We lost Andrew Breitbart just over a year ago. Since then, there have been endless discussions about how best to honor his memory, pondering over whether anyone could possibly fill his shoes. As I look back over the past year, I’m sad to admit that I think we as a conservative movement are doing a very poor job of carrying on Andrew’s legacy. Now, I don’t claim to | Read More »
Boston’s NPR radio station, WBUR, conducted a poll earlier this week that shows Scott Brown is in a “strong position” to rejoin his colleagues in the Senate, assuming John Kerry is appointed to be Secretary of State, triggering a special election.
The poll was conducted with 500 registered voters on Monday and Tuesday, and Brown’s favorables are very high, even though it is less than two months after he lost a brutal campaign battle against Elizabeth Warren.
Read More »I am in Washington, D.C. for a few days, and while I was at a coffee shop this morning, my online news feed was full of discussions about this fiscal cliff mess: what the President is proposing, how the Republicans are reacting, whether there is any chance of a deal, how bad it will hurt our economy if we go off this fiscal cliff, whether it’s even remotely possible to avoid it, and so on.
What frustrates me is that, as usual, the debate in this town misses the main point – neither side is taking any steps to address why we’re in this mess in the first place…
Read More »As you may know, I spent some time in Massachusetts this year, working on some Congressional races, and it’s been an interesting time for me, seeing the differences (the many, many, many differences) between that state and my home state of Florida.
Both states have a legislature dominated by one party, but with wide variation in how much autonomous power the controlling party really has. When the Republicans who control the Florida House and Senate push their luck too far, the Florida press corps howl in protest and voters in even heavily-Republican districts tend to reject anything really outlandish (case in point: the failure of many of the constitutional amendments, which originated in the Legislature, on the ballot this year).
In contrast, in Massachusetts, when the Democrats try something nutty, it’s met with shrugs and mostly ignored as simply business as usual. At best, media outlets like the Boston Herald may cover a story here and there, but it rarely seems to slow down the Democrats’ appetite for abusing government power…
Read More »Promoted from the diaries Ted Cruz, fresh off his amazing win in the runoff for the Texas Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, was in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday for this year’s RedState Gathering. He gave a great speech to kick off the conference and was kind enough to sit down for a interview with me. I first met Cruz at CPAC 2011 and have followed | Read More »
Sandy Adams locked in another powerful endorsement for her reelection campaign today from one of her fellow freshmen members of Congress, Allen West.
Adams’ campaign sent out a press release this morning (I’ve included it below) with West’s endorsement, which is noteworthy not only for the enthusiastic support that West expresses for Adams, but also because West explicitly draws a distinction between the freshmen who were elected in 2010, and the “entrenched careerist politicians” who were supporting the status quo in Washington.
I’ve been involved in a long list of campaigns over the past few years, and I’ve seen an endless number of endorsements trotted out by candidates. The reality is that not all endorsements are created equal. All too often I’ve read endorsements and wondered if the endorser had ever even met the candidate they were endorsing.
In contrast, West’s endorsement of Adams is personal and detailed, describing how they both were elected in the conservative tidal wave elections of 2010, and how he shared a common purpose with her in “fighting to change the ways of Washington.”
Read More »If something happens once, it’s probably a fluke. Twice, might be a coincidence. Seventeen times? Well, that might be worth studying.
On Friday, Examiner.com published an analysis of the unemployment rate in the seventeen states that elected new Republican governors in 2010, noting that every single one of these states had seen an improvement in their jobs rate…
Read More »…Over two centuries ago, fifty-six men put their lives on the line to preserve and protect the freedoms that are the God-given unalienable rights of all free people….
What can you do that will help ensure that these freedoms continue to be part of the American legacy? Can you volunteer a Saturday afternoon to knock on doors for a candidate? Can you take an evening to attend a candidates’ debate so you can be certain you are an informed voter? Can you help register new voters in your county? Can you write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? Can you donate $5, $10, or $20 to candidates who you support?
