AMERICA IS CONSERVATIVE

Conservativism vs. Libertarianism

2012-02-15T21:46:00.000-06:00

There is a video floating around where Santorum says that he is not a Libertarian and is not happy with the emergence of Liberatrianism in the GOP. He has clearly stated time and time again that he is a conservative. Ron Paul is the obvious Libertarian is the race. He has spent the entire campaign trying to articulate as well as he can the need for the GOP to embrace liberty as he describes it.

So, the conservatives and the libertarians are fighting to lead the GOP. And, given the great support that Paul has garnered, there is clearly a place for libertarianism within the GOP. But, the question is - which view wins?

The Tea Party's emergence a few years ago was for the very specific purpose of reducing the size of government. It opposed TARP, Obamacare, Cap and Trade, and other government spending that Obama was promoting. What's interesting is that it seems that the conservative arm of the party would actually support spending, but the type of spending that supports our social goals.

In other words, Santorum should just as well be saying: I want the government to spend money on programs, just not Obama's programs. Paul would say: I don't want the government to spend money on any program, whether or not I agree with the purpose of the program.

I find for myself that I am a hybrid. Is that possible? I want liberty. I don't want the government to make decisions for me. However, I think that the government should reflect the values of the people. I am still deciding if I am as pure a libertarian as Paul. Probably not.

At CPAC, Phyllis Schlafly discussed the connection between social and fiscal policies. She mentioned that in years past, there was a greater marriage benefit in the tax code than there is now. The savings for "married filing jointly" was greater and has been reduced over time. Santorum has said that things like mortgage deductions, charitable deductions, and the child deduction should continue and are representative of our fiscal policy reflecting our social beliefs.

I find myself agreeing with Santorum on some things, but not comfortable when it gets taken too far. President W. Bush raised funding for religious organizations. I disagree that the government should be funding community groups (the whole point is that they should be privately funded). Gingrich supported the formation of the Department of Education which was the first step toward the mammoth, overreaching agency we have today. I believe that education should be handled by parents and if there are any kinds of rules around education, they should be created as locally as possible to the child (at the state or community level).

So, at the end of the day, do I support Paul's fiscal policies or Santorum's? I'd say Paul's. I'd like to see the government get it's hand out of as much as possible.

Shocking Article Limiting Parents' Rights!

2012-02-15T12:43:00.000-06:00

In case you needed a reminder for what we're fighting for, here is a little article that should blow your mind. Basically the school inspects all homemade lunches and "supplements" them when they don't meet USDA standards. This child had a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, apple juice, and potato chips. The school determined they needed to supplement the child's meal with chicken nuggets and sent a $1.25 bill home with the child for the parent to pay.

I was shocked that this happened here in the United States, it certainly didn't sound like something a "free" country would have take place, but these are the kinds of stories we're going to hear more and more about if the liberal movement continues on their path of mandating and picking and choosing what liberties and freedoms we're allowed to have.

Basic Conservative - "Looking Forward To A Romney Presidency"

2012-02-14T11:05:00.000-06:00

If you haven't discovered the blog Basic Conservative yet, take a look. The blogger appears very thoughtful and articulate in his opinions and seems to do some good research. I really like his summary as to why Romney, over others, will make a great president.

"So this is why I think he’ll make a great President. The one topic that gets Romney fired up is business itself. He has real passion when he starts talking about the free market and how business provides a path out of poverty for us all, and frankly, that should be a beautiful thing to all of us, after three years of a President who speaks with pride about keeping his boot on the neck of industries. We desperately need a President who can explain to the public why business is good for us, why wealth and profit are healthy and good. We need a President who demonstrates a passion for and history of promoting business. We need a President with a demonstrated ability to save what can be saved, eliminate what needs to be eliminated, and turn failures into successes. Our biggest problems today aren’t the debate over legalizing pot or gay marriage. We’re not going to get anywhere trying to reinstate the gold standard. Our priorities ought to be readily apparent. Our economy is a mess and our government is broke. We need a turnaround artist. This is exactly what Mitt Romney has specialized in.

The rest of the remaining field has impressed me in various ways. Up until the last few weeks, I was strongly favoring Newt. I’ve always been impressed by his intellect and historical perspective, and I can be swayed by intelligent debate. I’ll admit, I do still love the idea of a Newt/Obama debate. His conservative history is checkered, but so is everyone else’s, and I found it hard to argue with his list of accomplishments. But the last month has reminded me of why he quickly lost the support of his own party in the 90s, and shown that while he’s a heavy hitter, he’s so unfocused that he misses far more often than he connects. His attacks on Romney’s record with Bain Capital showed that he either completely misunderstands capitalism, or is willing to say things he knows are patently untrue as long as he thinks he can personally gain from doing so. His long history of conservative crusades and his more recent robo-calls falsely claiming that Romney forced elderly Holocaust survivors to eat non-Kosher food make the latter seem more likely, but either way, these attacks show that he would be a completely inappropriate choice to communicate a conservative, pro-business message to America.

