Joey's Take: Rebuttal

I know, I know. By now you are probably sick and tired of all things having to do with the State of the Union speech, but I have a few points that have, for the most part, eluded the pundits and critics.

1. No speech -- regardless of how "magical" it is -- can create jobs, cut the deficit, put money in our pocket, expand health care coverage, halt climate change, increase national security, punish the bad guys and establish world peace. Anyone who thinks it can needs a hefty dose of reality. All of that takes action -- not slick-sounding words.

2. President Obama once again resorted to the blame game. In trying to justify his unprecedented deficit spending, the president pointed to a $1 trillion deficit he said President Bush created in 2008.

Fact Check: For much of Bush's term before 2007, Congress was so evenly split between the Democrats and Republicans that nothing could get passed without some Democrat support. And since the 2006 election -- yes, the one that sent Obama to the Senate -- both the House and the Senate have been controlled by the Democrats. Thus, any deficit created in 2007 and 2008 was blessed by, endorsed by, passed by and often created by the Democratic Congress.

Inconvenient Truth: Obama did not "inherit" the deficit. He helped create it.

3. The president tried to set the stage for a Democratic victory later this fall by casting Republicans as the obstacle to all things good, as the party of no and as political do-nothings devoid of solutions. Since the Democrats control the bully pulpit and the script going out to the mainstream media, Republicans need to go on the offensive (without being offensive) to get the word out about their legislative proposals.

My Suggestion: Republicans should set up websites -- one for the House and one for the Senate -- with links to all the legislation they have proposed this session. For each link -- grouped into categories for healthcare, taxes, deficit, economy, etc. -- there should be a brief summary of each bill along with its history. When was it introduced? What committee was it sent to? What happened to it in that committee? Who chairs that committee? The websites should include bipartisan legislation Republicans have co-sponsored and list the Democrats who have signed onto it.

Once the websites are up, the Republicans need to get out there and market them, using Twitter, Facebook, email lists, their individual congressional websites and local and national media. Then, no one -- not even the president -- will be able to get by with labeling Republicans as the party of no.

I'm Joey. I'm running for Congress. And I approved this message.

P.S. If you missed my State of the Union address, you'll find it more accurately represents the mood of the people than what you heard last night.

Joey’s Take: Tone Deaf

My breed reportedly has the largest vocal range of any dog. Yes, I can whimper like a baby, whine like a 5-year-old, sass like an adolescent, growl like a 20-year-old and grumble like an old man. While all these skills will come in useful in Congress, I have an even greater talent: I listen.

That’s a talent our current leadership really should master. But alas, the POR Trio remains tone deaf. Instead of listening to the people, Pelosi insists on playing her own shrill melody while Reid belts out a very flat bass and Obama keeps changing the words while conducting the same old song.

But rather than admit it’s not in tune with the people, the trio – like any good prima donna – and its groupies insist that the discord is not theirs. Rather, all the missed notes are the fault of the previous conductor. Or the fault of the background singers. And the lack of appreciation is definitely the fault of an ignorant audience that just can’t understand the nuances of the music being performed.

This tone deafness spoils any piece the POR Trio tries to deliver and makes the group misread its own press. Trained in arrogance, the POR Trio hears the shouts of the audience as applause while ignoring any negative reviews.

Take the Massachusetts Senate race. While the audience hears Scott Brown’s victory as a countermelody rising across the nation, the PORs will pass it off as simply a lack of talent on Martha Coakley’s part. Meanwhile, the PORs drone on – off beat and out of tune.

I’m Joey. I’m a howling rock star. And I’m running for Congress. I approved every note of this message.

Joey’s Take: The State of the Union

As the time for the president’s State of the Union address approaches, we’re going to hear more and more about what he might say. My advice: Don’t waste your time listening to all the spin. I may be just a dog, but I can tell you the state of the union in four words – unemployed, broke and angry.

Unemployed: I know, the president will probably address the unemployment issue and regale us with how he and Congress have saved and/or created thousands of jobs. Yea, and how many of them are government jobs that we a.) can’t afford and b.) don’t need? Then he’ll probably tell us about the Dem plan to create even more jobs. I can’t read, but I don’t think the Constitution gives Congress or the president the responsibility or the authority to create jobs. What the president won’t discuss are all the regulations his administration is passing that will kill more jobs than he can hope to create.

Broke: I’ll bet my ever-wagging tail this is one word the president won't use. He will run as far away from the financial, moral and leadership deficits facing our nation as he can get. And if he does manage to mumble the word, he will blame it on Bush. But every time he plays the blame game, we need to remind everyone that the Dems controlled Congress for the past few years under Bush. If Obama inherited a mess, he has himself and his colleagues on the Hill to blame.

Angry: The American people, both liberal and conservative, are biting, fighting mad – at each other, at their elected officials, at their plight in life. If you don’t believe me, read some of the comments being posted in reaction to news stories on CNN. Of course, our “leaders” feed this frenzy with their broken promises, vitriolic rhetoric and gotcha partisanship.

