Communication Is The Key

On Tuesday night, history was made as President Barack Obama addressed the joint houses of Congress for the first time. I, however, didn’t watch the President’s speech at all. People tend to not enjoy my company whenever Obama speaks, because I always seem to feel an inexplicable urge to respond to every statement that he makes.

Truthfully, I was much more interested in watching Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana deliver the Republican response to President Obama. Gov. Jindal is an amazing conservative who has completely turned around the state of Louisiana. Considering that many consider Gov. Jindal to be a “rising star’ in the GOP, I was very interested to see how he would fare in his first prime time speech.

I was pretty disappointed. Although the substance in his speech was good, Gov. Jindal appeared to be uncomfortable reading from a teleprompter. I also think that his delivery didn’t encourage anyone to actually take seriously what he was saying. In short, he came across as too nice. In Gov. Jindal’s case, for him to be taken seriously as a speaker, he needs to come across as more determined and aggressive than he was on Tuesday night.

The most influential figures in politics are always able to communicate a message effectively. Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and now Barack Obama have all proven this. For Republicans to take back the White House in 2012, we need someone who is capable of communicating the conservative message strongly and effectively. In my view, the only person who can currently do that is Mike Huckabee.

It is way too early to endorse a candidate for 2012, however, if all the “potential” Republican candidates were to announce today, I would have to again endorse Mike Huckabee. I’m not writing off anyone, but if Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin intend to elevate their political careers any further, they need to specialize their messages, so that voters in primary states will take them seriously. I think that Govs. Jindal and palin are both great public servants, but if they are the best and brightest that we can offer, then they better improve on their communication skills.

8 Simple Rules For Reviving A Dying Elephant

I did not write this, but I wanted to post it on my blog from the first moment I read it. I offered for the author to post this as a guest blogger, but they preferred to remain anonymous. Please feel free to join in and leave your observations concerning how we can work to make the Republican Party relevantly conservative once again.

1. 1. Ditch the old guard! If Tuesday showed us anything it told us it is time to move on. Goodbye to the Doles, Bushes, and McCain’s. Thank you but you are the past. We need new leadership NOW. We need fresh ideas yesterday. We need young faces of tomorrow. The GOP MUST abandon its addiction to establishment candidates.
   2. Sweep out the dust! State GOP chairs who have blindly and stupidly marched lock step with Bush and his party leadership need to suffer the consequences and be voted out of office or resign in shame. Two years ago they had a unique opportunity to correct course and they made matters worse by giving Bush a leadership that split the party over immigration. In the words of one of their own “It is time, it is time for them to go.”
   3. Clean house! The house leadership team MUST be replaced with younger conservatives who will reassure the base. The leadership needs to also intentionally consider that it reflect the face of America: Eric Cantor, Marsha Blackburn would be good places to start. As few old establishment guys who smoke as possible PLEASE!
   4. Embrace who you are! Be conservative or not but figure it out and stop apologizing for whatever the heck it is you believe. If you are social conservative, economic conservative, and a federalist – do your homework for goodness sake and know how to defend yourself. Other wise you look like a phony who has faked it so you can have power.
   5. Vote in some minorities and women for crying out loud! Hello! The reason McCain picked Palin was because he needed an executive who was a woman and could solidify his base (particularly social conservatives) – it’s not his fault the party only has one out there you bone heads have elected. How many times do you think quality African American candidates will put them selves up for election knowing they will suffer the scorn of their own race just to have the party only halfheartily support them? Crawl on your knees to Lynn Swan, Ken Blackwell, Michael Steele, and J. C. Watts and tell them you will do whatever it takes.
   6. Develop an in depth deliberate media strategy to overcome the UNBELIEVABLE media bias advantage for the donkeys. It needs to reveal relentless exposure and an all out war against the main stream elite media. It needs to include the development of alternative media and strengthening of talk radio and conservative Internet.
   7. The senate is our only line of legislative defense – get nasty and never, never, never give in. How many times are your donkey friends in the senate going to have to kick you before you realize they have no intention of playing nice?
   8. OK guys its time some of you got a reality check – elite country club republicanism and Washington insider establishment republicanism does not win elections. IT NEVER HAS. Stop trying to run off the guys who put you in power and belittle our leaders such as Huckabee and Palin. We are your party. Get used to it or chose to keep losing.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Republican Party obviously really lost on every level on Tuesday. However, In the midst of all the political pity that I’ve been feeling, I think it’s important to get beyond the inevitable political demoralization that conservatives are feeling, and start looking at the real consequences of this election, and where we are to go from here as conservatives.

