Presidential Candidate Former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)
Caleb meeting conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart
Caleb meeting Herman Cain
Caleb and Melissa Ward meeting their dinner companion, Michelle Malkin
Caleb meeting conservative speaker Ann McEilhinney
Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin
S.E. Cupp
Kansans with Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS01)
Kansas Federation of Teenage Republicans with Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS01)
NetRoots Nation ’11 protestor and security guard
We picked the ONE restaurant that Pres. Bill Clinton ate at!
Fitting that their logo looks like Obama’s!
Videos to be added at a later date – slow internet connection is preventing the massive upload from going through. In the mean time, most may be viewed at yfrog.com
For the sake of transparency, I wanted to let my readers know that I’m now volunteering with the Todd Tiahrt for Senate campaign as the Labette County coordinator and as part of the broader Southeast Kansas Power Team, headed by my good friend Michelle Hucke. I also wanted to say up front that I am receiving no financial or other compensation for this volunteer position or for any Tiahrt articles, images, or other items on my blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
But while we’re on the subject, I want to tell you why I support Todd.
I hope it’s become apparent to my longtime readers and Twitter followers that I’m not about furthering any one person’s agenda just because their rhetoric sweeps me off my feet. For me, it’s all about the conservative movement and how we, as citizens, can bring our government back inside the bounds we’ve set for it.
Every once in a great while, there comes about a candidate that truly has the ability and backbone to work for this same grand goal. In this Senate primary, that man is Todd Tiahrt.
As I hope you have seen, I don’t back candidates lightly. If you recall, it took me weeks to decide whether or not I would help the (pre-Palin) McCain campaign by doing anything besides voting for it. It wasn’t until after Palin was named VP nominee that I even campaigned for it instead of simply against Obama.
Once you meet Todd and his family, you instantly understand. Instead of the usual political garbage, you get authenticity and a feeling that you’re speaking with someone who’s actually listening, not just doing the head-bob that politicians are so good at. Fifteen seconds later, and after his surprisingly firm handshake, you realize he’s just like you; you come to understand that he could just as easily be your children’s football coach or the man who owns the local real estate agency. That’s because that’s who Todd is: a genuine, caring, and intelligent man who is one of us. Instead of D.C. changing Todd, Todd has changed D.C.
For me to support, endorse, and actually work for a candidate, I have to truly and wholeheartedly believe in them and what they stand for. #RealDeal is not just a Twitter slogan. I hope my support solidifies that idea for you, because it’s completely true.
Todd Tiahrt is that man, and he’s the real deal, Kansas.
Just so you know, this is one of those blog posts that is going to make some people upset. There, you’ve been warned.
All I ask is that you hear me out. Rip me up in the comments section, flame me on Twitter, but read what I have to say.
I don’t want the Republicans to take back control of the House and the Senate.
Even after two years out of power, they’re still on parole in my book. They’re simply not ready.
Have they had some good moments? Of course. But history is like weather cycles; they’re both doomed to repeat themselves over and over again.
Haven’t we all had enough of this flip-flopping between the parties? They commit atrocities while in office, we vote them out, and then they try to win back our trust by screaming, “But, look! They’re doing it, too!”
We had Republican majorities from 1994 until 2006, and what did we get? Some good legislation at the beginning, at least before the acquiescence of the Contract with America, but by the end, we were dealing with our beloved GOP milking the cash cow for all it was worth and growing government to sizes never before seen, with Medicare Part D, amnesty proposals, and the largest federal intrusion into education ever.
What makes everyone think this time will be different? Has two years truly been enough for them to learn their lesson? They’re not necessarily quick studies. They lost control in 2006, yet we got progressive John McCain as the nominee in 2008. Huh?
Before this gets bandied about, I am not a proponent of a third party. I never have been.
I am a true-blue (er, red?) registered Republican, and yes, Mr. Steele, I get your letters, too. I still think, as I did in 2008, that the Republican Party is our best hope to act as a catalyst for bringing traditional American values of family, frugality, and faith back to Washington, and for giving our States the standing they deserve.
We’ve seen how the Republican Party acts when its in the minority, and, you know what? I like it better. It’s the free market at work: they’re fighting for a majority and, therefore, they’re performing better. They’re willing to take those risks (see: healthcare, energy) in order to do right by those who elected them.
