Oh...

And the same goes for the "Republicans for Obama."

Time to Circle the Wagons…

You know over the past few months something has been really bothering me and I had to get it off my chest…ever since I read about former state delegate Vince Callahan endorsing Warner for Senate. Delegate Callahan has been followed by former state senator John Chichester, former state delegate Preston Bryan, and I am sure more
so-called “Republicans for Warner” are to come. But there’s the rub for me…when do these guys shed the Republican label? Does being a Republican elected official mean anything anymore?

Back in the heady days of the late 1990’s when Governor Gilmore carried many of these “Republicans for Warner” into power they were all too eager to grab a share of the credit for cutting the car tax and balancing the budget and keeping the Commonwealth the most business friendly state in the nation – yet now when the going gets tough these “Republicans for Warner” abandon our candidate and Party when they’re needed most.

With Warner leading Governor Gilmore in cash on hand by a vast margin, with Warner vowing to keep us dependent on foreign oil and natural gas, with Warner telling half truths and outright lies about his record on the budget (see the $6 Billion canard) these “Republicans for Warner” are trying to hand a Senate seat over to what would become the most liberal occupant in the Commonwealth’s history.

Now some call these “Republicans for Warner” Republicans in Name Only…I’m not even that kind. Being a Republican in Virginia has got to mean something…at minimum you have to support the candidate who was duly nominated by our state party. If you can’t bring yourself to do that then have the decency to discard the Republican label and join the other party.

Economic Politics

Stimulus packages and checks, housing bills, bailouts for Fannie and Freddie Mac?

Doesn't anyone remember this....

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'
-President Ronald Reagan

I was at a very well attended economic forum put on by the Staunton and Augusta County Republican committees on Tuesday, July 22 and the consensus from all the speakers was the same...government should get out of the way.

Energy Independence for Virginia

The Commonwealth may very well be the best case study for the debate over energy independence in the United States.

The Wall Street Journal <http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB121702806468386311.html> has a wonderful article on the uranium mine we having sitting down in Pittsylvania County. There's also the deposits of natural gas and oil sitting off our eastern coast.

Now you would think that with all these resources at a disposal Virginia would be sitting pretty...well you'd be wrong. The problem is none of it is at our disposal. Because of liberal enviro-paranoia the uranium can't be mined, the oil can't be drilled, and natural gas can't be drained.

$5 a Gallon Gasoline provides cash for the treasuries of the Saudis, Kuwaitis, Iranians, Venezuelans, and Russians while we sit on the means to control our own destiny....right here in the Commonwealth.

I don't know about you but I think it may be time Virginia empowers our energy companies to do what our Federal government won't allow them to do.

8 Weeks

Eight weeks until my self-imposed exiled in Northern Virginia is over and I can rejoin my southern Virginia community....ahhhhh, fresh air, open roads, and clean living.

It will be nice to see a pretty smile from a pretty lady without there be an ulterior motive behind it and all without the aid of an adult beverage...never thought I'd have to write or say that in my life.

Richard M. Nixon

"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes; because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain... Always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember: Others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win, unless you hate them. And then, you destroy yourself."
-Richard M. Nixon

SWAC Area Unity

I just finished reading a Newsweek book review of Rick Perlstein's "Nixonland" (http://www.newsweek.com/id/136156/page/1) - yet again we have another hit piece on the man from Yorba Linda but more on that in a later post. I only bring up the review because the divisions of the 1960's GOP reminded me of the troubles and tribulations facing the Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County GOP units - it was at the 1960 GOP convention where Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona shouted to his supporters "Grow up!"

I think it's once again time for Republicans once again to be reminded of what politics is...a game/profession of compromise. Now I don't mean every position is open to compromise, our leaders must believe in something...they must work from a core set of unwavering values. One of my unwavering values is a commitment to the unborn with few exceptions; I wear the little baby feet on my lapel, I contribute whatever I can to the pro-life organizations, and I hope and pray that one day the judicial abomination of "Roe" is finally overturned...but I am willing to accept incremental, temporary victories in pursuit of my ultimate goal...it's time consuming, it isn't glamorous, but each step moves me closer to victory.

One year ago, the SWAC area had a primary that pitted our state senator against a local businessman who was egged on unfortunately by local unit chairs. The primary boiled down to the issue of taxes - with the senator standing for tax reform and the other side demanding strict adherence to a no new tax ideological line of thought. Our state senator's program called for the increasing of some taxes and the lowering of others, but the bottom line was his proposal taken as a whole would have meant Virginians pay less in taxes.....his opponent presumably would have pushed for straight tax cuts, a proposal that would have meant lower taxes for Virginians...so here we had a choice between two candidates who essentially stood for lowering the tax burden for Virginians, but you would never have known it from the rancor and bitterness of last summer. The incumbent won.

