The question "Did you hear us?" has been answered

and they said, "Nope!" 

During my morning perusal of Memeorandum I came across this little gem:

GOP woos 'Morning Joe' for Fla. Senate

Had I not read it at The Hill I would have thought it was some kind of cruel joke.  Joe Scarborough?  That is who John (whole lotta love for Charlie Crist) Cornyn thinks is a "suitable" candidate for the next Florida senate race?  Geez, why doesn't the NRSC just start backing Democrats for crying out loud?

I've sent the following email to Reince Priebus, RNC Chairman:

Dear Chairman Priebus,

You are new and I think you deserve a fair shake and I think you deserve to know why a lot of Republicans have quit calling ourselves "Republican" and prefer to be known as "conservatives". Many of us are fed up with the Republican Party. We feel that the Party takes us for granted. We feel that you ask us for donations but ignore our input. Case in point:

GOP woos 'Morning Joe' for Fla. Senate

The last time John Cornyn and the NRSC decided to interfere in Florida politics the anointed one was Charlie Crist. We all know how well that turned out. As Marco Rubio won straw poll after straw poll the NRSC stood by their man Crist. Had Crist not left the party Cornyn and Company would have followed him straight off the cliff. Well, here we go again. And for that matter-Joe Scarborough? Really? What does the NRSC have against Republicans?

For an idea of how well this news is going over I suggest you read Not One Red Cent a blog started in response to the NRSC's knack for backing the least conservative candidates in the field. Or for some specific reasons why the wooing of Scarborough is mind boggling to conservatives, Prof. Jacobson has an excellent post at Legal Insurrection. I have no doubt that by the end of the day there will be plenty of reaction to this news throughout the Conservative blogosphere.

I want to see the Republican Party succeed but if I have to chose between being a Republican and being a Conservative the Republican Party loses hands down. We Conservatives sent a clear message last November. It is apparent that not everyone in the Republican Party heard us. As party chairman it is your job to rectify the situation.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Tackett

The tyranny of the establishment has to end if the Republican party is going to continue to exist.  The current leadership of the NRSC is notnonly tone deaf-they are stupid.  Joe Scarborough?  I'm just stunned.

More at:

Riehl World View
Weasel Zippers

Snowe notices a chill

Olympia Snowe is crying the blues:

"I've always been on the outside looking in, in the world I live in. When you're a minority, moderate, New England, woman, Republican woman, you don't get more outside than that. Do you? I'm a minority within a minority," Snowe said laughing, "I've been fighting my whole life."

What’s a poor moderate to do? The electorate has just gotten so mean lately. Well, let’s take a look at that “moderate” record of Ms. Snowe:

• Voted NO on restricting UN funding for population control policies. (Mar 2009)
• Voted NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP. (Mar 2008)
• Voted NO on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion. (Mar 2008)
• Voted NO on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. (Oct 2007)
• Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)
• Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
• Voted NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
• Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
• Voted NO on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
• Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
• Voted NO on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)

• Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)
• Voted YES on modifying bankruptcy rules to avoid mortgage foreclosures. (May 2009)
• Voted YES on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. (Feb 2009)
• Voted YES on $60B stimulus package for jobs, infrastructure, & energy. (Sep 2008)
• Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness. (Mar 2007)
• Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)

• Voted YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China. (May 2008)
• Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
• Voted YES on making oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal. (Jun 2007)
• Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)
• Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)
• Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
• Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
• Voted YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill. (Mar 2003)
• Voted NO on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
• Voted NO on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months. (Mar 2002)
• Voted NO on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
• Establish greenhouse gas tradeable allowances. (Feb 2005)
• Sign on to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. (Jan 2007)

• Voted YES on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program. (Aug 2009)
• Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
• Voted YES on more funding for forest roads and fish habitat. (Sep 1999)
• Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
• Make EPA into a Cabinet department. (May 2002) (Thanks-that turned out to be soooooo helpful!)

• Voted YES on Congressional pay raise. (Jul 2009)
• Voted NO on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections. (Jul 2007)
• Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress. (Mar 2006)
• Voted YES on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity. (Mar 2006) (Because bureaucracy makes everything better)
• Voted YES on banning "soft money" contributions and restricting issue ads. (Mar 2002)
• Voted YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations. (Apr 2001)
• Voted YES on funding for National Endowment for the Arts. (Aug 1999) (Because taxpayers should pay for insightful works of art like “Piss Christ”)
• Voted YES on favoring 1997 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance. (Oct 1997)

• Voted YES on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities". (Mar 2008)
• Voted YES on comprehensive immigration reform. (Jun 2007)
• Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
• Voted NO on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
• Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship. (May 2006)
• Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work. (Jul 1998)
• Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
• Voted NO on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)
• Rated 25% by USBC, indicating an open-border stance. (Dec 2006)

It appears that Ms. Snowe and I hold differing opinions on the definition of “moderate”. However, we may have more common ground than you would think. Consider this from Ms. Snowe:

"What works in South Carolina and Delaware may not work in Maine. We all have different views. We're independent," Snowe responded, "I can't go back to the people of my state and say, excuse me, I have to be one hundred percent ideologically pure because someone has dictated that from another state. It just wouldn't wash," she said.

