What a let down. Here conservative Republicans were so close to respectability and even acceptance in polite society. In Prince William County, VA where I live,  conservatives convinced themselves we’d come far from that time in the recent past when the WaPost described evangelicals (essentially another word for conservative Republicans, since there is considerable overlap among the two demographic groups) as “poor, undereducated and easily led.”

Then TheAtlantic.com piled on with this description of former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, “People are sometimes caught off guard by [his] intellectual competence because of his rural Arkansas habits (he and his wife lived in a trailer while the governor’s mansion was being renovated) and his outspoken evangelical views.”

Not those rural Arkansas habits again! What was Huckabee thinking when he moved into one of those tornado–bait tin cans? I happen to know there’s a Hilton in Little Rock.

Conservatives, who are frequently optimists in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, chose to focus on the progress we’ve made since 2008. Why Gov. Huckabee is currently living in a house that doesn’t require you to check the pressure rotate the foundation every 5,000 miles. And nationally Republicans — if not all conservatives — have an almost–anointed presidential candidate who is articulate, thinks double–wide is an unfortunate term for the overweight and has perfect hair.

Why Mitt Romney looks just as good as that Democrat intellectual giant, John Kerry, without all the annoying French mannerisms.

Then last week all our hope for acceptance came crashing down. In a “news story” wailing about the clout Northern Virginia lost in Richmond when the GOP took control of the Senate, the WaPost complained, “Northern Virginia senators also worry about their ability to block legislation on social issues that play very differently in the more racially diverse, better-educated and liberal Washington suburbs than in more rural parts of the state.

It was only a passing reference that spoke volumes about ingrained, institutional prejudice. The phrase is simply elite shorthand that means we’re back to: Liberals = Smart and Conservatives = Dumb.

I hope to visit the WaPost newsroom one day, because I’m convinced its map of Northern Virginia still manages to leave Prince William County (PWC) out, much like the maps of the Palestinian Authority never seem to include Israel.

This county is in the top ten nationwide when it comes to household income, we boast the satellite campus of George Mason University — where taxpayer–subsidized “arts” groups can perform — and residents frequently shop at our very own Wegmans grocery store; yet we’re still pickin’ on the banjo with the rest of the Deliverance caucus as far as the WaPost is concerned.

And the really ironic element in this assault on the conservative intellect is the bias is based on geography, which I thought was forbidden in elite circles. Here we have an organization, which has never met an illegal alien with a sob story that it wouldn’t put on the front page, denigrating an entire class of human beings because their point of origin is South of Alexandria.

What’s next? The ideological equivalent of E–Verify for conservatives, along with a refusal to issue a Virginia licencia de conducir so they can’t drive in Richmond?
Have a heart. These migrating conservatives are yearning to live the American Dream, too. They just want to cast the votes in the General Assembly that liberals refuse to cast. Besides, they don’t actually want to live in Richmond. I’m sure they will return to their native counties once the job is done.

This current distress of Virginia and DC liberals is the result of something their Dear Leader Obama warned about, “Elections have consequences.”

And as a consequence of last November’s election, Republicans are now in control of both the House and the Senate. So in under four years Virginia has gone from a Democrat in the governor’s office and Democrats in control of the Senate to a Republican governor and Republican control of the entire General Assembly.

I think even a liberal can notice a trend here.

Specifically what this means for Virginia residents is an obstructionist Democrat Senate will no longer be able to block passage of bills that protect the life of unborn babies, defend marriage, eliminate Public Broadcasting subsidies, cut spending, reduce the size of government, prevent the appointment of activist liberal judges, discourage illegal immigration and recognize the Constitutional right of citizen self–defense.

Whew.

It’s time conservatives refuse to be on the defensive regarding intelligence. We used to ask know–it–alls, if you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich? Now it’s time to update that and ask liberal Democrats, if you’re so smart, why aren’t you winning elections?

Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He can be reached at michael-shannon@comcast.net.

Michael R. Shannon
MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations
703-583-6277
571-969-1995 Google Voice
http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrshannon
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-washington-dc/michael-shannon

 

WesternFront America

Personal preferences are a reliable method of distinguishing between conservatives and Democrats. Conservatives believe personal preferences are just that: personal and particular to the individual. When others don’t share his preferences a conservative looks for more congenial companions or surroundings. Sometimes he even takes the initiative and creates a like–minded opportunity in the private sector.

Democrats believe their personal preferences are so noteworthy and have such a significant bearing on the future of society that it’s only fair these indispensible preferences be imposed on the public by force of law.

Which brings us to Democrat Alvin Tillman, a third–term member of the council in Terrebonne Parish, LA, who evidently does not have enough to occupy his time. Tillman is personally offended by the chroma culprits who paint their family tombs anything but white, which is Tillman’s preferred color.

“We want to stop this before it gets out of hand,” Tillman was quoted by the Associated Press. “Before you know it you’ll go out there and the cemetery will look like Mardi Gras.”
Since this is Louisiana — where being dead is no bar to exercising the franchise in favor of Democrats on election day — it could be that Tillman is simply responding to the wishes of his electoral base.

