Abortion Should Not be an Issue

The other day a Republican leader was talking about the divide between conservatives and moderates that threatens the viability of the Republican Party and threatens our ability to win absolutely necessary elections in 2010 and 2012. If they pass Obamacare and/or Cap & Trade, we must have a Republican majority in Congress in place in January, 2013, and a Republican president as well in order to kill these terrible ideas.

In speaking of a so-called, “litmus test” for Republican contenders who will be acceptable to conservatives and Tea Party supporters, he went on to say that abortion is the issue that divides conservative Republicans from moderate Republicans. I strongly disagree. Although I am personally opposed to abortion, I would never reject a person who demonstrates traditional, conservative views on the role of government because he differs from me on this one issue, abortion.

There can be many, nuanced differences on the abortion issue. For example, I favor overturning Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, because they are federal intrusions into the role of states that cannot be found anywhere in the Constitution, and the decisions were driven by ideology, and not by the rule of law. At the state level, however, I would work against any government restrictions in the first trimester – not because I favor abortion, but because I never want us to return to the days of back-alley abortions and dead and maimed young girls. You young people do not know of or remember the horror of this.

Our nation faces many threats: the Iranian bomb, the Al Qaida, hyperinflation and possible bankruptcy, but the greatest danger we face is the systematic destruction of our Constitution and the republic form of government by some of our own citizens who do not understand and value the freedoms and protections they have offered – or who are ignorant of their importance and meaning.

Other democracies have fallen once the barriers to the public treasury came down. Our Founding Fathers carefully constructed a republic form of government to protect us from this, but what has been happening and growing is a practice called, “bringing home the bacon” - a systematic looting of the treasury by elected Congressmen who try to ensure their re-election by bringing federal dollars to their home constituencies. Two great examples of this were the buying of the votes on Obamacare of Senator Landrieu of Louisiana and Senator Nelson of Nebraska.

Liberals have been very successful in watering down our Constitution and in tearing down the reputations of our Founding Fathers. Their purpose is a huge expansion of the federal government and of their power and control over all of us. Let’s unite behind any declared Republican who is for smaller and less-intrusive government, no matter what their positions are on social issues.

Michael Steele Must Go Immediately

Ordinarily I would not want to take the advice of a leftist like David Korn, especially since I was moved to such optimism when Michael Steele was first elected to head the Republican National Committee. However Steele has not only been a failure, he has been a laughing stock and a buffoon in this job. He has also aroused my ire by making it clear that he has no intention of paying any attention to the Tea Party movement or of supporting any Republicans except blue-blood RINO's. We need to get rid of him fast in order to take advantage of the desperate straits the Democrats have put themselves in this year.

It also appears that I am not alone when I decided to stop contributing to the RNC until they stop supporting liberals and RINO's when they should be neutral in primary races and support conservatives like Marco Rubio in Florida and Scott Brown in Massachusetts when and if they become the party's nominee. The RNC first enraged me when they supported the liberal nitwit, Lincoln Chafee, in Rhode Island in his primary battle with the highly successful conservative, Stephen Laffey for the nomination for the Senate. Chaffee won the primary but lost the election (to Whitehouse).

Michael Steele: Should He Go Now . . . or Later

David Korn January 8, 2010 Politics Daily

"Michael Steele is a . . . "

The Republican consultant I was talking with paused. In anger. In frustration. In exasperation.

"Fool?" I asked. "Buffoon?"

"You name it," he said.

This fellow looked like one of those cartoon characters with steam coming out of his ears. "He's going to destroy the party." So what do you do? I asked. "He's got to go," the consultant said, adding that Steele could face a no-confidence vote at an upcoming national Republican meeting. But bounce the first African-American head of the GOP, at the start of an election season? That sure wouldn't look good. "I know, I know," he muttered, with a tone of resignation.

