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America Speaking Out: Your Voice Matters

By: Congressman Frank Lucas (Diary)  |  May 27th, 2010 at 03:58 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I am proud to join my Republican colleagues to announce the creation of America Speaking Out.  America Speaking Out is a project to create a new set of policies to generate real solutions for the problems our country is current facing – and it gives every American the opportunity to take part in the discussion of exactly how to do that.

The Democratic leadership in Congress and President Obama’s administration have repeatedly failed to listen to the will of the American people.  Between the incredibly unpopular government run health care law, the job killing cap-and-tax legislation, or the multiple taxpayer funded bailouts, the American people have had enough and deserve to have their voices heard.  America Speaking Out will allow just that – an opportunity for every American to share their ideas, express their opinions, and actually be heard by their members of Congress.

In order to reach the largest number of people possible, House Republicans set up an America Speaking Out website.  There, you can post comments on proposed policies, interact with other people across the nation, and share new ideas – no matter your political affiliation.  These ideas and information will be incorporated with the Republican principles of smaller federal government, lower taxes, more government accountability, and family values to create a real plan to get our country back on the right path and restore the broken bonds of trust between the American people and their elected leaders – a bond that has become broken during this Congress.

In my 50 annual town hall meetings, many of you have told me that you agree with my votes against the government takeover of health care, cap-and-tax, and the countless government bailouts, but ask me what my Republican colleagues stand for – not just against.  America Speaking Out gives you a chance to let me and my colleagues know how you think we can best help you and your fellow Americans and to incorporate those ideas and opinions into a set of real solutions that will create a change that Americans actually want.

To join in the nationwide effort, you can visit www.AmericaSpeakingOut.com.  I would like to encourage every Oklahoman – no matter you political affiliation – to visit America Speaking Out and let your voices be heard.  This is your government, so we need your input to make it work for you.

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COMMENTS

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  • klondike

    being educated by a teacher who graduated from Harvard with a degree in “advanced education.” That translates into “let’s all form a group and get into a feel-good place, and then won’t we all be in such a better place?!”

    I had enough “mental masturbation” professors in college to last me a lifetime.

  • Return to Revolution

    than a yea vote on HR1388 (Nat’l Volunteer Program Expansion).

  • cabanon

    and ultimately might be a disaster but its a start.

    Its not enough to tell independents or voters outside the base that we need limited government, reduction or eliminations of departments and agencies, and the reduction of regulations on individuals and businesses.They need to hear specific examples of how that will overall offer benefits and improvements.

    • mbecker908

      This doesn’t even come up to the “fresh meat to keep the animals quiet” schtick.

      This is living proof that the Stupid Party is just institutionally stupid. ASO is nothing more than an unmoderated blog. It will be ignored by those who put it up and it will be used as living proof that “conservatives” – you know, the guys from Kos who post at ASO – are racists, blah, blah, blah.

      • discerningconservative

        WAPO’s Dana Milbank had an article up yesterday highlighting some of the dumber suggestions posted on ASO. Hard to imagine that our Republican Congressmen couldn’t see that one coming….

      • cabanon

        but I don’t see it as a bad thing to try some online civic engagement. Its easy enough to parse through the topics/comments and determine which ones are BS and which ones aren’t. There is some decent back and forth on abolishing the IRS and transparency. I just don’t see the benefit in being so negative and writing it all off so soon.

        • mbecker908

          what this is about do you. And note, that wasn’t a question.

          Pay attention.

          America Speaking Out is a project to create a new set of policies to generate real solutions for the problems our country is current facing…

          Ummm, THAT – creating policy – is what we elect these folks to do.

          And, if you want to engender “civic engagement” you don’t attempt it on an unmoderated blog.

          Civic engagement on issues of policy is what Redstate – for one – is all about. If they were really interested in input from the folks they could come here and engage us, one issue at a time. And that would, of course, require repartee from them. Which you will note has not been forthcoming and likely won’t be.

          I’m withholding my real opinion about this particular post until Saturday. If the Congressman doesn’t have the courtesy to come back and respond to legitimate points made by posters here, then I’ll offer my opinion.

