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.
Add it to my Christmas list: Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue was released this Tuesday. I’m anxious to read it, and from the excerpts I’ve been able to soak in, it appears to be a solid book.
I wanted to share a solid interview Palin did with Sean Hannity earlier this week. It’s one of her best and most decisive interviews I’ve seen and answers some of the biggest questions all of us have had regarding her decisions and the McCain campaign’s choices.
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?
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has the political world reeling with her surprise resignation of the governorship on Friday from her Wasilla, AK home. Many conservatives, myself included, were in shock and disbelief after hearing the news. I was about to board a plane when I received a frantic text message from my younger sister: “Sarah Palin resigned!!” A quick Google SMS search returned no results, so I texted back, “Are you sure?!” As you may have gathered from my posts, I’m a huge Palin fan, and I was worried such a move would ruin the former VP-nominee’s future political chances.
Later that night and into the next morning, when I’d had a chance to read the transcript of her presser, I began to understand her reasoning. The fact is, no matter what she tried to do for Alaska, she would be unfairly brutalized by the press. Her effectiveness in Alaska ended after her McCain handlers forced her to continue the retched Couric interviews way back in the fall of 2008. She needed a chance to take a step back and regain control of her own public image, to give the American people, and the only way to do that was to cut her losses and leave elected office to travel the lower 48 (edit 1) to fill her rightful role as an independent leader of the conservative movement.
In recent days, Gov. Palin has been dropping hints of working toward a “higher political calling” and talked about how she feels she can do a better job helping the people of Alaska and the nation, along with conservative candidates, outside of the governor’s office.
So don’t lose heart, America! Sarah is just being Sarah and taking risks and wild leaps of faith no one else would dare do. She’s not leaving politics, she’s just following a different path. Will she run for Senate, write her book, or jump on the speaking circuit? Who knows? What I do know is anyone who counts her out is simply afraid of who she is and what she can become.
P.S. Don’t forget about SarahPAC! I’m guessing once Palin’s thrown off the restraints of public office, we’ll see her political action committee spring into even more abundant life.
Finally, we have it. Today Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska launched SarahPAC, a Political Action Committee dedicated to furthering conservative ideals and raising up worthy candidates. Specifically, the PAC believes in fighting for freedom and confronting “the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination” in the areas of health care, education, and government reform. Sounds like my kind of PAC!
“Drill, baby, drill!” lives on with SarahPAC as well. The PAC’s official site lists energy independence as a “cornerstone of … economic security.” As we learned from the campaign trail, the governor supports real energy independence, not just sources propped up by government spending and subsidies.
Keeping with the Rebuild mantra, the Governor and her PAC also believe that the GOP is in the process of reclaiming its conservative ideals and backbone with what it calls an “historic renaissance” and seems to follow the big tent conservatism idea with by “build[ing] a better future for all.”
We need someone like Gov. Palin to lead our party into the future. We need a leader with charisma and conservative ideals, and I believe she is the perfect match.
Continue to watch this space for more information. I’m encouraged by and supportive of Gov. Palin’s decision to form a national PAC, especially when so many conservatives have become disheartened and disenchanted with politics as a whole. I’ll be donating money, and I encourage you to do the same.
Joseph Cao became the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress Saturday night. Isn’t it wonderful how a Vietnamese-American can run for Congress and be elected? Look how far America has come! Isn’t it great?! Nothing like this has ever happened before!
Now wait a minute. What’s wrong with the paragraph above? One word: racism.
It’s true: Representative-elect Cao accomplished a great and commendable feat indeed with his election, for it proves once again how everyone has a chance in America. However, I like to think this isn’t a new development. I’m not denying racism exists, but I like to hold to the idea that everyone is created equal and has equal opportunities in our grand land. Some, convinced that race was the major factor in Cao’s win, not his conservatism, will most likely come out in the following days and advocate “forced diversity”, an idea that we should handpick minority candidates for their PR and vote-getting benefits, but I would argue that in order to move the conservative movement forward, we should focus not solely on gender, race, or, to a lesser extent, age, but more so on the issues and experience each person brings to D.C.
