Senate Conservatives' Fund

Even though he is old enough to be my father, I'm adopting Jim DeMint. As my Senator, that is. Which will be difficult, because he represents South Carolina, but we'll find a way!

He has, officially, been my favorite Senator for some time now, with Tom Coburn, from Oklahoma running a very close second. Jim DeMint is the only Senator to maintain a 100% rating from the American Conservative Union. A quick glance at his website also informs us that he is rated at 100% by both the Family Research Council (Tony Perkins' organization) and National Right to Life.

Jim DeMint got a rock star reception at CPAC this year because we know this man is the real deal. His most quoted line from his speech was that "Last Tuesday night, we heard the world's best salesman for socialism make his case to the nation." (President Obama had just given his State of the Union speech earlier that week.)

DeMint was one of the first Senators to come out and endorse Mitt Romney for the 2008 Presidential nomination, which was a key reason in my own decision that root for Mitt. (Not that my backing mattered; the contest had been over for 3 months and McCain had locked up the delegates he needed for over 2 months by the time Indiana's primary transpired in May.) DeMint is also the only Senator so far to endorse Marco Rubio in Florida's Senate primary, rather than Charlie Crist, the favored candidate of the Republican establishment.

Now, this courageous man has formed an organization called the Senate Conservatives' Fund, with the stated goal of exactly what the title promises: "Electing Conservatives to the United States Senate." I received the first fundraising letter from this organization last week. I don't give money to many political groups; I have never given to the Republican National Committee, for instance, because I prefer to donate to candidates that I trust.

I will be sending some money soon to the Senate Conservatives' Fund. This is a group that puts the hard-earned donor dollars where they belong.

You can click here for the web page of the Senate Conservatives' Fund, which also contains a 2-minute introductory video by Senator DeMint. If you have been yearning for a sitting politician who will say what needs to be said, regardless of which political party's failures are accurately portrayed in the process...you need to watch this video. You will stand up and cheer! And then, I just know you'll reach for your wallet/purse and pull out that credit card and donate at least $25 so you can get Senator DeMint's new book and support an eminently worthy cause!

Waxman-Markey

This is now 3-day-old news, but I have had no chance to comment via the blog due to extreme busyness with 4 overlapping courses. Of course, by this point, everyone knows that Cap & Trade squeaked by in the House, 219-212. Eight Republicans voted for it, with 44 Democrats voting against. I was all prepared to congratulate the Democrats who stood on principle until I found out from Dick Morris that a number of them begged Pelosi to let them vote "No" since she knew she had the votes she needed for passage. Still, I am quite sure that some Democrats never planned to vote for it anyway, so I trust that Indiana's own Joe Donnelly, Pete Visclosky (from Lake County, up by Chicago, which really surprised me) and Brad Ellsworth voted "No" out of conviction that Waxman-Markey (the Cap & Trade bill, named for its sponsors, Henry Waxman from California and Ed Markey from Massachusetts) was deeply flawed.

Andre Carson, Indianapolis' Congressman, did not surprise me, let's just say, in his support of this bill. Baron Hill, on the other hand, comes from the Bloomington district and should know better, but then again, the home town of Indiana University has become a liberal enclave. I'd love to sign up to help Mike Sodrel defeat him next year.

Waxman-Markey now goes to the Senate, where I believe it has a good chance of languishing and eventually, suffering a richly deserved demise. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, has already voiced significant concerns about it, and I can't believe that Montana's two Democrat Senators, Jon Tester and Max Baucus, or Ben Nelson of Nebraska are thrilled about it, either. I have no idea about Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. We shall see.

I must say how proud I was of House Minority Leader John Boehner, for making an hourlong speech on the House floor on Friday evening, denouncing the slippery tactics of the majority in forcing a vote on yet another 1,000+ page bill, with a 300+ page amendment squeezed in at the last minute by Waxman. Waxman tried to interrupt Boehner at one point, spluttering about how maybe Boehner was going on a bit long when they needed to vote; Boehner let him have it, with the rejoinder that the effects of this bill would be felt for years, so perhaps it was appropriate to discuss it for a few hours.

