OK I did it.

There are two things that matter about messages. You can drill down as deep as you want to, and it’s always true. Apply it to bridge building, football, politics, cribbage, recipes, resumes, witnesses in court, and chocolate. Never a variance to left or to right.

• First, the messenger, and yes, that always comes first.
• Second, the message, and yes, that always comes second.

I’ll show you what I mean.

First example: If you read something in the New York Times, you don’t accept it. It doesn’t matter what it is. If you can verify some datum through another source, then it has only the credence that the other source has. It garners no further credence owing to the fact that it showed up in the bottom of bird cages all across New York.

Second example. The Senate receives a nomination for appeals court judge from President Jed Bartlett. Really? So who did he nominate? Silly question, you say. What does it matter what a fictional TV character says? Ah, but doesn’t the message matter?

No. It doesn’t matter. When the messenger is invalid, disreputable, unscrupulous, or known to be dishonest, then you reject the message. Unopened.

And so it is with GE and their tributes to Ronald Reagan in celebration of his 100th birthday today. I don’t care what they have to say. I reject it out of hand, because it came from a disreputable sender, who, to put it mildly, is no friend of conservatives, or Americans for that matter.

General Electric, led by corporate bandit, left-wing scalawag Jeff Immelt, is the most despicable corporation in America that Barack’s government does not physically own. I am not the only one at RedState who holds a dim view of GE. They make their living sucking on the government teat and grifting money out of the pockets of taxpayers. They profit hugely from government implementation of policies responding to the Global Warming Hoax. Not that they actually make a profit, because they do not.

So about those videos, which I will not dignify with a link. Forget the message, because the messenger is the biggest fraud-perpetrating corporation in America. General Electric, go shove those videos. You don’t stand for a single thing Ronald Reagan stood for. In fact, quite the opposite is true. You stand for corruption, bondage, theft, and power bought with bribery.

Oh, and by the way, it’s cute that GE hired Reagan as a spokesman. And at the Kennedys request, they fired him too.

That about covers the GE portion of this diary. I would like now to wish a happy and blessed 100th birthday to President Ronald Wilson Reagan. I love you, Ronnie. When you were President I did not appreciate you nearly as much as I came to later. I thought it was normal for a president to be such a man. Subsequent experience has taught me otherwise, sadly. I have nothing to offer you, except that I take up arms and fight the same war as you do. And I’ll let Fred Thompson finish up my tribute to you (h/t Steve Foley at TMR)

• Will Barack pivot to the center, at least with his words?
• Will he take credit for an imaginary ‘pivot to jobs’ that has brought an imaginary surge in the economy, which we’ll have to sustain with more not-so-imaginary massive spending, regulation, and union bailouts?
• Will he lecture both parties about ‘tone’?
• Will he fill the room like hydrogen sulfide gas with empty promises that we’ve heard before and which he has not the slightest intention of keeping?
• Will he use back-handed compliments to insult the intelligence and heart of the Great Unwashed of America, who in November rejected his statist policies, tossed his Party out of power, and delivered him his 2-year notice?
• Will the Republicans, sitting next to their “friends across the aisle”, sit on their hands when they should, which is most of the time?
• Will there be another “Joe Wilson” moment? The opportunities will be legion, since Barack may not speak a true sentence the entire night.
• Will Michelle wear something hideous, that the media hounds describe as stunning, beautiful, and elegant?
• Will Paul Ryan bring out the charts and graphs in his response?
• Will the Leftist Media have collective…. mmmm, how shall I put this in a family reading site…. will they all need a cigarette when Barack is done?
• Afterward, will Greta ask her victims 3-minute-questions that require a simple yes or no to answer? Will Hannity talk over his guests? Will they both unmercifully hound multiple prospective presidential candidates to admit to their candidacies?
• Will Alito show up?

Is there a single question that either (a) matters, or (b) does not have a stunningly obvious answer?

Only that last one holds any interest for me, and it looks like we already have an answer. Apparently Alito, Scalia, and Thomas will be very busy shooting pool down at the local pub at that time. Love, love, love it! The middle finger is sometimes the right gesture, when an impudent Boy President has made a practice of ignoring the protocols of classy behavior. But past that, honestly, what is there that will change, that will inform, that will inspire? Anything at all?

We know Barack’s heart. We know what he intends, and we know now that the legislative avenues for his “change” have been thwarted, he will resort to judicial and bureaucratic fiat to attempt to accomplish his aims. What his lips say have no bearing on what he does.

To sum up, we know Obama. He ain’t changing.
We know the Democrats. They ain’t changing.
We know both camps of the Republicans. For once, they ain’t buying.
We know what the media coverage will be like, on both FoxNews and the Leftist Media. Nothing new.

So why bother?

You do what you want to tonight. It’s a free country, and for me it’ll boil down to whether I feel like straightening things in my garage, or actually getting started on tiling out the rest of my living room. That’s been waiting awhile, and frankly there’s nothing much going on otherwise that interests me. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not really a pool night for me.

You?

It’s good to be a gangsta

Want the boot of America on your neck? Want America to spit in your face? Meddle with your internal politics, or worse, stand aside, hold coats as it were, as your government represses and murders your freedom-loving people?

It’s not so good to be liberty-minded.

While the American people have lately made it their full time job to stop Barack’s agenda of destroying the economy, he’s been merrily pooping in America’s own foreign policy nest. The boy wonder is nothing if not consistent. Let’s play a game. See if you can detect a pattern:

• Great Britain — (best ally America ever had, fought side by side in WW1, WW2, Cold War, both Gulf Wars) Hey, take your bust of Churchill and shove it. Oh, and here’s some White House gift shop DVDs that don’t work. But wait, there’s more! An iPod full of my speeches! And did I mention that France (inventor of the international “touchdown” sign) is the new best friend we never knew we had?
• China — (what is it now, 50 million dead? Tiananmen Square, repressive communist dictatorship, scandalous polluter, epic-scale industrial espionage, military expansionism on the Pacific Rim) [bowing] Brother, what would it take to get you into this stack of American debt today?
• Israel — (second-best ally America ever had, sole free society in the heart of evil) Insulted BeBe at the White House, agitated against Israel building settlements on its own land, demanded Israel make (still more) concessions to Palestinians, opened diplomatic ties with Syria.
• Iran — (so crazy, and with nukes, even their Islamist neighbors are scared of them) Hey! Let’s discuss this, shall we? Have a smoke?
• Iranian freedom-voters — (courageously voted for freedom, then protested in the streets, only to be gunned down, beaten, and hauled off to prison) [doing his best Sgt Shultz] I hear nothing! I see nothing!
• Cuba — (repressive communist dictatorship, now a half-century old, driving the nation into unending poverty) Hey, let’s rumba! Any cameras handy?
• Honduras — (following their Constitution, threw out a president wanting to vote himself president-for-life) Barack ridiculed them, pressured them to accept the deposed president, and revoked visas for Honduran officials coming to the UN summit. They never buckled, to their credit.
• Mexico — (openly encourages illegal immigration into the U.S) Hey, how about a standing-O for Calderon as he insults Arizona on the House floor!
• Poland, Georgia — (both previously under Soviet domination, now strong democracies and American allies) Georgia, an invasion? Really? That’s not an invasion, that’s just a border dispute. Poland? What do you need missile defense for anyway? Isn’t that just an act of provocation?
• Russia — (communism was overthrown, only to be replaced by thugocracy as they have worked to reclaim their empire) Barack signs a new START treaty that only Jimmy Carter could love, Dems ratify it during Lame Duck huckstermania event.

I don’t know. I think there’s a pattern in there somewhere. Want American love and favor, at least from the Barack administration? Be a gangsta.

It begins.

There has been a good bit of ‘presidential’ buzz about Herman Cain in the right online community, and in the conservative camp in general. He’s not been shy about admitting that he’s considering it. Now he’s taking the next step. I had the privilege of speaking with him for a half-hour last night after he was done with his nationally syndicated talk show, and I am pleased to make the following announcement on RedState.

Moments ago, Herman Cain announced on FoxNews’ Your World Cavuto that he is forming an exploratory committee to determine the feasability of a run for President of the United States in the 2012 election.

So who is Herman Cain, when it comes down to it? Once you get past the tremendous speeches and a magnetic personality that is even more from gripping up close, what you come to know is that Cain doesn’t mess around with idle talk. He’s a doer, a problem solver, and he’s got a track record to prove it. When he takes the bull by the horns, that bull is in for it.

Let’s take a closer look.

Conservative rising star

Herman Cain is no stranger to RedState. He was the headliner at this year’s annual Gathering in Austin. He handily won RedState’s match-style Presidential contest a month ago. But he’s hardly merely a RedState phenomenon. He’s a nationally syndicated radio talk show host out of Atlanta, and a headline speaker at numerous major conservative activist events and Tea Party events. He’s also a frequent guest on Fox News.

That Godfathers Pizza thing – big deal?

Everybody knows he was the head of Godfathers Pizza, and rescued it from the brink of failure. Do you think he fell off the turnip truck one day after dropping out of high school and was hired as a CEO?

In 1977, at age 29 he had a MS in Computer Science. He joined Pillsbury, and within 5 years became VP of Corporate Systems and Services. He quit that post after 2 years, and joined Pillsbury’s Burger King division, learning from the ground up as a burger flipper. Nine months later, he was in charge of 400 stores in Pennsylvania, BK’s worst performing region. in three years, it was the company’s best.

THAT is when Pillsbury sent him to the rescue of their failing Godfathers Pizza chain in 1986. In fourteen months it was profitable and in another year he led his executive team to a buyout of Godfathers from Pillsbury. It gets better but I’ll stop there. You get an idea of the kind of man we are talking about.