My solution: Instead of another speech full of spin, we need a national time out – a time out from politics as usual (hey, what happened to the change we were promised?), from all the ugly rants, from politicians who don’t understand or care that we can’t afford their big-spending habits.

I’m Joey. I’m running for Congress. And I understand the true state of the union.

Joey's Take -- New Year’s Resolution

I know this may sound corny and a bit old-fashioned, but I believe politicians are only as good as their word – even when it comes to campaign promises. That means many of them aren’t worth much these days. In the hope of bringing true change to government, I’m putting my money where my mouth is and making it my New Year’s Resolution to say what I mean and mean what I say. No empty doggerel taken at my opponent’s expense.

As part of this resolution, I will avoid claims of "unprecedented" deeds; hyperbolic, repetitive reminders of my historic campaign; and trumped-up comparisons to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, JFK, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Dr. Doolittle, Elvis, Bono, Frodo or any other “hero” – dead, living or fictional. I can stand on my own four feet, thank you.

I also promise not to numb you with a rhetorical overload of meaningless phrases in the name of opaque transparency. You will not find my “shovel-ready” proposals and initiatives on Lake Superior State University’s annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.

So, here’s to the New Year, to resolutions kept and to a campaign season that focuses on real issues, practical solutions and candidates whose word is worth more than a devalued bank note.

I’m Joey. I’m running for Congress. And I approved every word of this message.

Joey's Take: Putting limits on Congress

Campaigning has been fun these past few days – what with all the snow and ice. Watching the folks slipping and falling has made me appreciate being four-footed. I’ve had no problem getting around. And watching Congress slipping and falling all over the place to try to get “meaningful” legislation passed has made me realize even more how much we need a sure-footed dog on Capitol Hill.

When I’m elected, one of the things I’ll push for is a limit on how long Congress can meet each year. It seems to me they are wasting all too much time and money passing bills we didn’t even know we needed. If we’ve managed to survive 220 years as a nation without a law on how loud commercials can be, we probably don’t need the law. (Yes, loud commercials are annoying. But even I know that’s what the mute button on the remote is for.) Instead of being distracted by the noise on TV, Congress needs to focus on setting a budget that doesn’t break the bank.

Then there’s the healthcare joke that’s making its way around Capitol Hill. I’ve got to admit, I’m still waiting for the punch line. Perhaps that's the joke.

What gets me is how oblivious these “leaders” are to the obvious. One reason so many people don’t have insurance these days is that they don’t have jobs. Arff! Get the economy rolling (I don’t mean adding more government jobs) and a lot of these healthcare issues will take care of themselves.

You know, had Congress taken a commonsense approach to healthcare, the legislation would have passed ages ago, the president would be relaxing in Hawaii, all the senators could be home with their families or mistresses and we would have the peace of mind that comes with knowing we – and our hard-earned money – are safe from congressional shenanigans for at least a few weeks.

Next year I know what I'm putting on my Christmas wish list -- relief from too much government.

Merry Christmas!

Joey’s Take: Unprecedented Action

Although my congressional campaign is truly unprecedented, I promise not to overuse that word when I'm stumping -- given how much our current president has abused and misused it. Unfortunately, he has devalued that word as much as he has the dollar. (See Politico article.)

But enough jabs. Another unprecedented part of my campaign is that I’m not going to ask for your money. What I want are your prayers. Not for me, but for our country. Instead of throwing tea bags around in frustrated anger, we should be joining together in earnest, humble prayer -- all across this nation -- for our leaders.

Our prayers should not be about how right we are. And they should not be pleas that God show our leaders the error of their ways. Instead, we should ask God’s forgiveness for our lack of love toward those who disagree with us. We need to ask Him to raise up candidates on the local and national level who will stand for what’s right rather than bow to what is politically convenient. We need to continually remind our congressional delegates and local officials that we are praying for them; there is accountability in prayer. And while we’re on our knees, we also need to pray for the media.

Just picture it: God’s people, in every state, joining together and humbling themselves in prayer for the future of our country. Now that would be unprecedented.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

Giving Thanks

As we celebrated Thanksgiving in years past, our thoughts generally turned to family, to tables laden with food, to the daily bounty we too often took for granted.

This year as we prepare to give thanks with family and friends, many of us are thinking about loved ones who can’t be with us, tables less bountiful, a future where nothing (but taxes) can be taken for granted.

When the pilgrims gathered with their neighbors for that first Thanksgiving in a rough clearing in the wilderness, their thoughts focused not on bounty but on adversity overcome.

As they shared the fruit of their first harvest with the Native Americans who had made it possible, their thankfulness was intensified by the hard times they had endured.

Never again would they ignore a child’s laugh. Too many of their children lay silent in the alien soil.

Never again would they waste precious resources. They knew too well what it was to go without.

Never again would they take friendship lightly. They understood that they owed their survival and their future to the kindness of strangers.

Perhaps the true meaning of Thanksgiving is found in recognizing our blessings in the face of hardship.

Happy Thanksgiving!