Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Md-7: Al Redmer Lacks the Conservative Passion for State Senate

There is a reason why we have endorsed J.B. Jennings over Al Redmer is the 7th district race for Senate. Even though their voting records are fairly similar, Jennings has the fighting passion to battle Mike Miller and the socialists, while Redmer evidently desires to coexist with them. Last week, the Patuxent Publishing Co reported on this race and cited the following campaign selling point of Redmer:

"The 7th District has suffered because of the animosity that exists between the (district's) delegation and state government," said Redmer, referring to the reputations of Harris and Del. Pat McDonough, who are known for being solid "no" votes on bills favored by Democrats.""It's not about the votes but about the tones in which those votes are cast," Redmer said."

This is one of the most illuminating comments from a candidate that I have seen of all the national and local candidates that I have covered. Redmer is complaining that these comments are being taken out of context by the Jennings campaign. However, his remarks reveal to us one thing in any context. He is not down for the struggle against socialism. His comments represent the very essence of why conservatives are so outraged at the Republican Party. It's not just the RINO's who are destroying the party. I would never assert that Redmer is a Republican in name only. Rather, the problem is that they have a lack of insight into our political enemies and therefore are lacking the passion, conviction, and devotion to fight them at every turn. They might vote with the conservatives 90% of the time, but their ultimate goal will be to engage and cooperate with the enemy. Keep in mind that every single Republican in Washington voted against Obamacare. However, Mitch McConnell and the other Republican members of the governing class failed to object to all of the complex and simple unanimous consent agreements (UCA’s) and use other dilatory parliamentary tactics to obstruct this unconstitutional legislation. They didn’t want to undermine the collegial Senate decorum, even at the expense of undermining our freedom, prosperity, and property rights.

The same thing occurs in the senate of a state legislature. There are a lot of adversarial obstructionist tools that are at the desposal of the minority party in the upper chamber. We need our Republicans in Annapolis to be commited to obstructing the unconstitutional agenda of Mike Miller with the same power that he uses to pass this agenda. How many Marylanders (Republicans and Democrats) really believe that the problem in Annapolis is that the Republicans aren't aggressive enough in fighting the statist agenda? These comments are wholly out of touch with reality and provide us with an authoritative glimpse as to what sort of state Senator Mr. Redmer would be. Redmer is correct about one thing;”it’s not about the votes”. When you are in the minority, it is not good enough merely to vote against the legislation, you must defeat it at all costs.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Jim Rutledge for U.S. Senate In Maryland


Jim Rutledge
It is quite a unique political phenomenon when 11 candidates are running for the Republican nomination for Senate in the deep blue state of Maryland.  It is even more special when one of those candidates is a passionate and articulate conservative, who has the gravitas and the energy to mount a serious challenge to arch-socialist, Senator Barbara Mikulski.  Jim Rutledge is the candidate running for Senate who has all those vital qualities that are essential to running a successful campaign against the governing class.  The unique thing about Jim is that he is, and will always remain, a member of the citizen class.

Jim Rutledge grew up on a family farm in Harford County and has lived within that jurisdiction for most of his life.  He has led a successful legal career in constitutional law, criminal law, and all aspects of administrative law.  This last aspect of his legal career is essential in that he has indispensable knowledge in combating the draconian regulatory state that is metastasizing on a daily basis.  As we have argued many times in this column, the regulatory state poses the most severe and imminent threat to our liberty, prosperity, and way of life, of any facet of the statist agenda.  Jim Rutledge would serve as a representative of the citizen class who would be able to "play ball" with the best of the governing class, while exposing and defeating their agenda.  The image of Rutledge debating Mikulski on matters concerning constitutional and administrative law is one we look forward to with great anticipation.

John Raese Surging in West Virginia

John Raese
According to a new Rasmussen poll, conservative Republican John Raese has pulled within 6 points of Democrat Governor Joe Manchin in West Virginia.  Manchin now leads Raese 48%-42%, sharply lower than his 51%-35% lead just one month ago.