          • mbecker908
          • cabanon

            We don’t elect these folks to simply create policy for US, we elect them to enact policies, there is a big difference. You sound like you just want to elect them and then trust them to do the right thing without input from the public.

            I also don’t think you understand the difference between civic engagement and politics. So for example discussing the affair accusations against Nikki Haley is politics, not policy. Policy is one part of redstate but not what the whole site is about, that should be obvious.

          • mbecker908

            an absolute, certifiable idiot.

            The silly, unmoderated piece of crap that was put up by the Stupid Party is not civic engagement nor is it politics nor is it policy. It’s an exercise in keeping people busy and ignoring them.

            You are absolutely pathetic in your cluelessness.

          • cabanon

            civic engagement means. I’ll just leave it at that.

          • mbecker908
          • aesthete

            It makes somethingawful.com look like a paragon of civility and rational discourse.

            It makes the Star Wars Holiday Special look like a masterpiece of design.

            This is an unmoderated blog with no Republican participation that I can see with a big fat Republican sticker on it. IOW, anything in that site will seem to be representative of Republicans and conservatives. Those who post good ideas will be ignored, and they’ll be frustrated. Trolls and bad-faith posters will achieve notoriety by posting the worst, most insane, and most racist ideas they can think of. It is a lose-lose situation that is made more terrible by the fact that ranking Republican members have endorsed it.

            Oh yeah, and it makes us sound like we’re saying, “We have no ideas! Can you fix that for us, liberals/conservatives/moderates?” The public image on that sentence is all wrong.

          • nessa

            I thought that was plain from your first post. Maybe I’ve just picked up on your “2×4 to the forehead” brand of subtlety by reading so many of your comments and diaries. LOL.

            I scrolled up and down this thread, I haven’t seen a response to any of the comments from the drive-by Congressman. Here we are, trying to do what he asked, give him some feedback and he’s listening to… whom? Even the staffer who posted this drivel for him hasn’t checked it, apparently. Though if he did he’s undoubtedly wishing he hadn’t. “Uhhm, Mr. Congressman, sir? The response from RS seems to be aahhh, less appreciative than we had hoped. No Sir, they didn’t fall for it.”

        • merryj1

          We should all put the carping on “mute” until a new idea has had a chance to rise or fall. As you said, there is some wheat amidst the chaff on ASO, although the site does have some snags.

          One improvement would be moderators, and/or some kind of “I got your message,” or “this idea has potential” or, “Agreed – Rep. So&so is writing legislation on that,” etc., responses (signed, Rep. Such&so, IL 35).

          • mbecker908

            Your willingness to let the DC Gang get away with this exercise in mental masturbation is the reason the Party of Stupid continues to stumble along accomplishing absolutely nothing but the agenda of the Democrats.

          • Scope

            The party that is supposed to be for cutting out wasteful spending has wasted money on this foolish exercise. It is a sad attempt to make the people think they are listening to us.

            I could sit here right now and come up with 10 ideas off the top of my head, like grow a pair, and walk out when leaders of other countries stand before them and bash one of our states, but, they aren’t listening anyway, why bother. God forbid they stand up for what is right. They are more worried about what the evil Progressives say about them than they are of their own base. If they don’t already know what the majority wants, then they don’t deserve to be re-elected. A dumb damn website is not going to take the elevator to the top floor.

          • mbecker908

            policies and strategy. Just in a format designed by, run by, and soon to be ignored by, a bunch of self-serving jackasses.

            I think a better format would be to assign a particular subject/policy/strategy to one or two CongressCritters. Have them work with an existing moderated center-right blog. This would accomplish several things…

            1. Critters would be required to respond in order to play.
            2. It would openly engage the Republican Leadership with the online activist community.
            3. The work product could be constructively controlled to keep Kos, etal and the Birthers, etal out of the discussion. The discussion would be constructive and would not provide ammunition to the left.