So I am curious. In terms of leadership, problem-solving, just plain old hard work, how does that resume stack up against Barack Obama’s life of privilege, pot smoking, crooked real estate deals, multiple auto-biographies, guest lecturing at the University of Chicago, and “community organizing”?

Yeah. I didn’t think so either.

Problem Solver

So when Herman Cain says he’s a problem solver, and that this is what sets him apart from other candidates, maybe you ought to consider the possibility that he’s right. He told me (and it’s in many of his speeches) of how life knocked him on his can in 2006 when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in his liver and colon. He was told he had a 30% chance of living past 3 years.

So what did he do? he talked to his doctors and told them “what do we have to do to increase those odds? Let us make a plan to solve this problem.” You know the rest. They went on a brutal, agressive regimen that had him cancer free in 9 months. He was not so much a cancer survivor as he was a cancer defeater.

That’s how I approach solving problems. Identifying the right problem, asking the right questions, and putting together a plan to maximize the possibility of success. Take ObamaCare – they’re not even working on the right problem – bringing down the cost and increasing access. They didn’t even address that.

How’s all that political experience working out for you?

The obvious knock on Herman Cain as a presidential candidate is his lack of political experience. For starters, he’s not all that inexperienced (see next section). And second, as he says to voters, “How’s all that political experience working out for you?” Seriously, name me a government system that is not bloated, broke, or broken. The entitlement system? No? OK, how about those bureaus. Are you pleased with the EPA, FEC, FCC, FDA? How about the Education Department. State Department? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?

Call it a stretch, but maybe Washington DC crammed full of career politicians and bureacrats is not made of pure awesome. Maybe bold, hard-nosed, results-oriented, problem-solving business sense is the kind of thing you want at the top.

Imagine a president with the grit, the tenacity, the pragmatic, practical, no-nonsense, clear-thinking approach that Cain took with Burger King, Godfathers Pizza, and cancer. Then imagine the same guy is a movement conservative. Then imagine the guy actually ran for president.

In the daily trenches

It’s a criticism of Cain to say he’s never held political office, but it’s far off-base to say he has no political experience. In a public townhall in 1994, while CEO of Godfathers Pizza, he took Bill Clinton to economics school in showing him chapter-and-verse on how many of his employees he’d have to lay off if HillaryCare were passed. In 1996 he campaigned with the Dole-Kemp ticket, making stump speeches with Jack Kemp. He passed up a shot at taking down Senator Bob Kerrey in Nebraska in 2000. He did run for the Senate in Georgia in 2004, coming in second in the primary against eventual winner Johnny Isakson.

Now he’s been doing his nationally syndicated political talk show for 3 years, having his ideas scrutinized and challenged for 15 hours a week, honing his debating skills, hearing and learning from his audience. This 2010 election cycle, he ran the Hermanator PAC for conservative candidates. So he’s not just a businessman or talk show guy who suddenly decided to take a wild and crazy flier.and run for president. He’s been in the thick of the conservative political fight for over a decade.

You can believe it

He is a tremendously inspiring speaker who has a plain-spoken way of explaining Cosntitutional conservatism, and he doesn’t need a teleprompter. Do not discount that. His name recognition beyond the chattering classes and the Tea Parties is somewhat limited today. But that won’t be true after the first debate (in June 2011 I think?). He does not have the Tea Parties in his pocket, but he’s one of a handful that they love.

He told me that two things would be required to make him a winning candidate. Large grassroots support, and enough financial support to be competitive. He does not need to raise the most money, just enough to to competitive. You can do that if you have the best message and the right messenger.

The 2010 election was compositionally different — in chemical makeup – than any in our lifetimes. Normal rules don’t necessarily apply. Establishment GOP picks are now suspect rather than shoo-ins. Tea Parties are far more likely to set the tone, and if the early behavior of the new Congress is any indicator, the Tea Parties are going to be more active, not less. More dissatisfied with the “same old politics”, not less. They’re looking for fresh, solutions-based ideas.

And there are 900 different ways that Herman Cain scratches that itch.

I’ll close. Just watch, if you haven’t seen him before.

[Full disclosure : I am not a representative of, affiliate of, consultant for, or employee of any candidate, campaign, or company that works for same. I am just me. And you know how I feel.]

The original source for this, the Charleston Post & Courrier does not report his precise words, which I would have much preferred, but they say this:

The shooting is cause for the country to rethink parameters on free speech, Clyburn said from his office, just blocks from the South Carolina Statehouse. He wants standards put in place to guarantee balanced media coverage with a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, in addition to calling on elected officials and media pundits to use ‘better judgment.’

I don’t care to debate the merits of his assinine idea. I just want to point out that the Left has always claimed that the spectacularly misnamed “Fairness Doctrine” was NOT an attempt to curb the Right’s voice on talk radio. The Right has always known better.

Now we have Clyburn calling for the “Fairness Doctrine” specifically for the purpose of shutting up the Right. And since his daughter is an FCC commissioner, it’s not an idle threat he makes.

Know what I mean?

OK, now the fun and games are over. I mean that. What’s been done to this country the last 4 years isn’t a bit funny, nor have been two generations worth of the march to an over-arching state, the very opposite of what the Founding Fathers built and 10 generations of Patriots fought and died for.

November 2010, America voted to break the seige. We sent 90-odd new soldiers to the wall some of them replacing soldiers who demonstrated no stomach for the fight. What they do for two years, we’ll see. Succeed or fail though, we will send another 50 in November 2012, perhaps replacing some of those who campaigned one way, then governed another. In addition, we will send in a new field general.

The choice

Starting in January 2013, we can drive the Visigoths back over the Alps, pursue them all the way back to Dacia, then burn down and raze their homeland into an ash-surfaced parking lot. Thus, and only thus, will be saved the Republic established by Washington, Madison, Jefferson, and other giants not named Sanger, Wilson, Roosevelt, Warren, or Obama.

Alternatively, after breaking the seige we can shout and cheer from the walls of Rome, and party for weeks on end as the Visigoths retreat and lick their wounds. If we do what we have always done, we will leave their forces relatively intact, able to regroup for an even stronger seige in 2014 or 2016. They will as always have a 5th column securely embedded in the city in the form of the media, the government unions, and a massive bureaucracy with the power of stifling regulations ready to continue, unabated, the left’s agenda.

So which road will voting Republicans take? The Party will choose the safe, comfortable option unless we, the voters and the activists, push them and elect leaders who actually lead. Who we select as a presidential nominee will say much about the America we want to build (or rebuild).

The Republican nominee will win in 2012

This is my belief: in November 2012, the Republican nominee will be elected President. It will be a tough, vicious battle. Arrayed against us will be massive and well-funded efforts by the Left and the media. They have tremendous numbers of well-organized union foot soldiers who know how to turn out the vote, dead or alive, and how to cheat elections (just look at Harry Reid’s election for a textbook example). They are, finally, respectful and fearful of the power of the Tea Parties, and they will want to stomp the life out of any grass roots freedom-oriented movement. There is nothing to take for granted, no room to get sloppy or lazy.

But it will happen. We will not be sloppy, lazy, or dumb. We will gain 5 Senators and 20 House members. at the minimum. If we stay on message, and nominate strong, articulate, conservative candidates, including the presidential candidate, it will be 10 and 40 (yes, that’s “inconceivable!”. Book it). We lost alot of close races that we will not lose next time if we are ready, motivated, and well-led. And this time, even the “safe” Democrats like Barney Frank will be fighting for their lives. Along with the net gains, there will be a shocking number of Republicans who lose in primaries to Tea Party candidates who will then win in the general election.

The Tea Parties are just getting started

Speaking of the Tea Parties, they are just now finding their footing. They will grow wiser and more…. thorough…… in their attention to candidates, new and incumbent, Republican and Democrat. More thorough in their knowledge of ground game, funding, technology, and the methods and goals of their enemies. Interestingly and to their credit, they will remain fiercely decentralized and contentious, but most importantly, due to them Americans as a whole will be more engaged, more informed, more diligent, more watchful of the goings-on in Washington (and in their own city councils and state halls), from January 2011 to November 2012 than in any 2-year period in American history. And they will not be satisfied with what they see. They will demand better at every level. I dare say that neither Republicans nor Democrats of this age are prepared for the kind of scrutiny they will get in the coming 2 years.

So, about that field general. Better be the right stuff. Big time.

The right stuff

This is my opinion, but I bet I’m not alone. [Below I use "he" and other male gender terms - I weary of "he/she" constructs, just know that this includes women] The media is not going to pick my candidate. The “who looks the most like a candidate the middle will find appealing” contest will not decide for me. The GOP Establishment does not reflect conservative ideals, and we are busy taking them from within anyway (see ColdWarrior’s PC Project). They are not going to decide for me. The Tea Parties, with which I will own to being a fellow traveler, also do not decide for me. I decide for me, and this is the president I will have.

