The Founding Father's Real Reason for the Second Amendment
And remember the words of Thomas Jefferson "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." See Video of Suzanna Gratia-Hupp’s Congressional Testimony: What the Second Amendment is REALLY For, below (u-tube HERE).
The Leaders Are Here... Palin, Cruz, Lee, Paul, Chaffetz....
T'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Can You Really Still Believe That None of These People Would Have Done a Better Job???
Some will say Mitt was not conservative enough, others will say his statement that he was “Extremely conservative” was a kiss of death and there are various and sundry claims in between. One fact remains, this year with exception of a few conservative challengers most notably Ted Cruz in Texas, conservatives did not do well in the challenge races. Richard Mourdock, Tommy Thompson and Todd Akin are examples. There is more to winning than simply being a conservative.
There is also the crowd that says the problem was in the messaging. Of course many of these folks are in the messaging business, biased opinions anyone? Sure Mitt could have explained some of his ideas and plans better; but then the President hasn’t explained anything except for all of the things the GOP would take from everybody.
So what really happened? It was a tactical failure of the party not so much a messaging or degree of conservatism failure.
Many Libertarians and Ron Paul supporters skewed the vote as they said they would. They were very active across the nation in local party, congressional district committee and state party committee elections securing many positions in the Quadrennial year reconstitution of party officers and delegate seats to the state and national conventions. This should have been evident as it was happening and the magnitude of severity recognized especially after experiences at state and local conventions and at the RNC convention in August.
It is a necessity to vote for delegates to state and national conventions in the Quadrennial year, but to elect new party leadership just months before the Presidential cycle elections as is the case with many states like Virginia; is itself an invitation to disaster. At very least an invitation to disruption as the Ron Paul supporters provided at the National Convention. In Virginia for example, AG Ken Cuccinelli had a slate of preferred candidates for the Republican Party of Virginia State Central Committee and delegates to the RNC Convention that leaned heavily toward Libertarians and Ron Paul supporters. That slate did remarkably well in the District convention elections, but then many of them went on to provide great embarrassment to the Republican Party at the national convention, with the help of other Libertarian and Paul supporters from other states.
RNC & State Victory programs ran top down programs and ignored the needs of grassroots activists as they have in the past few elections. Collateral materials were refused them for efforts outside of the Victory program, even for 20-30 year party stalwarts. Collateral materials were late or in short supply even for the Victory program. Again as in 2008 there was mass confusion between presidential campaign staff, RNC staff and state party staffs in determining who had what responsibilities. Some of the short supply and logistical confusion was a result of the short 2 month campaign period due to a late August RNC Convention.
Obama started actively campaigning in the streets in January, giving him effectively an 8 month head start. The RNC has done conventions as early as July, why not in this all important year buy as much time for a concerted effort as possible?
The GOP did not go toe to toe with the Obama grassroots machine by ignoring Texting and largely not using other Social media effectively. Again Obama humbled the GOP with his use of the text and the tweet.
In addition Romney and the GOP ignored the largest and a fast growing voter block in America, the Hispanic vote. This is a community that shares the values and principles of the GOP right down the line, yet a large majority vote Democrat, because there has been no effective outreach to them. The GOP’s efforts this year amounted to little more than window dressing.
I think the RNC, Romney campaign, many state and local committees and many Congressional campaigns believed Obama was so bad he couldn’t possibly win reelection. Even Mitt admitted that he had only prepared a victory speech! As a result they did not put as much effort into the election as was required. Couple this with the rejection of any grassroots efforts that ran outside of the Victory operation and you had an inevitable disaster.
Obama’s folks knew that he looked bad, so they went to work in earnest as early as January while our nominating process was still going on, not to mention how brutal the GOP primary fight was. And Team Obama was smart, working under the radar and using paid help to knock doors and phone bank. Voter registration and outreach into the Hispanic community were top priorities. There were many allegations of voter fraud but they probably won’t amount to enough to change the outcome, at least not of the presidential election… but we need to pursue each and every allocation just in case the ever growing reports really are more massive than expected', plus there could be downline elections affected positively by those recounts, like Allen West in Florida. And just like with the grassroots secession movements presently going on; both remind the White House and others that the American people are paying attention.
There you have it; there is no magic bullet to fix the problem facing the GOP. They have to realize they must work harder and smarter, not take their base for granted and always be wary of the Libertarians; too many of them have recently shown they are only in it to support their candidates and endorsees or to otherwise skew things for the GOP. And for heaven’s sake do not ignore the Latino vote!
Execution, tactics and logistics were key determinants in the loss. Messaging and candidates records played a lesser role. Obama’s win was proof of that, if the electorate was paying attention to the message or the candidates records, no way could Obama win reelection. The dumbing down of our population and the manipulation of the news by the left leaning media are certainly two large components in that arena.
If the GOP wants to win in the future they are going to have to adjust their tactical plan and learn to listen to and support the GOP grassroots activists, after all they are the feet in the street, the voice on the phones and the keys to voter turnout.
Success is not measured by numbers of attempted contacts it is measured by the votes on Election Day that resulted from live in person contacts.
To ignore the grassroots and the base is to accept defeat.
Bobby Jindal, who is set to become chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has called on the party to reshape its tone when presenting ideas, especially to constituencies that traditionally vote Democratic. “We already have one liberal party”, he said, “We don’t need another one. We need to change the delivery or our message and outreach!”
It was just four years ago that John McCain surprised the electorate with his selection of then Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, the first woman ever to be selected as a Republican VP nomination or part of the GOP ticket and only the second woman in all of U.S. history chosen to run for the #2 position in either party; Democrat Geraldine Ferraro, was the first woman on a presidential ticket in 1984.
The 2008 GOP Convention was the first time most Americans were introduced to Sarah Palin and she rocked the house the night of her convention speech and quickly changed the face of the McCain campaign. Palin soon overshadowed McCain on the campaign trail and within days the McCain/Palin ticket had surged into the lead. And for those who either don’t or choose not to remember that they were ahead in the polls after Palin joined the ticket, Greta Van Susteren just recently pulled out those old polls.