She may be right about her state and I absolutely agree with her that it is up to the people of Maine whether or not she is suitable as their representative. However, like Mike Castle, she may be wrong about what the voters of her state our currently looking for. It may be that after decades of tax and spend coupled with unaccountability on the part of DC that voters in even the bluest states are fed up and ready for a change. If that is the case, Snowe, like Castle, could find herself out in the cold.

Who needs elections?

There is a lesson to be learned from the O'Donnell primary win in Delaware-the voters are idiots and can not be trusted to chose their own representatives.  Obviously fifty-three percent of the Republicans in Delaware have no idea what they have done but fear not, Karl Rove, Charles Krauthhamer and the gentlemen of the Old Boys Club NRSC will set them straight even if it means they hand the Senate seat to the Marxist Coons on a silver platter.  Who in their right mind would listen to "the people", ignorant rabble rousers one and all, when they could so benefit from the guidance of John Cornyn & Co.  After all, it was the NRSC who backed Charlie "Me, Me, Me" Crist in the the Florida republican race for Senate.   Oh, bad example.  Anyway it is clear that we can't have the electorate running about willy nilly making important decisions concerning their own lives.  Let's just do away with elections and allow our betters to what they do best-ignore us.  Ruling by fiat, baby!  That's where its at.

Should you vote Republican at any cost? Updated

There has been a debate raging amongst Republicans sparked by the O'Donnell/Castle matchup in Delaware.  For some excellent insight on the debate check out Smitty's post and Stacy's reply at The Other McCain.  What it all boils down to is this-in a primary battle between a true Conservative with little chance of winning in the general election and a RINO with a very good chance of winning in the general, do you stick to your principals even if it means that a Democrat will end up with the seat or do you hold your nose and back the RINO?  The best reason to go ahead and hold your nose:

Why do we want a Republican Senate? Aside from totally crushing the Democrats' spirit, control of the Senate means that our guys will be the chairmen for each committee and subcommittee. This means that they will have control of the calendar. It means that if Obama wants something, he'll have to negotiate with Republicans, rather than his own sycophantic party members.

A concrete example: Do you imagine that Elena Kagan would be a Supreme Court Justice right now if Senator Sessions had been Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee? Hell no, she wouldn't.

I totally understand that.  I want a Republican congress but even more, I want a Conservative congress.  Consider this:

HH: And that’s very ominous for what happens next year. Let me ask you, Mark, I had John Boehner on Monday, and the transcript for the audience is posted at Hughhewitt.com, and I asked the Leader whether the Republicans were prepared to move quickly, if they understood the need for speed. Do you get a sense that the GOP, Beltway division, is in touch with, aligned with, and is committed as the country’s populist, conservative revolt wants them to be? To cut spending, extend the tax cuts, and rebuild the DOD and repeal Obamacare?

MS: No, I don’t think so. I think there are some people, obviously, there are people like Jim DeMint who are committed to that, and there are some of these newly-nominated candidates who are committed to that. But I listened to Trent Lott, who cashed in his rolodex for a big time lobbyist job, and Trent Lott is saying oh, we don’t want 60 Jim DeMints in the Senate. We are going to need to do some serious hacking away at the size of the federal government. Otherwise, I think this is do or die for the Republican Party. If people vote in the Republicans on a tide of revulsion at what the Democrats have done, and the Republicans just settle back and we’re back to 2004 all over again, I think the Republican Party will have blown their last chance, and we will, I have to be cautious here, because I believe it’s a condition of my Green Card that I’m not allowed to foment armed insurrection against the government of the United States.

HH: (laughing)

MS: But with that stipulation, I think we will be pushing the temperament of the people in a revolutionary direction, and that is something that the Republicans ought to understand.

How long are we going to stomach the Snowes, Collins and Grahams in our midst simply because the stick an (R) at the end of the names?  These people are politicians for pity sake.  They aren't going to change unless the one thing they actually care about, their re-election, is threatened.  They need to know that Conservatives have gotten serious and we are in no mood to go back to the days of "play along to get along."  If we don't stand up for our principals now I'm not sure we deserve to win.

Update:

The debate rages on.  Dan Riehl makes my point much better than I do:

As for Republicans controlling the Senate, I'm unconvinced that would be a good thing. Control of the House and 47 - 48 Republicans in the Senate is enough to mostly block Obama. A Republican Senate comprised of Castle, McCain, Ghraham, Snowe, Collins, perhaps Kirk, and some others, will not produce what conservatives want and could lead to compromises producing even more anger at Republicans across the base.

If we continue fighting, pushing the Senate even more Right in 2012 - and possibly electing a solid Right-side President, then conservatives and Republicans may even be able to mend fences and go about building a longer-term GOP majority. Too much of a good thing too soon rarely turns out to be a good thing in the end.

Allah disagrees.  Jim Geraghty does too.  Me?  I've got a stomach ache.