• A leader — You know what a leader is, don’t you? You do when you see one. It’s nice to have a wonk, a guy with the best conservative ideas, a person who can reach out to the middle. But the qualifications begin with a man for whom others will charge hell with a bucket of water.
• core conservative instincts — Does he instinctively view new or old challenges through the prism of conservatism, or is he easily drawn in by specious nonsense like Keynesian economics or global warming? Does he immediately act because “we have to do something about this”, or is his first instinct toward freedom from government intrusion? Will he be a constant force, leaning, agitating, vetoing, strong-arming a weak-kneed Congress to reduce spending, reduce taxes, reduce the government footprint in our daily lives, strengthen America abroad, advocate for America, and anchor his policies in what is good and right?
• the courage of his convictions — Will he act, or fail to act, out of fear of what the media will say? Will he commit America to difficult road when it is the right thing to do? Will he choose Supreme Court and lower court nominees based on who is the most qualified and most true to the Constitution, or will he choose the ones with the smallest paper trails in order to minimize Democrat opposition?
• bold, charismatic, and articulate champion of core conservatism — can he teach Americans the simple wisdom of conservative principles? Perhaps the squishy middle likes a squishy middle candidate, but I don’t think so. I think they would resonate to a well-spoken conservative message. We keep hearing, and I believe that, we are a center-right nation, but the conversation, the terms, the newsmedia and academia are all thoroughly dominated by the Left and the terms of the Left. To break through all the left-noise, we need a leader who welcomes every opportunity to explain cogently why our viewpoint is the right one. He needs to excel at it. It need not be scholarly, but it must be memorable and compelling.
• believes in a muscular, exceptional America that bows to nobody, and owes nobody an apology or an explanation of anything. — America is special and unique. History has seen neither her like nor her equal, not once, not ever. We are the strongest, the most just, the most compassionate, the most generous nation that has ever existed. And it’s not bragging when you can back it up. Our field general will proudly serve, proudly defend her name and her interests, and happily proclaim her as the light of freedom that guides all freedom-loving people in the world..
• views leftism as the opposite of the Constitution. — this is a deadly serious affair. Everything — everything, and I dare you to find me an exception — the Left strives for is away from personal liberties, away from consent of the governed, and toward control, toward taking from the unfavored and giving to the favored. My president will fight it, call it out, and actually despise it in his guts.
• professing, born-again Christian — my president will believe in universal right and wrong. He will appreciate and foster the moral underpinnings on which this country must stand, and without which we are nothing but the world’s strongman. And he must be a Christian; not a church-goer, a pew sitter, one who speaks glibly of God. I must be able to sleep at night knowing that our Field General is a man of prayer, and that the prayers of the saints nationwide concerning him reach a God who he calls Friend and Savior. Hey, it’s my list, and you don’t have to agree or like it.
• proven record of governance, leadership and competence — I do want him to be good in front of a teleprompter. I really do, but that should be down the list of his talents. I will not be swayed by a campaign or by campaign promises. What was he doing 10 years ago, and 5 years ago, that demonstrates what he says on the campaign trail? When life punched him in the mouth, did he come up fighting? Was everything handed to him, or did he have to scrap for what he’s gotten or accomplished? Does he have victories, skins on the wall? Does he know how to delegate to trustworthy subordinates? Does he choose intelligent and wise advisors?

Nobody will shine in every category, but I believe that the times breed the right person. In another time, Washington and Jefferson might have been nice, adequate plantation owners of some regional repute. But the times called on men to do great things, and they rose to the occasion.

2012 will bring us men and women who could take on a bear with a birch switch; people made of the right stuff, because the times demand it. We need to make one of them our President.

I hold these points to be facts:

• The Democrats were shellacked on November 2, a long-expected result, losing the most (63) of one party since 1938, and giving Republicans a commanding majority of 242-193 in the upcoming Congress.
• It is ridiculous to interpret the election results as less than a thorough repudiation by the voters of what Democrats had done for 2 years.
• The Democrats planned this Lame Duck session long in advance
• The Democrats planned long in advance to exploit the lack of accountability inherent in a Lame Duck session.

It’s not a question of whether this bill passed, or that measure was enacted, or such-and-such deal was struck during this session, or even whether and to what degree Republicans ought to have accepted compromises. Having lost in November, Democrats were not tone deaf. They heard the message. They decided they were going to jam their agenda through Congress in spite of the expressed will of America.

It is an act of moral depravity to plan and use a Lame Duck session to accomplish an agenda intended to thwart the expressed will of the governed.

Thomas Jefferson penned a masterpiece during the latter days of June 1775, and not just in the way he told the Crown 26 reasons and no less than 3 ways to stick it. Channeling John Locke and the hearts of the freedom-loving Americans, he voiced thoughts that are as grand today as they were then:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

Allow me to reconstruct the grammar to emphasize something I want understood.

We hold this truth to be self-evident, that to secure these unalienable rights (Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness), Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

The only legitimate powers of the government are those derived by the consent of the governed. Those powers are given to secure the rights of the citizens, and for no other purpose.

The Constitution, in all ways possible, ratified the doctrine of Consent of the Governed: the three branches of government, none free of each other, all accountable to each other, and ultimately, all accountable to the citizens by free and frequent elections; the safeguards built in to prevent the tyranny of a temporary and slim majority; the high bar required to change the terms of the Constitution; the Bill of Rights, whose specific purpose was to serve as an additional bulwark for the people against government tyranny.

The spirit and letter of the Constitution can be abused, but it cannot be abused by honorable men. Elected Presidents, Representatives and Senators are guardians of a sacred trust. Those seats do not belong to them; they belong to the governed. This Lame Duck session is a gross violation of that trust. The betrayal, the perfidy displayed by those conducting it, mark them as despicable people unworthy of the responsibility given them.

The Democrats of Congress are morally wrong. They are evil, and that’s perfectly obvious because they show themselves ungoverned by a even a shred of internal decency, or by respect for a Constitution or a Republic they were entrusted to govern.

[Full disclosure - Joe Barton is my congressman. I have met him in passing and have sat in a couple of meetings he has conducted, since I was once a precinct chairman. Likewise I have met a handful of his staff, who also probably have no memory of me.]

You may know Joe Barton only as the guy who in a recent committee hearing accused the Obama administration of a “shakedown” and actually apologized to the CEO of British Petroleum for despicable treatment from Democrats and the Obama administration while BP was going to extraordinary lengths to stop the spill and do right by the people in the Gulf. You may remember that as a major “gaffe” by an ignorant and bumbling back-bencher who was quickly and publicly put in his place by GOP leadership.

If that is what you know of Joe Barton, then you know nothing.

You actually know less than nothing, because what you know is wrong. You need to learn about this man. He is currently at the center of a debate whose outcome will be decided before January, whose outcome will tell us whether or not House Republicans heard the American people.

On November 2, an electoral tidal wave swept Republicans back into control of the U.S. House. In the next few weeks, the Steering Committee will be assigning chairmanships to the committees. In practice, whatever incoming Speaker Boehner wants in that regard, he’s likely to get. Which brings us to Energy and Commerce, one of the most important committees in the next two years. Two people are up for the chair: current Ranking Member Joe Barton (TX-06); and second-in-seniority Fred Upton(MI-06).

Boehner has, in recent months and especially since the election, said all the right things that indicate he’ll lead the fight against profligate Democrat expansions of spending, regulation, debt, and a pandemic intrusion on liberty. His decision on Energy & Commerce, however, will tell us what kind of stamp Boehner will put on the 112th Congress.

Will the House stand with America against the Obama/Pelosi Democrats, or will it be compromise, negotiate, and surrender principle for crumbs from the table?

What did this election mean?

The electorate certainly spoke. It said FAIL. Not since 1938 has the electorate issued such a repudiation of the party in power. Barack told America that it was because his policies were not communicated clearly enough, or the economy was not recovering fast enough. That funny guy! For most Americans not currently crying in their milk and sticking pins in their Pelosi dolls the electorate said something rather different:

• It said FAIL to ObamaCare.
• It said FAIL to the high-handed arrogance of power, shoving bills and policies down the throat of an unconsenting America.
• It said FAIL to Porkulus, to teen-with-daddy’s-credit-card spending, and to ballooning deficits, sold as a miracle cure for a crashing economy.
• It said FAIL to utterly ignoring the desperately personal plight of 15 million unemployed and 9 million under-employed Americans.
• It said FAIL to government takeovers of GM and Chrysler.
• It said FAIL to “never let a crisis go to waste”, perfectly exemplified by the incompetent and politically motivated handling of the Gulf spill.
• It said FAIL to corruption and pro-union policies.
• It said FAIL to Eric Holder’s deeply corrupt and racially motivated Justice Department.
• It said FAIL to the casual dismissal of border security responsibilities, and to suing a state that merely tried to do what the federal government refused to do.

Only a fool would think that the electorate also said “I HEART Republicans”. What it said to Republicans was:

• You have been given a second chance. Probably a last chance.
• Stop what the Democrats are doing.
• Undo what you can. Understanding that you may not succeed in overriding vetoes, or getting things past the Senate, you better give it your best shot.
• Begin to anact a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda that reduces government intrusion on liberties.

What does the Energy and Commerce Committee do?

The Energy and Commerce Committee deals with all matters related to… well….. energy and interstate commerce, particularly the regulation and management of same. In practical terms it means that in the near future the Committee is tasked with:

• reining in EPA abuses of power and attempts to enact the carbon tax policies of the Waxman-Markey Bill, even though it has never passed the Senate or been signed into law.
• repealing or crippling Obamacare
• repairing damage done to the oil industry and overall domestic energy industry and working toward sensible snergy independence.
• dismantling a system-wide regulatory cancer based on Global Warming…. Climate Change…. Global Climate Disruption…. whatever they’re calling the global warming hoax these days.
• putting the brakes on the proposed ‘net neutralitiy’ scheme, which means government regulation of the internet by burying it legislatively and thwarting the FCC’s attempt to bypass Congress and implement it anyway.

This will require a leader unerringly guided by small-government principles, a person willing to fight the Obama administration, the Repubilcan establishment, and the bureaucracy.

Meet Fred Upton the ‘conservative’

Fred Upton, the second-ranking Republican on the committee, is not an evil man. He is also not a conservative, not even a little bit. Right now he is posing as a conservative, like every Republican and most Democrats posturing for power or position. But he is not the man for this job, or any leadership job. He claims he’s ready to take on the Democrats, and to demand explanations from EPA head Lisa Jackson and “Energy Czar” Carol Browner. And so on.

