The Retirement Train Picking Up Steam

We have had two more retirements from the senate announced within the last 24 hours.  Jim Webb's announcement came earlier today.  This came as no surprised to me, I looked up his balance from last quarters FEC filing and he had very little money and no fundraising events planned as far as I could tell. 

Webb is tough nut to crack.  His first high profile government job was in the Reagan administration as Sec. of the Navy.  He is also is a decorated military man.  I am not sure exactly what year he became a democrat, but it was later in life.  His announcement states that he wants to return to the private sector, and he has written several books so I am sure we will be seeing another. 

If you are not from Virginia, Webb has not been in the national spotlight all that often.  But you may remember three times that he was.  The most recent being he was one of the last democrats to announce if he would support Obamacare or not.  Which really made me PO'd because he didn't get Virginia anything in return.  I have yet to figure out of that means he is principled or just a cheap date.  The next was that he was on the short list for the VP slot two years ago.  The last being a few years back he was very rude to President Bush.  While that isn't any surprise for a senator to not be happy with a sitting president of another party, but Webb was so classless that he decided to bring this into the White House.  Webb has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, which I believe helped him get elected and to win the nomination for the seat.  One of Webb's sons was stationed in Iraq and President Bush asked after him, and Webb told him it was none of his business. 

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President"

Now, anyone that reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I treat the office of the Presidency of the United States with respect.  I don't care what you feel about the person, but the office should be revered.  Regardless of who is in it.  You don't insult the President to his face inside the White House.  You just don't.  I don't care what party you are from.  As far as I can tell Webb has never held a townhall meeting, so I was never able to ask him personally if he didnt' respect the president should I believe that he respects me.  He was there to represent my interests, so I think it was a fair question.  I called his office about it a few times and never got an answer, or one that I thought was satisfactory anyway.  I was told that was a private conversation.  If I read about it in the newspapers how private could it have been? 

Another issue is the fact that he is no liberal either.  He voted along party lines on the big things, but he didn't exactly make the party faithful happy when he wrote an OP-ED on how affirmative action has long since outlived it usefulness.  Not a popular position within the left.  He also has been pretty outspoken about southern culture, which does include Virginia's history with the confederacy.  Another position that hasn't made the liberal elite very happy.  I don't see that the DNC would be pouring a boatload of money into his race.  They would have made a show of it, but the hearts and the big checkbook wouldn't have been there. 

Another rumor floating around about Webb's decision is the fact that George Allen, who beat 5 years ago, has announced that he will be seeking to get his old job back.  George Allen is another name you may not know immediately, but you have heard of.  George Allen was on everyones list to be a contender for the GOP nomination for president in 08 until he made an unfortunate comment at a senate campaign stop in 06.  He used the word Meccaca, which apparently is some sort of slur; one that I never heard before.  A Webb campaign supporter showed up at all his events and videotaped him saying this, it then went viral.  That was pretty much it for Allen, his campaign never fully recovered and he lost by the narrowest of Margins.

What is one of the interesting points of this is that everyone is making the assumption that Allen is going to get the nomination, and totally overlooking the fact that he has a primary opponent.  A very interesting opponent at that.  Jaime Radtke was the head of The Virginia Tea Party Association, who also worked for the former senator.  Jamie knows his underbelly in a manner of speaking; she worked for him for quite a while.  She also will have the support of good part of The Virginia Tea Party's.  Allen will get some, but certainly not all.  This is going to be an interesting primary to watch folks.  This is truly a test for the establishment and tea party candidates.  The party of course will back Allen.  But it is going to be a fun time in Virginia during the primary season.  I will be supporting Jamie in the Primaries.  I have met her and she is the real deal.  I actually spoke with her last night and told her I would be emailing her some questions to help get her name out there.  Every time I see a post about Allen I remind the author that Jaime is running, she is being all but dismissed, I hope to try and change that.  Overlooking her is a mistake. 

The 2012 Race Begins, At Least in Virginia

There may be those that are not familiar with this story, but for me this is local.  Five years ago the senator from Virginia was running for re-election and during a stump speech he used the word Maccaca about a supporter of his opponent, who happened to have a video camera with him.  The video made national news and sunk his campaign.  Jim Webb became the junior senator of Virginia and George Allen's promising career seemed to be over. 

