Posted by caleb on Jan 31, 2010 in
Local and State Politics Before last year, I’d never heard of anything called “Kansas Days.” I’ve lived in our fair State since right after I turned eight, and think of myself as a Kansan, albeit with some experience in the “Outside.”
Then, when I started college in the fall of 2008 and decided to transform my TV-screaming into real action and became (heavily) involved in politics, I realized the school lunch theme week of “Bison Burgers” and “Sunflower Shortcake” and “Prairie Potatoes” wasn’t the only modern-day celebration of our Statehood. Thank goodness.
This year, thanks to my good friend and political mentor Virginia Crossland-Macha, I attended Kansas Days in Topeka for the first time this weekend. My fellow CR, President (and Vice Chair-elect of the Kansas Federation of CRs) Michelle Bringle-Hucke and her husband, Josh Hucke (of local fame) joined in for the fun, as well.
At the first annual Brownback Red Boots event (that thankfully pre-empted an event where that blasted former governor of Kansas was speaking), we heard a very enthusiastic Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels tell of how his state has managed to do relatively well through the current recession by using some financial common sense and spending less than they take in. Our group was the first to mob meet him after his speech.
George Weston, Sen. Sam Brownback, Michelle Hucke, Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Me
We attended the Second District Meeting the next morning with Virginia and my favorite former national delegate, Mary Alice Lair. It was relatively normal, until it wasn’t: our own Rep. Lynn Jenkins mistakenly said “Senator Tiahrt,” much to my pleasure, and much to the chagrin of Rep. Jerry Moran, who is Tiahrt’s primary challenger, and retiring Secy of State Ron Thornburgh endorsed my family reunion relative, Libby Ensley, to replace him (that’s more of a disclaimer than an endorsement. I’m only related by marriage).
Later on, at the tense KSGOP Winter Meeting, Moran didn’t even show.What DID show, though, was the complete lack of articulated direction. It’s not that the party doesn’t have direction; it’s that they have no way of getting their message out. Their idea of “new media” is a template website and rarely updated Facebook and Twitter pages. Their email newsletter was a great idea, until it died sometime over Christmas. It was recently resurrected, but apparently not as a daily, as before, since I’ve only gotten one this year. We also saw first hand the political might of the tea party movement in the state, as a one group is mounting a campaign against the current platform and, in reality, the process itself. Expect some terse words to fly.
My favorite event by far, though, had to be the Todd Tiahrt for Senate rally. As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, I’ve chosen to personally endorse and support Todd in the race for Sen. Sam Brownback’s seat. You could positively FEEL the electricity and excitement in the air. Everyone in that room seemed to just know that we didn’t just have a shot at winning; we all knew we were going to.
These events are always filled with networking and new names. Many you leave feeling that the other person could really care less about who you are personally and instead only wants what you can give them. That’s to be expected, at least somewhat, since this is politics. That’s why I enjoy meeting other activists and why my favorite new activist acquaintance just happens to be Vicki Tiahrt. Both she and Todd and their family are some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in politics. They’re no more assuming than my next-door neighbors. In fact, they could very well be my next-door neighbors. That’s how authentic they are. It was refreshing.
In all it was a great weekend. We made some new contacts for our organization and learned so much. Michelle gained a new position, and I met some very helpful and interesting people. I can’t wait to see what God does in 2010.
Tags: College Republicans, jerry moran, kansas, Kansas Days, KSGOP, Libby Ensley, Lynn Jenkins, Mary Alice Lair, Michelle Hucke, Mitch Daniels, Pitt State, Pitt State College Republicans, republican party, Ron Thornburgh, Sam Brownback, Senate, Todd Tiahrt, Vicki Tiahrt, Virginia Crossland
Posted by caleb on Sep 11, 2009 in
Personal I just wanted to put out a quick note to thank everyone who helped make the 9/11 Remembrance Event on the Pittsburg State University campus today a success. It took many volunteers, and around $170 to put it all together, but I feel we did a great service to the memories of our fellow citizens who died that day.