Of all the places to find it, my first post election inspiration came from Ralph Nader. At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr. “Full-Time Citizen” rightfully pointed out that no political party is the real loser in this election. The real losers, according to Mr. Nader, are the American people. (He then proceeded to ruin this profound moment by spewing his usual socialist, anti- capitalism jargon, but that’s besides the point.)

Mr. Nader’s words, when applied to a conservative ideology, are very true. Republicans have lost nothing compared to what the American people have lost. In the next 2-4 years, the American people will feel the burden of electing someone with an extremely liberal ideology to the highest office in the land. Steven M. Nielson at The New Conservative had a great post about what to expect in the new socialist administration.

Mr. Nader, (Who actually managed to say two profound things in one day.), also pointed out that there are two kinds of people who react to failed elections. Firstly, there are those who react to political failure with a recessive trait. These people allow themselves to be demoralized by failure, which leads to a compromise in principle, which in turn will ensure continued failure. Secondly, there are those who react to political failure with a civic trait. These people realize that their failings had nothing to do with their message, but rather in the way that their message was delivered.

In order to rebuild the Republican Party, we must return to the principles that we improved America with in the 1980’s and in 1994. The media seems to think that the only effective way for Republicans to regain power is to shift farther to the left ideologically. This is completely wrong. As Barry Goldwater pointed out, conservatives faced the same problem in 1960.

“We are daily cosigned by “enlightened” commentators to political oblivion: Conservatism, we are told, is out of date. The charge is preposterous and we ought boldly to say so. The laws of God, and of nature, have no dateline. The principles on which the Conservative political position is based have been established by a process that has nothing to do with social, economic, and political landscape that changes from decade to decade and from century to century. These principles are derived from the nature of man, and from the truths that God has revealed about His creation. Circumstances do change. So do the problems that are shaped by circumstances. But the principles that govern the solution of the problems do not. To suggest that the Conservative philosophy is out of date is akin to saying that the Golden Rule, or the Ten Commandments or Aristotle’s Politics are out of date. The Conservative approach is nothing more or less than an attempt to apply the wisdom and experience and the revealed truths of the past to the problems of today. The challenge is not to find new or different truths, but to learn how to apply established truths to the problems of the contemporary world.”

We ought to realize that the American people are attracted to authenticity, that’s why Reagan was the only successful Republican president in the last 50 years.  Reagan didn’t feel the need to shift to the left, and we shouldn’t either.  In the words of Mike Huckabee, “We will never compromise our principles for anyone else’s politics.” Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

Gov. Huckabee Speaks Out

I first saw this on Kevin Tracy, but this was just too exciting for a Huckabee supporter not to post. It looks like Gov. Huckabee is the only former Republican presidential candidate who is actually speaking out against his party on the new socialist Wall Street bailout. Gov. Huckabee is standing on conservative principles and speaking the truth. Ironically, the same people who were calling Gov. Huckabee a economic liberal are the ones who aren’t saying anything about the largest expansion of the federal government since the New Deal. Read what Gov. Huckabee had to say.

Frankly, I’m disappointed and disgusted with my own Republican party as I watch them attempt to strong-arm a bailout of some of America’s biggest corporations by asking the taxpayers to suck up the staggering results of the hubris, greed, and arrogance of those who sought to make a quick buck by throwing the dice. They lost, but want the rest of us to cover their bets so they won’t be effected in their lavish lifestyles as they figure out how to spend their tens of millions and in some cases, hundreds of millions in bonuses and compensation which was their reward for not only sinking their companies, but basically doing the same to the entire American economy.

It’s especially disconcerting to see the very people who pilloried me during the Presidential campaign for being a “populist” and not “understanding Wall Street” to now line up like thirsty dogs at the Washington, D. C. water dish, otherwise known as Congress, and plead for help. I thought these guys were the smartest people in America! I thought that taxpayers like you and I were similar to the people at the U. N. who have no translator speaking into their headset – that we just needed to trust those that I called the power bunch in the “Wall Street to Washington axis of power.”

The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.

Will there be far-reaching consequences without some intervention? Probably, but we honestly don’t know since we’ve really never seen this level of greed and stupidity all rolled into one massive move. But may I suggest that letting “Uncle Sugar” step in and bail out the billionaires who made the mess will be far worse and will start a long line of companies and individuals who will demand the same of the government—which last time I checked means that they will be demanding it out of YOU and ME. This is not money that Congress is risking from THEIR pockets or future, but ours. Many if not most of us have already experienced lost value on our homes, retirement accounts, and pensions. Now they’d like for us to assume some further risks so they won’t have to.