Also, this poll provides us with even better news.  Obama has a 70% disapproval rating in the Mountain State!  This is very significant because Manchin is trying to sell himself as a conservative Democrats in order to pander to his constituents.  In a normal year, Manchin would probably be successful.  (See our article on the successful dog and pony show of the blue dogs here.)  However, this poll provides us with more solid evidence that the dog and pony show is over.  Obama, with his 70% disapproval rating in WV, will make it all but impossible for Manchin to run as a Democrat, while successfully feigning to be culturally conservative.

I found it amusing how all of the political pundits wrote off this Senate race as a solid Democrat retention.  They don't realize how profoundly different this election cycle is from all others.  Just because the Republican challenger is not competitive from day one, doesn't mean that he won't ultimately make it a race.  Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Washington are definitely proof of this.  Keep in mind that Raese is still largely unknown throughout most of the state and he is only 6% behind the sitting governor, who has 100% name ID and an enviable approval rating.  This will change quickly as West Virgina is a cheap advertising market and Raese can at least partially self-fund.  John Raese is a solid red meat conservative on every economic and social issue.  He came within a few thousand votes of knocking off Senator Jay Rockeffeller in 1984.

This race is just beginning and I believe we will win it.  Everyone thought that RINO Congresswomen Shelly Moore Capito was our only hope of flipping this seat.  They were wrong.  Raese actually has a better chance of winning against Manchin, and it is clear that his voting record will be superior to Capito's dismal performance.  This increases the number of Democrat seats in play to 13.  That means that we no longer need to run the table in order to reclaim control of the Senate.  A different sort of election year indeed!  Let's make sure Raese has enough money to combat Manchin's war chest and keep him up on the airwaves.

Update:  Gallup just came out with their latest generic ballot poll and the GOP leads 51%-41%.  That is the largest margin in the 50+ year history of the Gallup poll.  And the political consultants don't think that deep red West Virginia is in play?  It's hilarious to read the headline from CQ Politics, " Manchin Jumps to Early Lead".  This people live in an alternative universe.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

J.B. Jennings for State Senate

We continue our coverage of local races, as we focus on the race for Maryland’s 7th district Senate seat.

Conservative star Andy Harris has vacated the 7th district Senate seat to run for Congress against Congressman Frank Kratovil.  Harris was a conservative warrior who fought the socialist, pro-criminal and illegal alien agenda at every turn.  While he will make us proud as the next conservative Congressman from Maryland, he will leave an obvious vacuum of leadership in Annapolis.  This is why it is so essential to fill his seat with a likeminded passionate conservative.  Not only must we augment the Senate Republican Caucus by five seats in order to break the Democrats’ stranglehold on Annapolis, we must fill the existing seats with authentic conservatives.  This district, which covers parts of Harford and eastern Baltimore counties, is a conservative oasis and must be represented by a dynamic conservative.  This is why we support J.B. Jennings to continue the great work of Andy Harris in the 7th district.

J.B. Jennings has lived a life that would make the founding fathers proud.  Unlike the majority of the power brokers in Annapolis, who conduct their lives like typical limousine liberals, Jennings has lived a true American life.  He worked hard as a youngster manning his family farm.  He later co-managed his own milling business and now runs a ranching farm in Jappa.  J.B. has been a volunteer firefighter for 16 years for the Jacksonville VFC.  In 2002, at a very young age, Jennings was elected to the House of Delegates, and was appointed deputy minority whip shortly thereafter.  He continued to work his farm and serve as a firefighter every year he was in office.  In the summer of 2008, well into his second term in Annapolis, and approaching the age of 35, Jennings decided to enlist in the Maryland Air National Guard.  Jennings pledged to serve only two terms in the House and is now vacating the seat to run for Senate.  Jennings is a true citizen legislator and public servant.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A Stunning Election Night for Red Meat Conservatives

Jesse Kelly
Joe Miller
Rick Scot

Last night was a phenomenal time for Republicans in general and conservatives in particular. It was also a historic night for supporters of strong border enforcement and the tea party. Here are the major highlights.