In fact, he finds nothing repugnant about the Democrat agenda at all. Like new Senator Mark Kirk and failed Senate candidate Mike Castle, his name is routinely followed by “one of [x (small number)] Republicans in the House to vote for [insert disreputable Democrat-sponsored bill]“. For example (and there are many)

• one of 29 House Republicans to support creation of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. This empowered federal bureaucrats to impose strict zoning and land-use rules and made it more difficult for the U.S. Border Patrol to do its job in blocking illegal immigration through federal wilderness areas.
• one of 20 Republicans to vote against an amendment offered by Rep. Jim Jordan that would have reduced the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 funding to 2008 levels.
• one of 9 House GOPers who voted against Rep. Dave Camp’s substitute amendment to the $787 billion Obama-Pelosi economic stimulus bill in March 2009. The Camp amendment would have substituted a GOP stimulus alternative made up primarily of new tax cuts for individuals and business.
• one of 16 GOPers to support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2009 omnibus spending bill that included an 8.4 percent spending increase over and above the stimulus package, as well as $7.7 billion in earmarks. The measure also canceled the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program for 1,900 students in the nation’s capital.

Other fun Upton facts:

• He co-wrote, along with Jane Harman (D-CA), the bill in 2007 that outlaws incandescent light bulbs in 2014.
• He is a founding member of the Republican Main Street Partnership. If that sounds familiar to you, it should. It is a group of liberal Republicans dedicated to thwarting and marginalizing any and all conservative influences on the Republican Party. John McCain is a member.
• In 2005 he voted against the extension of the Bush tax cuts on capital gains and dividends.
• He voted for oil and gas drilling bans off the coast of Florida and in the Great Lakes, as well as for blocking millions of acres from new oil and gas leasing, logging, mining, and other business activity.

You get the idea. Do you think the American people on November said “we want guys like Fred Upton in charge”?

Meet Joe Barton

He was first elected in 1984, and served as Chairman of this committee in the 2005-2006 session, and Ranking Member (leader of the minority party) ever since. 26 years, high ranking, that might sound like he’s one of the “good old boys” of the Republican establishment, part of the old entrenched crowd who drove the Republican Party to ruin.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Former House Majority Leader and current leader of the grassroots group FreedomWorks Dick Armey has a quiver full of Joe Barton stories and is a great admirer:

• As a freshman in 1985, he was the sole vote in favor of President Reagan’s proposed balanced budget, at 350-1, with 5 minutes left in the vote, before Republicans joined him in droves. GOP leadership threatened him that DCCC would target his seat if he did not cave.
• Early in his career he dogged Hewlett-Packard and eventually nailed them for using illegally gained phone records to spy on employees, and using spyware to spy on journalists. He eventually went on a crusade to stop the online gathering of private consumer information, and has ever since made personal privacy a matter of great importance. [You can imagine that Google is no fan of Joe ]
• Over time Barton has become known on the Hill as one who is unabashedly relentless in his conservative and pro-growth goals, and yet a notable team builder who has won the respect and admiration of political opponents like John Dingell for being open, decent, and fair. His first act as Chairman was to gain passage of the 2005 Energy Policy Act.
• In 2006, NBC Chairman Bob Wright unleashed nitwit shock jock Don Imus on Barton, because Barton insisted that the NIH be allowed to decide, free of lobbying, whose research it would fund (Wright’s pet project being autism). Barton withstood daily nationally broadcast smearing from Imus, and was called every disgusting name imaginable. Needless to say, the NIH was granted its autonomy. Guys like Barton are not moved by the likes of Donald Imus, or the likes of Bob Wright for that matter.

Barton gained a name for moving the debate rightward and getting legislation passed, while being evenhanded and respectful to the other side, always behind the scenes and rarely in front of a microphone. Nevertheless, since the Democrat takeover in 2007, he has been a veritable thorn in the flesh to the Democrats.

He has incessantly called for Obama EPA head Lisa Jackson to testify before the committee. The Democrats have not heeded, but he hasn’t shut up about it. He has written letters and filed motions, keeping her name in constant view.

Barton, Obamacare, and the August 2009 recess

In July 2009, Democrats desperately wanted to blow through committee hearings and get quick passage of Obamacare before the August recess, so as to not have to face angry constituents before the vote. Those hopes were dashed by none other than Joe Barton. In spite of being outnumbered 35-23, Barton’s forces subjected the bill to 17 days of markups, and forced the Democrats to a 10-day retreat. Republicans offered 350 amendments and debated 54 of them. It was this committee’s protracted and brutal hearings that exposed the world to the details of the bill. The bill passed out of Energy and Commerce 31-28 on Friday, July 31, as members rushed home for the August recess.

Perhaps you heard of the August 2009 recess and all those townhalls? I believe it was in all the papers. I have always maintained that the August recess was when the Tea Party found its voice, and became a movement that knew its own power. In the townhalls, the seeds were first sown for November 2, 2010. Now you know Joe Barton’s unheralded role in it.

Congressman Barton has plans for this session too. Not content just to be the “party of no”, he’s published numerous statements and propounded to-do lists. Among them is Ten ways to start cleaning up the mess. He’s shovel ready, you might say.

The waiver, and the 1994 class

There is the little matter of the Republican “Six-year rule”. Standing Republican rules state that a member can only serve as Ranking Member or Chairman for 6 years. Barton has served 2 years as chairman, 4 years as Ranking Member. It is possible to read the rules to say that it means 6 years as Ranking Member or 6 years as Chairman.

To tell the truth, I don’t think it matters. Precedent paves the way for a waiver. In 1994, the wave election engineered by Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America, Republicans took power for the first time in 40-ish years. Numerous House Republicans were allowed to serve a full 6 years as Chairman even though they had already been serving as Ranking Members.

Boehner can in good conscience and with precedent grant a waiver to Barton. The circumstances are the same.

House leadership – did they hear the message?

If there is any lesson to be learned from Republican congressional rule from most of 1994-2006, it is how quickly and easily the Republican establishment becomes Democrat-Lite once it has power. Republicans must surely know that the best they can say about November 2, 2010, is that they’ve been given an audition, a chance to do better.

Republicans have been given an audition, no more. They can back up that election-season talk and begin leading this Republic back to Constitutional rule, back to sanity, back to accountability, back to freedom. Failing that, they will suffer the fate of this generation’s Democrats.

Joe Barton is a devastingly effective leader, unswervingly conservative, a savvy and smart veteran who knows no fear. He knows exactly what to do, and exactly how to get it done. Upton is not even worth a second look. I have nothing against some of the lower-ranking members like Shimkus and Stearns. But neither of them is a Joe Barton.

The November election was one of the most important in our lifetimes. The 112th Congress needs our ace pitchers, our closers, and our clutch hitters. For Commerce and Energy, that is Joe Barton. It’s not even a debate.

46

.
Be seeing ya.

[It's the closest I could find, at this early date, to a nationwide tally of who voted for who, a ballpark average of the Senate and Governor races. If you find a better number, let me know in the comments please.]

With the Justice Department under Eric Holder, Democrat cheating is now for all intents codified into law. The stories in the last week are rampant, yet the national media ignore it, even trumpeting obviously manufactured counter-stories of supposed Republican intimidation (for example Houston). Even the voting machine technicians in Nevada and elsewhere are SEIU thugs. Unions have spent at least $250 million in campaign donations, and untold more millions in ground game. Evil conspirators include OFA, SEIU, ACORN, AFL-CIO, and thousands of Democrat-owned election boards, precinct judges, poll workers, and union locals. In recent years the thefts committed against Rossi, Stevens, and Coleman were practice runs, and now the operation is running full scale.

Is there any hope?

I’m glad you asked. Yes there is.

There’s a whole battleship full of hope. You are going to get to participate in the grandest week of civil disobedience that ever toppled an evil tyranny.

They’ve been stampeded into rash action

What they’re doing this time, they’ve been doing for decades anyway. But there are two factors at work that make 2010 a fatal own-goal they will never recover from.

(1) They’re not this bold. They’re this desperate.
(2) This time, Americans are neither intimidated nor naive.

Yes, they’re committing fraud on a massive scale. The levers of power are on their side. The truth is, however, they did not realize until too late what a disaster November would be. Seriously, 14 months ago, only EPU and Jaded were saying the word “eighty”. Now, everybody is. Democrats are, in the fashion typical of the stupid, drastically overplaying. They didn’t think it would require this much cheating just to keep House losses under 60.

They were unprepared, so they’re freelancing. It’s like a shoplifter cramming every pocket full of merchandise. They’re leaving evidence all over the place. Such will be their undoing.

Then God said, let there be cell phone cameras

Now here’s what you do. Videotape everything. Start today.

If you are not cell-cam handy, do some training. Do it today. Figure out how to discreetly take still pictures, and videos. Find out how long your phone will take a video (some of them are only 30 seconds). Get an idea for the overall capacity. If your phone makes a shutter noise, figure out how to turn that sound off.

Once you are trained, you should immediately (like, Friday, Saturday, and so on) keep your eyes out. Look for:

• anybody pulling up signs.
• anybody loading or unloading boxes of any kind at a polling place, a union local, local ACORN, SEIU, OFA offices, or Democrat Party facilities. It may not look like anything by itself, but put together with other evidence from some other citizen, it may reveal a crime.
• anybody who might be vandalizing anything.

On election day:

• Do not get caught. Practice at home how to be smooth and discreet. Legally the worst they can do is make you leave the polling place if you are busted. They are not entitled to seize your recording device. Which leads us to….
• Work in pairs (or groups). Do not let them know you are together. Let one person be the primary photographer, and the other keeps video on the first.
• If you are in an area where it has been reported that the ballot has already had Harry Reid (or whoever) pre-selected, then record being handed the ballot or logging in to the electronic ballot.
• Definitely pay attention to characters who look suspicious.
• Definitely pay attention to people “assisting” voters.
• Definitely pay attention to whether the poll workers are following state law in validating voters.
• Outside the polling place, look to see if the 100-foot rule is being properly enforced.
• If you see a politician electioneering in the polling place, video them.
• Look for intimidation by poll workers.
• Look for intimidation by unofficial people inside or outside the polling place. Look to see if the poll workers are acting in league with them.