Santorum has virtually reinvented himself in the last few weeks, and I like the new Rick. In the past, he’s been petulant and condescending. Now, he’s smiling, confident, and he’s almost completely lost his disdainful smirk. However, his message is still almost exclusively focused on social issues, and frankly, it’s the economy, stupid. When it comes to the social issues, I disagree with him as often as I agree. He’s uncompromising, and only other uncompromising people actually respect that–and few Americans are truly uncompromising. He cannot win in a general election, and I therefore cannot support him.

Paul has also impressed me recently, which is refreshing. I don’t believe for a minute that he’s backed off any of his foreign policy ideas (he’s never changed his mind on anything in his life, why start now?), but he’s stopped really talking about them, and focused on the small-government, economic liberty message that all conservatives can get behind. I’m thrilled that he’s successfully brought that message to the public–Republicans coast to coast are talking about the Austrian school and auditing the Fed. It’s a wonderful thing. I also think his idea that Iran is no threat is insane and would lead to disastrous policy decisions along the lines of Neville Chamberlain in the 30s, and I’m also quite uncomfortable with a President that winks and nudges 9/11 truthers to keep a lock on the pro-grassy knoll voters. That said, I hope he keeps fighting so strongly for what he believes in, because he has personally shifted the public discourse in amazing ways.

Romney’s record is not without blemish. Nobody’s is. Romneycare was a bad idea. Newt supported it, along with cap and trade. Santorum voted against right-to-work laws, and his social views scare a lot of people off. Paul, well, I’ve already gone there. But let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Let’s remember that our nominee will be up against a candidate with a deeply flawed record as well: lawsuits preventing Boeing from hiring thousands, raids against Gibson guitar factories, blocking the Keystone pipeline, not to mention the regulatory messes of Obamacare and Dodd-Frank, and constant attacks on anyone that has managed to do too well for themselves and employ too many people. We have an anti-business, anti-success President, and we need a pro-business, pro-success candidate to show the country the deepest differences between conservatives and liberals.

For that, I will happily and enthusiastically support and vote for Mitt Romney."

Did Obama Plant The Contraception Question In The GOP Debate?

2012-02-14T10:27:00.000-06:00

It is interesting now that we have the contraception issue with Obama who believes that every religious organization should have to cover contraception in their health insurance plan (even though I am still failing to understand why contraception is actually something people would go to their insurance to cover). But, this Obama mandate for contraception comes a few weeks after George Stephanopoulos went after Romney in the January 7 GOP debate to ask him if states should be able to ban contraceptives. Was Stephanopoulos laying the groundwork for Obama to see what kind of reaction the GOP field would have on the issue of forced contraceptives? Dick Morris thinks so. Here is part of an interview he did with Hannity:

DICK MORRIS: Obama did not make a mistake in this mandate. It’s a deliberately calculated move on his part. The Democrats realize that abortion is no longer a winner for them. It used to be ten points more pro-choice than pro-Life, now it’s ten points more pro-Life than pro-choice possibly because of the publicity of the anti-abortion people, possibly because of the aging of the population. But the point is that it’s a loser issue. So what they’re trying to do now is replace it with contraception.

So the first piece of evidence was after Santorum won Iowa, the first controversy was, “Do you think states should have the right to ban contraception?” Where did that come from? Then you remember that ABC debate with that paid Democratic hitman George Stephanopoulos went after Romney trying to…

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Friend of yours, Dick.

MORRIS: …trying to pin him down on, on contraception? And Romney kept saying, “George, nobody wants to make contraception.” “No, but do they have the theoretical power to do it?” Remember, it was five minutes, people were laughing at him, booing him. Well that…

HANNITY: You think he was doing this under direct orders?

MORRIS: Under orders. And I think, and now he comes out with this thing on contraception. They want to create the idea, and it’s no coincidence, that he came out with it after Minnesota and Colorado which was Santorum’s victories. They want to create the impression that the Republicans will ban contraception, which is totally insane, but they’re floating it out and they’re bringing it out there. And this move on Obama’s part was part of injecting that issue.

Negative Sentiment For Mitt Blinds Some In GOP

2012-02-13T23:39:00.000-06:00

It is fascinating in this campaign to watch voters proclaim their anger for the candidates’ attacks on each other. Just like every election, the candidates use negative ads and misleading comments about each other to get ahead in the polls. “Well why shouldn’t they?” you may ask, “This is politics after all.” Yes, it is. But what is interesting is the emotions that come from the GOP faithful who are paying very close attention in this race. Since this is my first Twitter election (I barely knew what it was a few years ago) and my first election as a blogger, I have had a front row seat to all the online fighting.

What’s especially interesting is the hatred for Mitt Romney. He certainly has a unique background compared to others in the race, and it is fair to have concerns about any candidate. But there seems to be such a strong negative reaction to him by some. Let’s review some examples:

From Twitter:

-Romney proved he’s a liberal when he said he’s conservative 25 times in a26 minutes speech.

-Nothing in Mitt Romney’s record indicates he is anything other than a tax and spend liberal Republican, ‘masquerading’ as a conservative.

-Mitt Romney is the Bizarro Six Million dollar Man: a broken robot who needs to be rebuilt as a human.

Then, there are the blogs. Some of those in the blogosphere think that the worst possible event of this century would be the election of Romney. Romney as President would be worse than a tsunami or nuclear meltdown. This is not just about choosing one candidate over the others, this is about a visceral hatred for him.