So he intends to persuade the council to pass a law. Unfortunately for his finely–tuned sense of aesthetics, his law will only apply to public cemeteries that are government–owned.

No only will Tillman ban future non–white paint jobs, he won’t grandfather, so to speak, tombs that have already been painted. Those owners will be required to repaint their tombs, much like cab owners in DC will be required to repaint their cabs a uniform white if Councilwoman Mary Cheh, another Democrat member of the Color Police, gets her way.

In the South there is bad precedent for government intrusion in cemetery management. When local government was under Klan influence, it wasn’t concerned so much about the color of the tomb as it was focused on the color of the customer. In many marble orchards the tombs and the dead were uniformly white.

Tillman may be personally biased against tombs–of–color, but Louisiana has a long history of using paint to customize family tombs. The AP story also quotes an expert who observes, “Historically, the limewash used on family tombs was colored in shades of yellow, ochre, pink, gray and red.”

White on the outside, instead of the inside, is a recent development.

Personally, I think a tomb of almost any color beats the soggy Teddy Bear and defeated balloon piles dotting the roadside that pass for memorials here in Prince William County. At least in Terrebonne Parish the decoration is in close proximity to the deceased.

Judge Gideon Tucker once said, “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” But in Louisiana you don’t even have to be alive to be at the mercy of a politician’s whims.

— + —

Finally, before the write–by date passes, I want to revisit the Sulaimon Brown scandal in DC. Brown is the former candidate for mayor who claims Mayor Vincent Gray (D – Comatose) promised him a job after the election if he continued his attacks on then Mayor Adrian Fenty during the campaign. He also says the Gray operation illegally paid him under the table to keep his campaign afloat.

Gray claims this is untrue and that he only promised Brown an interview after the election.

So let’s give Gray the benefit of the doubt. Brown continues his unhinged attacks on Fenty during the campaign. Fenty loses. After the election Gray’s administration gives Brown the promised interview.

During the process the crack Gray transition team carefully evaluates Brown just like any other applicant for a job in the new administration. His qualifications include an attempted murder charge as a teenager, a poor credit history and an otherwise questionable resume.

Then, after careful deliberation, the Gray administration GIVES HIM A JOB!

Brown lands a $110,000–a–year spot in the Department of Health Care Finance. Sulaimon is fired in less than a month after repeated outbursts in the office and the discovery of a restraining order on file against him by the mother of a 13–year–old girl.

I don’t find it reassuring, if you believe Gray, that instead of Brown being hired as political payback, this manic was hired on his own merits.

Only in the District of Columbia, run since the beginning of home rule by Democrats, is gross incompetence considered positive spin to rebut a charge of breaking the law.

Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at
michael-shannon@comcast.net.

Michael R. Shannon
MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations
703-583-6277
571-969-1995 Google Voice
http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrshannon
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-washington-dc/michael-shannon

 

WesternFront America

Surprise, surprise! Herman Cain has risen to at least a tie for the number one slot amongst the candidates for the GOP nomination for President. It seems everyone is surprised – but Herman Cain.

So – what the heck is going on here?

Here’s what I THINK is happening:

REAL conservatives within the republican ranks are in near rebellion. They actually LIKE Herman Cain and they actually LIKE his platform. But that is only a part of the story here… in my opinion.

Conservative republicans have made no secret of the fact that they do not want Romney as the GOP candidate for President. That puts them at direct odds with the GOP and the RNC.

See, Romney was supposed to be the GOP candidate this time round. I the time honored fashion of the Republican Party, it is Romney’s turn. Never mind that he has very little chance of actually beating Obama in a head to head race for the Oval Office, the GOP made its decision that Romney would be the candidate long ago. They made a very serious mistake. They didn’t ask the grassroots conservatives in the parry how they felt about it. Had they done so, the republican field of candidates would be very different than it is today.

I catch a lot of flak concerning my insistence that Obama stands a better than even chance of winning four more years in the Presidency. In fact, I believe there is every reason to believe that he WILL win another term even with all the problems the country has today… many of which can be traced directly to his inadequacy as a leader on the national and international stage.

Never, ever, underestimate the democrat’s election machine and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win an election. I am seriously afraid the GOP is making that mistake in the2012 election and, as a result, may find themselves waiting four more years for a shot at the Presidency.

Now. The grassroots conservatives do not like Mr. Romney’s politics. He is far too liberal a candidate for tastes. (Please. Do not try to convince me that Romney is a conservative. History is on my side.)

Mr. Romney is a pure politician who will trim his sails for the prevailing political winds. He will continue to tack, either side of the wind, to get to his destination. Just as a seasoned sailor can tack either side of the wind to take their vessel just about anywhere they want, regardless of the winds direction, Mr. Romney has a past record of just such maneuvering. Conservatives don’t like that. They REALLY don’t like it. And southern conservatives like it even less.

