Was this action by The Donald as intentionally brilliant as I think it is?……

Consider this an open thread

Several things became clear to me during our discussion:

1. Joe Straus was organized.  He had a plan to approach every new Representative early and often.  To flatter them and to impress them with the attention they were to receive while he courted their support.
2. My Representative seems like a very good person.  She has the right values and could be a very good Representative.  She just needs to hear the other side.  She is not hearing it!  She is only hearing from Joe Straus and his friends.
3. Rep. Nash, I believe, is probably like most new Reps coming in.  They are probably unaware of all the shenanigans that have gone on under Speaker Straus.  Joe Straus had a plan to co-opt them.  Conservatives did not have a comparable plan to recruit support for a Conservative Speaker.  We are way behind in this effort.
4. To win this battle, we’re going to need a lot more of the grass roots to get off their behinds and start calling.  Barbara Nash is hearing the objections to Straus — I am not the only one to raise this issue with her.  We need to educate, not threaten these new Reps so they don’t make a decision they will later regret.

I don’t know if my call will ultimately convince Rep. Nash to vote for a more conservative Speaker.  But without my call and the calls of others there is no hope.  So get in the game.  It feels good and can make a difference if enough of us heed the call to action.

Much to my surprise, Representative-elect Nash returned my call about two hours later.  We spoke for about 15 minutes.  She told me that Joe Straus was the first to call her to tell her that she won.  He also invited her to join him and others for a breakfast.  He asked her in front of others what her top issue was (Voter ID) and then pledged his support for that issue.  This guy really laid on the charm.  I sure he did this with EVERY new Representative, which is probably why we are playing catch-up.  She indicated that she would NOT support Ken Paxton (he was trashed by Straus and his buddies), but that she had NOT made a commitment yet to Straus.

I referred her to RedState to do research and asked that she consider other possibilities other than Straus.  She said she would.  I also informed her that Joe Straus was NOT the choice of the Republican Conference two years ago, and that he made a deal to get the Democrats and 11 Republicans to support him over the choice of the Republican Conference, Speaker Tom Craddick. I asked her what kind of conservative Republican would betray the majority of the conference to be elected by Democrats. She did not seem aware that this was how he obtained the Speaker-ship.

Finally, I warned Representative Nash that this vote would be the single issue that would define her in the minds of the Tea Party and the resurgent Grass Roots.  She doesn’t want to alienate her base the first week on the job.

Final point: Barbara Nash seems like a good conservative person.  However, flattery by power and friends of power can be deceptive.  We need to keep making these calls as I’m sure all the newly elected Republicans have been courted for weeks now by Joe Straus.  We should not underestimate the power this deception can hold.  However, if Barbara Nash and others were each to get 200 more phone calls opposing Joe Strauss (courteous, but determined calls), we could win this.  After all, the voter has the final say.

Redstate readers should be very familiar with Judge Chatigny due to numerous postings by Redstate Insider , Hogan and others on the outrage that this nomination caused during his confirmation hearing.  Judge Chatigny was especially egregious in the way that he intervened on behalf of a serial killer, Michael Ross, bullied the defense attorney and tried to prevent the death penalty from being implemented on this confessed killer of eight women due to his personal belief that this killer should not have even been convicted, let alone sentenced to death.

Judge Chatigny was confirmed on a straight party line vote, 11-7 (Senator Feinstein abstaining), and had very eloquent opposition by Senator Coburn.  It is hard for me to believe that he could be one of the nominees that Republicans are agreeing to approve.

For a full list of all the judicial nominations in the 111th Congress go here.  Am I missing something?  I am wrong in this?  I hope so.  He’s still a nominee and he’s not on the list of four that Republicans won’t confirm.  So the big question is:  Why not?

