Michael Steele Wins It

It took six ballots and a lot of persistence, but Michael Steele has just become the first African-American to be chairman of the Replubilcan National Committee.

If you're prepared to be an obstructionist, "Get ready to be knocked over," Steele told a cheering crowd at the Capitol Hilton, moments after he defeated South Carolina Chairman Katon Dawson by a vote of 91 to 77.

Steele, a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, referred to the GOP as a "conservative party" and promised Republicans could expect "something different."

Rush Recognizes Phyllis Schlafly On Air

"All you can do is let the grassroots take it over. That's had to have been done a number of times, by the way. It's what Reagan had to do.

You wouldn't believe the unsung heroes from 1976 on that were working the grassroots, people like Paul Weyrich and Phyllis Schlafly, you would not believe all the work that was going on without any fanfare, to take over the grassroots so that local elections and primary elections and congressional and Senate races were won by conservative candidates."

We Must Persevere

Wise words from Erick Ericksen of RedState.

I got an email yesterday. The correspondent wrote:

"I truly appreciate and support your efforts; however I have to admit my total frustration in having failed to stop the Treasury nomination, it is an offensive move. I called everyone but end up talking with one of the volunteers at the Senator's offices and I truly wonder about this strategy effectiveness. Maybe we need to pursue a different approach. Please advise."

We are not meant in the course of our activism to be always successful. We will have moments of success and they will be large and they will be small. But sometimes we will not be successful.

The persistent widow in Luke 18 had to keep going to the judge who "neither feared God nor cared about men." She "kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'" She persisted and the judge finally said, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"

It is the same with an activist. We must persevere.

Yesterday the Politico ran a story on Jim DeMint filled with invective from anonymous Republican staffers in the Senate. They hate Jim DeMint because he perseveres. He is not always successful, but sometimes he is. And if he perseveres, at some point, he will prevail.

DeMint, in the article, said something very wise about the present Republican leadership. He said "that lawmakers in both parties 'only respond to pain.'"

Again, we don't expect to be successful all the time. We will have set backs. That is the nature of the political game. We must also accept that some people have good reasons for doing what they do, though we disagree with them. But we must also expect and demand that we are respected as the base of the party. We must fight and our fight must frequently induce pain on our own side. It is frequently the only way to make headway.

Persevere and fight on.

We will be sometimes defeated. We will be sometimes victorious. But most importantly, we won't be idly complaining and yelling into the wind - we'll be working to make a difference.

It is no good to complain and not act. It is very good to act without complaint and fight the good fight until the setting of the sun.

Persevere. And relish victories like we had last night - the House Republicans heard us and stood united against Barack Obama's socialist stimulus plan.

A Good Day For Conservatives

This was a brutally intense day, but citizens held elected leaders feet to the fire and it resulted in ALL Republicans House members opposing this very bad stimulus bill…and even 11 reasonable Democrats were swayed to vote against it.

Well done!

My thanks to every Washington state citizen who used their voice to make a difference. The battle over the stimulus bill now shifts to the Senate where we will once again fight for what’s right.

It would be great if you would take a moment and thank the our stalwart Republicans - McMorris-Rodgers, Hastings, and Reichert - who dared to face the giant with their vote.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816

Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761

Now this from Michelle Malkin:

I’ve been doing a lot of Republican-bashing the past few weeks. Watching the Republicans crumble on the Geithner and Holder nominations, swoon over The One’s congeniality, and display indecision over the stimulus hasn’t been easy on the stomach or the head.

But credit must be given where it is due. Today was a very good day for conservatism — and a good day for the party whose logo I’ve had to run upside-down for too long.

Thank you, GOP.

And this from FRC:

Although the stimulus bill passed this evening 244-188, the GOP did set in motion a new era of opposition, voting unanimously against a bill that would take government into the final frontiers of universal health care and federalized education. In the face of the most popular incoming President since JFK, Republicans stood together in statement of solidarity. We applaud them for showing real backbone against unprecedented government expansion.

[Thanks Michelle Malkin for the elephant picture!]

As Citizen Speak Out Stimulus Is Flying Everywhere! KEEP CALLING!

Exposing what is actually in the Democrat Bailout Bill is a full time job itself - $335 million for sexually transmitted diseases is the latest revelation.

One thing is very clear, as citizens speak out stimulus is flying everywhere!
So let's turn up the heat on our elected leaders! Melt their phones lines!

“This is not change you can believe in,” said Sen. Jim DeMint of Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, “This is business as usual in Washington.”

Republicans, are taking a stand against the $825-billion bailout plan. Since conservatives are in the minority, the way to get things done is to “take it to the people.”

Citizens can get information on the stimulus bill at a new website http://www.readthestimulus.org/.

Please call, and then urge others to call. Citizens informed and active can make a difference!

