Phil Bell for Young Republicans of Virginia Chair

I know Phil very well.  Not only is a great guy, he is a dedicated conservative grassroots activist.  The Virginia YR's would be lucky to have him.  He will do what needs to be done to get the organization more focused on reaching republican voters and fundraising.  

If you are a young republican in Virginia, get to the meeting and vote for Phil.  

Dear Fellow Virginians,

After a rough-and-tumble campaign, we are just four days away from an election that will have an impact on Virginia's political future. That election will take place at this Saturday's Young Republican Convention in Arlington, where we will elect new leadership for Virginia's Republicans under age 41.

My campaign, which has helped the Young Republicans raise thousands of dollars and made more Republicans active, is an example of how the Young Republican Federation of Virginia will operate if I am elected Chair. We will hold each other accountable for our actions, we will find new Republicans by stepping outside of our comfort zone, we will use this success to raise more money, and we will be a model for growing the Republican Party across the Nation.

This effort has been about restoring our bold Conservative voice. That voice was heard when John Winthrop created the vision of America as a Shining City Upon a Hill. It was heard on the battlefield of Yorktown. It was heard again when Bill Buckley, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan woke us from a long Liberal slumber--and it will be heard here if we choose to once again follow the path that made America great.

So I ask for your vote as Chairman as we start back on that path. Don't hesitate to contact me by telephone at (201) 602-4934 or via e-mail at Phillip.Bell@Gmail.com if you have any questions about me or my plans for this organization. If you haven't filled out a delegate form, there's still time, so please click here now!

If you're not part of the Young Republicans, please get in touch. Growing the Republican Party means getting everyone possible on board, so e-mail me at Phillip.Bell@Gmail.com and I'll get you on the right track to being an active Republican. 

Please see below for the details for this Saturday's convention, and I hope to see you there!

Convention Information:

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013

Time: Sign-in Begins at 9:30am. Please Arrive no later than 10:15am

Location: Bailey's Pub and Grill (4238 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA). This is located in the Ballston Mall and parking is available in the mall garage for $1

Sincerely,

Phil Bell

Phillip L. Bell
Tel: 201-602-4934
E-mail: Phillip.Bell@Gmail.com
Web: www.facebook.com/yrvictoryexpress

Was it all a Heist?

That's the question that Jim Geraghty is asking about Christine O'Donnell failed senate campaign.  It seems that she has almost $1 million left over in her campaign coffers.  A campaign spokesman has said that this was advised by legal counsel in case funds would be needed for legal challenges.  Sadly, many elections incur legal costs after election day for recounts and charges of voter fraud. 

But, this isn't what the legal costs would have been for.  O'Donnell had two investigations filed against her; one from the State GOP and one from CREW.  Both of which were filed very early on.  The state party filed before the  primary and CREW filed shortly after her primary win. 

It is no secret that I questioned the honesty and integrity of Christine O'Donnell and reading this has done nothing to change my mind.  While I am no fan of either Senator-Elect Coons or of Congressman Castle, I still felt that people rallying around a candidate that seems to have a Clintonian relationship with the truth was not the best of ideas. 

The money will be allowed to stay in that account in case she decides to run for political office again.  The real issue than becomes that once she declares her candidacy for another public office that money can be used to generate a monthly salary for herself.  This is something that she had been doing in the past.  Her federal income tax return shows that in 2009 she made an income of $5800.   How does one live off of that?  The law states that she will be able to collect an income of either the amount of her last year's income or the income of the office that she is seeking.  Her salary will be much higher in 2010 as she just recently signed a book deal. 

I have no problem with the fact that she is planning on writing a book and using her experience as running for senate to make some money.  That is the way a capitalist system works.  My issue is that her history is one that deserves more scrutiny than it received by grassroots activists.  The Tea Party and Sarah Palin rallied around a woman without doing the due diligence into her history. 

The grassroots movement needs to be more careful which candidates that they are raising the banner for.  While it is true that many involved in the tea party are new to politics, that doesn't mean that doing some background checks on potential candidates is something that should be ignored.  Backing candidates that have questionable personal histories is not something that this movement can afford to keep doing if it wants to move forward. 

There is no way to know at this time what O'Donnell plans on doing with these funds, but if she does choose to run again in two years, these questions should be raised before the tea party rallies around her once again.  If we are saying to Washington that we want them to act more responsibly, then we need to thoroughly vet who were are attempting to send in to replace them.  Otherwise we are just continuing the cycle instead of turning the tide to a more honest and transparent government. 

Tea party protesters: Are they really right-wing nuts?

I enjoy watching the Glenn Beck Show on Fox News, I have been watching him since his stint with CNN. I think he is funny as well as being informative. Yesterday, he did a show on the people who attended the tea parties.
The show was done to show that many people across this country are dismissing this movement a little too quickly. Here are some of the reasons that people gave for going:

• Loss of trust in Washington
• Afraid of the direction the country is taking.
• Media not doing the job they are paid to do.

I was one of these protesters. This was the first time that I and many others have ever done it. If you had asked me six months ago if I ever would go to one I would have laughed and said no way. I have always been passionate, but tended not to do much beyond voting and volunteering. The majority of the people in his audience yesterday said the same thing.

There were a few other things that the media, Speaker Pelosi, and President Obama may find surprising:

• they want to get rid of the two party system; it is no longer working
• They have left their former party affiliation
• They are becoming Libertarian leaning
• They are most upset at the GOP (as they expected all the spending from democrats)
• They want the media to concentrate on the issues and forget the personalities
• Fox News Channel is just as bad as MSNBC and CNN
• Former President Bush is also responsible for the march towards Socialism

The people in the audience was the same as what was at the tea party I attended; across the spectrum of the color and political bars. Another words, we are not racist rednecks that hate President Obama, nor are we terrorists in waiting. We also are not willing to let that be it. We will be marching some more. There is another big one being planned for September 12 in Washington DC. From what I have seen on some of the websites, people are coming from other parts of the country to take part.

We are fighting to get control of the outrageous and unnecessary spending, the out of control growth of government, and how our Constitution is being rendered obsolete by the very people who have sworn an oath to uphold it. I watched some of the media coverage after I got home from my tea party and the local ABC station said we had no real solutions. Here are a few that were mentioned yesterday - as well as any 9-12 meeting that you would go to:

• Running for office outside of the two party system
• Getting rid of the income tax
• Convene a new Constitutional Convention

We would like to follow in the footsteps of our founders; to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson
When people fear the government it is tyranny
When government fears the people it is liberty

The real lessons that need to get across to the naysayers are that we will not be stopping anytime soon, we are mad as hell at all of the politicians, and this is about so much more than taxes. Nancy Pelosi, the mainstream media, and President Obama need to stop underestimating us. After all, a grassroots movement is how we have the current President. I find it interesting how soon he has forgotten the very thing that put him where is now.