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Thomas
Sowell discusses those who would elevate their will above the Constitution
and the will of the people. Excerpt:
The Constitution was not only a challenge
to the despotic governments of its time, but has been a continuing challenge —
to this day — to all those who think that ordinary people should be ruled by
their betters, whether an elite of blood, or of books, or of whatever else
gives people a puffed-up sense of importance.
While the kings of old have faded into the
mists of history, the principle of the divine rights of kings to impose
whatever they wish on the masses lives on today in the rampaging presumptions
of those who consider themselves anointed to impose their notions on others.
The Constitution of the United States is
the biggest single obstacle to the carrying out of such rampaging presumptions,
so it is not surprising that those with such presumptions have led the way in
denigrating, undermining, and evading the Constitution.
See
Thomas Sowell interviewed
by Uncommon Knowledge on NRO.
Star
Parker talks about the difference between liberalism and conservatism and
especially in the important issue of Supreme Court nominations.
Austin
Hill asks an important question for social conservatives that should remind
us of our responsibility to be concerned about wise economic policies and not just the
crucial moral issues.
John
Stossel shares his perspective on the House health care vote. Excerpt:
As an American, I am embarrassed that the
U.S. House of Representatives has 220 members who actually believe the
government can successfully centrally plan the medical and insurance
industries.
I'm embarrassed that my representatives
think that government can subsidize the consumption of medical care without
increasing the budget deficit or interfering with free choice.
It's a triumph of mindless wishful thinking
over logic and experience.
See
how your representative voted here.
The
editors at National Review comment on the recent elections. Excerpt:
Conservatives scored some impressive
victories on Election Day. In Virginia, Robert McDonnell won the governor’s
race in a landslide that carried other conservative statewide officeholders and
legislative candidates to victory. New Jersey’s Chris Christie won his race by a
larger margin than any Republican had mustered since 1985 — and as a candidate
significantly to the right of previous Republican governors such as Tom Kean
and Christie Todd Whitman. Maine repealed a law that accorded official
recognition to same-sex unions as though they were marriages.
Sen.
Orin Hatch (R-UT) explained at NRO on September 17, the 222th anniversary
of the approval of the U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention
assembled in Philadelphia.
Curt
Levey explains how the cause of judicial restraint may have been advanced
in the Sotomayor confirmation despite the fact that another activist judge has
reached the Supreme Court.
Mario
Diaz finds similar encouragement in the possibility that the “living
Constitution” fallacy may have taken a beating during the confirmation process.
One
of the founding fathers of modern conservatism, Richard
Viguere, explains. Excerpts:
The confirmation fight over Judge Sonia
Sotomayor shouldn't be approached as merely about filling a vacancy on the
Supreme Court. Even as important as that
is, this confirmation fight is bigger than that. It is a fight about whether the Constitution
any longer constrains the power of government by and according to its
terms. It is about President Obama's view
of government power versus the view held by most Americans.
…
Those who see this confirmation battle as
about just Judge Sotomayor miss the larger point. This is really about President Obama's
harmful and dangerous view of government power.
President Obama wants to remake and thereby
weaken America by avoiding the constraints in the Constitution and its
structure for political accountability.
He is faced with circumstances that make that possible: (1) economic turmoil, (2) a sycophantic
press, (2) a passive and sympathetic Congress, and (4) a judiciary that too
often refuses to insist that the other two branches act within their enumerated
powers. He has taken advantage of those
circumstances to expedite his government power grab at a dizzying pace. If Americans had time to absorb what he was
doing and the freedoms they were losing, he would not succeed.
We are distracted by Obama's blitz because
we have too many attacks on our system to confront effectively at once. That is why it is important for conservatives
to focus foremost on the Sotomayor confirmation fight. Within that one fight alone we can address
the very reasons why, as polls show consistently, conservatism is twice as
popular as liberalism. This confirmation
fight can weaken Obama's march to a form of government inconsistent with the
Constitution if conservatives grasp the challenge.
The
AP reports. Excerpt:
Sen. Richard Shelby said Friday the
government should have allowed the marketplace to decide General Motors' fate
and that the huge federal stake in the company puts Washington on "the road
to socialism."
As
The
Hill reports, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has called
for a thorough and deliberate examination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s record,
temperament, and judicial philosophy.
This is exactly what is needed.
LifeNews reports on this
positive news for the pro-life movement.