Call Our Senators:

Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621

Call Your Representatives:

1st District: Jay Inslee - (202) 225–6311
2nd District: Rick Larsen - (202) 225-2605
3rd District: Brian Baird - (202) 225-3536
4th District: Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
6th District: Norm Dicks - (202) 225-5916
7th District: Jim McDermott - (202) 225-3106
8th District: Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761
9th District: Adam Smith - (202) 225-8901

Million$ of Rea$on$ to Oppo$e

There are literally millions of reasons to oppose the Democrat stimulus bill. Check out some of their plans for your hard earned money from RedState:

$650 million for digital TV coupons.
$600 million for new cars for the federal government.
$6 billion for colleges/universities – many which have billion dollar endowments.
$50 million in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.
$44 million for repairs to U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters.
$200 million for the National Mall, including $21 million for sod.

The plan establishes at least 32 new government programs at a cost of over $136 billion. That means more than a third of this plan’s spending provisions are dedicated to creating new government programs.

The plan provides spending in at least 150 different federal programs.

This isn't a plan, it's a scam! And it's obviously not about growing the economy but about growing government. It's not about us, but all about them.

Stimulus - Spending or Relief

The House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 1 later this week. Although Democrats are marketing the bill as an economic stimulus package it is nothing more than a $825 billion spending spree containing a tremendous amount of pork, few meaningful measures to stimulate the economy, and the expected perks for their radical left causes, including:

• Hundreds of millions of dollars for family planning including abortion providers.

• Billions of dollars for left-wing groups like ACORN, which has been accused of voter fraud.

• 1.1 billion dollars for "Comparative Effectiveness Research," the cornerstone of nationalized health care

• More massive education spending increases with no accountability.

There is a powerful alternative.

The Republican Study Committee has introduced the Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Relief Act of 2009 as an alternative to the Democrats' big-spending plan.

While the Democrats' plan simply prescribes more government spending during a time of record-breaking budget deficits, the RSC bill is a pro-growth alternative that unleashes the potential of American businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs.

The RSC plan provides incentive-based relief to individuals and job creators in order to reduce the burden that the government places on both employers and employees.

Economic recovery is not easy, but it must begin with responsible solutions that will invigorate the private sector, not another big-government handout.

Let Congress know which plan you support.

U.S. Senators:
Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621
U.S. Representatives:
1st District: Jay Inslee - (202) 225–6311
2nd District: Rick Larsen - (202) 225-2605
3rd District: Brian Baird - (202) 225-3536
4th District: Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
6th District: Norm Dicks - (202) 225-5916
7th District: Jim McDermott - (202) 225-3106
8th District: Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761
9th District: Adam Smith - (202) 225-8901

They Don't Want To Hear - So Call!!

Word from DC is the confirmation vote on Treasury Secretary-designee Tim Geithner will be Monday...and they DON'T want to hear from you!

You know what that means...CALL NOW!

Please call our Senators and ask them to VOTE NO on the Geithner nomination.

• Geithner knowingly failed to pay his taxes, even after an IRS audit exposed his "mistake."
• As the person responsible for collecting taxes from every American,
  his failure should disqualify him.

Sen. Murray 202-224-2621
Sen. Cantwell 202-224-3441

And if you're up for it also call Senate leadership and urge them to take a principled stand against Geithner:

Majority Leader Harry Reid: 202-224-5556
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: 202-224-3135
Majority Whip Richard Durbin: 202-224-9447
Minority Whip Jon Kyl: 202-224-2708

Don't wait. Call now. Then spread the word to others.

Fair and Balanced

Actual headlines from Bush’s inauguration 4 years ago:

"Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops die in unarmored Humvees"

"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"

"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft"

Actual headlines from Obama’s inauguration this week:

"Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $120 million"

"Obama Spends $120 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"

"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"

"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration" [hey, didn’t we just bail them out??]

Committed to Abortion

"I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose."

~ President Barack Obama

January 22, 2009

More Vote By Mail Fraud

Here's the latest Washington State vote-by-mail ballot fraud reported by Stefan Sharkansky:

Of 653,462 King County absentee ballots that were mailed on time, roughly 7,400 were rejected for mismatched signatures -- a stunning 1.1%

Roughly 3,300 of the rejected signatures were "cured" by the voters who had to submit affidavits. The other 4,130 votes (0.63% of returned mail ballots) were thrown in the trash because election workers decided that the signature on the envelope didn't match the signature on file.

Ballot forgery can and does happen. But I would find it hard to believe that the number of forged ballots approaches 1% of the total cast.

I've documented numerous cases of non-matching signatures accepted and matching signatures rejected. If 3,300/7,400 ballots are known to be wrongly rejected, God only knows how many are wrongly accepted.

Can anybody in a position of responsibility finally admit that "signature verification" in a vote-by-mail scenario doesn't provide the security and accuracy that voting requires?

What A Difference A Day Makes

If you visited the White House website yesterday morning, you would have been introduced to a defense of the right to life, the need for lower taxes and the sanctity of traditional marriage.