Palin took the 2008 presidential race by storm beginning with her speech accepting the GOP vice-presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minnesota with a performance that electrified the party faithful and received almost universal praise from previously skeptical pundits as well, a fact the has been conveniently forgotten or spun over the past four years. Many people fell in love with Sarah Palin instantly after hearing her speak that first time and she rallied the party like she does every time she speaks and instantly became a tea party favorite, excited at the prospect of a fresh, inspiring, Reaganesque candidate that was a female to boot.
Tens of thousands regularly turned out for Palin’s 2008 appearances. It was at her first rally in Cali in October 2008 that this writer first saw Sarah Palin speak to a crowd of 23,000 in Carson, CA. I have been a supporter ever since and so are most who hear her speak live and actually listen!
So why isn’t Sarah Palin speaking at the 2012 Republican Convention on Tampa?
Why aren’t any of these people speaking? UPDATE (Aug. 17): It appears that Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich will now be speaking at the GOP Convention; announced since the so-called final speakers list was released after which the poster and campaign below were launched.
Why?
After realizing Sarah Palin’s popularity with the grassroots elements of the Republican party and with average everyday Americans from all parties in 2008 and since, even after their attempts to demonize her, plus Sarah’s overall charisma, it scared the left as well as many within the Republican establishment who quickly developed a case of the phenomenon known as Palin Derangement Syndrome which was promoted by the those who suffer from it and those they control like the leftist mainstream media. ‘They’ were and are afraid that Sarah will speak her mind (Going Rogue), are afraid that they can’t control her and even more are afraid that she could win as the #1 spot on the GOP ticket or perhaps even on an independent ticket in the future. Nobody puts this much effort into someone that has no power or couldn’t upset their apple cart!
Plus, it seems fairly obvious that the RNC and the Romney-Ryan campaign’s strategy is to highlight voices that will excite party loyalists in the campaign hall while excluding those that could possibly turn-off independent voters watching on television at home, possibly giving some credence to the rumor that Palin was asked to speak during the day… when fewer people would see her. (As Rush Limbaugh has often said, “Wow what power we have given the independents!”) That is a strategy that could backfire! Everyone of the people in the photo above should be speaking at the Convention and Sarah Palin should definitely be speaking and speaking in prime time!
Kevin Fobbs has started a campaign to: Let Sarah Speak and the Tea Party launched a campaign to let Allen West, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin to speak. Join them. Call and email the RNC, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus who had said earlierthat he hoped Sarah would have a speaking role, and the Romney Campaign.Also, sign this petition or start your own.
It is not too late to change things or add speakers. On August 17th the word was that Ron Paul and his delegates had been embraced by the RNC and it appears that both Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul will now be speaking (or were given the invite) at the GOP Convention; still no specifics available on Ron Paul though. On the 21st the RNC struck a deal with Ron Paul delegates and Sher Valenzuela (Who… When you could have Palin or Bachmann?) landed a prime speaking slot. And on the 22nd it was announced that Ann Romney will Keynote the First Night of the GOP convention. Also, Donald Trump Is Now To Play a 'Surprise' Role At RepublicanConvention. So there is still time and room for Sarah Palin and the others listed above!
This is not in anyway an anti-Romney-Ryan movement! They are the comeback team that America needs right now. But the GOP needs to create a bigger tent!
Mark Levin interviewed RNC chairman Reince Priebus and asked if Sarah Palin was offered a speaking position, in prime time, at the Republican National Convention beginning next week in Tampa, Florida. Priebus says (snippet): (see video below)
PRIEBUS: Governor Palin was definitely invited to speak at the Convention, and it wasn’t like in the afternoon or anything like that. She was invited to speak one of the evenings. I don’t know if it got to the point of what time and date, and which particular period of time, but she was invited to speak and it just turned out that in her schedule, I think she was planning on staying up in Alaska anyway, and it didn’t work out….
LEVINE: But a prime time spot?
PRIEBUS: I don’t what you mean by prime time, but I can tell you between 8pm and…
LEVINE: You know, when everyone is watching TV
PRIEBUS: Yeah, between 8pm and 11 at night, I think that’s a prime time spot. Yeah. It wasn’t at 7 o’clock or 4 in the afternoon. I can promise you that. It was a time when all the delegates would be in the hall and everyone would be there attentive and ready for the evening of major speakers. Yeah.
Something here doesn’t pass the smell test. I can’t imagine that Sarah would rather be in Alaska during the time of the Republican National Convention, if she had an opportunity to further her small government, integrity-driven government agenda. In fact, I can’t imagine she would not want be at the Convention, but I don’t think a 10pm or 11 pm speaking slot can be considered desirable or an appropriate offer, if that was the offer.
##
As highlighted by Ask Marion and by Constitution Daily Palin has rented a hotel space in Tampa during the Convention time, so maybe she is not staying in Alaska. I can’t imagine that she will, but then I can’t imagine that she wasn’t offered one of the best spots on RNC speaking roster.
Vice President Joe Biden will be in Tampa as the GOP Convention Opens, another sign of how desperate the Obama campaign is. It has always been tradition that the opposite party stay out of the limelight while the other party has their convention. I guess this move leaves it wide open for the Romney and Ryan to campaign during the Dem’s Convention. Greg Gutfeld of The Five commented that perhaps the Dems are sending Biden to the GOP Convention on purpose and telling him that it is theirs, hoping he will think he has already attended the DNC Convention and misses it thereby cutting the chance of more Biden gaffes.
This article/campaign is absolutely not an anti-Romney-Ryan piece… They are the right team for the times, certainly compared to the alternative, but they would be helping themselves and the party in letting Sarah Palin speak!
The final GOP Convention speaker announcements came quickly after Mitt Romney announced his vice presidential running mate. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is out, even though Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus had said earlier that he hoped she would have a speaking role, and her absence leaves many very disappointed! But New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in, giving the keynote address on Tuesday night, making many across all sectors of the party happy! And popular Florida Senator Marco Rubio will be introducing Romney at the Convention. Texas Representative and two time GOP presidential primary candidate Ron Paul, who will be holding a Rally for his Liberty Delegates on Aug 26th in Tampa, will not appear leaving many of his followers shocked, but his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, will take the stage (a deal that many feel was made months ago between the Paul and Romney camps on the campaign trail). And just like the unconventional early Paul Ryan VP announcement this is a bit of a shake-up and surprise, especially for those who consider Mitt Romney and his team predictable… perhaps not so much after all!?!
