Republicans

Discussion with a Liberal — Part 1

Retired Spook95 Comments

For the last few weeks I’ve been engaged in an interesting email conversation with a Liberal who happens to be the husband of an old girlfriend of mine from high school. She is a self-described “knee-jerk Liberal”, and detests discussing politics because, I suspect, she’s is unable to defend her “knee-jerk” positions. Her husband, OTOH, approached me a while back, lamenting the fact that we have become such a hopelessly divided nation, and wanting to know if I had any thoughts on the subject. I said I thought the biggest problem is that each side has some misperceptions of what the other side believes, which, more often than not, prevents any attempts to find common ground; misperceptions that are often exacerbated by an agenda-driven media in an effort to further divide us.  I suggested we engage in a one on one discussion on the condition that we keep it civil.  Upon his agreement to give it a try, I led off with the following:

Splendid.  I’ve never been accused of being an ideologue, and I detest confrontational arguments that almost always end up in name-calling.  I look at political debate, first and foremost, as a learning and mind-expanding experience, rather than a win or lose situation, and, as a result, my thinking on a number of issues has changed over the years.  I have neither tolerance nor respect for people who lie or distort the facts to score political points.  For most of my life I was an unexamined Republican until this marvelous thing called the Internet came along, and I was able to not only question everything I heard, read and saw, but was able to at least attempt to search for the truth.  That the truth doesn’t have an agenda and doesn’t need a majority to prevail has become somewhat of my personal motto, and that’s the lens through which I try to examine every issue.

I view the Constitution as a contract between the government and the people by whose consent the government exists, not perfect, but better than any other governing document ever produced.  To anyone who says the Constitution is a living document that needs to change with the whims of the times by legislation, executive order or judicial fiat, I ask, would you work for me with a “living” employment contract, or borrow money from me with a “living” loan contract, or play poker with me using “living” rules?  I have yet to get a yes to those questions — from anyone.

On social issues, I’m pretty much an agnostic.  Neither the Constitution, nor any of the Founders in any of their writings addressed a need for the federal government to be involved in social issues, and I regret that issues like abortion and gay marriage are allowed to play such a predominant role in national politics.

Hopefully that gives you some idea of where I’m coming from.  What drives how you look at politics?

His response was not really what I expected, and, although he denies being a Liberal at the end, he voted for Obama — twice, an admission of sorts that he supports an uber-liberal agenda. Continue reading →

Can You Guess Who?

Retired Spook15 Comments

I got this idea from a member of the BlogsforVictory Google Group.  I’ve redacted details that would give the answer away.

WITH THE FEDERAL DEBT spiraling out of control, many Americans sense an urgent need to find a political leader who is able to say “no” to spending. Yet they fear that finding such a leader is impossible. Conservatives long for another Ronald Reagan. But is Reagan the right model? He was of course a tax cutter, reducing the top marginal rate from 70 to 28 percent. But his tax cuts—which vindicated supply-side economics by vastly increasing federal revenue—were bought partly through a bargain with Democrats who were eager to spend that revenue. Reagan was no budget cutter—indeed, the federal budget rose by over a third during his administration.

An alternative model for conservatives is [redacted]. President from [redacted], [Redacted] sustained a budget surplus and left office with a smaller budget than the one he inherited. Over the same period, America experienced a proliferation of jobs, a dramatic increase in the standard of living, higher wages, and three to four percent annual economic growth. And the key to this was [redacted] penchant for saying “no.” If Reagan was the Great Communicator, [redacted] was the Great Refrainer.
Following [redacted], the federal debt stood ten times higher than before the [redacted], and it was widely understood that the debt burden would become unbearable if interest rates rose. At the same time, the top income tax rate was over 70 percent, veterans were having trouble finding work, prices had risen while wages lagged, and workers in Seattle, New York, and Boston were talking revolution and taking to the streets. The [redacted] administration had nationalized the railroads for a time at the end of the [redacted], and had encouraged stock exchanges to shut down for a time, and Progressives were now pushing for state or even federal control of water power and electricity. The business outlook was grim, and one of the biggest underlying problems was the lack of an orderly budgeting process: Congress brought proposals to the White House willy-nilly, and they were customarily approved.

