Is the Republican Party Broken?

Since Election Day, many people have posted articles, statuses and tweets, saying that the reason why Governor Romney lost was because he was not Conservative enough. They think that if a “Tea Party” candidate had won the GOP nomination then we would have won the election. And they think that in the coming years we must nominate more Conservative candidates and people who are not willing to “compromise”. They think that the Republican Party must transform itself into being more aligned with the Tea Party ideals in order to survive. They think that the Republican Party is Broken.

Friends, they could not be further from the truth. The truth is this: America is NOT a ‘right’ or ‘far right’ county; America is a ‘center right’ country that is closer to the ‘center’ than the ‘right’. American’s wants someone that represents the views of AMERICA, not the views of the extreme. Now, President Obama DOES represent the views of the ‘extreme left’, but he was able to convince America that Governor Romney represented the views of the ‘far right’. The Democratic Party spent weeks trying to convince the American public that Governor Romney condoned the idiotic statements made by Congressman Akin and Richard Murdock. Obama’s Campaign was very good at selling Governor Romney as an extremist and this was what ended up turning off voters in states like Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin. In those five states Governor Romney did not lose because of the Hispanic or black vote. He lost because the Democratic Party used the extremes of the Republican Party against Governor Romney.

Now, I applaud and stand with the Tea Party for holding elected candidates responsible for their actions; I applaud and stand with them in their enthusiasm for fiscal responsibility; however, I do not applaud them for their other statements and actions. It is not the Republican Party that needs changed. What must change is that the Tea Party was allowed to dictate our message for so long and force so many irrational comments during the GOP Primary. What must change is the idea that it is their way or the highway. What must change is the idea that compromise is such a dirty word. That’s what needs to change.

We need to listen to the needs and desires of the various minority communities, instead of allowing extremist dictate to them what we will do for them. We need to approach them the same way President Bush did in 2000 and 2004, with love, compassion and, most of all, respect.

What ever happened to “Compassionate Conservatism”? What ever happened to common sense?

If the GOP wants to survive then we will go back to practicing those two things. If we don’t, if we continue to allow the Tea Party to tell us what to do and what to say, we will never survive.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a chance for us to take a moment to thank those who have given their all to America. While today is a day we set aside for this purpose, everyday should be its own Memorial Day. While celebrities have their place, the real heroes are the men and women who do their jobs without the spotlight of the press and without the glory that money brings. So go out, enjoy the day, and remember to say “thank you” to those we truly deserve to hear it. God Bless the United States Military.

What a Year!

For Congress 2011 will most likely go down as one of their most partisan years. Some of the highlights(or lowlights) were the budget battle between Paul Ryan and the entire Democratic party, the Debt-Ceiling crisis, and the payroll tax credit fight. All of these were fiercely partisan and caused a great deal of angst between the two sides of the aisle, but the one thing that I am proud to see were that both sides of the elected aisle generally tried to retain a level of civility.

However, if we can safely say that the year was a partisan one in Congress, we can surely say that it was much worse for those outside Congress. Whether it was from the thousands of people who protested in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan over bills relating to unions; to the Occupy movement that has burst forth, this was a year of protests. Unfortunately, unlike the members of Congress, the protest movement was not quite as civil. Whether it was hundreds of protesters chasing Sen Glenn Grothman around the WI State Capitol, the very real death threats that were received, to the Occupy movement calling for shooting of cops; the protest movement had an aura of anger, hatred, and violence. I do not believe that every person that protested would praise violence against others, in fact I would believe that the majority of them would condemn those actions. But that doesn’t leave the fact that a substantial part of that movement is fueled by hatred.

In a year that saw the tragic shooting of Cong. Giffords, I was hoping for a better chance at civility amongst the two sides of the political spectrum only to be sorely disappointed. Instead of unity and working together to help further the American way of life I saw divisiveness.

Maybe next year….

Maybe in a year when the Conservative side of the politcal spectrum(myself included) is going to throw the kitchen sink to ensure that Barack Obama is a one term President, maybe then will we see a level of civility. Maybe in what will most likely be a nasty recall governors race in Wisconsin will we see both sides coming together. Maybe in a year when more money is going to be spent on negative campaign ads than ever before, maybe then will we see that unity that only once in my life have I seen among Americans. Only once did I look around and see that we truly were all united. Only after 9/11. Maybe in this year, 11 years later, will we see that spirit again. Maybe, just maybe….

I understand that the likelihood of this happening is next to none, but so is the likelihood that you will go to the gym more often than last year, or any other New Years Resolutions you might have. I know mine might be a bit abnormal(anyone that knows me will say that I am abnormal to match it), but I want us to be able to put our differences aside not just today but everyday. So I am going to do my part. Tonight and all year I am going to pray that Cong. Giffords continues to recuperate, I will pray for Rep. Grigsby(D-Milwaukee) will recover from cancer, I will pray for Sen Reids family as his wife battles with cancer, I will pray for President Obama and that he will lead with wisdom, and I will continue to pray for the people of America. Will you join me this year in a call for civility? Why not this year!

