It is quite the primary season for Republican women. Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman have won the Republican primaries in California, for Senator and Governor, respectively. Sharron Angle is poised to face Harry Reid in the Nevada Senate race come November, and Nikki Haley won her gubernatorial primary in South Carolina.

There are other conservative chicks* running for reelection (Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn come to mind), and some like Robin Smith and Pamela Gorman have not yet faced their primaries.

But for the purposes of this post, I want to focus on Pamela Gorman.

I had an opportunity to chat with the GOP babe** recently about her campaign to represent the 3rd district of Arizona in the United States House of Representatives. Solid conservative John Shadegg currently holds that seat, but the Congressman is retiring to spend more time with his family and to do whatever else it is that you do when you retire.

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I interview Matt Friedman, candidate running against liberal Susan Davis in California’s 53rd district.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I love this article. It was written some years ago, but is timeless in America. Keep it in mind when you go the ballot box this election cycle.

By Charlie Reese

(Date of publication unknown)

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don’t write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don’t set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don’t control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices – 545 human beings out of the 235 million – are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Don’t you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O’Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.

O’neill is the speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetos it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts – of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can’t think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Lebanon, it’s because they want them in Lebanon.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses – provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.

h/t Liberty Pundits

Remember Charles Djou, that Republican guy in Hawaii that actually thought he’d have a shot at winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from that deep blue state?

Well he won.

I know! Pretty cool, huh? I know a lot of my uber conservative friends are very excited. I’m excited too! I’m almost as excited as I was when Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. I mean, Republicans just don’t win in states like MA or HI.

Unfortunately, many conservatives were sorely disappointed when it turned out that Brown had some liberal leanings. They felt betrayed. I fear the same thing is going to happen with Djou followers.

To that I have this to say: Given the candidates in a general election, it is better to celebrate the victory of a candidate that will vote with you half of the time than bemoan the victory of someone that will never vote with you.

Congrats to Mr. Djou. The best of luck to you sir, and I hope that you’ll support many conservative caused during your time in Congress.

Here’s what he said:

“We have learned something very important since the days when I served in Vietnam…”

Here’s what he said he said after being caught saying what he said:

“On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service…”

It kind of reminds me of the scene in The Emperor’s New Groove when Yzma & Kronck are locked in the closet looking for the emperor that had been turned into a llama.

“Tell us where the talking llama is and we’ll burn your house to the ground.”

“Don’t you mean ‘or’?”

“Uggghh! Tell us where the talking llama is or we’ll burn your house to the ground.”

“Well which is it? That seems like a pretty crucial conjunction.”

So Mr. Blumenthal, which is it – in or during? That’s a pretty crucial preposition.

From The Hill:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday acknowledged the “anti-incumbent mood” that’s swept through U.S. politics.

“There’s no question there is, at this moment, an anti-incumbent mood,” the Speaker said at her weekly press conference.

That’s quite a rationalization, Ms. Pelosi. Let me set you straight, because you obviously haven’t been listening to a single word that Americans have been saying.

We are not anti-incumbent. We like Coburn, Thune, DeMint, Bachmann, Smith, and many others, and want them to continue representing us in D.C.

What we don’t like is the attitude that you know better than us. We don’t like you sticking your bony fingers into our pockets so that you may be perceived as generous. We don’t like you robbing our children so that you and your cronies can live the life of Riley while telling us that we’re the greedy selfish ones. We don’t like you voting for legislation that stifles growth and suffocates business.

In other words, Ms. Pelosi, we don’t like you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go contribute a few bucks to John Dennis, because you’re one incumbent that we’d like to see gone.

I know. It sounds like an oxymoron. It’s right up there with jumbo shrimp and quiet children. They’re the stuff of myths. Most people smirk at the idea of their true existence. After all, no matter how big a shrimp is-it is still a shrimp. Children are never quiet (come visit me sometime for proof). And Republicans may vacation in Hawaii, but they are not locals.