            As it is, this current effort in Stupidity from the Stupid Party does will accomplish nothing other than to deplete R coffers and give the left some great talking points.

          • cabanon

            But I’m surprised by so many here who just trash the effort without giving it a chance or even offering a little constructive criticism first.

            Moderators would be good to clear out some of the obvious BS, like your idea about pointing out relevant legislation that might be in the works to commentators.

          • mbecker908

            1. The so-called “leadership” who put this together is challenged here and in probably a dozen other comments on the very concept of this unmoderated blog.

            2. The specific problems created with an unmoderated blog are noted here, here and here for just three places.

            3. Creative ways to address the issue that this piece of crap is supposed to be addressing, only doing it in an engaging and effective manner that utilizes existing resources that actually know what they’re doing can be found here for starters.

            4. This “effort” clearly demonstrates, as noted here and in a bunch of other places, that the “leadership” has no clue what their job is. They also don’t know the first thing about using the internet and won’t ask the people that do. It also demonstrates that you are every bit as pathetically stupid as the DC “leadership”.

            5. Please note that we are now just shy of 31 hours since this diary went up and Congressman Lucas hasn’t bothered to drop back by, or send someone by, to respond to the comments here. I don’t know how long ASO has been up, but I’m betting there’s not a single comment from an elected Republican or his/her staff about any of the s*** that’s hit the wall over there.

            Just so we’re clear here, crap like ASO and this diary are nothing more than an exercise in pretending that people like Lucas and the “leadershilp” give a rip about the base.

            Keep in mind that this crap is put forth by the same people who have exactly NO program to downsize the federal government. NONE. Zip. Nada. Bupkis. They have no program to secure the border. They have no program to either control or privatize social security and medicare. They have no strategy to repeal Obamacare.

            The only thing the current “leadership” has a successful track record at doing is working in a bipartisan manner to grow government and raise their own salaries.

          • blooch

            “If Obama has to tell us he’s in charge, then he isn’t.”

            By the same token, If ASO has to say “your voice matters”, then it doesn’t.

          • cabanon
          • mbecker908

            Your little sock puppet friend bounces in and makes a stupid remark, gets slapped around for it with specifics as to why she is every bit as clueless as you (maybe because she IS you?) and you come bouncing in and make an open ended comment that essentially condemns every other post in this diary and you do it while completely ignoring the facts. Facts which I simply pointed out and you cannot refute.

            You have no clue about how to frame an argument and you have no idea how the world outside your mommy’s basement really works. You’re going to be fun on slow weekends.

            Now then, here’s a hint for you. When you bounce in here and make completely stupid, totally inaccurate and absolutely unsupportable statements you will get called on it. Get over yourself. If you were half as bright as you think you are you’d only be half as bright as you really are.

          • gekster

            I’m not good at math.

          • mbecker908
          • Doc Holliday

            kind of like I don’t get today’s country music (it all sounds the same). These guys can no longer cede the ‘net to the lefty hippies. It is time right bloggers meet with the leadership (the ones we don’t want to toss out) and school them a bit. It is such a cliche, crochety conservatives don’t understand the “internets”

            we need more sites like a punch in the gut. What we need is an effective internet strategy.

          • mbecker908
  • annas

    and think that Republicans would do better to focus on what our “masters” in this regime are DOING. Every evening I check the blogs for news and Obama et al have done or passed something ELSE. Two more things just today. Will there be any country left by November? Why aren’t the Republicans screaming instead of asking what we have already stated we want?

  • benson1

    we do not need a GOP facebook type website where posters put ideas and other posters grade them. Lame, lame,lame and stupid.
    I send emails to all the GOP email addresses I have and to my Congressman and Senators if I want to voice my opinion. Does anyone think they’re going to go in and look over these ideas. NOT!!!
    I emailed all my GOP email addresses yesterday and told them the same thing. I may just email them again today. I don’t know how it’s possible but I’m still amazed by how little the people who represent us know.

  • http://www.800cart.com Ron Robinson

    Just as well… guess we have to reset the clock on the GOP getting it about new media.