In the end, we lost, but we fought a good fight, and I believe we will win the war.

Cap & Trade bill up for vote today

As I have said on many occasions, I have real problems with the decisions both political parties have made in recent years. I am a conservative first and then a Republican, only because the Republican Party allies most closely with the positions I myself embrace.

That being said, don't ever tell me there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties. That is simply false. This dastardly Cap & Trade bill that is up for a vote today couldn't constitute a clearer indication that a new crowd is in charge in Washington. And it MUST be defeated.

I live in Indiana, a key Midwestern state. We rely heavily on the use of clean coal for energy. Cap & Trade will devastate our local economy, all based on a fabrication championed by Al Gore and his cronies who don't even live up to their own standards. Do the research: Al Gore's house is less green than George W. Bush's. It has been documented for years, and no, I won't provide a link and do your homework for you, but that is what you'll find if you take the time to dig a little.

We are blessed in Indiana's Fifth District with a conservative stalwart in Congress, Mr. Dan Burton. Burton is fearless in his advocacy of conservative policies on the domestic front. I talked to one of his staff members (a friend) in person yesterday and told him that I never even have to worry about Dan Burton when it comes to issues such as this. Still, I checked in just for good measure! I also interacted with staff members of Congressmen Mike Pence and Steve Buyer, both of whom are voting No.

I tried to call the offices of Baron Hill, Pete Visclosky and Brad Ellsworth and got busy signals all 3 times; these are 3 of Indiana's 4 Democrats.

If you happen across this, please call your Congressperson immediately and tell them to vote NO on Cap and Trade. The vote, as of 2:45 PM today, has not yet happened.

Sanford's shame

I will candidly admit that I am still in shock over this...and sickened...and deeply disappointed.

I was driving home from interviewing a candidate in Terre Haute and pulled Hannity's show in at about 3:50 PM EST, only gradually realizing what he was talking about. I went straight into another meeting, which just ended, so I still have not heard the entire tawdry press conference in its totality. But I don't need to, in order to make the following judgments.

Mark Sanford had become a Republican rock star (to use Michelle Malkin's characterization) and rightfully so. It was nothing less than inspirational to observe the way in which he championed truly conservative positions, from refusing to take the stimulus money to advocating spending limits that didn't surpass actual revenues to social conservatism...Bottom line, Mark Sanford had the street cred of a true conservative. Presidential prospects were in the offing.

All thrown away now in one of the most bizarre political stories in a generation. It is noteworthy that the last two consecutive posts have covered family-values Republican politicians who have admitted to affairs. Make no mistake: Mark Sanford's fall and subsequent meandering explanations of the "spark" between him and an Argentinian flame that led to it are going to deeply wound the conservative movement, though unjustifiably so. Honorable conservatism contains true principles, whether all of its proponents adhere to them or not. But in today's environment, failure to abide by one's own standards constitutes, in the minds of many, the proof that there is no defense for standards. A specious argument, yes, but one that gains traction when yet another high-profile conservative is caught in scandalous personal behavior that may not be illegal, but sure is messy.

In this case, there may even be legal ramifications because of the way Sanford left not just the state, but the whole country, leaving even his family in the lurch...over FATHER'S DAY, no less.

What a disgrace.

Two husbands in Congress

I was on vacation for a few days last week when I heard the news about Nevada's Republican Senator John Ensign. He suddenly called a press conference last Tuesday, June 16 and confessed to a nine-month affair with a campaign staff member. Not to diminish the accompanying verbiage, but it was fairly standard: This was the most difficult thing he had ever been through, terribly hard on the family, actually both families because previously, they had all been good friends...

