Man on a mission: Herman Cain takes to the grassroots

Herman Cain wowed the crowd at CPAC. (Photo from Cain's Facebook page.)Ink and pixels are growing about potential Republican nominees hoping to oppose President Barack Obama in the 2012 general election. One potential candidate—an emerging national brand in the political market—is gaining grassroots support.

He’s being talked about on Facebook and Twitter; he’s been featured in The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller and in other print/web media. Not long ago a dear one and I were having coffee when Cain popped up on the TV on one of those political talk shows. My dear one listened for a few minutes and more excitement ensued than I’ve seen in a long time (at least when it comes to presidential potentials).

The response from my companion?

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Young Americans for Freedom ejected from club rush at Florida College

Screen snip from one of numerous videos posted by Florida Young Americans for Freedom. FYAF members allege they were kicked off a college campus because a staff member was upset over literature critical of President Barack Obama.The Florida Young Americans for Freedom organization claims organizers were ejected from club rush on Tuesday because a college employee was upset at conservative materials critical of President Barack Obama’s policies. FYAF said the incident happened at a branch of Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth.

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Netroots Nation agenda a blueprint for conservative strategy

The Netroots Nation, arguably the most influential Web-based outreach group for Democrats, concluded their 2010 convention in Las Vegas on Sunday. Guest speakers included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Barack Obama’s deposed ‘enviro-czar’ Van Jones. Reid took the opportunity to admit what most of us have known all along: Democrats will push for a public option in health insurance despite the fact government programs like Medicare and Medicaid are a fiscal disaster. Most believe cuts will be sought, and those cuts will come from Medicare.

Cutting Medicare is in line with leftwing approaches to the rationing some Obamacare proponents believe will be necessary. The US Report has talked to several people in the healthcare profession who endorse rationing in end-of-life care. Ironically those same individuals endorse providing taxpayer funded healthcare to adults who are not in the U.S. legally. The U.S. taxpayer already provides such healthcare to children of undocumented aliens.

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JYR taps conservative message, sets national standard

By Kay B. Day

Peret Pass, vice-president of Jacksonville Young Republicans, with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.The conservative message is in good hands with the next generation in Jacksonville (Fla.), and one big influencer is the Jacksonville Young Republicans group. I’ve met a number of the 897 members in the Facebook group and covered a JYR event or two.

So I was delighted to receive an email from the JYR current vice-president Peret Pass about accolades the JYR received at the Florida Federation of Young Republicans convention. The NE Florida club sets a high standard for clubs across the US.

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Up and coming GOP leaders question relationship between people, Nanny State

Why real change will only come by reducing the number of Democrats in the US government.

By Kay B. Day

The Associated Press covered an event with former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio, a Republican who is campaigning for a seat in the US Senate. The header said, ‘Rubio says country relying too much on government.’

Lenny Curry, chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, wants candidates to define their views about the relationship between government and the people. Curry is shown at the opening of the Duval GOP Minority Headquarters. [Photo by Kay B. Day]A few days prior to Rubio’s remarks, Duval County (Fla.) GOP chairman Lenny Curry posted a quick note on his Facebook page in conversational shorthand. Curry said before a candidate talked about specific issues, “I would like to know candidate view of relationship between people and their government. 1st things 1st.”

The conversation both Rubio and Curry want to have is beginning to take hold across the nation. Just how big do we want our Nanny to get?

For instance, Sen. Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund is focused on electing true conservatives. DeMint is a Republican and the Fund has endorsed Rubio and a number of others.

When the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste PAC announced support for former representative Pat Toomey  in the US Senate race in Pennsylvania, CCAGW’s statement from chairman Tom Schatz read, “Pat Toomey is a proven leader in supporting limited government and eliminating excessive spending.”

The size of government and government’s reach into private wallets is probably the overriding issue of our time. What we do today will determine our country’s future character.

Obviously Democrats are incapable of reducing spending the hard way—by approaching the federal budget as a whole, and including foreign aid as a potential target for reductions.

It appears the current administration will be satisfied with focusing on tightening federal entitlement programs like Medicare. Eliminating Medicare Advantage subsidies is one example.

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Shark Tank says Rubio to announce ‘prominent’ endorsement—Palin or Bush?

Updated on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 5:18PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

The Shark Tank blog said on Thursday that former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio is set to announce an endorsement “from one of the most prominent names in politics.” In the column Javier Manjarres said the endorsement will be announced Monday, April 5, during a press conference at the Renaissance Ballrooms in Coral Gables, Florida at 10:30 a.m. Anyone can attend.

Former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio delivered the opening keynote address at CPAC 2010 in Washington.Though Manjarres said it’s being kept secret (he’s promised to keep his “jaws” shut), he provided a few clues in the tags to his column. Among the names in those tags are: Bugs Bunny, Jeb Bush, Sarah Palin and Elmer Fudd. Gov. Charlie Crist was tossed in for good measure although he was not mentioned in the column.

Politically vested conservatives have wondered when Bush will make a statement about the race—the former Florida governor is still popular in The Sunshine State. Rubio would seem a more likely choice after Bush called Crist’s support of President Barack Obama’s Stimulus bill “unforgivable.”

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