I'm Contemplating Committing a Violent Act

No, not against Pelosi & Co., they're not worth my effort.  In the last few weeks the Republicans in the House have made me proud to be a Republican again.  Because of their actions I am re-energized, re-focused and ready to fight.  Then I see this at RedState:

Senate GOP Trying To Scuttle “Repeal It” Amendment

Senate sources confirm to me this evening that Senator Mitch McConnell and his leadership team are trying to scuttle Republican efforts to force a vote on repeal of the entire health care legislation during the reconciliation process. I’m told reliably that moderate Republican senators who voted against Obamacare in December do not want to vote against it again because it would just be “symbolic”. McConnell agrees and is not inclined to push Republicans to go along with any effort to force a vote on repeal during reconciliation, despite David Vitter offering up an amendment to do just that and separate stand alone legislation being offered by Senator Jim DeMint with a host of Republican co-sponsors.

It makes me want to walk up to McConnell and palm-smack him right in the forehead.  And don't even get me started on Chuckles Grassley.  What planet have these dolts been parked on lately?  On top of everything else, Sen. Lindsay Graham is still working on a wildly unpopular immigration bill that could make millions of illegals eligible for ObamaCare.  Perhaps our senators could benefit from reading Dan Riehl:

Wow! According to CBS, 41% of Democrats, 66% of Independents and 89% of Republicans want the GOP to continue to contest the health care bill. I guess in Axelrod's view, that means the public likes the GOP opposition so much, they just can't stand to see it end. heh!

Well, duh!  We keep hearing that people  are afraid that the Tea Party will splinter the Republican party vote.  There wouldn't even be a Tea Party movement if Republicans like McConnell, Grassley and Graham would pull their heads out of their tailpipes and listen to the American people.

This country isn't in the mess it is in because of the Democrats.  It is because of the spineless, rudderless Democrat Lites in the republican party.  Grow a set, boys.

More at:

Potluck
Political Junkie Mom
National Review
Memeorandum

Is Charlie going Indie?

From the Sun Sentinel:

Will Charlie Crist ditch the GOP for the U.S.Senate?

Two highly placed and independent sources, speaking strictly on background, tell me that Gov. Charlie Crist is preparing to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the race for the U.S. Senate.

With Crist trailing Marco Rubio by 18 points in the latest polls, the Crist campaign has been in panic mode, launching attack after attack on the conservative Rubio.

Yesterday, the attacks reached a crescendo with the Crist campaign, and/or his disgraced Republican Party of Florida thug bootlickers, leaking Rubio's credit card expenses from his time as speaker of the Florida House.

According to published reports, the former RPOF chair, the bovine bully-boy buffoon Jim Greer, spent more in a month than Rubio did in his entire two years as state House speaker. If all the Crist campaign has on Rubio is $53.49 at Winn-Dixie in Miami for ``food” and a couple of plane tickets for his wife, then it's game, set and match, as far as the Republican primary for Senate is concerned.

From what's been made public, Rubio's credit card expenses make him the most frugal of the Republican leaders with RPOF credit cards.

Charlie Crist is a political opportunist who left the principals of the Republican party behind a long time ago, assuming he ever really embraced them to begin with.  He can't win the Republican primary on merit so he is stooping to a smear campaign against Rubio.  Problem is, there is nothing to smear and Crist has only succeeded in making himself look puny, pathetic and if possible, more desperate than usual.

Leave the Republican party, Charlie.  Don't let the door bump your ass on the way out.

The Republican Party doesn't need to re-invent, it needs to get back to basics

In What the GOP Can Learn from a Pizza Chain Jonah Goldberg makes the case that the Republican Party would do well to look to Dominos Pizza as an example of how to win back loyalty:

...But if I were giving my two cents — and whaddya know? I am! — I’d tell the GOP to look not to Reagan in 1980 or Gingrich in 1994, as so many pundits suggest.

I’d look to Domino’s in 2010.

You may have seen the commercials or the YouTube video touting the iconic pizza-delivery chain’s reinvention. But if you haven’t, Domino’s new campaign can be summed up easily enough: “We blew it.”

Focus groups and consumer surveys revealed something pretty much everyone outside of Domino’s has known for years: Their pizza stinks. It tastes as if aliens tried to copy real pizza but just couldn’t capture its essence.

In their four-minute video (search YouTube for “the Pizza Turnaround”), executives, employees, and chefs at the company confront their harshest reviews head-on. They talk about how much it hurts to hear that their product “tastes like cardboard” and is worse than microwave pizza. But they admit the truth and commit themselves to starting over with more flavor, better crusts, and cheese that doesn’t taste like discount weather caulking. Domino’s says that the American palate has improved, and they want to update their recipe to take account of that fact.

The appeal of the campaign should be obvious: honesty. Domino’s admits they lost their way, and they want a second chance. They’re confronting the criticism head-on rather than denying it.

Obviously, the analogy to the GOP isn’t perfect. For example, last I checked, Domino’s didn’t get bogged down in an unpopular war.

