Sharing Our Values in a Christ-Like Way

Very often people are turned off by social conservatives not because of what they believe as much as how we present them. Honestly, they often have a point. This is why it is important to be careful not only about what we believe, but how we present it. A recent e-mail from Bob Vander Plaats and the Iowa Family Leader reinforces that point. In it he shares an e-mail their organization received from a homosexual African-American gentleman. A portion of that e-mail read...

"I do not take the same stand you do on gay marriage, but I spoke to a wonderful man today on your line. He was such an attentive listener and I listened when he spoke also. I want to thank him for being such a loving person and did not judge me, but does believe in his stand. He told me your entire organization is that way and, well, I believe him. Maybe I'm a pushover, but he reminded me of what Christ is like. He wasn't only Christian, but he was CHRIST-LIKE. That's what touched my heart. I hope the VERY BEST for him and I wish him all the love that he can handle. What a wonderful person. Please thank him for me (I'm sure he knows who he is). VERY SINCERELY..."

Do we present our views so that those who disagree with us can say that of us as well, or do we rudely shove our views down other people's throats? It doesn't matter how true your message is if you are presenting it in a way that is turning others away.

Mike Huckabee: Morality Affects Our Economy

In the 2008 presidential race Mike Huckabee was the consistent and unashamed voice for social issues. He championed a right to life amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and strongly believed in the sanctity of marriage. In response to Mitch Daniels comments, he released a missive entitled "Morality Affects Our Economy" which explains why we must not surrender the social issues if we want to rebuild this economy. If only Huck could have convinced Republicans in 2008 that he was a fiscal conservative, we may not be in this situation.

Many of you saw the comments made by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels last
week when he said the next president “would have to call a truce on the
so-called social issues” so he or she could focus on the fiscal problems facing
the country.

As I’ve made clear, I really like Governor Daniels, and I consider him a
friend and colleague, but his comments mirror those of the GOP establishment who
view values voters dismissively as “single-minded.” The fact is that every value
voter I know is truly committed to fiscal conservatism, but many fiscal
conservatives and libertarians range from disinterest to contempt for social
issues.

I learned a lot during 13 1/2 years as a Governor and Lieutenant Governor
about why government gets big and taxes get higher and what causes and solves
the issues of poverty and crime. I detailed a lot of that in my book “Do the
Right Thing,” but here’s the simple truth: Poverty and crime are the direct
results of broken families and broken values of responsibility, work, marriage,
and respect of others. Prisons are overflowing and government “relief”
programs get traction often because of the breakdown of our social structure. If
we don’t respect the value of each individual life whether in the womb or the
classroom or the living room, we devalue property and intangible qualities of
life. It gets expensive.

I responded to Gov. Daniel’s comments with the following blog post on
HuckPAC.com: “ . . .the issue of life and traditional marriage are not
bargaining chips nor or they political issues. They are moral issues. I didn’t
get involved in politics just to lower taxes and deficit spending though I
believe in both and have done it as a Governor. But I want to stay true to the
basic premises of our civilization.”

Sadly, Gov. Daniels is not alone in his way of thinking and it’s not a new
concept. During the last presidential election – many reporters, Republicans and
Democrats suggested the same moratorium on morality. The political winds began
to whisper of stopping the discussion on morality and starting the discussion on
the “important issues.”

Let me be clear – MORALITY AND THE ECONOMY are inextricably
linked.

• The collapse of morality and ethical business practices preceded the
collapse of Wall Street – unchecked greed caused the downfall;
• A decrease in morality preceded an increase in the prison population –
state budgets via taxes, increase every year to pay for prisons;
and,
• We don’t emphasize character in our public schools, and ignorance is
expensive-- a national high school drop out rate of 1 in 3 students produces
poverty – crippling our economy in countless ways.

I’m not saying Wall Street, prisons and poverty are not the only influences
on our economy – there are countless others – nor am I saying morality solves
every economic crisis we face. But I am saying strong moral fiber would prevent
many of our nation’s economic disasters.

Should we focus on the economy and the staggering and crippling debt?
Absolutely! But I fear that talk of a “truce” means that we are making excuses
for compromise on moral issues, and there is no need to separate economic issues
from the social issues. We can and must focus on both. Now is not the time
to shift focus from moral issues we need to shift focus toward moral
issues.

