Happy Valentine’s Day from the RNC

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Open Letter to @McCainBlogette

Dearest Meghan:

I read you advice to the GOP about moderating or “evolving” as you put it.  You talked about social issues being the death of the republican party:

I know there are many out there, especially in the more conservative sphere, that regard me with disdain. I don’t fit into the traditional Republican box that the wingnuts who have hijacked my party think all Republicans should. For the last four years, I’ve been calling for Republicans to stop concentrating on social issues. I am a single woman in my 20s and that fact alone gave me the perspective that I don’t want to regulate a woman’s right to choice. I am pro-life, but because life is complicated, that choice is between a woman and her idea of a higher power. I believe if Roe vs. Wade were repealed, abortion would still go on. I care more about my economy, national security, and fiscal conservatism than I do about what other woman do with their bodies. It’s not my place, and I don’t believe it’s the government’s place, to make such decisions

Yes, Meghan abortion would still go on if Roe is repealed because repealing Roe doesn’t make abortion illegal, it leaves it up to the states to decide.  As a person who is a republican you should be believing in states rights, as that is what is meant, in part, by limited government.  Limited government is part of the platform of the GOP.  You see I think that you agree on abortion when it comes to this, I too don’t believe that abortion should be a question of religion.  I believe that abortion is an issue of personhood and the constitutional rights that a person has.  Remember that line Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?  It is a little difficult to pursue happiness if you are dead.  To me abortion is about science, not about God.  That question has never been answered in a court of law and I think it should be.  Does a human being get afforded the same rights under the law that an egg of certain birds gets?  I would like a court to answer the question why a bird egg  has more value under the law than a human being does?  They are laws in place that you will be fined and/or jailed for damaging the bird fetus, but a human being in this country isn’t afforded the same rights.  I think there is something wrong with that picture.  Why don’t you?

You go on to talk about immigration issues:

  I think America needs a better immigration policy and immigrants who were brought here illegally as children shouldn’t be deported.

I too think that we need better immigration policy.  It is next to impossible for a low wage earner to come here legally from Mexico, but it will take those same low wage earners from other countries.  That makes no sense.  Those things needs to change and adapt to the work force that we have and the work force that we need.  I am first generation, so I know all too well about the advantages of immigrants coming to this country.  This country was built by them and has flourished because of them.  But I must ask you a few questions about your stance on “The Dream Act”.  You say that children brought here shouldn’t be deported.  But the questions that people with your view-point never seem to answer are in part:

1. Do we give those that came as children visa’s but deport the parents?  If so, do you think these children/young adults are going to come forward if they fear that it means that their parents are going to be deported?
2. What about the ones that came here as children but are over the age restrictions that The Dream Act puts into place?  Do we deport the 32-year-old, but not the 29-year-old?  Or whatever arbitrary age that the law comes up with.
3. Do they get to cut in line in front of the people who have been in other countries going through the proper and legal process?  (As a relative of mine is doing)
4. What do we do with the people who paid thousands upon thousands of dollars to go through the legal process?  Do they get their money back? If not, doesn’t that mean we are not being “fair”?
5. How long before they are allowed to become citizens?
6. Will they be afforded the same rights as other immigrants and citizens of this country who can sponsor relatives to come here?  If so, doesn’t that potentially quadruple the number of people we are giving amnesty to?
7. What do we do about border security?  If we don’t secure the borders and every 30 years or so we give amnesty to people who come here illegally, why bother to have any immigration laws at all?  It is essentially becomes an open border policy.

You see Ms. McCain it really isn’t as black and white as your 20 something brain is led to believe that it is.  The issue is very complicated and people like you won’t answer the hard questions.  That is the reason “right winged nuts” take the stand that they do.  Do you believe that America should have no immigration policy?  If so, doesn’t that fly in the face of your desire to concentrate on national security?  A de facto open border policy is a national security issue, wouldn’t you agree?  There can be no moving forward on this issue until the borders are secured.  Is the federal government making any real attempt to do that?  I think by the levels of crime in your home state that the answer to that question is no.