Dan Riehl of RiehlWorld View is one example. The anger that comes from his site against Romney is far past that of a commentator who has concerns about a candidate, it is more of vile hatred for the man that would be president and is sacrificing his time, energy, and money to stand up for his country. A very small sample from Riehl's site:

May as well get this on record, despite how he will now likely spin or pivot out of political conniving, the fact is, Mitt Romney actually doesn't care about the very poor beyond seeing them as some unfortunate class of people deserving of charity.

I don't see a president here. I see a very small man, petty and vindictive after being rocked by losing South Carolina. Romney hasn't fought anyone on the issues. He dissembles when they come up. And we all know his vile attacks on the other candidates began all the way back in Iowa. I don't like what I see in this guy. I really don't.

He’s not the only one, there are plenty of these types of examples out there.

Romney is not the devil, he is not a “small, petty, and vindictive” man. You may not like his politics, but is it necessary to speak so rudely about him? Is it necessary to give the Left such fuel? Is it necessary to insult the man so much that you are the one that comes across as “small, petty, and vindictive?”

What's sad is that I've read Riehl's blog and he has a lot of great things to say on other topics. He seems to be very passionate about conservatism and works hard to articulate that view. But, something seems to take over him when Romney's name comes up.

This “anti-Mitt” sentiment has gotten so nasty that it has brought out a side of conservatives that is not appealing. Let's save this anger for Obama, not for those who want to unseat him.

Santorum Does Not Support The Tea Party

2012-02-13T21:35:00.000-06:00

Well, I was wondering when Santorum was going to be vetted. I think it still hasn't happened yet. But, now that he is in the top two, stories are starting to trickle out about things he has said in the past and things he has voted for. Here's a video that will not bode well with Tea Party supporters:

Obama's Budget Asks For Spending Increases

2012-02-13T10:49:00.000-06:00

"President Obama is offering his spending blueprint for the next decade -- an election-year document that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction through cuts in government spending, higher taxes and inclusion of last year's debt-ceiling deal for deficit reduction. At the same time, Obama will ask for substantial spending increases on infrastructure and job training, but will offer few reforms to entitlement programs, which take up 40 percent of the annual federal budget.Republicans, who are vowing to oppose Obama's tax increases, have planned several events Monday to counter the president's release. On Sunday House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said the president's proposal is full of gimmicks and does little to reduce the deficit or curb the rapid growth of benefit programs like Medicare."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/12/presidents-budget-out-monday-already-meets-gop-skepticism/#ixzz1mHUlyPVE

CPAC Swag! Giveaway

2012-02-13T10:38:00.002-06:00

We got so many books and t shirts, we feel obligated to share the fun! So over the next couple weeks we're going to be giving away some CPAC Swag! Nothing better than free stuff, right? Keep your eyes peeled for a way to win!

Obama's Budget Plan - More Of The Same

2012-02-13T08:12:00.001-06:00

So, our fearless leader has a budget plan. Wow. Try to contain your shock. I decided to get a preview and see if there are any details that would make the plan worthy of where we are economically. Turns out, President Obama just decided to recycle the same failed ideas he's had since taking office. What is the definition of insanity again?

Here's more from CNN:

When it comes to taxes, President Obama's 2013 budget proposal on Monday is expected to include a host of repeat performances.

In fact, many of the proposals he'll make have appeared in every budget Obama has put out since taking office.

One addition this year: a so-calledBuffett Rule to ensure that those making more than $1 million pay their "fair share," which President Obama has defined as paying at least 30% of their income in taxes.

But senior administration officials made clear that Monday's budget will offer no details about how the Buffett Rule would actually work, saying only that it's a guiding principle for overhauling the tax code.

Obama will include other more concrete, oft-made proposals that would increase the tax bite on high-income households, while calling for expanding or making permanent other tax breaks for the middle class.

Of course, the reason so many of the president's earlier tax proposals appear again in his fiscal year 2013 budget is because they have yet to be adopted by Congress.

That's right. And, they're not going to be adopted by Congress, so the President is in for another disappointing year.

Romney's Executive Experience Outshines Rivals

2012-02-12T11:03:00.001-06:00

Here are some excerpts from a great article on Mitt Romney's leadership:
Mitt Romney has the support of many who have had experience with him over the past 30 years, whether in his personal relationships, private enterprise, the Olympics or as Governor. They not only stand with him, they are passionate about their support, because they know him. Comparatively, Newt and Rick have few, if any, who have worked with them over their Washington careers that stand with them; further, they seem to have alienated those with whom they have worked. Their rhetoric and/or intransigence have made them ineffective or damaged goods as “leaders.”