Fast forward a year from and the area party is still not united. Why? Because some still push for ideological purity and that's the bottom line. Some still refuse to see the picture when it comes to the issues, some still refuse to adhere to President Reagan's advise that when someone agrees with you 80% of the time that person is your friend and not your enemy.

And it has annoyed me to no end for a year to see our state senator being insulted by the sight of his primary opponent being paraded around and promoted by people whose calls for party unity I find hard to believe. People that I have admired and respected for a very long time, people who have had nothing but kind words for me whenever I see them, people who it pains me to disagree with...because I know they want to build the party up but they're doing it the wrong way.

So I say a year of division is enough, a year of pointless squabbling and back and forth bickering is enough. Where has it gotten us? As I've stated on here before our area is being laughed at because of inability to get along. And I just keep going back to what Senator Goldwater said in Chicago during the 1960 Republican convention, "Let's Grow Up...!"

Ted Kennedy

Yesterday Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignent brain tumor. While I disagree with everything this man has stood for during his more than forty years in the Senate, my prayers and best wishes go out to him and his family.

With the sad news out of Boston yesterday it occurred to me that the passing of Kennedy wasn't the only impending loss the country was about to suffer. The Kennedy news reminded me of Senator Warner's retirement, of the days when gentlemen joined the "most exclusive club" in the world and referred to each other as the Honorable Gentleman from Such and Such (and meant it).

With the passing of Kennedy we lose another key to a bygone era, when deals could be made with handshakes and a slap on the back. We lose part of our connection to an America where one colleague can make a heartfelt tribute to another <http://youtube.com/watch?v=CCwwCCQozPM> and make a Nation feel the power of his words.

Again, from the issue of life to healthcare to taxes and the role of government in the lives of ordinary Americans, I disagree with the ol' Liberal Lion, but he is from the era where that makes him my opponent, not my enemy. I think that's a subtle. but important point that's missing in American politics today.

May God watch over you, Edward Moore Kennedy.

Death of the Golden Age

He was the original one, the one lifting the car on the cover of the most famous comic book in history, the one who made you believe a man could fly, the one who first made you want to put on a cape, the one who leaped tall buildings at a single bound and ran faster than a speeding bullet.

It was three years ago that DC comics brought the original Superman back from a twenty hiatus, to co-star in their celebration of the groundbreaking mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths...and it was seven months later that they mercilessly killed him off for a quick buck.

Like their counterpart, Marvel, and its equally disturbing move to kill Captain America, DC comics chose the almighty dollar and sensationalism over the preservation of an icon.

I have to say that in an age of comics premised on anti-heroes, gritty noire dramas, and zombies...there is nothing wrong with a little Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

SWAC Happens, Part II

IL-14, LA-06, MS-01….VA-06?

First we lost the seat of former Speaker Denny Hastert, then we lost the seat of long serving Representative Richard Baker down in Louisiana, last week it was the seat of former Congressman and now Senator Roger Wicker, whose district went for President Bush in 2004 by 25 points over John Kerry….could the sixth district of Virginia be next?

Congressman Goodlatte hasn’t had serious opposition since he became our Representative in 1993 and no one can dispute the excellent job he’s done for us in Washington, but with the intraparty squabbling in the district (Bob “only” scored a 92 with the American Conservative Union for 2007 so I’m surprised he isn’t facing a primary opponent) and a well-financed opponent this year (it’s nice to have a source of out of state money!), we can’t be complacent.

SWAC Happens

Is the ongoing political drama in the SWAC area affecting the overall mood of the polity?

The biggest newspapers in the area, the Staunton News Leader and the News Virginian, have had a great deal of fun chronicling the odyssey of the “dueling chairmen” in Augusta County. The local GOP unit chairs turned themselves into laughingstocks by mounting an unsuccessful effort to unseat the sitting state senator. The most Republican district in the Commonwealth seems to be tearing itself apart all front of a statewide audience…from Staunton to Harrisonburg to Lexington to Richmond our family feud is on everyone’s lips.

The feud has divided the local party committees and may even account for results of a relatively recent statewide survey conducted by Christopher Newport University this past January . The survey states that while Richmonders and those who live who Northern Virginia believe the state is headed in the right direction, those in the Valley are pessimistic about the state’s direction.

Emmett Hanger...Conservative Republican....Period.

Over the past year state Senator Emmett Hanger has faced some pretty unfair charges and I'd just like to set the record straight...