Sincerely,
Mike Huckabee

Mitch Daniels Surrenders the Social Issues

Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana, has been widely touted as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012. He intrigued me because of his ability to cut spending and reform the Indiana state government. However, this weekend he made comments that will hopefully keep his presidential bid from gaining momentum. In an interview with the Weekly Standard, Mitch Daniels made it clear he sees America's fiscal crisis as the biggest challenge facing the nation, and therefore must be the focus of the next president. While this may be true, he believes that to solve America's fiscal crisis the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues." He is even unsure whether he would issue an executive order to reinstate Reagan's "Mexico City Policy." Choosing not to engage the enemy is not calling a truce, it is surrender.

Mike Pence was asked about these comments, and while he refused to criticize Mitch Daniels, he said he, "believes with all [his] heart that the Republicans need to continue the fight for the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage with everything [they've] got in 2010 and in 2012." America's next president must be someone who understands the important of both fiscal and social conservativism. Mike Pence understands and has been fighting for both of those principles. Mike Pence is the kind of president America needs.

Mark Sell Becomes LCRC Chairman as Loudoun Voters Reject the Politics of Demonization

I would like to take a moment to congratulate Mark Sell on winning the race for LCRC Chairman this past Saturday. He and Candace Strother ran very clean campaigns built around continuing to advance conservativism and continue the winning momentum in Loudoun. They were able to get almost 1,000 people to vote in the election and both campaign structures will be very useful in the years ahead.

Mark Sell is a committed conservative of both the fiscal and social variety. He worked very hard to pass the Marriage Amendment in 2006, and has attended as many Tea Party events as possible over the past year. He constantly volunteered with the door to door effort this past fall as he does every year for the Republican ticket, and received Ken Cuccinelli's endorsement. He knows how to campaign and recruit volunteers, and is committed to our conservative values. He will make an excellent chairman.

While Glen Caroline and Candace Strother have been very gracious in their congratulations to Mark Sell, some of Candace's supporters are very reluctant to unite behind Mark Sell after the vote. Some are taking a we will support him if... approach, (which I respect and understand) while one of Loudoun's most prominent bloggers has continued to show nothing but vitriol and hatred for Mark Sell and his supporters following the election.

The blogger I am talking about is Loudoun Insider. Following the election he wrote one of the most vile and divisive posts in his history. The day before the election he said that if you voted for Mark Sell you would be sending the LCRC back to the dark ages. In a comment on another post that day he called Mark a woman, and after the results came in he called Mark a name I will not repost on this blog. Using this kind of rhetoric about Mark and his top supporters does nothing to build the party. We can and should debate the merits of electing different people, and dig into what they believe, but name calling and ad hominem attacks of this sort have no place in the political dialogue. If you want to argue this party should be a big tent and an accepting party, then you are a hypocrite to demonize people who have worked hard in it over the years.

I am thankful to the voters of Loudoun for rejecting the politics of demonization, and I am thankful that Mark Sell's supporters refrained from this kind of personal mean spirited politics.

Liveblogging the Values Voters Summit

Right now I am in Washington D.C. getting ready to liveblog the FRC Action's Values Voters Summit. This is a national gathering for social conservatives where they are addressed by a wide variety of conservative leaders about the major issues of the day. In 2007 Mike Huckabee's speech at this event following the Ame's Straw Poll helped kick his campaign into high gear. While it too early for presidential campaigns to be kicking into high gear, it will be interesting to see what the potential candidates and their supporters do, as well as which issues are brought up at this conference.

The schedule for this morning is:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

7:15—8:30 a.m. American Values Breakfast or breakfast on your own

8:45—8:55 a.m. Opening Ceremonies (National Anthem, Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance)

8:55—9:00 a.m. Welcome: Tony Perkins

9:00—9:20 a.m. Rep. Mike Pence (confirmed), introduced by Tony Perkins

9:25—9:45 a.m. Gov. Mike Huckabee (confirmed)

9:50—10:45 a.m. Congressional Health Care Townhall with Q&A: Rep. Tom Price (confirmed), Rep. Michele Bachmann (confirmed), Rep. Chris Smith (confirmed), Tom McClusky (moderator)

10:50—11:10 a.m. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (confirmed)

11:15—11:35 a.m. Rep. Eric Cantor (confirmed)

11:40—12:00 p.m. Miss California Carrie Prejean (confirmed), introduced by Maggie Gallagher

The following people will be listed on the straw poll ballot:

Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum.

Is Mike Pence Running for President?