So, what to do? Support a so-called second tier candidate, a candidate they actually like to begin with, but has very little chance of achieving the anointment of the GOP. Walla! Herman Cain.

I am a born and bred southerner. I eat, sleep, and breathe southern. As such, I can tell you today, that I would not be surprised if Herman Cain swept the primaries in the southern states.

Why would conservatives vote for another inexperienced black man for president? The answer is simple … Mr. Cain strikes them as an honest, no bull, honorable man. Cain has held fast to his principles and has impressed conservatives with his forthright answers to the media’s questions, and (and this is VERY important) he has the ability to lift the spirits of conservatives and inspire that “can do” spirit that made this country great in the first place. Southern conservatives are drawn to his gracious southern charisma. And … contrary to what the liberal press, the democrats, and Hollywood would have you believe — the southern people are no more racist than any other Americans.

Now. Having said all of the above … this is a very fluid campaign season among republicans because we have been asked, again, to support a candidate we don’t like. We are tired of “settling” for a candidate and we would really like for once in a very long while to be able to endorse, and support our republican candidate will all the enthusiasm and energy we have not been able to commit to ca candidate since Ronald Reagan.

Now we wait for establishment republicans to undermine the Cain campaign and make sure Romney regains the top spot in the polls. You can be sure the heat will be on Mr. Cain and it will increase in intensity in the immediate future.

That calls for a warning to the Romney campaign. Whether conservatives go to the polls and cast a ballot in November or stay at home disgusted, may very well depend upon the Romney campaign’s efforts to discredit and/or destroy Herman Cain’s campaign.

I say, again: If Romney is the GOP nominee, there is a very good chance that Obama will be returned to the Oval Office for four more years. Frankly, I’m not at all certain America can survive another Obama term in office.

J. D. Longstreet

 

WesternFront America

I am fed up with being the “red-headed stepchild” of the Republican Party!

I am a conservative and have been my entire adult life. When I registered to vote on my 21^st birthday, I registered as a republican. I have remained with the party for over 50 years.

The past few election cycles, I have been forced to “settle” for non-conservative presidential candidates. I expect this election to be no different.

All indications are that the GOP is going to nominate Romney as it’s presidential candidate for 2012.

As a conservative, Romney scares the heck out of me. I just do not see enough difference between Romney and Obama for me to even make the trip to the polling place in November of 2012.

I left the following comment on the Texas Fred Blog yesterday: “Romney was “The Chosen One” by the GOP/RNC from the beginning. They are embarrassed and shamed by even having conservatives in the party. I am sick to my stomach with it. Hell, I already know what I’m getting with Obama! With Romney, I expect to get the same thing … but as a republican I’ll be blamed for it!

I have had it with the GOP. The northeast blue blood country club elitists have a choke hold on the GOP and as long as we conservatives remain in the party they will continue to use us and show their gratitude by treating us as floor mats. I’m sick of it!”

I’d like to recommend you read Texas Fred’s post entitled: “Romney to be GOP nominee – Elections no longer required” HERE.

Look. I do not believe that Romney can win against Obama. I have been saying that for a very long time now. Nothing has changed that would lead me to believe otherwise. President Harry Truman told us the American electorate would choose the real thing over an imitation … every time. He was correct.

Romney strikes me as another northeastern “milquetoast candidate” who can be steamed rolled by the democratic machine.

If you think the divide between the Congress and the Oval Office is wide now consider that should Romney win, the conservatives in the House and Senate are NOT GOING TO FOLLOW ROMNEY’S LEAD! And they shouldn’t. The government will be locked down every bit as much under a Romney presidency as it is today under Obama.

I’ll say it again: Conservatives desperately need to pull out of the republican party and form their own party — if they ever hope to have a real, lasting, impact on the US government.

Now, I know I’m going to be blasted by republicans for suggesting such a thing especially at such a critical time for America. I would answer — if not now – WHEN?

I come from a long line of South Carolina conservative hot heads. (You may recall the last time my ancestors had a beef with the US government.) My home state is one of the most conservative states (if not THE most) in the country. We have a history of not caring for the “timing” of a scrap with those we perceive as antagonists.

The US has reached the critical stage in its existence. I am convinced that our survival as a free people hangs on the results of the 2012 election. I also know I am being about as delicate as a bull in a china shop suggesting that conservatives leave the GOP in these months before such an important event in our history.

In my opinion, the RNC knows that a huge portion of the votes for Romney, especially in the south, will be votes not for Romney, but votes against Obama. They KNOW that and they are counting on that very thing to push Romney across the finish line as the victor.

You say: real republican conservatives won’t run for President. I ask – why should they? See, they already know the deck, in the upper levels of the GOP, are already stacked against them.

So what about Cain and Bachmann? Truthfully? They haven’t a snowball’s chance in Hades of winning the nomination.

So. Here we conservatives are — again. About to lose an election even if the Republican Party wins. Sound familiar?

What is it they say about doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results each time? Oh, yeah. Insanity!

