AFP #3 - Fred Barnes

Showing video and news clips of the AFP hot air balloon tour: Global warming alarmism = lost jobs, higher taxes, less freedom.

Erik O'Keefe, president of Sam Adams Alliance introducing Fred Barnes, editor of the Weekly Standard.

Barnes comments:

- I am an American for prosperity...also for limited government, free markets, tried and true values that favor people over trees.

- talk about two things: 1) Election is NOT over. Sarah Palin knows this but I wish someone would tell John McCain. 2) we need to prepare for the worst because there is a substantial chance we will face larger liberal majorities in the legislature.

- citing Obamanomics = higher taxes, more complicated tax code, slowdown in global economin integration, more government spending.

- could tell many Pres. Bush stories, but Bush said he had a very simply strategy for winning elections: you can fool all of the people some of the time. He was joking ... but you see this strategy implied in the current debates when Obama talks about McCain's health plan, which gives people a CHOICE between getting their own insurance versus having their employer provide it.,

- Election is not over - things change. Palin changed things and the financial mess has, too. Look at polls in terms of the demographics. Are the people responding 'registered voters' or 'likely voters'? Likely voters are trending McCain.

- in a month, financial markets will be very different.

- we don't elect a president, we elect a person. Personality matters, including the comfort level. Who would you rather have move in next door to you?

- Preparing for the worst, the crisis may not ease. With more liberal legislatures and Obama as president, there will be no vetoes by White House and with less GOP, you can lose the fillibuster margin.

- may face higher taxes on people who produce the jobs in America. May face health care system that drives people into government-sponsored health program.

- free trade ensures that the wealth and poverty reduction we see in the open global economy will continue. Obama has never voted for a free trade agreement. He's committed to labor unions that he will block any free trade agreement with any other country and the unions will ensure he keeps his promise

- card check - the so-called Employee Free Choice Act - that would eliminate secret ballots in union selections. The unions want this because they are losing secret ballot elections.

- Card check operates by intimidation. He actually signed a card so he could stop a union guy from harrassing him. At the time, his signature really didn't matter because he would still have a secret vote. Under the bill, the card signature will matter.

- after card check is to attack Section 14b of the Taft-Hartley Act which allows states to become right-to-work states so employees are not forced into joining a union. There's a reason why the right-to-work states are growing.

- a lot can happen in the next three-and-a-half weeks ... that's a lifetime in politics. The polling advantage can be wiped out, but it's not likely to happen from the debate. Last debate was horrible and it can't get worse - or maybe it can.

- audiences are telling McCain to get tough on his opponent - on all issues except global warming because McCain's on the wrong side of that issue. Maybe Sarah Pallin can take that on one.

- the future of the GOP depends upon one person - Sarah Pallin. She's a star, like Ronald Reagan, who can appeal to people in a way they respond to.

- either way, AFP will play a big role in the future.