Steele is having another one of those banner stretches. In recent days, he's come under fire -- from people inside and outside his own party. He has had to defend the practice of accepting big-dollar speaking fees . (Blogger Greg Sargent couldn't get a straight answer out of the Republican Party as to whether Steele is pocketing all the profits from his just-released book.) During a softball interview with Sean Hannity earlier this week, Steele declared that his party was not going to win back Congress this November -- and that Republicans weren't ready to run the House and Senate. What a vote of confidence! Hotline, a political tip sheet, subsequently reported :

House and Senate leadership aides are furious with RNC chair Michael Steele and have angrily confronted the RNC's press shop over their inability to keep the chair on message. In the course of a regular daily conference call between senior Congressional communicators, House and Senate aides berated RNC staffers over Steele's comments that the GOP would not be able to take back the House, and that even if they did, the party would not be prepared to lead.

Moreover, Steele last year directed a spending spree at party HQs that saw the GOP drop a whopping $15 million on a couple of special elections, winning two high-profile governor races but leaving the Republican war chest with only a measly $8.7 million , as it heads into a critical election year. "They're spending money at 2002 levels when they are not raising money at those levels," a GOP operative told The Hill newspaper. "That kind of thing worked when RNC was awash in money, but you can't do that in this environment."

It's no surprise, then, that GOP donors are saying no to Steele and not writing checks to the national Republican Party.

That may be the best reason Republicans have for de-Steele-ing their party. Steele will continue uttering bone-headed remarks. (Earlier this week, he got tripped up by Chris Matthews on "Hardball" when Steele insisted that it is "wrong" to put the suspected underwear-bomber through a criminal trial, even though that's what the Bush-Cheney administration did with the shoe-bomber.) In fact, a few months ago, Steele jokingly said to me, "I'm the gift the keeps on giving." Well, he got that right.

But Steele's bouts of foot-in-mouth disease probably could be forgiven if he were raising money for his party. Or keeping it together. His troubles are occurring while the Republican Party is undergoing a civil war between conservative Tea Party-types and non-conservatives. (I hesitate to call them moderate Republicans.) This vicious, internecine battle recently forced the Republican Party chief in Florida to skedaddle . And there's no signs of this internal fight easing up.

The chief of the GOP has two challenges: to pull in big bucks and to maintain the peace within his party. Steele appears to have been too busy goofing on cable TV to do either. As I've noted previously , this election year offers Republicans a grand opportunity, particularly because unemployment is expected to remain high for months, if not years, to come. But a party burdened with a leader who alienates donors will not be best positioned to exploit that advantage. It's hard to imagine Steele getting his act together and functioning as an effective party chairman in the tough slog ahead. Though there might be a cost if Republicans send him packing now, the cost will be greater if Steele is forced out later rather than sooner.

Crucial Election on Obamacare in Massachusetts January 19

An attractive Republican conservative actually has a good chance at winning a US Senate seat in Massachusetts and stopping Obamacare in its tracks. All that’s needed is for those Tea Party Patriots and other independents to come out in the cold and vote. How many times throughout our history has one person been the difference between success and disaster in our wonderful country?

Scott Brown trims Senate gap in poll

By Jessica Van Sack January 6, 2010 bostonherald.com

Energized opponents of the Democrats’ national health-care overhaul have catapulted GOP Senate hopeful Scott Brown within striking distance of Attorney General Martha Coakley, a leading pollster said yesterday.

“It has nothing to do with Brown and everything to do with the political environment we’re seeing nationally,” said Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen reports, which released a poll yesterday putting Brown just 9 points behind Coakley, 50 percent to 41 percent.

He added that Brown appears to be an “opposition candidate” supported by many who are unhappy with the direction of the country - and most of all, health-care reform. “The people who feel strongly about health care are more likely to oppose it,” Rasmussen said.

Perhaps Rasmussen’s most stunning finding was that the Wrentham state senator leads 65 percentto 21 percent among the unenrolled, the state’s biggest voting bloc. The poll did not query voters about Joseph L. Kennedy, an unenrolled candidate.

A Republican upstart replacing liberal lion Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in the bluest state would be a “major coup” with “national consequences,” said Thomas Whalen, Boston University social science professor, hastening to add, “I still think she’s gonna win it, but Brown’s making it much more interesting.”