Joe Miller

  • The most exciting news of the night was the probable defeat of RINO, open borders Senator Lisa Murkowski at the hands of tea party patriot Joe Miller. The votes are still being counted, but if the numbers hold we will have executed the biggest upset of the year. Next January we will have Senator Joe Miller fighting for us in Washington. He will likely join Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Sharon Angle, Ken Buck, and Ron Johnson. In addition to the proposition of picking up 7-10 D seats, look at the R seats that we have already turned more conservative.

1. Utah- Arch RINO Bob Bennett will now be replaced by stellar conservative Mike Lee.
2. Alaska- Open borders, pro abortion, big government Lisa Murkowski will be replaced by constitutional scholar Joe Miller.
3. Kansas- Although many of us would have liked to see a Senator Todd Tiahrt, we will still replace La Raza Senator Brownback with border hawk Jerry Moran.
4. Ohio- King RINO George Voinovich will be replaced with more mainstream Rob Portman.
5. Missouri- This is not the most clear cut contrast, but Roy Blunt clearly has a more conservative voting record than retiring Senator Kit Bond.
6. New Hampshire- The primary is still in progress but it is pretty clear that Kelly Ayotte will win the nomination and is favored to win the general election.  Judd Gregg has voted with the Democrats on many key issues including immigration.  Kelly Ayotte might not be a Jim DeMint conservative, but she at least provided an opportunity to move another seat to the right.

These are 6 seats that will move closer into our column in addition to all of the Democrat seats that we are likely to win.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Obama's Foreign Policy is More Dangerous and Consequential than His Domestic Policy

There is much focus on the disaster of Obama's socialist, job killing, domestic and economic policies. Unfortunately, there is less public scrutiny on the perils of Obama's post American, morally decrepit foreign policy.  If we are complacent in trying to overturn his foreign policy, the results will be more disastrous than the effects of his domestic policy.

Pundits often assess the success (or failure) of a presidency by analyzing the legislative scorecard. In other words, they evaluate the president's performance based upon the number of administration backed legislation that passed congress and was signed into law. To that end, although Obama has succeeded in passing his porkulous, TARP, bailouts, EuroCare, and financial takeover, he has been denied the passage of much of his prized legislation (amnesty, cap and tax, Disclose Act, etc.) Sadly, when it comes to foreign policy, Obama has been 100% successful in implementing his policies.

This degree of success hails from the president's broad constitutional latitude in conducting foreign policy. There is no legislative scorecard and congressional transparency when it comes to vital foreign policy initiatives. The President can choose to dismantle our security with virtually no substantial mechanism to stop him.  Also, we cannot observe these policy deliberations on C-span every day as we can with congressional proceedings.  Therefore, there is usually less awareness and accompanying outrage towards those policies. 
It’s much harder to drive populist outrage against foreign policy initiatives than to against domestic ones.  Nonetheless, it is impetrative that all conservative candidates for congress campaign against Obama’s foreign policy just as vociferously as they denounce his domestic policy.  There has been much debate over the role and prominence of social issues in this year’s elections, but there is no denying the importance of foreign policy.  We must fight Obama’s Islamofacism as early and as often as we fight his Marxism.

Let's take a look at some of these disastrous policies that have surfaced just over the past week: 

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Greg Bartosz for Congress in Maryland's 3rd District

Greg Bartosz
Maryland's 3rd district is currently held by stealth Congressman John Sarbanes.  Although this seat has been held by the Democrats since the 1920's it is not as liberal as it would appear at first glance.  After the last census, the Democrats gerrymandered this district in order to make the adjacent 2nd district more liberal.  They were actually successful and have elected Dutch Ruppersberger to that seat ever since Ehrlich retired.  However, the net result was that the third district actually became less Democrat.  In fact, Charlie Cook rates it as D+6, the lowest rated Democrat district in the state (excluding district 1 which I don't consider Democratic).  Much of urban Baltimore City was removed, while parts of the more conservative Anne Arundel County were added.  You can actually see by viewing the map how this district is one of the most ridiculously contrived geographical distortions in the history of gerrymandering. 