But the GOP’s troubles over the last decade have a lot to do with the fact that Americans didn’t stop liking what the Republican party is supposed to deliver. They stopped liking what the GOP actually delivered.

Exactly.  Once upon a time the words "republican" and "conservative" were interchangeable.  Anymore, it seems that the (R) after many congressman's name could be just as easily read (D) and vice versa.  When presented with a homogeneous product the voters have either chosen the candidate with the flashiest advertising campaign or decided "why bother?".  For better or worse, and it has turned out to be worse, Obama distinguished himself in 2008 and McCain did not.

As a conservative who cares more about policies than partisan success, I would hate to see the GOP abandon conservative policies in order to be more popular. That would be like Domino’s listening to critics and then deciding to get into the Chinese-food business. Indeed, by my lights, that’s what George W. Bush tried to do with his “compassionate conservatism.” He surrendered to liberal arguments about the role, size, and scope of government on too many fronts. In effect, he said you can have your pizza and Kung Pao chicken all in the same dish. That’s not a good meal, it’s a bad mess.

Moreover, abandoning conservatism would be silly. According to Gallup, Americans identify themselves as conservative over liberal by a margin of 2–1, the same proportion as just after 9/11.

So what would a GOP-turnaround recipe look like? That’s a subject for any number of other columns. But for starters, I’d look to young political chefs like Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.). He’s been the leader in attacking “crony capitalism” — the corrupt merger of big business and big government, a hallmark of the Obama administration. For too long Republicans confused supporting big business with supporting free markets, when big business is often the biggest impediment to fair competition. Other fresh new ingredients would almost surely include pro-family tax policies and the de-linking of legal and illegal immigration as interchangeable terms.

If the Republican Party were to follow Goldberg's advice I could easily see myself getting back on board.  Unfortunately, the "big tent" Republicans such as NRSC chairman Sen. Cornyn appears disinclined to get back to basics and instead supports RINO candidates over conservatives.  Sen. Lindsay Graham has thrown in with John Kerry and is thumbing his nose at party members who are clearly appalled by Cap & Trade.  The examples are nearly endless. 

Republicans have the opportunity to capitalize on Obama's disastrous first year but they won't do it by smugly claiming that they deserve the public's confidence simply because they represent a different party than is currently in power. 

If the party is to regain the trust that it betrayed they need to make big changes and make them soon.

Gov. Charlie Crist Leaves Tallahassee and Moves to Some Place Called 'Da Nile'

Exhibit A from the St. Pete Times:

"All in all, I think it's been a good year — a good year in challenging times," Crist said. "These are tough times. It sure hasn't been dull, to say the least, by any stretch."

If Good Time Charlie thinks it's been a good year he sure hasn't been hanging out in Florida.

Lets review:

He miscalculated the danger of his "man hug" with President Barack Obama in support of the Democrats' stimulus package. He signed a no-new taxes pledge only to raise taxes weeks later to balance the state budget. And the biggest contributor in his campaign for U.S. Senate, Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein, was charged in a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.

Speaking of that stimulus package that Crist supported and then denied that he supported and then denied that he denied supporting, what has Florida gotten out Crist's great big ol' man hug?

When Crist took office in 2007, the unemployment rate was 3.3 percent — less than a third of what it is now as more than 1 million Floridians can't find work. One in every 705 Florida homes was in foreclosure when he took office. Now the foreclosure rate is 1 of 165, according to RealtyTrac data service. (emphais added)

Even Crist's staunchest critics say many of Florida's woes are largely beyond his control. But they question whether Crist did what he could when he could. When the economy deteriorated, Crist paid visits to regional unemployment centers and held roundtable discussions with veterans and real estate agents, but he didn't propose and implement specific policies to halt the tide of foreclosures and layoffs. (emphasis added)

Crist has put his vastly unpopular "green policies" on the back burner but he himself admits that it is only a temporary move. He is currently touting "light rail" as his signature program. Apparently he is unaware that government backed railroad transportation has had a long history of abject failure.

Most damaging for Crist is the perception that Crist really doesn't stand for anything and that he is one of those politicians who sticks his finger in the air in order to determine the direction of the political winds. Consider this:

Newly married to New York socialite and businesswoman Carole Rome, Crist spent the days just before 2009 hunting for Christmas gifts in the rural North Florida antique mecca of Havana. There Crist ran into a local who paid him such a compliment that he pulled a reporter aside and made her repeat it. (emphasis added)

"I believe he's a closet Democrat," Shirley Aaron said.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Crist said. "We have, in Florida, Republicans and Democrats and independents, but we're all Floridians first."

If Crist knew or cared about the profound ideological differences between the two political parties he wouldn't feel complimented by being called a closet Democrat. But for Crist, ideology is only skin deep and can be easily shed when it no longer suits Crist's needs.

