Huck the Salesman

I've seen some really good sales professionals in my professional career, and I've seen some really slick salesmen. The difference is very transparent and I can spot the latter within minutes of an introduction.

Mike Huckabee is slick, really slick...

The first time Katie and I saw and heard him speak he sounded really sharp. A no-name who came from no-where that actually sounded pretty good. Then Mike Huckabee started to get traction and the slick salesman appeared.

His biting comments toward his opponents quickly flew out of his mouth and still flow this very day - even this very evening. Huckabee is a religious bigot. His attacks on Mitt Romney clearly indicate that he has past judgment of Romney's Mormon faith - quite the anti-Christ action.

TK

Which Party is Right?

There is no doubt that the principles of the democrat party are inconsistant with conservative ideals.­ I beleive one cannot involve themselves in a party which promotes abortion on demand and seeks to embrace those in need, only to shackle them to a system of welfare based programs that promote lasting dependance without having dirt on their hands.

In the last few days I have heard Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama arguing over President Ronald Reagan.­ Obama referenced Reagan in some fashion and Clinton pounced on the comment, insinuating that Mr.­ Reagan was void of any worthy accomplishment.­ The Clinton's embody the worst of their party and everything that is wrong with American politics.­.­.­ but they are in fact the icons of liberal thought.­

Mr.­ Obama.­.­.­ well Mr.­ Obama may be a good man, but he is not the right man.­ Although he is fresh and appears to be very sincere, remember this -­ sincerity is no test of the truth.­ Mr.­ Obama is sincerely WRONG.­ Wrong on the economy, wrong on national defense, against the right for every child conceived to have the chance to LIVE and wrong on dozens of other issues.­

I like Obama.­ I like a lot of people.­.­.­ but that doesn't mean I want them running our country.­ I fear the craving for change has some people in this country missing the point of this election -­ the preservation of the freedoms that make us great.­ Does our system of government have challenges? Absolutely.­ We can't know the incredible blessings that come from success without witnessing, and at times experiencing, failure, dispair and poverty.­ These challenges provide us individual opportunities to contribute personally to the lifting up of others and at times -­ ourselves.­

Ask me -­ I know.­ I've lived in beautiful homes and I've lived in a single wide trailer.­ I dropped out of high school, but later graduated with honors from a major university.­ I've owned companies and had incredible success -­ and lost everything.­.­.­ and I'll be on top again.­

I thank God that I live in a country where my success depends on my efforts.­ When I succeed I get the credit -­ when I fail -­ I get the blame.­ Put it all on me and let me go as far as I can, just stay out of my way! This is the essense of the conservative message, the best part of republican party.­.­.­ and dare I say the purpose of the American experiment.­

The democrat party platform is the exact opposite.­ Tax the rich and redistribue the wealth.­ Use that wealth to enslave those struggling to the government.­ Use the struggling as a voting base for the party.­.­.­ and repeat the message of dispair every four years.­ Show me a financially independent democrat and I'll show you someone who would never EVER live the life they promote to economically struggling individuals.­ Do as we say -­ not as we do.­

Do you desire to acheive all that is possible in your life? Which party stands in your way and which one gets out of your way?

TK

Hillary Clinton Can't Do This

"This" is called connecting...

The last 72 hours have launched a movement and this man now has a 50/50 chance of becoming the 44th president of the United States.

TK

Obama Sounds Black "On Demand"

Well Mr. Obama wins Iowa tonight and moves on to New Hampshire. Good for him, the rest of his party and the entire universe. We all win if Hillary and Bill Clinton are kept from returning to the White House.

Mr. Obama has some unique characteristics that make him attractive to many primary voters. He's fresh, he's young, he doesn't have a record so he's clean and he's black. In fact, I've noticed that Barack actually sounds "black" on demand.

He is the candidate of change. I've watched him do it when he speaks to black audiences, and I've watched him do it when he's really poring on the passion. He changes his dialect and can sound like he's preaching down in Birmingham at the drop of the hat. How genuine is that I ask you?