Having waited to write this for a few days, still hoping there might be a few additional changes (I am one who really hoped Palin and Allen West would still be added), the full slate of convention speakers for the Republican National Convention in Tampa later this month now appears to be set and it reveals a careful attempt by the GOP and Team Romney to highlight voices that will excite party loyalists in the campaign hall while excluding those that could possibly turn-off independent voters watching on television at home, possibly giving some credence to the rumor that Palin was asked to speak during the day… when fewer people would see her. (As Rush Limbaugh has often said, “Wow what power we have given the independents!”)
So unless things change, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the first women ever to be on a Republican Presidential ticket, who just four years ago was the first Republican female vice presidential candidate ever, will apparently not be speaking at the Republican National Convention.
Palin made her announcement through a statement released to Greta Van Susteren, after according to a report on RealClearPolitics.com, “Two Republican sources with knowledge of discussions between the Palin and Romney camps told RCP that Palin made the decision not to attend the convention after not receiving an invitation to speak in prime time: "This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I'm excited to hear them.", she said. It remained unclear whether Palin would be attending the convention at all. Palin not being asked to speak at the 2012 convention by Mitt Romney’s team is considered a BIG MISTAKE by many and a bit disrespectful to the first GOP female ever to be part of a their ticket!!
Sarah Palin is a galvanizing force among many Republicans, but she was critical of Mitt Romney during the primary; her husband Todd Palin, who is presently appearing on the new high-profile reality show, “Stars Earn Stripes” even stomped for Newt Gingrich. (Eldest Palin daughter, Bristol, who is featured with her son in “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp” is also returning to Dancing with the Stars’ (DWTS) 15th season as part of their first “all-star” cast beginning soon and running through the campaign season). And Sarah has yet to ‘officially’ endorse Romney, but offered strong words of support on the Sunday after the Ryan VP pick was announced. Palin wrote: “As I've repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new President to get our country back on the right path."
And through it all Palin is still in spotlight despite passing on the convention
Just because the former vice presidential candidate isn’t speaking at the GOP convention in late August, it doesn’t mean Palin will be out of the spotlight!
In the annuls of former vice presidential candidates, Palin now 48, remains the exception rather than the rule. Most former VP candidates on losing tickets just faded away or returned to their previous jobs in politics after their tickets’ defeat. But, four years after John McCain surprised the electorate with Palin’s selection, after which she soon overshadowed McCain on the campaign trail, Palin certainly shows no signs of disappearing as a political figure and she may just show up at the convention anyway.
But instead of Palin rocking the Convention house, like she does every time she speaks, a roster of other young, conservative types such as Paul Ryan (Romney’s VP choice), Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, and Ted Cruz will be on the podium in Tampa along with a few veterans like Condi Rice.
The Tampa Bay Times saidPalin had already rented hotel space in Tampa down the street from the convention and will be in close proximity to about 15,000 journalists, which has also been corroborated by several pundits on Fox News, where Palin is still working as a contributor as she supports candidates around the country who espouse her same ideas. In the statement released to Greta Van Susteren, Palin said she was looking forward to doing grassroots campaigning:
“As I’ve repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new President to get our country back on the right path.”
While Palin’s critics say her convention absence is another sign of her political decline, her supporters would say it is a sign of her strength, still feared by many in the GOP establishment, sentiments that recently emerged through former VP Dick Cheney’s remarks causing a media uproar as well as within the Republican party and among those outside the party that were swayed by the leftist rhetoric which created Palin Derangement Syndrome that sadly seems to continue.
In historic terms, Palin is one of the most high-profile ex-VP candidates in decades. Since 1912, not many losing vice presidential candidates have come back around to have significant public roles. Little-known fact however, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was on the losing Democratic ticket in 1920 and obviously bounced back in a big way with his subsequent four terms in office as president. Earl Warren lost as a VP candidate in 1948 and then later became the Chief Justice of the United States. Bob Dole, Lloyd Bentsen, Estes Kefauver, Joe Lieberman, and Walter Mondale resumed their careers after their unsuccessful races for the vice presidency. Other former candidates, like John Edwards and Geraldine Ferraro, the first Democrat woman on the presidential ticket, struggled with legal issues.But the Dems did not forget their first female VP nominee and capitalized on having the first women on a national ticket ever, whenever possible.
As for Palin, she is still making headlines, has the unwavering support of the Tea Party, and is frequently mentioned as a potential 2016 presidential candidate if Mitt Romney doesn’t capture the White House, and a 2020 possibility if he does.
Recent estimates put her net worth above $10 million, thanks to her reality TV deal for Sarah Palin’s Alaska, her books including America by Heart, and her speaking engagements.
Rather than Sarah’s star power fading… Palin's absence From GOP Convention May Expose a Romney-Palin Rift… Or Perhaps an Establishment-Grassroots Rift
Palin stomping for Ted Cruz in Texas
Real Clear Politics noted if one of Mitt Romney's goals in choosing a running mate was to mine the same mother lode of conservative excitement that John McCain tapped by picking Sarah Palin four years ago, there's one additional dilemma for Romney to address: Palin is still around. However we will acknowledge that the Ryan announcement has definitely boosted the Romney campaign.
Only a day after Romney unveiled House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential pick, Palin suggested in her statement posted by her Fox News colleague and friend Greta Van Susteren that she would not speak at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa which tells us that perhaps Sarah was on the short least for a VP re-run shot and we are in for surprise appearance, she decided to be the grown-up in the room and do the right thing for the unity of the party and step back to stop anymore friction and speculation, or she is looking ahead to 2016 or even 2020 and figures perhaps absence will make the hearts grow fonder and the voices of those who miss her grow louder?!?
Palin’s apparent decision to steer clear of this year’s convention came almost four years after she took the 2008 presidential race by storm with her speech accepting the GOP vice-presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minnesota, a performance that electrified the party faithful and received almost universal praise from previously skeptical pundits, a fact the has been conveniently forgotten or spun over the past four years. For those who either don’t or choose not to remember that McCain-Palin were ahead in the polls after Palin joined the ticket, Greta Van Susteren recently pulled out the old polls.
Within days the McCain/Palin ticket had surged to the lead in the RCP Average before a series of questionable public stumbles and the near-collapse of the nation’s financial system causing McCain to temporarily suspend campaigning, which ultimately led to the Republicans’ defeat.