Now that Crist has tanked in the polls, he is trying make up his lost ground but pretending that everything is just fine in Florida won't get him very far. Come the August primary Florida voters will be voting on whether they believe things are just fine and who they will trust to represent them. I don't expect that a year from now Crist will be sounding as enthusiastic as he is trying to sound now.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent

It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy

Via Memeorandum

Gee, it can't be a good thing when a picture of a tipped tank is used to illustrate a politician's career, but hey, in this case, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

According to FitNews.Com Sen. Lindsey Graham's popularity is tanking in South Carolina. He's not only losing the confidence of Republican voters, he's also in a freefall with the all important Independent voters. Pardon me for a moment while I snicker.

Graham served in the House from 1995 to 2003 when he moved on to the Senate. At some point during the last fourteen years he decided as an incumbent he was a) in like Flynn and as a result b) his constituents could go to Hell. Apparently, his constituents disagree.

FitNews:

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s public support is collapsing in South Carolina – driven by a wholesale revolt among the GOP electorate and a steady erosion of his support amongst independents.

Already consistently loathed by a solid third of GOP voters, Graham’s recent leftward bent – including his co-authoring of a controversial “Cap & Tax” proposal supported by President Barack Obama and liberal Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) – has him locked in a “terminal free fall,” according one prominent Republican consultant.

“A chunk of the GOP has always detested him, but in the last month a damn has broken,” said the consultant, who was granted anonymity to discuss the impact of two recent polls that were conducted in South Carolina (one allegedly by Graham’s own advisors). “More Republicans now oppose Sen. Graham than support him. Independents are also deserting him in huge numbers.”

So who is backing Graham? According to FITS, he's being back by the Truman National Security Project a liberal front group aimed at training “progressives” in their efforts to co-opt the debate over national security, which is typically one of the GOP’s bread-and-butter issues.

What a coincidence. Charlie Crist, who Graham endorsed, also has "progressive" donors. Usually, people donate to a candidate because the donor and the candidate share an ideology. Sometimes the donor expects something from the candidate in return. And, of course, sometimes the donor and the candidate share an ideology AND the donor believes that they will receive something in return. I smell RINO.

Just recently I've taken to including a small picture of pink flip flops to symbolize Crist on my posts relating to him. My bet is that Graham will be doing a flip flop of his own soon. Maybe I can find a green pair for Graham to symbolize his support for Cap & Trade.

Perfect!



Cross posted at Not One Red Cent

He Was For It Before He Was Against It

No, not Sen. John Kerry-wannabe senator Charlie Crist.

Charlie then:

I’m Charlie Crist and I’ve got three words for our president: Enough is enough. We can’t spend our way into prosperity or tax our way into growth. Let’s take some Florida common sense and bring it to Washington: Let’s cut federal spending and let you decide who to spend your own money. Less government, less spending, more freedom. Let’s get back to basics.

Charlie now:

It’s getting harder every day, and we know that it’s important that we pass a stimulus package. It’s important…

It is important that we do so to help education, to help our infrastructure… and to help health care for those who need it the most, the most vulnerable among us.

And let me finish by saying, Mr. President, we need to do it in a bipartisan way. This issue of helping our country is about helping our country. This is not about partisan politics. This is about rising above that, helping America, and reigniting our economy.

Flip flops on the beach = good
Flip flops on the campaign trail = very, very, bad

h/t babalu

The Club for Growth Endorses Marco Rubio

Clifton at Another Black Conservative says let the RINO hunting begin! and with The Club for Growth's endorsement Marco Rubio is ready to to do just that.

From the endorsement:

"Marco Rubio is the real deal, one of the brightest young stars in American politics today, and a proven champion of economic liberty," said Club President Chris Chocola. "He is a dynamic spokesman for the principles of limited government and economic freedom, and he will make a fantastic Senator."

Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2008, and was elected to the Republican leadership as Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and finally, Speaker of the House. Rubio is an advocate of lower federal spending, tax relief and tax reform, union members' right to a secret ballot, and market-driven energy and environmental solutions.

Rubio's Republican primary opponent is Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who supported President Obama's $787 billion stimulus, proposed a state "cap-and-trade" energy program, and this summer broke his pledge not to sign any state tax increases.

It is believed that Crist will try to counter by claiming that while Rubio was Speaker that he tried to increase Florida's sales tax. Of course, Crist will conveniently forget to tell the rest of the story-Rubio had proposed the increased sales tax in exchange for the elimination of the property tax on primary residences. It is worth noting that we Floridians received our property tax bills last week and we are not happy. Our property values plummeted but our tax bills went up. We would not be in this position had Rubio's proposal gone through and given Crist's record, I am not sure that he should dwell on the subject of increased taxes.

Pat, writing at And So it Goes in Shreveport, points out that Rubio has also picked up the Family Research Council Action PAC endorsement and won another straw poll. This one was in Okaloosa, where he beat Crist 86 to 4.

There is little doubt that Rubio is the Conservative in this race. Between now and the August primary, Crist will try to convince the voters that he, too, is a Conservative. In order to do this, he will have to run against his own record-no easy task.

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

What would Charlie Crist give to make this picture go away? That of course is the problem with being a public figure; everything is right out there where everyone can see it, hear it, read it.