What happened to the “free market” idea? Is that only our view when we WIN and when we LOSE, we ask the government to come in and take away the pain?

If you are a small business owner, is this the way it works at your place? When you have a bad month, a bad year, or face having to close, can you go up to Congress and get them to write YOU a fat check to take away your risk?

Some of what contributed to this disaster is too much government in the form of Sarbanes/Oxley. Some is due to the tax structure that created the hunger for companies to “game” the system. Some is the common sense that was ignored like loaning money to people who can’t pay it back.

Wall Street has become Las Vegas east, but at least in Vegas, people KNOW they are gambling and they don’t expect the government to cover their losses at the tables. In Wall Street, they do. And the American taxpayer burdens the responsibility.

If Congress wants to do something, here are some suggestions:

1. Eliminate ALL capital gains taxes and taxes on savings and dividends right now. Free up the capital and encourage investment. This is the kind of economic stimulus the Fair Tax would bring and if Congress is going to lose money, let them lose it with lower taxes, not with public dollar bailouts of private market mistakes.

1. Repeal Sarbanes/Oxley. It has failed. It was supposed to prevent this. It didn’t. Kill it.

3. Demand that the executives who steered their ships into the ground be forced to pay back the losses of their companies. Of course, they can’t, so let them work and give back to the government and they can live like the people they put on the streets or kept there. It makes no sense to put them in jail—that’s just more they will cost you and me. I’d rather them go out and earn money—just not get to keep so much of it this time. I’m not talking about limiting CEO salaries—just those of the people who now are up in Washington begging for help because they ruined their companies.

Attempts by Democrats and Republicans to blame each other is nonsense. They are both guilty and ought to own up and admit it. They all lived off big campaign contributions and the swill of the lobbyists who strong armed them into permission to steal. Enough of blame. Fix it!

This would be a start. If we don’t hold these guys responsible, we are all finished.

This makes me extremely proud to have supported Gov. Huckabee during the primaries. I voted for Gov. Huckabee because I knew that he was the sort of leader who would speak out against something like this. It’s important for a leader to have a clear moral compass, and Gov. Huckabee has that.

Well done Gov. Huckabee!!

My Final Opinion On The Veepstakes

A couple of months ago I mistakenly said that vice presidential nominees are unimportant in presidential politics.  How wrong I was.  On the contrary, who John McCain chooses as his running mate will be of the utmost importance when it comes to whether or not I will vote for him.

I believe that whoever John McCain chooses as his running mate will be a key indicator whether or not the Republican Party is willing to accept the change that it so desperately needs.  I have said for months now that a conventional ticket will not cut it for the GOP in 2008.  The Republican ticket needs to contain excitement, energy, and change.  If we want to win, and if we want to change America, then we can accept nothing less.

I have three nominees who I will wholeheartedly accept on the GOP ticket. 

My first option continues to be Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.  Gov. Palin is the kind of conservative reformer that we need in Washington.  Gov. Palin will bring many former Hillary Clinton supporters who want to see a woman in a place of power in the Executive Branch.  Gov. Palin will also solidify the support of many social and domestic conservatives who aren’t currently too sure about voting for Sen. McCain in November.  Most importantly, however, having Sarah Palin on the ticket will bring some much needed excitement to the campaign of a 72 year old man.  To learn more about Gov. Palin, click here.

My next choice would definitely be Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.  Although I don’t necessarily want Gov. Jindal to be Vice President, I will definitely support any ticket that he is on.  I like Gov. Jindal for many of the same reasons that I like Gov. Palin.  Like Gov. Palin, Bobby Jindal is a young conservative minded reformer who clearly represents the future of the Republican Party.  Gov. Jindal is doing the sort of things in Baton Rouge that many people are wanting to get done in Washington.  Bobby Jindal is on his path to being a political star, especiallyif he delivers the keynote address at this year’s GOP National Convention in St. Paul.  Many have concluded that Gov. Jindal is going to be in America’s future.  The only question is whether this future begins in 2008, or later.

Another choice that I have recently thought about is Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.  I may not be thinking clearly, but I’m pretty sure that Sen. Thune is one of the three U.S Senators currently serving, that I actually like.  (The other two are Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.)  Sen. Thune is one of the few good things about Washington today.  As I’ve observed his performance in the Senate, I’ve seen that Sen. Thune does not compromise on his convictions.  He is also a great debater, which was evident in 2004 when he defeated Tom Daschle for re-election.  I have often compared him to a young, articulate Fred Thompson, without the influence of lobbyists.  I don’t think that Sen. Thune would necessarily be the perfect VP pick, but he would be a very good one.