J. D. Longstreet

 

WesternFront America

Conservatives make a fundamental mistake regarding government employees. Frequently conservatives rail against lazy workers, using the enthusiasm–challenged as examples of all that’s wrong with government.

Yet drones making personal calls on their cell phone aren’t proponents of bigger, more intrusive government. Those disciples of inertia are, in a way, our friends.

It’s energetic and ambitious employees who want to expand government and these are the workers conservatives should be trying to eliminate.

Look at Virginia’s DMV, that long–time conservative whipping boy. Sluggish DMV employees aren’t agitating for more authority. They’re content with processing the license or registration paperwork at the standard glacial pace.

Sleepy employees aren’t trying to expand DMV jurisdiction into selling government tires or oil changes. Their only goal is to discover once and for all what ratio of closed to open customer service windows produces the maximum number of disgruntled citizens with the least elected official outrage.

If you mistakenly inject a few highly motivated employees into the DMV the wait may go down to a comparatively speedy half–day, but with time on their hands the new hires may decide to go out into the parking lot and check the tint density on your SUV windows.

Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the real–world example of the damage and expense an eager–beaver employee can cause. VDOT scientist Bridget Donaldson has lately become concerned about that unfortunate byproduct of highway use – roadkill.

It’s not that she’s worried about the potential proliferation of small roadside memorials to squashed raccoons; Donaldson is preoccupied with the entire flattened fauna disposal process.

VDOT currently spends about $4.4 million annually disposing of animal carcasses, which only goes to show it takes a long time to clean any gene pool. In 77 percent of the cases crews haul vehicle victims to the nearest landfill and, according to Donaldson’s scare statistics, that can be a 40–mile round trip. The rest of the time practical VDOT employees simply bury the creature by the side of the road.

As a taxpayer, I’m satisfied, but then I’m not a ‘scientist.’ Instead of simply drinking coffee from her World Wildlife Federation mug, Donaldson wants to fix what ain’t broke and have VDOT embark on a new initiative that will cost more money and “help the environment.”

She claims that burying Rocket J. Squirrel by the side of the road could release harmful pollutants and bacteria, to say nothing of the damage adding his corpse to the critical mass of Happy Meal boxes and plastic bags in the landfill might produce.

If this was during former governor Tim Kaine’s administration, Donaldson could have simply recommended animal carcasses be stored in closed rest stops — instead she wants to compost the critters by mixing carcasses and wood chips, which sounds suspiciously like a Kashi bar to me.

But isn’t burial the original composting? And what could be more natural than decomposition, which doesn’t require the use of fossil fuels? If Donaldson is correct regarding the release of “harmful pollutants and bacteria” from burial, then every cemetery in the country is eligible to be declared a Superfund site.

Donaldson is simply not content to let roadside maggots do their work in peace. She wants to store vulture vittles in large gasoline–tanker sized drums that can cost up to $80,000 each. Presumably these cemetery cylinders will be cruising the Commonwealth looking for customers, which will surely burn more gas than the occasional landfill trip.

And how many road pizzas will it take to fill one of these behemoths? How much protective gear will the poor soul have to wear when he adds the last few fur frisbees to the marinating mix, if he hopes to survive the odor onslaught? And who wants to be stuck behind one of these critter containers during an August traffic jam on I–95?

Her alternate composting method requires building large concrete plazas for the putrefaction piles with the rotting runoff directed into a water–treatment plant that will have to be modified or built from scratch at additional taxpayer expense.

I’ll just bet every economic development authority in Virginia will be lobbying to get one of these “earth–friendly” odor–paloozas for their jurisdiction.

We should be thankful Donaldson doesn’t want a Wiccan to say a few words over the dearly departed.

A computer solitaire–playing VDOT scientist would’ve been content to let nature take its course, saving taxpayers the expense of studies and subsequent “solutions.” Which is why I’m now calling on conservatives to live and let live with the lethargic and embrace the ennui.

Smaller government depends upon it.

Michael R. Shannon
MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations
703-583-6277
571-969-1995 Google Voice
http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrshannon
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-washington-dc/michael-shannon

 

WesternFront America

Michele Bachmann made her announcement to run for president this past week. The third-term Republican congresswoman from Minnesota had the full attention of Americans.

That includes not only those who watch Fox News, but liberal CNN.

Tea Party favorite

The founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, Bachmann gives Tea Partiers a courageous, intelligent, extremely attractive candidate to get behind and support. It’s fair to say she is adored by her supporters. She holds core conservative values and stands strong on social issues.

Contrary to what her liberal detractors think, her political ideology is why she will win the Republican Party’s endorsement, in my estimation. She embodies the values of America, as well as those of the party’s base.

If old-guard Republican elitists believe that they do not need the help of evangelical, biblical Christians from all denominations to win in the election, they are sadly mistaken. Social issues do indeed matter to the vast majority of the electorate. Don’t let the liberal media tell you differently. The Tea Party movement endorses the words “endowed by their Creator,” found in the Declaration of Independence. “We The People” want it all.