TK

Picking on Hillary

This past week the leading male contenders for the Democrat nomination for POTUS were picking on Hillary Clinton. Joining Obama, Edwards and Dodd was Tim Russert - one of the debate moderators.

Apparently asking Mrs. Clinton to actually answer a question is sexist. Hillary has made NOT answering a question an art - I've never heard anyone do it so easily. However, her constant use of this "technique" has given her away... it's like using someones name, use it once or twice in conversation and it sounds good. Use it in every sentence and it sounds planned and scripted.

It was an interesting moment when Tim Russert tried to clarify her answer on whether illegal aliens should be allowed to obtain drivers licenses. Instead of saying "yes, I believe they should" or "no, I believe they should not," she replied with "you know, Tim, this is where everyone plays gotcha."

Really? Asking if you are for, or against, a particular policy or issue is a gotcha question? I believe Hillary is attempting to have one foot in New York and the other one in every other state at the same time. I think she wants to get the support of every special interest group in the country and still pull the average Americans vote too.

Does anyone believe this woman is genuine? How does her support base (a large group too) look past all of her issues? I fail to see the draw to Hillary, but I don't believe asking her to actually answer a question is too much to expect from someone who wants to be POTUS.

President Hillary Clinton. She better get used to getting hammered in the national press - they're just getting warmed up.

TK

kMac

After years of buying iPods (Tom 3, Katie 1, Chris 2, Cam 1 and Jack 1 = 8), we finally bought an iMac for the house. It's the coolest thing ever and I haven't even upgraded to the new operating system.

It's actually not our first Mac... when we graduated from ASU we bought an original Mac and never took it out of the box. I sold it to my brother-in-law for the cash and used a PC that I got for graduation. Considering where my career took me it was best to be using a PC, but I always longed for a Mac. When the hard drive failed for the second time in a month on our home desktop - the Mac made sense.

The screen is so big, you could hide an entire terrorist camp behind it.

I was, and have been, worried about the compatibility of my software and hardware with the iMac. There were no challenges importing my music, photos and other documents after spending $150 on the Mac version of Microsoft Office.

My hardware (wireless router and printers) hooked up with almost no issues. My Xerox 6100 printer had a little hick up, but eventually we downloaded the driver that fixed the challenge. Other than that - we're good.

The one thing I love the most about our iMac is the one thing coming out of the back of it... a cord. One cord. That's it. The all-in-one iMac unit is truly a standard for the entire PC industry to emulate. The low-profile footprint compared to the screen size is amazing, but the one cord coming out of the thing blows me away.

With this type of product on the market it's no wonder Apple stock is at an all-time high, and with the holidays approaching, I predict $200 per share by the next quarterly earnings report.

Go Apple.

TK

Weis Makes Irish History

By losing to Michigan State today Charlie Weis took the program to a new level... low level that is. For the first time in school history, 119 years of playing football, the program is 0-4. Unbelievable!

Despite some good looking drives in the first half the boys just couldn't hang with the Spartans and were man-handled in the third and fourth quarters. Weis doesn't know what to do and I'm not sure what can be done. I can say this - Weis may not be the hero he was herald to be a few years ago.

Although the dial on the stove will be moving slowly... the heat is coming.

One thing that really bothers me about Weis is his mouth. If you watch a game you can't help but pick up on his nasty language. Now you may say that this is "big time" football; however I would assert that the University of Notre Dame deserves a couch that can communicate without using profanity.

Last year when the program was cruising along Weis was featured on 60 Minutes and in the first 90 seconds of the piece you get a glimpse of Charlie's vocabulary. Potty mouth. Well that may be normal in college football, but I bet I could find a number of successful coaches that don't speak to players, coaches and referees without dropping the F-Bomb.

Anyway I'm frustrated and I'm blaming the coach. Let's see what this week brings Charlie Weis.

GO IRISH!

TK

USA TODAY READS TOMKAUFFMAN.COM

I awoke early this morning and opened up USA Today only to read the headline on the front page of the sports section... the title read:

"Irish Eyes are NOT Smiling."

