A Tale of Tragedy and Two Campaigns

As I am sure you have heard several states are in a state of emergency due to a sudden thunder-storm that was accompanied by high winds.  Millions were left without power during days of record heat.  I am among the powerless.

The people of Virginia have been struggling to find cool places to stay.  Hotel rooms are sold out and the few malls that are opened are jam-packed with people looking for some relief from the heat and some hot food.  In my area there is one gas station open.  One major mall had to close early Saturday evening due to no water.  The only thing open for miles was a McDonald's.

In response to this emergency the presidential campaigns handled it in this fashion:

First from the Romney Campaign through email:

Friend,
The severe storms that ripped through Virginia Friday claimed at least six lives across the commonwealth and left thousands without power.  It could be several days before power is restored to those affected.
If you'd like to make a donation to the relief effort, please bring supplies to the Romney for President Headquarters located at 3811 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750 in Arlington tomorrow between 10am and 7pm.
We will distribute donations to various relief centers in the area.
Here's what we need:

• Bottled Water
• Non-perishable food items, such as beef jerky, granola bars, peanut butter, etc.

Bring your supply donations to our headquarters tomorrow and we'll ensure it gets to your fellow Virginians who are in need on Tuesday.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Sincerely,
Sara Craig
Virginia State Manager
P.S. We know that everyone wanting to help cannot make it to Arlington.  If you would like to donate to the Red Cross, please call 1-800-Red-Cross, or visit this link to make a donation online:
http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=46f51a53f1c37110VgnVCM1000003481a10aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

From the Obama Campaign Via Twitter:

Keep cool while you’re canvassing this summer, Our Vote Obama Tank Top is a stylish and fun way to show your support

While some may say that the Romney campaign may just be pandering to people who are dealing with an emergency, there is plenty of stories of how Romney has handled emergencies in the past.  One such story being the story of a co-worker's daughter who was kidnapped while out partying in New York.  He shut down Bain, flew the employees up to New York City, set up a nerve center, and canvassed the city with flyers until the girl was found and returned home to her anxious parents.

This is who Romney is.

Obama wants you to buy a T-shirt.

I don't know about you, but this says a great deal about the character of these two men to me.  You can decide for yourselves.

As an aside, I want to say a huge thank you to Iain's wife who took mercy on my sorry unairconditioned and no water self.  I am currently sitting in her sitting room and enjoying some cool air.  So thanks to her for putting up with me.

For the Couple Who Has it All - Obama Campaign Gift Registry

Yep, the Obama campaign has sunk to a new low.  After all what does a newly married couple need more than Obama needs re-election funds?  Apparently, nothing.

H/T to Weasle Zippers

Fundraising on Gays for $500 Alex

This didn't take long.  Not that I thought that it would.  But I was asked by a commenter not too long ago how I felt that my religious views were being used like a tool by the GOP.

I wonder how gay people feel like when their private sexuality is being used as one?

No one in their right mind believes that President Obama ever was against gay marriage.  This is nothing but pandering to a group of people who were upset that he wasn't delivering on his campaign promises and were withholding those precious checks.  This is blackmail (from both sides of this equation in fact) plain and simple.

It is also cheap political theater.  He is trying to use this issue to distract conservatives and get SoCons worked up into a tizzy over an issue that the President has virtually no power to do anything about.  Marriage is a state issue.  Even the likes of President Obama seems to recognize that.

I also it think it is noteworthy that he even decided to bring his daughters into this.  What happened to family being off-limits?  You either keep your children out of the campaign, or they become fair game.  You don't get to have it both ways.

Do not be fooled by this folks.  This is a way to try and distract people off his failure of an administration, the poor economy, and all the factors that are working against him as he runs for re-election.  Don't fall for it.  Stay on message.

Friend –

Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer:

I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the conversation, consider it, and weigh in yourself on behalf of marriage equality:

http://my.barackobama.com/Marriage

I’ve always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution.

But over the course of several years I’ve talked to friends and family about this. I’ve thought about members of my staff in long-term, committed, same-sex relationships who are raising kids together. Through our efforts to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, I’ve gotten to know some of the gay and lesbian troops who are serving our country with honor and distinction.

What I’ve come to realize is that for loving, same-sex couples, the denial of marriage equality means that, in their eyes and the eyes of their children, they are still considered less than full citizens.

Even at my own dinner table, when I look at Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, I know it wouldn’t dawn on them that their friends’ parents should be treated differently.

So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

I respect the beliefs of others, and the right of religious institutions to act in accordance with their own doctrines. But I believe that in the eyes of the law, all Americans should be treated equally. And where states enact same-sex marriage, no federal act should invalidate them.

If you agree, you can stand up with me here.

Thank you,

Barack

Because Nothing Says Happy Mother's Day like Abortion

At least that is what one can conclude from Nanny Pelosi's latest fundraising email. 

Your actions today can make a difference for many of the women in your life — whether it is for a friend, your sister, your wife, your daughter, or yourself — all I ask is that you act.