  • http://online.logcabin.org/about/ suzieQ

    Under the same name as here (SuzieQ). But have not been able to get on yesterday or today. It always says “unavailable”.

  • Section9

    Meh. Someone from RedState please go over to the NRCC and provide some Adult Supervision, okay?

  • mbecker908

    This is another “The Republican Party Can’t Spell Leadership” drill. The website will collect a whole bunch of crap – I’m sure Kos is all over this – and an occasional decent idea. All of which is nothing but mental masturbation.

    You and your fellow Critters all live and work in Washington. You know full well what the damn problem is – the Government is too freaking big and too freaking invasive. So, instead of tossing up a blog, do what the hell we pay you for. Start leading. Start putting together a plan to downsize government. Not just reduce cost but reduce departments, reduce agencies and eliminate some Cabinet Level groups.

    You’re not going to get much done right now, but define the Party as The Party of Limited Government and that MUST start with actually putting together a plan to limit government. Gore some oxen. Turn some sacred cows into well done steak. Raise the level of unemployment with a very large category of people labeled “Former Federal Government Employees”.

    Do Something. Like Lead.

  • Locked and Loaded

    I hope he will disavow himself of this venture.

    This website looks like a disaster in the making – a black eye, at least. Obviously it was not thought through very well. Crude and ridiculous “ideas” abound here, apparently unfettered by any moderation or administrator input. And that administrator (in the name of House Republican Leadership) makes his internet home at mail.house.gov. Not good!

  • zollistar

    …an aggressive effort by Republican leaders to:

    * Limit government by
    * Reducing (and even better) eliminating departments and agencies, and
    * Killing maddening regulations on individuals and businesses.

    Above all…STOP SPENDING.

  • obladioblada

    We don’t need today’s Republican gimmick du jour. You’re really planning to listen this time, really, really? Pinky swear? More likely, you’re collecting data to spam your campaign messages while appearing to be interested in the hoi poloi.

    We’re not impressed by words, promises or new projects to collect ideas. You know what needs to be done, do it. If you don’t know, please get the heck out of the way.

    If you haven’t heard us by now, you don’t intend to.

  • oldphart

    and screaming my suggestions into it will have precisely the same effect as this new blog/forum/waste of money and time. The very least thing these politicians will understand is the loss of their jobs. Let’s get to it, post haste.

  • nelbuts

    The Boehner Administration says one thing and of course does another. During CPAC House Minority Leader Boehner stated in his speech what a fantastic document the Contract from America was and that he endorsed it. He said, Washington was not listening to the American People. What does he do? Why he will not sign the contract and has discouraged other House members not to sign as well? Why? So they can come out with their America Speaking Out sham of a website.

    Sign the Contract Rep. Boehner and then you can have an addendum if you wish. But put your signature where your mouth is! Half a million people voted for the ten items on the contract. America was speaking out and if you do not sign you are failing to listen as well www.contractfromamerica.org

  • http://online.logcabin.org/about/ suzieQ

    Thank you!

  • mbecker908

    There are a number of comments here that address specific issues with ASO. So far you haven’t addressed any of them.

    Honestly, I hope you’re not like the average politico who bounces in here, leaves an “offering” in our entry way and then runs away to get pats on the back from his supporters for “great communication”.

    You, or some designated member of your staff, really should make the effort to drop by, maybe tomorrow, and address some of the points that have been raised here.

    Thank you for your consideration.

  • aesthete

    “The Republican Party Can’t Spell Leadership”. At this point, it’s “Republicans Run Screaming From Leadership and Principles”. Why do I say this? Because Republican leadership has been distancing itself from the only realistic plan that accomplishes it’s stated goals of balancing the budget, cutting government, and reforming entitlements; namely, Paul Ryan’s plan. Mind you, I don’t think that you have to endorse Ryan’s plan to be a good Republican, but if you’re going to make crowd-pleasing blurbs of the “cutting wasteful spending”, “balancing the budget” sort, you have to either put up your own plan or shut up. So far, I’ve seen some excitement from the Republican Liberty Caucus, a couple pats on the head here and there, and a whole lot of uncomfortable seat-shifting as the Republican reaction to a tenable plan to do what their platform states as their goal. But I’m sure that illiterate proposals on the message boards of an internet site are going to fix everything, yessir.