There was a vague sense of deja vu to it all for me. Senator David Vitter of Louisiana admitted to dalliances with Washington-area prostitutes early last year. Both of these man were known as strong family-values conservatives; neither one would have been pegged as just another Republican Senator. Vitter is a rookie Senator, elected in 2004, but Ensign led the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2008 election cycle; I listened to a former strategist for his first Senatorial campaign at CPAC 2008 describe how he utilized a plan to target African-American churches in Nevada, which led to his ultimate victory in his first Senate race in 2000.

Joe Scarborough argues in his new book The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise that the time has come for conservatives to dial back on the rhetoric when it comes to social issues. His thesis is that Americans will only become more libertarian in the years ahead and ardent social conservatism clangs in a jarring cadence in light of that fact.

I disagree with his position, but it is hard not to wonder how our cause doesn't suffer corrosive damage with disclosures such as Senator Ensign's. Where do the accountability mechanisms fail for an increasingly powerful and respected politician? When do the inner checks and balances cease being overridden in the conscience of a pro-life, small-government Senator? What is that final boundary that crashes down? What pushes it over? Fatigue? Arrogance? Loneliness?

I don't know the answers to all of these questions, but yesterday on Fox News, I saw an interview with a man I have come to admire greatly as a political thinker and voice, Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. He gave the keynote speech at CPAC this year and his star has only continued to rise since then. The whole interview was phenomenal, but Chris Wallace's closing question was the clincher; he preceded this question with an admonition not to "give me the Sunday talk show answer", then queried, "What are your personal ambitions? Speaker Ryan? President Ryan?"

Ryan's response followed, with complete sincerity: "I don't — my ambitions don't go that far. I have two higher ambitions right now — number one, be the best husband I can be and be the best father I can be, and then work to save my country and advance my principles as a representative of the 1st Congressional District. That's the way these things are organized in my mind. So I'm not one of these people who are just simply looking at the next big job I can get. I'm looking at the direction of our country, the policies I want to pursue, and I want to make sure I'm a good dad and a good husband." (Verbatim from the Fox News Sunday transcript)

That, my friends, is a hero's answer in my book. It is too late now for Senator John Ensign to erase the past, although I wish him the best as he strives for reconciliation with his wife, his family and his God. But the rest of us could do well to follow Paul Ryan's example in our respective careers and spheres of influence.

Dave and the very eventual apology

I saw just as I logged in that Michelle Malkin had titled her latest post "David Letterman's half-a****d apology." I assume her assumptions were similar to mine.

So Dave finally did say he was sorry last night after what, a week of defending his jokes? Here is where my own impressions of the whole sorry saga may be different from most.

I always did assume that Dave thought that Bristol was the daughter who was attending the Yankees game with her mother and Rudy Guiliani. I, of course, didn't like the joke about Alex Rodriguez "knocking her up" in whatever inning it was. But that was primarily because of the nature of the joke, not because I thought it was directed at a 14-year-old. I don't believe Letterman would stoop THAT low.

The joke that ticked me off was the one where reference was made to Sarah Palin shopping at Bloomingdale's to "update her slutty flight attendant look." The word "slut" is a foul and loathsome term. To my knowledge, I have used it once in my life; that was many years ago in reference to a public figure who shall remain nameless. I wish I hadn't used it then and I wouldn't today, but suffice it to say that in the case where I did employ it, most would agree that it was somewhat justified.

That David Letterman would apply this adjective to Sarah Palin with no outcry (that I have heard) from the feminist Left manifests what a fraud a movement that once stood for something has become. And it shows what a nasty, angry old man Letterman really is.

Sarah Palin would not be my choice for President in 2012. But she is an attractive and accomplished woman who has been elected twice, by large margins, as governor of a fine state. That she continues to be subjected to such withering abuse, with little to no rebuke from the other side, is a mystery to me. (Mika Brzezinski did stand up and always has for Sarah.)

If this is any measure of consistency, I would also castigate a fellow conservative who belittled Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Mikulski or Debbie Stabenow in this fashion.