Non-establishment leader

It’s my opinion that Bachmann has what it takes to win over the entire anti-Washington crowd. The tireless mother of five — and foster mother of 23 — is more than capable of running an exceptional campaign.

Bachmann is resilient and able to withstand the scrutiny of the election process because she possesses genuine substance. Bachmann is honest and true. She gives clear evidence of integrity, while exhibiting a patriot’s heart.

That was evident in her “Tea Party response” to Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address.

“She’s the real deal,” says Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota. Bachmann earned a perfect score from the American Conservative Union. The former Treasury Department lawyer consistently votes for small-government, stands for less taxation, and demands growing the economy in the private sector without Big Brother’s unwarranted intervention.

Bachmann can be trusted to tackle the most egregious polices of this administration, including full-scale repeal of Obamacare, one of her top priorities. The Republican Party has a winning candidate who has been the forerunner behind the scenes. She is formidable, upright, and willing to give her all while serving her country.

No question, Bachmann’s a powerful leader. I’ll gladly give her my vote. I’m convinced she’ll easily win over other conservatives who’ll gladly give their support in the voting booth.

Right on down the list

American Thinker’s Jay Kronzer recently wrote a thought-provoking piece titled “Top Ten Reasons Why Michele Bachmann Could Win the 2012 Republican Nomination.” Here’s Kronzer’s list:

“1. She is a fundraising powerhouse. She raised more money in the first quarter of this year than any other member of Congress except Speaker Boehner.

“2. She has a loyal base. She is the only true conservative in the race (except for Herman Cain) and would be the obvious choice of the Tea Partiers and grassroots. And if anybody knows how to organize, it’s the Tea Parties, as we found out in ’09 and ’10 to the Democrats’ dismay. If they get behind her, there’s no stopping that train.

“3. She has the right amount of name recognition. At 60%, she has name recognition high enough to attract significant attention in the media and enough to catch on among primary voters, but not too much so that she is not still a fresh face. Romney’s recognition might be high enough to be a detriment to his campaign, as he is seen as same-old, same-old by many primary voters.

“4. She has the second highest positive intensity score. At 22%, she excites the conservative grassroots — the Tea Party, social conservatives and evangelical Christians, fiscal conservatives and small businessmen, the military, and constitutionalists. She surpasses Romney, Pawlenty, Palin, Ron Paul, and all the other candidates except Herman Cain. While Cain has 25%, he does not have the name recognition (38%), experience (zero in the government), nor fundraising prowess to be competitive. Michele Bachmann is strong in all the areas Cain lacks.”

“5. The percentage of people who strongly disapprove of Obama is high. As of this writing, the number of people that strongly disapprove of Obama is 36%. That number has been as high as 47% in the past. Many establishment Republicans claim that Bachmann could be a lightning rod for criticism and that too many people don’t like her. This statistic shows that the number of people who strongly dislike Obama outweighs any dislike for a conservative Republican nominee like Bachmann. Let’s dispel any myths that a staunch conservative cannot beat the President, especially since he is a radical liberal.

“6. The percentage of people who strongly disapprove of Bachmann is low. Among Republicans who recognize her, Bachmann’s strongly unfavorable rate is only three percent, and her unfavorable rate is thirteen percent, lower than Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Gary Johnson, Jon Huntsman, and Mitt Romney.

“7. She is, potentially, the only woman in the race. If Palin doesn’t run as she is expected not to, the conservative women will naturally flock to Bachmann. She is charismatic and attractive. She captivates audiences and can fire up a crowd. Bachmann will attract attention and stand out amongst all the other presidential hopefuls making history as the first Republican woman to run for President.

“8. She carries little baggage. Mitt Romney has “Romneycare” and lacks trust with social conservatives. Newt Gingrich supported cap and trade in the past (as seen in a political ad with Nancy Pelosi), insulted Republicans by dissing the Paul Ryan plan, and has three messy marriages. Pawlenty also supported cap and trade and, along with supporting a tax increase as Governor of Minnesota, said that “government has to be more proactive, more aggressive” and “the era of small government is over.”[i] Do these men sound like small government conservatives to you?

“9. She has a great story. She is a businesswoman who worked her way up the ladder. She is a mom with five children who opened up her home to twenty-three foster children. She is an underdog who can beat the odds, and a real life example of the American dream.

“10. She is widely underestimated. Her opponents, in both the Republican primary and Obama himself, truly believe that there is no way she can possibly win. This is one of her greatest strengths. I seem to recall another underestimated conservative who went on to win the presidency in 1980 and is now regarded as one of the greatest presidents in American history.” (Full article)

Reason for optimism

With everything that Bachmann has going for her, there is more than enough reason to finally begin to feel positive and optimistic. America’s future will be safer in her hands. One definite plus for her is that she is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Four more years of President Barack Obama will fundamentally change America forever. That frightful notion is no longer an option anyone can afford to dabble with. Americans have had enough experimentation with socialism. Redistribution of wealth is not the American way.