So far I have tried to stay out of commenting on the Republcian presidential race. It is three years out, and we have more important things to focus on. We need to defeat the healthcare bill, win the Virginia governor's race, and take back the house in 2010. All that said a Mike Pence candidacy could possibly shake up the race, and it seems like he is actually putting his presidential campaign in motion.

In 2008 there was an effort to draft Mike Pence to run for president. Clearly the effort failed. Over the past week I have noticed a number of things that make me wonder if Congressman Pence is running for president right now.

Mike Pence had the biggest presence of any elected official. at the 9/12 march in D.C. Young people with Mike Pence shirts were everywhere handing out cards encouraging people to sign up for e-mail updates on his campaign website, and follow him on facebook, you tube, and twitter. Why would you expend that much energy getting people all over the nation to support you in a safe congressional campaign? They also had rally signs made up declaring D.C. a "Czar Free Zone" that had Mike Pence's name on it. The only elected official I saw who sponsored signs for the rally. Congressman Pence also wrapped up the rally with one of the best speeches on what is wrong with this nation.

When I got home I checked out his campaign website. The video on his homepage is not a video for a congressional campaign. It is possibly one of the most inspiring presidential web ads I have ever seen. In it Pence is referred to as "The People's Champion" "A Voice for Millions of Americans" and "A Counter Punch to the Left." This kind of soaring rhetoric about major national issues is rarely used in congressional campaigns.

When I saw the video I felt it was pretty obvious Mike Pence is running for president.

While Congressman Pence has not yet filed the papers to form a presidential campaign committee, he has a half million dollars and rising in his congressional account for a very safe house seat, he is on every media outlet possible, and has made trips to Iowa.

This weekend at the FRC Action Conference we will probably see for sure whether Mike Pence is running for president. One of the highlights of the conference is the strawpoll. If he has an operation there to try to win the strawpoll, it should be clear that he is taking this seriously. The other interesting dynamic will be the responses the crowd has towards Pence and Huckabee. Both of them are similar in that they are dynamic speakers, unafraid to talk about their faith who appeal strongly to social conservatives. If Pence wants to make a successful bid he needs the Huckabee supporters. From his perspective either Huckabee needs to not run, or he needs to annouce early enough that he is endorsed by an overwhelming amount of social conservative groups and thereby sideline Huckabee. The dynamics between two eloquent social conservative potential presidential nominees will be interesting to watch at the FRC Conference this weekend.

Tonight I saw Gary Bauers newsletter. It focussed on Mike Pence's speech about the Joe Wilson controversy. Gary Bauer concludes the newsletter he sent out days before the FRC Conference by saying, "I urge you to keep an eye on Mike Pence in the future." If Gary is hinting at who he might support for president it will be interesting to see where other social conservative leaders begin to lean, and who they eventually endorse.

What do you think, is Mike Pence running? Would you support him if he ran? How would a Pence bid impact the race? Tomorrow I will be liveblogging from the FRC Conference. Please check back to see if there are any other developments.

Bob McDonnell, Please Inspire Us

So today's big news in Virginia politics was a Washington Times oped criticizing Bob McDonnell for not signing the pledge to not raise taxes. In it the Times quotes Bob as saying he didn't believe in signing pledges (even though he signed the same pledge a few years ago) and then he says "...and I will tell you that I have no plans to raise taxes." The Times responded by saying

No plans to raise taxes? That answer has too much wiggle room for us.

The rest of Mr. McDonnell's answer doesn't make sense, either. The anti-tax-increase pledge is a guaranteed vote-getter. That's why office seekers sign it every election. In what everyone expects will be a razor-thin race, it is strange to give away a real political advantage.

This comment by Bob McDonnell seems to have conceded the high ground on taxes. This election gives a good opportunity to debate the merits of high taxes vs. low taxes since Creigh Deeds seems unable to find a tax increase he doesn't like. He even voted to increase the gas tax when gas was at $4.00 a gallon. Instead of taking Deeds head on for raising taxes, our gubernatorial nominee is leaving the possibility of a tax raise open. Which lead Not Larry Sabato to ask the fair question Is Bob McDonnell planning a middle class tax hike? If Bob is open to raising taxes we should find out now which ones he would like to raise. This is ironic because we should be telling our friends and neighbors about the taxes Bob has pledged to cut as we go door knocking this Saturday.

