Red State

Dear Mr. President,

Pursuant to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America, you can compel the House of Representatives and Senate to convene in special session.

You, Mr. President, can force the Democrats to either vote on energy legislation or not.

Mr. President, members of your party are on the floor of the House of Representatives in the dark as we write this because the Speaker of the House turned off the lights on them and skipped town. The Republicans are fighting to reduce the price of gasoline at the pump. They are fighting for American families. Democrats have turned their backs on the American people.

Normally Mr. President, the American people are better served when Congress is not in session. At this time, however, you should call the Democrats' bluff. Recall the Congress to Washington to vote on expanding domestic oil production.

Sincerely,

RedState.com

PS - You can call the White House and ask the President to call a Special Session. The number to call is 202-456-1111.

There are always a number of problems with the launch of a site like RedState onto a new platform. There are the load issues that you can only really experience when you experience them. There are the caching issues. There are the compatibility issues. Then there are the user interface issues where some people cough Gamecock cough ;) get used to the site functioning one way and then have to get used to something new. We conservatives have more people like that than the other side because we aren't too big on change.

But we're here. Behind the scenes there are some issues we're going to have to work on. Overall, however, the site is working. The feedback on the new interface has been tremendously positive. The general sense is that this platform is much easier to use. That's what we hoped for.

Getting us to this point has not been easy. First, thanks to those of you who contributed to the effort.

Second, we want to thank our own Neil Stevens and Eagle Publishing's Robert Melton and Henry Rivera. There are few indispensable people on this planet. But for us, these three gentlemen are indispensable and integral to us getting to this point.

Starting tomorrow, we're going to kick things into high gear. We'll have some posts from notable conservatives, a special 3.0 launch podcast with a great friend of RedState, and through out the week a lot of front page guest posters. Along the way, a select few of you will also discover you have access to RedHot.

Now, let us repeat one thing on here. We know there are some who just cannot get excited about the 2008 Presidential election. We intend to fight and win this election for the GOP. But if you find yourself having a hard time with that race, focus on your community, your state, your congressman, or a congressman of your choice. Use the Get Local option. Turn to the politics of your community and state. Aim, fight, and win. Politics ain't beanbag, but it's not all presidential politics all the time either.

At RedState, we continue to fight on and hope you'll stick with us for the fight ahead.

Welcome to RedState 3.0. It's been a long time coming. As we get under way on this first Monday after launch, we're going to have a number of guest posters throughout the week, helping us celebrate both the start of our fifth year and our new site. We wanted this to be our first post on the first Monday, a reminder of what we believe we should strive for.

The Republican Party has always embraced a wide range of ideological beliefs – and this diversity of thought has sometimes inspired conflict, as it has also led to great achievement. Yet through all debates, despite all regional or political concerns, the foundation of Republicanism has been the same since its inception: the freedom of the individual, and the value of every human life.

These principles have guided the party from its origin as a political force to destroy slavery, to the long fight against communism, to the ongoing battle for the sanctity of the unborn, to the present war against the forces of Islamism. Those principles will guide the Republican Party through the twenty-first century, and beyond. And we believe the GOP must rededicate itself to the idea of individual freedom – of being the party that believes not in government mandated parity, which wields the power of the bureaucracy to force a false equality of outcome, but in a level playing field for all Americans regardless of race, class, or creed – ensuring an equal opportunity to compete, succeed, and thrive.

The Republican Party must reclaim its rightful mantle as the leading champion of Freedom of Choice.

People must be free to decide how to direct their lives for themselves, and then be responsible for their choices.

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