This is the first significant break by Republicans in the House with the conservative base that led the Tsunami that swept Boehner to the speakership with a 63 seat pickup in the House of Representatives.  Upton’s voting record was replete with issue after issue that should have disqualified him from this post. As Erick noted last month, he supported banning the incandescent light bulb, and voted for TARP, voted yes on the auto bail-out, yes on Cash-For-Clunkers, yes on Sarbanes-Oxley, yes on new CAFE standards, and yes on numerous pork items.

Fred Upton does not have bona-fide conservative credentials but since the election he has tacked strongly to the right in his speech.  He is a poster-child for the type of Republican that conservatives have risen up against this last year to primary and replace.  His rhetoric and his votes flow back and forth whichever way the winds blow.  He is NOT a reliable conservative.

I am not familiar with the new team he is bringing in (Joe Pitts, R-PA), but I am concerned (birds of a feather).  A bigger concern, however, is what this says about the Republican Leadership as a whole.  When they can ignore such a groundswell of opposition to Upton, what does this bode for future battles that will arise these next two years.

I’ve since moved for job opportunities to Nevada and Texas (where I have now resided since 2008).  What a difference!  Housing costs are 30% of California.  No personal income taxes.  Lower fuel and energy costs.  Lower insurance, vehicle registration, grocery — almost everything.  From a business standpoint — less regulation and paperwork, lower worker’s comp. and fewer lawsuits.  California could learn a lot about how to attract business from Texas.

But I believe that California has passed the point of no return.  It’s hopeless.  Bankruptcy looms.  One big reason is that California has become a sanctuary state.  Years back, under Pete Wilson, we Californians passed Proposition 187 which essentially denied all state benefits and services to illegal aliens.  We were called heartless and even racist for insisting on fiscal responsibility.  When one of our liberal courts ruled it unconstitutional, our newly elected Governor (Gray Davis) refused to appeal the ruling and it died.  It’s been downhill ever since and the flood gates opened for new illegals.

Why will this never change?  Well for one thing voter registration requires no proof what-so-ever of citizenship.  You only have to attest that you are a citizen eligible to vote. Likewise no I.D. required to vote (in fact, you can sign up for permanent absentee ballot by mail — how convenient).  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if 1 million+ illegals were registered to vote (how do you prove otherwise?). After all, this would be consistent with La Raza: “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us”.  So California — welcome to the 3rd World.

Just got back from voting…..and the polling place was NOT crowded.  This does not give me the warm fuzzies.  I hope this is an aberration (I’m in Texas).  But if we don’t vote today, we will NOT close the deal.  We must win and we must win big or the message will not be received.  We suspect – fear – know that voter fraud will cost us thousands of votes (nationwide, maybe millions) so we are already swimming upstream. Send a message and vote the bums out.

Surely, there are no left-wing staffers in these news organizations with access to the book.  And surely they would never consider leaking juicy morsels to blogger friends in order to help the DNC messaging machine.  The Dems desperately need to fire up their base.  Nothing fires them up like anti-Bush sentiment. I for one wouldn’t be all that surprised to see some passages that could be beneficial to the Democrat message start leaking out later this week.  The good news, Bush’s popularity has has seen a major upswing (Miss Me Yet?) and Obama’s popularity is almost on par with Bush’s.

There are ALWAYS leaks from new books.  What was W thinking by a release date so close to the election?

With the press on his side as a “reasonable conservative” ala David Brooks and Joe Scarborough, he insures favorable press coverage during his run for the Republican nomination.  Two main facts strengthen his position: 1) Most of the other candidates will be to his right and thus split the conservative vote in the early primaries; and 2) The primary schedule favors him in that after Iowa, he has New Hampshire (with John McCain by his side) and then native South Carolina.

There are a couple of speed bumps in his planning, however. 1) New proposed rules would allocate delegates in the early primaries vs. the winner-take-all thereby diminishing the knock-out potential of winning in the early contests; and 2) Most importantly, I believe Lindsey underestimates the mood in the country (“the Tea Party will die out”).  He may be in for a major surprise in his native South Carolina.  It would be sweet if his run was ended there.

If Lindsey Graham wins the Republican nomination……..DOOM.