My strategists tell me that we are $53,241 short of our new goal of $200,000 for our Rapid Response campaign to hold House Republicans accountable for their divisive and radical agenda.




Contribute $3 or more right now so we can get hard-hitting Rapid Response ads up holding Republican extremists in Congress accountable for their radical assault on women’s health care and reproductive freedom.

House Republicans should be working to help put Americans back to work, not waging an outrageous war against millions of women and their private health decisions.


Let us never allow the health of American women to come under attack. Let us stand together to expand care, not limit it.

I guess not even Mother's Day is off limits to push the abortion agenda.  How is this woman still allowed to accept communion at her Church?  My understand is that she does attend Mass at her local Catholic church. 

Principles Matter - Tea Pary Express Raising Funds from Tucson Shooting

Most everyone believes that they have principles that guide their lives.  The true test of these principles come when things are hard.  I would like to think that any thinking person would realize that trying to raise money from a tragedy is a bad thing.  I have seen a few things come across my facebook page on how some on the left are trying to raise money off the shooting in Arizona over the weekend.  I didn't click the link as I was busy and didn't have the time.  But, I have since tried to find that information and found a letter from a progressive democrat group.  The letter didn't overtly ask for money, but the wording was distasteful, because it gave the impression that the organization was looking to get some funds to continue to help elect people like Congresswoman Giffords.  I was horrified when I read that someone would try and raise money off this tragedy.  There was some hay made on the blogosphere about how the left was using this to raise money. 

This morning I while checking my email, I came across an appeal for Tea Party Express:

Dear Friends:


The attack on conservatives and the tea party movement has continued over the past 24 hours. Media figures and liberal activists continue to falsely suggest that Rush Limbaugh, Gov. Sarah Palin and the tea party movement had anything to do with the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.


They've launched this attack even though they know it is a total and complete lie.


During the past few days friends of the shooter, Jared Loughner, have stepped forward to say that they knew him to be a political liberal. He admired the Communist Manifesto and burned the American flag.


But many in the news media and the political Left are nonetheless still trying to use this awful tragedy to make people think that somehow Limbaugh, Palin and the tea party were responsible for this attack.


They are doing it for one reason: it is an attempt to silence us and make this patriotic, constitutionalist movement controversial - so they can try and stop the momentum this tea party movement has built.


Last night on MSNBC and liberal websites, we here at the Tea Party Express were called despicable and shameless because we won't back down.


Well guess what, friends - we're not going to back down. Not when we have nothing to apologize for, and certainly we won't just sit back while the media and liberals think they can slander us by calling us responsible for a mass murder.

Instead, do you know what we're going to do? We're going to fight back with even more determination and pride. Since we have to "pay" to get our message heard (the liberal media bias is on display like never before with this tragedy), we're asking our supporters to help us fight back.


We want to have our largest fundraising day in the history of our organization and we need your help to achieve this success.


Please, make a contribution online right now to the Tea Party Express - CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE.


You can contribute as little as $5 all the way up to the maximum allowed $5,000. And since the 2010 Midterms are over, our "maxed out" donors from before can once again contribute as much as they so choose.


To contribute, just click the button below. We're hoping more than 1,000 patriots such as yourself can afford a more generous contribution of $100, $250, $500 or more.


As always, if you prefer, you may also make a contribution via mail, by sending a check to:


Tea Party Express
8795 Folsom Boulevard, Suite 103
Sacramento, CA 95826-3720

This is even more morally repugnant as it is a direct appeal regarding the murder of a 9 year old child many others.  This is the same organization that released a letter about the NAACP that was called nothing more than satire.  While the author of that letter no longer is with Tea Party Express, but it certainly seems that they learned nothing from that experience. 

While I agree with the Tea Party movement I cannot sit back and not say anything about this.   Tea Party Express not only needs to apologize, but they need to fire the person who came up with this idea.  Principles only matter when you stand by them.  While I don't want to go after a tea party organization, I cannot allow this pass.  I have sent them letter to voice my disgust with this, and I hope that everyone else will do the same.  If it was distasteful when the left did it, then it has to be equally distasteful when the right does it. 

 info@teapartyexpress.org is the email address. 

Shame on you Tea Party Express.  This type of depraved indifference to the lives lost over the weekend are not principles that I choose to stand by and I find it disgusting that you are an organization that does. 

John Cornyn Changing his Tune on Charlie Crist? NRSC Cutting Funds to Crist

"Selfishly, given the limited resources we have and the national scope of our responsibilities, I didn't want to spend any money in Florida if we didn't have to.  So Charlie Crist seemed like the ideal candidate."

NRSC Chairman John Cornyn, Texas

Ideal to whom?  That is the question I have.  This is the crux of the discontent that many conservatives feel in regards to the Republican Party.  They continually follow the road of least resistance. 