Erick Erickson at RedState is reporting that Charlie is trying to run his record, Specifically, Charlie wants his embrace of the Stimulus to go away along with the picture of his embrace of Pres. Obama.

RedState:

Charlie Crist welcomed Barack Obama to Florida last February, hugged him, grinned when Obama called Crist “his favorite Republican,” and then explained why the Democrats’ stimulus was a good thing.

That was February.

Yesterday, Charlie Crist denied it ever happened. Despite the videotaped evidence, Charlie Crist says he never once supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the formal name of the stimulus.

This all comes as news to the President, who hugged Crist, and who got this letter from Crist back on February 3, 2009. In the letter, signed by Crist, as well as Governors Patterson, Patrick, Corzine, and several others, Crist and the other Democrat Governors wrote “to express [their] support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which passed last week in the House and is under consideration currently in the Senate.” Crist even took claim to being “steward[] of the econom[y] of [his] respective state[] and region[].”

Between now and the day that Floridians go to the polls to choose their Republican candidate for US Senate the picture and the video of Crist with Obama will be seen over and over again. Thems the breaks, Charlie.

How Would You Like to be a Democrat Facing Re-election in 2010?

Earlier today I wrote that the election in 2010 will be about the economy. This realty favors Conservatives over RINOs (DIABLOs) and Liberals. This dynamic was also picked up by Donald Douglas at American Power who wrote Vulnerable Democratic Incumbents to Obama, Pelosi, Reid: Your Socialist Agenda is Killing Us!

Yep, there's a bit of angst out there and I wouldn't want to be to be a big spender from either party right now though vulnerable Democrats definitely have the bumpier road to travel.

It has been said that election seasons last longer and longer these days. Like it or not, the 2010 election cycle just began.

What Does The Outcome of NY23 Tell Us?

Via Memeorandum:

This morning everyone and their brother has an opinion of what the Owens win in NY23 means. I'll throw in my two cents. I am of a Malkin state of mind:

Conservatives owe NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman immeasurable gratitude. He overcame impossible odds (single digits just a month ago) to come within two points of defeating Democrat Bill Owens. Hoffman had zero name recognition. National Republican Party officials dumped nearly $1 million into the race on behalf of radical leftist GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, who then turned around, endorsed Owens and siphoned off 5 percent of the vote with her name still on the ballot after she dropped out.

Conservatives’ money went to pay for specious attack ads against Hoffman run by the NRCC like this.

Conservatives’ money went to support a GOP candidate who shares the same socialist alliances with fellow SEIU/ACORN/New Party/Working Families Party activist Patrick Gaspard, the Obama White House political director who intervened in the race to secure Scozzafava’s endorsement of Owens.

Conservatives won a huge victory yesterday. We showed that we are viable movement that the established GOP must deal with.

In 2010 social issues will not be in the forefront. The economy is in the tank and therefore, the economy will be THE issue. Conservatives will be looking closely at candidate's positions on taxes, Cap and Trade, ObamaCare, the Stimulus and programs that have killed employment and added to the deficit. In other words, this is not a good time to belong to the RINO wing of the party.

It is up to the GOP to decide if they want a repeat of NY23 in 2010. Only time will tell if they will take anything away from this loss or if they will wake up and start listening to the base. As I've said before, the ball is in their court.

More at:

The Other McCain
American Power
And So it Goes in Shreveport
Left Coast Rebel

Conservatives vs Moderates: Who is Purging Who?

Via Memeorandum:

Politico is calling it "an uncivil war." To understand why Conservatives are no longer in a civil mood one need look to further than the Marco Rubio/Charlie Crist primary race here in Florida.

...former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a conservative who is challenging Crist for the Senate nomination. “They want us to vote for their candidates, but they don’t want us to run for office.”

The boys over at the NRSC came in to Florida and chose Charlie Crist as their man without giving the voters in Florida a voice. They told us that Rubio was a great candidate with a bright future but that Florida needs someone with broad appeal (read: moderate) who could carry the state against Kendrick Meek, the presumed Democrat candidate. How's this for broad appeal: of the twelve straw polls taken in Florida, Rubio has beaten Crist in all twelve by wide margins.

But can Rubio beat Meek? The NRSC says no, but the most recent Rassmussen poll taken says, "YES, he can." The poll taken October 20, 2009 shows Rubio leading Meek 46% to 31%.

As Rubio said above the GOP wants our support. They want our donations and our votes. They don't want our voice. They don't want our vision. They don't want our candidates. Who is "purging" who? Conservatives have been shut out of the GOP.

Conventional beltway wisdom is that Conservatives can't win. We've shown otherwise in NY23 and we will continue to show otherwise in Florida and elsewhere. Conservative candidates offer voters a clear choice and energize elections. Conservative candidates embrace their principles, the GOP runs away from them.

If there is a civil war within the GOP party it lies solely on the shoulders of the party's tone deaf leaders. Conservatives are comfortable with the decisions they've made, it is up the party to decide what direction they want to take.

