Rubio Keynote Speaker at CPAC

The story, and my thoughts, are at bRight & Early.

My guess is that the crowd at CPAC is going to love this choice. He is extremely popular with party activist, going 12-0 in straw polls, winning most by huge margins.

Read the whole thing.

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Aftermath

Last night (Tues) was an interesting night for the Conservative Movement. For the most part it was a good night, with some setbacks. Last night the Conservatives won 2 out of 3 of the major elections the country was watching. The only loss was in NY 23, when Bill Owens beat Doug Hoffman for the special election. But overall the Conservatives did well in many local state elections, and state wide elections

Was this a repudiation of Obama??? Well I think is is yes and no. Yes, inthe fact that many Independents elected Conservatives because of the economy. The policies that Obama has put forth have not taken us out of the Recession that he “inherited”. If nothing else most of them made things worse. So in some ways it was elections based on Obama’s presidency. But on the other hand there was much to say about local and state politics that affected the elections. Corzine and the Democrats in New Jersey have been affected by the arrests of many Democrats in a state run on corruption. Without these big time arrests would Christie have won??? That is hard to say.

There will be much debate over what really happened in NY 23. Hoffman was a little known entity just a few weeks ago. Before the Conservative bloggers and new media (73 Wire) arrived on the seen, Hoffman was running in 3rd place at 20%. After all is said and done, he got around 46%, after much attention. It goes to show that when Conservatives get their act together we can change election results. Did we win?? Yes and no. We lost the election but won the battle against the GOP establishment.

I do think that the GOP should be the “Big Tent” Party. I do not think that we should kick out every Moderate republican, we need them in the whole scheme of things. But as a whole the GOP needs to listen to the base instead of always thinking the Moderate candidate is the best way to go. NY 23 is a Conservative district and Dede Scozzafava was not the person to pick. She was a Liberal Moderate in a a Conservative district. Bill Owens is more likely more Conservative than she is.

So overall I think this should be considered a win for the Conservative Movement. We are not going to be able to win overnight these are baby steps in bringing some sanity back in government. And hopefully the RNC will at least not take the Conservatives for granite anymore and start listening to us.

originally posted at Stix Blog

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Reflecting On Results

Looking at the results from yesterday’s elections I see different meaning in the different races we all were following. It’s almost as if people are individuals with differing outlooks and ideas of what is important. (Yes, that was sarcasm)

In New York City — Mayor Bloomberg won by a much narrower margin than the money he spent seemed to indicate. I think in part this is a mixed message of people in favor of the job he is doing, but somewhat turned off by the way he fought for the right to win another term.

In Virginia — The McDonnell win in Virginia, after nearly a decade of Democratic control, is partially a repudiation of Obama policies and direction. Although most of the electorate said that Obama wasn’t a direct consideration in their vote, the economy and jobs did play a large role and that is a reflection on the year old administration.

In New Jersey — This was probably the biggest upset of the night. While the trends ahead of the election were in Christie’s favor, few people expected the margin that came in. While this race, again, wasn’t all about Obama, the flip side of that coin is that the significant support the President gave Corzine didn’t move the voters. That sends a message for 2010. Economy and property taxes were the main issues. Now it’s up to Christie to lead on those things. If there’s not real movement in these areas I fear for my birth state.

In New York 23 — This race received a tremendous amount of national coverage, probably out of proportion to it’s national impact. There were so many things going on in this race, especially in the last few weeks, that we may never know all the factors that entered in to this decision. I doubt is we will ever see another race where the republican candidate is arguably to the left of the democrat, and where a conservative third party candidate garners overwhelming national attention and support in a moderate republican district. Did conservatives have too much riding on this outcome? I don’t think we know, at least not yet.

Those are my first thoughts. Leave yours in the comments.

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Are the results we are about to see meaningful beyond the districts and states involved, or is the outcome essentially meaningless?

My gut says that the truth is somewhere between the extremes. At the core, however, I think that this will be a good day for conservatism and conservative values. Your thoughts? The comments are open.

UPDATE: Poll Added.

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NY-23

It’s the race the political blogoshpere, cable and network news, and print sources are all talking about — New York’s special election in House district 23. If you tuned out Friday afternoon, you may have missed a few things.

On Friday, the day after the only three way debate, Hoffman continued to pick up endorsements from George Pataki and others. On Saturday Dede Scozaafava decided to suspend her campaign, and on Sunday she showed how much being a “Life-long Republican” meant to her — by supporting Democrat Bill Owens.