I would think that one of the things that you are saying is that we should compromise and get good law for all Americans.  Forgive me if I am wrong about that.  But I get this feeling that I am not.  I am not blind to the fact that governing is about compromise.  But another thing that my not in my 20’s perspective has taught me is that when you are entering negotiations you need to start in a place that is further than where you end up.

Now, when you negotiate your contracts with MSNBC to bash talk about conservatives don’t you start at a higher rate?  If so, why do think it is unreasonable for the republicans to do basically the same thing?  Because what I am getting from your essay is that we should be starting with a position that isn’t much different from the democrats.  How exactly do you negotiate?  I hope you have an agent that is better suited to take care of your needs.  If not, you are doing yourself a big disservice.

Another thing that you talk about is fiscal conservatism.  One of the things that leads to all the spending we do in this country is based on social issues.  That is another thing that your 20 something brain has yet to learn.  Fiscal conservatism requires discussion on social issues.

You have brought “gay rights”.  I don’t care who someone loves.  But I do care what the gay right movement is trying to accomplish; a total dismissal of the biblical view of marriage.  That is bad and it must be punished.  My view-point is bigoted.    Many say that gay marriage will have no ill effects on society.  While it is too new in this country to gauge that, it has been around in Canada for more than 10 years.  A study has been recently released:

The formal effect of the judicial decisions (and subsequent legislation) establishing same-sex civil marriage in Canada was simply that persons of the same-sex could now have the government recognize their relationships as marriages. But the legal and cultural effect was much broader. What transpired was the adoption of a new orthodoxy: that same-sex relationships are, in every way, the equivalent of traditional marriage, and that same-sex marriage must therefore be treated identically to traditional marriage in law and public life.

A corollary is that anyone who rejects the new orthodoxy must be acting on the basis of bigotry and animus toward gays and lesbians. Any statement of disagreement with same-sex civil marriage is thus considered a straightforward manifestation of hatred toward a minority sexual group. Any reasoned explanation (for example, those that were offered in legal arguments that same-sex marriage is incompatible with a conception of marriage that responds to the needs of the children of the marriage for stability, fidelity, and permanence—what is sometimes called the conjugal conception of marriage), is dismissed right away as mere pretext.

When one understands opposition to same-sex marriage as a manifestation of sheer bigotry and hatred, it becomes very hard to tolerate continued dissent. Thus it was in Canada that the terms of participation in public life changed very quickly. Civil marriage commissioners were the first to feel the hard edge of the new orthodoxy; several provinces refused to allow commissioners a right of conscience to refuse to preside over same-sex weddings, and demanded their resignations. At the same time, religious organizations, such as the Knights of Columbus, were fined for refusing to rent their facilities for post-wedding celebrations.

They go on:

The new orthodoxy’s impact has not been limited to the relatively small number of persons at risk of being coerced into supporting or celebrating a same-sex marriage. The change has widely affected persons—including clergy—who wish to make public arguments about human sexuality.

Much speech that was permitted before same-sex marriage now carries risks. Many of those who have persisted in voicing their dissent have been subjected to investigations by human rights commissions and (in some cases) proceedings before human rights tribunals. Those who are poor, poorly educated, and without institutional affiliation have been particularly easy targets—anti-discrimination laws are not always applied evenly.  Some have been ordered to pay fines, make apologies, and undertake never to speak publicly on such matters again. Targets have included individuals writing letters to the editors of local newspapers, and ministers of small congregations of Christians. A Catholic bishop faced two complaints—both eventually withdrawn—prompted by comments he made in a pastoral letter about marriage.

Reviewing courts have begun to rein in the commissions and tribunals (particularly since some ill-advised proceedings against Mark Steyn andMaclean’s magazine in 2009), and restore a more capacious view of freedom of speech. And in response to the public outcry following the Steyn/Maclean’saffair, the Parliament of Canada recently revoked the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s statutory jurisdiction to pursue “hate speech.”

But the financial cost of fighting the human rights machine remains enormous—Maclean’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, none of which is recoverable from the commissions, tribunals, or complainants. And these cases can take up to a decade to resolve. An ordinary person with few resources who has drawn the attention of a human rights commission has no hope of appealing to the courts for relief; such a person can only accept the admonition of the commission, pay a (comparatively) small fine, and then observe the directive to remain forever silent. As long as these tools remain at the disposal of the commissions—for whom the new orthodoxy gives no theoretical basis to tolerate dissent—to engage in public discussion about same-sex marriage is to court ruin.