The Republican Party’s response in the [redacted] election was to campaign for smaller government and for a return to what its presidential candidate, [redacted], dubbed “normalcy”—a curtailing of government interference in the economy to create a predictable environment in which business could confidently operate. [Redacted], a Massachusetts governor who had gained a national reputation by facing down a Boston police strike—“There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time,” he had declared—was chosen to be [redacted] running mate. And following their victory, [redacted] inaugural address set a different tone from that of the outgoing [redacted] administration (and from that of the Obama administration today): “No altered system,” [redacted] said, “will work a miracle. Any wild experiment will only add to the confusion. Our best assurance lies in efficient administration of our proven system.”

One of [redacted] first steps was to shepherd through Congress the Budget and Accounting Act of [redacted], under which the executive branch gained authority over and took responsibility for the budget, even to the point of being able to impound money after it was budgeted. This legislation also gave the executive branch a special budget bureau—the forerunner to today’s Office of Management and Budget—over which [redacted] named a flamboyant Brigadier General, [redacted], as director. Together they proceeded to summon department staff and their bosses to semiannual meetings at Continental Hall, where [redacted] cajoled and shamed them into making spending cuts. In addition, [redacted] pushed through a tax cut, lowering the top rate to 58 percent; and in a move toward privatization, he proposed to sell off naval petroleum reserves in Wyoming to private companies.

Is there any doubt that history repeats itself?  Read the whole piece here, and pray that another [redacted] comes along soon.

With a Measure of Disgust…

Leo Pusateri10 Comments
Oath of Office
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.” -Oath of office for Congress.

Just words– without one iota of consideration as to what those words mean.

I’m just getting more and more nauseated every time I think of this whole damned bunch of traitors, liars, opportunists, and career criminals.

I’ve lost every iota of optimism and faith in government.

They are no longer public servants, placed in a position of trust.

They–the lot of them– are self-serving, egotistical leeches who are in it for no one but themselves.

The inmates have taken over the asylum.

God have mercy on our nation, and please, drain the swamp, once and for all.

I’m so disgusted.

I’d Like to Thank Nancy Pelosi…

Mark Noonan7 Comments

…as this time for ensuring that the Republican Party retains control of the House until at least the 2022 mid-terms:

House Democrats will introduce legislation to ban the production of high-capacity magazines on the first day of the next congressional session, the office of Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), one of the lawmakers sponsoring the bill, told The Huffington Post. The Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act will mirror a failed bill introduced during the 112th Congress…

As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m more than happy to re-fight the gun control debate with the Democrats – even after weeks of demonization and in the wake of the Newtown massacre, support for gun rights polls high and the NRA remains more popular than, for instance, Nancy Pelosi.

Now, to be sure, Democrats are not introducing this twaddle with any hope that it will be passed – it is just mindless fluff being fed to their base which demands they “do something” about gun violence (no, not the gun violence in gun-controlled Chicago…our liberals don’t care about that; perhaps because its mostly black and brown skinned kids being killed?).  But it will force Democrats to go on record – and the House GOP leadership should ensure that all Democrat proposals for gun control are fast-tracked for floor votes.  Democrats in red and purple areas of the country (and even some blue areas which manage to combine being a hippy with owning a gun…we’re looking at you Vermont and Oregon) will have to vote against, GOPers will gleefully vote against…and all Democrats will be tarred with a “gun grabber” brush for the 2014 mid-terms.

Given that we probably will go over the cliff and we will be blamed for it (somehow or another an asinine proposal to raise taxes on “the rich” is resonating more with the American people than the stark fact that we’re bankrupt and need to cut spending), I was wondering what we’d do to regain political traction.  Here it is – handed to us on a silver platter.  Yes, our Democrats are better at the nuts and bolts of politics…but, remember, they are liberal and thus will continue to fall in to idiocy.  Therein lies our hope for a better future…

Tim Scott Appointed Senator

Mark Noonan7 Comments

From the Washington Post:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announced Monday that she will appoint Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to the Senate.

Scott will replace Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who is leaving the chamber in January to head up the conservative Heritage Foundation.

“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing our next U.S. senator to be Congressman Tim Scott,” Haley said. “I am strongly convinced that the entire state understands that this is the right U.S. senator for our state and our country.”

Sen.-designate Scott, 47, will become the only African-American currently serving in the Senate and the first black Republican to serve in the upper chamber since the 1970s. He will also be the first black senator from the South since Reconstruction…

Clearly just a clever plot by those wascally, wacist Wepublicans!  Imagine, the nerve of them!  Having a female, racial minority governor appointing a black man to the Senate?  Obviously, its just to throw dust in everyone’s eyes so they won’t see the Klan hood peaking out…I mean, its not like the two Latino governors of American States are Republican…oh, wait…

Tell ya what, Democrats – you can keep all the old, white guys like Charlie Crist…we’ll go Forward! with people who actually want to make America great again.