I’m ready to move forward with Minnesota’s favorite daughter and take our country back. How about you?

Marie’s chosen song: The Heritage Singers — “He Is Able”
RenewAmerica has a clarion call for a “Revival.”

See: What can I do to help preserve America?

© Marie Jon

 

WesternFront America

by J. D. Longstreet

The first GOP Presidential debate is coming up and the GOP still hasn’t fielded a candidate capable of winning against Obama. If a Republican candidate (with at least a chance of winning) doesn’t soon toss his or her hat into the ring, Obama wins by forfeit… of a sort.

Honestly, it is becoming depressing! The candidates, I personally could support, all seem to be sitting 2012 out and waiting on 2016. The problem with that strategy is – there may not be a country to be President of by 2016!

My southern experience tells me, southerners enjoy the show Mr. Trump is providing, but we don’t take him seriously as an honest to goodness candidate – even if he decides to run.

Mr. Romney cannot carry the southern states. Why? A couple of things: RomnyCare is one reason. It is considered a form of Obamacare. It has been referred to as ObamaCare Lite. The second reason… well, let me put it this way: Do you really expect Southern Baptists to vote for a Mormon? Hey, it is an honest question based on my experience. I was reared in a Southern Baptist home. I became Lutheran in my mid-twenties and today I am considered a “recovering Baptist.”

Look, I could tick them all off, but suffice it to say, as a southerner, I am not enthused about any of them and I do not see, hear, or feel, any excitement amongst my fellow southern Americans for any candidate, or would-be candidate, in the current field.

Over the weekend, the New York Times suggested “Republicans Are Pursuing a Wider Field for 2012 Race.” (Read the article ) I beg to disagree with that. Well, sort of. It is not a wider field we are looking for. It is a winning candidate. We are tired of the same old faces, the same old, “It’s my turn” plea, and the same old ambivalent promises. We yearn for a fresh face with a strong character, leadership skills, and someone who will cut through the smoke and haze and “tell it like it is!”

With the first GOP debate coming up later this week — we STILL don’t know who will be on the panel of candidates! This is no way to inspire confidence in neither GOP supporters nor fear in the democrats. It is a sign of weakness right from the git-go. And THAT is depressing!

Telling it like it is in plain, simple language, even though some of his language is, uh, shall we say, “colorful,” is the reason why Donald Triumph has made such headway in the polls.

I could add: “Moderates and RINOS Need Not Apply.” Not this time, anyway. There is a grassroots movement of conservatives just waiting to throw their considerable support behind a hardcore conservative Republican candidate and the sooner the better. But where is he/she? Where?

I really think it is a mistake for qualified GOP candidates to sit out 2012. The country is in serious trouble. It will only get worse if Obama is not sent packing and a general house cleaning of the various agencies such as the EPA, the FCC, … well, heck, ALL of them by a new conservative President with the assistance of a GOP Congress is undertaken on day one of the new presidency.

Another thing: There is not as much money out here in the hinterlands as there has been in campaign cycles past. Sure, the money will begin flowing — AFTER the candidates are announced and the field is set.

We know the Obama people have the money and they have home field advantage with his incumbency. We are at half time. The GOP took the first half but they can’t win the game if they only win the first half! Not in the game of politics.

Conservatives are waiting for a candidate they can rally around. So far that candidate has not stepped forward. So, we are still waiting, keeping our powder dry, just waiting, and waiting.

The longer conservatives wait the more certain it becomes that some will simply turn away in disgust and sit out the election in 2012.
May Providence forgive America for what we did to this country in 2006 and 2008. We can at least TRY to redeem ourselves in 2012… but … NOT THIS WAY!

J. D. Longstreet

J. D. Longstreet blogs daily at INSIGHT on Freedom at: http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/

E-Mail: longstreet1862@gmail.com

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WesternFront America

By J. D. Longstreet

OK. Before you go all “union” on me – allow me to explain that I am, like most of you, I suspect, trying to get my head around the question of who the GOP is going to actually run as their candidate for the Office of President and Vice-President in 2012. Right now, I suspect, you are as confused as “yours truly.”

We conservatives are still looking for the “dark horse” candidate to appear and give us a reason to get excited about the 2012 election so we can stoke the fires that will drive our candidate across the finish line in victory and try to bring some sanity back to our federal government in Washington, DC.

Lately, the name of Congressman Allen West of Florida has been persistently popping up on blogs, in the news, and on talk shows.

Recently it was report that “It seems Florida Rep. Allen West is considering joining potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a bid for president.” Congressman West is reported to have said: “Who knows what’s going to happen,” Mr. West said “If the people think that I have an ability to continue my service of my country in a different capacity, first of all we gotta talk to God, we gotta talk to my family, we gotta talk to the constituents.” (Read the entire article HERE.)

Possible candidate Donald Trump is set to speak at a Tea Party gathering in West’s state of Florida in the near future.

It seems Mr. Trump has little chance of getting the Republican nomination as the Presidential candidate and it has been reported that some GOP leaders ARE considering West as a Vice-Presidential candidate, a running mate for the candidate chosen to carry the Republican banner in the campaign for President.