Senator Allen was also the governor before becoming our senator. He was much beloved in the state of Virginia and was on the short list for a run for the presidency in 08.  Of course that didn't happen, as he was still considered dead in the water.  Today, George Allen announced his candidacy for the senate.  He will be going up against the same opponent, the now senior Senator Jim Webb.  Webb, was once a Reagan republican, who ran as a moderate.  He has supported much of the Obama agenda.  He disagrees with Obamacare, but voted for anyway.  There are rumors that he may not even run for re-election, 

But, even with all this intrigue this isn't the most interesting part of the story.  Senator Allen once had an employee named Jamie Radtke.  Jamie is the founder of the Richmond Tea Party and is one the main organizers of the states Tea Party organization.  Virginia's Tea Party's are very well organized on a state level.  While they are all individual groups, there are mechanisms in place to organize on a state level for different pieces of legislation and to lobby our Governor.  We also had the first state Tea Party Convention.  Jamie was instrumental in getting this organized and it came off without a noticeable hitch, so needless to say she is well respected within the tea party community in the state. 

Jamie worked for Allen during his time as Governor as well as when he was in the senate.  She is also running for the republican nomination for the senate seat.  It is going to be an interesting nomination process. 

Senator Allen is very well respected in conservative circles (there are detractors of course, but he is mainly well liked) and has the huge advantage of being able to get a big megaphone.  He made his "official" announcement on Hannity, this after being interviewed by Virginia resident Mark Levin. 

The Days of Quotas Should End

Normally, I don't find myself agreeing with Senator Jim Webb all that often.  There are some exceptions.  He is retired military, so he is a strong supporter of our troops.  That is something that is near and dear to my heart, as it is with most conservatives.  Webb also served in the Reagan administration, before officially becoming a democrat. 

Today, Webb penned a op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal about diversity and the myth of the white privilege.  The piece seems to be very well researched. 

Generations of such deficiencies do not disappear overnight, and they affect the momentum of a culture. In 1974, a National Opinion Research Center (NORC) study of white ethnic groups showed that white Baptists nationwide averaged only 10.7 years of education, a level almost identical to blacks' average of 10.6 years, and well below that of most other white groups. A recent NORC Social Survey of white adults born after World War II showed that in the years 1980-2000, only 18.4% of white Baptists and 21.8% of Irish Protestants—the principal ethnic group that settled the South—had obtained college degrees, compared to a national average of 30.1%, a Jewish average of 73.3%, and an average among those of Chinese and Indian descent of 61.9%.

It is time that many in this country face the facts that people of color and all ethnic backgrounds have made great strides and have virtually the same opportunities as everyone else.  The real disparities lie within the economic levels.  The poor are the ones that tend to get left behind.  If you happen to be white and poor your life is not going to be much easier than if you happen to be someone of color. The one question I would have of Sen. Webb, if you believe this, why then did you vote yea for the financial reform bill that put yet more quotas into existence? 

The AARP and The Millions To Be Made with Healthcare Reform

With the so-called healthcare reform bill on the verge of being passed, we need to take a look at who is going to profit. When it comes to politics, you always need to follow the money. Both versions of the healthcare bill are going to be allegedly financed by cuts to Medicare. One of the programs that are due to be completely eliminated or severely cut is Medicare Advantage.  

Medicare Advantage is a program that allows middle class people to get a wrap-around type policy to cover the gaps that Medicare doesn't pay that are partially subsided by the government. The costs of what is not included in Medicare can be quite costly; especially if you have to take a great deal of medication. This program has been touted as wasteful and ineffective by the democrats. This was mentioned to me by both Senator Webb and Senator Warner's staff during my visits to their offices. When these programs are gutted, the millions of people who are using this program will be forced to go out and find another policy. In walks AARP.

AARP's membership dues is low, only $16 per year. AARP certainly cannot afford its business expenses on membership dues alone. If you are 50 or older you know how much mail they send out. Those mailings costs about .30/piece and they send millions out per month. I won't bore you with how I know that information, but I do.