Let’s not open wide the door to the Capitol to anyone who is not a true defender of liberty.
Truthfully, I hope “we” gain forty-five seats in the House, and four or five in the Senate bringing us to the point where we make the Democrats nervous.
Why not just go for the whole thing? I won’t be upset, obviously, if they win majorities, but if they don’t, I’m fine with that, too. We need at least another two years out in the cold, so to speak, to really find who we are as a party. The whole point of the Tea Party movement has been to take over the Republican Party from the inside out (or, for some of you, vice versa). Have we done that yet? Eh, it’s debatable. We’ve had some good progress, with people like Sen. DeMint actively seeking out real conservative candidates, but, as evidenced by bizarre acts like Meghan McCain speaking at CPAC, we’re definitely not out of the woods yet.
So will I be campaigning for Republican candidates this fall? Of course. Will I continue to protest against all politicians who dare step on MY Constitution. Definitely. And will I rejoice if Congressional Republicans prove me wrong and we enjoy a golden age of conservatism and limited government? Yea, I guess I could go for that, too.
When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed Congress earlier this year, I knew it was only the beginning of a long four years under the Obama Administration. When President Obama was elected, he promised us, repeatedly, (Can I get a “Let me be clear…” anyone?) to run a transparent and honest administration, a goal I hope any political opportunist candidate lives up to.
However, mere months after the implementation of this so-called stimulus package, we’ve learned the “jobs saved or created” numbers were falsified and that someone got a little lax with their number checking regarding Congressional District numbers. But the whole point of this whole kerfuffle isn’t the fact that some Congressional District information was iffy.
The real issue here is the sanctity of the American Republic. What time machine did we step into that dropped us off in an alternate-universe called Soviet America? As The Next Right wrote today, “Politicians lie,” but never before in American history have we had an executive branch so blatantly use the 1984 treatment on figures and data with the expressed intent of creating more support for a political agenda.
But with lax legislative language regarding the posting of “estimates” (h/t TNR) of jobs created (or saved, whatever that means), it’s no wonder we’ve ended up where we are today. Language such as this is nothing more than a cop-out on the part of our elected officials. They provided enough wiggle room for themselves to claim accountability, but, at the same time, offer some justifiable deniability. It’s just “politics as usual” in Washington, to quote my favorite former Governor; we’re still beating the same dead horse named corruption. The problem is, she’s not really dead; the sleaze bags in Washington just renamed her.
Final thought: how much better would the world be if America could trust her leaders?
Across the world, in the troubled area known as the Middle East, in the Islamic Republic, there is a nation fighting for its God-given freedom, and you don’t seem to care. You seem more content to bask in the glowing media attention and reminisce about your intense popularity in Europe. For days you were silent on the the developing Iranian Revolution, then you issued a weak, limp-wristed, written statement claiming you didn’t want to “interfere” with internal Iranian affairs, even though the presidential election that started this recent chain of events was very visibly unfair and most definitely rigged. Oh, but I forgot, you know all about working with groups that support voter fraud, don’t you? For what it’s worth, Iran just admitted fifty cities had more votes cast than voters registered! What were you waiting for?
Then, days later, responding to pressure from lawmakers and the American public, you finally released something with just enough meat to appease your liberal supporters:
“What you’re seeing in Iran are hundreds of thousands of people who believe their voices were not heard and who are peacefully protesting and–and seeking justice. And the world is watching. And we stand behind those who are seeking justice in a peaceful way. And, you know, already we’ve seen violence out there. I think I’ve said this throughout the week. I want to repeat it that we stand with those who would look to peaceful resolution of conflict, and we believe that the voices of people have to be heard, that that’s a universal value that the American people stand for and this administration stands for.” (link)
Okay, well that’s all well and good, sir, but where’s the call to action? You spent the majority of your interview once again apologizing for America, the West, and our way of life, carefully side-stepping anything that might possibly resemble hard-and-fast support for a new, democratic government in Iran (these are from the same WSJ article):
“Well, first of all, let’s understand that this notion that somehow these hundreds of thousands of people who are pouring into the streets in Iran are somehow responding to the West or the United States. that’s an old distraction that I think has been trotted out periodically. And that’s just not gonna fly.”
And,
“And I’m very concerned based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching. And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is–and is not.”
I understand the need for a thoughtful approach, but I don’t think anyone is calling for war. All we, as the American people, want is a strongly-worded statement.
