They Chanted Tiahrt! Tiahrt! Tiahrt!

This is a guest posting I wrote for On the Kansas Trail, a blog published semi-weekly by Vicki and Jessica Tiahrt.

On Saturday, June 26 the Olathe Republican Party hosted their annual picnic and straw poll. Candidates from Kansas’ Third Congressional District and those running statewide were invited to attend, pass out literature, and set up booths. Each candidate was also given a small allotment of time to speak.

I had worked that morning at the Edgerton, KS parade, so I arrived right after the picnic started – hundreds of people were already there, talking with candidates and their volunteers. The first thing I noticed, however, wasn’t the delicious smell of hamburgers being grilled by State Representative Arlen Siegfreid, but the sheer number of red Tiahrt shirts! With the estimated 800 or so in attendance, over a quarter were wearing the signature Tiahrt red, while nearly a hundred more proudly displayed their Tiahrt stickers.

Throughout the late morning and early afternoon, the buzz built as it neared time for Congressman Tiahrt to address the red shirt-saturated crowd. People were constantly coming up to our booth to speak with the Congressman and to snap a picture with our proudly displayed life-sized cutout of Gov. Sarah Palin, one of Rep. Tiahrt’s most recent endorsements – a list filled with conservative super-stars that builds daily.

When the Congressman was finally able to take the stage a few minutes after 1:30, the crowd erupted in to the loudest screaming, applause, and cheering heard for any candidate – many times over. In fact, Rep. Tiahrt was unable to begin speaking for over a minute as the crowd slowly quieted down enough to hear the microphone.

Todd spoke of our need as a nation to return to stalwart conservative values and of the ever-growing list of leaders and voters who have endorsed him. He discussed how he spent over ten hours on the floor of the House of Representatives fighting endlessly and tirelessly against Pres. Obama’s so-called healthcare reform package (while his opponent recorded videos outside the Capitol).

With the determination he used to fight to destroy the government takeover of healthcare, the dedication he used to never vote for a stimulus package, a bailout, or a tax increase, and the inspiration he gained from working to make a starting position as an underclassman on his high school football team, Todd Tiahrt will do something D.C. hasn’t seen in years. He’ll bring common sense to the madness. It’s not so much how long you’ve been in Washington, but how much Washington is in you.

With thundering interruptions every forty-five seconds, the Congressman was nearly unable to finish his speech during the allotted time. Those in attendance clung to his every word, cheering as loudly as possible. When he finished, they chanted “Tiahrt! Tiahrt! Tiahrt!” and applauded him for two solid minutes before the announcer was forced to re-take the stage.

As if anyone needed reminding of the incredible momentum building behind the Tiahrt campaign, Todd won an astronomical 73.6% of the straw poll vote, besting his opponent by an almost three-to-one margin, proving once again that he is the REAL DEAL for Kansas.

Tags: Arlen Siegfried, Jessica Tiahrt, Olathe, Olathe Straw Poll, Palin, republican party, Sarah Palin, Southeast Kansas Power Team, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, Vicki Tiahrt

Of Midterms and Majorities

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.

Tags: Congress, Congressional elections, conservative movement, Election 2010, GOP, Jim DeMint, mccain, Meghan McCain, Michael Steele, obama, progressivism, republican party, RNC

Kansas Days 2010

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