Illinois blogger Chad Kent has a great video explaining why even little deviations from the Constitution is a bad thing.
The Constitution is just like a biscuit… just go with me…
Conservatism
Video: What We Tea Party Conservatives Believe
Bill Whittle has a great, great video here helping to explain our conservative views in an intelligent, even soft-spoken, style. This is part one of two, the second to come soon.
Progressive ideas have always failed and our ideas are successful every time they are tried.
Bill Whittle is the host of PJTVs Afterburner.
Is The Tea Party Like A Starfish, Like the Apache… Like al Qaeda?
-By Warner Todd Huston
Politico’s Kenneth Vogel has an interesting piece on a book that Tea Party activists are starting to glom onto as an administrative guidebook of sorts. The book, “The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations,” is a book that explains how leaderless organizations work and can be effective. Of late tea partiers have accepted the tome as a way to explain the success of their movement as well as a way to legitimize their hold on a certain amount of power into the future.
The book, written by two lefty Stanford MBAs, has become what Vogel calls an “unlikely” guidebook for a conservative movement.
The principle of the book is in its title. The spider of the title is the typical top-down organization. Cut the spider’s head off and you have a dead spider and presumably, in the analogy, a dead organization. However, a starfish can regenerate itself if it loses an arm. Further that severed arm can also become a starfish that lives on because there is no “head” per se in a starfish. Cut up a starfish and you have many smaller starfish, not a dead one.
The thought is that the tea party movement is like a starfish. No head, no hierarchy, no way to “kill” it in the traditional sense.
Now, I must say one thing about Vogel’s piece. It will certainly destroy the left’s contention that the tea party movement is an “astroturf” effort. For the entire first year of its existence the left has tried to claim, falsely, that the tea party movement was invented by Fox News, or is a top-down creation by folks like Dick Army, former Congressman and top man for FreedomWorks.
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Is The Tea Party Like A Starfish, Like the Apache… Like al Qaeda?”
Jamal Greene: Why I Am a Conservative?
Jamal Greene took to his video camera to tell us why he is a conservative. His effort is a serious and worthy explication of conservatism and his words should be listened to.
Jamal Greene: “In this video I speak about the ideas and beliefs that hold true. As a young educated black male I wanted to show the other face of the Conservative Movement: Me. There are many of us out here. Thanks to Glenn Beck for having them on his show. As a young educated black I constantly face down the stereotype that all blacks are Liberal and vote democrat. I am a member of the Tea Party, so the liberal media lies about the tea party being racist are completely untrue. This video dedicated to freedom, life, and liberty of the American Spirit. The Best is still yet to come for America.” As seen on Mr. Greene’s FaceBook.
Despite Misconception, We Conservatives DO Want Some Government
-By Warner Todd Huston
Leftists love to purposefully misconstrue what sort of government conservatives want. Certainly whenever some new big government boondoggle erupts in the typical corruption and waste that is government, conservatives rail against the misappropriation of powers that such boondoggles invariably mean. But when government isn’t doing something they want it to do and conservatives kvetch with equal vitriol, the first attack left-wingers charge them with is hypocrisy. The left’s taunt, however, is a willful misread of what it is that conservatives are saying in their critique of government.
Unfortunately, many conservatives make this taunt all the easier to level because it seems that they are a bit hazy themselves on just what they should think about the role of government.
Conservatives come by this problem honestly, though. What conservative worth his salt is unaware of Ronald Reagan’s famous small government quote: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” (Reagan’s first inaugural address)
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Despite Misconception, We Conservatives DO Want Some Government”
Tea Party ‘Extremists’ Take Center Stage
-By Warner Todd Huston
The liberal media’s newest meme is to claim that the tea party movement is made up exclusively of John Birchers, militia types, racists, and “birthers.” Politico, for instance, had an extensive story about how legitimate conservatives are coming to realize that they’ll have to conduct a Buckley styled purge of the extremists if they expect the tea party groups to be taken seriously. Of course, the left has had its extremists for decades, unlike the right has never conducted any such purges, and has also benefited from a news media that has never highlighted the left’s worst nuts.