Pro-lifers must continue the work to expand the “culture of life” so
that we can see real protections for the unborn in our laws and courts. Don’t let elitist media coverage discourage
you. Pro-lifers are not a political
liability and the “rights of the unborn” is still an important issue.
The
Reuters blog also reports.
Ken
Blackwell makes the case for keeping the “three-legged stool” of
conservatism united. Social, economic,
and foreign policy conservatives must work together to ensure our nation and
national values remain strong. Excerpt:
The conservative movement in America must
unite. The movement is often spoken of as having three parts: economic, social
and national security. All three parts of the conservative movement are gravely
threatened by the alliance of President Barack Obama, Congressional Democrats
led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid, activist judges,
and the president’s loyal supporters in the mainstream media. Conservatives
must realize their common interests and unite around a shared agenda to
preserve the core conservative principles of limited government, individual
opportunity, personal responsibility and strong families. The conservative
vision of faith, family and freedom hangs in the balance.
By Daniel Herbster
 I had the privilege to speak to demonstrators at the St. Joseph County T.E.A. (Tax Enough Already) Party in downtown South Bend, Indiana today. Citing the eminent conservative Edmund Burke, I told the crowd that one of the main reasons we were protesting is to stand up for generations “yet unborn.” We have a responsibility to future generations to be good stewards of our finances, tax policy, and free enterprise system, and must not mortgage our children’s futures so we can have irresponsible spending and policies today. This is a pro-family issue because if we make foolish decisions today it will be difficult, if not impossible, to provide tax relief for families in the future.
It was great to see other dedicated pro-lifers and pro-family activists in the crowd exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble and engage in free political speech.
Cal Thomas explains the importance of the TEA Party events in his column, while the Business & Media Institute quotes CNBC’s Rick Santelli (one of the inspirations for TEA Parties) as saying the events are “about as American as it gets.”
By
Daniel Herbster
The
big news today was that Mitt
Romney won the CPAC presidential straw poll for the third year in a row.
Radio
talk show icon Rush
Limbaugh gave a passionate address on the nature of conservatism and
explained how conservatives could leave the political wilderness; by
championing the timeless principles of limited government, traditional values,
and strong national defense.
This
year’s CPAC was a wealth of information and
training. It is also a great forum for
networking to advance the conservative movement.
By
Daniel Herbster
Early
this morning I caught most of House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-OH)
address and then headed off for another Leadership Institute class. After class, Newt Gingrich gave a rousing speech
to a packed auditorium. He spoke on the
need to not just criticize the dangerous liberal policies being enacted by
Congress and the administration, but the need for conservatives to champion
positive solutions based on conservative principles. Newt and his wife later introduced a newly
produced documentary about the life and accomplishments of Ronald Reagan at a
special screening.
After
lunch and after checking out some of the display booths my friend and I tried
to get into the main auditorium to hear Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and former Gov.
Mitt Romney speak. Unfortunately, we had
to join hundreds of others stuck in line unable to find space in the room. I only caught bits and pieces of Ron Paul’s speech
but was able to catch Romney’s speech via closed-circuit TV in a nearby ball
room.
In
my opinion, Romney gave the best speech I’ve heard so far at CPAC. He struck a very presidential pose and
championed conservative core principles in a thoughtful and powerful
manner. All three pillars of
conservatism (defense, economic, and traditional values) were highlighted with
particular emphasis on the need to keep Americans safe from foreign threats
(chief of all; radical jihadists). The
crowd was very receptive with much applause and numerous cheers (including a
chant of “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A” when Romney made a particularly patriotic
statement).
Tomorrow
should bring more great speakers, especially the grand finally with radio talk
show host Rush Limbaugh.
For
more information on today’s events visit CPAC.ORG.
By
Daniel Herbster
Conservatism
in America is alive and well if the record-setting crowd at this year’s CPAC is
any indication. I spent much of the day
in some of the extremely helpful and professional classes put on by the Leadership Institute. LI is famous for training the conservative
candidates and activists of the future, and the instruction I received on
television interviews and public speaking was first rate.
I
did get to hear two notable speakers today.
Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) gave an excellent speech on the need to
stay true to our first principles and to not give up the fight. He used the image of Fort McHenry in the War
of 1812 to illustrate the need for determination and resolve. He cautioned against redefining conservatism
or compromising our first principles, but made the case that free markets and
traditional values were both equally important to the conservative agenda. Pence’s performance led to speculation that
he might make an excellent presidential candidate in the future. (Hopefully I
can get you some good speech excerpts in the future. There really were some great quotes.)
