Yesterday former Republican Congressman Jack Kemp, his party's nominee for Vice President in 1996, passed away at the age of 73. A hard right economic conservative, Kemp was one of the leading voices driving the GOP from the stalwarts' message of budgetary discipline to the supply-siders' message of tax cuts, tax cuts and more tax cuts.

But as much as Kemp helped move his party to the right during his time in public life, he also brought something else to his party that has been sorely missing: Compassion. I'm not talking about the type of poll-tested "compassionate conservatism" that George W. Bush proclaimed during the 2000 campaign. No, Kemp actually believed that the country would be better off if more people had the opportunity to live the American dream.

Three years ago I saw Kemp speak alongside John Edwards at a poverty conference at the University of Southern California. I didn't agree with all of his policy solutions -- I don't have as much faith in the market to solve the nation's ills as did Kemp, even a market aided by tax credits and other subsidies -- but I was impressed to hear a Republican, and a conservative at that, who had a vision for the country.

Today's Republican Party needs a Jack Kemp. In fact, it probably needs many Jack Kemps, politicians who are willing to define their view of the direction the country should be headed in as more than knee-jerked opposition to Barack Obama. Where the party will find such men and women remains to be seen.

But for now, let us say that our thoughts go out to the Kemp family as they mourn their loss.

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Jack Kemp, Bob Dole's running mate, has died.

Jack Kemp, the ex-quarterback, congressman, one-time vice-presidential nominee and self-described "bleeding-heart conservative," died Saturday. He was 73.

Kemp died after a lengthy illness, according to spokeswoman Bona Park and Edwin J. Feulner, a longtime friend and former campaign adviser. Park said Kemp died at his home in Bethesda, Md., in the Washington suburbs.

Kemp's office announced in January that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer. By then, however, the cancer was in an advanced stage and had spread to several organs, Feulner said. He did not know the origin of the cancer.

Condolences and sympathies go out to his family.

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The closer election day and the more likely a positive outcome for the Democratic ticket, the more you can see and hear about Sarah Palin getting ready for a 2012 run for the nomination.

This got me wondering: has anyone ever won the nomination of their party or even the presidency after being the running mate on a losing ticket?

Follow me below the fold for what I found. Let's just say history does not bode well for Palin 2012.

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Last Friday I flew from Boston to Pittsburgh to vlog a Wakeup Wal-Mart rally attended by John Edwards. I've recently started with the citizen journalist thing at OAC blog and I encourage anyone reading to consider doing the same for a cause they feel strongly about.

The tools available for free on the internet are too good to pass up these days. Bill Moyers once said that the most important thing a journalist can do is tell the little stories about ordinary people in the cacophony that is the news. Well guys, you don't have to wait for Mr. Moyers to knock on your door anymore. Now you can do the door knocking and tell the story that you think is important yourself.

I call it Guerrilla Vlogging because I'm just an ordinary person that blogs on the side. Follow me below the fold for the video and the interviews with the attendees that I did in Pittsburgh. I know it's not "gorilla".

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