[I do not believe Cao was picked for this reason, and I am only using his name because of his recent victory. I'm using this as an example to prove my point. This idea is also yet another big reason as to why McCain lost.]
If we begin to pick and choose candidates based solely upon their race, how does that make us any different than those who voted for Obama simply because he’s black? I am by no means saying our party should remain (or become, in all reality) the party of grumpy old white men (thank goodness we’re not). However, diversity is not, nor can it be, a forced concept. A more diverse party base will occur naturally as we return to our Conservative roots. We will attract minority voters. How is forcing diversity any different than artificially saving a bank or insurance company by propping it up with tax-payer dollars? Forced diversity is not the answer.
For our country to move past racism, we must not ignore, but respect, race and ethnicity, but it must not someone’s sole qualification for office. We’ve seen where that can take us. Many said it was racism not to support Obama, but, in the same vein, why was it not sexism to bash Palin? Disclaimer: I am from a mixed ethnic ancestry, which includes Native American, European, and Jewish forefathers. I’m also a white male, which supposedly means I’m an ignorant bigot. Not true, but yet another example of discrimination.
My point is this: voting for someone based upon their race is just as bad as NOT voting for someone based up on their race. It’s still racism.
I say this to the Republicans who think we should be actively and seeking out minority candidates for the simple fact that they’re not Caucasian. Minority candidates will come on their own once we get a clear message that actually appeals to voters (i.e. true conservatism).
Each person should be viewed for who they are, individually. This gender and racial stereotyping nonsense has to stop. We are all Americans, equally. You are no less of a citizen if you are in the minority or the majority.
Just ask newly-elected Representative-elect Joseph Cao, Conservative Republican. Oh, and by the way, he’s also a Vietnamese-American who emigrated here after the Vietnam War.
——
I know I said some tough things in this article. If you’d like to discuss them further, or even put me on what you think is the right track, please leave a comment below. It was not my intent to lessen the importance of someone’s racial or ethnic background, but to point out that people have so much more to offer than their skin color or ancestry.
[This is an edited version of this post. I decided I'd tried to stuff too much into one article.]
Last night, Republican from LA-02 Anh “Joseph” Cao, whom I’ve mentioned here by name a few times before, won his bid for election to the U.S. Congress and defeated the indicted Rep. William J. Jefferson. Jefferson is accused of bribery, money laundering, and misuse of office. Cao will be a dedicated conservative, at least according to his campaign web site (See Ethics Reform and Public Safety and Economic Recovery). My biggest congratulations go out to Representative-elect Cao and his campaign staff and family. He’s exactly the type of man we need in Congress, especially from an area so fraught with corruption like New Orleans.
We had another victory last night in Louisiana’s fourth Congressional district. Republican John Fleming beat out Democrat Paul Carmouche with a 48%-47.7% margin. Carmouche has promised a recount, since less than 500 votes separate the two candidates. Provisional ballots have also not been counted, which could, but shouldn’t, tip this in favor of Democrat Carmouche. This win, coupled with Cao’s, was somewhat of a balance of power-swinger: Republicans now hold 6 out of the 7 seats in Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation.
I caught wind of Fleming’s bid for Congress late in the game, but I’m thinking I’m even happier for his election than for Cao’s, a man whom I respect (and whose campaign called me at 9:15 CT Friday night to travel to LA and help out in the office [I live in Southeast Kansas and said, "Sorry... do you have an online phone bank?!]) and admire. The more I look into Fleming, the happier I get. Take a quick look around his “Issues” pages, “National Defense” and “Republican Party & Conservative Values” in particular. The man campaigned on exactly what we have all been saying all along! Someone invite him to #TCOT! He mentions “radical Muslims” as one of the sources of terror in the world, a brave, but very true statement: the media won’t even call them “Islamic” any more. He also says we need to return to our Reagan-esque roots, that we got kicked out of Congress not because we were too conservative, but because once in power, we weren’t conservative enough! He sounds like my kind of Representative!