Hasta la vista, Terry

I shouldn't admit this, but I like Terry McAuliffe.

Quick, raise your hand if you have half a clue who that is....I thought so.

McAuliffe is a longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton; he was also the chairman of the Democratic National Committee for the earlier part of this decade. He is one of the most partisan Democrats you will ever encounter, which is intriguing to me because he is not only Catholic (though not a terribly devout one, by his own admission), but also a wealthy entrepreneur who made his money starting businesses.

So what is there to appreciate?

In terms of ideas and associations, nothing. But Terry McAuliffe lives life with verve and zest, has a blast doing it and strikes me as a fun person with whom to hang. I read his book What a Party! about a year and a half ago; it is one of the most entertaining political reads I have ever come across, replete with stories of all he has done, the people he's known and the uproar he's caused. I highly recommend it.

SIDEBAR, a la columnist Rich Galen: Probably one reason I remember the book so well is because I accidentally left it in a Starbucks in Indianapolis for a couple of weeks. I have an unfortunate habit of this sort of thing since I take a book everywhere I go; I have left books in Wal-mart carts, church benches and restaurants more times than I care to recount, and poor Terry's tome was one of them. I did recover it, eventually...Also, I probably wouldn't have read the book if I hadn't heard about it on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. Hewitt interviewed McAuliffe for a whole hour and 10 minutes in, McAuliffe (who had never met Hewitt before in his life) was calling him "Hughie."

Well, anyway, the point of all of this is that Terry McAuliffe won't be the next governor of Virginia. In yesterday's Democrat primary, he was defeated in a stunning upset by state Senator R. Creigh Deeds. (Quick, raise your hand if you had ever heard HIS name...OK, thanks, I raised mine, too.)

I had assumed McAuliffe was a shoo-in, with tons of cash and star power behind his campaign. (He is a fundraiser extraordinaire and brought boatloads of money into the DNC during his tenure there.) This is a wonderful thing for the Republican candidate, Bob McDonnell and for the party, in general, but it would have been an interesting race for political junkies. It may still, but for other reasons than Irish drama.

George Tiller compared to MLK, Jr.

The Washington Post has a story today by Julia Duin who covered the memorial service for Dr. George Tiller, the late-term abortionist who was gunned down in his church a few days ago. The service was sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

The eulogist was delivered by Tiller's fellow late-term abortionist, Dr. Leroy Carhart. In his prepared remarks, as reported by Ms. Duin, Carhart "called on the federal government to treat as hate crimes all activities by 'anti-choice domestic terrorists,' compared the slain Dr. George Tiller to Martin Luther King and said planting crosses was equivalent to actions by the Ku Klux Klan.

"'This is the equivalent of Martin Luther King being assassinated,' Dr. Carhart said of the May 31 slaying of one of America's best-known late-term abortion providers. 'This is the equivalent of Pearl Harbor, the sinking of the Lusitania and any other major historic event where we've tolerated the intolerable for too long.'"

(Carhart also recounted one of Tiller's favorite quips: "When the going gets tough, the tough get Dairy Queen." Why this was considered noteworthy enough to include in a eulogy escapes me.)

The outrage doesn't stop there, but I really don't care to quote any more of this not only patently offensive, but blatantly threatening bilge. You can read the whole thing here.

Scott Roeder committed a terrible crime when he took Tiller's life into his hands, rather than leaving Tiller's judgment to God. It is also understandable that someone like Carhart (who clearly has no moral compass just as his friend, George Tiller, possessed none) would utter sentiments such as this.

I fear more for the mindless observers who fail to employ a sense of perspective in the midst of it all. Who will mourn for the loss of completely innocent lives that have no voice of their own, which the pro-abortion movement has facilitated now for 36 years?

Dr. Carhart, count me in among that number. I will NEVER be silent on this issue, no matter what you and your comrades plot. Our convictions demand that we stand up and be counted even when the alleged consequences may be severe. And I shall, God being my helper. As long as the First Amendment still means anything in this country, that is my right, too!