Taxes - Voted to eliminate the estate tax and car tax as well as lower the sales tax

Illegal Immigration - Drafted legislation requiring proof of citizenship before people in Virginia receive state benefits.

Gun Rights - Maintains an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and just recently sponsored legislation allowing Virginia citizens to carry concealed weapons into bars.

Education - Consistently defends Virginia's attempt to improve the quality of its state schools and has led the fight against artificial and uniform standards imposed on the Commonwealth by No Child Left Behind.

Few in Richmond can match Emmett's commitment to the conservative agenda, while also addressing the needs of his constituents so adequately (more on that later).

Gilmore vs. Warner

The Gilmore Record:

• Cut taxes by $1.5 billion.
  
• Enacted the largest tax cut in Virginia history.
  
• Reduced state college tuition rates by 20%.
  
• Signed into law Virginia’s first 24 hr. waiting period law; Virginia’s first parental notification law; and the current ban on partial birth abortions in the Commonwealth.
  
• Signed into law the Commonwealth’s first policy governing the internet and opposed an internet sales tax.
  
• Chaired the “Gilmore Commission” that studied terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

The Warner Record:

• Broke his campaign promise and proposed the largest tax increase in Virginia history – $1.1billion.
• Signed into law the largest tax increase in Virginia history – $1.4 billion.
  
• Oversaw double digit increases at many state colleges and universities – including Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
  
• Opposed the 24 hr waiting period law and opposes any further attempts to “chip away at the rights” under Roe vs. Wade.
  
• Supported the imposition of the national online sales tax.
  
• Appointed Governor Gilmore’s Lt. Governor as his Secretary for Homeland Security.

The choice is clear. If the people of Virginia want a proven leader – who keeps his promises, who stands up for the sanctity of life, lowers taxes, and understands the issue of terrorism in this post 9-11 day and age.

So Obama Thinks We're Bitter? Don't They All?

You know I got pretty fired up about Obama's latest faux paus...claiming low income people don't vote for Democrats because they "cling to their religion and guns" but I find it hilarious to hear Hillary feign disdain at the Boy-King's words when that's exactly what all the Democrats think. As a matter that's the basis for Thomas Frank's "What's The Matter with Kansas." Frank takes poor whites to task for voting against their supposed economic interests because of God, guns, and gays....or as Mr. Audacity of Hope would say "They bitterly vote against the Democrats while bitterly clingly to their religion and guns!"

The Republican Party and African-Americans

The Republican Party and the African-American Vote By Carl Tate

I. The History

Any discussion on the subject of the African-American vote has to begin with the Republican Party and its efforts on behalf of early civil rights. It is odd that a political organization founded to abolish slavery and combat inequality is now vilified as racist and elitist. Indeed, there are only two options for this change in perception, either the organization has genuinely changed or it is the victim of gross mischaracterization. I believe in the latter and intend to prove it by refuting the former. From its very beginning the Republican fought for equality, coming into existence to combat “Slave Power,” (the influence Southern Democrats had over the nation). The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, took the nation to war for the cause of freedom. Republicans successfully executed the civil war and in response drafted the Constitutional amendments that, for the first time, gave African-Americans the right to vote, access to the justice system and equality under the law. It should be noted that these constitutionally guaranteed rights and privileges were curtailed by the Democrats and their allies on the federal and state judicial benches. Many Democrats and liberals of today love to whitewash the history of the Republican Party or they speak of the Republican Party betraying its history. Nothing could be further from the truth, the Republican Party continues to fight for equality and played a key role in the African American community’s struggle for real freedom in the twentieth century and beyond. The Party worked with prominent African Americans such as Booker T. Washington to establish an efficient black workforce which in turn made up the backbone of the black economy. The Party stood up for African Americans in the courageous fight against southern lynching, while success in the Democratic Party was measured by how much an individual opposed rudimentary civil rights for African Americans. While Republican Presidents, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, were speaking against racial segregation and Jim Crow laws in the very heart of Dixie, the Democrats were marching arm in arm with their brethren in white sheets. It was an economic depression that first changed the way African Americans voted and allowed the Democratic Party to claim that it had always been the defender of American blacks. It was a lie, but an effective one, that took advantage of a nation torn apart economically. With the end of the Great Depression and World War II, many African American returned to the Republican Party and a Republican President, Dwight Eisenhower, created the nation’s first civil right’s commission, granting prominent African American leaders their first opportunity to push for real civil rights reform (the commission was first chaired by then Vice-President Richard Nixon).