This Washington Times oped is only a symptom of a more fundamental problem. There is a fundamental clash going on right now about the nature of campaigns. Should they be about laying out conservative ideas that will win in the district you are from and persuading people to support those ideals, or should they be about "reaching out" to the elusive independents who "decide elections". In this election Bob McDonnell seems to have chosen to ignore his base and reach out to the independents as he seeks to win the governorship of our commonwealth. Ever since February we've been hearing about how Bob is trying to reach out to the middle. He has been talking about green jobs and bipartisanship and ignored the things that inspire people, taxes, guns, and social issues.

Running as a conservative is the path to victory, not political destruction. When was the last time the GOP won the top race on the ticket in Virginia? When was the last time the top of the ticket won in Virginia? Just in case you will point out the obvious that 2004 is old history, let me point you to a couple of recent polls. In a poll Gallup took a moth ago it found that a majority of Americans consider themselves pro-life. In another Gallup poll taken about a week ago found that conservatives (not liberals or independents) comprise the largest ideological group in America. The poll found that 40% of Americans consider themselves conservative while 21% consider themselves liberal, and 45% of independents consider themselves conservative. While these were national polls, I would think they would transfer pretty well to Virginia if there were a Virginia poll on these issues. Even if you want to disagree on this, explain how the Marriage Amendment was passed on the same ballot that George Allen lost on, or how Ken Cuccinelli won in Fairfax in 2007 when Republicans were getting defeated everywhere else. Running as a conservative is what has worked in Virginia and what will continue to work.

Newt Gingrich made this point very well when he said,

Like Reagan, we have to be inclusive, not exclusive. I’m happy Dick Cheney is a Republican. And I’m happy Colin Powell is a Republican

But here’s the key: Being inclusive doesn’t mean going wobbly. It doesn’t mean abandoning our principles.

Reagan called them “first principles.” They are our bedrock beliefs. And in a center-right nation, they are the touchstones that will guide us back into the majority.

I want Bob McDonnell to win this election, and if he is going to do it he needs to do it by winning on first principles. Bob McDonnell has a record as a fiscal and social conservative. However, he is refusing to run on it this cycle. D.J. McGuire theorizes that the western part of the state votes on social issues while the eastern part of the state votes on taxes. I would tend to concur with this theory. If it is true then Bob McDonnell is refusing to run on the two issues that lead to success in Virginia. Even if Bob wants to refuse to talk about taxes and social issues then give us something inspiring. What is the big idea Bob McDonnell is running on? What are the things Bob will do as governor that people can get excited and enthused about? Bob McDonnell I want you to win. Please inspire your base, and since you seem concerned about polls maybe that will help you raise your 78% support among Republicans.

To echo the words of Ronald Reagan, Bob McDonnell please stop running under a banner of pale pastels, but raise the banner of bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all the issues troubling the people.

Since agreeing with Reagan is almost always right...

I don ‘t know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, “We must broaden the base of our party”—when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents.

Why I Support Bob McDonnell for Governor

I was looking over my blogposts and realized I have not written much about why I support Bob McDonnell. This is largely a result of the fact that he had an uncontested nomination and did not need any support or defending in the lead up to the convention. However, I think it is important that we as conservatives rally behind Bob McDonnell for governor. He has a track record that while not perfect is very impressive. Below I seek to highlight Bob McDonnell's record as a social conservative.

As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Bob McDonnell was responsible for some of Virginia’s key family values legislation in the 1990’s. By 1995 attempts to pass a parental notification law had failed in the state senate Virginia for 18 years. As a result of Bob McDonnell’s leadership and hard work it became law. As a delegate Bob McDonnell also helped pass Virginia’s partial birth abortion ban, a resolution upholding marriage as between one man and woman, and fought hard for home schoolers and choice in education. As a result of his hard work Bob McDonnell was named the VA Legislator of the year in 1998 and 2001 by the Virginia Family Foundation

As Attorney General, Bob McDonnell has continued his record of fighting for traditional values. When the Virginia Marriage Amendment was up for a vote in 2006 Bob McDonnell actively supported it and published a brief which refuted many of the criticisms of the amendment. In May of 2008 the US 4th Circuit Court of appeals ruled the Virginia partial birth abortion law unconstitutional. Instead of simply yielding to the judiciary, Attorney General Bob McDonnell successfully filed a brief asking the court to review its decision. On the issue of religious freedom HSLDA has worked hard to pass a Religious Freedoms Restoration Act in Virginia. For a couple years it was unsuccessful, but when the Attorney General’s office testified in favor of it, it passed. Not only has Bob McDonnell fought hard for traditionally social conservative issues, Bob McDonnell has also fought to limit the size of government. Bob McDonnell established the Attorney General’s Task Force on Regulatory and Government Reform. This group created a list of over 250 specific regulations and policies Virginia should cut in order to reduce the size of the state government. As Attorney General Bob McDonnell continued what he did in the House of Delegates, working hard for the values that we hold dear.