Now, perhaps you feel I’m being unfair, Mr. President. After all, you say, I didn’t vote for you, nor do I support the vast majority of your policies. In fact, I do my best to stop them, so why would I give you a fair shake on this subject? With all due respect, sir, I do my best to always treat you and your policies fairly, but at this time of crisis, that is beside the point. The point is, Mr. President, you are the leader of the free world. You set the course for all other democratic republics to follow, whether you like it or not, and your inability to release a quick, concise, and very direct message straight to the Iranian people is troubling. All it would take is two or three sentences. Here, I’ve even written them up for you:
—————–
(SUGGESTED)
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
“We stand with the Iranian people in their fight for democracy. Every people deserves to be free. The United States will do everything in its power diplomatically to assist the people of Iran.”
—————–
See, that’s not so bad. If British PM Gordon Brown can do it, surely you can, too.
Mr. President, the world is counting on you to support those demonstrating in the hope of a Free Iran. People like Neda are dying for the cause of freedom. Isn’t a strongly worded press conference the least you could do?
Sincerely,
Caleb Hays.
P.S. In case you hadn’t heard, Mr. President, Iran already hates us and was blaming us for this revolt even before your first statement. In other words, they’ll hate us whether or not you stand in support of the people of Iran, so what’s stopping you? Even Congress has approved a joint resolution supporting the protestors.
World President Barack Obama spoke today from Prague, Czech Republic on the need for total nuclear disarmament, calling on the citizens of Earth to create “peace in our time,” to quote another failed politician.
In his speech this morning, Obama delivered the wrist slap to North Korea we’d all been waiting on, at least after the U.N. “surprisingly” failed to act. In a passing, off-hand statement, Obama condemned the launch by North Korea of a ballistic missile, “Rules must be binding,” he said. “Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.” However, North Korea’s launch was in direct conflict with a 2006 U.N. Security Council Resolution. (See, Mr. President, these resolutions are just words). FOXNews reports, in the end, President Obama addressed the North Korea crisis at least a dozen times. Unfortunately, he said nothing stronger.
The meat of this speech dealt with the utopian fairy world I sometimes (read: everyday) feel he lives in. He spoke of a day when nuclear weapons will no longer be necessary, a day we all hope for, but the president laid out a plan in which a new nuclear non-proliferation treaty is drawn up, and all so-called “good” countries sign, agreeing to drastically pare down their nuclear weapons arsenals. While in liberal theory, this sounds good, it’s unrealistic, just like so many other liberal policies. Sure, perhaps we and Western Europe will agree and actually follow such a treaty, but how does anyone in their right mind believe al Queda or Russia will? Of course they won’t!
The president did said we would maintain large enough stockpiles to fend off any threat from rogue nations such as Iran or North Korea, but I have sneaky suspicion his idea of “large enough” and reality are two different things. If these groups want these weapons, nothing this current administration is apparently willing to do (talk them to death) or the U.N. says is going to stop them from acquiring these weapons.
Lending to his role as a “world citizen” Obama received large cheers from the Czech crowd when he told them his new treaty would provide safe, clean nuclear energy technology to the whole world, and that the U.S. had donated a very large sum of money to the IMF to provide a sort of “global stimulus package.” Mr. President, need I remind you who you serve? As much as I’m sure it pains you to admit it, you are not the President of the Czech Republic, or of the farther-right-than-us European Union. You are the American President, and we have enough problems of our own; we don’t need you galavanting across the countryside of the Old World undermining our security by blatantly telling the terrorists we’re dumping nuclear power.
Around 9:30 CDT this evening the communist North Korean government in Pyongyang launched a missile with the supposed intent of putting a satellite in orbit. The international community, including the United States, was suspicious of this intention, given North Korea’s very public nuclear aspirations. However, besides a few “slap on the wrist” press release exchanges, no one was willing to stop this dangerous act. South Korea is scared out of its mind, Japan is worried, given its proximity, and, well, the United States says this a “provocative” action.
Honestly, is that the best we could come up with? How about a, “If you dare shoot that ‘blasted’ thing into the sky, Kim Jong Il, we’ll shoot it down before you can say ‘Red Scare’.” But did our new President take the necessary steps to keep America safe? Of course not. The “Global Citizen”, South Korea, and Japan all referred the situation to the ever-so-helpful UN Security Council. Sorry to break it to you, Mr. President, but we’ve already administered the slap on the wrist… there’s not much more the Security Council will do.