That's the exact title of a post I wrote over the weekend (see below) on the state of Notre Dame football of which I am a huge fan. You can imagine my shock that USA Today would steal MY headline. Although they lifted the title they failed to grab the premise of my post, which is that Charlie Weis could be in a huge hole by the time the leaves start to turn in South Bend and little ones come begging at your door for candy.

We'll see how things turn out for Chuck - but shame on you USA Today. Come up with your own headlines!

TK

Lack of Negotiation in US Politics

Have you ever been on an airplane and noticed the advertisements for the Karrass Negotiation Seminars? A few years back I had seen the piece so many times I decided to check it out and signed up for a class in Phoenix.

It was about a grand and lasted two days. I came away with two keys pieces of information that I use every day and will never forget.

1. Everything is NOT negotiable and 2. Win-Win is not a cliche, every successful negotiation, that will stand the test of time must have a win-win component.

That's what's missing in the American political debate. Both parties, and their fringe groups, want to engage in win-lose negotiation. When that's apparent in debate, the opposing side will always dig in their heels. Now we have some very well educated individuals running our congress so why haven't they applied the simple truths of a Karrass seminar?

Quite simply because they are in the spotlight, and if they don't attack, someone underneath them looking to gain ground will. Attacks attract sharks and media attention creates buzz and buzz leads to face-time. Face-time is what every unknown politician need to become known on capital hill. The noble gesture of serving in political office has been absent for more than a century...

To make the climate as hostile as possible the fringe groups who are willing to fight and demonstrate for their minority causes speak with a loud voice. Throw money behind a group like that and you have a monster that no politician can overcome. Rather than fight they embrace the monster - then become dependent on them for survival.

Win-Win negotiation requires that both parties are willing to let the other win - or at least feel as if they have won. This requires diplomacy, tact and a willingness to see the other persons point of view. None of this is happening in US politics.

The next person to enter the White House and hopefully the leadership positions in the congress need to attend a Karrass Negotiating event. Check them out at http://www.karrass.com/.

TK

Irish Eyes Are NOT Smiling

There is nothing Charlie Weis can say that will explain away the dismal 0-3 start the Irish have posted so far this year. Not only are they losing games, they just look like crap.

Jimmy Clausen isn't going to solve the challenges you see on the line, in the backfield or anywhere else. The hype Clausen brought to the program ended last week when he lost for the first time in four plus years of stepping on a football field.

I'm an Irish fan because I love the tradition of the program and the passion of the fans. The same emotion that makes ND fans exciting makes them demanding. My gut tells me that Charlie is only a loss away from being questioned in the media and questioned by the alumni.

I understand rebuilding a program (that's what I've been telling the people yanking my chain), but five fumbles? Let's get it together men.

Charlie you better figure something out quick - your record this season has you in the same league as Bob Davie... 0-3.

GO IRISH!

TK

Mormon Mission Provides Wisdom

I was reading an article in the Arizona Republic Friday about a young man who recently returned from a Mormon mission and is now playing football for UCLA. Apparently this guy is a solid quarterback and is looking to make his mark with the Bruins. I was impressed by the following quote from the article:

"Some people don't really quite understand what you do on a mission. You're not out there working out, improving as an athlete. Your focus is other people. That was my life for two years." Olson goes on to say, "I do believe I was able to gain experience and gain wisdom in other areas of life that I've hopefully been able to apply to the football field." Ben Olson

I should say so, before leaving for his mission Olson was a member of the BYU football team. Upon gaining much wisdom, and maturing mentally, he returned from his mission and quickly transferred from BYU to UCLA.

Was it a good decision... UCLA 27 BYU 17.

That would be a yes...

TK

Ready to Get Serious about Terrorism?

"Dude pass the hash-pipe"

I've been direct about my position on our troops fighting in Iraq, and the unique challenges there that make it almost necessary to fight the right way or get the hell out of the country.

Then tonight I read the transcript from the latest tape from Osama Bin What's-his-name... and I'm ready to kick some butt. Here's what he said regarding the two ways to end the war on terror (aka the war in Iraq):

"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you."

And the second...

"It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations."

The assumption being that our country and the freedom we enjoy now needs to come to an end... so either Islamic insurgents will defeat us in Iraq and around the world or we can simply all become Muslims and start saying our prayers five-times a day. Right.

