Good Call, South Carolina GOP

     The South Carolina Republican Party announced on Monday that it's merging with Tea Party groups around South Carolina.  They will be sharing resources, sharing a common message, and pushing the South Carolina GOP in a more conservative direction.  This is a good move for both groups.  The GOP in South Carolina will be prevented from facing a fate of irrelevancy and the Tea Party will be able to get its small, limited government message out on a big scale.  This is something state GOP parties as well as the RNC should do.  If the Tea Party were to become its own political party that would split the Republican vote, therefore allowing for Democrats to easily sweep elections.  If the GOP and the Tea Party would merge, it would do what is happening in South Carolina.  The GOP would be able to carry a current, relevant message and the Tea Party would be able to get its message of smaller government, lower taxes and lower spending out on a national level.  A GOP-Tea Party merger would prove damaging for the Democrats and advance the cause of Conservatism so that the Democrats would have a very, very strong rival to go up against in November of this year.  

Oh Quit the Prospecting, SHE WON'T RUN IN 2012!

     Sarah Palin is a truly unique American politician.  She has the canny ability to draw large crowds and influence with her individual brand of American politics.  Like many strong women before her, she will go down in history as one of the most fascinating political figures in American history.
     From her splash off the diving board into the 2008 presidential race to her runaway best-seller, Sarah Palin is one politician who is hard to predict.  Some think she'll run for president in 2012 or 2016, some think she will run for Congress from Alaska.  Personally, I think Gov. Palin won't hold another political office for a very long time.  She knows that the poorly-run McCain campaign of 2008 really set her off on the wrong foot with the American people and that it will take a lot of remolding and reshaping for her to successfully get back into the political spotlight.
     To be specific as to what I think her plans for the future are, I will make the following predictions.  First, I think she will stay with Fox News as a political contributor.  It is a relatively low-stress job that she can earn a good amount of money with as well as still keep her name current in the political landscape.  Secondly, I think she will write one, maybe two more books.  So far from Going Rogue, Palin has made close to $8 million dollars.  She won't pass the chance to make that much money up.  Thirdly, I believe she will expand her PAC and put more money behind candidates whom she believes have the right stuff.  She has proven that she has great fundraising potential and this will keep her politically connected so she can mount a run for Senate from Alaska or a presidential run.
     Whatever Sarah Palin does, it's first and foremost her choice.  She is not one to be told what to do and she will chart her own course.  She will do what is best for her and her family.  However, she will remain one of the most interesting political figures in the United States for many years to come and one who will always keep us wondering "what will she do next".

The Game of Musical Chairs is Over, The Seat Has Been Filled

     At 5:10 today, February 4 2010 Scott Brown was sworn in as Senator from Massachusetts by Vice President Joe Biden.  This is the aftershock of an American political earthquake.  Sen. Brown is the 41st Republican in the Senate, ending the Democratic 60-vote supermajority.  This means that if Obama wants to get anything passed through the Senate, he will certainly have to get one or two Republicans to defect, which is a possibility that seems almost impossible.
     This has been demonstrated recently, when the Senate voted to increase the debt ceiling by $1.9 TRILLION.  Not even Ms. Moderate herself Olympia and her "twin" Susan Collins would vote for this.  This is a signal that Republicans are not going to back down to Democrats in the Senate.  And now they have just enough manpower to hold out.  To invoke cloture in the Senate, a vote of 60+ is required.  As of now, there are 59 Democrats and 41 Republicans.  That means that on such a hot issue as health care or cap-and-trade, the Republicans can filibuster and the Democrats can't do a thing about it.  Obama and the Democrats will now have to win over Republicans to get any major legislation passed, and with the 2010 Midterm elections looming, socialized medicine in the United States is pretty much dead.  I will say though, this will make for some very interesting political news!

It's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell the Truth", Obama Style

     In President Obama's 2010 State of the Union address, he expressed that he would like to change the military policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".  This policy states that a military personnel's sexual orientation should not be discussed, investigated or brought up.  It also bars gays from serving openly in the military.  President Obama isn't considering the ramifications of the repeal of this policy.  If repealed, gays would have to disclose their sexual orientation.  This would open them up to harassment, hazing and God knows what else.  One's sexual orientation is something that should not matter wherever they are.  Sexual orientation is something that should be kept private and not publicized.  It is something we all should keep to ourselves and we need to respect others' right to privacy.  We should not worry about the sexual orientation of a person, but rather how they serve and how well they do their job.  It shouldn't be that big of an issue.    


DISCLOSURE--I mean no offense to the military by anything I say in this blog post, I support the troops wholeheartedly.

