“Are You With the 99%?  

Or the 1%???”

Now, I listen to Rush and Hannity when I can in my days – I’m a huge Rush fan but I am getting more and more unhappy with Sean for leaning on the likes of Rove, McCain and the establishment R’s to prop up his guest roster. I swear he doesn’t get that he’s losing the conservatives over this. Anyway, back to my discussions.

The other day Hannity was doing a monologue in response to a Democrat caller. He spent a lot of time trying to explain what the Dems are going to do with the narrative in 2012. The Democrats are going to use “politics of personal destruction” in 2012, because they don’t have a record to run on, etc. etc. with Obama as the offender in chief. All true, but my vision is far, far worse for what is awaiting the Republicans in the great debate of 2012. This, I believe, is what the Occupy movement was for all along.

The left didn’t miss the lessons of 2010 and the rise of the tea party. Oh, no. In fact, their leaders went to work to create their own counter movement. The rollout of the “OWS” activities in New York were likely planned a year ago. In fact, I would wager my reduced paycheck that there exists a calendar of events and media buys for each week until November 2012. To say that the funding and manpower is there is a vast understatement. If you’re not reading LaborUnionReport you should be – see this post as just a taste of what is in store for the Republican Party in 2012: http://www.redstate.com/laborunionreport/2011/11/19/ows-hijacked-occupycongress-next-steps-on-unions-agenda/

The more I dwell on it, the more I am profoundly impressed by the sheer brilliance of the “we are the 99%” tagline. The upside for the left is off the charts awesome – let’s consider:
a) There’s no way to counter it without being hammered as a defender of the “1%”
b) It provides pseudo-moral cover for almost ANY outlandish behavior to suppress or intimidate
c) It satisfies the herd urges of the blue collar democrats (you know, your neighbors in the 60s/70s who were in a union etc)
d) It satisfies the counter-culture urges of the “protestor class” extant in all our urban centers
e) It forces those on the right to go out of their way to avoid being painted as elitists while attempting to refute it

I’ll think of more as I go.

I recently had lunch with our county chairman and in the course of our chicken wraps brought up my concerns that our party is blithely headed into the hurricane without developing a counter-narrative. His helpful rejoinder was to say that he has heard that the Dems plan to have 2 union-paid “volunteers” at every polling place – that the time off has already been negotiated. Umm, thanks I replied and we ate our wraps in silence for a minute.

OK.

The Republican Party needs to develop a counter narrative. Like, yesterday. My wife is currently absorbing Frank Luntz and commented that we need a “Let’s Roll!” or “Morning In America” sort of narrative that:

a) Is irrepressibly optimistic – no room to naysayers here
b) Completely ignores the “99%” narrative as outdated and divisive
c) Can be used right on down the ballot to insulate every Republican from Occupy attacks
d) That insistently lays out a clear and understandable limited government, pro-trade and bill-of-rights oriented plan
e) Most importantly, includes a compelling call to volunteerism at the polls in 2012.

The Republicans simply don’t have the machine to compete with Labor and we’re going to need a powerful message to bring people out – where are the tea party rallies anymore, by the way? Have you wondered that? The only rallies I’m seeing are the “protester class” out there being manipulated (and probably enjoying it) much to the satisfaction of the evening news folks.

With the establishment right fighting to suppress conservative values in the presidential primary and insisting on offering up a one-dimensional “Obama is a failed president therefore we deserve a chance” narrative, the party is apparently oblivious to the windup leading to the “we are the 99%” haymaker about to be unleashed from Obama’s “organizing for America” machine. And I’m getting worried.

— Another must-read from LaborUnionReport – a well researched presentation on the threat from the union left and how to counter it: http://www.scribd.com/doc/73380421/Become-A-Force-Multiplier-Five-simple-tasks-for-American-Activists

The second half is too kitschy for me – when will these Repub frontrunners take the administration head on in their ads regarding the leftist regulatory changes, fixation on taxation and coddling of international criminals while ignoring our borders?  Voters want specifics now.

As has been so common around the country this season, the establishment within the R party has selected someone over Chet to ride the coattails of Tom Corbett’s ascendancy (and that’s another story…Go Sam!). Chet’s campaign has had to work hard to get the word out, but the message is a solid conservative one that is resonating.

For this small-town Mayor’s money, Chet Beiler is the real deal and worthy of full-guns conservative support. If you’re a PA resident wondering what to make of the dizzying array of names on the Republican ballot next week, take my advice and throw the lever for Chet Beiler.