That said, the Tea Party is seriously looking at BOTH men as possible Presidential candidates. Both men are conservatives and Trump has been giving voice to the Tea Party’s platform. He seems a much better fit as a Tea Party candidate than a GOP candidate. But, he has publicly stated that his candidacy as a Tea Party candidate might result in splitting the conservative vote and usher Obama back into the Oval Office for a second term. Trump does not want that and, it goes without saying, the conservative electorate does not want that, either. In fact it is their worst nightmare.

Congressman West has made it clear that he did not want his comments to be interpreted as an endorsement of Trump. In fact, he says he has no plans to endorse any candidate.

But the buzz about West as a presidential candidate is persistent and it is growing louder and more enthusiastic.

The American Thinker blog has asked the question: “The Next Black President?” In the article the thinker says: “ Newly elected Allen West’s conservative message has already made him a target of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. West’s crime?  Expressing what the left would define as a racist opinion:  That America is presently in the business of making “more victims” and will not survive if we continue to foster Obama’s “bureaucratic nanny state.”

The keynote speaker at the 2011 CPAC, Colonel West did not exploit podium time to harp on racial, social or economic ‘injustice,’ but instead spoke of tried and true conservative concepts like “effective and efficient constitutional government, peace through strength, and staying true to…American values.”

West’s speech touched upon the tragedy of American culture being “subservient to multiculturalism,” the need for America to promptly dispose of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the travesty of granting Constitutional rights to terrorists, and how the United States must always remain faithful to Israel.” (Read the entire article HERE.)

The article closes with this profound statement: “Now as 2012 approaches, new voices offer a message of genuine “hope” and positive “change.” On the horizon, the “dawn of a new America” approaches and with it comes a unique opportunity to replace America’s first black president with a man who, secondary to being a patriotic American, just happens to be black.” (SOURCE)

I, for one, will, most certainly, be scrutinizing Congressman West’s qualifications over the next weeks and months for my own edification and I suggest you do the same.

America has fallen on perilous times and we desperately need a conservative leader as President — and conservative leadership in both houses of the Congress if we have any hope of rescuing America from the clutches of the terminal illness called socialism.

Judging from what I have read, so far, about Congressman Allen West he is certainly a man worthy of consideration by conservatives as a candidate for the top office in the US government.

J. D. Longstreet blogs daily at INSIGHT on Freedom at: http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/

E-Mail: longstreet1862@gmail.com

 

WesternFront America

By Michael R. Shannon

Conservatives and Tea party voters now know the discount rate on Boehner–led Republican promises is in the neighborhood of 62 percent. This means if Speaker Boehner promises to cut $100 billion from an Obama spending spree while running for office in November, you are going to get no more than $38 billion when he’s actually in power in April.

In return for this bait–and–switch, the conservatives are expected to continue voting Republican and Boehner will promise to respect us in the morning.

The Speaker enjoyed the support of over 80 Republican freshmen elected on a pledge to take an axe to spending and he couldn’t even eliminate funds for public broadcasting.
This is why politicians and their promises are held in such low esteem: They’ve earned it.

In an opinion piece in USA Today, Boehner characterizes failure as, “the largest spending cut in history to help begin to create a better environment for private-sector job growth.”

The Wall Street Journal establishment view of the proceedings agrees with Speaker Boehner that avoiding a government shutdown was a famous victory: “Yes, we know, $39 billion in spending cuts for 2011 is less than the $61 billion passed by the House and shrinks the overall federal budget by only a little more than 1 percent. The compromise also doesn’t repeal ObamaCare, kill the EPA’s anti–carbon rules, defund Planned Parenthood, reform the entitlement state, or part the Red Sea…

“Republicans also showed they are able to make the compromises required to govern. We realize that “governing” can often be an excuse for incumbent self-interest. But this early show of political maturity will demonstrate to independents that the freshmen and tea party Republicans they elected in November aren’t the yahoos of media lore.”

So let me see if I understand this; when those truthful House Republicans, lead by Boehner, stood in front of the Capital and unveiled the Contract with America promising to cut $100 billion dollars from Obama spending they were completely sincere because they were unfamiliar with the concept of “compromise.”

They only realized to their shock that “compromises [are] required to govern” after the election when Boehner discovered the concept squirreled away in Nancy Pelosi’s old desk among the discarded bobby pins and wrinkle cream tubes.

So conservatives really shouldn’t feel used after first being promised $100 billion in cuts, then a pro–rated $61 billion and finally given a $38 billion crumb?

Don’t insult my intelligence.

One of two alternatives is true: either GOP leadership had no idea Democrats would oppose $100 billion in cuts and were completely blindsided by this development — which calls their intellect into question — or, more likely, they knew all along there was no chance $100 billion in cuts would pass, but it was a nice round number that gullible conservatives could remember long enough to vote GOP — which calls their integrity into question.