Now is the time for conservatives, independents and moderates to stand against the Obama agenda – to coalesce and stand with Mitt, the most electable, experienced, and successfully conservative leader in the race! Now is the time to bring the depth of conservatism and pragmatism together to save our Nation and restore our future to the greatness of its past! Now is the time put aside our myopia and look at the realities before us — this is America’s defining moment and we cannot afford the risk of losing this election; the most important in our lifetime. We cannot continue our current course, for if we do, we will lose more than we can imagine. We cannot nominate failed leadership or lack of leadership, again. Rick Santorum has never led, nor has Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich failed miserably. The temptations of power and influence can be corruptive, as in Newt’s case, and blinding as in Rick’s case. Mitt has stood the measure of time and experience and not suffered the allure of power — he has proven such in his life of service without seeking the spotlight and accolades. He has led in meekness and principle. We must nominate the most electable, competent, capable and proven conservative leader to stand against the Obama machine, Mitt Romney.

Read the rest here.

Mitt Romney Takes Maine

2012-02-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney wins the Maine Caucus and edges out Ron Paul, who had spent a lot of time and money trying to win over voters. Paul did follow with an impressive 36% to Romney's 39%. Santorum was third followed by Gingrich, an embarrassing finish for someone who told the other candidates to drop out just a few weeks ago.

The Musings of a First Time CPAC Attendee!

2012-02-11T22:13:00.000-06:00

Now that we’re closing up CPAC, it’s time for me to take a moment to reflect on my time here. I’m a first timer here at CPAC and I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many other conservatives across the nation. From listening to the speeches, and speaking with attendees and activists- the most common word I’m hearing is FREEDOM. Freedom to choose how to live our lives, freedom to choose how we work, how we raise our children, who is our doctor, where we work, and what to believe. Freedom to donate our time, money, efforts, and resources to what we believe in. The liberal agenda is wanting to restrict our choices and we need to stand up and refuse to have a dictator tell us how to live our lives.

The highlights of my time here begin with the moderator of a spending panel, Colin Hanna, the President of Let Freedom Ring, who said, "We have entitlement to liberty, not entitlement to programs." How true this rang for me. People often forget that we are granted freedom from God, not the government. We do not have a right to healthcare, or food stamps, or any other programs the federal government has put into place. We have a right to be free and it's the government's job to protect it.

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) helped me know that I wasn't alone in thinking that "there is a serious shortage of fairness in the White House." Soon after Obama was placed in office, I just couldn't help but thinking that he was putting into place his best friends- ignoring the will of the people. I felt like Obamacare, despite having little support, was forced on me and was the gateway to more dictatorship affecting how I live. McConnell said Obama "rewards friends and punishes his enemies" and that Obama needed to take responsibility for the policies they put in place, instead of placing the blame on anyone but himself.

Steve King (R-IA) spoke and gave us numerous statistics and thoughts, but what stuck out to me the most was that food stamps has increased by 45% this administration. A staggering amount of US citizens are on some form of government assistance. I have worked in the inner cities, I have seen first hand the damage of being on food stamps can do to a person- eliminating their self esteem, eliminating their motivation, and eliminating generations of respect.

I'll admit as well that I truly enjoyed hearing Kirk Cameron, and I promise my opinion is not shaded by watching him on Growing Pains. Rebecca and I had the privilege of meeting Kirk on the elevator before he spoke. He was kind, he was genuine, and hearing him speak later that day and hearing his ideas and concepts (look at his new movie Monumental, to come out soon for a one night only viewing) made me have a greater understand of why fighting the good conservative fight is worth it, even when we feel defeated and overwhelmed with the liberal agenda and bias. Because, as he says in his movie, “My family is worth fighting for and so is yours.” As a mother, I know that my child is directly affected by the choices that I make, but not only by my choices, but by every voter who steps into that booth on election day and ultimately by the next person who occupies the White House.

Whitney Houston Dead At 48

2012-02-11T22:12:00.000-06:00

I know we usually talk about politics here but after the end of a wonderful conservative conference, we discover that Whitney Houston has passed away. She was gifted a beautiful voice by her Creator and worked hard to develop her gift. It is sad that she is gone. May she rest in peace and may a loving Heavenly Father be with her family and loved ones and they mourn her loss.

Sarah Palin Gives Epic Speech At CPAC!

2012-02-11T16:33:00.000-06:00

Sarah Palin brought an energy to CPAC today that no other speaker brought the entire conference. She gave an incredible speech, strongly and staunchly defending conservative principles and spiritedly going after Obama.

She went after the size of government. "This government isn't too big to fail, it is too big to succeed." She said, folks are worried that our future is going to be worst than our past. It isn't a failure of the American people or America itself. It is a favor of our leadership.

"But we know how to change that. Oh yes we do. Oh yes we can." "America has reached her tipping point."

Protestors made it into the Sarah Palin speech at CPAC, yelling and screaming while she was talking. The crowd started yelling "U S A" and "Sarah, Sarah." The protestors were escorted out and Sarah said to the crowd, "See, you just won." And the crowd went wild!

She then went on with her speech. "Americans should not have to spend their lives working so hard so that the government can spend easy. WTF, I know!!" "We have a better jobs plan, and its called the free market."

She went on to slam Obama for his overreaching policies. Where were the agencies when Corzine lost 1.2 billion dollars?

"You keep your change, we'll keep our God, our guns, our constitution!"

"Professor Obama may have forgotten the Bill of Rights, but we shall not forsake it...I ask you to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. If not us, then who?"

"We're going to put our confidence in the strength of our armed forces, not the hollow promises of our adversaries." "We must be home of the brave."