Chet also needs our support right now, so if you can contribute to his campaign for the final media push I’m sure he’d be very appreciative. You can do so online at this address:
https://secure.conservativedonations.com/votechet/?a=4119

Do the right thing…

Generally the callers acquit themselves well, and some really shine such as when Marco Rubio calls in or Chuck DeVore.  This time, however, things really went the wrong way with Glenn had on Debra Medina of Texas.  I think it’s safe to say that the radio audience was probably as shocked as the guys in the studio as the questioning of her positions unfolded.

Read the transcript here.  Definitely worth the read.

Open Thread…

I couldn’t believe it.  She started out decently enough, doing the expected green truck references, etc.  But then it started.  Her speech devolved too quickly into a virtual rehash of her 2008 message, concept for concept, only now laced with (all too) concrete examples of the current administration’s failures. I don’t begrudge her that, and even had a big chuckle over the Biden comments.

However, she really seemed to not be aware of the core tea party (small case) principles, limited & decentralized gov’t and extreme fiscal restraint.  Or, her prep work missed the essentials of what she should have been hitting hard on.  Either way, her intense foreign policy segment seemed to me to be where the wheels started coming off of the speech. It’s obvious to even casual observers that the tea party movement is a growing coalition that has lots of members who are not “hawks” in even the remotest sense. Libertarians and Paulites in the audience were probably appalled at her reading on foreign interventions.

Then the McCain stuff was just uncalled for…why even go there? The crowd shots during the middle of her speech were telling – lots of tense faces and arms crossed. Nobody needed reminding of the fall of 2008 in that room.  Even a lingering sense of loyalty to the man did not justify the time given to him at a gathering of tea partiers.

I firmly believe that the tea party (small case) crowd is more likely to be better informed on the consitutional issues than the typical “base” voter. Really, that’s the glue that holds the whole movement together. The garden variety tea partier is looking to throw the bums out (both parties included) and start over with constitionalists. Instead of “throw the bums out” she went down the “tough love/bipartisan” road instead. Sorry, I stood smack in the middle of the 9/12 rally and there wasn’t a SINGLE “bipartisanship now!” placard in sight…to a tea partier it’s not about “solving problems” in the economy and “drill now, baby”. It’s about “throw the bums out and start over”, Sarah.

Perhaps it was the whole notion of a “Tea Party” (in caps) “Convention” that that she was playing to, and I do give her high marks for chutzpah etc etc as stated by everyone else. But I suspect she’ll have to do a lot more homework on what is making that movement tick before she’d be ready to expect broad-based support from that corner.  If it wasn’t for her star power, I don’t think her talking points would have earned her a speaking slot.  The Q & A was a redemptive point, however, in my opinion.

As my wife astutely pointed out – “it seems as though she doesn’t know who she is yet”.  It will be interesting to see how her fortunes mesh with the fortunes of the tea party movement in general over the next year or so.  As it stands, I’ll take Marco Rubio or Chuck DeVore any day.

I’ve been hearing about earmarks for the last few years in the national scene.  Mostly the Repubs making some claim or other in an election cycle that they would stand against them, etc etc.  Then Saint O made his grandiose posturing last year only to cave on earmarks like all the rest.  Clearly, it’s an accepted piece of Washington business that the politicos aren’t going to give up without blood in the streets (so to speak).

Now, I see that the Pennsylvania Legislature has been busily working to keep pace with its “big time” counterparts inside the beltway.

What I’m referred to is the infamous “table games” legislation, more properly known as Pennsylvania SB711, which passed last week after Governor “Fast Eddie” Rendell used Pennsylvania jobs as a tool to blackmail the legislature into approving the bill.  What first drew my attention was a WGAL story picking out some of the “pork” in the bill.  Then, this week came the story that a local Republican State Senator Jeff Piccola had voted against the bill (which I had expected of him) but had included earmarked $$ for his district.

This led me to do a little more digging.  Turns out there are plenty of news stories out there about the pork being spread around within this bill – for example:

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100104/NEWS/1040321/Pa.-gaming-bill-now-includes-payouts-for-local-earmarks

http://citizensvoice.com/news/earmarks-tricky-to-identify-in-table-games-legislation-1.500634

Then some names popped up in addition to Senator Piccola.  The one that really grabbed my attention was that of Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, however.  So, like any budding political reporter I went immediately to his Facebook page.  Ha?  Well, right there on his page is an entry from January 6th relating the following:

The Senate approved SB 711 (gaming reforms and the authorization of table games) yesterday. It could be considered by the House today. The bill includes a provision to use Chester’s local share of the table games revenue to make it more affordable for residents of the Chester-Upland School District to attend Delaware County Community College.

A “provision”, eh?