Who Calls the Majority "the Minority"?

Via Memeorandum:

Consider the following from the Politico post Conservatives take aim at leaders, Charlie Crist, other races:

Numerous GOP officials have told POLITICO they worry that the party has been hijacked by a noisy and powerful minority that will keep the GOP in a noisy and not-so-powerful minority for a long time.

So, are we fringe conservative wackos really the minority or, is it simply a matter of GOP officials believing that if they say it often enough it may come true? I can understand why they would want us to go away and let them get back to business as usual but are they really so delusional that they believe that the Conservative movement represents nothing more than a "small but vocal minority"?

The latest Gallup poll tells a different story:

On the question of political ideology, 40 percent of those surveyed said they were conservative, 36 percent were moderate, and 20 percent liberal.

Conservatives, contrary to the GOP line, are neither the fringe or the minority. We are vocal, we are activists and we are a force that the GOP needs to deal with. The least of the many lessons that the GOP should take away from NY23 is that they need us more than we need them.

The GOP's assertion that Conservatives may push the Republican party in to a permanent minority status only shows how little attention they are paying. We are more than willing to work with the GOP if they return to the Republican tradition of small government and fiscal conservatism.

Politico quotes Erik Erickson of RedState:

“Republicans are going to have to come our way,” he said, before going on to trash NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele for backing Scozzafava.

Their “level of disingenuousness ... is disgusting,” Erickson said.

Politico notes that Erickson’s bombast may seem overboard, but it captures the depths of anger over the handling of this special election. It’s not just that Scozzafava wasn’t conservative — she was very liberal on abortion, unions and gay marriage and even left the impression she might join the Democrats once elected.

The anger that Conservatives feel began building long before November, 2008. The GOP's backing of candidates like Scozzafava and Charlie Crist, not to mention Arlen Specter who they stood by right up until the moment he flipped on them, has only served to throw gasoline on the fire. We have decided that principle trumps party. The ball is in the GOP's hands now.

NY23: What Have We Learned? And Will the Lesson Stick?

Via Memeorandum:

In the Washington Examiner, Glenn Reynolds wisely writes that It’s the follow-through that matters in New York’s special race. His message to the GOP is that the party needs to follow-through on the lessons learned during the race. Reynolds also cautions Conservatives not to get too cocky. Fair enough. However, watching Newt on Fox this morning, it is clear that the GOP back peddling has begun even before the vote has been taken. Newt is playing off the Conservative victory as a mere blip on the radar with no real national implications. Well, there are slow learners and the unteachable. Guess which category Newt belongs in.

According to a recent Gallup Poll, Conservatives are not some little fringe group that the GOP can dismiss. Forty percent of Americans self identify as “conservative” while thirty-five percent call themselves “moderate” and bringing up the rear are those who call themselves “liberal” at twenty-one percent. In other words, we Conservatives are the mainstream.

Need proof? “The Party” has thrown its weight and money behind the RINO Charlie Crist in Florida. What has their name, prestige (snort), and money bought them? The Conservative candidate, Marco Rubio, has laid waste to Crist in all twelve straw polls taken so far. And we are still a year out.

It didn’t escape Conservative’s notice that many in “The Party” suddenly discovered their conservative principals only after it became clear that Hoffman would win NY23. Sure, we will accept the support of the “me, too” Republicans, but we won’t forget how late that support came. I have no delusion that the NRCC will back off its endorsement of Crist but I would hope that some within the GOP would take a lesson away from NY23 and endorse Rubio sooner rather than later.

Reynolds is correct that this is no time get cocky but it is a time for Conservatives to show resolve. It would also be a good time for the GOP to rediscover Conservative principles and jump off the sinking RINO boat.

Its a Learning Process

It wasn't that long ago that I didn't give politics a second thought. Or even a first thought.

I registered to vote for the first time sitting in Mrs. Wallace's science class during my senior year in high school in 1976. Back then Pulaski County, Kentucky was a Republican county. My parents were Republicans. I registered as a Democrat and voted for Carter for president. I have absolutely no idea why. To my credit, I realized during Carter's first year that the man was an idiot and I changed my registration. I never looked back. Honestly, I never looked period.

Afterall, I am adamantly pro-life. I believe in the free market. I believe with every fiber of my being that each of us are children of God and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. That makes me a Republican, right?

I always assumed that the Republican party had a platform, a set of principals, and by supporting the party, I could depend on them to support our shared principals. I assumed, that was politics.

It started vague. This very subtle feeling that something wasn't right. Then one day while talking to my daughter on the phone I said, "I'm not sure I'm a republican anymore." I don't know why I said it. There was a long silence and then my daughter said, "But Mom, that's who you are."

That may be who I am, but I'm no longer sure who my party is. I've never been a "win at all cost" person but if I understand the point Newt Gingrich was trying to make when he said that Republican support for Hoffman in NY23 is equal to a "purge" I think my party has decided that winning trumps principal.