She spoke of the gaping divide between Washington and the rest of the country. "It has never been more dangerous." Washington is hiring while the rest of the country is losing jobs. Washington produces nothing, they don't create wealth, "they take it." "This is Obama's Washington...It is something that our Forefathers never envisioned." Washington borders 7 of the 10 richest counties in America. "This is the playground for the government rich."

The EPA is an imperilment to our private industry and is enslaving us to foreign energy. "Instead of calling Washington a swamp, we should call it a wetland" so that the EPA would stop government growth, she joked.

Palin discussed crony capitalism. She said, "Government connections and the permanent political class are the result. Occupy protesters are protesting the wrong thing."

"We took a good first step in 2010 as much as the media wants you to forget that, Tea Party patriots!" "I toast the Tea Party members of Congress." Obama has fought these folks every step of the way and has lied about them, she said of Tea Party members.

She said, "we are taking back the senate and will fortify the House!" She said the Tea Party members of Congress should get leadership posts.

She went on to discuss the need to defeat Obama. "President Obama is a Chicago politician where graft, corruption and quid pro quo is the Chicago way." She asserted that Obama didn't fight the machine, he used it to get to Washington. Now, he'll try to reinvent himself. How many more Solyndras are out there, she asked.

She said that candidates are being filtered by the media. She wants the nomination process to continue so as to strengthen the nominee. "Let's make sure the competition brings out the best in our Party." She stated that the far left and their media outlets cannot run on their issues. They will smear candidates. We should not do this job for them.

"Whoever our nominee is, we need to work hard to bring them over the finish line!" There was a standing ovation at this line! Next year, she said, "we will have a nominee worthy of our troops!" "We are the heirs of patriots who cast off the chains of tyranny!"

It was an epic speech and worthy of the excitement it generated. For those who are conservative but don't like Sarah, surely they can see the value of having such a strong conservative voice reinforcing the message. She was wonderful, inspiring, and the best possible closing speaker to a wonderful CPAC!

OWS Is Chased Out and Booed During Sarah Palin CPAC 2012 Speech

2012-02-11T16:24:00.005-06:00

Occupy Wall Street protesters began yelling during the Sarah Palin speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C. today. CPAC attendees quickly began chanting as police and security removed the jerks!

And another camera view:

CPAC 2012 Straw Poll Results - Mitt Romney Wins!!!

2012-02-11T15:37:00.001-06:00

Straw Poll:
Mitt Romney 38%
Rick Santorum 32%
Newt Gingrich 15%
Ron Paul 12%
Other/Undecided 4%

They also did a telephone poll for self-identified conservatives:
Mitt Romney 27%
Rick Santorum 25%
Newt Gingrich 20%
Ron Paul 8%
Other/Undecided 20%

VP choice was Marco Rubio!!! Followed by Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell, and Paul Ryan.

CPAC created a new method to reduce voter fraud or candidates enthusiastic voters voting multiple times. The theory is, one vote per attendee. They also went on-line, but again, one vote per person. 3,408 people voted this year with 44% being students.

Other questions asked about participants' core values, Obama job approval, Republican Congress job approval, and most important priorities (debt reduction and balanced budget amendment rated highest).

Senator John Cornyn Blasts Eric Holder At CPAC

2012-02-11T14:19:00.002-06:00

Senator Cornyn took no prisoners today as he blasted Attorney General Eric Holder as a liberal, activist member of the Obama administration and a primary example of why we need to elect a new president in 2012.

Cornyn was one of 2 Senators who voted against the nomination. "It has to be one of the best votes I cast in the United States Senate," he said. "The Justice Department has been led by an arrogant...attorney general who twists the law to accomplish Obama's ends."

He asserted that the Fast and Furious scandal is only the tip of the iceberg. Eric Holder and President Obama have held no one accountable for this scandal. Holder has refused to give the answers that we deserve. "Holder's leadership failures go far beyond Fast and Furious."

Holder opposes voter-ID laws. "Eric Holder has the gall to compare voter ID laws with literacy tests." "Maybe we ought to give him some more time in retirement in November" to catch up on Supreme Court cases.

Holder provided sensitive information to our nation's enemies. "Playing politics with the war on terror is absolutely unacceptable."

Holder wanted to close Guantanamo Bay and move terrorists to Michigan. He dropped the support of DOMA, an existing law.

"Eric Holder is one of the bad consequences of 2008 and one of the reasons that 2012 is so important."

Sarah Palin Arrives At CPAC 2012

2012-02-11T13:17:00.000-06:00

The Media is Biased

2012-02-11T12:15:00.002-06:00

I've always taken a special interest in the media and how they portray events and news. I've always known that every media source is biased. We, as people, are biased and even if we try our hardest not to be, our biased is shown simply through the words we choose and how we format our sentences. Perhaps it's subtle, but it's still bias.

This week I've been reminded at the importance of you, me, and every conservative to join the conversation. The landscape of the media is changing and more than ever, bloggers and individual reporters are invited to create the narrative that will shape our policies.