The conservative reaction is already forming up. Along with posting at RedState, numerous “report cheaters here” places are cropping up. Don’t keep your video or your story to yourself.

But, but, but it’s illegal

My friend, sometimes laws conflict. Obeying one law means breaking another law. When that happens, you go to the fundamental principles. The law says you can’t use recording devices inside polling places. The law also says that those conducting procedures must follow certain procedures. In fact, poll workers are required to take an oath that they will obey the law and ensure fairness in every way possible.

When poll workers break the law, you can with a clear conscience break the law by videotaping them. Legal? No. Morally right? Yes! A thousand times yes! Do you know why recording devices are not allowed? It is to protect the freedom of voters to vote secretly. It is NOT to hide the evidence of evil and powerful people cheating.

In my opinion, if you are a poll worker and observe your mates cheating, you should video that. You took an oath to uphold the law. Break the little law to defend the big law.

Record them.

But they won’t go to jail

Not immediately, but yes they will. But it is the near-term fallout that is the most interesting. Robespierre Holder won’t rule the justice system forever. Or for very long, actually, after Darrell Issa gets through with him. Quite likely his non-response to this election will be his final undoing. The cheating associated with this election will cause a backlash we have not seen since the Stamp Act.

Certainly in the near term little if any official action will be taken. But that does not mean that no action will be taken, unofficially. There will be retribution, high and low. When Rossi and Coleman had their rightful victories plainly stolen, Americans were mad. Just not mad enough. 2010 is the end of that. I don’t know what elections will be stolen, but I believe that citizens will not allow it to stand.

I don’t know how far it goes, but I wager it goes farther than most people think. It will snowball. There will be people officially declared winners who will not be seated. How? Don’t know. I just know that Americans are done talking a good game.

Down the road, Holder’s DOJ will fall. Regardless, there will be a new administration, a new AG, and new DOJ, new US Attorneys, beginning in 2013. They will be given a mandate: clean house, big time. Perpetrators caught on tape will go to federal prison. I am willing to bet that more than one state Secretary of State goes to prison. New legal structures will make cheating more difficult, even in thoroughly Democrat-controlled areas. And quite possibly, at long last, federal judges will start getting impeached for openly flouting the law, just like the Ninth Circuit did this week.

Hope. And Change.

Americans, start your cameras!

The first reckoning – America’s second Declaration of Independence

The first reckoning will be on election day, November 2, 2010, when Americans vote overwhelmingly to reject the Democrat agenda. It will be a down payment on the epic 10-year butt-kicking that will be delivered to the anti-American, anti-freedom, corrupt, anti-Constitution movement. We lost our vigilence, allowed this statism to creep up for the last 80 years. Now it’s run amok, and we’ll swing the pendulum back. As Dick Cheney would say, big time. Maybe you think it’s just a short-term temper tantrum, which the media hacks will of course assert. You’ll see.

It is a reckoning that will take your breath away. All your cheating will not keep the Republicans from taking 70 in the House, 8 in the Senate. That is the first reckoning. At least while you’re sitting in prison, you can comfort yourself in the knowledge that your cheating kept it from being 100 and 11.

The second reckoning – retribution

The second reckoning, I will relish this. I am not a nice person at all when it comes to retribution. I will savor it the way I savored the Texas Rangers’ 6-game beat-down of the Yankees (conservative country sure jammed it up left-wing country’s rear, didn’t it?). The events of November 2 will make it perfectly clear to all Americans not named Jimmy Carter that the Democrats and the unions engaged in massive, epic-scale election fraud.

It will be the bridge too far. Regular Americans are not like you and your patronage buddies, union thugs, organized criminals, communists, and radical social engineers. Nor are we anything like the snotty rich baby-killer limousine liberals that control you. Regular Americans are generous and magnanimous. Your mistake is that 80 years of tolerance you have mistaken for cowardice and lack of resolve.

What will happen after this election, when it’s clear that you stole 20-30 House seats and 3-4 Senate seats, you are not ready for. What happens will be fought on your territory, using rules you know but never expected to have turned on you, by a fiercely resolute people possessed of righteous anger that’s been stacking up ever since liberal judges started flouting the consent of the governed. When pressed, they are smarter and more devious than you. They plan. And they stick the knife in the place that will hurt the most.

And let me tell you something. Regular Americans don’t riot. They don’t demonstrate or boycott (very well). They don’t astroturf. They don’t terrorize innocents. They don’t commit indiscriminate violence or indiscriminate property destruction. They know, or will know, the people and organizations who are controlling you. Retribution will be clean and efficient. It will cost you, and your owners,a good bit more than it was worth to save a handful of House and Senate seats that ultimately won’t stop what we do.

Just shooting in the dark here, because like I said, I’m not in on anything. But it hurts a whole lot more to have the stock values of your benefactors wrecked (Soros does not possess especially secret knowledge), deliberately and maliciously by hidden hands, than it does to have some of your low-level thugs beat up. It will hurt tons more when union pensions never see another penny of taxpayer bailouts starting… well, already starting now.

If you have a union pension, let me just say…..no you don’t.

And it will really, really ruin you when a national right-to-work bill gets signed the fourth week of 2013, days after EO10988 is rescinded, making it illegal (again) for government employees to unionize. We will enjoy breaking you.

You’ll see. You yourself will not escape retribution, although I’ll have to say that in the big scheme of things, you are just a tool. Americans will be taking care of the kingpins.

The third reckoning – prison

But let’s get back to you. The third reckoning involves you. You’re a Democrat doing the dirty work. You are in a room signing stacks of absentee ballots, or perhaps ordering it done. Or maybe you are a precinct judge or worker who changes numbers, or after the polls close, you sign a bunch of names of people who didn’t vote, and shoot a stack of pre-filled ballots through the machine. Or you’ve been bringing people into the early voting places and “helping” them vote the right way. Or intimidating the poll watchers like they’re doing in Houston right now, in order to hide the cheating. Or removing signs, keying cars, causing untimely traffic jams (you thought we didn’t know that one, yes?) or doing other dirty Democrat deeds.

These are federal crimes. They are punished by federal prison. And when you are sentenced to 60 months in federal prison (see 42 USC 1973gg-10 [h/t Sound Politics]) , you don’t get out in 14 months. You get out in 60 months. Or as I like to put it, 3 years into President Bobby Jindal’s first term. Just in time for you to try to stuff ballots again…..oh wait, there won’t be anybody to pay you, never mind.

Let me introduce you to a handful of concepts:

• Moles. You think conservatives are incapable of guile, of “playing dirty”. Yeah. That’s because maybe 80% of conservatives are that way. The other 20% saw what you did in 2008. Bet 5 years in prison that nobody involved with your electoral crime cell, or up or down the chain of command, is not a mole. Go ahead.
• Traitors. Wretched people who are cheating right there among you, sitting in your meetings, but who will betray their fellows once the game is up. They’ll turn state’s evidence on you two seconds after they’re in handcuffs.
• Voters, poll watchers, the spies and turncoats among you, and regular people on the street have discovered iPhones. You are being watched. Your license plate has already been recorded and logged. Is there a real right-wing conspiracy going on here? Let’s put it this way. Not that I know of. But we don’t need one. You are reading the Kos polls, which amounts to farting in the bathtub, and biting the bubbles. You haven’t really done the easy math here. Americans have rejected you, at astounding levels. They distrust you. And today’s technology just makes it fall-off-log easy to record everything, everywhere.
• You’re not helping yourself. Even in national, liberal-run TV and radio news, the stories of electoral fraud are, eight days out, running rampant. You have already told us you are cheating. You’re too stupid to hide it.
• Just because it’s illegal to record activities in voting places doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It will. Massively.
• Did I mention iPhones? Ain’t it terrible what Americans think up in their spare time? An iPhone app that lets a person record electoral fraud, and send the evidence straight to people who can do something with it.
• Fingerprints.

And lastly, let me introduce you to one more word, a word you should have known.

Relentlessness.

Remember how after 9/11, the evil people responsible assumed we’d do nothing? Yeah. Then we went to the heart of darkness and toppled two dictatorships. Then we camped out in their space for…..going on 10 years now. Just think about that, when you assume conservatives will not be serious about taking down the people responsible for the most massive voter fraud in history. Relentlessly. We
will not be deterred. We will not grow weary. We will hunt you into the hills, and take you down.

Sure, recording electoral activities is illegal. Well, sort of. At least in Texas, a person recording events in the polling place is subject to…….wait for it………..being told by the election judge to turn off the device or leave the premises. As for what you are doing out of sight, how many of the people you are working with have an iPhone? Or any cell phone with recording capabilities? That would be pretty much everybody. Take a look at the person next to you.

And maybe you think the evidence gained by surreptitious recording is not admissible in court. Well on that count, most likely you are right. But you never watched an episode of Forensic Files, did you? Once they find out who did it (even with evidence that won’t be used in court), there’s just no way they’re not going to eventually find the evidence they need that WILL hold up in court. And you think your union or the Democrat Party is going to pony up for good lawyers, when there are dozens of you going to trial, just from your county. Yeah…….OK.

Perhaps you think Eric Holder’s Department of “Justice”, will never fail you. That’s your firewall, your hole card. Isn’t it? Isn’t it? Do you want to bet 5 years of federal prison on that?

Do you know who Darrel Issa is? Starting about January 3, he’s the chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee. He’s got the goods on Holder, and half the appointees in that Department. The That’s not saying all that much. Half of America has the goods on Holder. House committees can bring down AGs, especially when said AGs hand it to them on a plate. And doubly especially when the Civil Rights Commission is itching to take him down. Holder will go down, and while he’s going down he won’t be wasting any time or energy looking out for you.