Nate Silver, a political statistician, crunched the poll numbers and wrote on his blog that a 9-point gap between Brown and Coakley seems “entirely possible.”

But Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos said the survey may be lowballing the turnout among unenrolled voters, including many women who will break for Coakley. “I don’t know if (Brown’s lead) will hold up,” he said.

Brown spokesman Felix Brownefound the poll “encouraging,” but added, “We recognize that we’re an underdog in a state that is controlled by a political machine. We’re working hard. No celebrations.”

Coakley spokesman Corey Welford brushed off the poll, saying, “Martha is going to win this race because voters know that she has a record of standing up and getting real results for them.” he said

This is what America really needs, another politician (Coakley) who will “bring home the bacon” and further bankrupt this country .
From State Senator Brown’s website:

“State Senator Scott Brown has led the fight in Massachusetts against wasteful government spending and higher taxes. He is a free-market advocate who believes our strength as a nation flows from its people. He believes in a culture of family, patriotism and freedom. At his September 12 announcement of candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Senator Brown articulated a core set of beliefs that guide his thinking.

• Government is too big and that the federal stimulus bill made government bigger instead of creating jobs
• Taxes are too high and are going higher if Congress continues with its out-of-control spending
• The historic amount of debt we are passing on to our children and grandchildren is immoral
• Power concentrated in the hands of one political party, as it is here in Massachusetts, leads to bad government and poor decisions
• A strong military and vigorous homeland defense will protect our interests and security around the world and at home
• All Americans deserve health care, but we shouldn't have to create a new government insurance program to provide it

Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004. He is currently in his third Senate term.

In 2004, Senator Brown received the Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state's sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.

Senator Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School, Tufts University, and Boston College Law School. He lives in Wrentham, MA with his wife Gail and their two daughters, Ayla, a student at Boston College, and Arianna, a student at Syracuse University.”

From Smart Girl Politics:

Call from home - Get Scott Brown(R) elected to the US Senate Jan 19th

Posted by Patty Parrett on December 29, 2009 at 5:04pm in Smart Girl Politics

Please join the phone bank and also pass this information on to all of your contacts.

The Massachusetts special election is Jan 19th. Make PHONE CALLS FOR FREEDOM. Help get Scott Brown (R) elected to the U.S. Senate.

This election is so important to give the Republican Senate 41 votes and take away the Democrat's filibuster proof majority. Give the Republicans the power to block a cloture vote. We can send a clear message to Washington that we mean what we say and we CAN affect election outcomes in 2010. And Scott's vote could block the healthcare bill if the Republicans are successful in dragging out the vote to Jan 20th.

Volunteers across the country who are interested in making calls from home to citizens of Massachusetts on Scott Brown's behalf, please contact Field Director Brad Hansen at:

brad@brownforussenate.com or call 509-595-4683

Brad will set you up with a username and password. You will receive an email with your unique user name and password, as well as a link to the website where you will log in. Once you are logged in, watch the tutorial on how to use the system and then you can start making calls.

Or you can go to

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDFVMGxFamFFbkFMcE...

and they will send you a user ID and Password.

Massachusetts has not elected a Republican to the Senate in forty years. Let's change that with the Vote Heard Round the World!

We did it in NJ and Virginia – now let’s do it in Massachusetts!

God Will Smile On This Change

How often throughout the history of the United States has it seemed that God was looking out for us? From the pitiful condition of Washington’s few men at Trenton to the miraculous victory at Midway to our winning the race with the Germans and the Japanese for the Atom Bomb, our nation has been blessed with so much good luck that it is beyond the comprehension of those without faith.

More recent events seem to bear out this special place the people of this great, freedom-loving and freedom-giving* nation have in His eyes. Just as Obama was getting ready to make some sort of a triumphal entrance at Copenhagen to endorse economy-ruining, global warming measures, the leaked e-mails revealed just how corrupt and fraudulent the whole man-made global warming movement was, and the conference tanked.