Tracking further into things, I found an entire press release trumpeting Senator Pileggi’s “achievement” of earmarking money for his district.

Some of the news stories I read cited popular approval of the process of using convoluted language within bills (see page 132 line 2 of the bill linked above for an example) to bypass constitutional waypoints in assigning fund dollars to specific areas and projects.  Here’s a quote from an article:

Proponents of the local set-aside say the idea has popular support among rank-and-file lawmakers, as well as mayors, county commissioners and other community figures.

Not from THIS Mayor…

It seems glaringly obvious that the local officials and “community figures” referred to don’t realize that apportioning public monies in this fashion is at best constitutionally suspect, and at worst flat-out unethical behavior from otherwise (supposedly) respectable public stewards.  I’m sure someone can give me a reasonable argument in favor of using earmarks to save an inordinate amount of dollars from flowing into Rendell’s preferred locales of Philly and Pittsburgh, but it seems to me that the “spirit of 2010″ is partly an intentional revisiting of integrity in public office, and using ‘fire to fight fire’ just reduces the Republican party in the public square.  Are state representatives and senators supposed to be PROUD they siphoned off public money for their districts and pet projects?  Even better, should they be applauded for voting against an appropriation bill while including earmarks, as Senator Piiccola apparently did?

As someone who views the public trust as the highest of responsibilities, I am disgusted that this is clearly viewed as conventional tactics.  More so that the Republicans are actively involved.  Earmarks as a concept need to go and not return, with statewide projects and organizations applying for funding publicly and proper notice given of the process.

But of course I’m not inside the Harrisburg Beltway.

It’s time for change in the Republican Party. And it’s up to us.

The Republican Party, the great party birthed in the throes of the upheaval of a nation in 1860 as the party of liberty and freedom, has been all but completely nullified as a principled voice in the American arena. The 2008 election proved beyond a doubt that the party organization has been overrun by men & women who are either ignorant of or deliberately undercut the rich heritage of limited government, fiscal restraint and strong values. Almost as bad is the palpable lack of momentum at the local level.

My wife and I witnessed the new momentum in American politics this Tuesday as we worked a Lancaster County, PA polling place for a Republican statewide candidate & personal friend of ours. We discovered that the poll had not been staffed by the party for two thirds of the day. In addition, there wasn’t a sign in sight, other than the button on my wife’s collar.

In contrast, the Democrat Party enjoyed at least 4 enthusiastic volunteers with tables, balloon, signs and “sample ballots” marked with straight-ticket blue colorings. It was a pathetic thing. What’s more, we weren’t the only ones – others we know reported similar situations at other polling places. Lancaster County suffered a 44% vote for Obama, the worst since LBJ actually took the County in 1964. Where was the “grand old party” when we needed it – on the ground?

Reports from Harrisburg are filled with revelations of corruption and gridlock, favoritism and pandering to a loose-cannon Governor. Where is the party of principle and progress? Who will set the standard of excellence in a state beset by politicking and leftwing influence? I fear the complacency from eight years of fat has clogged the arteries of our once-energetic leadership.

What have we come to when a dedicated public servant such as Mrs. Palin, who gave up so much to run alongside a confirmed RINO for the good of her country, is vilified by those in her own party? Who ARE these people who care so little for their own “R” that they would put personal ambition before unity in such a time as this?

Friends, the time has come to take back this party from the “leaders” the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McCain. Change will not come from the ones you think you trust in power – it will only come from you, the one raising a family, starting a business or embarking on the American journey as a teenager. Whatever our racial, religious, ethnic background, gender or age we must rally as one party to the principles so ably espoused by those who sacrificed their fortunes, family and lives for. All Republicans need to rally to the core principles that made our party great and eschew those who would compromise them. Then, we reignite the national debate by truly reaching across the aisle from a position of strength!

The movement began November 6th 2008. It had to. Our day of mourning is over. Let’s begin the countercharge and not look back. I encourage each of you to look around the community and seek ways to get involved with your local party – run for office, committee, volunteer on staff, whatever – and begin to blunt the gains made by the Big Government Party last Tuesday by talking to your neighbors, family, friends about the American dream again. Come 2010 we need 4 enthusiastic workers at every poll ourselves! We need to start looking over the shoulder of our elected representatives and sniff out the RINOS everywhere they have latched on. We need to start taking an active interest in our state government and maybe even pay our congressman a visit every so often to hold them accountable for their stands on the floor…

This party deserves a new start with new faces and energy, but adherence to the timeless values that have, in the true analyis, distinguished us every time in the hearts of Americans. Are you ready to rumble?