Read More »…In this modern campaign era, we are not limited to supporting just the candidates in our own neighborhoods, and Republicans need to realize that the ever-stagnant economy and Obama’s continual failed leadership means many more districts are up for grabs than were in 2008.
We don’t have to just settle for trying to elect conservatives from red states like Texas. We can play on the Democrats’ turf (or at least what they think is theirs!), and we can win.
Read More »I expect that Obama and the Democrats will take a victory lap today, but their victory will be short-lived. Romney and the Republican Congressional candidates can now campaign against what is a massive tax increase on the American people. (UPDATE: Senator Marco Rubio just gave an interview in which he called ObamaCare “a new middle class tax increase.”)
Anger against Obamacare, along with its incredible increase in wasteful spending, overreaching government intrusiveness, and explosive growth in bureaucracies, was the fuel that fed the tea party fire in the 2010 elections.
Read More »…In other words, if the White House wishes to assert an executive privilege to protect the Department of Justice from turning over the documents, that privilege should have been submitted with a privilege log. Otherwise, there is no way to judge whether the privilege has been legitimately claimed.
Read More »…Well, it looks like FreedomWorks agrees with my assessment that George LeMieux is no conservative.
In a viciously scathing email from Executive Director Max Pappas this morning, the FreedomWorks PAC endorsed Connie Mack and discussed LeMieux’s record in meticulous detail. They noted many of the same issues I did regarding his voting record and support from liberals and moderates, noting that “the more we looked at [Mack and LeMieux's] records, the clearer the choice became.”
Read More »This week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case ofFlorida vs. United States Department of Health and Human Services (for an excellent recap, please see this write-up by the Texas Public Policy Foundation), the lawsuit filed by the State of Florida against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka “ObamaCare.”
Florida’s previous Attorney General, Bill McCollum, filed the complaint on March 23, 2010. The litigation was joined by attorneys general in numerous other states, and some states filed separate lawsuits, but Florida’s case has been the linchpin in moving this challenge forward all the way to the Supreme Court.
ObamaCare and its unconstitutional power grab have galvanized conservatives across the country and united them in their opposition to the Obama administration. What many people don’t know is the back story behind how Florida’s lawsuit came to be. I recently came across some interesting information when I was doing some research for one of my last Florida clients before I leave for Massachusetts.
Read More »I continue to be shocked and dismayed how far too many people seem willing to latch on to conspiracy theories and make meritless accusations against fellow Republicans. Worse, these accusations continue even when clear evidence to the contrary is presented.
Such is the case with the furor over Florida’s redistricting. Let me say this for the millionth time: There is no conspiracy in the Florida Legislature to hurt Allen West, and Mitt Romney doesn’t have a darn thing to do with our redistricting process.
I wrote two posts earlier this week, the first explaining why rumors of a Romney-based conspiracy against Allen West were utter nonsense, and the second detailing a very elegant deal between Republican candidates to leapfrog districts in a way that gives more conservatives a strong chance at election.
Read More »Want to know why Newt Gingrich’s campaign is falling apart in Florida? Here are the numbers that tell the story:
The Sayfie Review conducted a survey of likely Republican voters on January 27, 2012 (the day after the CNN debate in Jacksonville), and got some interesting numbers. The poll was conducted by New Frontier Strategy, a GOP public relations firm.
The “headline” results for whom voters prefer matches the trends we’ve seen the past few days:
Read More »Hello, I’m Marco Rubio, a Senator from Florida. Right now all eyes are focused on my home state ahead of next week’s Republican presidential primary. It’s an exciting contest and I know that passions are high. So I wanted to take a moment to explain to the rest of the country why Republicans in Florida are so excited about this primary: Because we believe our country is in big trouble…
Read More »Churchill never had the opportunity to meet Marco Rubio, but I believe he would have felt a kinship with my Senator. Today, Reuters joined the unholy alliance of jokers and schemers who have been engaged in a vicious quest to smear the name of Marco Rubio in the eyes of the American public, and specifically in the Hispanic community.