Born and bred Hawaiians are liberals. Case closed.

Much like Massachusetts Republicans, the notion that Hawaiian Republicans actually exist is viewed with skepticism. It would be a joke then, to hold even the tiniest sliver of hope that a Republican could win a Senate seat in MA. Especially if that seat’s previous occupant has been a Kennedy. I mean, that’s as close as we get to royalty in the U.S. It would also be ridiculous to even ponder the chances of a Republican winning a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the district of Barack Obama’s childhood.

Except that one of those things already happened.

And it looks like Charles Djou is leading in the polls in Hawaii’s 1st district special election.

In his own words (from an online Q&A hosted by Red State’s Caleb Howe)

On immigration:

As the child of immigrants, I understand that immigration is a positive benefit for our nation. While I support a large open front door to legal immigration in the U.S., that will only work if we close the back door of illegal immigration. I understand Arizona’s frustration – all the more reason Congress must act to address illegal immigration.

On immigration, all of us must realize that we are a nation of immigrants. We can move past the heated partisanship by coming to a common agreement that we are still a nation that supports LEGAL immigration, but need to secure our borders and cut off ILLEGAL immigration.

On taxes:

I have built my career as a state representative and councilmember on fiscal responsibility. I have never voted for a tax increase or a budget that increases spending by more than inflation plus population growth. I will continue this record if I am fortunate to get elected to Congress. I do not support any plan to “spend” our way to prosperity.

My philosophy and approach to governing supports lower taxes over higher taxes and a simpler tax code to a more complex tax code. I share the concern that an ever increasing percentage of Americans are not paying any taxes to fund our government. I support tax reform, similar to what Pres. Reagan did in 1986, to simplify our tax brackets and lower our marginal rates.

I generally support a progressive income tax, but believe that our current tax code is too complicated and the rates are too high. I much prefer to see much fewer and much lower tax rates coupled with fewer tax deductions and exemptions. I like your thought on income “smoothing,” but want to make sure it is easy to apply and enforce.

On diversity:

The beauty of Hawaii comes not only from our natural resources, but also the diversity of people. I look forward to serving in Congress as both a Republican and as an Asian-American. Conservative values and fiscal responsibility is something that stretches across racial and ethnic lines.

On health care:

I would not have voted for the healthcare bill if I were in Congress last month. I support repeal and if elected will actively work to dramatically reform the current healthcare act.

In Hawaii, like the rest of the nation, medical malpractice insurance is the fastest rising cost to practice medicine. We need to control this with tort reform. I also makes no sense for our nation to have 50 separate health insurance markets in the 50 states. We should have one single national market for health insurance. In Hawaii 90% of all residents get their health insurance from only two companies – that is not sufficient competition.

Congress should allow for interstate sale of health insurance and only set minimum rules to smooth interstate commerce. Beyond that, the regulation should still largely be left to the states.

On the “nanny state”:

I believe the beauty of our nation is based on individual liberty and individual responsibility. Our government should be limited. When government starts telling individual Americans what they can or can not eat, we have clearly gone too far and Congress should not get involved.

On national security:

Hawaii, located half-way between Asia and North America, is key to our national security. As an Army Reserve officer, I understand and appreciate how critical the military is to both my home district and our nation. The major challenges for the U.S. in the 21st Century will come from the Asia-Pacific region and Congress much maintain a strong presence in Hawaii. North Korea in the near-term and a possibly hostile China in the long-term are concerns our armed services must be ready to confront. As a member of Congress I will work to provide the necessary upgrades to our Pacific military forces.

Mr. Djou needs our help in this special all mail-in election. Find out how you can help at www.djou.com. It may seem like an impossibility for a Republican to win a House seat from Hawaii, but just ask Scott Brown-stranger things have happened.

I really, really love hosting The Smart Girl Report for Smart Girl Politics.

I really, really love interviewing candidates. I think it’s essential that we get to know those running for office before we vote for them.