Similar pressure can be—and is—brought to bear on dissenters by professional governing bodies (such as bar associations, teachers’ colleges, and the like) that have statutory power to discipline members for conduct unbecoming of the profession. Expressions of disagreement with the reasonableness of institutionalizing same-sex marriage are understood by these bodies to be acts of illegal discrimination, which are matters for professional censure.

Teachers are particularly at risk for disciplinary action, for even if they only make public statements criticizing same-sex marriage outside the classroom, they are still deemed to create a hostile environment for gay and lesbian students. Other workplaces and voluntary associations have adopted similar policies as a result of their having internalized this new orthodoxy that disagreement with same-sex marriage is illegal discrimination that must not be tolerated.

You see Ms. McCain, the agenda as well as the outcome has much broader effects than simple “fairness”.  You see people who have strong religious views; which I would hope you feel that they are entitled to, are being forced to not only accept something, but being stifled.  The right of parents to pass down those biblical values to their children are being threatened.  Tolerance requires that both sides accept opposing points of views.  What is tolerant about private citizens being sued to accept something that goes against their deeply held belief system?  I, for one, view marriage as primarily a religious institution that for some reason that the government decided to get involved with.  Mostly so they can raise revenue with fees for licenses and the like.  You say you don’t want the government involved in issues between a person and their God higher power when it comes to abortion but have no problem with that same interference when it comes to marriage.

So, I have a suggestion for you, take some of that hard-earned money that you have received bashing discussing people like me, go and buy yourself a new pair of Jimmy Choos for the occasion and march yourself to your local board of elections and change your registration.  Why wait?

Break-Up With Obama.com – Video

He he

The latest from the Republican National Committee

So it seems that this post has been linked at The Daily Kos.  Apparently the left thinks that because the woman in the RNC ad works for the RNC that it is the same as this:

Two of these women (at least) were outright lying as they are registered democrats whose favorite show is Rachel Maddow.  What the RNC did was clearly a parody on the Clint Eastwood empty chair speech from last week.  This woman never claimed to be a democrat let alone say that she voted for Obama.  She was saying the love fest that happened four years ago has come to an end.

Only the willfully blind don’t see the difference.   But we are talking Daily Kos readers here, so………….

It’s Official – Mitt Romney Republican Candidate for President

Today’s shenanigans didn’t make me give me the warm and fuzzies.  That is for sure.

Why I Will Vote for Romney

Because of Obamacare. That’s it. That’s all.  Everything else, I can deal with, but the HHS mandate is the straw. It is what made me from a person who follows politics and cares, into an irritated voter. This Tea Partier who up until now felt a bit timid about calling herself as such, is mad.

I am a mother of ten children. I have a master’s in special education. I have worked, loved, thought, read and managed to live these past 46 years without needing Think Progress or any other group to tell me how to think or speak for me. I have read enough of the Health Care law and the subsequent policy fig leaf accommodations to know that I object to this law. It is bad policy.

I am not a puppet of the GOP.  I am tired of being dismissed because the media disagrees with my opinion.  I am Catholic and I am American. Those are my bonifieds for objecting to this law.

This law does not allow me to be either Catholic or American, since I cannot obey and be in good conscience with my Faith, and I cannot be proud of my civil obligations when they trample on my right to practice my religion.  This law upturns my country’s proud heritage of cherishing civil liberties and the freedom of religion from interference by the state, replacing it with a tolerance by the state of my religion’s proclivities. That tolerance is limited and it keeps shrinking. I do not trust the state to protect my right to be Catholic if it is telling me the extent to which I may practice my faith in my life as it pertains to my earning a living.

It is not a war on women to fight against what was not demanded only last month of private employers.

It is not a war on women to insist that one’s faith code not be deliberately narrowed or codified to suit modern sensibilities or liberal policies about abortion, sterilization and birth control.

It is not Republican to denounce this overreach by the government to dictate the parameters of faith as manifested in our public lives through our private businesses and the decisions we make in the process of running them, it is American!

As an American, I denounce this law as a treasonous break of the social compact we were guaranteed by the constitution.