To say that winning this district in November is an uphill battle is an understatement.  Nonetheless, Ehrlich easily carried this area in 2002, and with him at the top of the ticket, in conjunction with a fired up conservative base and a depressed Democrat turnout, could result in a huge upset.  John Sarbanes is one of the most liberal members in the House, a status that is hard to attain amidst such heavy competition.  He has voted with his party 99% of the time.  Sarbanes has the rare distinction of scoring a lifetime 0% record from the American Conservative Union.  In other words, Sarbanes is more liberal than Chris Van Hollen, Steny Hoyer, and Donna Edwards! He is also more of a do-nothing, stealth congressman than his father (and that is saying something!).  Most of all, he lacks any substance or command of the prevailing issues.  If you ever have the opportunity to hear him speak you will come away wondering how someone so lacking in basic policy prudence can be elected to a federal office.  The only plausible answer is that he shares his father's name, and has never received stiff competition.  We can change that this year by supporting Greg Bartosz for Congress.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Christopher Shank For Maryland Senate

Christopher Shank
There has been much ink spilled on the dynamic of primary elections between conservative Republican challengers and moderate incumbents on a national level.  However, there is much less attention directed towards these state legislator battles.  Well, western Maryland Republicans are in the midst of a classic RINO vs conservative primary contest.  State Sen. Donald Munson has represented Hagerstown and Washington County in Maryland's 2nd district for decades.  He has amassed quite a liberal voting record during his tenure, and his constituents have had enough.  State Delegate Christopher Shank is the conservative who is challenging Munson for the Senate seat next month.

Shank is a young, rising conservative star who is currently the House Minority Whip.  He has been a leader on conservative issues such as crime, spending, and illegal immigration.  Much to the chagrin of old party leaders, Shank has launched an impassioned grassroots campaign with the support of the tea party, in the hope of finally unseating this old bull of liberal Republican politics.


Walter Kuebler: The Liberal Running for State Senate in Maryland's 42nd District

This election is very critical for the future political landscape in Maryland.  In addition to the chance of retaking the Governor's mansion this year, we have an opportunity to break the Democrat's veto proof majority in the Senate.  They currently control the Senate 33-14 (it only takes a 3/5 majority in Maryland to override the Governor's veto) and have the ability to override any veto that a Republican governor would stamp on their insane legislation.  We only need to pick up five seats to break their stranglehold.  One of the most vulnerable targets is Democrat Jim Brochin who represents the suburban Baltimore 42nd district.  This is a marginally Republican district which is held by a man who is the equivalent of the national blue dog/lap dog prototype.  We must defeat Jim Brochin in order to stand a chance at reaching the magical "19".

People are often complacent in researching their local candidates and tend to vote based upon random calculations.  It is therefore imperative to expose those who are fraudulent Republicans.  There are two candidates running in the September 14 primary; Kevin Carney and Walter Kuebler.  Walter Kuebler is a leftist former Democrat who is muddling up the primary field.  Kuebler used to be a member of the Carrol County Democrat Club and campaigned for Bill Clinton  He also ran for congress as a Democrat 10 years ago.  Red Maryland is now pointing out that Kuebler signed a pledge that he would raise taxes on alcohol to pay for socialist health care programs in Maryland  Even Jim Brochin didn't sign the pledge.

Kevin Carney is the only real Republican in the race and is endorsed by delegates Bill Frank and Sue Auman.  To be sure, there are no "red meat conservatives" running for office in this part of the state.  However, Walter Kuebler is an impostor, while Kevin Carney will be part of the team to break the Democrat's stranglehold on Maryland politics.  There is a lot of potential for us to make substantial gains in the suburban Baltimore districts this year.  In fact, there is a report out today that Harford County has more registered Republicans than Democrats for the first time ever.  We cannot afford to let RINO's squander our only chance at making this a two party state.