Bob McDonnell does not claim to be a conservative because it is politically convenient; he has a proven track record of fighting hard for our shared values. If you believe in the sanctity of life, strong families, religious freedom, homeschooling, or limited government, I hope you will join me in working hard to see Bob McDonnell elected our next governor over the next five months. We have an opportunity in Bob McDonnell to gain ground on many important conservative issues. With Bob McDonnell as governor we will have a friend in the governor’s mansion who will work tirelessly on behalf of the issues we hold dear.

Cuccinelli's Convention Victory

Senator Cuccinelli is now the Attorney General nominee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He was elected with 57% of the vote at the convention last Saturday.

This was a moment of triumph for the conservative wing of the RPV. We saw the Virginia's conservative champion in the state senate nominated to run for state wide office. Another thing we saw was the social conservatives and the liberty Caucus/Ron Paul supporters unite to give Ken the nomination. We united behind Ken not because we wanted someone who could get elected in November (though he will) or someone who won't offend people. We united behind Ken because he has spent his career articulating and fighting for the things we hold dear.

Another important aspect in this race is the part homeschoolers played in this nomination contest. Lynn Mitchell summarized it well on her blog.

To say the Virginia home school community was on fire for Ken Cuccinelli is an understatement. Parents worked for months collecting signatures on petitions, hosting meet-and-greets, spreading the word, and signing up as delegates to the RPV Convention.

The majority of home schooling families believe in less government, more individual responsibility, less taxes, responsible spending, and individual liberties. When they find a candidate who has those same beliefs -- and unequivocally states them -- they will back him.

As a homeschool dad Ken worked hard to use homeschoolers in his campaign. While John Brownlee had "Homeschoolers for Brownlee" signs, if you lined up all the homeschoolers who were their for Brownlee and all the homeschoolers supporting Ken it wouldn't even be a contest.

Since I haven't found a good video of what heppened right before Ken's convention speech, I would like to take a moment and describe it. After John Brownlee left the stage, the convention lights were dimmed. At that moment "Don't Tread on Me" flags that were passed out during Brownlee's speech started waving all across the convention. There were 200 large flags and thousand of small ones. The convention hall turned into a sea of yellow. At the same time pictures of the flag were placed on the main screens and an audio montage ofnews clips about the GM takeover, bailout, and DHS homeland terrorist report was played. When the montage was over, the lights came back on, Ken was at the podium, and the convention hall was electric.

If you would like to rehear Ken's speech here it is below. I hope you will join us in working hard to get the entire ticket as well as our candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates elected this November.


Ken Cuccinelli's convention speech.


Ken's acceptance speech.

Bob McDonnell Kickoff Tour

As many of you know by now, Bob McDonnell will be kicking off his campaign with a tour of the state this weekend. If you can make any of these events, please do, and I hope you will join me in working to elect a true social conservative the next governor of Virginia in November.

Also if you are supporting Jeff Frederick as RPV chairman, you should definitely be there as well.  Here are a couple articles from Spank that Donkey, and Bearing Drift about what Frederick supporters will be trying to do at these events.