To say this is NOT what the government should be in the business of doing, is not treason or stupidity or miserliness towards the poor or born out of malice towards anyone.

The President should not be setting himself up as the secular pope and using the department of Health and Human Services as his outreach.

We have the right to profess what we believe.

We do not wish to be aiding and abetting in grave moral evil (abortion), or finance unhealthy/risky behavior that warps a woman’s view of her body (her natural body is flawed and must be fixed).

We have been given no say in this matter, we have been simply told by government fiat, to obey. The government is even in the business of granting indulgences to those entities that pay and schmooze up the right allies. It is a corrupt and cynical abuse of the promises this country was founded on, to have the law apply unevenly, and have the law specifically dictate that certain religions must violate their beliefs to comply.

We cannot be Catholic simply by coming to mass every Sunday. It is not worth our time if that is all that Catholic means. We cannot be Catholic if we say we believe these actions to be sinful, but we’ll finance them and turn a blind eye. We will not comply.

I object to this law. I object to this policy. I find it offensive. I object. I respectfully object. I absolutely object. And if the country demands that I choose, between American and Catholic, it is an easy choice. I choose Catholic. But I will be sad, because the America I knew would never make such a demand. It was a better place than this, and it should be again.

Limited Government?

I think not.

 

 

 

Quote of the day

Instapundit:

Well, based on the past two years I’d vote for a syphilitic camel if he ran against Obama.

Me too, Professor!

Go read the inspiration.  Wisdom follows the snark.

O’Donnell’s Got ‘Em Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered

John Nolte, of Big Hollywood writes, “In desperate Hail Mary moves to protect Obama and Democrats from what’s looking like a November rout, three of the left’s most beloved Palace Guards have just upped their game considerably. Bill Maher’s now openly blackmailing Delaware Republican Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell, threatening a weekly drip-drip-drip of videos he thinks will ruin her candidacy unless she agrees to appear on his show—which is where he’ll really pull out the stops to finally win that Emmy by attempting to destroy her.”

Big Government, offers the thoughts of John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, on what Karl Rove should have said following O’Donnell’s victory in Delaware.

Michelle Malkin sternly writes, “Narcissism. Blackmail. Distortion. All wrapped in his trademark smirk of pallor. Yes, it’s tired old liberal “comedian” Bill Maher trying to get Senate GOP primary candidate Christine O’Donnell to come on his show by baiting her with a brief video clip in which she mentions having “dabbled” in “witchcraft” and hung around people who practiced it.”

“The left-wing blogs (and a few short-sighted rightie ones) are having a field day. What they all seem to have missed is the context for the discussion. The AP says the “context of what led to the comment is not clear.”

I like what Stacy McCain threw out there:  “What is it with some Republicans who would rather walk away from a difficult fight rather than to muster a show of force by winning where Conventional Wisdom says victory is impossible? I’ve always loved underdogs who fight like hell and win despite all odds, but it seems some members of the GOP commentariat are wired differently.”

“Christine O’Donnell is a ‘lousy candidate’? Well, pray tell what would you call John McCain?”

Tell it, brother!

Read more at No Sheeples Here.

Did Kristol Pick Another Mama Grizzly?

Sarah Palin backed her, among other Mama Grizzlies. Fired up! Bill Kristol hailed Nikki Haley for Gov. of South Carolina, now he suggests resigning CNN show host Campbell Brown to take on Dem Sen. Chuck Schumer in NY.

Well, I didn’t watch her show either but the GOP is the big tent this year.

(No grizzly analogy after that one, we’re not talking Yogi and Booboo at Jellystone Park…“cubs will not survive without their mother in the wild”)

…OK, I’ll bite with this one–these are the Tea Party Moms, waking up from hibernation.

No Seething Hatred Here

Mark Steyn at The Corner points to this headline from The Miami Herald:

Unified By Hatred Of Obama, GOP Still Searches For Challenger

Against my better judgment and concern for my blood pressure, I clicked on over.

Can I just address the fact that first of all “hatred of Obama” misstates the point, and I’m not speaking for the GOP because I’m not empowered to do that, but I’m speaking only for myself.  We had this argument way back when Rush Limbaugh said he wanted Obama’s policies to fail.  Oh, I know; he said “I hope he fails,” but anyone with a grain of sense can read the context and know he meant Obama’s radical policies.  We’ve been there and done that.