It's Time to Expose and Defeat Every Blue Dog Democrat

The Democrats currently have a 39 seat majority in Congress, however 58 members of their caucus are "blue dogs".  These 58 Democrats describe themselves as fiscal conservatives (and in some cases social conservatives) and represent districts that range from marginally Republican to "red meat conservative".  The problem is that there is no such thing as a conservative Democrat in the 21st century.  Most of the blue dogs are in fact Pelosi lapdogs who vote with their leadership on a majority of issues and on virtually all of the vital procedural votes.  Even the few blue dogs who vote with Republicans only do so because they hail from conservative districts. 

Also, there is another important fallacy about these "conservative" Democrats.  Every single one of them votes for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and even the most conservative Democrat hands control of the committees to extremists like Henry Waxman, John Conyers, and Barney Frank.  By single handily granting Pelosi a governing majority, the Blue Dog Coalition grants the Democrats full control of the Rules Committee, which completely manipulates the legislative process for the leadership.  This effectively assures the passage of any legislation that is supported by Pelosi and her ilk.  This is exactly how we got ObamaCare.

The obvious question of any observer should be, "why are these self proclaimed conservative Democrats campaigning, caucusing, and promoting the power of the most radical leaders of the Democrat party in American history?"  How can a "conservative" facilitate the passage of legislation that negates the very core values that they purport to espouse?

The answer is that these blue dogs are liberal wolves disguised as sheep.  They are just as liberal as Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank, it's just that they have to pretend to be conservative in order to remain in office.  The simple fact is that the Democrat party, as it is currently constituted, is extremely radical, while the Republican party (much to our chagrin) is not very conservative.  To put it another way, Ben Nelson is not the poster boy for the Democrat party and unfortunately Jim DeMint is not the face of the Republican party.  Therefore, by virtue of any politician opting to join the Democrats, they expose themselves as ultra leftists.  Period.  If the blue dogs were really true to their convictions they would demand that a so called moderate blue dog become Speaker instead of Pelosi.  Until Recently, these lap dogs have successfully run a scheme in which they talk the conservative talk at home, while goose stepping the socialist march in DC.  2010 is the time to put an end to this dog and pony show.

Due to Republican incompetence over the years, the Democrats successfully hold almost 70 seats that are rated at least R+1 by Charlie Cook's partisan voter index.  35 of those seats are rated as R+5 or higher.  However, as a result of the toxic climate for Democrats, the tea party movement, and solid Republican recruitment efforts, we have the first opportunity ever to obliterate the Blue Dog Coalition and win back every one of those seats.  The membership of the blue dog coalition should be zero by the beginning of the 112th congress.  In fact, we should be able to win back the majority exclusively with Republican leaning seats.

Although there has been much progress in exposing these fraudulent "conservative" Democrats, there are still some troubling signs of blue dog staying power is certain selected districts:

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Wisconsin Senate: Ron Johnson Opposes Climate Fascism

Conservative Republican Ron Johnson, who is running to unseat Senator Feingold in Wisconsin, has come out against the global warming agenda this week. In an exclusive interview with the Milwaukee Sun Sentinel, Johnson articulated an uncompromising rejection of the theory of Anthropogenic Global Warming, and all of the man-made economic disasters that its promoters have promulgated. Unlike most Republicans who offer meek opposition to the tidal wave of radical environmentalism, Johnson assailed the very premises of the cap and trade, climate change peddlers. Johnson pointed out that during the Middle Ages there was a huge warming trend despite the absence of nefarious SUV's and plastic bags. Therefore, it is much more plausible that this ancient cyclical climate trend is caused by natural phenomenon such as sun spots. We have written extensively about this in previous posts. Ron Johnson fired with both barrels as he asserted:

"I absolutely do not believe in the science of man-caused climate change… It's not proven by any stretch of the imagination."


Johnson went on to scoff at any human efforts to control the climate, calling it a "fool’s errand". Last month, he had the guts to call the AGW theory "lunacy", drawing much disdain from the left wing media.

As conservatives, we must understand that one of the most severe threats to our prosperity, freedom, and standard of living, emanates from the climate fascists. The draconian legislative and administrative agenda of the anti-growth, eco-Marxists has destroyed many industries and inhibited our free market. They have also successfully restricted our vital sources of domestic energy such as oil exploration and refineries, coal, and nuclear power. Most importantly, the weather lobby has proposed the most intrusive restrictions on our daily lives, from the products we buy to the individual choices we make. Radical environmentalism in general and climate fascism in particular, are among the most regressive components of the "progressive" movement. This is why it is so vital that we elect pro-growth conservatives to the Senate who will categorically reject the global warming agenda.