One of the main sources of income for them is the royalties that they get from selling insurance policies. Last year alone they made almost three quarters of billion dollars. Yes, that is a B for billion. That is an amazing amount of money. No wonder they support the cuts to this program.

The board members of AARP should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a bill that is going to cause cuts to Medicare programs. The entire point of the organization is support the needs of the senior citizens in this country. With more cuts coming down the pike, the number of hospitals and medical providers who will accept Medicare will dwindle. They will be joining the likes of the Mayo Clinic of Arizona. The people who are going to be the most hurt by this legislation is going to be the very people that they say they represent. It seems to me that the only thing they are representing is the bottom line of their profit sheets.

Senator Webb Why Aren't You Doing A Better Job Playing Hard To Get?

Dear Senator Webb:




I am writing to you today to ask why Virginia is not going to be exempt from all future Medicaid payments? Louisiana is receiving $300,000,000, Nevada is going to be exempt from Medicaid payments for a period of years and Nebraska is exempt for all time. What happened to us?

Since it seems like bribery is an acceptable way of doing business in the United States Senate, I am wondering how we ended up with such a bad senator that we get nothing but the tab? You don’t seem to be doing such a good job playing hard to get.

While I am against this so called reform bill, but since it looks like it is going to pass, why are you not doing your job and representing me? Why should I pay extra taxes while three states are exempt? This bill will do nothing to lower the costs, it is going to increase state taxes and lead to higher premiums for average Americans, and you should be doing your job and represent my interests. That is what my hard-earned tax dollars that pays your salary is for isn’t it?

I really would like an explanation of why I and the all the other people who happen to live in the other 47 states are getting screwed? I would like to make an appointment so you and I can sit face to face and discuss this. Especially since you never bothered to have any town hall meetings over the summer as your office said you would, I think that I merit a meeting.

I look forward to meeting with you.



Best Regards,



Just A Conservative Girl

Jim Webb - A Former Republican, Undecided on Healthcare - Activism Caps Needed

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Conservative Girl Adventures - Senate Rally Day

I have had quite a day today.  I had to run errands this morning and was minding my own business, and needed to go to Home Depot.  Who is on his way there?  The President.  I have lived outside of DC for 13 years.  I have never seen President Clinton, and only saw President Bush at the ball his first night in office.  I have seen Obama three times.  Doesn't he work? 

Then I go to the rally at the senate today.  I am minding my own business again.  I stepped away to sneak a smoke (yes very bad for me) something that I don't do much of anymore.  Who do I run into?  Michele Bachman.  That is a high that I am going to carry around for days.  What a thrill.  I just LOVE her. 

I then went to Senator Webb's office.  Now, this is the fifth time I have gone there.  This time they actually handed out a op-ed piece he did for a paper in the central part of the state.   The Op-ed said he has not made up his mind.  Politico posted an article saying that he may be able to be turned, but I don't believe that. 

The receptionists were basically taking names and handing out this op-ed piece.  Somehow, and I am not sure how, I got invited to meet with his policy analyst, a fellow 9/12'er and PT.  It was an interesting conversation. 

I had some personal plans tonight, so I just got home.  I need to get some sleep.  I will post more on this in the am along with the photos that I took. 

Have a good night all.

Flagpoles, A Medal of Honor Winner, and the HOA - Updates

Col. Barfoot has received a stay about his flagpole for at least one week.  The board has decided not to move forward with legal action at this time. 

The medal of honor winner has been drawing large support for his vertical flag pole that he placed in his front yard.  The HOA convenats do not specfically state that a vertical flag pole is against the rules.  It was determined that it is not "aesthetically pleasing".   

The 90 year old is receiving support from both Senator Mark Warner and Jim Webb as well as our missing in action governor Tim Kaine.  Senator Warner's office is working behind closed doors to work out a settlement that will allow the WWII veteran to continue to fly his flag to military specifications.  The congress did pass a federal law saying that homeowner associations cannot restrict the flying of the American flag.