Five PSU Student Organizations (Pitt State CRs, Green Gorillas, Campus Christians, PSU Newman Club, Student Association of Broadcasters) worked together today, putting politics aside, and the effect was phenomenal. As students walked through the Oval from 10 a.m. until around 1:15, we handed out miniature American flags, telling them to “Never Forget” September 11th and the lessons we learned that day. We also captured nearly ten students’ memories of the day to create a video diary, something that will soon appear on YouTube.
The Newman Club prayed a full rosary over the campus, and Campus Christians had a small prayer circle thanking God for his blessings and protection at the conclusion of the event.
KOAM also covered this event in their featured story for the evening of September 11, 2009 during both the 6:00 and 10:00 news hours.
Many people were touched today by these actions, and I was greatly humbled by everyone’s service.
Thank you all.
Caleb.
Tags: 9/11, Campus Christians, College Republicans, Green Gorillas, KOAM, Never Forget, Pittsburg State University, PSU Newman Club, September 11, Student Association of Broadcasters
Posted by caleb on Aug 26, 2009 in
Restoring the Conservative Movement Last Friday Pitt State CRs President Michelle Hucke and I worked the Iola, KS Recess Rally, where the focus was Turn Everything Around. My good friend, Virginia Crossland-Macha, was the organizer. The event began at 6:00, and we gave out free hot dogs and water to all attendees. In an encouraging display of conservative Kansas values at work, both Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS02) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS01) were in attendance.
Rep. Jenkins, of course, is the soaring rock star of the second district, having beaten a moderate Democrat in 2008 and wielding her CPA certification as a powerful weapon in Congress against bills such as the ARRA of 2008 and deficit spending. Moran is hoping to win “retiring” Sen. Sam Brownback’s Senate seat in 2010.
The over 350 proud patriots in attendance cheered as they listened to speakers like Kris Kobach, candidate for Kansas Secretary of State, Bud Siebel, local businessman, and AFP-stand in Virginia Crossland-Macha rail on Obama’s proposed takeover of healthcare, his successful enslavement of the auto industry, and the reasons Kansas must become a sovereign state.
It was a truly inspiring evening, and proved to me that Kansans are truly ready for action. After the last speaker, over 85% of the crowd stood up and got in line to sign both the sovereignty petition and Americans for Prosperity’s petition to stop Obama’s healthcare express.
Following are some Blackberry and iPhone photos taken at the event.
Michelle Hucke and Caleb Hays working the sovereignty booth.
Active and engaged citizens
Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach speaking at rally
Did you attend, host, or work at a recent recess rally or tea party? Post your experience in the comments!
Tags: College Republicans, Conservatism, jerry moran, kansas, kris kobach, Lynn Jenkins, recess rally, Tea Party, Virginia Crossland
As many of you know, I serve the Pittsburg State University Campus Republicans as the Events Coordinator. We’re a new chapter in the Kansas Federation of College Republicans; apparently my university has a problem with holding on to any on-campus Republican organizations. By any means, when we formed our group last semester, we jumped head-first into the election cycle without knowing much about organizing a political group, and since then we haven’t looked back. It’s definitely been a learning experience, but we’ve come out on top every time. This semester we reached the point where we can have actual events besides debate and election result-watching parties.
Suffice it to say, the Tax Day Tea Party in Pittsburg, KS was our coming-out party, and what a success it was! We teamed up with Virginia Crossland of Crossland Construction to put on a massive event that hosted around 500 people from the area. That’s an impressive number when you consider there were at least five other Tax Day Tea Parties in the area! We had Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS02) speak, along with my organization’s Vice President, Jason Billberry, a local city commissioner, and a local businessman. Mark Kinsely from 1310 AM KZRG was our Emcee.
I’ve included some of the best photos below, but you can check out the full gallery here.
Protest Signs
Proud American Patriots
CR VP Jason Bilberry Speaking at Tea Party
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS02) and Me
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Did you host a Tax Day Tea Party today? Let me know in the comments how it went!