The truth is, a whole, whole bunch of low-level people are going to go to federal prison, because they are too stupid to do their deeds in such a way as to not get caught. The high level people you thought were your friends, the upper echelons of SEIU and ACORN, will suddenly turn into strangers. Strangers with alibis. Strangers whose fingerprints appear on no ballots. Strangers with all the very, very good lawyers.

Do you think I’m trying to persuade you to stop the cheating, or perhaps to turn rat on your buddies? Nah, not really. We’ll have plenty of rats once the indictments start. And your cheating? Got it covered. No, I’m just the kind of guy who talks trash about how I’m going to drive on you and dunk over you. Just before I do it. Go, do your thing. I’ll win this thing between me and you.

For the record, if there is a silver lining, it’s that federal prisons have the prison rape thing under much better control than the state prisons. And as we’ve already discussed, the crimes you are committing right now are federal crimes. If you find that information comforting.

• think the term American Exceptionalism is smug and self-congratulatory
• don’t believe America is the bright shining symbol of freedom on a hill
• think that America’s history is dominated by government-sanctioned oppression, racism, and the haves stealing from the working have-nots (other than the last 2 years, I mean )
• think the model of ordered freedom needs to be replaced by a grand scheme controlled by smart, benevolent leaders
• have no earthly idea why young American men would flock to recruiting offices by the thousand to sign up for a war in Iraq that could very well get them killed
• think America owes you something, but you don’t owe anything back

but something in your heart gives you the lie, that recognizes something dissonant about it late at night, when it’s just you and your thoughts….

then this movie is for you. Because you don’t get America, but you could. Somewhere in you beats the heart of an American. And there is something splendid, wonderful, and liberating about finally surrendering to the beauty of America.

Taking Chance is the true story of the journey, in April 2004, of the body of PFC Chance Phelps — killed in action — from Iraq to his family in Wyoming, told from the journal of his military escort, LTC Michael Strobl. It was an HBO movie in 2009, and it’s since been released to DVD. You can also get it through NetFlix or the torrents.

I’ll not give you the whole story here, only a little. See it yourself. Let it speak to you, and teach you something about what lies at the heart of America. Before that, you can read Colonel Strobl’s original journal about it, published by BlackFive [BlackFive = teh strong online warrior for the troops for many years] on April 27, 2004, ten days after the funeral. It’s not that long of a read, and it’ll prepare you some for the power that the movie will extend over you.

So, just a few notes that struck me, in hopes you’ll give this movie a look:

• You get some measure of the man that PFC Phelps was. He certainly was a courageous man of honor, who died far too young at age 20.
• The countless Americans –unbidden, unnoticed, and unthanked for the most part — who along the journey spontaneously poured themselves out in love and respect to the memory and the family and loved ones of fallen soldiers, beginning with the extraordinary grace and tender devotion of the military detail at Dover AFB tasked with preparing the bodies.
• Gratitude. Real Americans are thankful. Thankful to be American, and tremendously thankful to soldiers who fight for America and everything we stand for.
• It vexed Colonel Strobl that so many people thanked him — HIM, the military escort — for his service, when he was nothing more than the caretaker of the remains of a brave patriot who had given the last full measure of devotion for his country. What Strobl came to understand, I think, is that people felt the sacrifice of PFC Phelps demanded that his remains be given the highest respect. Phelps was dead, and it was not possible to thank him. But it was possible to thank the man who assured Phelps was transported and buried in the manner befitting a fallen warrior.

This movie is about one — one — journey like that. Since the war against militant Islamism worldwide has commenced, there have been 5703 of these journeys as of this writing, according to CentCom. Every one brought home a patriot like Chance Phelps. Every one was escorted by another devoted soldier like Michael Strobl. I can’t prove it, but I feel certain that every journey like this was touched similarly by many grateful Americans along the way.

Why? Because this is America, and these are Americans. Like we always do, we learned something from our past sins and became better. America looked at its own soul after the way soldiers were treated coming home from Viet Nam, and said Never Again. Never again will we fail to honor the fallen who served, or for that matter, the living who served.

So, if you don’t get what is special about America and Americans but you would like to, then find and watch Taking Chance.

But instead of being loud and proud of the progress they’ve wrought on America, I see Democrats running from their records faster than Carl Lewis. They dodge any kind of forum where they have to meet constituents. None of their ads mention Porkulus, Cap and Trade, epic deficit spending, or even banking and automotive industry takeovers. By all appearances, the words “health” and “care” are not to be mentioned together, on pain of death. Nobody running for office wants Barack to campaign for them; or if he comes to their state, they mysteriously can’t break away from urgent business in order to be seen with him.

This is a strange and unbelievable thing. Why is this so?

In November 2008, America swept Barack into power with a 53-46% majority against formidable defense hawk (and otherwise feckless goat) McCain — a mandate if ever there was one. On his coattails voting Americans, dead and alive, swept Democrats to a 60% majority in both House and Senate. [with juuuuust a little help in the Senate, with 4 of those 60 seats stolen or bought*].

Hope and Change™. With a two-year running start in both Houses, Democrats were well on the way to delivering on that Change thing. It began in earnest in January of 2009. With a vengeance, some might even say.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick……..

Let’s review some of those accomplishments, in roughly chronological order:

• TARP — This was more of a Bush/Bernanke accomplishment with a bi-partisan assist, but I’ve never seen details ever get in the way of Democrats taking credit. Plus, that $700 billion TARP was eventually parlayed into banking industry and GM/Chrysler takeovers.
• Porkulus — You didn’t waste any time getting this now-legendary $787-billion boondoggle jammed through Congress, with payoffs to every union outfit, Democrat donor, and leftist cause imaginable. Large portions of the fund exists today, as a slush fund for Democrat causes and campaigns. Bully for you! And clearly something got stimulated. I see the signs everywhere. No, literally, I see the signs. Everywhere.
• Banking industry takeovers — You used TARP money and authority to bring those evil bankers to heel and add more regulations. Meanwhile, Fannie and Freddie, your pet cash cows and the cause of much of the housing industry collapse, remained as powerful and untouched as ever.
• GM and Chrysler takeovers — Again, under the auspices of TARP, you seized the assets of GM and Chrysler, wrested them from the rightful creditors, and gave them to the unions. And let’s be honest here; unions are loyal friends and tireless workers, the best fund-stealers and vote-stealers in the business. They provide a seemingly endless supply manpower, GOTV, organization, intimidation, and dead voters. All they ask is that other people fund their pension plans.
• Cap and Trade (partway) — It got through the House, and while it’s seemingly DOA in the Senate, the EPA is already taking steps to enact it without Congressional authority. Cap-and-Trade will accomplish so many Democrat goals: destroy evil oil; disrupt evil free-market business; there’s probably a way in the fine print to reward Democrat patrons and punish conservative interests — always good; best of all, it will stop Global Warming™ Climate Change™ Global Climate Disruption……..I’m sure it will save us from something.
• Unemployment — Currently it sits at 9.6% officially, after topping out at 10.0%. Since the Democrats have done everything imaginable to wreck the economy and destroy every possible job-creating policy or structure, it’s clear this is a goal of Democrats. You’ve demonized corporations, ruined Las Vegas merely by intimidation, brought onerous new regulations at all levels, and are about to raise taxes on employers (you call them “the rich”). You’ve plundered American auto makers, taken Toyota down a few notches with a phony scandal, and effectively ended domestic oil production. Good job, you’ve succeeded.
• The federal deficit is off the charts — Again, clearly what you wanted. Good job.
• Health Care Takeover — The crown jewel of Democrat accomplishments. You’ve assured the end of another 15% of the free market, and will enlarge the government still more in both number and influence. Americans will have cradle to grave coverage – with a little friendly nudge to facilitate the ‘grave’ part.
• Iraq is won, and the troops are gone — According to Joe “Bite Me” Biden, that stands as one of Barack’s greatest accomplishments. Remember, taking credit is one of those things Democrats are so good at. Of course, “troops gone” is one of those colorful interpretations of facts on the ground.
• Smashing the Gulf oil industry — The explosion of Deepwater Horizon and the subsequent 3-month gushing underwater well was fortuitous. With full-bore press support, the situation allowed the Democrats not only to shake down BP for (yet another) $20 billion slush fund controlled by Democrats, but chase all the deepwater rigs out of the Gulf, possibly forever. Imposing a de facto ban on offshore drilling permits devastated already poor Gulf states. But hey, they vote red, plus EVIL OIL!!!!

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick……..

You know what? There are alot of other things rolling your way, for which Americans are or should be very grateful:

• The recession ended in June 2009 — You heard, right? I mean, it was in all the papers. I know the voters have noticed. I, for one, expect you to reap the full benefit of what you’ve done with the economy. If you know what I mean.
• The media remains the faithful lapdog of the Left — For the most part, anyway. While some are breaking ranks, they are still perfectly happy to carry pompons for Democrat candidates while shooting flaming arrows at Republicans, looking for every chink in the armor, every rumor, every past indiscretion. In other words, nothing much has changed here. It’s gotta be worth 15% in every election.
• Leftist goons are ready to intimidate, violate civil rights, and steal votes — That’s sort of a useful skill to have at your disposal. And Eric Holder has made sure both conservatives and leftists know what the new rules are. New Black Panthers, anyone?
• Obama approval remains in the 40′s — Bush in his second term, with sub-5% unemployment and a roaring economy, couldn’t do as well.
• Those Tea Party people are crazy, lightweight astroturfers, and nobody listens to them — well, the press sure says so. Oh, and RAAAAAAACISTS!!!!!!
• Unions and Soros-funded interest groups remain as strong, bold, and loyal as ever — SEIU, the Purple People Beaters, are perfectly happy to beat up blacks who get uppity, and the OFA makes millions of phone calls and quite likely bent Scott Brown over on a crucial vote to further enslave the finance industry.
• Republican voters are foolishly rejecting moderate candidates and nominating conservatives and amateurs — This should allow the media to demonize and marginalize them, drawing attention away from these records that Democrats seem to not want to run on.
• It’s not possible to lose 20 Senate seats in one cycle — Enough said.
• We’re 20 days into the McCain-Feingold restrictions — That gives the leftist media a virtual monopoly on the election narrative for the final 60 days. Thank God for useful idiots like McCain, eh?