Our journalists imprisoned in North Korea

President Bush was widely ridiculed for employing the "axis of evil" phrase in reference to Iraq, Iran and North Korea in his 2002 State of the Union speech. I choose today not to debate the merits of the inclusion of the first two regimes, but would rather focus on the third.

I heard on Moody Radio's news update this morning that Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for the following, according to the New York Times:

Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee were on a reporting assignment from Current TV, a San Francisco-based media company co-founded by Al Gore, the former vice president, when they were detained by the soldiers. The reporters were working on a report about North Korean refugees — women and children — who had fled their homeland in hopes of finding food in China.

(Read the whole NY Times report here.)

This infuriates me. Beyond words. We cannot continue on under the current state of affairs, letting a little potbellied tyrant mistreat our citizens (though I know that according to stereotype, as a cold-hearted, evil conservative, I am expected to be delighted that two liberal American journalists have had their pens silenced and cameras stilled.)

On behalf of the Obama administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has advised North Korea that as a result of this action, as well as its recent nuclear tests, they may very well be placed back on a watch list as a state sponsor of terrorism. In full disclosure, I was prepared to ask in a very indignant fashion why Obama had removed them from the list in the beginning? Then, I did a bit of research and found that that actually happened under the Bush administration...oh my. (The Huffington Post is good for something after all.) The rationale at the time was that it was a gesture of goodwill so that North Korea would continue with dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program. North Korea agreed to do that, but managed not to keep its promise. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Joe Biden said more than he knew when he prophesied that this new President would be tested. We can hope that we are not recreating a Khrushchev/Kennedy scenario, but I must confess that I am not optimistic, given the rhetoric from this administration of the last 5 months, which obviously prefers empathy and dialogue over peace through strength.

The Media Research Center

I want to introduce anyone who reads my ramblings, whether daily, once a month or by happenstance, to an organization that is indispensable for our time. Conservatives owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Media Research Center. Brent Bozell is the founder and continues to stand at the helm today of this yeoman enterprise, which is dedicated to shining a piercing light on the machinations of the stupendously organized and often stealthy liberalism that is the mainstream media today.

If you are ever tempted to wonder whether mainstream media bias is real or just a fabrication of right-wing, Rush Limbaugh-listening nuts like me...point your browser to www.mrc.org straightaway and start reading, viewing, listening and absorbing. What you will encounter will blow your mind. With little to no commentary, you will see Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and their ilk exposed for the front people they really are.

There is also a companion website to the MRC at newsbusters.org. You can have their daily Top 5 or so delivered to your e-mail inbox, which I have done for quite some time now. This is must reading for me every day, in order to understand more adequately what we are up against.

Rush has said for years that he could easily devote 3 hours of his show every day to exposing media bias and still have far more material than he could ever hope to use. MRC confirms the truth of this statement...in SPADES.

If you're a Facebook user, you can also "friend" Seton Motley, who is Director of Communications for the MRC, to interact in an even more personal way with their efforts.

You too will conclude that the emperor, indeed, has no clothes.

Obama abroad

Props to the President when and where he deserves them. I am not a fan, of course, and have found less than I even hoped for over the last 5 months to commend. I am glad, however, that he reversed his earlier indecision and is now present in Germany for the ceremonies honoring the 65th anniversary of D-Day. He will also be visiting the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp, as he should. So here are two actions this President has taken that are good. We could naysay his motivations, but in the end, he has done the right thing.

I do have major problems with the President's speech at Cairo University. In fairness, I have not had a chance to listen to or watch the whole speech (I have looked at the transcript), but even a few choice clips here and there clearly demonstrate that a new day is here for American-Islamic relations. We should extend the hand of camaraderie to friendly Muslims everywhere, but that is the caveat: there must be mutual goodwill that is genuine, not just a front. To his credit, Obama did cite the presence of radicals in the world and the fact that more Muslims have been killed by proponents of radical Islam than by anyone else. But the words "terrorist" and "terrorism" were not mentioned once.