Scozzafava dropped out after Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman experienced a late-in-the-game surge. The move was expected to consolidate GOP voters behind Hoffman on Tuesday.

But on Sunday, Scozzafava issued a written statement in which she backed Democrat Bill Owens.

As Ed Morrissey and many others pointed out,

Doesn’t this prove the point conservatives had been making about Dede Scozzafava all along?

Why, yes. Yes it does.

As you can imagine, all of these various pieces have shook up the polling. The only one I’ve seen – post Dede – is one from PPP.

In a three way contest with Democrat Bill Owens and Republican Dede Scozzafava Hoffman leads with 51% to 34% for Owens and 13% for Scozzafava. In a head to head contest with Owens Hoffman holds a 54-38 advantage.

In other words, it’s a toss-up. What? That’s what Mike Allen suggested on Morning Joe.

The claim by Allen, Politico’s chief political correspondent, was so absurd that, on the spot, host Joe Scarborough offered 3:1 odds to Allen and anyone else wanting to place a few kopeks on Dem Bill Owens.

The real poll is tomorrow. Along with the governorships in NJ and VA it should be an interesting 48 hours.

Crossposted from bRight & Early

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The Letter

I am not really a huge fan of Glenn Beck, so I missed him reading this letter.  But my good friend Skye posted it on Midnight Blue with the video and transcript if this letter.   This is the reason for the Tea Parties.  It has nothing to do with Liberal, Conservative, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Obama, Bush or any one in particular.   They are all under the microscope with me.  Neither party really represents me or anyone, they represent themselves and their handlers in DC.  I am more aligned with the Republican Party, but lately it is hard to tell the Democrats and Republicans apart.  They are all trampling over that thing we Call the Constitution.  For far too long the American people have become complacent, we have let both parties erode the Freedoms and Liberty that was written by our Founding Fathers.   The Federal Government has become a beast and will not get any smaller unless we express ourselves in the voters box.   We have both parties cutting voter districts to ensure a monopoly on election day.  We have not had a Republican voted for any significant election where I am from in over 30 years.   This is not right, and it is not right if it is also dominated by the Republicans either.   Our voices are getting shut down by people far away from our communities, and tell our representatives what to vote for.   This is not the way the United States of America is suppose to be run.  We have gone offline and need to get the country back on track.

Read this letter and tell me that it is not you, or your neighbor or a family member.  We are all sick and tired of the BS coming down on us from DC.

That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.—Lincoln

What ever happened to that????????  We are run by car salesmen saying I will give you everything on a platter and you do not need to know what I am doing, and I do not even need to read what I am voting for.

I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I’m not a racist. This isn’t to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don’t you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don’t trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we’ll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let’s have it. Let’s say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

Janet Contreras

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SwINO

Maybe he has a case of porcine induced influenza, but let’s face it; Arlen Specter didn’t switch parties, he switched party labels. If there was ever a case of SwINO (Switch In Name Only) this is it.

Well, at least he did it for such principled reasons.

I am unwilling to have my 29-year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.

For me, this sums up his entire reasoning. He switched because he knew he was going to get beat like Desi Arnez’s conga in the primary.

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Cross posted from bRight & Early

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It is not who votes. It’s who counts the votes.

stalin_votingAh yes,good old Stalin to the rescue of Al Franken and the Democrats in Minnesota. If you do not get the votes, recount until you get the desired result. This whole recount is an embarrassment to the entire US voting population. When you have 25 precincts with more votes the n voted on election day, you know there is problems with the recount.

Funny Business in Minnesota

In which every dubious ruling seems to help Al Franken.

Wall Street Journal

JANUARY 5, 2009

Strange things keep happening in Minnesota, where the disputed recount in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken may be nearing a dubious outcome. Thanks to the machinations of Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and a meek state Canvassing Board, Mr. Franken may emerge as an illegitimate victor.

Mr. Franken started the recount 215 votes behind Senator Coleman, but he now claims a 225-vote lead and suddenly the man who was insisting on “counting every vote” wants to shut the process down. He’s getting help from Mr. Ritchie and his four fellow Canvassing Board members, who have delivered inconsistent rulings and are ignoring glaring problems with the tallies.

Under Minnesota law, election officials are required to make a duplicate ballot if the original is damaged during Election Night counting. Officials are supposed to mark these as “duplicate” and segregate the original ballots. But it appears some officials may have failed to mark ballots as duplicates, which are now being counted in addition to the originals. This helps explain why more than 25 precincts now have more ballots than voters who signed in to vote. By some estimates this double counting has yielded Mr. Franken an additional 80 to 100 votes.—WSJ

Stix

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