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick……..

So, if I may ask:

• Why won’t you own up to who you are?
• Why won’t you run on the health-care takeover?
• Why won’t you run on skyrocketing deficits?
• Why won’t you run on 10% unemployment, that you have now declared is the new reality?
• Why won’t you run on Cap-and-Trade?
• Why won’t you run on the fact that the recession has “ended”?

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick……..

Aren’t you at all proud of who you are and what you do?

[and don't worry about that ticking sound. It's nothing.]

*Coleman’s(stolen), Specter’s (bought), Allen’s (stolen by WaPo), Ted Stevens’ (stolen by rogue prosecutors)

Organizations sponsorin’ or workin’ closely with us included AFP and American Majority, both o’ whom I be becomin’ more and more impressed with all t’ time; Citizens United, known for their successful challenge o’ McCain-Fein’old, but also deeply involved in makin’ must-watch documentary films. And t’ Sheraton Austin was very good t’ work with, and frankly they put up with quite a bit.

And you have t’ attend t’ next one. Because thar be unfinished business. Even though I threatened t’ play t’ guitar for folks, I never got around t’ it while we were thar. And that be must-see.

Plus Bush.

And goats.

And word to your mom.

PS – you can do yer translatin’ here: http://www.fissio.com/pirate.pl

• Terry Jones, the nut-job pastor threatening to burn korans on 9/11, is headquartered in Gainesville, FL.
• Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, played and attended college at the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, FL.
• Emmitt Smith played most of his pro career for the Dallas Cowboys, centered in Irving (at the time) and Valley Ranch, TX.
• he won 3 Super Bowl Rings. I work in a place we call a 3-ring circus. Kinda creepy, ain’t it?
• I have lived in the Dallas area my entire adult life, and I have worked at two IT-type jobs in Irving, TX. Coincidence? Hardly.
• I even (this should raise major flags) interviewed once for a contract job with the Dallas Cowboys, while Smith was on the roster. I was given a fairly complete tour of the place, everywhere except restricted areas. While loitering in the main lobby, I even met and chatted some with George Teague, a safety who almost certainly knew Emmitt Smith personally. Extremely nice gentleman, by the way.
• One of my co-workers at one of those jobs in Irving had a sister who was currently dating Nathan Jones, a defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys at the time. Coincidence? Not likely.
• I am an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, frequently wearing the attire. I have replica jerseys of Jay Novacek and DeMarcus Ware, both of whom certainly know Emmitt Smith.

So the Terry Jones-Gainesville-Emmitt Smith-Irving-EPU nexus is pretty unmistakable. It is clear that I share some of the responsibility for this nut-job pastor in Florida.

Good thing I’m not the #1 talk show host in the nation. People might try to pin responsibility for Terry Jones on me. It’s bad enough they try to pin Jerry Jones on me.

So am I alone here. Anybody else out there have a tie to Terry Jones?

…..as TOTUS lies yet again to America.

This one is dedicated to the 41, the Republicans in the United States Senate. Considering the intended audience, I will stick to small words and easy concepts.

So here we go.

When to use the filibuster

• When the Democrats submit a bill and it’s over 300 pages, filibuster it.
• When the Democrats submit a bill passed in the House that was not posted on the internet for 72 hours before the House vote, filibuster it.
• When the Democrats submit a bill, the proceedings of which involved locking Republicans out of meetings, changing the locks on doors, or other dishonest shenanigans designed to write the bill without Republicans knowing what was in it, filibuster it.
• When the Democrats submit a bill that authorizes a single penny toward funding the tiniest portion of BambiCare™ or Cap-and-Steal, filibuster it.
• When the Democrats submit a bill that authorizes more of the failed and unAmerican Democrat policies, and attaches it to something great and important that they think you would not dare filibuster, filibuster it.
• When the Democrats submit anything at all during a proposed lame duck session after America massacres them on November 2, filibuster it.
• When Barack submits a nominee for any judicial seat who obviously has no intention of being guided by the Constitution, filibuster him or her.
• When Barack submits a nominee for any cabinet post or anything else which requires a Senate confirmation who obviously has no intention of being guided by the Constitution, filibuster him or her.

But, but, but….it’s not nice to use the filibuster

Listen, sweet cheeks. This is not the 4H Club, and what’s at stake is not who brings next week’s milk and cookies. This is the capital of the United States, the last best hope for the freedom and good of all mankind. What is at stake is that freedom, and the free market system and accumulated wisdom that it protects.

The Democrats, like common street hoodlums, are busy dismantling and looting the wealth and freedom of the country. You, the 41, are in a position to stop them. The filibuster is a tool provided you. Its standard use has been defined by the Democrats.

It’s not a time for nice. It’s a time to save the country. Shut up and use it.

The president is entitled to his nominees

No.

He’s not.

What idiot said that? Somebody who flunks Constitution 101, and badly. Actually I know who likes to say that, and yes, he is an idiot.

The Constitution provides that these positions are to be nominated by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate. That means president is entitled to his nominees, and the Senate is entitled to give or withhold its consent. If the Senate does not consent, the nominee does not get the position. Just ask Robert Bork. And Miguel Estrada. And John Bolton.

If you have enough reason to withhold consent, withhold consent. And once again, precedent set by Democrats indicates that the filibuster is acceptable to block nominees. That means 41 can withhold consent. Democrats made the rules. Let them live with them.

Elections have consequences

Yes, indeed they do. In November 2008, the voters of America elected enough Republicans to have 42 in the Senate. In other words, Americans elected enough Republicans to have enough for the filibuster, plus a spare. The Democrats stole one seat (Minnesota) and bought another (Pennsylvania) through illegal acts that subverted the will of the electorate.

But America answered back defiantly. America has spoken. She said “STOP THE DEMOCRATS!!!!” Scott Brown’s election has consequences. We have 41, and we elected 43. Let the Democrats deal with the consequences of that.

So, are we clear on this?

I tried to use small words and short sentences. I hope you got the message (even shorter version – STOP THE DEMOCRATS!!!!!!). While I have your attention, could a couple of you burly guys take Lindsey Graham out behind the school bus and beat the crap out of him?

Hey, it’s one small favor. Just askin’.

Many conservatives are taken aback and very angry, while rumors abound that the NRA will also endorse Harry Reid in the US Senate race against conservative Sharron Angle. As Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid has stolen the liberties of Americans on a scale I would call incalculable, nigh unimaginable.

Why would the premier Second Amendment rights group in America endorse an extremist left-wing liberty thief like Harry Reid? His opponent is an arch-conservative tea party candidate who would be 100% guaranteed to fight for all liberties, AMONG THEM the right to keep and bear arms. That’s not even in question. When Harry Reid gets through taking away your freedom of speech, your freedom to assemble peaceably, and your freedom to cast a ballot that has a chance of being counted correctly, THEN he’ll take away your right to keep and bear arms, and you will have no tools to object to it.

So why would the NRA endorse such a character? The short answer is because they are stupid, dishonest, and short-sighted. I say that, as a lifetime member until I get around to cancelling my membership, (which I will certainly do). They assume that an unimpressive but tolerable voting record on the single issue of gun freedom by an incumbent trumps a new candidate, even if that candidate comes from conservative roots and is running on a constitutional platform.

Well, so be it. They endorsed Jason Allen, SEIU’s candidate in MI-1′s Republican primary to replace retiring baby-killer Bart Stupak, because apparently Allen has been amenable to gun rights as a state senator.

You know who else provides a “ringing endorsement” that Jason Allen is proud to tell you about? The Detroit Free Press, a lefty rag from out of the district that also endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.

Just remember, while Dan Benisheck has shouted “Enough is enough!” to Washington spending and stealing of liberties, Jason Allen has been sponsoring bills as a state senator to facilitate the forced unionization of independent day care workers.

So, who will it be for you? The NRA-, SEIU-, and media-approved candidate? Or the tea party candidate?

I know, silly question.

Support Doctor Dan Benishek!

Democrats, you betrayed America’s trust.

On November 2, 58% of voters will sign America’s second Declaration of Independence.

You will lose huge.

Then it’s on: the real War for Freedom.

.

January 2008 was a time for Republicans to begin focusing on the upcoming election, yet this piece was well received. Seemingly I was not the only one dissatisfied with the nomination process. However, now Republicans are in the mood to replace worthless people and processes with productive and vibrant ones. Starting with our own house.

So let’s start with the basic question. What is the purpose of the primary season? It is to select the Republican nominee in the general election for President of the United States. What should the purpose be? For Republicans to select that nominee, having had a fair chance to evaluate the candidates, and the candidates having had a fair chance to make their case.

I offer a proposal that achieves that end.

What is broken about the current nomination process

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Who is in control of this process? Technically in charge is the national Republican Party, with the state GOP parties, state legislatures, and the national leftist media(yes, that’s what I said under my breath too!), all having a finger in the pie. As a practical matter, nobody is in charge. It’s a zoo, the monkeys are out of the cages, and they’re flinging poo at each other.

Seriously, the system is a complex system driven by multiple entities with often competing interests. All those groups have been allowed to grab whatever influence and control that they could get away with. The result is chaos, and that result would only by delightful accident produce a candidate satisfactory to the bulk of voting Republicans.