I'm going to give you an example. I've been here at CPAC for each of the presidential candidates speeches. How surprised I was to read this piece which stated,

The audience offered Gingrich polite applause and even a standing ovation or two, but his address had none of the rabid energy enjoyed by Rick Santorum earlier in the day.

Even Mitt Romney, in a perennial struggle to appease conservatives, had lines of activists snaking around a Washington hotel hoping to get into his speech. For Gingrich, the room barely filled at this convention of Republican Party faithful.

Having been to the speeches myself, I can tell you that while Romney had more supporters, filling the ballroom with more than 3,000 people and filling overflow ballrooms, Gingrich's supporters were numerous and loud. They cheered for him and clearly were supportive of him. Rick Santorum, not only had the smallest crowd, but his supporters were no where as loud as Gingrich's.

Here is a picture of one of the media areas for Mitt's speech.

Standing room only for Mitt.

Media stairs are packed with people listening to Gingrich.

Here is a view of Santorum leaving the stage- he does have a crowd, but the aisles and the stairs were not nearly as filled.

So readers, let's just realize that loudness (even my own report) is all in the eye of the beholder. We're all biased. It's human nature. See the footage for yourself and decide who to support.

Phyllis Schlafly Boldly Tells CPAC: Social And Fiscal Issues Are Connected!

2012-02-11T11:27:00.000-06:00

What an honor today to hear from a conservative woman pioneer of the 20th century. Phyllis Schlafly today addressed CPAC as a part of a panel discussing the need to defend marriage. She started the panel discussion making the very important case that fiscal and social conservatism are interconnected, and we cannot separate one from the other.

Some of her major points:

Social issues cause fiscal issues.
Poverty is caused by lack of fathers. Children are growing up without fathers. This costs us more than the national defense budget.
1/2 of Americans depend on government handouts paid for by the other half.
We have a hidden welfare state because so few Americans know about its enormity. Why are we subsidizing marriage absence and illegitimacy? We have more illegitimate babies each year subsidized by tax payers.
The social issue of marriage is an enormous fiscal issue.
Marriage is not respected in fiscal policy as much as in the past.

Social and fiscal issues absolutely cannot be separated!

What a great message from a truly great woman who has set such a noble example to women everywhere that there is a place and a need for women who stand up for the family.

The Monolith EPA

2012-02-11T11:10:00.002-06:00

I showed up to CPAC a day early this week so that I could tour the nation’s capital with my sister, Rebecca. We bought a ticket for a double-decker bus tour and rode around looking at the sites in the cold drizzle of winter. It was fun to see the sites that I grew up loving as a child. We used to travel here as a family as this is where my father grew up.

The bus didn’t get very close to the White House, but I was reminded how beautiful the building is and look forward to its upcoming change in occupancy this fall. We also saw the capital building and the Washington monument, the Lincoln memorial, and lots more.

Then, we drove by the biggest building of all: the Environmental Protection Agency. The bus kept moving forward and yet the building kept going, too. It is a massive structure. It consists of multiple buildings.

What on earth does the EPA need with buildings so large? Nothing that is worth the tax-payers' money required to fund this monolith.

Florida Gov Rick Scott Emphasizes Accountability

2012-02-11T10:45:00.002-06:00

Governor Rick Scott (FL), introduce by Al Cardenes (ACU President), addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attendees. He took the opportunity to share his accomplishments in Florida and asked for the residents of Florida to "hold me accountable for the right decisions."

Scott shared how he has had fiscal success in Florida. "This borrowing spree cannot last. None of us believe we could run our personal lives in the same manner" and the government has been run. He jokingly stated that Herman Cain stole his "9-9-9 Plan" from Florida's "7-7-7 Plan" because that's what is working. Scott also articulated a pro-business stance, stating, "businesses create jobs, not government."

In a refreshing take-responsibility way, Scott laid out that we are accountable for this country. "You in this room must hold all of the candidates accountable....It's up to all of us to do everything in our power to put America back on the path to prosperity." Scott promised to do his best to serve the people of his state.

Governor Jindal Kicks Off Day 3 Of CPAC

2012-02-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

Bobby Jindal kicked off the third and final day today at CPAC discussing his great successes in the state of Louisiana. It was a great kick-off. He talked about the turnaround that he has accomplished there especially by implementing conservative principles and letting them do what they always do which is create jobs.

He spoke about reforming the state’s pension debt. He wants to create a portable defined-contribution-type plan for public employees in Louisiana. He wants to raise the retirement age to match the social security age. He wants to make public employees pay for more of their own retirement benefits. And, he wants to stop automatically increasing benefits each year. This is his plan that he will be pursuing in his state over the next year.

He also talked about reforming education in his state. He has taken several steps to improve education.

Good governor, good guy, good message.

“The White House is too important for on the job training. We cannot afford another 4 years.”

Conservatives, It Is Time To Support Mitt

2012-02-10T23:03:00.002-06:00

Fellow Conservatives,

I, like all of you, have been carefully watching the GOP primaries. I have watched every word of every debate. I have seen all of the candidates speak in person multiple times, sometimes travelling to events to hear them make their case in their own words. If you see the postings on this blog, you will see that I at times have supported various candidates. I looked forward with anticipation to Perry’s candidacy and desperately wanted him to perform well. I was disappointed with his performance like many. I watched Newt’s early campaign struggle and was excited by its emergence into a legitimate and potentially winning campaign. I sat in awe of Rick Santorum’s explanations of his unfailing support for social values that I also deeply care for and found myself believing that he is all that he says he is.