This joker and what he's not joking about should have every able bodied individual in this country ready and willing to grab a weapon and defend ourselves against radical Muslims.

If this tape doesn't get the liberals in congress attention I don't know what will. Bin-Wacko isn't thinking or saying anything today he wasn't thinking or saying pre 9/11. He's just been putting his money where his mouth is with the absolute conviction we won't do anything to stop him.

What will stop him and his Islamofascist followers? The United States of America and a full-court press against him. United and full-court implies our elected officials stop politicizing this threat and start working together.

TK

No Peace - No Vacation

Once again President Bush has chosen to vacation while we have men and women dying in the Middle East. It makes me so upset, I can actually imagine myself chewing him out.

When our nation is at war, the commander in chief needs to be working around the clock. Relax in private - not in public. This is another error in judgement by this president and the people that advise him. Poor leadership was never more visible... except in the Iraqi Parliament.

TK

Liberal Nightmare - Dick Cheney is POTUS

Here's a headline on USA Today's website that's sure to scare the crap out of liberal democrats...

"Dick Cheney will be acting president tomorrow" According to the Associated Press:

"President Bush is scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy tomorrow, meaning that Vice President Cheney will be standing in while the commander in chief has what the White House describes as a routine procedure.

AP says the procedure will be performed at Camp David.

Back in 2002, Bush was out for about 2 1/2 hours during a similar exam, according to press secretary Tony Snow."

The only person worse than President Bush to the dems, and especially the fringe groups with loud agendas... Dick Cheney. (That's pronounced Cheeney according to Chris Matthews.)

Good luck Mr. President and get Mr. Cheney into a bomb shelter because if anything happens to President Bush or President Cheney (give him his two hours), Nancy Pelosi is next in line for the presidency and that is the real nightmare.

TK

Time for McCain to Take a Powder

It's time John McCain take a powder and drop his pursuit of the presidency.

If he were to back out and put his energy and connections behind the top republican who will be in the race by the end of the summer (Romney and Thompson), he have a lot less stress and enjoy a lot more popularity.

His position on immigration may have been right, or my have been wrong, but associating himself with extreme liberal democrats and such an unpopular president were political suicide. You may say "well he's a man of conviction." Fine - he'll remain a senator with his convictions and will never be able to display such convictions as POTUS. Someone in his campaign screwed up and should have been giving him better counsel.

The fact is the immigration bill was so full of holes that to stake a presidential candidacy on it was a telling lack of judgement. Iraq - same situation - it's such a hot topic that a more moderate position is called for if your running to take the job of the current commander and chief.

This is a pretty easy decision for McCain... just not pleasant. The campaign is in debt and and cash flow is tight. It would make sense for him to pay the bills he's got and walk away with a cool million for later political use.

He'll get all the attention he's getting now and more from the media. Best of all, every republican and some democrats will come courting and he'll be back on top of the world.

Let it go Mr. McCain and get behind Romney and Thompson early... don't play games with the dems or think independent.

TK

Listen to Me Now... Believe Me Later

Have you ever heard this phrase? I love it and cannot remember where I first picked it up (if someone reads this and I got it from you - call me!)

"Listen to me now and believe me later!"

I'm passing this along for you to use in your daily conversations at work, home and anywhere else where you'd like to make a pithy point. It works great with your kids... check this out:

"Listen to me now and believe me later, you get the weeds out of that garden or you'll be grounded for the rest of the summer!" I recently used this one to try and get my boys to clean up before the July 4th party we recently had. It didn't work... right away, but the believe me later finally kicked in this week after a few "play dates" were vetoed. The garden is now weed free - oh yeah. Listen to me now and believe me later - this phrase works!

I love whipping this out when people haven't heard it before. By the time they "get it" you've already delivered the second part of the statement (the point) and your target audience will already be agreeing with you.

Recently I made a comment about John McCain's presidential campaign and the fact that he doesn't stand a chance to win the republican nomination considering his stance on Iraq and his support of the failed immigration bill.