And though the differences between that vice-presidential rollout and his own are innumerable, Romney’s selection of Ryan has likewise generated a surge of enthusiasm in the conservative base that had previously rallied to Romney largely by default.
According to Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul, the Republican campaign raised $3.5 million online in the first 24-hours and over $7-million total in the first 3-days following Romney’s selection of Ryan, and the GOP ticket was greeted over the weekend by the largest crowds of the former Massachusetts governor’s candidacy, though the numbers have been less massive than the tens of thousands who regularly turned out for Palin’s 2008 appearances. It was at her first rally in Cali in October 2008 that this writer first saw Sarah Palin speak to a crowd of 23,000 in Carson, CA. I have been a supporter ever since and so are most who hear her speak live and actually listen!
Though she has faded from her once commanding perch on the national political scene, Palin’s role in the Republican Party heading into the campaign’s final stretch remains a consequential matter for the Romney team and not having her speak at the convention may turn out to be something they wished they had addressed and handled differently.
The former Alaska governor has not only demonstrated a continued ability to wield significant influence, particularly in Senate and House primary races, but her penchant for doing things her own way has left the lingering possibility that she could either boost the standard-bearer or become a thorn in his side. For this reason it was notable, at least to some, when she initially offered only a lukewarm reaction to Romney’s selection of Ryan.
On Saturday night, the former Alaska governor posted on her Facebook page, often her venue of choice to communicate to her fans and followers, a statement that clocked in at over 1,100 words, in which she attacked President Obama’s policies and compared the nation’s fiscal mess to California’s, but offered only cursory congratulations to Romney for choosing Ryan and declining to praise specifically any of the Wisconsin congressman’s positive attributes as a running mate. Then the following morning, the aforementioned Republican sources, with knowledge of discussions between the Palin and Romney camps, told RCP that Palin would not attend the convention after not receiving an invitation to speak in prime time. We can only speculate what is and has gone on in this situation on both sides…
“They’ve got Ryan now, so they think they’ve got the Tea Party covered,” one of the sources said.
Two Palin aides did not respond to requests for confirmation that she would not speak in Tampa, leaving room for hope for her followers, but the 2008 VP nominee appeared on Fox News later on Sunday and offered up a far more full-throated endorsement of the GOP ticket than the one that she had provided earlier.
“With Paul Ryan, who’s known for his conscientious concern for our budget and for getting America out of debt, this makes it tougher for Obama to continue to do his distracting and dividing and pivoting off the economy because this ticket representing this campaign is about the economy,” she said. “There’s a lot of us who will have his back.”
In the interview, Palin was not asked why she had declined in her initial statement to join other national Republicans in heaping praise on Ryan, but her newly effusive tone surely must have come as a relief to the Romney campaign.
Shortly after her Fox News appearance, Palin released her statement to Van Susteren indicating that she would not speak at the convention, but the question of how prominent a role the Romney campaign had been willing to grant her remained unanswered.
A Romney campaign spokesperson declined to comment on whether Palin had been offered a prime-time speaking window in Tampa, rather than a less coveted daytime slot, which considering Palin’s standing in the party would have been an insult.
“Governor Palin is an important voice and leader in the Republican Party,” Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades said in an emailed statement to RCP. “While she will be missed in Tampa, Governor Romney looks forward to working with her to defeat President Obama, turn our economy around and strengthen America’s middle class.”
The Romney campaign has long maintained an internal policy of speaking only glowingly of Palin in public settings, but their concern remains evident that she is a polarizing figure in an election that will be decided by voters with whom she is not popular.
BuzzFeed.com reported on Saturday that in alluding to the differences between the Ryan pick and McCain’s choice of Palin, one senior Romney adviser sarcastically referred in an email to “the number one policy wonk in the country . . . Sarah Palin.” Shame on them!
Commenters on the pro-Palin website Conservatives4Palin.com reacted angrily to the news that she would not speak at the convention, and a prominent GOP strategist with close ties to the Tea Party told RCP that he blamed the Romney campaign for not fully appreciating what Palin brings to the table.
“The Romney campaign from day one has missed her draw to the Tea Party,” the strategist said. “Even with Paul Ryan, they still miss that she’s been there from the beginning.” They also miss that she is a historic figure in the Republican party.
How Palin handles the spotlight, if she decides to make any public statements from this point on, will undoubtedly make headlines.
Palin: Tea partiers have 'no choice' but Romney… 'Of course they're going to go with anybody but Obama (ABO)'
(Fox News) After a long and sharply contested GOP primary battle, many Republicans, conservatives and tea-party types have been left questioning whether they can, in good conscience, vote for Mitt Romney in November.
Romney’s statements as a former advocate of legalized abortion, his hotly contested record on same-sex marriage and his health-care reforms while governor of Massachusetts – sometimes maligned as “Romneycare” – have left conservatives uncertain if the presumptive Republican nominee is really one of their own.
Tea-party darling and former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, however, is basically dismissing the concerns, telling Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream that Romney has the Republican Party’s conservative base in the bag.
On “America’s News Headquarters” over the weekend, host Bream asked Palin if Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as running mate would help persuade those “not completely sold” on the name at the top of the GOP ticket.
“A lot of maybe Tea Party patriots have understood, wisely, that they’ve had no choice,” Palin answered. “Of course they’re going to go with anybody but Obama (ABO), and now, yes, I believe that there will be a strengthening, more enthusiasm, because [of] this ticket.”
When asked how Romney needs to “coalesce” his message to communicate with voters, Palin doubled down on the notion that the GOP base is secured.
“It’s all about the independents, Shannon,” Palin said. “We don’t have to just keep on preaching to the choir, there, of the hardcore base of fiscal conservatives within the Republican Party – we got ‘em; Romney’s got ‘em. We’ve got to reach the independents.”
According to the latest polling data from Rasmussen Reports, however, Palin’s claims may be more predictive of voting in November than descriptive of the current divide within the Republican Party.
Rasmussen’s most recent poll on the question of voter enthusiasm found that only 16 percent of Republicans believe Romney and Obama are the best two options to be running for president, only 35 percent will affirm excitement about the match-up and a sobering 46 percent of all voters believe they “will simply be voting for the lesser of two evils this November.”