I’ve also watched Mitt Romney. And, like many, I have been concerned about what appears to be a man with less than the staunch conservative views that I am looking for. This was surprising to me since I’ve been around Mitt for a long time, so to speak. I watched him when I volunteered for the 2012 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City where I saw the controversy take over the games prior to his involvement and then I saw him come in and turn it into an exceptional representation of what Utah and this country had to offer the world.

I then graduated from college and moved to Massachusetts to look for work (that’s where my parents lived). I watched Mitt Romney run against an extreme liberal for the governorship. I watched him take heat on everything he believed in. I watched him stand for marriage in a state that would have been California with its laws supporting gay marriage if Mitt wasn’t there to stop it. I watched him continually be attacked by the liberal legislature and continually find ways to work with them and reduce spending and balance the budget.

So, I was of course surprised as he was coming across to all including me as a weak candidate in this campaign. I know as all do that this is the most important campaign of our lifetime, no matter how old we are.

Prior to Obama’s presidency, I hadn’t thought a lot about politics for several years. I was horribly awakened to the fact that we are severely hated when 9/11 happened. I watched Bush’s presidency in terms of the wars and the rebellion against the wars. However, I wasn’t thinking about money or debt or borrowing from China or jobs. I was in the same bubble that many Americans were in.

Then, Obama happened. I watched Obama ascend into the presidency like a sultan believing that we are subjects to him. Obama took the country that I love and turned it into a nanny-state, unrecognizable as the country I grew up in during the 80s when Reagan made me believe that Presidents were good and honorable and had my best interests at heart. Obama trampled on the Constitution and forced Obamacare on us while ruthlessly ignoring the severe objections of the Right. I watched him talk down to me on television, apologize for the country that I love across the world, attempt to implement Cap and Trade which would have devastated the economy even worse, and the list goes on. Obama demonized those whom I support and respect, Republicans who have sacrificed much to serve their country. Obama also demonized me, someone who supports the Tea Party, works for a living, and does not have my hand out for the government. I learned that my way of life is not needy enough for Obama to care about my future. I’ve worked too hard. I’ve paid my way out of my student loans from college, which was no small sacrifice. I own my own home and make my payments on time. I was willing to take a job that paid very little in order to have a job at all out of college and was grateful for it. Then, I worked my way up and still am. I by no means am rich, but I have what I need, and that is enough.

I realized that Obama sees me as the enemy due to my work ethic. He was not and did not want to be my president. He wanted to take my money, though, to fund the handouts he wanted to give to those whose support he actually wanted. And that made me mad. Very mad. So, I started a blog, yelled at the TV, talked to family and friends, attended Tea Party meetings, and everything else I felt was in my power to counter the President’s efforts.

And then it was 2010. This was a glorious year. The momentum was on our side and we, all conservatives, were part of a historic election. It felt good.

And then it was 2011. And what happened then? The liberals created a narrative that the GOP is the “do-nothing” party opposing all of the “good” that they are trying to do. The whole year was one frustrating battle after another. It would have been much worse, though, without the 2010 elections. Imagine if the Democrats had retained the House in 2011. How terrible that would have been for our country.

Towards the end of 2011, I started to have hope again as the GOP started down the path of choosing a nominee to face Obama in 2012. The primary season kicked off and I watched everything I could, learned about the candidates, and blogged to my heart’s desire to make the case for whichever candidate had my attention at the time. I have great respect for every candidate that has run or is running for president. They have been attacked in ways that no one should ever have to go through. What great people they are to volunteer for that scrutiny.

So, the fact that I am endorsing a candidate now is in no way a negative commentary on the other candidates. Ron Paul, the one I have not quite understood and certainly had the most concerns about, has done something very respectable – he has unabashedly made his case about liberty and brought libertarianism to the forefront of the GOP in a way that hasn’t been done in my lifetime. What a great, passionate man.

As for Newt Gingrich, I love his passion and his guts. His experience in some areas is unrivaled and his contribution to the GOP will go down in history as one of the greatest comebacks of the modern era.

Rick Santorum is a man that shares a passion for something that is also a great passion for me, fighting for the right of every child to be born. What a fine man. He lives his values and personifies conservatism. As one pundit said, he is fluid in the language of conservatism. He so easily articulates his values and is so passionate that it is impossible to not be moved.

We have wonderful men in the “final 4” whom I greatly admire. But, one is a head above the rest and, I believe, the only person that not only can beat Obama, but who has the skills, background, passion, and knowledge to turn this country around. That person is Mitt Romney.

As I mentioned, I was surprised that Romney was coming across as a weak candidate when the primary began. This did not jive with the person I’ve been watching for several years. I then realized there are a few reasons for this. First, he has not always been a strong social conservative, though no one can doubt his fiscal background. From a social standpoint, I wondered how anyone could ever not have supported the right to life. Then I learned that Romney had a close family member who died of an illegal abortion and realized that he had experienced some heartache in this area. I also researched his background and realized that he never imposed a pro-choice view on anyone and actually governed as a strong pro-life governor.