Tim Tebow and his ‘Oppressive’ Home Arena

There are a lot of reasons why some football fans don’t like Tim Tebow. If you are from the SEC you have a perfect reason to not like him. He spent 4 years of his life tearing apart your defense. If you are in the AFC West he is doing that to you now. If you are a fan of the classic quarterback then his throwing motion is simple enough reason to not like him. If you are a fan of the Brady Quinn or the other quarterbacks on the Broncos roster then the fact that he is starting and your player is not is a reason.

But there is a sect of people that attack him for a completely other reason. They  attack him for his faith. They don’t like the fact that he is quite open about his faith and will take every chance to talk about his love of Christ. They attack him for kneeling down and praying during a football game. And now they are attacking him for not being a man slut. In the opinion of the people that are attacking him, the fact that he is a virgin is evidence enough that he is gay. But the sickening part is that it is not just anyone doing the attacking. It is the Executive Director of the gay-rights advocacy group “Catholics for Equality”. His name is Phil Attey, and he is a raging liberal.

Today on his Facebook he posted a link to a radio show host talking about why he believes Tim Tebow is hated. Phil posted this with the following comment: “WE DON’T HATE TIM TEBOW … WE PRAY FOR HIM! Too many good kids, who are gay, grow up in devoutly religious families, and “saving yourself for marriage” or “wanting to become a priest or nun” is an easy way to avoid coming out. But it’s a sad, frustrating and unnatural life, that often leads to your sexuality manifesting itself in harmful and dangerous ways. Tim, and all gay kids who grow up in oppressive arenas, need not only our prayers, but our support. I’M PROUD TO LOVE TIM TEBOW!”

I immediately took a great deal of offense to this statement, and posted this statement on my own Facebook: “I find it reprehensible that there are many people that think that just because Tim Tebow has chosen to save himself till marriage that he is a homosexual.” And from there it was on. But let me just pose these questions: since when is not having sex a sign that you are gay? I know thousands of people that have waited till marriage to have sex. I have also met hundreds that have chosen to wait till marriage to even kiss. So is this a sign that they are all gay? Phil went on to say that it is a clear sign that since Tim Tebow was afforded the opportunity to have sex with nearly any girl at the University of Florida but he refused to do so. So since Tim Tebow has the will power and self control he is gay?
Another area I took great offense to was when he claimed that “Tim, and all gay kids who grow up in oppressive arenas, need not only our prayers, but our support.” OPPRESSIVE??? It is called a church! It is called a Christian home, with loving parents and a Godly example. I am proud to have grown up in a home where my entire family went to church multiple times a week, in fact most of my teen years where spent at my church doing odd jobs and hanging out with my church friends. Does this mean that I grew up in an oppressive home? Who gives these people the gall to claim that anyone that lives in a manner that they disagree with was raised in an oppressive home? The utter lack of civility and the utter lack of respect is absolutely disgusting.

But lets just say that Tim Tebow is gay and is in the closet. Who Cares! Who gave Catholics for Equality the job to get him out of the closet? Who made them the ruler supreme of the Homosexual closet? Who gave them the duty to classify whether someone was raised in an oppressive home? The liberals love to lecture my side of the aisle on individual freedom and choice. How about they take heed of their own rants.

Why Newt?

Over the last couple of weeks, Newt Gingrich has surged to the top of the polls in nearly every state. So even for the most adamant of the Anti-Newt sector of the Republican Party we must ask ourselves ‘Why Newt?’. I have three reasons as to why all of us should listen to Newt Gingrich.

Newt will eventually say something we like.

• Newt has for many years claimed to be a member of the Rockefeller sect of the GOP. This is how he broke into the GOP and came to power. This was during the Nixon/Ford years of the GOP. Then Gingrich became a member of the Reagan sect of the GOP during the popular years of the 80′s-90′s. Then he became apart of the Teddy Roosevelt part of the GOP during the GWB Presidency. NOW he claims to be a Reagan Republican AND a Teddy Roosevelt sects of the GOP. This simply depends on where the he is talking. So whether you are with the Reagan part or the Teddy part he is part of you.
• Newt believes in the Al Gore philosophy of climate change. That is unless you want him to believe in NO climate change. Then he will say he never believed in Cap and Trade unless you wanted him to back in 2009.
• Newt LOVES a Federally Sanctioned Individual Mandate(1993, 2003, 2007,2008,2011). Unless he is trying to get your vote and you don’t like it, so he is against it(2011).

Newt will use  demagoguery just like the liberals do. NO really I mean EXACTLY like the liberals.

• On Paul Ryan- “I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering…I’m against Obamacare, which is imposing radical change, and I would be against a conservative imposing radical change.”
• Or how about on Mitt Romney’s career- ”I would just say that if Gov. Romney would like to give back all of the money he’s earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years at Bain, that I would be glad to listen to him.  I’ll bet you $10, not $10,000, that he won’t take the offer”(These are THE SAME arguments that Debbie Downer and the other idiots at the DNC use to attack Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney.)