Nonetheless, according to the most recent Gallup polls, 90 percent of Republicans say they would vote for Romney if the election was today, and 92 percent of those who voted for GOP candidate John McCain in 2008 say they plan to vote for Romney in 2012.
When asked if she would endorse and stump for the presumptive GOP ticket, Palin responded, “Oh, 100 percent in support; I’m all in for Romney and Ryan.”
Shannon Bream’s interview with Palin can be seen below:
So while as of now Palin won’t be a featured speaker in Tampa, if she decides to go to Florida, which seems fairly probable after her political action committee spent $4,500 on hotel rooms, her presence there will draw a lot of media attention. And who knows, the GOP could have last minute thoughts about having her speak after all or Fox News could put her to work. And depending how the winds shift Sarah Palin may be the special gift received and opened in 2008 but not truly enjoyed or utilized to full potential until 2016 or maybe even 2020 (Sarah will only be 56-years-old in 2020; 4-years younger than Hillary was in 2008 when she ran for the Democrat nomination).
Kevin Fobbs: For those not willing to hold their breath to see if they surprise us with Sarah as a guest speaker, speak up now to let the GOP know how you feel: to let Sarah speak:
In 2008, after Sarah Palin became our vice-presidential nominee, she instantly became the most prominent woman in the Republican Party. Since then, she has relentlessly supported the Tea Party and in 2010, she was one of the most valuable players in the best year the GOP has had in half a century. During that election cycle, she endorsed candidates like Nikki Haley, Renee Ellmers, Kristi Noem, Susana Martinez, Chris Christie, Sean Duffy, Bob McDonnell, Tim Scott, Rand Paul, and Allen West and she is back at is again this election cycle. Additionally, there are few people who would dispute that Sarah Palin is a dynamic speaker with a large fan base in the Republican Party. Donald Trump was on ‘On the Record’ the other night again stating how much he likes and respects Sarah Palin… so why aren’t they all speaking up for her now?
What this all adds up to, as Ed Morrisey noted over at Hot Air, is that Palin deserves a chance to speak at the convention.
Palin electrified the convention in 2008, and it’s just good manners to have the #2 from the last ticket and the 1st GOP woman on a presidential ticket to speak at the next convention. Few people in the party can fire up the grassroots like Palin does, and few people will draw the attention she gets. There is always room to offer her a good speaking slot at the convention, even if they have to juggle people around and they should do so, and do so quickly!
Yes, we want Mitt Romney to win, but we also want to make sure that everyone knows the bad old days of the Republican grassroots suffering in silence while our “leaders” in D.C. made decisions we didn’t agree with, are over. And Sarah Palin represents that. Right Wing News alone can’t generate enough signatures to make a difference. If it’s going to happen, it will be because YOU think they should “Let Sarah Speak”. So, if you agree that Sarah Palin should be given a speaking slot at the convention, then send a message by signing this petition (or contacting the Romney campaign or the RNC directly… or all three). If you really feel strongly about it, email this suggestion and petition out to some friends. Add the petition to Facebook, Twitter, or G+. Stand up, get the word out to let Sarah Speak!
PS: Some people claim Palin was offered a speaking slot and turned it down. However, that’s not what her gracious public statement about the matter actually said. Moreover, not only has the Romney campaign refused to comment, I reached out to the RNC yesterday and it also had nothing to say. I was referred over to Pam Stevens, who’s the Deputy Press Secretary for the 2012 RNC. She didn’t respond to an email about the subject. When this many people are deliberately staying silent when they could just say, “We invited Palin to speak and she declined,” it tells you all you need to know.
This article is absolutely not an anti-Romney-Ryan piece… They are the right team for the times, certainly compared to the alternative, but they would be helping themselves and the party in letting Sarah Palin speak!
Photo by: Robert F. Bukaty - **FILE** Republican presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul speaks Feb. 11, 2012, to his supporters following his loss in the Maine caucus to Mitt Romney, in Portland, Maine. (Associated Press)
Rep. Ron Paul said Monday he will not compete in Republican primaries in any of the states that have not yet voted — essentially ending the 2012 primary season and leaving the path open for Mitt Romney to win the GOP presidential nomination.
Mr. Paul said he will still try to win over delegates in states where the voting is done but where state conventions are still picking representatives to the Republican nominating convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. But the Texas congressman and three-time presidential hopeful said he’s done actively trying to win over voters themselves in the 11 primaries still ahead.
“Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted,” Mr. Paul said in a statement from his campaign. “Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.”
That move leaves Mr. Romney as the only man actively seeking the Republican nomination, having outlasted a half-dozen opponents over the last four months of voting. The former Massachusetts governor is still shy of the number of delegates needed to win the nomination, but is expected to easily collect those in upcoming votes in Texas, California and nine other states still to hold primaries.
Mr. Romney’s campaign did not return a message seeking comment, but the push to win over Paul supporters is already under way in other circles. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary E. Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee, said he’ll pick up Mr. Paul’s torch heading into the election.
“You can’t suspend liberty,” said Mr. Johnson, who had initially tried to win the Republican nomination before dropping out to join the Libertarians. “The Ron Paul revolution must continue, whether he is actively campaigning or not. His message must be a part of the conversation leading to November.”
Mr. Paul is retiring at the end of this term in the House. But he has already bequeathed his political movement to his son, freshman Sen. Rand Paul, who rode voter dissatisfaction to victory in a Republican primary and then in the general election in Kentucky in 2010.
The 2012 campaign marked Mr. Paul’s third run for the White House, following a 1988 campaign as the Libertarian Party’s nominee and then his 2008 bid for the Republican nomination.
That unorthodox 2008 campaign rewrote the manual on Internet fundraising and attracted Americans who had been alienated by much of the political process but were attracted to Mr. Paul’s message of limited government bound more strictly to original constitutional intent.
His rallies attracted supporters dressed as Colonial soldiers, and “Don’t tread on me” flags became staples of his appearances, well before they would become a part of the anti-Washington tea party movement in the 2010 elections.
“Ron Paul presaged the tea party movement, and many of his supporters fueled the tea party and its 2010 victories, not least that of his own son. That is one major impact. Another is Paul’s ability to attract young people, a feat few in the GOP have been able to duplicate in recent years,” said University of Virginia political scientist Larry J. Sabato.
