being paid salaries in the millions of dollars. Foxx went on to lament the arrogance and lack of accountability the former CEOs had for the failed management of their companies.

Foxx was joined in her condemnations by Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-California). Waxman also pointed out that Freddie Mac ignored a warning from its chief risk officer in 2004, which advised CEO Richard Syron to stop allowing the company to buy up the loans of people with bad credit. Obviously, Syron and Freddie did not listen to this advice, but they did respond to it by firing the chief risk officer. These guys should really consider teaching a MBA class in bad management.

The Chicago political machine continues to suffer from the political vices that are endemic in an entity that is so corrupt. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who has represented the Chicago area in the Illinois state legislature and the U.S. Congress, was arrested today on corruption charges.

The charges seem to mainly revolve around Governor Blagojevich’s attempt to have himself and his family financially compensated for his appointment of a replacement to President-Elect Obama’s Senate seat. It has also been charged that Blagojevich withheld state assistance to the financially troubled Tribune company, unless they fired members of their editorial board who were critical of his administration.

Blagojevich has been the subject of a federal criminal probe for over three years so it does not come as a suprise that he is corrupt, but the shear audacity of his attempt to sell a U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder while he was being investigated by federal authorities is unbelievable. Governor Blagojevich, however, is a Chicago trained politician so he was probably raised with the belief that the law does not apply to him and that he can do whatever he wants. Chicago politics played a big part in the political evolution of President-elect Obama. Let us ”hope” he represents a “change” from this style of politics.

On Sunday Republicans in the General Assembly caucused in Greensboro to elect their legislative leaders. In the House current minority leader, Represenatative Skip Stam of Wake County, was re-elected without any opposition. Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County was elected as the minority whip.

Phil Berger, the current minority leader in the Senate, survived challenges from Pete Brunstetter of Forsyth County and Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County in his re-election to the post he has held since 2004. Senator Harry Brown of Onslow County was elected as deputy minority leader and Senator Jerry Tillman of Randolph County was re-elected as minority whip.  

In our opinion these Republican leaders in the General Assembly will serve the state of North Carolina well in their endeavor to fight for North Carolinians on important issues such as education, transportation, economic growth, and political corruption.  They will be strong voices for the common sense conservative principles that form the bedrock of society in North Carolina . North Carolina, however, needs all Republicans in the General Assembly to stand firm and point out the failures of state government in order to ensure that there is an adequate check on the Democrats monopoly of power in Raleigh. It is time to get serious about reform.

This past Saturday Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao defeated Representative William Jefferson to become the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress. Jefferson, who has been plagued by scandal since federal authorities found $90,000 in his freezer three years ago, is currently facing federal indictment on charges of corruption.

Cao’s milestone victory for the Vietnamese-American community also represents another milestone for the Republican Party. Cao’s victory, along with Republican Bobby Jindal becoming the first Indian-American governor in the country’s history, represents the fact that the Republican Party’s appeal is growing in all demographics. This was one of the few bright spots in 2008 for the Republican Party but it is certainly one it can build on.

In his recent Newsweek article “A Way Out of the Wilderness,” Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President Bush, mentioned Senator Richard Burr as a potential leading voice for Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Rove stated that congressional leaders will now be the face of the Republican Party and that minority leader Mitch McConnell should put Senator Burr and Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona out front to make the case for Republicans on vital issues that come before Congress.

Rove recruited Burr, who served ten years in the House of Representatives, to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004, and he has significantly raised his profile since being elected. Burr was an early and prominent supporter of Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain and was mentioned early on as a possible vice presidential pick. Burr also served as co-chair of the platform committee at this year’s Republican National Convention. With North Carolina’s new status as a swing state look for Burr and other North Carolina politicians to play a more prominent role on the national stage.

After soundly beating South Carolina State in the first round of the playoffs last week, ASU will take on the University of Richmond in the quarterfinals. ASU beat Richmond in last year’s semifinal round 55-35. Richmond has a record of 10-3 and ended the season ranked #7.

ASU will again be playing in the friendly confines of Kidd Brewer Stadium and the game will start at noon. The game will be broadcast on television through ESPN’s GamePlan Package and on local networks. Visit www.GoASU.com to get a list of these local stations. Fans can also listen to the game on-line at www.ESPN360.com or on one of the radio affiliates of the Appalachian ISP Sports Network.  

GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Senator Harry Reid had an interesting observation at the opening ceremony for the new Capitol Visitors Center. He said that in the past “because of the heat and humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol.”  

We guess Senator Reid does not care to be in close proximity to plebes like us because of our unbearable stench. God forbid he have to endure the smell of the masses when they come to visit the nation’s capitol; where the people’s business is done. We are so glad the Capitol Visitors Center was built in his honor to prevent this intolerable situation from irritating him anymore.

Reid stated that his staff urged him not to make this comment. At least they had the good sense and decency not to pick on the public at the opening ceremony of a building that was built primarily for their use. Reid’s cavalier attitude and dismissal of his staff’s advice does not bode well for his re-election campaign in 2010. If he keeps on following his own advice what he smells could be his own defeat.

Our suggestion for the next public works project at the Capitol building is a wall because Reid and the rest of his gang are going to need some protection from those same tourists if they believe they have a mandate to lead this country down the path of liberal decay and destruction.

A recent News and Obeserver article listed some of the things that North Carolina politicians had to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The article pointed out that state senator and president pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate Marc Basnight had a lot to be thankful for because three of his former state senate proteges have been elected to high-ranking positions. Kay Hagan as a United States senator, Bev Perdue as governor, and Walter Dalton as lieutenant governor.

This elevation of members of Basnight’s syndicate to prominent positions of power is something people should be concerned about because of the negative impact it will have on North Carolina. Basnight and his cronies represent the failed policies of the past that have led to North Carolina having high taxes, runaway budgets, a rising debt a detoriating infrastructure, and rampant political corruption. North Carolina has not flourished under their leadership but suffered, and they should not be trusted with this state’s future, especially Basnight.

The positions of power that Basnight’s former proteges now hold essentially make him the shadow master of North Carolina government. He will pursue his own agenda through them, which will put his interests above those of North Carolinia’s. As a result these three will not be the independent public servants this state needs but lackeys of their former mentor. The people of North Carolina will have to live with the dire consequences of this situation as they watch the quality of their government detoriate more and more rapidly. The power of Basnight’s political machine stretches far and wide and rest assured our own state senator Steve Goss is already a cog in it.

This Saturday Appalachian State continues its quest for four consecutive national titles as they play South Carolina State in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs at Kidd Brewer Stadium. ASU is the #2 overall seed so they hold home-field advantage throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. Join us as we support the Mountaineers on their journey to win “Four for Moore.” The game is at noon on Saturday, and will be broadcast on ESPNU.