Are You KIDDING Me, President Obama?

     President Obama laid out his brand-spanking new budget on Monday.  Instead of cutting spending drastically, President Obama has presented a 3.8 TRILLION dollar budget that does little more than tax too much, borrow too much, and spend too much.  In fact, this new budget will increase the one-year budget deficit to 1.6 TRILLION!
     We are in an economic war right now.  On one side are the special interests and the government.  On the other side are the Joe the Plumbers of this world; the regular, hard-working everyday people trying their hardest to make a living.  The middle class is getting put through the ringer.  It is getting harder and harder to accomplish the American Dream with taxes that keep getting higher, spending that is completely out of control, and a government that doesn't care if you eat cake or nothing.
     If President Obama wants to stimulate this shaky economy, he needs to do three things:

• Cut taxes on every single American and every single American business
• Drastically cut Federal government spending
• Stop the Federal Reserve from printing more and more money.

     Cutting taxes is a very easy to stimulate the economy.  By cutting taxes on people, Americans have more money in their pockets to spend and save.  By cutting taxes on businesses, they can afford to hire new workers.  That increases government revenues because all those new employees pay income taxes and payroll taxes, therefore broadening the Federal tax base.

     Cutting government spending is another great way to stimulate the economy because it ends the cycle of waste that is hurting us today.  By cutting spending, the Federal budget will finally be balanced therefore allowing for economic growth and increasing consumer confidence.  Increasing consumer confidence encourages Americans to spend money therefore stimulating the economy. 

     Stopping the Federal Reserve from printing more and more money is yet another way to stimulate the economy.  When the Federal Reserve prints money out of thin air every day, inflation is increased because prices have to increase to account for the larger amount of cash floating around.  Therefore, stopping the printing of money puts a cap on inflation and lets people afford more.

     The thing we all must realize is that the Obama administration and Congress don't care whether the economy is stimulated or not.  All they care about is lining their pockets while they pick yours and increasing their power while yours is stripped away from you.  

Health Care is in the ICU Now

     My first reaction when I saw that Scott Brown had won the special election this week in Massachusetts was one of utter shock.  I mean, we haven't seen a Republican elected to the Senate from Massachusetts since 1972!  This is an earthquake in the political landscape of America that is still causing aftershocks (mainly in the Democratic camp).  
     Scott Brown ran one of the most effective political campaigns since the Obama-Biden campaign of 2008.  Brown had massive grassroots support that was on the ground canvassing for him almost every waking moment of every day.  He also was very active on the internet, with double the Facebook fans of his Democratic opponent Martha Coakley and twice the followers on Twitter.  Scott Brown also got the backing of the Tea Party Movement, which sent millions of dollars and eager volunteers his way.  In fact, during the last week before the election, the Brown campaign was pulling in over A MILLION dollars EACH DAY!
     Now that the dust in Massachusetts has settled, I think it's safe to say that the Democrats' healthcare takeover is DEAD.  Brown campaigned on being the 41st vote against this bill and stated many times he would join fellow Republicans in a fillibuster.  Because the Republicans have 41 votes in the Senate now, they can fillbuster without the Democrats being able to invoke the Cloture Rule, meaning that they now have the power to kill the bill.
     We can see the Democrats already shaking in their boots and pointing fingers for their lack of unity during this debacle.  Nancy Pelosi has now admitted that she would not be able to ram through the Senate-passed version of healthcare reform through the House with the needed votes and Harry Reid has sequestered himself   in his office, saying nothing to the press.  The Democrats' one last hope in the Senate is wooing over Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, and she seems to not be supporting this bill, which means that avenue is closed to further exploration.
     With options closing on the Democrats, health care reform is sinking like the Titanic in the Senate.  It will be interesting to see what the Democrats do to save their 2,500 page monstrocity.  I have one suggestion for them -- SCRAP IT AND START OVER!!!!!

The Future of Mrs. Sarah Palin

Readers,

     As we all know by now, Sarah Palin has signed on with Fox News as their newest political contributor.  This seems appropriate because she has a degree in journalism.  By signing with Fox News, Sarah Palin has sent a new message to the political world that she will not be running for president in 2012.
     Some may ask why she is doing this.  To me the answer is simple.  She can earn so much money by writing books and going on news channels!  Also, if she were to run for president in 2012 the media would throw the poor woman under the bus.  The disasterous McCain campaign of 2008 damaged her credibility with the mainstream media.  It will take at least two or more presidential election cycles for everyone to forget about the damage the media did to Gov. Palin.  Sarah Palin's best bets for a nice presidential run are either 2016, 2020, or 2024; when the media has calmed down and a new generation is in politics.