Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Video: Allen West at CPAC


From the YouTube description of Allen West's 2013 CPAC speech:
March 14, 2013 - Former Congressman Allen West on Thursday addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in what TheBlaze's Mike Opelka described as a "fiery" speech that had "everyone on their feet." "I'll give it to you straight," West began. "Last November we did take one on the jaw, but this movement and this fight is not determined by the punches that we take. We're defined by how quickly we pull ourselves off the mat and our perseverance."

"There're no shortage of people telling us what conservatism cannot accomplish, what we can't do, how we cannot connect, how we must change our values to fit the times."

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you: That that truly is a bunch of malarkey," he added, seemingly channeling the spirit of VP debate Joe Biden.

"Last time I checked," he continued, "a bended knee is not, nor shall it ever be a conservative tradition."

He went on to argue that people like him (i.e. a black conservative) absolutely terrify liberals.

"I'm speaking from experience when I tell you that there is nothing on this green earth that a liberal progressive fears more than a black American who wants a better life and a smaller government," West said.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Country Club Republicans and the Country Class

Angelo Codevilla has a great article in Forbes: As Country Club Republicans Link Up With The Democratic Ruling Class, Millions Of Voters Are Orphaned:
The ever-growing U.S. government has an edgy social, ethical, and political character. It is distasteful to a majority of persons who vote Republican and to independent voters, as well as to perhaps one fifth of those who vote Democrat. The Republican leadership’s kinship with the socio-political class that runs modern government is deep. Country class Americans have but to glance at the Media to hear themselves insulted from on high as greedy, racist, violent, ignorant extremists. Yet far has it been from the Republican leadership to defend them. Whenever possible, the Republican Establishment has chosen candidates for office – especially the Presidency – who have ignored, soft-pedaled or given mere lip service to their voters’ identities and concerns.
Read the whole thing--it's quite good.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

America: A Grim Diagnosis

The Wall Street Journal has a must read interview with Harvard's Harvey Mansfield. Professor Mansfield discusses The Crisis of American Self-Government:
Few have thought as hard, or as much, about how democracies can preserve individual liberty and national virtue as the eminent political scientist Harvey Mansfield. When it comes to assessing the state of the American experiment in self-government today, his diagnosis is grim, and he has never been one to mince words.
Further on:
the electorate that granted Barack Obama a second term was unwise—the president achieved "a sneaky victory," Mr. Mansfield says. "The Democrats said nothing about their plans for the future. All they did was attack the other side. Obama's campaign consisted entirely of saying 'I'm on your side' to the American people, to those in the middle. No matter what comes next, this silence about the future is ominous."
Read the whole thing.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Republican Attorney General Candidate Ed Martin Releases First TV Ad


Earlier this week I spoke with Republican Ed Martin about his campaign for Attorney General of Missouri and he told me that he recently unveiled his first campaign commercial which would be airing in key markets around the state. Martin is running to bring much needed reform to Missouri's AG office. If he prevails in the August 7th Republican primary, Martin will face Democrat Chris Koster in November.

Shane Schoeller and Ed Martin Demand Changes to Missouri's Ballot Initiative Process


On Monday, July 10th, Republican candidate for Missouri Secretary of State Shane Schoeller and fellow Republican candidate for Missouri Attorney General, Ed Martin, held a public press conference to talk about the steps they would take to ensure fair ballot language for state-wide Initiative Petitions and Referendums. Their press conference was precipitate by language handed down by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and approved by Attorney General Chris Koster. That language distorts the intent of a November ballot measure. The ballot measure is designed to prevent the governor and state agencies from implementing healthcare exchanges in Missouri without the approval of the General Assembly; however, Carnahan wrote language that Koster approved which erroneously suggests that families would be denied affordable health care.

Schoeller, who is a state representative in Missouri's General Assembly, has crafted legislation that would ensure that a bi-partisan panel of Missouri citizens would participate in crafting future ballot language. Schoeller has also asked Speaker of the Missouri House, Steve Tilley, to setup an interim committee to look into this issue.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Missouri AG Candidate Ed Martin Plans Reform After Audit Reveals AG Koster's Cronyism


Last week Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (R) released an audit of Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's (D) office. Schweich found:
The Attorney General's office (AGO) retained the right to reject proposals for contingency fee contracts even though state law does not include any provision for doing so once the Office of Administration (OA) has taken over the bid process. The Attorney General also accepted campaign contributions from law firms that submitted proposals. The AGO should not retain the power to reject responses or solicit new responses for contingency fee contracts after it requests the OA to handle the procurement process.
Schwich's full audit report is available online.

Ed Martin is a Republican candidate for Missouri Attorney General. On Monday, 7/2/12, he held a conference call to announce the steps that he plans to take to reform the AG's office if elected to replace Koster. Martin emphasized the need for transparency and accountability.

The video above is a recording of that conference call.