Bob Kicks-off in Virginia Beach with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 5:30 P.M
Location
Princess Anne High School4400 Virginia Beach BlvdVirginia Beach, VA 23462(757) 618-9339
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Richmond with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 P.M.
Location
John Randolph Tucker High School2910 N Parham RdRichmond, VA 23294(804) 527-4600
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in NOVA with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 A.M
Location
Annandale Firehouse7128 Columbia PikeAnnandale, VA 22003
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Bristol
Date/Time
Monday, March 30 2009 at 5:00 PM
Location
101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Bristol, VA
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Cedar Bluff
Date/Time
March 30 2009 at 3:45 PM
Location
Tazewell County Airport 100 Airport Rd Cedar Bluff, VA 24609
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Charlottesville
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 1:00 PM
Location
400 Emmet St SCharlottesville, VA 22903
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Lynchburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 7:00 PM
Location
The Swann Group724 Commerce St.Lynchburg, VA 24503
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Harrisonburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 4:15 PM
Location
James Madison UniversityTaylor Hall, Room TBD800 South Main StreetHarrisonburg, VA 22807
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Blacksburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:00 PM
Location
Montgomery County GOP HQ215 Draper RdBlacksburg, VA 24060
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Petersburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:45 AM
Location
Java Mio Coffeehouse322 N Sycamore StreetPetersburg, VA 23803Website: http://www.javamiocoffeehouse.com
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Fredericksburg/Mary Washington
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 PM
Location
Location TBD
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Winchester
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 8:00 AM
Location
Jimmy’s Restaurant (at the Quality Inn)1019 Millwood PikeWinchester, VA 22602
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Culpeper
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 12:30 PM
Location
Raven’s Nest Coffee House254 E Davis StCulpeper, VA 22701
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Onley (Eastern Shore)
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1, 5:00 PM
Location
Sunrise Restaurant Bar & Grill25345 Lankford HwyOnley, VA 23418
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Emporia
Date/Time
Thursday, April 2, 1:00 PM
Location
Location TBD
Form
RSVP Here!

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

Warehouse Republicans

One of the greatest problems with conferences is that people will go to them, and then do nothing as a result of the amazing speakers they hear afterwards. I am amazed at the number of people who claim to be conservatives who care about their country who you can't get to just call their congressman, or even campaign for one night for a cause or issue they profess to love. If people don't get out and help get involved supporting conservative issues and candidates, what is the point of going to conferences like CPAC?

At CPAC this year, Mike Huckabee, the social conservative darling in the 2008 primaries, challenged the listeners to not just sit and listen to the speakers, but to act and do things as a result. He is famous for his use of the term "vertical politics." At CPAC he introduced conservatives to the idea of "Warehouse Republicans."

He wrapped up the speech by challenging the audience with these words:

But there is no other reason to get involved if we are going to be warehouse conservatives. Today I leave you with this challenge, let's get out of the warehouse, let's get in the water, let's stir things up, let's make some waves, let's change this country, because if we don't there might not be another generation left to get the job done.

This part of his CPAC speech begins at 8:41 on Part 3 of the speech and carries through to the stirring words at the end.

If you want to get involved in this years elections. Please get involved helping winning back seats for conservative congressional republicans, winning the statewide races in Virginia, helping Ken Cuccinelli win the Attorney General nomination at the RPV state convention, and help in the effort to keep Jeff Frederick on as RPV chairman.

Tyranny by Another Name

On March 4th news that the Virginia state central committee was pressuring Jeff Frederick to resign as RPV chairman hit the blogosphere.  The following day the California Supreme Court held oral arguments on Proposition 8.  While most would argue that these two events have nothing in common, I would like to disagree.

Last November California voters approved a state constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.  In a state that voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, this measure passed by 52.1% with Barack Obama on the ballot.  After Prop 8 passed the opponents of the measure argued that a majority of the people have no right to take away the rights of the minority.  They argued they have a right to homosexual marriage.  If this is true the measure clearly removed that "right".  In an attempt to win on this argument they appealed the measure to the courts which resulted in the oral arguments on Thursday.  If the California State Supreme Court overturns the voice of the people, it will be yet another example of judicial tyrrany.  Judicial tyranny occurs when the courts override a decision of the legislature or the people for political reasons, and not because it is legally unconstitutional.  Conservatives would argue that Kelo vs. New London and, the two biggest thorns in the sides of social conservatives, Roe vs. Wade and Texas vs. Lawrence are examples of judicial tyranny.  Judicial tyranny occurs when unelected judges make the law instead of the people and their elected representatives.

In California we are faced with the possibility that a few judges will of over five million voters will be overturned.  In Virginia we are faced with the possibility that sixty plus members of the state central committee will overturn the will of the Virginia grassroots at the 2008 RPV State Convention.  The last convention was attended by over 4,000 activists from across this commonwealth.  Over the course of the campaign they were presented with two different visions for the RPV and were able to vote on the vision they agreed with.  The Virginia grassroots overwhelmingly supported Jeff Frederick for chairman of the RPV.  Instead of respecting that fact, members of state central have been opposing Jeff Frederick at every turn, and now it appears that in under a month a little over sixty party insiders will overturn the will of the Virginia grassroots as expressed last May.  We went to Richmond last May to make our voices heard, and we thought they were heard.  Now the party leadership says we don't care what you said we will ignore your voice.  It makes you wonder why we should have voted at all last year.