Unfortunately, the two weren’t meant to live together. Smart Girl Politics is a non-profit organization, and in order to keep everything on the up and up, I’m no longer able to interview and/or endorse candidates on The Smart Girl Report.

I totally understand that. But I’m hesitant to give up a platform that allows candidates to get their message out to the public. And the public is hungry to hear from our guys and girls working to get elected.

So…all of that just to say…

I’m starting a new show. In addition to The Smart Girl Report, I’ll also be hosting a weekly 30 minute show that will focus on the upcoming primaries and the November elections. I already have some great candidates lined up, as well as some special guest co-hosts, and needless to say, I’m very excited about it.

BUT.

I’m horrible at coming up with names for things. Really. The ability to come up with something clever or funny or smart for a title eludes me. There are people that are a lot better at that stuff. Which is why I’m turning to you guys.

I’m holding a contest to figure out the name of this new show that will air each week on From the Right Radio.

How to enter: Email me (jenny@fromtherightradio.com) with your suggestions by midnight this Friday (Eastern). I’ll pick 4 or 5 of my favorites and put up a poll on www.FTRradio.com, which everyone will vote on until Monday night at midnight. The winner will be announced Next Tuesday morning.

How do you win? That’s easy. The person that suggests the winning title is the winner! If more than one person happens to suggest the same name, and it happens to be the winner, I’ll throw their names into a hat and pick one. I’m good at the randomness technology.

What do you win? A $50 gift certificate to Amazon. Woohoo! Who doesn’t love Amazon?

Ok.

On your mark…

Get set…

Go!

Good luck!

I think the tanning rays may have finally seeped into the Florida Governor’s skull. Dude was on top of the world a couple of years ago. His name was even tossed around as one of the VP hopefuls for the 2008 Presidential ticket. Of course, that was before Senator McCain picked that smart and sassy nobody from the great white North.

That was Before.

Before a man was seated in the Oval Office that really didn’t like America, and sought to fundamentally transform it.

Before our President appointed a 9/11 Truther to be one of his close, personal advisors. A 9/11 Truther, in case you weren’t aware, is someone that believes the United States was behind the horrific 9/11 attacks. As in planned them. Yeah. That’s bad.

Before the government took over banks, car companies, and even our health care.

Governor Crist was riding the wave of popularity Before. He was a shoo-in for the Senate seat left vacant by retiring George LeMieux. But that was Before.

After?

After the last year and change (and I do mean change), Crist represents a deviation of the Republican party. The Moderate. The Moderate is squishy. He tries to please everyone, and in effect pleases no one. He is not a RINO (Republican In Name Only), but he is not a conservative. He does not align himself with the principles set forth by the awesome dudes that founded the greatest, richest, strongest, most spectacularly free nation in the history of the world. Well, except for Eden, but that was even before Before.

We (and by “we” I mean Americans) are done with the Moderate. We want him him out. He embraced the Leftist Change, and now we want people that will fight for their constituents to change it back. Which is why we like peeps like Marco Rubio.

A year ago, Rubio was down in the polls by 40+ points. Now he’s ahead of Crist by well over 20 points. The Cuban nobody. No important family ties. No giant bank account. He hasn’t even “done his time” as they like to say in the government job sector. But the people? Oh the people are speaking. They like this fresh young conservative eager to change it back. They love his pledge for freedom from government interference in their lives.

They probably love his face too; the guy’s not bad to look at.

So how does Charlie Crist respond to this changing tide? By pondering running as an Independent instead of being beaten at the primaries by this Rubio kid. In a statement today he addressed those questioning his irrational thought process:

“I care what my fellow Floridians think and what their thoughts are much more than anybody from Washington.”

Dude. Florida is speaking. You’re not listening. Run however you want-Republican, Independent, or as the Florida Whig Party. You’re not going to Washington. You may have a few years ago, but that was Before.

People like Marco Rubio are After.