Tags: Campus Republicans, College Republicans, Crossland Construction, Lynn Jenkins, Pittsburg, Pittsburg State University, Tax Day Tea Party, Virginia Crossland
Posted by caleb on Jan 10, 2009 in
Restoring the Conservative Movement The media and liberal (er, progressive) interest groups are always looking for ways to break apart and shut down the conservative movement, from flat-out lies to “misstatements” and bending the truth. Those of us who proudly wear the title “Conservative” are accustomed to their trickery, but the general population is not. If we expect to win elections, we must be able to answer every question.
Last semester, in one of our final College Republicans meetings of the semester, we invited a very liberal politics professor to speak to us, him being the very definition of a “liberal special interest”. We knew we wouldn’t agree on anything, and he knew he wasn’t going to convince us of anything, so while there were some heated moments, it was fairly congenial. However, he did raise one point that really caused me to think, not to subscribe to the liberal condition, but to re-examine how we as Conservatives and Republicans, operate.
In the midst of his skulduggery, and as part of his no-questions-welcome monologue, he used the old leftist argument (I’m paraphrasing), “Well, how can Republicans claim to be limited government folks when they support big government ideas? You can’t be limited government if you’re for government intervention into people’s private lives, such as with gay marriage and abortion!”
How do we, as conservative Republicans, address this argument? As an “all of the above” conservative (fiscal, social, and national security), I feel a bit torn when I hear this brought up. I’m all for allowing people to run their own lives, in fact, I believe it’s their responsibility, and I believe in limited government, so how do I respond?
First of all, I believe it’s important to point out to voters (not liberal “skulduggers”, they won’t listen anyway) that Conservatives and thereby, Republicans, are not the anti-government party. We believe in limits and in rules, but only as many as are necessary. We trust people are mature enough to do the right thing. That’s one reason I believe a proper democratic system of government can only survive in a nation of Christians.
I believe the perfect way to sum up the conservative movement to prospective voters is the old “My freedom stops where my fist punches your nose” adage, or the idea that a citizen is free to do as he or she wishes until they infringe on someone else’s freedom. No one individual is worth more than any other. The flip side of that is that rules exist, and even though you’re no less of a person, if you break the law, you must face the consequences, no matter who you are.
As limited government conservatives, we believe in having a government as small as possible and one whose power is limited by the people it governs. According to the US Constitution, government exists to “insure domestic tranquility” among other things. In other words, government’s place is to guarantee the rule of law is upheld and that wrongdoers are properly and justly punished.
That being said, this is where morality comes into play in government. As a Christian nation, God and His Word, the Bible, provided our moral compass, our ideas for what was right and wrong, legal and illegal. Now, however, with the onslaught of moral relativism, we have no compass. Liberal judges are happy to legislate their own flavor of morality, and their tastes change with the days of the week. We need a standard to back up our laws.
It’s important to point out that so-called “big government” social conservatives are not pushing to increase government; they’re working to undo the harm done to our society by these moral relativists. This is why social conservatism ≠ Big Government. Social Conservatives are fighting for the ever-elusive “traditional values” (Biblical truths) and are working to restore government to its size of old. It’s social liberals who are trying and succeeding in growing the federal government to allow and protect such things as gay marriage and abortion.
This is why our coalition must reconvene and be strengthened. Liberals haven’t changed their tricks or tactics, we’ve just stopped fighting their advances. They accuse us of being the party of anarchy, but they legislate it, providing protection and non-discrimination clauses to benefit those who have broken laws or assist those with ethical faults.
Folks, it’s okay to say something is wrong. There’s truth in that statement, but until we grow up and get past our fear of having our feelings hurt, none of this matters; we’ll always be the minority party, if we survive at all. But before you give up, remember this, if we don’t defend what is true and right in our nation, who will?
The answer to that professor’s question is this: “You, sir, are the one who has grown government, and we will always fight to stop you.”
Social conservatism is a limited government principle, but unless we take ownership of our own ideals, liberals will always redefine them to suit themselves.
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As always, I’m eagerly await your comments. Have something more to add to the discussion? Am I way out of line somewhere? Or do you completely agree? Let me know! Leave a comment in the section below.
Tags: Christianity, College Republicans, Conservatism, fiscal conservatism, GOP, liberalism, national security, Republican, Republicans, Restoring the Conservative Movement, social, social conservatism