Still, Mr. Sabato said, Mr. Paul’s stances on foreign policy and on drug legalization were unacceptable to too many Republican voters for him to have gone further within the party.
Mr. Paul briefly surged late last year, topping the polls in Iowa ahead of that state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. His third-place showing also seemed to leave him poised to make a run.
But that never materialized.
He ends his active campaigning without having won the popular vote in any state — though he did end up with the most bound delegates in Maine, thanks to his delegate-maximizing strategy.
According to the latest tally by the Associated Press, Mr. Romney has 966 delegates of the 1,144 needed to win the nomination. Mr. Paul has 104 delegates.
More than 700 delegates are still available across the 11 states still to hold primaries, and Mr. Romney is now virtually assured of collecting the bulk of them and clinching the nomination.
Throughout the campaign, Mr. Paul has said his lower vote totals would be countered by his supporters’ enthusiasm, particularly in states that hold caucuses.
In many of those states, the initial caucuses amounted to nonbinding straw polls, with the real delegate-selection process for the Tampa convention happening at regional and state meetings. Mr. Paul’s supporters have been more likely to show up at those meetings and win the delegate slots.
Now Mr. Paul will rely on trying to maximize delegates at the few states that have yet to choose their final delegates to the national convention, such as Washington and Missouri. He can also try to win over support of delegates who were bound to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum — two former candidates who have suspended their campaigns.
“Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that liberty is the way of the future,” Mr. Paul said.
Many of Mr. Paul’s supporters argue he can still win the nomination, pointing to his success in having his supporters elected as delegates to the convention.
But most of those delegates are actually bound by the results of the primaries and conventions to vote for another candidate in the first round of voting. Most delegates’ personal views won’t come into play unless no candidate wins on the first ballot.
Mac Lewis: The logic of the ad in one line: “If voters think on election day that Obama is the cool one, but Romney is the competent one, Obama will lose.”
Matt Lewis wrote Wednesday morning that Obama vs. Romney is starting to look a bit like a “Mac vs. PC” commercial. Here’s the RNC kinda sorta embracing that framework to make the point that what America has with The One is the policy equivalent of a Sad Mac.
Lewis:
Republicans, of course, will claim the contrast favors them — that Tuesday night demonstrated a serious candidate talking about serious issues — versus someone “slow-jamming” with a comedian (while the economy crumbles).
But it also reminds me that the Obama vs. Romney clash creates a PR/optics problem for Republicans: Policy aside, Obama seems cool — while Romney seems more like The Man. (This might not matter, however. Voters might decide they personally like Obama, but that they want a technocrat to fix the economy. Sometimes we need The Man!)
Brand images, though, often outlast political campaigns. And from a purely superficial standpoint, the GOP — especially if Romney makes a milquetoast running mate pick — risks reinforcing its image as your father’s party. So the GOP V.P. pick could be a factor this election and if not for this election, it might reinforce a brand for the next time?!?
With a couple of events and a couple of speeches the 2012 Election focus was set and the race is on, all in one day.
While President Obama appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for some slow ‘jammon’ that ended up looking and sounding anything but presidential except to the (MSM) media Obamabots, Mitt Romney took the stage in New Hampshire and claimed his position as the presumptive GOP nominee after winning 5-primaries on Tuesday. That one move showed leadership and has changed the conversation. Within 24-hours Gingrich announced that he was leaving the race, former GOP primary candidate endorsed Romney and the RNC announced that Mitt Romney was now their presumptive nominee unveiling their support and the support of many behind the scenes already working together to defeat Barack Obama, including with the Ron Paul Campaign though Paul has no plans of dropping out of the race..
Romney looked and sounded presidential creating an echo over the blogosphere and even among some mainstream media outlets that a presidential Romney made slow jammom Obama look anything but presidential.
"Thank you Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York! And tonight I can say thank you, America. After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and more than a few long nights, I can say with confidence – and gratitude – that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility. And, together, we will win on November 6th!
We launched this campaign not far from here on a beautiful June day. It has been an extraordinarily journey.
Americans have always been eternal optimists. But over the last three and a half years, we have seen hopes and dreams diminished by false promises and weak leadership. Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less.
For every single mom who feels heartbroken when she has to explain to her kids that she needs to take a second job … for grandparents who can’t afford the gas to visit their grandchildren … for the mom and dad who never thought they’d be on food stamps … for the small business owner desperately cutting back just to keep the doors open one more month – to all of the thousands of good and decent Americans I’ve met who want nothing more than a better chance, a fighting chance, to all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight.
Tonight is the start of a new campaign to unite every American who knows in their heart that we can do better! The last few years have been the best that Barack Obama can do, but it’s not the best America can do!
Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years and the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together.
This has already been a long campaign, but many Americans are just now beginning to focus on the choice before the country. In the days ahead, I look forward to spending time with many of you personally. I want to hear what’s on your mind, hear about your concerns, and learn about your families. I want to know what you think we can do to make this country better…and what you expect from your next President.
And I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I’ll probably start out talking about my wonderful wife Ann – I usually do – and I’ll probably bore you with stories about our kids and grandkids. I’ll tell you about how much I love this country, where someone like my dad, who grew up poor and never graduated from college, could pursue his dreams and work his way up to running a great car company. Only in America could a man like my dad become governor of the state in which he once sold paint from the trunk of his car.
I’d say that you might have heard that I was successful in business. And that rumor is true. But you might not have heard that I became successful by helping start a business that grew from 10 people to hundreds of people. You might not have heard that our business helped start other businesses, like Staples and Sports Authority and a new steel mill and a learning center called Bright Horizons. And I’d tell you that not every business made it and there were good days and bad days, but every day was a lesson. And after 25 years, I know how to lead us out of this stagnant Obama economy and into a job-creating recovery!
Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. But after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?
Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?
If the answer were “yes” to those questions, then President Obama would be running for re-election based on his achievements…and rightly so. But because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions, distractions, and distortions. That kind of campaign may have worked at another place and in a different time. But not here and not now. It’s still about the economy …and we’re not stupid.
People are hurting in America. And we know that something is wrong, terribly wrong with the direction of the country.