I wonder which speechwriter penned this speech. This section was way over the top and very possibly untrue, to a large extent:

It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra, our magnetic compass and tools of navigation, our mastery of pens and printing, our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires, timeless poetry and cherished music, elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.

The second sentence is unproblematic. The first and third, though, especially the last, defy credulity.

Tim and Mitt

I know NO ONE cares about the 2012 election yet...except for the news media and political junkies like me who keep constant tabs on this type of thing.

Having said that, I just read in the Washington Post that Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota, just announced earlier this week that he will not be seeking re-election next year. Pawlenty's name has been in the mix for 2012 ever since November 5, 2008; he was also rumored to have been on McCain's short list for VP. The chatter at large is that Pawlenty's decision will give him a full year to campaign before the primaries begin.

I was impressed by his brief speech at CPAC this year. His tone was even and measured, but far from wishy-washy. He is a gifted speaker with a personality that is inviting, and as closely as I can determine, is a solid social and fiscal conservative. He is also a committed evangelical Christian.

Everyone knows I was a Romney supporter last year. I still like him and feel he possesses financial and business acumen that we need in the White House. I am troubled, though, by one thing: As of a few weeks ago, anyway, he was still declaring that TARP I (the first big bailout of $750 M back in September) was legislation that was needed at the time. This is defense of the indefensible, and I don't understand how Mitt doesn't see that. If Pawlenty differentiates himself along this line, gains a little more name ID and makes inroads among evangelicals, he may pull some of Mitt's voters away from him...if he runs. Romney clearly is, complete with the expected coy, non-denial denials when he appears on the Sunday shows.

For any of you Huckabee supporters out there...don't even try. I like his TV show and he is a good guy...but he's SOOO 2008, if you get my drift.

Happy LGBT Pride Month!

So President Obama could not be troubled to carve a few minutes out of his schedule to attend the National Day of Prayer observance in Washington on May 7. Yet, a formal Presidential proclamation was issued declaring June as National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Month. (Try Googling "Heterosexual Pride Month", by the way; nothing comes up.)

What a difference one election cycle makes. I will have some choice (but perfectly holy) words for the next person who tries to convince me that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two major parties. Were President McCain in the Oval Office today, we conservatives would have encountered a disappointment or two by now; I'm certain of that. But I'm also sure that June 2009 would have received a different designation than it has under this President.

Yes, I know symbolism isn't everything. But gestures like this go a long way, and it happens to come at the same time that Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont; go figure) "has offered a bill that would allow American citizens and legal immigrants to seek residency in the United States for their same-sex partners, just as spouses now petition for foreign-born husbands and wives." (quote from the New York Times)

It occurs to me that in over a year of blogging, I have never (to the best of my memory) weighed in on the subject of homosexuality. That probably sends its own message. As a Christian who believes in the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible, I believe homosexual eroticism is a sin. I also believe that many other sexual practices in which consenting adults engage are sinful; I have no desire for government to step into the bedrooms of consenting adults. Call me something of a libertarian on the issue.

Still, it is a long way from there to the redefinition of marriage, and we are well on the way to that destination. Obama claims to oppose gay marriage, yet he gets a pass on the issue while Sarah Palin is vilified for it. Does anyone seriously believe that Obama would sign the Defense of Marriage Act, as his most recent Democrat predecessor did in the mid-90's?

Also, an ancillary issue to the gay marriage debate that highly concerns me involves what our kids begin to be taught in public education about the nature of marriage as high-profile politicians continue to advance its redefinition, both silently and overtly.

Perhaps most alarming of all are the historically demonstrated ramifications for a society that loses the fundamental building block that marriage, as traditionally defined, composes. No such civilization can lost for long, for any number of reasons.

If President Obama is truly a friend of traditional marriage, it is high time for some up-to-date reassurance from him. We've not received any in a while.