Monday afternoon, Ed Martin sent a press release with additional details:
Martin’s plan will expand the Missouri Accountability Portal to include the following information:
  • All costs legal or otherwise with backup documentation
  • All fees to outside lawyers with backup documentation
  • All campaign contributions to the Attorney General’s campaign or related committees while in office.
The plan will also establish a moratorium on contingency fee awards. 
Read the whole press release. Martin has more about Koster at ObamasLawyer.com.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Video: Paul Curtman fills in for GOP US Senate Candidate John Brunner


On Friday, Missouri State Rep. Paul Curtman (R) spoke to the St. Charles Pachyderm Club. Curtman was filling in for Republican US Senate Candidate John Brunner who had been scheduled to speak but was called away at the last moment.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Video: Scott Rupp on Healthcare Exchanges and his Campaign for Missouri Secretary of State


On Friday, Republican Missouri Secretary of State candidate Scott Rupp spoke to the St. Charles Pachyderm Club. Rupp talked about the recent Supreme Court decision to uphold Obamacare and, in particular, his work as a Missouri state senator to stop the implementation of health exchanges in Missouri. Rupp played a role last September in thwarting Gov. Jay Nixon's attempt to implement the Healthcare Exchange envisioned in Obamacare here in Missouri. Rupp also discussed the importance of the Secretary of State's office for Missouri businesses and the office's role in fighting voter fraud.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Photos: Missouri GOP Candidates at the St. Louis City GOP Picnic


The Republican Party of St. Louis held its annual picnic Sunday at Carondelet Park in south city. Republican politicians from across the state were there to meet the voters and deliver their stump speeches.

Over the next few days, I'll be posting video of Missouri Secretary of State candidates Scott Rupp and Shane Schoeller; Treasury candidate Cole McNary; Gubernatorial candidates Bill Randles, Fred Sauer, and Dave Spence; candidates for Congress in Missouri's First Congressional District Robyn Hamlin and Martin Baker; Attorney General candidate Ed Martin; and St. Louis city Sheriff candidate Vroman Sternberg.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Video: St. Louis Tea Party's May After Party


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rally for Common Sense Wrap-up


Conservatives from around the midwest flocked to the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, to attend the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Dozens of speakers and musicians informed and entertained a crowd of about a thousand people. The YouTube playlist above includes the following videos:
  1. Introduction, Invocation, and Pledge of Allegiance to Begin the Rally
  2. Michelle Moore spoke of the need to get actively involved in the political system as polling judges/challengers on election days, lobbying your elected officials, and being informed about the issues
  3. Mason Weaver spoke about the rise of tribalism, Obama's flip-flop on gay marriage, and the uniqueness of America's Civil War in which: "brother fought brother to set strangers free."
  4. Dr Gina Loudon spoke about how the current administration has diminished the office of the presidency and the need to restore honor among our elected officials
  5. Lenny McAllister spoke about taking back the greatness of the American dream and the need for each of us must be interactive with our patriotism
  6. K Carl Smith explained how to reach out to the black community with Frederick Douglass's life story and the values that he represents
  7. Gary Nolan spoke about how the Tea Party has transformed American politics and needs to continue the fight
  8. Grandma is a Radical is an original song performed at the Rally for Common Sense
  9. Bill Looman "went on strike" refusing to hire any more employees until after Obama leaves office to protest the onerous regulations of the current administration
  10. Stacy Swimp spoke about how conservatives have conceded to progressives and challenged the attendees to put pressure on their legislators to pass right to work laws
  11. David Roland spoke about the legal fight he helped litigate on behalf of girl scouts who had been fined for selling cookies in their driveway
  12. Selena Owens spoke about how conservative women will help transform the country and their role fighting against Washington, DC's war on women
  13. Stacy Washington spoke about her transformation to conservatism and the role her Christian faith played in that transformation
  14. Alfonzo Rachel spoke of the importance of Christian values and America's founders in forming his conservative political views
  15. C. L. Bryant spoke about our endowment of God-given freedoms and the need to restrain government
  16. Kevin Jackson spoke about the role Democrats have played in exploiting blacks from the founding of the country
  17. William Temple plays "Button Gwinnett" at the Rally for Common Sense
  18. Alan Keyes spoke about the need to be honest with ourselves about the problems now confronting America and how the Republican and Democrat parties collude to further the interests of the elite establishment
  19. Herman Cain talked about the ongoing Tea Party revolution, his plan to reform the tax system, and the American Dream
There's more video over at ConservativeTVOnline.com including video of Darin Chappell (I had camera issues during his speech) and video of Alfonzo Rachel that's actually in focus unlike mine--sorry Zo!

It was an amazing group of speakers. I thought the best political/moral/philosophical commentary was from Alan Keyes, so if you've got a little over half an hour, I think you'll enjoy what he has to say. When it comes to pragmatic political outreach to the black community, K. Carl Smith's framing of the discussion around Fredrick Douglass's life and philosophy was tremendous. Make sure you watch that and then go get his book: Frederick Douglass Republicans: The Movement to Re-Ignite America's Passion for Liberty.