With Saturday night’s two victories, we have gained one seat in the House of Representatives and held another, bring the Democrats net gain down one.
Main point: Yes, we won two major battles last night in electing two more Conservative members of Congress (at what point do we drop “Republican” and “Democrat” in the U.S.?), and yes, we have reason to celebrate, but we should not think we have reformed the party enough or that we are by any means yet ready for 2010 midterm elections just because we’ve now won three special elections. We still have plenty of work to do, and it begins on the grassroots level, as I have mentioned many times before. The point I’m trying to make is that we can never let down our guard, we can never believe the job is finished, even if we elect a Republican majority in 2010. We must be always reforming, always looking for ways to eliminate pork and government waste. We must protect the helpless and punish those who hurt them. Government must grow smaller. That is the future of the Republican Party, with the Conservative Movement steadily at the steering wheel.
It’s official, Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) has won re-election after a hard-fought general election campaign and subsequent run-off election, and hallelujah! But, that’s old news by now. What’s just emerging, however, is the reason for it: us. Dedicated, grassroots conservative Republicans are the reason Saxby won (not to mention a little help from Gov. Sarah Palin, one of my personal heros). You see, it wasn’t the powers that be that won this election as much as it was regular, everyday Americans like you and me who cared enough about their country to donate a few bucks or make a few calls (also not to mention a few concerned PACs: HuckPAC, National Republican Trust).
We’ve got a lot of work in front of us, but the 2008 season isn’t even over yet. Louisiana’s Congressional elections are still later this week (Saturday, December 6). ) LA-06 (Joseph Cao, whom I’ve mentioned before) and LA-04 (John Fleming, whom I haven’t) are up for grabs. If you can make a last minute donation to either campaign (Cao, Fleming) or even just Twitter about them (including their links), it would help (while you’re at it, follow @calebhays for my updates).
In the end, congratulations to newly-reelected Senator Saxby Chambliss on a landslide of a victory. We need your voice in the U.S. Senate, but I urge everyone not to lose sight of our bigger goal: restoring America and the conservative movement in the GOP. Rebuilding isn’t a one day process. It’s a slow journey that happens every single day, with bumps in the road and harsh setbacks, but I believe we will prevail.
Thanksgiving: family, turkey, and shopping. At least that’s how it generally goes for me. We talk, eat, and shop, but generally we don’t give a lot of thought to our many blessings, at least en masse.
This year, I thought I’d share some of what I’m thankful for.
God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. I’d be sunk without it.
Family and Friends. They keep me going everyday.
Homemade pumpkin pie and greenbean casserole. It’s not Thanksgiving without truly delicious (but fattening) foods.
Freakin’ awesome Black Friday bargains. Better hurry up and check out BFAds if you haven’t already… you’ve got five hours in Central Time.
Apple, Macs, and iPods. Ease-of-use and future careers are nice. Besides, I couldn’t live without my MacBook Pro or my iPod touch.
Gov. Sarah Palin and Conservative Values. Like I said, the future is great, but unless we all get on board, it’s going to be a long road ahead, no matter how amazing Gov. Palin is.
Sleep. I’m a teenager and a college student; I think this goes without explaining.
School and Scholarships. Yea, I know, but I’m happy to have the opportunity to create a better life for myself.
the “and Scholarships” part. I’m also thankful not to have to pay for it.
I posted this late because I like to think Thanksgiving goes on through at least Friday, if not Saturday morning (also because I was too busy eating and browsing the Black Friday ads to break away to write this…), so join in the great turkey call and tell me what you’re thankful for.
Last Tuesday didn’t go as we’d hoped. We all know that, and if you’re like me, you’re sick of hearing about it. In fact, you were probably sick all day Wednesday and half of Thursday. I know I was.
But, the fact is, we were right in the beginning. Those of us that supported Huckabee, Romney, or Thompson knew that McCain wasn’t the best choice, but we soon realized that he was the only one with any chance of fighting the Obama machine. He was the only candidate with the whole package of electable qualities. He had the connections, the reputation, and the experience. He also had (at first) the media’s support, but John McCain was not the perfect candidate: John McCain was our best hope.