Witness the issues raised by the 2008 season, through my eyes:

• Candidates declared campaigns virtually in the aftermath of the 2006 elections. The one laggard who declared 14 months before the election (instead of the requisite 22 months) was pilloried roundly by the press, by the other candidates, and by the right-blogosphere. And he was the man who should now be president. That’s right, I said it.
• Televised debates began, what, in July of 2007? Most of them were hosted by the left-wing press, and the fora and questions were distinctly unhelpful in helping Republicans get to know their candidates. About ten candidates got soundbite-sized time slots to answer left-slanted questions. Seriously, moderators like far-left, leg-tingling-for-Obama Chrissy Matthews? Questions from YouTube entries? Just stop it.
• The heavily Democrat national media did the expected. John McCain was certainly their pick for the Republican nomination, and their coverage was mostly horse-race reporting, when they weren’t focusing on trivia.
• With a September convention, the first primaries and cauci were in early January. Some of the states were punished for going earlier than the GOP mandated. Apparently they were not punished enough to be deterred.
• The early states were mostly non-Red states open to Democrats and Independents to vote in (and they did). The principle thing they all had in common was that they were not bellwether states. None of them could be expected to be a reliable indicator of what the Republican voters across America would vote for. South Carolina, the 9th state to go, was the first reliably Red state — however, open primary. Nice going. After South Carolina, the decision was close to inevitable.
• Super Tuesday approached rapidly – 4 weeks after the first primary, still not having had a decent closed primary in a Republican state. Nearly half of the delegates were designated on that day, 7 months before the convention and 9 months before the general election. Stooooooooopid. The deal was sealed on that day.
• Every state after that, including bigs like Texas, were superfluous.

Proposed solutions should address a few areas

.

• The central truth of my proposal is that only Republicans should have a voice in who the Republican nominee is, and how the process is done.
• There should be no presupposed notion that all Republicans must be conservative. RINOs are still Republicans. Northeastern liberal Republicans are still Republicans. But there should be a presupposed notion that Republicans in the most reliable states on election day deserve to be substantially involved in the process. Such is not currently the case.
• The national party must be large and in charge of the nomination process. The national party can set standards and punish non-compliance by nullifying, reducing, or refusing to seat a state’s delegates. They should do so with gusto.
• The time scale in which this is played out is unacceptable. It must begin later and end later.
• A Super Tuesday is about the most moronic idea imaginable. There is something very healthy about a vetting process, where early, relatively low-stakes primaries weed out candidates whose organizations are weak, or whose message simply fails to resonate..
• The predominant national media are a huge hindrance, a malevolent meddler in the Republican nomination process. They wield tremendous power in the current system, and they hate us. They have demonstrated repeatedly that they use their power to deliberately subvert the will of Republican voters. So we must cut them out of it – coldly, deliberately, and with deadly precision. We don’t try to cut them out of reporting it of course, but we cut them out of the control loop, out of the ability to control the dialog, and out of the ability to control the framing of issues for Republican voters. And we should enjoy doing it.

The proposal

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In chronological order as the season plays out.

• Declaration of candidacy — no change. This is America, anybody can run and be judged on their merits, and declare as soon or as late as they want to.
• Debates — have the national GOP sponsor a series of debates
• At least 5 debates, at 3 week intervals.
• Starting Nov 1 (this is important — not a day earlier). We must give this season a slower start.
• All candidates are invited who are currently polling at least 4% of likely Republican primary voters in Rasmussen or Gallup.
• The national GOP decides when, where, and who moderates, and what the format and questions are.
• This is not a rule, just a highly recommended guideline. Have the moderators be prominent, influential conservatives. Picture Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Thomas Sowell, Haley Barbour, Jed Babbin, Fred Thompson, Rick Santorum, Ramesh Ponnuru. And Erick Erickson!!! And a couple of those FNC hotties like Kim Guilfoyle and S.E. Cupp. (uh oh, did I just objectify them?? Oh noes….) Also have some prominent Republicans who aren’t so distinctly conservative, perhaps even a libertarian-leaning person or two – Former President George W Bush, Peggy Noonan, Dick Cheney, Matt Drudge, Bill Kristol, John Stossel, and Megyn Kelly. Can you imagine how entertaining such debates would be to Republican voters? And can you imagine how insightful and pertinent the questions would be? Republican candidates would have a chance (finally) to answer questions that they and their voters care about.
• All debates by ABC, NBC, YouTube, etc, are to be boycotted before the end of the 5 RNC debates. For the GOP debate system, eligibility for these debates is contingent on turning down all other debates. A candidate chooses either/or. Play the left-wing media game and hit all those debates, or hit the RNC-sanctioned debate series. We’re going to royally cheese off most significant media outlets. But who cares, they hate us anyway, and frankly they can’t hurt us in this area. We know CSPAN and FNC would jump all over the chance to televise these debates — and we give their people all the before-and-after-debate commentary and analysis, face-time, exclusive access, etc. And let’s be real. Almost 40 million viewers watched Sarah Palin’s 2008 Convention speech, and 9 million of those watched it on FNC. These debates will draw huge, off-the-charts ratings.
• The Primary season — Iowa and New Hampshire go bye-bye as the lead-off states. As I stated earlier, the national party needs to assert authority and dominate this process – while being a benevolent and fair arbiter of the state machinery. I propose:
• that the first 2 primaries be the first and second Tuesday on or after March 1. One state each week.
• they be selected to go on a lottery basis for each 4-year cycle.
• states eligible for a “front 2″ will have to have gone GOP in 3 of the last 4 presidential elections. They will have to be worth at least 8 electoral votes, and not have been a “front 2″ in the last 3 cycles.
• to be able to seat delegates at the convention, primaries (or caucuses) must be closed. Not semi-open, not semi-closed (see definitions). Only Republicans select the Republican candidate for President.
• Any state going earlier than those first 2 states seats no delegates in the convention. Any state not having closed primaries, ditto. No delegates. It is likely this will not initially deter some (IA and NH, I bet you a thousand dollars). The left-wing media will lionize these states; it is their one chance to influence the process. But it won’t count for much, and it won’t happen the second cycle. See the next point to see how fast the candidates will lose interest.
• Candidates who even “file” (whatever the term is) and/or make campaign stops after November 1 in states who violate the above, such candidates will not be allowed to speak at the convention, even the acceptance speech should they win the nomination. Brinkmanship? Oh yeah. Don’t you love the taste of gunpowder? It’s a time for political courage by the party, for once.
• No “super-days”. Using the number of electoral votes as my guide (good rule of thumb, another barometer will do) – no primary day may have more than 70 electoral votes at stake (that’s less than 15% of the total). This allows little bitty states to combine their “purchasing power” without Republicans getting stupid about it. How to arbitrate whose primary is when? I’m open, but I’d suggest a first-come, first serve.
• The Convention — Have it in July for Pete’s sake, the first full week after the July 4th holiday. This compresses the primary season (March – June), and magnifies the general election season. This is done de facto anyway, so why not make it legit, and give our guy/gal a full running start in the general campaign.

My rebuttal to the rebuttals

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When I posted this in 2008, there were some people with opposing ideas. It was quite a healthy discussion. I am fine with people having ideas that conflict with mine. However, I like this plan, from top to bottom. I see no substantial flaw, and the only thing keeping it from being enacted would be the failure of leadership at the RNC.

• But what if some candidates ditch the RNC debates and go to the ABC/MSNBC/YouTube debates? You will get 100% compliance from the candidates. I guarantee it. Suppose Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee (for example) skipped the RNC debates and went on a series of major media debates, while Pawlenty, Christy (yes I said it), Jindal, and Cain did the RNC circuit. You do remember that Republicans vote in Republican primaries, don’t you? You skip those debates in favor of the media, and the Herman Cain and Tim Pawlenty ads just write themselves. Not only that, GOP voters will be highly resentful, since we’ve had all we can stand from the leftist media. The proposed RNC debate series is a great idea, the candidates know it, and most of them would relish it. To skip the RNC debates is campaign suicide.
• But there would just be softball questions. OK. Seriously. Close your eyes and try to imagine Rush Limbaugh asking a softball question. Picture Thomas Sowell failing to cross-examine every candidate’s fiscal and tax policy. Or maybe you think Megyn Kelly will ask if they are “surprised, enchanted, troubled, or humbled”. Uh huh. Yeah. You are high if you think these people are not going to mercilessly grill these candidates. The thing you can be sure of is that they will ask questions and cover issues that Republicans care about.
• I would prefer a national primary day. The vetting process provided by earlier primaries will weed out the weaker candidates and candidates who are not representative of Republicans. We will get to observe them on the trail, how they respond to success and failure, how well they raise money, how they handle the leftist media. Such skills and organization are required for the general election. A single national primary day deprives us of all those things.
• A candidate must have cross-over appeal, and this system would fail to account for that. First, nobody who is not a Republican deserves a say. I dare say better to die with a captain we are willing to fight for……. But second, you can be sure the national media will constantly be polling the primaries, polling various Republicans against various Democrats in head-to-heads, how they poll among independents, blacks, women, men, and so on. Republican primary voters will take into account many factors; among them, their view of a candidate’s electability. It will hardly be a secret what a candidate’s cross-over appeal will be. If, in the end, American Republicans choose their Mondale, their unelectable candidate, we will have done it with eyes open. So be it.

In conclusion

.
This plan can be implemented. The only weakness is that the RNC is dominated by establishment types who would just as soon not have conservatives picking the nominee. And our ColdWarrior is leading the movement that will remove that obstacle sooner than you think.

Further, this plan is sensible, pragmatic, and equitable.

PS — This whole thing was inspired in part by Jed Babbin’s excellent column Whose Primaries are They? from Human Events, the morning I posted my original in January 2008.]