Former
Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AK), after receiving a sweet introduction from his
daughter, displayed his typical folksy charm and homespun humor. His speech seemed to drag a little times and
some of his jokes fell flat, but many in the room showed enthusiastic approval.
I
had a great time talking with friends from other conservative organizations and
friendly Hill staffers, and am looking forward to tomorrow’s agenda.
I’m
hoping to take in one more LI class, listen to Mitt Romney’s speech (and
hopefully meet him), and check out several of the screenings of conservative
films and documentaries. Oh, and it
would be fun to run into my old acquaintance Stephen Baldwin since he’ll be there
signing copies of his new book.
Check
out www.CPAC.org for more info.
Apparently
many of our leaders in Congress have no concern for free speech (except when it
comes to their excuses for protecting pornography). Investor’s
Business Daily and Politico
have reports documenting the renewed push to reinstate the so-called “fairness
doctrine” which would put onerous regulations on talk radio and virtually put
an end to conservative and Christian talk radio.
Congressman
Mike Pence (R-IN) is leading the way to oppose this authoritarian scheme.
UPDATE: Sen. Harkin (D-IA)
has just called for reimposing
the fairness doctrine.
 Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)
After obtaining cloture on the stimulus bill with the help of three Senate Republicans (see roll call vote here), the Senate today passed President Obama’s so-called “stimulus” bill. The legislation will now go to a House/Senate Conference committee which will try to resolve the differences between the House-passed bill and the Senate version, and then both houses of Congress must vote to pass what comes out of the conference.
Let’s hope the troubling provisions which undermine religious liberty, move our country toward nationalized health care, and support various left-wing causes at taxpayer expense can be eliminated. Better yet, let’s hope this huge increase in wasteful government spending and debt burden on future generations gets defeated completely.
See how your senators voted on the stimulus package here.
Senate Vote on H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill)
February 10, 2009
Full Results | News Story
|
|
|
Yeas |
|
Nays |
|
PRES |
|
NV |
|
Republican |
|
3 |
|
37 |
|
— |
|
1 |
|
Democratic |
|
57 |
|
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
Independent |
|
1 |
|
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
TOTALS |
|
61 |
|
37 |
|
— |
|
1 |
Star
Parker has some harsh
words for the resurgence of socialism in American and its negative effects
on the family, especially black families.
Excerpt:
Instead of solving economic problems,
government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems.
The kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility
for their lives over to others.
The legacy of American socialism is our
blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools, and broken black
families.
Through God's grace, I found my way out. It
was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is.
Read
her full
article here.
 Star Parker
Rasmussen
reports. It’s no wonder that public
support for the so-called “stimulus” bill is eroding as more information about
its waste and cultural implications becomes known.
The
stimulus proposal in the Senate would heap massive amounts of new debt on the
American people, debt which would make it nearly impossible to provide
much-needed tax relief for American families.
The Heritage Foundation provides some
helpful perspective on the size of the debt this massive pork bill would
create.
Let
both
your senators know what you think of the stimulus proposal and the massive
debt it would place upon future generations.
Be sure to urge them to particularly oppose the elements which threaten
religious freedom and important social values like life and morality.
UPDATE: National Review Online goes through the stimulus bill "chapter and verse" in their new piece entitled "50 De-Stimulating Facts."
Phyllis
Schlafly analyzes
what led some young evangelicals to vote for Barack Obama and, in the
process, she exposes the true meaning of the term “social justice” which is
often used to convince people to ignore issues like life, marriage, and free
markets to focus instead on issues like environmentalism, “gay rights,” and
socialistic redistribution of wealth.
Long-time
conservative leader and activist Paul
Weyrich passed away early Thursday morning in Northern Virginia. Paul loved his nation very much and spent his
life serving it by relentlessly advancing the conservative agenda. He will be greatly missed by AdvanceUSA and
many others who had the privilege of working side-by-side with this stalwart of
conservatism.
Click here to view special video tributes
to Paul from a recent dinner in honoring Weyrich. Click
here to read the announcement from Paul’s very own Free Congress
Foundation.
 Paul Weyrich, 1942 - 2008
Ramesh
Ponuru explains. Here’s a
marvelously tongue-in-cheek excerpt:
In 2002 and 2004, Republicans ran hard on
social issues and the courts — and scored victories at every level of politics.
In 2006 and 2008, they left those issues off the table, and got walloped. It
follows, naturally, that the social issues are to blame for the Republican
defeats.
Read
the full
article here.
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