Newt will be faithful

• Well maybe to himself
• Definitely not to his wife(as seen by his multiple marriages)
• Definitely not to his God(as seen by his multiple conversions)
• Definitely not to his beliefs(as seen by his constant flip-flops)
• BUT never fear. As a ‘historian’ he will be faithful to the other ‘K Streeters’ to get them access as the utmost DC ‘Insider’ out there.

If you want the epitome of the Washington Insider and MORE of the same that we have been getting then go with Newt. Newt will be brought to you by ‘whatever winds are blowing’ and will make you feel good about your vote. That is…until tomorrow.

What If Newt Won

25 days till Caucus Day and the leader to bethe GOP Nominee for President of the United States is…Newt?! While I still don’t think that it will happen, let me share to you what I think is the biggest ramification if we nominate an idiot like Newt.

Must Win States For Presidency 2012(Gingrich Differential than Romney verse Obama)

• Arizona(-7)
• Colorado(-6)
• Florida(-5)
• Iowa(-3)
• Michigan(-10)
• Nevada(NA)
• New Hampshire(-15)
• North Carolina(-4)
• Ohio(+/- 0)
• Pennsylvania(-5)
• Virginia(NA)
• Wisconsin(NA)

So what am I saying here? It is quite simple. If we nominate Newt Gingrich our chances of winning back the White House decrease drastically. In fact using the state by state polls in the electoral college system Newt loses by 216 electoral college votes. Whereas Mitt Romney is leading Obama by 14 electoral college votes.

So as you consider who to vote for in 2012, remember this: “Are my friends that are more moderate than me willing to vote for him over Obama?” If it is Newt, the answer is probably not. But if it is Mitt, they just might.

Newt Who?

The GOP Presidential Primary has spent the last year attempting to find the ‘perfect candidate’ and the ‘Conservative alternative’ to Mitt Romney. So far the GOP ferris wheel has rested on Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and now Newt Gingrich. Now most people don’t know who Newt Gingrich is. Newt is a Washington outsider, he is the conservatives conservative, the antithesis of all things Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi. He is one of a kind. Right? That’s what he would have us believe, he wants to make it look like he the champion of Conservative causes but is he really? Lets see:

Newt on Global Warming:

• “I think is that the evidence is sufficient that we should move towards the most effective possible steps to reduce carbon-loading of the atmosphere.” — Newt Gingrich - April 10, 2007
• And who can forget his lovely ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n_-wB154

Or

• “I actually don’t think global warming is occurring.” — Newt Gingrich - November 8, 2011

Newt on healthcare:

• “Personal responsibility extends to the purchase of health insurance. Citizens should not be able to cheat their neighbors by not buying insurance, particularly when they can afford it, and expect others to pay for their care when they need it.” — Newt Gingrich - June 2007

Or

• “I am against any effort to impose  federally mandated ( health insurance ) on anyone because it is fundamentally wrong and I believe unconstitutional.” — Newt Gingrich - May 16, 2011

Newt on cap and trade:

• “I think if you have mandatory carbon caps combined with a trading system, much like we did with sulfur, and if you have a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions, that there’s a package there that’s very, very good. And frankly, it’s something I would strongly support.” — Newt Gingrich - February 2, 2007

Or

• “A carbon cap and trade system … would lead to corruption, political favoritism, and would have a huge impact on the economy.” — Newt Gingrich - April 21, 2008

Newt on Libya:

• “Exercise a no-fly zone this evening … Provide help to the rebels to replace [Qaddafi] … All we have to say is that we think that slaughtering your own citizens is unacceptable and that we’re intervening. And we don’t have to send troops. All we have to do is suppress his air force, which we could do in minutes.” — Newt Gingrich -March 7, 2011

Or

• “I would not have intervened. I think there were a lot of other ways to effect Qaddafi … I would not have used American and European forces.” — Newt Gingrich -March 23, 2011

Newt on prosecuting terrorists in criminal courts:

• “Well, I think if [members of the Bush administration] believe they have enough evidence to convict [Jose Padilla], going through the process of convicting him and holding him, I suspect, may be for the rest of his life without parole would not be — would hardly be seen as a loss. I think this administration is still wrestling with what are the real ground rules for dealing with people who are clearly outside of normal warfare? They’re not wearing a uniform. They’re not part of an army. They are openly threatening to kill thousands or even millions of people.” — Newt Gingrich – November 22, 2005

Or

• “Why would you take a Nigerian national who just tried to blow up a plane over Detroit … Why would you take that person, put them in the American criminal justice system, give them an attorney, read them their Miranda rights?” — Newt Gingrich - January 4, 2010

Newt on Immigration: I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter of a century, And I’m prepared to take the heat for saying let’s be humane in forcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so they are not separated by their families.–Newt Gingrich- November 22, 2011

So you think that Newt can go up against Barack Obama? Here is what Barney Frank said during his press conference to announce that he was retiring from Congress about Newt, “I did not think I lived a good enough life to see Newt Gingrich as the Republican nominee. He would be the best thing to happen to Democrats since Barry Goldwater … It’s still unlikely, but I have hopes.”– Barney Frank- November 28,2011