Now a failed attempt on Christmas Day by a Muslim terrorist trained in Yemen by Al Qaida has set off a chain of events that shows with shocking clarity how stupid, incompetent and dangerous the Obama approach and the Obama appointees actually are.

Until tonight, the policy of sending dozens of Yemeni terrorists back to Yemen from Guantanamo was holding tight by the Obama Administration (mostly to permit the promised, stupid closing of Guantanamo). It does not escape notice that Eric Holder’s law firm represented many Muslim terrorists – yes the same Eric Holder who represented Mark Rich in those Clinton days when all those pardons were sold.

Just two hours ago the wrath of America’s citizens was finally felt by Obama, and the back-to-Yemen policy has been shelved for now.

Perhaps this reversal will signal a change from Obama, from having as his first priority the extending of constitutional rights to foreign terrorists – to that of protecting the lives and freedoms of American citizens. I think God would smile on that change. I wonder what He thinks of Obama's attempt to ruin the greatest healthcare system the world has ever known.

*The USA has freed at least 30 nations and 50 million people from bondage.

Sometimes A Little Thing Makes It All Worthwhile

I sometimes feel like quitting this blog - feeling that I’m banging my head against a wall and preaching to the choir – and then some little thing happens that makes it all worthwhile.

I’ll explain: in 1985 Muslim terrorists hijacked an American plane, TWA Flight 847, in Lebanon and terrorized and brutalized the passengers on the plane as it sat on the Beirut Airport tarmac. One terrorist, Mohammed Ali Hamadi, murdered an American sailor as he sat on the plane, and his body was thrown out onto the pavement. The young man’s name was Robert Stethem.

The terrorist-murderer was later caught in Germany and spent time in a German prison before the Germans traded him for a German hostage in 2005. At that time I wrote a blog piece entitled, “I Remember Robert Stethem”. You can read that article if you like by clicking on the link.

The very nice thing that happened was that yesterday I got an e-mail from Robert Stethem’s sister who had reread my piece and felt it helped her a lot in facing the new year that a few of us still remembered and honored his memory.

A Gingrich Speech Sorely Needed To Be Heard

I don't always agree with Newt Gingrich, but most of the time he speaks truth as noone else can:

If video doesn't load, go here.
ALSO:

Obama Approval Index Month-by-Month

Saturday, January 02, 2010 Rasmussen

The number who Strongly Disapprove of the president’s performance inched up a point to 41% in December. The number who Strongly Approved fell two more points to 26%. That leads to a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15, a new low for Obama.

Also in December, the president’s total approval dropped two points to 46%. His total disapproval gained a point to 53%. It’s worth noting that the Approval Index ratings have generally proven to be a good leading indicator of the president’s overall approval ratings.

Medicare Refusals Start Ramping Up

Although Obamacare hasn't started yet, some of the Medicare cuts championed by the Democrats already have been put in place. This is only the start of what is going to happen to the healthcare of seniors once the big cuts being passed by Congress kick in. Keep fighting to stop the destruction of the greatest healthcare system ever known, and keep fighting to prevent further cuts in Medicare.

Mayo Clinic in Arizona to Stop Treating Some Medicare Patients

By David Olmos Bloomberg (Excerpt)

Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- "The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, will stop accepting Medicare patients as of tomorrow at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the U.S. government pays too little.

More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale, northwest of Phoenix, said Michael Yardley, a Mayo spokesman. The decision, which Yardley called a two-year pilot project, won’t affect other Mayo facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Obama in June cited the nonprofit Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio for offering “the highest quality care at costs well below the national norm.” Mayo’s move to drop Medicare patients may be copied by family doctors, some of whom have stopped accepting new patients from the program, said Lori Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, in a telephone interview yesterday.

“Many physicians have said, ‘I simply cannot afford to keep taking care of Medicare patients,’” said Heim, a family doctor who practices in Laurinburg, North Carolina. “If you truly know your business costs and you are losing money, it doesn’t make sense to do more of it.”"