Most Republicans will espouse conservative views on other economic issues such as taxation and spending, at least in public. However, when it comes to opposing the tyranny of the weather lobby, most Republicans lose their conviction. They rarely have the courage to categorically refute the highly politicized science of Anthropogenic Global Warming, and often vote for many of the regressive and tyrannical policies that accompany such beliefs. They continuously vote to subsidize the "green energy" boondoggle as well as the ethanol scheme. On the other hand, they are lackluster at best in their support for more oil and shale exploration, construction of oil refineries, and nuclear power. In fact, there have been many articles in the liberal media mocking Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) as the only holdout against global warming and the last flat-earther.

Next January, James Inhofe will have another ally in newly elected Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin. Ron Johnson is running an unapologetic campaign for increased energy exploration and production and will oppose the environmentalist threat to our liberty. You might call him a true progressive. The amazing thing is that he has never held any public office prior to the campaign, yet he is polling slightly ahead of an entrenched incumbent. He also is providing the rare unifying fusion of tea party activists and Republican establishment operatives, as he is supported by Jim DeMint, the Club for Growth, and the NRSC. We must defeat Russ Feingold, who is the author of the Incumbency Protection Law (a.k.a. Campaign Finance Reform), and elect Ron Johnson.


Update: Politico has framed this story as if it's a novel idea that there are people who question the religion of global warming in a post climate-gate era. They also provide a comprehensive list of Republican Senatorial and Gubernatorial candidates who are on record as being skeptical of AGW. The candidates include Ken Buck, Rand Paul, Sharon Angle, Carly Fiorina, Pat Toomey, Dino Rossi, Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, Susana Martinez, and Charlie Baker.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Brian Murphey and that Surprise Palin Endorsment

There has been much discussion among Maryland conservatives about the insurgent candidacy of Brian Murphy for Governor in general, and Sarah Palin's endorsement in particular. Some conservatives are outraged at what they view as an intrusion into a fragile political landscape by Palin. They view her endorsement of Murphy as an ill informed exercise that will do little to strengthen Murphy, while undermining our only realistic way of taking back the state. They assert that Bob Ehrlich will win the primary anyway, and all this endorsement accomplishes is the undermining and weakening of our Republican standard-bearer.

Other conservatives, such as the Baltimore Examiner, echo the sentiments expressed by the Ehrlich campaign, and predict that the Palin endorsement will only enhance Ehrlich's tireless efforts to appeal to the liberal-moderate Maryland electorate. They welcome this endorsement as a stealth political flanking maneuver that artfully depicts Ehrlich as a rationale centrist.

It is important however, not to lose sight of a vital priority for Maryland conservatives. There will have to be a future for the Maryland GOP beyond Bob Ehrlich. The Maryland Republican Party is currently on life support, and appears to be on par with the organization and legitimacy of third parties in some other states. It is imperative that we raise a farm team of future conservative leaders so we can fight the Democrats on multiple fronts in future elections. Due to our lack of a Republican bench, we are letting radical Attorney General Douglas Gansler off the hook without a challenger!

Brian Murphy has shown the potential of a future rising star in Maryland politics. I look upon the Palin endorsement as a positive way to ignite his candidacy, not to the extent that he will defeat Ehrlich in the primary, but enough so he can be a future leader down the road. I have no problem voting for Ehrlich with the understanding that he is our only hope for 2010, while welcoming the bolstering of Brian Murphy so he can fight another day. I fully understand the fact that there is no way Murphy can win the primary and very little chance that he can be competitive against O'Malley. However, we shouldn't shrug him off and berate him for having the audacity to challenge Bob Ehrlich.