We’re Too Nice

Cluster92 Comments

“They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.” – The Untouchables

I have sat back over the last week watching the expected gloating from liberals, and the anticipated disbelief amongst conservatives and have let it all soak in, in my own attempt to make some sense out of the nonsensical. I still find it hard to believe that once again this country has elected an empty suit, no more qualified to be President this time around than he was last time. I still find it hard to believe that so many voters put issues like abortion and gay marriage above their own financial interests, confirming my belief that we have become a very ignorant, financially illiterate society who will now forsake opportunity and liberty for promised personal security. Americans have truly become dependent and intellectually lazy, and the question is – is it too late to salvage them?

Also over the last week I have witnessed the hand wringing by most conservatives on how we blew such an easy election. How once again, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. We didn’t lose because Romney is a RINO, as some conservatives call him; we didn’t lose because of the bone headed positions of people like Todd Akin – if that were the case, then someone needs to explain Rep. Andre Carson to me. We lost, because we are too nice. We allow the media and the Democrats to paint us as extreme, without attacking them in the same, if not more aggressive manner. If any party is extreme on abortion – it is the democrats, who support abortion at any place, any time for any reason without any regard to life, mother or father. If any party is extreme on economics – it is the democrats, who support a growing dependency on food stamps, welfare, and a health care insurance program that guarantees the descent of a once great industry into mediocrity, and of whom also support punishing and demonizing success. If any party is extreme on education – it is the Democrats, who would rather poor children languish in failing schools to appease the unions rather than allow parents to send their child to a better school. And these are just a few of the extreme, detrimental positions the Democrats have taken that will ultimately hurt all Americans and of which they don’t ever get called out on. Instead we allow the Democrats to paint our candidate as a murderer, an uncaring rich person who evades taxes and wants to enrich his friends, and of whom wants to ban abortion, implement a theocracy etc, etc. Well it’s time to take the gloves off.

And we start now, by stating unequivocally that Obama is an incompetent, uncaring liar who may be complicit in murder. Obama does not care one bit about the average American otherwise he would tell the truth about the Affordable Care Act which will, and is now resulting in layoffs, an increase in part time employment, a decrease in full time employment, higher insurance premiums, higher taxes, and fewer doctors to provide services. Obama does not care one bit about school children who are obtaining a poor education otherwise he would allow them to attend a better school. Obama does not care one bit about Hurricane Sandy victims otherwise he would not have been golfing while FEMA offices were closed due to incremental weather. Obama does not care one bit about small businesses otherwise he would not advocate raising taxes on the top 3% of small businesses that employee 25% of the labor force. Obama does not care one bit about women otherwise he would insist that the men who so callously impregnate them take responsibility and are held accountable. Obama does not care one bit about younger generations otherwise he would ensure the sustainability of Medicare and Social Security rather than allow the programs to continue along the path to bankruptcy. Obama does not care one bit about illegal immigration otherwise he would have offered a plan to remedy the problem rather than demagogue the issue and use it as a political football. Obama also may very well be complicit in the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens, whom he referred to as a “bump in the road”, and of border guard Brian Terry. Two great Americans, who the media and the Obama regime have so rudely stepped over and swept under the carpet, hoping that everyone will just ignore their callous disregard.

Democrats do not care about the American people, and certainly don’t care about conservatives. They only care about their power over the American people and dispensing of any opposition at any cost. They will continue to prop up useful idiots, like many of our resident liberals, with hateful and condescending talking points to perpetuate that paradigm. They will also continue to under educate our children so that the growing dependency on their benevolence continues. So the next time you hear some liberal, or some Democrat try tell conservatives what to do – tell them to go F**K themselves. And let’s nominate a candidate next time that articulates the conservative positions of a smaller, more efficient, more local government that benefits everyone at that expense of no one, a robust private sector that rewards success and innovation, and of whom is prepared to immediately counter any, and all, Democratic and media attacks with over whelming force. That is the day that conservatives and Americans will once again win.

Jindal to GOP: Don’t be Stupid

Mark Noonan53 Comments

Well, that is a bit harsher than he actually was – but its the gist of it.  From Politico:

…“We’ve got to make sure that we are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, big anything,” Jindal told POLITICO in a 45-minute telephone interview. “We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys.”

He was just as blunt on how the GOP should speak to voters, criticizing his party for offending and speaking down to much of the electorate.