How often do wish you had the perfect words? I found them at American Power. Donald posted Stay With Me by Rod Stewart. Donald, being a gentleman, didn't post the lyrics that apply, and I missed them in the video, but good old Rod says, "Sit down, shut up..." because poor Rita is there to 'service' her master. That video sums up the attitude that the leadership in the Republican party has developed with its loyalists.

I'm slowly learning how politics works, though I don't pretend to get the behind the scenes doings. Honestly, I don't care. But one thing I've realized, I'm not Rita. I am not that party's whore. But I am proud. I am proud to be a Conservative and I am proud of my fellow Conservatives who are standing up and saying, "No more." So, Misters Gingrich, Graham, McConnell, and members of the NRCC, I'd strongly suggest you do alot less taking for granted and a whole lot more wooing because I, we, are ready to kick you out of the door.

More Bad News For Charlie

The Fix is asking its readers to vote on the most overrated Governor in the country. It is my dubious honor to announce that at this point my governor, Gov. Charlie Crist is in the lead.

Charlie took quite a spanking in the poll's comments although he did receive one favorable review from a reader who noted that Crist well liked by Democrats. Judging from their article asking if Crist is America's Worst Governor, I think it is safe to assume that Crist is not a favorite of Forbes:

Charlie Crist is an extraordinarily gifted politician, known for his unpretentious and warm demeanor. He might also be America's worst governor. Given that there is a great deal of competition for this dubious honor, that's saying rather a lot.

Among liberals and progressives, there is a puzzling admiration for Crist,long considered by Democratic and Republican veterans of Florida's political scene to be something of an opportunist if not a lightweight. In May, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote a column suggesting that conservative discontent with Crist reflected an overemphasis on doctrinal purity. In Dionne's view, Crist raised the ire of Florida conservatives when he embraced President Obama's stimulus plan, and indeed when he physically embraced the president
himself. While it is certainly true that Republican primary voters tend to be
highly ideological, perhaps excessively so, it's worth recounting Crist's
reasons for backing the stimulus plan.

When Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet of the Miami Herald asked Crist about the
virtues of the plan, he said, "I think it's fantastic. Are you kidding me? We
don't have to raise taxes." Moreover, Crist continued, "we might be able to cut
property taxes some more. We have more money for education, so we can increase
per-student spending. We can spend more money on our roads and infrastructure.
We can provide health care for our people. I mean, it's remarkable." Indeed, something is remarkable, namely Crist's rigid adherence to an ideology more pernicious than orthodox progressivism or conservatism or nudism or anarchoprimitivism. I'm referring, of course, to free-lunchism. (my emphasis)

Yes, Charlie, the darling of liberals and progressives, does embrace "free-lunchism," though the free lunch didn't prevent Floridians from losing their jobs and their home values (if not their homes themselves) while contrary to Crist's pledge, their taxes increased. The article continues:

Incredibly, Crist demanded that Florida use one-time funds to pay for 12% of the state budget. When Republicans in the state legislature took the difficult step of passing a budget that included unpopular spending cuts, Crist turned around and vetoed hundreds of millions in cuts, despite the continuing
deterioration of state revenues. It could be that Crist believes that the
federal government will simply pass a stimulus plan every year, one that will
grow ever larger without consequence to Florida taxpayers. This, of course,
can't possibly be true. As a result, Crist has committed Florida to a fiscal
nightmare, one that will lead to draconian tax hikes and spending cuts long
after he makes a break for the U.S. Senate or finds some other comfortable
sinecure thanks to the good graces of his many wealthy friends. (Emphasis
mine)

Crist is one of those Republicans that we Conservatives are trying to "purge" according to Newt Gingrich. In Newt & Company's "big tent" there is room for free-lunchers, tax and spenders, cap and traders and abortionists. But while that tent swells with what we used to call "Democrats", Newt tells Conservatives to be quiet and go sit in the corner. Is it any wonder that Conservatives find that they are more comfortable outside the tent?

Other bloggers weighing in on the recent RINO onslaught:

The Daley Gator
Cold Fury
The Other McCain
Michelle Malkin
Paco Enterprises
The Camp of Saints
Another Black Conservative
And So it Goes In Shreveport

My How Times Have Changed

My how the times have changed. It wasn't that long ago that President Barak Obama came to Ft. Myers, Florida and Governor Charlie Crist threw his loving arms around him. The governor blew off a Cabinet meeting and a lunch with Jeb Bush so he could attend that rally with the new president and tell the citizens of Florida that he was reaching out in a spirit of bi-partisonship and embracing the stimulus money just as he embraced Obama in a great big man hug.

What did Crist get in return for those stimulus dollars? Florida is among the nation's leaders in unemployment rates and foreclosure rates. On that all important day, Floridians got screwed while Crist got the thrill.

President Obama will be back in Ft. Myers this week but Charlie won't be there to give him a hug. The governor says he has a cabinet meeting to attend. That is called irony. Or bullshit, depending on your point of view.

What has changed? I'm guessing this:

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent

More on the Rubio/Crist matchup at Riehl View World with a tip of the hat (fedora?) to Paco.