Just as there are nominees that would guarantee my voting for McCain, there are also those nominees that would guarantee me not voting for McCain.  The first of these is obviously Mitt Romney.  As is the case with nearly everyone who doesn’t like Gov. Romney, the main reason that I wouldn’t vote for him is his flip-flopping on issues such as abortion and same sex marriage.  On top of that, Gov. Romney has all of the attributes that I don’t look for in a politician.  I could name all of these attributes, but it is much more effective to watch him speak on television for five minutes.

Another person who I couldn’t vote for is former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.  My main hang up with him is his positions on abortion, but besides that, I don’t think that anyone could come across as more establishment than Tom Ridge.

So what will I do if McCain’s choice of running mate forces me from voting Republican in November?  Well, I’ve narrowed it down to two options; firstly, I could vote for Bob “The Rat” Barr, or I will proudly write in the name of Michael Dale Huckabee on my ballot.  Hey, following your convictions isn’t always easy.

VP Madness

A couple of events throughout this week have generated even more discussion about who will be John McCains running mate. Firstly, this weekend, John McCain is hosting three potential running mates at his house in Arizona; Mitt Romney, Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

I have made a promise to myself that I would never vote for Mitt Romney in any way. I simply believe that the man has no personal conviction, and that he is personally governed by what other people think of him, instead of what he believes is right. On top of that, Romney would be a terrible running mate. In a race against a diversified democratic coalition, Mitt Romney is the epitome of a wealthy white man. A McCain / Romney ticket would not be appealing to voters at all. John McCain is white enough for any ticket.

I don’t know much about Charlie Crist, but I do know that he’s not a terribly great social conservative. Like Romney, Gov. Crist has changed his mind on the right for unborn babies to live several times. I also know that he is extremely popular in Florida, but politicians who are too popular scare me sometimes. Popularity usually boils down to the fact that you don’t have enough courage to do something that might not be popular.

Like I’ve said before, Gov. Bobby Jindal is a very impressive and talented guy, but I think a vice presidency under John McCain would waste his talents. Honestly I’m kind of afraid that if he accepts the VP nomination, then he might turn out like Dan Quayle. I like Gov. Jindal too much for me to sit idlely by as McCain ruins his political future.

The second little peice that has generated VP discussion is the VP tourney at CQ politics, which Mike Huckabee won yesterday. The finals were between Mike Huckabee and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Even though Gov. Huckabee “won” the tournament, I really don’t want him to be McCain’s running mate. I voted for Mike Huckabee to become president, not vice president. If I had known that Gov. Huckabee would be willing to settle for the number two spot, than I’m not sure if I would have supported him at all. As of right now, my loyalty in 2012 lies with Mike Huckabee. If he became vice president, then by the time he would run to succeed McCain, we would be coming off of 12 years of Republican rule, and he would surely lose to almost anybody. If Mike Huckabee becomes vice president, then his political future would be over.

The only smart choice as a running mate for McCain is Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. She represents a new wave of Republicans. We need someone to change the GOP’s much outdated national image, and Gov. Palin would do that. She is a strong conservative reformer, and we need her in Washington.

The Beginning Of Huck PAC

Yesterday, on April 15, Mike Huckabee launched his new political action committee, which is appropriately named Huck PAC. A lot of people in the “Huckasphere” were wondering what he was the reason behind the countdown on Huckabee’s website,(Some of Hucks’s Catholic supporters were humorously speculating that Gov. Huckabee would convert to Catholicism, on the day of the Pope’s arrival in the U.S.)but anyway, we know now what it was all about. I think that Gov. Huckabee obviously chose to launch Huck PAC on April 15th as a way to publicize the Fair Tax.

Huck PAC is the inevitable tool that Gov. Huckabee is using to build his political future. One of the weaknesses that Gov. Huckabee’s campaign had was a lack of political connections, so Huck PAC will definately help him should he decide to run in 2012. The immediate goals of Huck PAC, however, are to support John McCain and to help win a Republican majority in both houses of Congress. So If you haven’t yet checked out Huck PAC, be sure to give it a visit(www.huckpac.com), and I would urge you to consider supporting Gov. Huckabee financially through Huck PAC. In the next four years, Gov. Huckabee will need early support for a 2012 run, so let’s do what it takes to correct our mistakes, and get this guy in the Oval Office.

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