II. Civil Rights

The civil rights movement is generally believed to have begun during the 1950’s and ended sometime in the mid 1960’s, during which the Democratic Party claimed credit for killing southern Jim Crow laws. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. It was a Republican President who appointed a Republican ex-Governor Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wrote the landmark civil rights decision in Brown v Board. It was a Republican effort in the United States Senate that gave the nation the first civil rights law since the end of the Civil War. As the 50’s made way to the 60’s the Democrats dug in their heels, and answered the Republican efforts on behalf of African Americans with a noxious document titled, “The Southern Manifesto.” The “Southern Manifesto,” called for massive resistance to civil rights for African Americans and proclaimed the supremacy of the white race; every one of the document signatories was a Democrat. The 1960’s broke open the floodgates and the Republican Party was effectively robbed of its legacy. The Democratic Party was able to take credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, although it was Republican support that broke a Democratic filibuster in the United States Senate. The Democratic Party tagged the Republican Party with the label of racist, and extremist, although it was our Party that introduced the first civil rights laws in the nation’s history. It was our Party that stood up to Al Gore, William Fulbright, Robert Byrd, and Fritz Hollings. It was our Party that established government programs to aid black economic growth such as the Minority Business Agency. It was even our Party that forcefully backed affirmative action, through Nixon’s “Philadelphia Program.”

III. The Why

Now the Republican Party has the opportunity to reclaim our legacy in the area of civil rights and compete among the African-American vote. It’s extremely important that the Party do so, not only for its own success but for the success of African Americans. The Party as of right now has established a majority based on its support in the South. The South has allowed us to cobble together a conservative coalition and so long as the South stays in our column along with a “swing state,” the Party will be assured an electoral majority. The African American vote should play a key role in a strategy for victory. Take the state of Ohio for instance; in 2004 the state was won by President Bush by a margin of 120,000 votes with 16% of the state’s black vote. In 2000, President Bush won the state by a similar margin but with only 9% of the black votes. Clearly blacks made up for the ground Bush lost between 2000 and 2004 in Ohio. Similar results can be seen in Florida, another pivotal “swing state.” The African American community needs the opportunity to have a real choice politically. Currently political realities have exposed blacks to the perils of being a marginalized constituency, completely shut out from influence and the reins of power. I liken the black today, to the union vote or the trial lawyers vote, all three have become pillars of the Democratic Party; political special interests that only receive marginal attention from a political party desperate to reclaim power. It amuses me when I read about the NAACP condemning Bush for refusing to meet with them because no one would say anything if he refused to speak before a convention of the AFL-CIO or the Trial Lawyers Association.

IV. The How

Hopefully, the reasons for a Republican outreach effort have been established, so what remains is the how. A few suggestions: 1) We must establish a set of policies, conservative policies, geared toward the African American community. A set of proposals modeled on the “Contract for America,” that includes: Jack Kemp Style Free Enterprise Zones: eliminate corporate taxes in urban, economically depressed areas while offering additional incentives for businesses to move in and provide jobs for residents. Faith-Based Initiatives: compile a list of the nation’s most successful faith based groups and tout their achievements in African American communities. Free Education Zones: an expanded school choice program that would allow public funding for private schools and charter schools and close public schools that don’t perform well. 2) Emphasize the shared values of our Party and the African American community. Not only do we share a history, we share values with a deep connection to churches. Our Party fights against government intervention while standing up for traditional family values. The gains the Party has made in the African American community has been directly connected to our Party’s opposition to gay marriage, abortion and high taxes. I can’t tell you how many people I have spoken with at church or at my barbershop who talk the talk of a Republican but because of forty years of misinformation still vote as a Democrat. 3) And lastly, the Republican Party must keep the faith in its outreach efforts. The Party must be willing to spend the effort and time needed to compete among African American voters. We must be willing to defend our history and correct common misconceptions, in forceful language. The Republican Party has a history it should be proud of and should never be afraid to defend its legacy. Much has been made of our southern strategy but that strategy allowed us to effectively integrate the south, electing President Nixon who swiftly enforced federal judicial rulings. Much has been made of “our” Confederate flag, but we were the ones who fought it when it was flown against union troops and we were the ones who fought it when Democrats hoisted it back atop their statehouse in the 1960’s. Both African Americans and the Republican Party have a historic opportunity and we both should take advantage of it.

Virginia Tech Tragedy

It was one year ago when tragedy struck the campus of Virginia Tech. Prayers and much sympathy should go out to the students and staff. It is sad when a young man feels so utterly hopeless, so lonely and sad, that he feels that he must take the lives of the innocent...that he must make himself feel better by making others feel pain.

R.I.P. goes out to the 30 lives lost on that fateful day last year....

Welcome All!

Welcome to my new blog dealing with politics, society, religion, as well as various and sundry issues. So sit back and enjoy!!

The VA Hall of Justice