Read More »Today, President Obama appointed Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) while the Senate was in pro forma session. The CFPB is an unaccountable bureaucratic nightmare that was birthed from the Dodd-Frank bill, and Republicans are rightfully criticizing this latest abuse of power by the Obama Administration.
The criticism of this appointment is warranted for several reasons…
Read More »The internet makes sharing information quick and easy, but sometimes it also facilitates the spread of misinformation. Such is the case withHR 3261, the Stop Internet Piracy Act (“SOPA”).
Let me take a quick moment and point out that I do not support SOPA. Erick Erickson wrote a post last week that lays out some of the main problems with the bill, but the short story is that it gives too much power to a government agency without proper safeguards to protect free speech.
I have seen some chatter online this month criticizing Senator Marco Rubio for supporting SOPA, but this criticism is misdirected. Part of the confusion seems to stem from Rubio’s co-sponsorship of a separate bill in the Senate, S. 968, the Protect IP Act.
Read More »…My worry centers on what I saw in 2008: John McCain won the primary by basically outlasting the other candidates and secured the nomination without having a majority of the Republican electorate behind him. The problem was exacerbated when the campaign was slow to reach out to the other candidates’ supporters and the conservative base. While Obama’s 2008 campaign (especially combined with the economy) was a juggernaut that was likely unstoppable, McCain’s failure to reach out and bring everyone into the fold was a contributing factor in the fatal lack of enthusiasm that doomed his campaign.
Now, this year, we have several of the frontrunners either ignoring or taking for granted major sections of Republican voters…
Read More »1. I really, really hope Herman Cain doesn’t drop out this week. Regardless of the truth of any of these accusations, if he gives up this quickly, it will send a signal to the Left and the media that burying someone with allegations of sexual impropriety is a successful way to drive a conservative candidate from the race.
In our reality TV world, all it takes is a little bit of money and a promise of notoriety, and you can find someone who will do and say just about anything on camera. I do not want to encourage future efforts to organize character assassinations of our candidates. If Cain drops out, it should be because the campaign at the top is dysfunctional and destructive, not because of this nastiness…
Read More »For months, we’ve been hearing that Mitt Romney is the “presumptive Republican nominee.” He’s the permanent frontrunner, the “inevitable” candidate, the polished professional running a machine-like campaign. Each stumble by any other candidate has been viewed as bequeathing benefits to Romney, further forging his armor as the almighty invincible candidate.
But is Romney really invincible? Is his selection as the Republican nominee for President really inevitable? Or does Emperor Romney have no clothes?
If you recall the famous Hans Christian Andersen tale, the Emperor parades through the town in a new suit of clothes which are supposedly made out of a magical fabric that is invisible to those who are stupid, incompetent, or unfit for their positions. The townspeople make a great effort to all proclaim how attractive and fine the Emperor’s new clothes are, until a child, too young and naïve to know any better, cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!”
Read More »What were you doing in 1994? If you’re old enough to vote, you were alive then. I was at Edgewater High School, in the marching band and German Club. (My nerd credentials run deep). One big highlight from that year was finally convincing my parents to let me get contacts instead of glasses.
Yes, 1994 was an interesting year. Between Nancy Kerrigan getting clubbed on the leg by a figure skating rival, Kurt Cobain’s suicide, and O.J. Simpson no longer being viewed as just that football player in the Naked Gun movies, it’s amazing anyone managed to remember there was an election.
And regarding that 1994 election, here’s what some people you may recognize were doing:
Read More »Marco Rubio discusses his family history, the situation in Libya, the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary, and the VP issue with Bill O’Reilly.
Read More »In case you missed it, Bobby Jindal, the Republican Governor of Louisiana, was reelected last night.
And, oh, by the way…notice how all those evil racist Southern Republicans voted to reelect an Indian guy? Those crazy racists, they keep voting for candidates like Susana Martinez in New Mexico, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott in South Carolina, and Florida’s Marco Rubio and Allen West. And then there’s all those racists who are propelling Ted Cruz to the top of the Texas Senate race and keep voting for Herman Cain at the straw polls.
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