The whole idea that conservatives have to purge their wackier, more fringe members is something that at one level is obvious but at another is proof that the left and the Old Media are nothing but hypocrites. At still a third level there is part of the attitude exhibited by some of these far right elements that is a root motivation of the tea party movement, fringe or no.
As clownish left-wing commentators such as Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, John Stewart or Stephen Colbert point fingers and guffaw at the fringes of the right and as the New York Times and Politico stroke their chins and look down their noses at the unruly tea party movement, it must be noted that none of these folks ever uttered a cross word against the Code Pink wackos, the communist infiltrators, anti-war hippies, Stalinist apologists, pro-abortion extremists, Euro-trash half-wits, eco-terrorists, and outright anarchists that have filled the left’s ranks since the birth of the new left after WWII.
At every lefty protest representatives of these hatemongering groups abound. They can be found on the campus of every American college and university, as well. But are these dangerous extremists ever discussed in our Old Media outlets when they highlight lefty movements? Never. The left’s extremists are simply never mentioned. It is as if every left-wing group in America is filled with conscientious old grandmothers and idealistic young folks innocently avowing their rights as citizens of the world. Never are the violence prone, the hateful nutcases, or the drugged out losers that fills the American left ever highlighted.
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Tea Party ‘Extremists’ Take Center Stage”
The Mount Vernon Statement, A Poor Man’s Manifesto… VERY Poor
-By Warner Todd Huston
A group made up of some of the biggest names in contemporary conservatism got together a few days ago and crafted what they are calling the “Mount Vernon Statement,” a manifesto of sorts meant to give direction to today’s conservative movement. Put succinctly, it fails to fill the bill.
Taken as a whole this statement is fine as a short history lesson. It explains pretty clearly what the founders had wrought when their basic work was done with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. But as a statement of principles that might guide today’s discussion I do not think the letter works.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that this effort is harmful. In fact, I think every young person should read it for its explication of our historically conservative American principles. The problem is that this thing doesn’t seem to speak directly to what we are facing today like a statement that perhaps aims to become boilerplate should.
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The Mount Vernon Statement, A Poor Man’s Manifesto… VERY Poor”
Proud to be a Conservative? Well, Show It!
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Cypress Times of Cypress, Texas has started a little effort to help conservatives show that they are proud to be American and proud to be conservatives. Times Publisher John G. Winder decided it’s time to show the world that “I Am Conservative America” by having conservatives of all stripes from all across the country send in their photo holding a little sign that proclaims their self pride.
I know, I know. if you are a conservative and are reading this posting, I’ll bet your first thought is to roll your eyes. I do know how you feel because I did the same thing. After all, isn’t it the “feels-good idiots” on the left that indulge in these sorts of empty gestures? These are the sorts of fluffy, pointless things that leftist goofballs do, right? We are serious, ya know? I mean, posting our photos on some webpage ain’t a’gonna change anything, we all know.
Proud to be a Conservative? Well, Show It!”
The National Council for a New America Launches – Conference Call Report
-By Warner Todd Huston
This morning I listened in on Eric Cantor’s conference call concerning the launch of the National Council for a New America (NCNA) hosted by Congressman Cantor and Senator John McCain.
One of the main points that the two men stressed is that this is “not a contract with America,” but a “conversation” with her. The GOP leaders also stressed that this is an “inclusive” effort with which they want to hear from all manner of Americans adhering to a variety opinions on today’s most pressing Issues. The two also said that this is not an attempt to “re-brand” the GOP.
The first townhall style meeting is to be held on May second in Northern Virginia and along with Cantor and McCain it is expected that Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush will be in attendance.
The National Council for a New America Launches – Conference Call Report”
The Difference Between Taxers and Reagan
Here we have a great video of a debate between candidate George H.W. Bush and Governor Ronald Reagan in the run up to the GOP primaries in 1980. It explains the chief difference between the tax and spenders like Bush and his ilk and Ronald Reagan.