But within hours, as power changed from a president of one party to a president of another, all that was gone. By mid-afternoon the White House website had undergone an “extreme makeover,” with the extreme agenda of the new administration front and center.

Here are just a few examples:

• Abortion: “he [President Obama] has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice [abortion on demand] and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Administration.”

• Homosexual rights: “President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation… President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. …President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

• On taxes and the economy, he is promising to hike tax rates on successful families and small businesses back to Clinton-era levels, raise payroll taxes, again raise the minimum wage and then index it for inflation.

Of course, changes to the White House website by the new administration were to be expected. But the radical changes in policy outlined there today underscore the consequences of elections past and future, as well the challenges ahead for those who cherish our time-honored traditional values, which do not change with the winds of political fortunes.

Gary Bauer, American Values

Gregoire's Hand Is Out

That didn’t take long - her hand is out to the feds already.

According to the PI, on Tuesday Governor Gregoire said that her No. 1 request from the new Obama government is for a stimulus package. She said she worries about layoffs and unemployment and wants them to “hand out” economic stimulus to the states that would allow us to keep state workers and programs.

…or we could be a bit forward thinking and self sufficient and do what we can to stimulate business and growth.

Let’s create free market solutions not sell our souls to government growth and solutions.

Let’s reduce taxes that take desperately needed funds from existing businesses large and small.

Let’s unleash businesses from governments strangling regulations that hold them back and keep them down.

Just a thought.

3753 Human Casualties Daily

If the prolife position is correct, the 3,753 abortions occurring every day represent 3,753 human casualties.

And though none of these deaths is reported on the evening news (though the same unborn child killed by a bullet would be), each aborted child is just as real and just as valuable as older children.

If these unborn are really babies, then America has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

Randy Alcorn,

Never Despair

"We should never despair, our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again.

If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times."

~ George Washington

Obama - Four Years To Save Earth

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world.

That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth.

Crucially, that action will have to be taken within Obama's first administration he added.

Break out the Botox

It's inauguration party time. and Washington, D.C.-area cosmetic dermatologists say despite the sagging economy, requests for quickie cosmetic fixes like Botox have picked up during the last few weeks as people pretty-up for inaugural fetes.

"We have been absolutely swamped since the election with people desiring rejuvenation procedures for the upcoming inauguration," says Washington, D.C., cosmetic dermatologist Tina Alster.

"My normal load for cosmetic procedures has doubled."

Democrats Push State Income Tax

Here is comes:

Senate Bill 5104 (Creating a State Income Tax)Introduced by Sen. Rosa Franklin, (D-Tacoma) (D) on January 13, 2009, creates a Washington state income tax for the stated purpose of providing the necessary revenues for the support of vital state services on a more stable and equitable basis.

A Bitter Blast

It appears that a bitter blast of Artic air is now headed East...just in time for the Obama inaugural festivities.

The Real Party of Change

There is a time to be polite and there's a time to be assertive, and I want to be assertive.

I always talk about what's right about conservatism. I always talk about the conservative principles that are out there.

That's not the same as talking up the GOP, which is still led by moderates and appeasers, and I'm not going to talk up the GOP when it's not led by conservatives!

It's the party that has to change, not me. It's the party that has to change, not the voters.

If they want to win elections, conservatives have to get hold of that party.

~ Rush Limbaugh

Effective Tax Cuts

Tax cuts stimulate the economy when they involve reductions in tax rates.

The reduction in rates improves incentives for savings, investment, business creation and expansion, job creation, entrepreneurship, and work, by allowing people to keep a greater percentage of the reward produced by these activities. This improves the economy not just by the dollar amount of the tax cut.

The improved incentives affect every economic decision and every dollar in the entire economy.

The astoundingly successful Reagan tax cuts in the 1980s, as well as the astoundingly successful Kennedy tax cuts of the 1960s, were both based on reducing tax rates, and were successful for these reasons.

Obama the Centrist?

Centrist?

Obama wants to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on pork-barrel projects. Much more than Clinton tried to do. And much of his tax cut consists of sending checks to people.

If the federal government is writing a check to someone, that’s not a tax cut, that’s spending.

And the president-elect claims his spending will create 3 million jobs–20 percent or 600,000 of them will be government workers.

That’s like adding another post office on the backs of taxpayers.

This is the most left-wing big-spending president in American history, and he’s not even in office yet.

by Grover Norquist

If Somebody's Got A Better Idea...

As Democrats squirm under the unwelcome restraint of their looming budget deficit (yes, I said THEIR budget deficit) it was interesting to me to read the challenge made by Marty Brown, Gov. Gregoire's legislative director.

Apparently majority Democrats are reviewing the proposed cuts before considering "alternative solutions" ....like taxes.

"If somebody's got a better idea, we're open to it,"Brown said.

Republicans, this is your cue to step up to the plate and present to the people those better ideas.