In California the voters are faced with the possibility that their votes for prop 8 last November will be overturned by a couple judges.  In Virginia Republican politics, we are faced with the possibility that our vote at last year's convention will be overturned.

This may not be judicial tyranny, but that is only because judges aren't involved.

Jonathan Krohn: Young Conservative Speaks at CPAC

Jonathan Krohn is a 13 year old homeschooler who is making a name for himself in conservative circles. He just recently published a book entitled Defining Conservativism. He wrote the book because he believes that their is a lot of confusion over what the term "conservative" means.

His short definition is

What is a Conservative? Since this is what we are going to discuss in-depth
in the book, I will give you the basic definition of a Conservative. A
Conservative is someone who believes in
1. Life
2. Personal Responsibility
3. Less Government .
4. The Founding Principles
These are the basic principles of Conservatism, but they each require an
individual in-depth analysis.

Jonathan also spoke at CPAC briefly. He didn't take on Obama, or even former President Bush. He didn't take on the fiscal conservatives or the social conservative, but simply gave a very clear explanation of what it means to be a conservative. A number of people have joked about this person as a future RNC Chair, U.S. President, or other elected official. While no one knows what political office this young man will hold, if you watch the video it is very clear that he has a bright future ahead of him.

VCDL Endorses Bolling and Cuccinelli

The Virginia Civil Defense League (VCDL) just issued their endorsements for the RPV 2009 State Convention. They endorsed Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General. While these two men are traditionally thought of as social conservatives, they have proven themselves over their careers as people who fight for our second amendment rights. The VCDL did not endrose Bob McDonnell simply because he is not in a nomination contest at the convention.

The Republican Party is holding a Convention on May 29-30, 2009, to select
candidates to run for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General in the General
Election. VCDL-PAC is endorsing a candidate for each of these positions at the
Republican Convention:

LT. GOVERNOR: William T. "Bill" Bolling. This endorsement is based on the
excellent record Lt Governor Bolling established representing the interests of
Virginia gun owners during his career in the Virginia General Assembly, as well
as his forthright and unequivocal 100% pro-gunanswers to the VCDL Candidate
Survey. The Bolling campaign website is:http://www.billbolling.com/

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Kenneth T. "Ken" Cuccinelli, II. Despite being from
Northern Virginia, Senator Cuccinelli has been among the stalwart leaders in
protecting the 2nd Amendment in the Virginia State Senate year after year –-
even when he is viciously attacked for such stands in his home district. In
addition, he has answered the VCDL candidate survey strongly pro-gun. Senator
Cuccinelli has supported us in very tough circumstances, now here’s your chance
to return the favor. The Cuccinelli campaign website is: http://www.cuccinelli.com/

This Convention provides supporters of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
(RKBA) in Virginia the opportunity to select pro-gun candidates for the
Republican Party. Fewer than 5,000 activists will decide the nominations, so
those who care about the issues will make all the difference. I highly
encourage you to register as a Delegate at the Republican Convention to ensure
that the RKBA is strongly represented.

A link to the Convention filing deadlines and forms is:http://www.cuccinelli.com/meetings.htm

Contact your family, friends, and fellow 2nd Amendment activists and get
them to sign up to attend the Convention TODAY.

Sincerely,
Kenneth M. Elliott, Jr.Chairman, VCDL-PAC

---------------------------------------------------
Authorized by the Chairman, VCDL-PAC, VA 01-042 NOT authorized by any
candidate or political party
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.(VCDL).
VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is
a fundamental human right. VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org/

Cuccinelli Declares Victory in Three Key Localities

In today's Cuccinelli Compass Sen. Cuccinelli declared victory in Chesterfield County, Virginia Beach, and Hampton Roads. Also related to my last post about how this year's RPV state convention will be larger than last year's, in all these localities there was a significant increase in delegates signed up over last year. I think the appeal that Sen. Cuccinelli is enjoying throughout enjoying throughout Virginia in this attorney general nomination contest is evidence of the fact that Virginia Republicans like social conservatives with a record on the issues. I also think that Ken's record in the senate will complement Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling's campaign of being a ticket with a record of getting things done for Virginians very well.

March 2, 2009

Dear Fellow Virginians,

I sent a Compass yesterday, so this will be short.

Today was the convention filing deadline for, among others, Chesterfield
and Virginia Beach. We VASTLY out-filed our nearest competitor in BOTH
units. And folks, these are the 2nd and 3rd biggest voting blocks at the
convention - over 10% of the total vote at the convention. Together, they
may account for more votes than all other filings up to this point!