We cannot continue to put all of our hope in a single Republican, especially one that is quite moderate and lacks a deep understanding of conservatism. After all, Ehrlich is not just a social liberal, he is pretty lame on illegal immigration and social programs. In fact, aside for campaigning for the repeal of the sales tax increase, I haven't heard Ehrlich articulate any red meat conservatism throughout the entire campaign season. This is not the type of Republican that we want as the sole leader of our party for the next twenty years. We need fresh blood. The job of the Ehrlich camp at this point is not to attack Palin or tear down Brian Murphy, it is to work harder to promote free market values in such a socialist state. We won't gain anything as conservative to destroy Murphy as we would by moving Ehrlich to the right.

This narrative that only moderates like Ehrlich can win in Maryland is not entirely true. Ellen Sauerbrey was a rock solid conservative state legislator who came from nowhere to virtually win the Governorship in 1994. (She actually initially won the election, but was outflanked by 10,000 dead voters from deep within Baltimore City at the end of the night). We just need to find people who can run spirited campaigns, garner name recognition, and have the ability to raise at least a moderate sum of campaign cash. This is why I am wholeheartedly enthusiastic about Palin's boost to Brian Murphy, even as I look forward to Bob Ehrlich being the next Governor of Maryland.

Monday, August 09, 2010

The Democrats and their Repulsive Hypocrisy on Border Security


The Democrats are engaging in yet another political dog and pony show with our border security. Let’s first review some of the immigration related news of the past few weeks. There has been a leaked internal memo from Customs and Immigration services (USCIS) detailing plans to use immigration enforcement agencies for the purpose of promoting amnesty and preventing deportations. Then, in late June, ICE Director John Morton ordered all detention agents to cease from detaining and apprehending illegal aliens, with the exception of violent criminals and terrorists.

Finally, last week we reported on a no confidence vote taken by rank and file ICE union members against Morton and other Obama appointed leaders in the DHS. They issued a devastating critique which exposed their leadership for politicizing border security, hamstringing border agents, creating resort-like conditions for illegals, and using department resources to campaign for and promote amnesty. Can it be more transparent that the policy of the administration is not to execute one of their few core constitutional responsibilities, while subverting our sovereignty and security?

Now, as they are confronted with a devastating midterm election season, the Democrats are attempting to seize the mantle of border security. What is their solution? Throw more money at the problem, of course! A few hours prior to the Senate adjourning for summer recess, Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a $600 million border security bill, which would appropriate more funding for 1500 border agents in addition to increased personnel and infrastructure for ICE and CBP. (S.AMDT.4593 to H.R.5875) Schumer was anticipating a fight from Senate Republicans as this bill will potentially increase the deficit; however, the GOP failed to take the bait and approved the funding by a unanimous voice vote. So let’s get something straight. The official policy of the administration, in concert with congressional Democrats, is to prohibit ICE, CBP, and USCIS from enforcing our immigration laws and securing the border. Yet, they feel that by directing more funding to this black hole of non-enforcement they will be perceived as border hawks by the electorate?!

The reality is that you can fund an additional 100,000 border agents, but if they will be used to teach illegals to dance and play bingo instead of apprehending and deporting them, the funding is worthless. And the Democrats know this. That is exactly why they are supporting this bill. They exploit the good press they receive for being “tough” on the border, but at the same time they know that it won’t lead to a single extra deportation, which is exactly the way the want it. Furthermore, they get to claim that the border is secure and pave the way to amnesty, which they view as a reward for their cooperation on border security. Notice how they oppose any verifiable effort to secure the border in a meaningful way, while opting to promote bills that waste more money on bureaucratic packages that won’t lead to increased enforcement. This is why they have vociferously opposed efforts to complete the double-layer physical border fence. After all, a fence doesn’t have discretion to selectively obstruct illegal entry in the same way that our agencies do.

The Democrat hypocrisy on immigration legislation is even more appalling. One aspect of immigration enforcement that the entire open borders Democrat party claims to support is the deportation of criminal aliens. After all, Obama’s immigration enforcement agency heads have suspended all other priorities for the alleged purpose of dealing with criminal aliens. Well, Republican Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-16) has introduced H.R.6062 -- Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2010. This bill would require federal immigration agents to identify and remove criminal aliens who are currently incarcerated in American prisons. Over 30% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens, and they have become the fastest growing prison population. It is an outrage that American taxpayers are forced to fund the cable TV and free prison education for other country’s violent criminals.