“It is no secret we had a number of Republicans damage our brand this year with offensive, bizarre comments — enough of that,” Jindal said. “It’s not going to be the last time anyone says something stupid within our party, but it can’t be tolerated within our party. We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism. We need to stop being simplistic, we need to trust the intelligence of the American people and we need to stop insulting the intelligence of the voters.”…

While our liberal friends were quite dishonest in their characterizations of what, say, Akin said, the fact remains that Akin got in to trouble because he clearly never thought the matter through.  If you are to be a pro-life fanatic (as I am) then you’d better figure out precisely why you are and what your answers are to all conceivable questions.  Heck, for a Christian this is actually a Biblical command (see 1 Peter 3:15).  Because Akin had not thought the matter through he was unprepared for a question which was obviously going to be asked because the DNC wanted their by-lined Democrats in the MSM to ask such questions (the correct answer to that question can be found here, because I’ve thought about it).  Because of boneheaded answers we are at least two Senate seats short of where we would be had we been smarter…and a bit more smarts and we might have retired Reid as Majority Leader.

Don’t get me wrong – Democrats are even dumber than we are.  But they do have this going for them – low information voters can be easily suckered by Democrats especially when GOPers are acting like idiots.  If we are smart then Democrat attempts to bamboozle will fall flat…because sincerity and conviction on well-presented beliefs do actually trump gutter-political appeals to the lowest common denominator.  Think of Reagan:  bags of sincerity and conviction and beliefs which could not be mistaken…they tried a gutter political campaign against him in 1980 and it didn’t work (hard as it is to remember, but Democrats were portraying Reagan as a filthy rich, drooling idiot who wanted to start nuclear war as soon as he got in to office).

Equally important, don’t let the Democrats portray us as something we’re not.  Like it or not, the GOP was successfully painted as the party of the rich and the big corporations in 2012.  Doesn’t matter that there are more rich Democrats than Republicans; doesn’t matter that corporate America is a happy-hunting ground for sinecure-seeking Democrats.  What mattered is that by not clearly showing that we are opposed to Big Corporation and on the side of small and mid-sized business, we gave that part of the game away to the Democrats, too.

Time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start bringing to the table those shining ideals which lead us to victory in the past…and without giving the game away by fumbling the ball inside the red zone.

A Key to Future Victory

Mark Noonan67 Comments

Via Senator Dean Heller’s (R-NV) election victory – from the Las Vegas Sun:

…They meticulously gathered the names of all newly registered independents—who were registering at a faster clip than either Democrats or Republicans for much of the season.

Then, they relentlessly called and visited those voters at their doorsteps—particularly in Washoe County.

Heller’s campaign also put a significant amount of the candidate’s time toward the effort. Twice a week, Heller sat on a conference call with hundreds of independent voters.

“Dean does not screen questions,” Abrams said. “Twice a week, for an hour and a half, independents got to hear from him directly about how he did not vote to end Medicare and they could ask him anything they wanted.”…

If you are in a State where Democrats outnumber Republicans – and they outnumber Republicans here in Nevada by more than 100,000 voters, as we are increasingly “Californicated” (idiots who flee the People’s Democratic Republic of California and then start voting in Nevada for the same insanity which killed California) – then you either have to massively increase GOP registration or go out and get Independents in a big way.  Heller went and did that – winning Independents by 20 points which allowed him to scrape to a 12,000 vote victory (out of a million votes cast).

Around the country there has been a general fall-off of Democrat voter registration, a slight rise in GOP voter registration and a skyrocketing Independent registration.  Independents are clearly key to winning – State by State and nationally in most areas.  Heller took the time to carefully court the Independent vote and wound up winning in a State that Obama carried by nearly 6 points (which, for a bit of good news, is only half his 2008 margin).

Heller’s campaign concentrated heavily on themes designed to appeal to Independents – I remember the barrage of ads which asserted Heller’s willingness to work across the aisle to solve problems, a key desire for Independents who appear to be Independent precisely because they’re sick of the partisan games of government.  The lesson for us to take away is that Democrats won in 2012 by deliberately emphasizing partisanship – they relentlessly worked on racial, gender and class animosities in order to turnout their base in as large a number as possible.  It worked – but it won’t work if the GOP can simply bring more voters to the polls because we have a message which appeals to a broader sector of the American population.

Democrats figure they’ve got is sewn – that they’ve got a model which ensures them victory again and again and again.  They do – if we keep playing the game as we have.  If we change the rules, we’ll catch them flat-footed.  Heller points the way.  Let’s Roll.