The total running time for all of the videos above is a little over four hours.

Photos of some of the speakers:

IMG_1191 IMAG1195 IMG_1142
K Carl Smith Alfonzo Rachel
Selena Owens Dr. Gina Loudon IMAG1190
Stacy Swimp Kevin Jackson
IMG_1136 william temple Gary Nolan

Slideshow:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Video: K Carl Smith at the Rally for Common Sense


Author and founder of the Frederick Douglass Republicans, K. Carl Smith joined fellow conservatives on the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, at the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Smith explained how to reach out to the black community with Frederick Douglass's life story and the values that he represents.


Video: Alfonzo Rachel at the Rally for Common Sense


Alfonzo Rachel, host of PJTV's Zo Nation, joined fellow conservatives on the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, at the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Zo spoke of the importance of Christian values and America's founders in forming his conservative political views.

Note: The focus is off in the video above. Also, I reached the end of the video tape before Zo was finished so the last couple of minutes of his speech are from my lower resolution camera. Sorry about that.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Video: C. L. Bryant at the Rally for Common Sense


Rev. C. L. Bryant, author of Lead Us to Temptation-Deliver Us to Evil and star of The Runaway Slave Movie, joined fellow conservatives on the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, at the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Bryant spoke about our endowment of God-given freedoms and the need to restrain government.


Video: Herman Cain at the Rally for Common Sense


Former 2012 GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain joined fellow conservatives on the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, at the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Cain talked about the ongoing Tea Party revolution, his plan to reform the tax system, and the american dream.

Books by Herman Cain:

   

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Video: Alan Keyes at the Rally for Common Sense



Noted speaker and political luminary Alan Keyes joined fellow conservatives on the Patriot Field of Dreams on May 19th, 2012, at the Rally for Common Sense in Holts Summit, Missouri. Keyes spoke about the need to be honest with ourselves about the problems now confronting America and how the Republican and Democrat parties collude to further the interests of the elite establishment.

Note: Sorry for the delay posting photos and video from last Saturday's rally. I was working through some computer issues.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Book: Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic

Jay Cost's new book came out on Tuesday and it looks to be a good read. In Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic, Cost explores the decline of the Democrat party from its noble beginning in 1828 to the present day. From the Amazon description:
With the creation of a partisan spoils system in the nineteenth century, both parties practiced the politics of patronage. But, starting with the New Deal, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the power of big government to transform whole classes of society into clients of the Democratic party. Urban machines, southern segregationists, and organized labor all benefited from this approach. FDR's successors—Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter—followed suit, turning African Americans, environmentalists, feminists, government workers, teachers, and a number of other groups into loyal Democratic factions. As a result, the Democratic party has become a kind of national Tammany Hall whose real purpose is to colonize the federal government on behalf of its clients.

No longer able to govern for the vast majority of the country, the Democratic party simply taxes Middle America to pay off its clients while hiding its true nature behind a smoke screen of idealistic rhetoric. Thus, the Obama health care, stimulus, and auto bailout health care bill were created not to help all Americans but to secure contributions and votes. Average Americans need to see that whatever the Democratic party claims it is doing for the country, it is in fact governing simply for its base.
I first began reading Jay Cost just before the 2004 election and have followed his columns as they moved from a personal blog to RealClearPolitics and now as the author of Morning Jay at The Weekly Standard. He's a consistently thought provoking author who uses polling and demographic data as well as statistics to bolster his political analysis.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Video: Missouri Conservative Coalition and Missouri Precinct Project


The playlist above includes two videos from a meeting of the Missouri Conservative Coalition that occurred earlier this month. The third and final video is about the Missouri Precinct Project.

Thanks to kinoxxbb for shooting and posting these videos!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Former State Auditor, Claire McCaskill, is Audited

Incumbent Senator Claire McCaskillImage via Wikipedia
Earlier this month I noted that Claire McCaskill (D-MO) had been caught self-dealing by using tax payer money to lease a private jet from a company that she owns. Now things have taken a turn for the worse for Missouri's senior senator. Mark Hemingway in The Weekly Standard notes that Sen. McCaskill Failed to Pay $287,000 in Property Taxes on the Aircraft:
Ah Senators, they're just like you and me! Who among us hasn't forgotten to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes on our private aircraft...

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Barak Obama Votes Absent

Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...Image via Wikipedia
John Podhoretz in NYPOST.com notes Barak Obama's lack of leadership:
The moment demands that he rise to the challenge of showing America and the world that he is taking the reins. How leaders act in times of unanticipated crisis, in which they do not have a formulated game plan and must instead navigate in treacherous waters, defines them.

Obama is defining himself in a way that will destroy him.

It is not merely that he isn't rising to the challenge. He is avoiding the challenge. He is Bartleby the President. He would prefer not to.
Obama was criticized during the 2008 election cycle for having frequently voted "present" when he served in the Illinois legislature. Today, he's not even doing that much. Instead, he's spending time filling out his March Madness bracket while the world burns.