Unfortunately, there is no rush in the House to take up this common sense legislation during Tuesday’s special session. The reason is because a bill like this doesn’t merely send money after a dead end appropriation, it actually dictates policy. Evidently, a policy to remove even criminal aliens would undermine the Democrats effort to perpetuate the illegal invasion unabated. I originally wagered that the Democrats wouldn’t care much for criminal aliens, because as convicted felons, they are ineligible to vote. However, the more I see how Democrats are working furiously in many states to loosen the felon voting laws; it makes sense that they would find some good use for criminal aliens as well.

In light of all the discussion about providing more funding for surveillance drones at the border, we might want to focus on the drones throughout the country that show up and vote for these repugnant politicians. As long as these drones continue to consume the distortions and lies of the media about the Democrats agenda for our border, we will remain vulnerable as a nation.

Friday, August 06, 2010

ICE Employees Expose the Criminal Disregard of Law within their Leadership

Imagine what would happen if the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture would intimidate the department’s employees into abolishing food stamps. Try to envisage a situation in which the Secretary of HUD would direct the department’s bureaucrats to stop granting housing assistance to low income families. Or, what if the director of the EPA would order all environmental regulations to lie dormant and remain unenforced. Now try to envision those respective leaders running around campaigning against their agency’s inherent mission and being exposed by the department’s rank and file. Would there ever be an end to the barrage of media coverage over this dereliction of duty and affront to the sacred responsibilities of the welfare and regulatory state? Would it take more than 24 hours for Congress to subpoena those executive branch leaders and haul them before committee hearings?

Well, it turns out that the union for employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a vote of no confidence in their executive leadership. This group of dedicated rank and file law enforcement personnel voted unanimously to call for the resignation of ICE Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven because they have politicized the agency to the extent that it has become ineffective. These are whistle blowers from within the department who are accusing the Obama appointed leadership of subverting the core objectives of ICE, yet the media is uninterested. The only media report on this story is from the conservative Washington Examiner. Aside from them, there is a total media blackout

The two page memo signed by National Council 118-ICE Vice President Chris Crane totally exposes the administrations policy to undermine enforcement of immigration law, while using department resources to campaign for amnesty and provide resort-like accommodations for the illegal border crossers. This memo from our immigration agents on the front lines, not only exposes the non enforcement agenda of the administration, but also illustrates how they are aiding and abetting the subversion of our immigration system and the undermining of our sovereignty. Here is one of their bullet points:

The majority of ICE ERO Officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing immigration laws outside of institutional (jail) setting. This has effectively created “amnesty though policy” for anyone illegally in the United States who has not been arrested by another agency for a criminal violation.


This is unbelievable! The administration is taking the unprecedented step to sue a state for enforcing federal immigration laws under the pretenses of a federal pre-emption argument. Yet, the Obama administration and his political hack agency leaders are preventing the federal agencies from enforcing immigration law as well! In fact, according to these ICE agents, the only way for them to apprehend illegals is if they were previously apprehended by the very state and local law enforcement that Obama and Judge Bolton have enjoined from detaining.

One would think that this would be the story of the summer as the ICE agents would be heralded as hallowed “whistle blowers”, which the liberals purport to respect immensely. These accusations should be particularly poignant to Congress and the media as it comes on the heels of a leaked memo from Obama’s director of Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), which essentially substantiates the charges filed in this ICE union memo. Yet, the media and congressional Democrats are running full interference for the administration because if this story would gain more traction, it would expose Obama for who he is. The memo proves that the administration is purposely distorting immigration and enforcement data to promote his agenda of open borders and the dismantling of American exceptionalism, citizenship, sovereignty, and national security. If this is not an impeachable offense, I don’t know what is. We need to remember in November that elections are the only way to pre-empt this rogue administration from preempting the security of our nation.