    Personally, I’m excited to see which Democratic plank the Republican un-officially endorses as its own, seeing as how they already support Medicare.

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Why not get all of you to stand together (instead of sitting together on a stage) at a news conference day after day after day and call out the Dems on their deficit spending and all of Opuppet’s lies (I’ll have the most transparent administration ever, with no lobbyists, I’ll take a scalpel to the federal budget, etc., etc., etc.) and then succinctly bring to American people YOUR ideas, in keeping with Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and the principles embodied in the Constitution generally, as well as The Federalist Papers, that we were to have a federal government bound down by the Constitution and that it was to be one of limited, enumerated powers. YOU should be telling US, your bosses, what YOU will be cutting. YOU should be embracing Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan on entitlements and explaining to US your strategic plan for implementing it.

    Why don’t you urge the conservatives in your respective states and districts to get more involved in party politics as precinct committeemen? Well, some of us think we know the answer to that question — you don’t want us to come into the Party, because we might toss each of you out in the primary, too, in favor a better, more conservative Republican challenger.

    Rep. Lucas, you’re in your NINTH term! This is the best you can come up with????

    As the old military saying goes, “Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!”

    For Liberty,
    ColdWarrior, PC (that

  • ocleverone

    I want Republicans to have the fortitude and the wisdom to represent their districts/states using constitutional and conservative principles. When you campaign, we look at your positions, we look at your record, we chose you to represent us with the understanding that you will hold to those standards.

    Now you are asking us to sound off on a website, basically casting votes for policies? Isn’t that was staying in touch with your constituents in your district is about? Do you really think this website is going to work?

    Please, do the job we elected you to do and we will keep in touch with you. Just earn your salary and listen to your bosses (the people).

    I don’t like mob mentality rule. It didn’t work out well for Socrates and I don’t think it will work out well for us.

  • zollistar

    As usual.

  • aesthete

    At this point, it’s not even so much about more conservative for me; I sincerely believe that were we to pick the first 100 names out of the Boston telephone directory, no matter how progressive, and were we to give them a basic education in economics, we would get a smaller and smarter government than the one that the clowns in Congress have saddled us with.

  • mbecker908
  • Scope

    you vote, or some such thing. You guys are trying to nail jello to the wall and see if any of it sticks. What a sham, and you make the R party look desperate. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THE PARTY IS IN THE CRAPPER? It is because you all think you can throw out a bone, and, the base will respond. You lost the base long ago, get with the program.

    STOP doing these insane programs that try to make it appear as though you care. Your doing more damage than good. Is the Democrat party right that you paid for this with tax dollars?

  • Scope

    than I must believe that the R’s will once again shoot themselves in the foot. Actually, this time it will be shooting themselves in the head.

  • obladioblada

    a little time themselves reading the emails from their constituents instead of just having their unpaid interns add the contacts to their spam lists and hit the delete button.

    It’s not as if the people haven’t loudly and repeatedly contacted them in emails, phone calls FAXes, town hall meetings and protests. Less deaf representatives might have heard the message, or at least been aware that there is one. If they don’t have the energy or vision to listen to the requests and solutions that have already been proposed by their constituents, then nothing short of primary challenges is going to help them see the light.

  • mbecker908
  • mbecker908
  • Scope

    Hahahahahahahahahaha. That is hillarious. If it wasn’t the Dems being hypocritical and their usual sleazy, I’d say the R’s were just one uped.

  • Scope

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100401-dems-try-to-nix-america-speaking-out-funds-through-youcut

  • zuckey6

    big and intrusive government claims to be benefiting the downtroden but what it really does is elimate individual freedom. We need to restore individual freedom and responsiblity.

    ticoll@ca.rr.com

  • zuckey6

    Two department to eliminate are Education and Energy.

    ticoll@ca.rr.com