We know that this election is about the kind of America we will live in and the kind of America we will leave to future generations. When it comes to the character of America, President Obama and I have very different visions.
Government is at the center of his vision. It dispenses the benefits, borrows what it cannot take, and consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. With Obamacare fully installed, government will come to control half the economy, and we will have effectively ceased to be a free enterprise society.
This President is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats and boards, commissions and czars. He’s asking us to accept that Washington knows best – and can provide all.
We’ve already seen where this path leads. It erodes freedom. It deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. And it hurts the very people it’s supposed to help. Those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty. Other nations have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages.
I have a very different vision for America, and of our future. It is an America driven by freedom, where free people, pursuing happiness in their own unique ways, create free enterprises that employ more and more Americans. Because there are so many enterprises that are succeeding, the competition for hard-working, educated and skilled employees is intense, and so wages and salaries rise.
I see an America with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living. I see children even more successful than their parents - some successful even beyond their wildest dreams – and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it.
This America is fundamentally fair. We will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends’ businesses; we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next.
In the America I see, character and choices matter. And education, hard work, and living within our means are valued and rewarded. And poverty will be defeated, not with a government check, but with respect and achievement that is taught by parents, learned in school, and practiced in the workplace.
This is the America that was won for us by the nation’s Founders, and earned for us by the Greatest Generation. It is the America that has produced the most innovative, most productive, and the most powerful economy in the world.
As I look around at the millions of Americans without work, the graduates who can't get a job, the soldiers who return home to an unemployment line, it breaks my heart. This does not have to be. It is the result of failed leadership and of a faulty vision. We will restore the promise of America only if we restore the principles of freedom and opportunity that made America the greatest nation on earth.
Today, the hill before us is a little steep but we have always been a nation of big steppers. Many Americans have given up on this President but they haven’t ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America.
In the days ahead, join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th, when across America we can give a sigh of relief and know that the Promise of America has been kept. The dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again.
And this time we’ll get it right. We’ll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad.
There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world.
Those days are coming back. That’s our destiny.
We believe in America. We believe in ourselves. Our greatest days are still ahead. We are, after all, Americans!
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."
To quote Jedediah Bila, “With this one speech, Romney changed the discussion from class warfare to a discussion of hope and choice.”
SuperPac American Crossroads also produced a new video entitled: “Cool” - After four years of a celebrity president, is your life any better? It is focused toward the young…
Meanwhile Obama looked foolish and inept appearing in one of the worst skits ever, demeaning his position and the office of presidency after having spent taxpayer money to campaign and to promote his new student loan program into an election issue. But the problem with that is Obama’s record and that Romney agrees with Obama on helping students with their loan debt while the economy keeps them from getting jobs, making it a non-issue.
Under Obama:
1 in 2 recent college grads are jobless or underemployed
85% of recent college grads are moving back with their parents
Last night, President Obama appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s unwatchable show to “slow-jam the news.” By this, Fallon meant that Obama would read a campaign speech about student loans, Fallon would utter a few lines to back him up every so often, and his lead band singer would warble in support of Obama’s propaganda.
Only one problem, aside from the fact that this was possibly the worst “comedy” segment in the history of mankind: it violated campaign finance law.
The equal time rule states that if a licensee permits a person “who is a legally qualified candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office in the use of such broadcasting station.”
There are exceptions to the rule: appearances on (1) a bona fide newscast, (2) a bona fide news interview, (3) a bona fide news documentary, or (4) on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events.
Only the second provision could be construed as saving NBC from giving Mitt Romney equal time. But this was not a bona fide news interview. In fact, it wasn’t an interview at all – no questions were asked, no answers were given. It was literally Obama reading a campaign speech over a guitar, a horn, a keyboard, and some drums.
Not only was this appearance in violation of equal time law, it was clearly an in-kind contribution by NBC to the Obama campaign. As the Federal Elections Commission states, “A donation of services is … considered an in-kind contribution.” Under applicable law, contribution of broadcast time is considered such a service. This was a campaign commercial for Obama, and the Obama campaign was not charged for it. A minute of network time can cost up to a couple million dollars; this segment ran a full five minutes. There is no doubt that Obama was given millions of dollars of free advertising time, and the Romney campaign should invoke all available law to make that clear.
NBC should be punished to the fullest extent of the law (because they are a repeating offender). Mitt Romney should be given equal time, and an equally sycophantic propaganda piece by Fallon. Obama should be ashamed of himself (though, of course, he has no capacity for shame). Video HERE
Speaker of the House John Boehner also weighed in this week on Obama campaigning on the public dime. Boehner said Obama misuses Air Force One for political trips and that he is now trying to make a political issue out of student loans, hitting swing states to make speeches without having to cover the cost for campaigning. Using taxpayer dollars to fly to battleground states to make political points is 'pathetic, said Boehner. Read more Here.
Of course violating campaign laws, ethics or tradition doesn’t seem to matter to Team Obama. He has been campaigning and appearing at fundraisers on the taxpayer dime for months. Yet, they had the audacity to announce this week that President Obama would be beginning his official campaign in about a month. At some point the American people are going to get tired of being played for fools on top of watching their country being spent into bankruptcy. As Mitt Romney said the other night, “It is still about the economy and we’re not stupid”
Although he isn't yet the official nominee, MittRomney kicked off his presidential campaign in earnest today, effectively accepting the Republican nomination for president this evening after easily winning all five GOP primary contests over Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul as he said, “A better America begins tonight”.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Romney looked like a new man… a man to beat, not a man catching-up with an incumbent. “It is still about the economy and we’re not stupid” Romney said with the sound and look of a solid presidential candidate to the cheers from visibly encouraged supporters. Ann Romney did the introductions for her husband, as has become customary before his speeches and she also looked confident as she shared how grateful she was for the support and prayers of so many she has heard from. She also looked ready for the journey; and looking and sounding like someone who loves and is proud of America instead of someone, like Michelle Obama, who stated in the 2008 campaign the election of her husband was the first time in her life that she was proud of America.
Romney added that “tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years” . He urged everyone to hang on just a little longer… until he was elected.
After sweeping all five primaries tonight and no longer having a serious opponent after Santorum dropped out, Romney’s shift to focus on the general election makes sense. Since Santorum exited the contest earlier this month, Romney has assumed the mantle of presumptive GOP nominee. Santorum’s endorsement is considered imminent by most.