Tonight was also the Hampton City mass meeting, and we lead here too... and
this one is particularly interesting... read on to find out why!

Chesterfield

There were 704 delegates filed in Chesterfield County for the 2009
convention - that's more than four times as many delegates as showed up in
2008. The GOP ain't dead yet!

Of those 704 delegates, Cuccinelli folks walked in the door with 396
(56%)! As of Sunday night, the next closest A.G. candidate had only filed
about 100 delegates. We have more than tripled the second place candidate
in Chesterfield. There is also a significant chunk of undecideds.

Have you heard anything this specific from any other candidate in this
race? No, you haven't. We read their emails too. Why do you
suppose they haven't been more specific? Hmmmm... I
wonder...

Virginia Beach

And now it starts to get interesting ... Dave Foster's campaign claimed
victory in Virginia Beach four hours after the filing deadline today -
Woops!

Last year, only 75 delegates went to the convention from Va. Beach.
438 delegates filed by today. Our party is coming back to life with so
many grassroots activists!

Of the 438 delegates filed by today, our folks walked in with 192 forms -
more than double any other A.G. candidate. Of course, many of the others
are our supporters too (we just didn't turn in all of their forms - they did it
themselves). Again, the next largest block after our block of delegates
appears to be the undecided block.

So much for that other campaign's victory claim!

Last But Not Least, Hampton City

And speaking of false victory claims, our other competitor, John Brownlee,
claimed a huge victory in Hampton today. Again, Woops!

63 delegates were elected at their mass meeting tonight. Over half of
these delegates are committed to our campaign. But Brownlee claimed he
leads all other candidates by a 3 to 1 margin.

How can this be? It can't. Someone either can't count or hopes
you won't!

Did you notice that they didn't provide any specific numbers - seeing a
pattern here?

Any reporters want to test this one to see who "counts better?"
Bloggers? We'll give you the list of our supporters - will our competitor
do the same?

Hucks Army 2.0?

In a recent e-mail sent out by Huck PAC, Mike Huckabee announces the launch of a National Volunteer Team. The heart of the e-mail says, 

I wanted to email you today to announce the launch of our National Volunteer Team. Our goal is to identify volunteers nationwide, organize into local groups in every county of the United States and then assist Huck PAC endorsed candidates.

We have divided the country into regions and will begin recruiting leadership in every state and county. Ultimately, these leaders will be responsible for building local volunteer teams, setting up events, organizing phone banks, knocking on doors and much more. Our goal is to have at least one Huck PAC group leader in every county in the nation by the end of 2009.

This is one part of our plans but is a very important part. We want to make a difference locally in the races of the candidates we are supporting (as we did with Saxby) and we believe having a volunteer team in place will make a big difference. We had a strong record of candidate support in 2008 but we weren't satisfied with the results.

The rest of the e-mail included specific ways to get involved, and further explanation of the program.

Many indicators point to the fact that Mike Huckabee will run for president again down the road.  Among all this talk though, many wonder how Huckabee will continue to stay relevant over the next few years.  The National Volunteer Team seems like a creative way to strengthen Governor Huckabee's bid to run for the Republican nomination for president down the road.  If this initiative is anywhere near close to successful and the National Volunteer Team is able to have teams in most of the counties in America by the 2010 midterm elections, it could become a powerful force for the Republican Party during those crucial elections.  If Governor Huckabee can create a force that helps elect conservative Republicans he could portray himself as a party builder, and someone who has expanded the conservative movement.

While creating a national network of volunteers who will support conservative candidates in a year seems extraordinarily difficult, Mike Huckabee and his team are probably uniquely positioned to create this group.  His presidential bid took him from being an unknown to receiving the second most delegate votes in the Republican primary.  His electoral victories included a win in Iowa and an impressive second place finish in states won on Super Tuesday.  Much of this success was the result of a passionate and well organized grassroots comprised of Fair Taxers, homeschoolers, social conservatives, and others.  These supporters formed a highly organized grassroots force known as Hucks Army.  Governor Huckabee often referred to this group as his "secret weapon" and attributed much of the success for his campaign to this group.  With a whole year to organize and create this grassroots army instead of a matter of months, it will be interesting to see how well this group does.  If they could somehow be even more effective in the midterms than Hucks Army was in the primary, that could be quite a feather in the cap of the former governor from Hope.