Now, before I get blasted for seemingly contradicting myself, let me state the obvious. I was wrong. However, I hope you understand the underlying reasons for my push for John McCain. While in the end I did support him and many (not all) of his proposed policies, it was Sarah Palin whom I really wanted elected. McCain was simply the vehicle to get a true conservative into the White House once again, and therein lies the reason why McCain did not succeed. As others have said, Barack Obama wanted to become President, while John McCain wanted to be nice, congenial, and unassuming. Folks, that’s not the way you win the Presidency. Now, I’m not abandoning John McCain, for I still believe he would have been a better President than Barack Obama could ever dream of becoming, but we must move on.
I believe this (somewhat-resounding) defeat is actually a blessing in disguise. What the Obama victory has given us is something we haven’t had for the past political generation and never though we’d welcome: relative obscurity. The Democrats lived in it throughout the early Bush years, and they used it to their advantage, building their grassroots organizations and spreading the seeds for broad societal change. If you don’t agree that obscurity can be a blessing, look where they are now.
It seems to me we’ve got two choices. We can either stick our tails between our legs and limp away to lick our wounds, or we can fight for what’s right for America, but that process must begin today. If we want to reclaim our nation, we have no other choice. Let us begin grooming tomorrow’s Republican Congressional Candidates immediately. When we finally woke up to the dangers that Obama was proclaiming, we were effective! Just take a look at the National Republican Trust’s whirlwind fundraising record set in the last two weeks of the campaign. We must continue to fully fund effective PACs, like HuckPAC and National Republican Trust. In order to stop the socialist onslaught, we must regain seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2010. Let us begin the next Republican Revolution, today!
The Liberals have MoveOn.org to spread their hate and deceit; why aren’t we as effective with using the Internet to spread our message of prosperity, individual liberties, and limited government? This must change. Support conservative bloggers you enjoy reading, like Michelle Malkin or this site. The Left has control of the main stream media, so it’s time for us to take control of the New Media. Instead of heading over to CNN.com for your news, pick it up at FoxNews.com or Pajamas Media. Don’t just keep it to yourself, either: tell your friends about these sites, and talk them up at work. Word of mouth is our best advertising tool.
Another grassroots organizing site to consider was just put up by the RNC, RepublicanforaReason.com. It includes direct links to the GOP platform and an encouraging video about past Republican Presidents.
Also, I do want to point out that although Barack Obama’s win is historic, this election was never about race. You are not a racist for disagreeing with Obama’s policies; it used to be called Free Speech. I encourage you to use that right, respectfully.
I know 2012 seems a ways off, and I also know that many of you don’t even want to think about another Presidential election yet, but folks, the campaigns have already begun. Palin has been dropping hints about a 2012 or 2016 run, and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has already started visiting Iowa. Something like 64% of Republicans want Palin in 2012. Gov. Mike Huckabee pulls 12%, and Gov. Mitt Romney, 11%. Me? I’m pulling for a Palin-Jindal ticket. I think Palin has shown that she is the one who can truly bring true reform to Washington, and I’m excited to watch how things play out for her, especially since she’s finally outside of the auspices of John McCain. Jindal is a man to watch in his own right, having brought Louisiana through two major disasters this year, supporting Life, and backing fiscal conservatism (even if he needs some schooling in the use of earmarks).
We can and will prevail, but only our unwavering diligence will bring conservatism back to Washington. You say, “We’ll get ‘em next time?” Show me. Start work today and never give up. Don’t talk of moving to a foreign nation; this is our country, too, and I intend to help put it back on the correct path. Are you with me?
I’ll leave you with this admonition from the great British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill:
“We shall go on to the end, …we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength… whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, … we shall never surrender!“
RT @Rightone: does the navy have DONT TICKLE, DONT TELL policy?? #tcot /via @pir8gold // More like, you tickle me, Ill castrate you. #massatwitter.com41 mins ago
@blatchway ha, i'm sure that happened a long time ago... ANYBODY that knows @vcrossland is probably on the list.. haha :) twitter.com46 mins ago