There is no test to be passed before one can call themselves a republican.  Nor do I think that their should be.  But, that doesn't mean that precious party funds should be spent to help candidates that believe in bigger government intrusion into our lives.  Charlie Crist is the poster boy of a big spending, big government republican.  Limited government is a main tenant of the republican party platform. 

Opus #6 over at MAInfo recently did a post asking opinions about how she use the money that she is planning on donating in this very important election year.  The answers were almost all in agreement that the money should go to individual candidates instead of the party machine.  I don't believe that she mentioned what she is planning on doing, but the sentiment certainly leaned towards not giving to the party. 

The national party and the party machines need to realize that people are sick to death of them supporting candidates like Crist in a knee jerk reaction.  There needs to be a thought process put into who they are going to fund.  Money is very tight this year, the people only have so much they can spare.  If the RNC wants to increase the coffers, they need to start listening and funding the candidates that are actually acting on the party platform, otherwise they will see the money drying up when they need it most. 

Is the RNC Going on a RINO Hunt?

An internal discussion from the Republican National Committee regarding the funding of candidates continues the argument of the big tent. This is a discussion that has been ongoing for the Republican Party for several years now. The republicans on many levels seem fractured and lost in the wilderness. The party needs to decide if they are going to continue to fund candidates and sitting legislators that are voting against the party principles.  Another way to portray this is to ask if the party is going to go on a RINO hunt or not. 



This discussion has gained steam with the seemingly unimportant congressional election in NY-23. The party machine put up Dede Scozzafava as the republican candidate. While she has been an elected official in the conservative leaning district, her record is not one of a conservative. Her voting record made her much more a liberal democrat than that of even a moderate republican. The grassroots movement turned on this nomination and rallied for Doug Hoffman, the choice of the tea party movement and Sarah Palin; and others. While, as we all know that, Mr. Hoffman ultimately was unsuccessful in his bid for the seat, it has given more fuel to the discussion. Especially since the “party faithful” stood by Dede until she endorsed the democratic candidate after withdrawing from the race.


While the election is still a quite a ways away, the ground is fertile for the republicans to pick up quite a few seats. The pickup of seats on the senate side would be a very welcome thing to conservatives. The filibuster proof majorities in both the house and the senate make it much easier for the President to get his very left leaning agenda passed. I personally do not believe that they take back the house, but they can make it more balanced.


Among the positions the party is discussing are gun rights, defense of marriage act, opposition to the pork laden stimulus bill, and market-based solutions to the country’s needs in the areas of healthcare and energy.


The party members from more liberal leaning states are against this type of resolution. The northeast states tend to trend to the liberal side. While there are republicans from such states like Maine, they are very moderate. Olympia Snowe is the republican that President Obama is hoping to win over to his side on the vote for Obamacare. The reality remains that a staunch conservative would have a very difficult time getting elected to her seat.


The republicans do need to have a very cohesive message for the upcoming election season. With the economy remaining in the slowdown that it is currently in, funds are going to be harder to come by. People will not be able to make the same type of donations that they may have made in the past. This makes this discussion all the more important.


This is especially true of the senate race in Florida. Charlie Crist, the Florida Governor, is prime example of people that may very well be cut off if this resolution does indeed pass. The Governor is now backing away from his statements in the past of his approval of the stimulus bill earlier this year. His opponent, Marco Rubio, is a staunch conservative from the state legislator. His voting record and public statements would put him in the position to get the backing of the party and all that entails.


Another person on the cutting block could be Lindsey Graham. His statements on cap and trade, his voting for confirmation of judges such as Justice Sotomayor would put him in peril of losing the party funding and support. While established candidates can raise money on their own, they will lose the party machine. That machine is still necessary even if you can raise funds. The party is in charge of the get out the vote efforts. The state party is also in charge in getting out poll observers, putting up signs, and many other efforts that are necessary to win elections. The elections themselves are limited in the funds that they can spend, while the party is not.


My personal belief is that the party needs to make very clear where they stand on issues such as the national debt, taxes, spending, healthcare reform, market based solutions, and limiting the powers of the federal government. The social issues should be left to the state parties, candidates and the voters.

here for article

Summer in the City. A fundraiser to Elect Conservatives to the US Senate

Summer in the City is a fundraiser for conservative senators.
I will be attending this event on Wednesday night. Here is the list of who will be there:
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)
U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Erick Erickson - Editor of RedState.com

I have not attended this in the past, so I am not sure how much access you get with these people. I am hoping to have some time to ask some questions. I would appreciate any suggestions that you may have. Please keep them civil, or least funny. I have heard some good things about Marco Rubio. If anyone knows more about him I would appreciate it.

I am SOOOOOOOO excited about meeting Michele Bachman.

Interesting Tidbit

Senator Harry Reid has reversed himself about Gitmo detainees being moved to supermax prisons yesterday.

Last night, President Obama held a fundraiser for Senator Reid that raised several million dollars.

Hmmmm........what a coincidence!!