Rep. Ron Paul (TX) will hang in to the end. He is $2 million in the black and continuing to collect delegates. Former Speaker Gingrich (GA) is barely hanging on with a near $5 million debt looking for a way to make a graceful exit and still try to have some input at the GOP convention. The former Massachusetts governor made clear in his address this evening that he is embracing victory, even if some of his opponents refuse to concede defeat.
From the sound of Romney’s speech tonight he intends to run a campaign on real hope and change and focus on the positives of his vision and experience for America and the negative details of Obama’s abysmal record, while Team Obama has already shown their hand and plan to run a negative campaign using Alinsky-style mud-slinging since President Obama can’t run on his record or his former slogan of hope and change.
Tonight’s speech and shift to the general election was expected when earlier this week Mitt Romney began to pivot to swing voters -- ever so slightly as he campaigned with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at stops like Mustang Expediting on April 23, 2012 in Aston, Pennsylvania, where he said he was open to “studying” Marco Rubio’s DREAM Act alternative as an option. But, he has endorsed Paul Ryans’s budget plan and is reaching out to the tea party as well as American’s of all affiliations and walks of life for their input.
Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images
Romney also sharpened his attack on Obama saying the past few years were the best Obama can do but not the best America can do. A line Juan Williams seized on during the after-speech quarterbacking on Fox News.
Here are some highlight from Romney’s ‘A Better America’ Speech:
The address included the unveiling for a number of themes likely to re-emerge throughout the campaign against Obama. Romney attempted to turn the president’s “fairness” message against him, arguing that the commander in chief’s dismal record has led to a condition of “unfairness” for millions of Americans.
Among the more memorable lines from Romney’s speech were “A better America begins tonight” and “It’s still about the economy, and we’re not stupid.” as mentioned above.
The Obama campaign quickly responded with a statement charging that Romney wants to return the country “to the same policies that got us into the economic crisis in the first place.”
“Tonight is the start of a new campaign to unite every American who knows in their heart that we can do better,” Romney said. “The last few years have been the best that Barack Obama can do, but it’s not the best America can do. Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years and the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together.”
“In the days ahead, I look forward to spending time with many of you personally,” Romney continued. “I want to hear what’s on your mind, hear about your concerns and learn about your families. I want to know what you think we can do to make this country better and what you expect from your next president. And I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I’ll probably start out talking about my wonderful wife, Ann — I usually do — and I’ll probably bore you with stories about our kids and grandkids.”
The Obama campaign, meanwhile, moved to their favorite trick in an attempt to tie Romney to President George W. Bush and charged Romney with misrepresenting the president’s record.
“The title for Gov. Romney’s speech tonight should have been ‘Back to the Future,’ because he has proposed a return to the same policies that got us into the economic crisis in the first place,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said. “We have tried those policies before. They didn’t unleash growth, they didn’t spur job creation and they didn’t boost the middle class. And while Mitt Romney praised those policies in 2004, they led to a recovery that produced seven times fewer private sector jobs than the president’s policies, despite a significantly milder recession compared to the one the president faced coming into office.”
I’ll get a transcript of the speech up when I find it; it’s not yet up on Mitt Romney’s campaign site.
We now have the candidates for the 2012 Election and we have a clear choice of candidates and for America’s future. This election will be a choice between two candidates, two records and two visions for our country!
thecommunists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.
Then they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
Then they came for the trade unionists, I did not protest; I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, I did not protest; I was a Protestant.
Then they came for the Jews, I did not speak out; I was not a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
Election 2014 - What Is Really At Stake
Help Stop Voter Fraud!! Stand for the Constitution and God
Time to remember that: "We Surround Them", not the other way!
Stand Up Against Voter Fraud... Demand Re-Counts and Verification Until It is Right!! A Little Ink Goes a Long Way Toward Honesty... 1 Person 1 Vote... No More Mickey Mouse or Dead People Voting
"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about IT! --Albert Einstein
Call Congress Today and Tell Them To Vote Against Cap and Trade
The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality -- Dante Alighieri / Often Quoted by Mark Twain
Thanks for calling the Congressional switchboard. Keep up the pressure: "NO on Cap and Trade"!!! "NO Vote on Obamacare", NO on another Stimulus Bill, NO to the never ending parade of "Power Grab Bills", and ABSOLUTELY NO on the Climate Change Treaty in Copenhagen!!
"No" on Cap and Trade and "No" on Government Controlled Healthcare!!! And Keep up the good fight! Keep up the Pressure on both the House and Senate! These are 2-fights the American People cannot afford to lose!!!
If you choose not to go this route… call and fax your Senator and as many of them on the list yourself, but don’t sit idly by!!
United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121
We apologize in advance for any Videos or links that are not functioning in these or other older posts. Internet information... like 'true' history in our student's textbooks are under constant attack by the Progressive Movement and even more so under the present administration. Try to save what you can to your own computer.
"...there comes a time, ladies and gentlemen, when ideology can cause death. I am so tired, so tired, of zealots, primarily on the left, putting their insane personal agendas above the safety of fellow Americans. Do you think the brave soldiers and Marines operating in dangerous areas right now want [unreleased photos of alleged abuse of prisoners] all over al-Jazeera and the terror websites? So let's look out for the military, OK? Nancy Pelosi has an obligation to get the loons in her party under control. If the Speaker can't do that, she doesn't deserve her position." ... Bill O'Reilly
Updated:If you'd like to contact Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, here's the contact information that you'll need.
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In the annuls of former vice presidential candidates, Palin now 48, remains the exception rather than the rule. Most former VP candidates on losing tickets just faded away or returned to their previous jobs in politics after their tickets’ defeat. But, four years after John McCain surprised the electorate with Palin’s selection, after which she soon overshadowed McCain on the campaign trail, Palin certainly shows no signs of disappearing as a political figure and she may just show up at the convention anyway.
According to Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul, the Republican campaign raised $3.5 million online in the first 24-hours and over $7-million total in the first 3-days following Romney’s selection of Ryan, and the GOP ticket was greeted over the weekend by the largest crowds of the former Massachusetts governor’s candidacy, though the numbers have been less massive than the tens of thousands who regularly turned out for Palin’s 2008 appearances. It was at her 
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