Now, there is the (slight) chance that North Korea was simply looking to expand its space program. Perhaps all this missile contained was a satellite. But we cannot allow (warning: political incorrectness to follow) evil nations like North Korea to possess the knowledge or technology to launch rockets into space. It’s a small step to switch out a so-called “satellite” with a nuclear warhead, especially with the temptation such a missile provides; this rocket can reach the United States.
Mr. President, I call on you to do you Constitutional duty to protect the United States America and her citizens. Contrary to popular European belief, and those that you seemingly personally hold. your duty is not to the world, it’s to us and to our national interests, including our defense. I’m going to come right out and say it: forget about courting Europe, its leaders are beginning to think you’re an economic fool as it is, anyway. America is not an evil nation, nor are we “arrogant.” That’s you. We’re tired of you tearing us down; sure, we’ve made mistakes, but stick up for our good traits, stand up for America and protect us.
Mr. President, words won’t do it this time, teleprompter or not. It’s time for strong action against North Korea. I’m not calling for war by any means, but we must send a strong message to Pyongyang that launches such as this will NOT be tolerated.
Most Americans are flabbergasted over the thought of AIG employees receiving 1.6 million dollars in bonuses after the company received billions in taxpayer-funded aid from the federal government. Disregarding the (in my opinion, correct) argument that the speculative arm of AIG should never have received bailout money in the first place (the insurance divisions are still profitable), any government action that moves to force the return of any of the bonus dollars is entering into dangerous territory.
Perhaps the slightly smarter thing to do would have been to ask to renegotiate the bonus contracts, given that the company is on the edge, but that’s up to Edward M. Liddy, not Congress, and it appears he’s trying to do the right thing.
I think it’s important we step back from this issue for a moment and consider the bigger picture. More government intervention is only going to create more dangerous precedents. As we expected with President Obama’s Big Government liberal agenda, the size of our government is about to increase yet again.
There are a few things we must consider here. First of all, private companies should always be able to set their own compensation plans. This is not the responsibility of the government, nor should it be. The idea here is that, if said compensation is unreasonable, the company will suffer, and changes will be made. This, of course, hasn’t happened, since our beloved federal government keeps doling out the dough. Second, Government should never have the ability to interfere with private contracts, at least in this sense. When did it become reasonable for Senators to legislate the compensation of workers of a private (read: non-governmental) corporation, regardless of whether said company (AIG) has received federal assistance? If we allow Congress to determine executive pay and limit the amount employees may be paid in bonuses, we have become that which we most feared, perhaps moving even farther left than the “socialist” moniker. Thirdly, this idea of “punitive taxing” must die. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has publicly stated that Congress will work to tax 100% of these AIG bonuses if the employees refuse to return the money. Why is it all the sudden right or fair for Congress to single out one group of Americans to tax? If we continue down this path of selective taxing, who knows where we’ll end up. How about a tax on 67-year-old grandmothers of three who drive Ford Grand Victorias just because we can? That, in my opinion, equates to a Bill of Attainder, something prohibited under the United States Constitution, Article 1, Sections 9 and 10.
This power grab by the federal government is scary, folks. Perhaps the idea of “sticking it to ‘em” in regard to the returning of the bonus dollars sounds good on paper, but this is a matter that needs to be handled without the reckless hand of the federal government. It does seem tasteless to dole out huge bonuses when everyone is suffering, I agree, but isn’t that just like saying, “I’m mad at the world, so the world should be mad, too!” It’s the same as that friend everyone has who gets upset but feels vindicated by shooting daggers at anyone who even appears to be happy. “Misery loves company.” As a society, we seem to feel at the moment, that if things aren’t going our way, they shouldn’t be going anyone else’s way, either.
As a warning, I must stress that we do not know the whole story. It is true that at least a great percentage of all bonus-receiving employees worked in the hard-hit “speculative” division at AIG, how do we know those same employees aren’t the ones keeping it limping along as it is?