This headline only takes us back there.  It’s the same argument.

Let me be clear.  I don’t hate Obama.  I hate Obama’s policies.  Period.

Now.  As to the rest of the article which addresses potential GOP challengers to Obama in 2012, let me suggest that Steven Thomma, author of the piece, missed the point or major theme of the SRLC in that the next battle the GOP is anticipating is 2010.  We’re looking at the fall.  As Haley Barbour said, 2012 will take care of itself after that.

I’ll go on record right now and say that I don’t believe any of the current leaders on the Des Moines Register GOP Caucus poll will be the actual nominee in 2012.  But, I’m not worried about that right now.

On notice

The Hill:

All 41 GOP senators signed a letter to Reid pledging to uphold the “Byrd rule,” which requires that all elements of a bill passed using budget reconciliation rules be strictly related to the budget.

The GOPers’ pledge amounts to a threat to block any changes sought by Senate Democrats on issues like abortion or immigration, or perhaps the reintroduction of the public option to the healthcare bill.

“We wish to inform you that we will oppose efforts to waive the so-called Byrd Rule during Senate consideration of any reconciliation bill concerning health reform,” the senators wrote. “As it takes 60 votes to waive the Byrd Rule, we can ensure that any provision that trips the Byrd Rule will be stripped from the bill, which will require that the bill be sent back to the House for further consideration and additional votes.”

More from Allahpundit.

The GOP Establishment Needs a Wake-Up Call

We make note this morning of Evangelical donor Mark DeMoss who has written a letter to Michael Steele withdrawing his generous financial support from the Republican establishment citing the leaked PowerPoint presentation as a reason:

The depictions of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid were shameful, immature and uncivil, at best. While I realize your office made steps to distance you from this presentation I’m afraid the presentation is representative of a culture and mindset within the Republican National Committee; consequently, I will no longer contribute to any fundraising entity of our Party—but will contribute only to individual candidates I choose to support.

I say “Bravo” to him!  As has been the case for too long, the GOP establishment just doesn’t get it when it comes to getting their message out or in backing the right candidates.

Take John Cornyn’s early endorsement of Charlie Crist in the Florida race, for example.  Boneheaded move.  Marco Rubio is far and above the kind of candidate the GOP establishment should be supporting with his conservative message.

Then the GOP establishment decided that Dede Scozzafava was the candidate to put up front in the NY-23 special election – another boneheaded move.  They don’t get much more liberal than Scozzafava.

Stacy McCain posted yesterday on John Boehner’s support for Rep. Parker Griffith in Alabama, a candidate who votes heavily with Nancy Pelosi much of the time.

Maybe the sound of DeMoss closing his very generous checkbook will begin to get the attention of Steele and the rest of the GOP leaders.  It has been said more than once that if Republicans can screw it up, they will; with amateurish moves like the distasteful PowerPoint presentation and the continued support of liberal candidates, the Republican establishment appears poised to blow a huge opportunity in the fall, and in 2012.

(H/T: Memeorandum)

I know that I’m joining the party a day late but I did have a quick observation. I thought our guys did a great job in the little time they were given. They showed up prepared, had their facts straight and I believe, made the case that ObamaCare as written directly contradicts the will of the people. The Dems relied on cheap emotional tricks, telling stories of constituents who had suffered needlessly under the cruel American free market system of health care. I know I said it earlier but the story about the woman who wore her dead sister’s teeth was just bizarre. As a southerner, I felt like the story played in to almost every negative southern stereotype going. I say almost because all it needed to complete it was a mention that the dead sister’s funeral was held in a trailer park down by the river. Odd to the nth degree.

It is what it is. Obama means to pass this thing. But that doesn’t mean that it is over. Obama is overly fond of saying, “I won.” He didn’t win yesterday. Opponents of a government takeover of health care were given plenty of ammunition. Now we need to take that ammunition and fire away.

Another thing-am I the only person who after watching yesterday’s coverage has a much, much better feeling about our Republican delegation in Congress? Good job, guys.