So, once this was laid to rest, I started searching for why else so many people think that he is so weak. Another reason is his run for president 4 years ago. He got significant negative attention back then that stuck with people. The “flip-flopper” moniker was assigned to him and stuck. If you ask people what issues he has been a flip-flopper on, they only name a couple and usually one of them is abortion. But, that title has been etched in people’s minds and they can’t seem to forget it.

Finally, the reason people think Romney is weak is because they look at his time in Massachusetts and don’t understand why he didn’t do as much as, say, Governor Perry has done in TX. This of course is comparing apples to oranges. Perry could have never been governor of Massachusetts and what Romney did do in a liberal state with an 85% Democratic legislature is nothing short of miraculous. But, people don’t always keep that in mind when criticizing his time as governor.

Either way, there is a strong, negative perception that Romney needs to overcome this election cycle. He is working hard at it, but hasn’t won over his critics yet.

So, why do I posit that Romney should be our nominee?

1) Romney’s private business experience matters. Gingrich has gotten in the habit of saying that we don’t need a manager, we need a leader. Well, the truth is that we need both. We need an executive who knows how to manage people, deal with budgets, reduce a workforce, work through conflict and make decisions. Gingrich is a passionate guy. But, he has nowhere near the management experience that Romney has. Neither does Santorum. Neither does Paul. This important fact cannot be overlooked. Obama was elected based on issues, but proved that managing the executive branch is too much for him to handle. Reaching out to Congress and having thoughtful discussions with other decision-makers to solve problems is something Obama has never done. Romney, as a business guy, has years of experience working through things with all different types of people.

2) Romney is right on the issues, but not rude to those that disagree. Today the President of the American Conservative Union made the point the Ronald Reagan never called President Carter a socialist and never insulted him. He put forward a plan that stood in contrast to Carter, but did not demean the man. This is how Romney is running. Watching him on a debate stage, he is respectful to his fellow candidates and thoughtful about how he addresses those that disagree. He is bold without being brash, forceful without being obnoxious. Gingrich is the opposite. He offends instead of persuading. The base is certainly enthused, but what about the rest of the country?

3) Romney is a true conservative. I know this is hard for some to believe given the negative press from within the Republican Party, but if you believe he is not conservative, you have been misinformed. He believes that it immoral to spend more than you have and as a man who has run successful businesses, he has had to live by fiscally sound principles his whole career. There are those that would say he is “less” conservative than others. There may be truth to that. He is not looking to cut the budget as much as, say, Ron Paul. He has not put forth a flat tax plan as several others have. But, that doesn’t mean he isn’t conservative. Republicans need to be careful to not use language to imply that just because someone is not their own exact shade of conservative that they are, by contrast, a liberal. Romney has put forth some great ideas in his jobs plan and is willing to keep talking about the specifics. There are a lot of different opinions within the GOP about exactly how to go about turning this country around. Even the conservatives don’t agree on every detail. But, we should have enough respect for each other to not throw out the “L” word just because we disagree with someone else.

4) Romney has the best position on illegal immigration. For the first time in decades, we could actually have a president who is willing to enforce existing laws to those employers who hire illegal immigrants. He has not gone on a rampage about creating “citizen panels” as Gingrich has suggested deciding who stays and who goes. Romney is much more common-sense than that – stop the “magnet” that encourages people to come here illegally by ending their ability to find jobs.

5) Romney is a bold contrast to Obama, but he is focused. The type of change that Gingrich is proclaiming is irresponsible given our need to focus on shrinking the size of government, growing jobs, re-establishing our place in the world, and emphasizing the importance of the family in society. These are things Romney is focusing on. Meanwhile, Gingrich wants a moon colony, citizen panels to determine which illegal immigrants can stay and who can go, government-imposed training in order to receive unemployment, and so on. Gingrich is a big thinker, but he is not a focused thinker. Right now, we need laser focus on a few vital principles to fix our Republic.

6) Romney will represent us well abroad. I am not worried about what Romney may say to a world leader that would offend them as I am worried about what Gingrich and his temper would say. Romney would bring force and grace back to foreign policy.

7) Mitt is a good man. He believes in God, loves his family and is true to his wife. There are no flaws in his personal history.

These are the main reasons I support Romney. As I said, I respect all candidates. If he had more focus, I may be supporting Gingrich. If he had executive experience, I may be supporting Santorum. But, as it stands, the best candidate is Romney. I hope that we make the right decision in choosing our nominee.

Occupy Wall Street Protests CPAC 2012 In Washington D.C.

2012-02-10T22:02:00.000-06:00

Occupy Wall Street showed up to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) today right at the start of presidential nominee, Mitt Romney's speech. At the peak, there were a few hundred protesters (which appeared to be part OWS, part union members). Some union members refused interviews but said they were paid $60 to come down but didn't know why they were there.

And again as Governor Scott Walker was expected to arrive:

It was interesting that they came when Mitt Romney was speaking and working to win over the conservatives vote. We did not allow the protesters distract us from the purpose of Mitt's visit - to read about his speech, click here.