It’s hard to tell who holds the Tea party in greater contempt: Democrats or Republicans.
And, as we’ve seen in the past, a Republican officeholder only exhibits “maturity” and “grows in office” when he sells out the people who elected him.

I’m really tired of being manipulated by politicians. How about you?

Any successful salesman will tell you the way to keep trust with a client and develop a long­–term relationship is to under promise and over deliver. This is a foreign concept in Washington, DC, where it’s over promise and seldom deliver.

But not to worry, we have another chance! The real fight to cut spending is coming up! The Final Battle will either be the vote to raise the debt ceiling or the 2012 budget or maybe both! Conservatives are supposed to believe that every retreat only brings us that much closer to ultimate victory. Yet potential budget cuts are the only place you’ll ever see a Democrat exhibit warlike tendencies — as they fight for every nickel.

It’s discouraging that Rep. Eric Cantor (R–VA) and Boehner have already unleashed the tried and true GOP tactic of pre­–emptive surrender. Both have said it would be a “fiscal disaster” if Congress does not vote to increase the debt limit, which essentially spikes their main gun before the first shot is fired. All that’s left is to negotiate the terms of surrender with Harry Reid.

It’s all very depressing. I wonder if conservatives will ever see a time when Republicans fight as hard to save money as Democrats do to spend it?

But in the meantime, I’ve got to go outside. Lucy wants me to kick the football.
Michael R. Shannon is a public relations, advertising and political consultant with experience around the globe. He is also a popular speaker and can be reached at michael–shannon@comcast.net.

Michael R. Shannon
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WesternFront America

Mitt Romney was in New Hampshire over the weekend shining his image as he endeavors to capture the republican nomination as the candidate for President of the United States. Problem is – conservatives, whose numbers basically control the nominating process; don’t want any part of Romney. (Count “yours truly among them!)

For at least two years prior to the 2008 presidential election we told anyone and everyone, who would listen, that John McCain would never be President of the United States. But, the GOP, being a heck of a lot smarter and far and away more intelligent and politically savvy that I, nominated the guy anyway. McCain went down in flames – and so did America.

I am going out on that same limb again to declare, here and now, that Mitt Romney, if nominated, will not be elected over Barack Obama in 2012. It just isn’t going to happen.

How can I say that? Easy. I know my people.

My people are the southern conservatives. No GOP candidate can be elected president without the support of the southern conservatives — and Romney does not have their support and cannot get it … ever!

Why, you may ask, will southern conservatives not vote for a republican candidate in order to save America from another four years of Obama? Oh, that is an easy one!

We simply do not see how Romney is all that different from Obama. I mean – he DID sign into law a healthcare bill very similar to ObamaCare in his state of Massachusetts. He is a social liberal, and he is a Mormon. (Mormonism is not looked upon favorably in the South. I write this as I sit approximately two bocks from a Mormon “church.”)

No. Romney is totally unacceptable to southerner conservatives. Allow me to be as clear as I possibly can: I say again — Romney will not get the southern conservative vote … PERIOD!

You may have noticed the mainstream media is promoting Romney’s acceptability as the GOP nominee. That, alone, should give every conservative voter in America pause.

Could it possibly be that the MSM wants an easy win for Obama? And believe me, with Romney as the republican candidate – the election WOULD BE an EASY win for Obama.

We all know the MSM is in Obama’s corner – all the way — and we know, from experience, they will prostitute themselves for Obama and the liberal-socialist Democratic Party at every opportunity.

When the MSM becomes a “booster club” for Romney – well, we just have to turn our conservative backs on him and look elsewhere for a REAL conservative candidate.

Romney’s “new image” is supposed to lure us into voting for the guy. Now he is a “man of the people” sans necktie, and perfect hair. Now he is busy pressing the flesh amongst crowds of the great unwashed… etc. Down here, we call that “old wine in new bottles.” We see it for what it is — and it is repugnant.

If Romney is the best the GOP can offer, my fellow Americans, we are in deep, deep, trouble.

Even in the very best scenario I can imagine, the GOP nominee will need every vote he/she can get. I mean EVERY vote. The Obama forces will be busing their voters to the polls in convoys. There will be a tsunami of democrat voters flooding the polling places to keep THEIR president in office.

Without the southern conservative voter NO GOP CANDIDATE WILL STAND A CHANCE.

So, republicans mulling whether to run for president take notice: You had better spend your time here, in the south, where the campaign for president will be won or lost depending upon the favor, or lack thereof, of the southern conservative voter.

We will not vote for you simply because there is an “R” by your name. We WILL NOT vote for you in order to cast a vote against Obama. We WILL NOT knowingly choose the lesser of two evils.

The southern conservative WILL vote for a candidate they believe in … a true conservative candidate. Any would-be GOP candidate having credentials less than 100% conservative might as well save the time, energy, and the money mounting a campaign for 2012. You might have a better shot in 2016. But frankly, I doubt it.

J. D. Longstreet blogs daily at INSIGHT on Freedom at: http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/

 

WesternFront America