Oh, and Reagan was RIGHT. As always
Controversy Over RNC Chairman Selection, Emineth Commeth
-By Warner Todd Huston
To some conservatives, what North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth told The Hill last week is proof of the arrogance of an out-of-touch Republican Party. Emineth says he is being misunderstood, but his words were badly chosen regardless.
The Hill quoted Mr. Emineth concerning the selection of the next Republican National Committee Chairman. Mr. Emineth has made a special request during this process, one that has not been contemplated in the past. He is circulating a petition to have all six candidates for the position of RNC Chairman appear before the entire 168 member RNC committee to take questions from the whole body during this deliberation.
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The GOP Cannot Win Until…
-By Warner Todd Huston
Of course we are all roaming around trying to figure out what will work, what hasn’t worked and whose fault it all is. Powell blasts Limbaugh, Limbaugh replies, voters blast McCain, the moderate Republican illiterati try to blame it all on Palin and the social conservatives, the conservatives say the country club set has destroyed us, and EVERYONE knows that the GOP acted like drunken sailors on the spending side… there is enough finger pointing all around, for sure.
But, how are we going to get it all back? How are we going to win at the ballot box? That is the question, naturally. There is a model of how to achieve that victory, though, if we have the good sense to utilize it.
David Frum appeared on the Hugh Hewitt show on December 16 and said that, in his opinion, the “base” of the GOP is no longer enough to get a president elected. He defined the base as comprising white males that make over $30,000 a year and are not college graduates. He said that the more college a voter has the more likely that they will vote Democrat.
Now, Frum is 100% wrong on a lot of things — like Sarah Palin, for instance — but he is dead on with his assessment about what a college “education” does to an American. A college education turns an American into a Democrat for the simple reason that there isn’t anything truly American taught in the largest number of our colleges and universities. They are taught to be Euro-like, non-traditional Americans and the main outlet for that ideology is the Democratic Party.
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Was Palin the Worst VP Pick Ever?
-By Warner Todd Huston
We have gone through the first round of internal recriminations with the recent excoriation of Governor Palin by those “unnamed” McCain staffers. But, as we all know, Gov. Palin was the subject of heated debate even among Republicans long before the election. One common complaint was that she was the “worst” VP candidate pick “ever.” But, was she really?
A look at recent history can only serve to deflate that ridiculous claim. There have been far worse picks than Gov. Palin and only the extremely emotional state of mind that this past election ginned up could obscure the historical record. Two of those picks in particular make Palin’s choice rather inspired by comparison.
In the first case George Wallace’s pick of general Curtis LeMay for his vice presidential pick in 1968 was a disaster and in the second George McGovern’s pick of Thomas Eagleton for his in 1972 was even worse — both were far more disastrous than Palin’s. There was some speculation in the media that Palin would suffer Eagleton’s fate, but the situations of the two just don’t bear any resemblance at all.
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Conservatives, Obama’s Win is Your Fault
-By Warner Todd Huston
With that headline you may think I am employing hyperbole. If so, you would be wrong. I am absolutely and positively blaming the conservative movement for the rise to the presidency of a man that adheres to a socialist ideology. In fact, in this day and age, I might even blame conservatives for the continued existence of this man’s ideas altogether, though that might be a stretch. No, more directly, conservatives are at fault for the singular fact that many millions of Americans saw no reason not to vote for a socialist. They mistakenly imagined his ideas were still just as American as anyone’s. These voters haven’t the first clue that their vote stood four-square against true American ideas. Unfortunately, conservatives are at fault for this rampant inability of our fellows to understand what is an American ideology and what isn’t. Sadly, we have allowed several generations to pass without being educated as to why Barack Obama’s basic political creed is blatantly socialist.
Leftism got its start in America before the turn of the 20th century but in 1960 a conservative grass roots movement began to form around what later became the 1964 candidacy of Barry Goldwater. His campaign biography, Conscience of a Conservative, captured the minds of hundreds of thousands of Americans yearning for a return to American principles. After only its first few short years the book that bore Goldwater’s name had sold over 3 million copies and has by now gone through dozens of printings.
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