Now, of course I’m all for protecting taxpayer dollars being protected, that’s why I’m a Conservative Republican, but this is not the way to protect those dollars. We gave AIG money to stay in business, since it was “too big to fail.” It was not the original intent of the first AIG bailout to take control of the insurance giant, but to get it back on its feet. These bonus contracts were signed between AIG and its employees in 2007, and the company was legally and contractually obligated to honor them. In other words, had AIG not awarded said bonuses, their actions would have constituted a breach of contract. Being a good bailout recipient, AIG disclosed this information to the Federal Government before the money was awarded. (Obama + Geithner = hypocrites much!) It’s AIG’s job to pay their employees the previously agreed wage and we shouldn’t be trying to interfere. The short term results seem a bit smelly, but the long term effects reek of a week-old fish market. Hold your nose, and let the bonuses pass; they’re not the real problem. Most of these people are not the ones that caused the problem; they earned this money. The Federal Government’s usurpation of power is our real fight.
UpdateMarch 25, 2009 at 12:27 p.m.
The resignations of many AIG employees has begun in response to the Congressional madness occurring in Washington. This article, a resignation letter written by Jake DeSantis, a soon-to-be-former AIG-FP employee, to AIG CEO Edward M. Liddy, provides a good perspective on the whole mess.
Besides the popular CatholicVote video, this is probably the most powerful anti-abortion short film I have watched in recent months. Please share this with your friends. As always, we can only win this fight for the unborn if we stick together and work as one, with God as our leader.
I believe after the economy settles down, even if that means it bottoms out at 3,000 and stays there, President Obama & team will go in full force after every protection we have against abortion. We must stand and fight with a solidarity as never seen before, boldly proclaiming the truth, that abortion is murder and that life is sacred and precious, for the unborn and for the elderly.
I’ll be writing in the coming days about Obama’s fight for FOCA, the Freedom of Choice Act, an anti-life bill that is so important to him, he promised Planned Parenthood he would work to pass it, saying “Well, the first thing I’d do as President is pass the Freedom of Choice Act”, meaning the veryfirst thing he would do to protect “choice” would be to pass that bill. Of course, this was all before the economy blew up in our faces…
Tonight, the U.S. Senate will vote on Obama’s so-called “stimulus” plan, a bill that is really just a left wing wish list in disguise. Even though it passed the House, we as Conservatives one a sort of ideological victory: not a single Republican voted for H.R. 1. It looked like our stalwart opposition would continue in the Senate.
That is, until Sen. Collins (R-ME) decided for some reason that she would like to support such a spending bill, under the guise that she’d helped to trim off around $100 billion. While that’s a great feat, she’s missing the point. What’s occurring here isn’t stimulus, it’s generational theft. We are stealing from the younger generations, from our children’s and grandchildren’s generations. How will we ever pay this off?
Thanks to President Obama, and now Sens. Collins, Snowe (R-ME), and Specter (R-PA), we’re about to fall off the cliff into the cesspool of European-style socialism. So much for capitalism, free-markets, and plain ol’ American success.
Luckily, unlike what President Obama would have you believe, all is not lost; there is still hope (and I thought he was the one who owned that word!). The Senate will not vote on this bill until this evening, so we still have a few precious hours to stave this thing off.
Below is the entire text of the email I sent to the three fence-sitters, replacing “Maine” for “Pennsylvania” when necessary.
Dear Senator,
I am writing in complete disgust. While I appreciate your efforts to work with others, frankly, this is not the time for cooperation across the aisle, unless it means the defeat of this so-called stimulus package. I laud your efforts to cut spending from this spending bill; truly $100 billion is a large number. However, when you compare this figure to the monstrosity of spending that still exists, you can surely understand my frustration.
Senator, the future of this bill depends on you. If you support it, you will catapult our nation into a world of European-style big government socialism. If you oppose it, we may still fall off the deep end into the cesspool Obama is creating, but at least when it falls apart, the world will know you stood for what is right. On the other hand, with your opposition, we may very well defeat this so-called stimulus once and for all and save capitalism and our free-market system.
The voters have spoken. If you view the latest polls, you will see that you are not on the side of the American public, your bosses. If you do not stand for us now, why do you expect any of us to stand for you when you run for re-election? I don’t live in Maine, but I support out-of-state politicians running for national office. I don’t, however, support cowards.
The choice is yours.
Thank you,
Caleb Hays
#tcot Operation Fight the Stimulus
Please contact these Senators while there is still time! Feel free to use my email, above. Just make sure you replace my name with yours.