It went something like this... "Listen to me now and believe me later, Mr. McCain doesn't stand a chance and may not even make it to the first primary." The news this week for the senior senator from Arizona - fund raising is down, money is low and top advisers are out! (Later didn't take very long to materialize in this case.)

Well try this with your friends, business associates and especially at home with the children. I guarantee the first time you lay this on the kiddies their jaws will drop, they will look very puzzled and the first words out of their mouth will be "what did you just say?"

TK

Sharpton Does Hardball

What’s the connection between Chris Matthews and Al Sharpton? Aside from both being extremely religious… Sharpton hosted Matthew’s program "Hardball" this week and if anything solidifies the fact that Matthews is an extremely liberal democrat, picking Sharpton to host his show is it.

Here’s a review of the program: The “reverend” interviewed two liberal hacks, Howard Dean and Terry McAuliffe. Dean was flashing his famous “Joker” grin and telling “his holiness” how wonderful it is to be alive and be a democrat. McAuliffe brushed off Al’s concern over the fact that Mr. Obama raised 10 million more dollars in the second quarter than Ms. Clinton. Terry said no big deal, Hillary has enough money to win the primaries and the general election – it’s good to have money.

Next up, republican powerhouse candidate… Duncan Hunter. Mr. Hunter actually had good things to say, but what did Al want to talk about? Ann Coulter. Ann likes Duncan Hunter and instead of hearing Mr. Hunter's views Sharpton wanted to get the gossip.

Following Duncan Hunter was Chris Dodd, another presidential candidate and a democrat. Mr. Dodd makes sense and speaks very logically and forcefully about his position on Iraq. His position? Leave very quickly. Something I’ve called for the last 16 months. If the rest of Mr. Dodd’s colleagues could articulate their points without engaging in the “politics of hate,” they might be leading instead of destroying this country.

If Matthews was on vacation he couldn’t stand to be left out of limelight. At the end of this evening’s program the news broke regarding President Bush commuting the prison sentence of Scooter Libby… and Matthews was on the beach somewhere – he must have crapped his pants. He was back the next night and Reverend Al was given the hook. Good thing too, Sharpton was staring so intently at the teleprompter up close like that was freaky.

TK

Hillary Clinton and YouTube

No this is not Hillary Clinton... but make no mistake, Hillary will be singing at the top of her lungs when she becomes the nominee of the Democrat Party. As sharp as Senator Obama may seem, he just doesn't have the political capital that comes with having your husband be a former two-term president, even if he was a scuz bag.

More than that, Hillary is campaigning HARD and coming up with some pretty good viral marketing too. How good? She got ME to watch her YouTube video spoofing the Soprano's and I even went to her website to see what song she picked for her campaign anthem. (Celine's You and I, very moving.)

She is the candidate to beat from the red side of the aisle. My prediction for the upcoming presidential election... bloody.

TK

JFK on Taxation

Want to blow your fiscal mind? Listen to John F. Kennedy speak to the Economic Club of New York in 1963 on the topic of taxation and the American economy.

44 years ago JFK proposed that cutting taxes would grow tax revenues. Brilliant. Listen to him speak and you would think that you were listening to a conservative Republican president. Check it out at American Rhetoric.com.

If you've never been to this site I highly recommend it. Some of the most powerful words ever spoken can be read, heard and in some cases watched.

TK

Thompson's Speaks - People Listen

Fred Thompson spoke in Virginia this weekend and in contrast to President Bush, Mr. Thompson is a pleasure to listen to... and he makes sense too.

I'm not taking shots at the president, I'm expressing how much I enjoy hearing Thompson and his ideas... they resonate with me at a time when other candidates are simply "positioning."

Here's my suggestion to Governor Romney, my favorite pick, polish up your stump speech and start talking to people like it's your last shot to convince them to vote for you. Why? Because Thompson does it naturally.

Here's a fact - I've never seen Law and Order - not once. So I don't like Thompson because of a television character he's portrayed. I like him because he has the ability to communicate, and I would, as others have, compare him to Ronald Reagan.

I don't know about his personal life, but I'm sure we'll hear about it very soon. Until then, every Republican presidential candidate should be tweaking their strategy.

TK