A Grassroots call to action

by Donna Barrow
Contributor to The US Report

The race for US Senate between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist is what it is all about to a political junkie like me. I have been interested in politics all my life, though my political interest at an early age was not a reflection of my parents’. It was more likely a reflection of my favorite subjects in school, history and civics.

I was thrilled when I registered to vote at age 21 and over the years I have taken my responsibility as a member of the American electorate very seriously. In grassroots circles I am what is known as a “super voter.” The kind of voter that all candidates seek to reach because I always go to the polls.

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Bush son on board for Rubio; signal to the GOP

Former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio talks with supporters during an event in Jacksonville.For a second, the email with a message about Marco Rubio stopped me in my tracks—I always read emails top to bottom to middle for some reason. I saw ‘Jeb Bush’ and had the phone in my hand, dialing Rubio’s campaign. Waiting for an answer, I saw what my speedy eyes missed. “Jr.” The former governor of Florida’s son is endorsing Rubio. And I realized this is probably one of those politically discreet signals politically savvy types enjoy—the Bush fam will probably follow Jr.’s path. And I must say this was a classic campaign tactic, the equivalent of an attention-grabber common in print direct mail, most excellently employed.

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As GOP tangles within, RGA has winning platform with focus on core values

TGov. Mark Sanford (S.C.) is one of the few governors smart enough to realize federal stimulus funds amounted to "Greeks bearing gifts."he “Gallant Old Party” may be bickering within, but the Republican Governors Association quietly came up with a platform that is true to party roots, one that doesn’t aim to recreate the United States as a nanny. To be perfectly accurate, the most obese nanny in the history of the world. The Tax Day “Tea Party” Protests were completely misunderstood by pomp media, the political class, President Barack Obama and the Democratic members of the biggest spending Congress in the history of the country. But the RGA got what protesters were saying, and the organization has scheduled a townhall by telephone for Thursday, May 14 at 8:30 p.m.

I realize my opening paragraph sounds like I’m advocating for Republican governors like Mark Sanford (S.C.), Bobby Jindal (La.), Rick Perry (Tex.) and Haley Barbour (Miss). I am advocating for these governors because they get what the country needs. Here’s a statement that sums up a true conservative platform: “[T]axes are too high, our federal government is too big, and our states' rights are being trampled upon.” Within that statement is the spirit of the US Constitution many senators and representatives in Washington seem to have forgotten. The constitution limits the power of the federal government. Yet many in Washington today seem hell bent on expanding it even more. And some of the expenses are completely insane.

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Palin joins NCNA, more fodder for political herds

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton both spoke at the new Lena Point fisheries facility dedication in Juneau on April 28, 2009.The message arrived late Monday afternoon just as I was about to close the laptop—Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) joined the National Council for a New America. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor also said in the announcement more “local and national leaders” would be added. I pondered the fascination with Palin, especially in pomp media.

I coined the term ‘pomp media’ for self-congratulatory, puffed up media organizations whose brands are experiencing declining profits but whose control of messaging the populace is stronger than ever. Katie Couric is a great example—a newscaster who calmly listened to a vice-presidential candidate make an extremely stupid statement yet is too uninformed to question the candidate’s political gaffe. The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan wrote about Palin on Sunday. He said, “[G]iven this blog's coverage of governor [sic] Palin's various strange stories about Trig, and her continued refusal to provide any medical records to confirm her account…” What about those strange allegations describing Vice-President Joe Biden’s daughter’s recreational habits? Will Andrew ask him? I mean if children are fodder for political herds, can we be inclusive?

And then I happened across words of wisdom in a baseball blog.

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GOP rebrands; CNN article inspires leftwing extremist rage

The GOP, alternatively called 'The Gallant Old Party' or the 'Grand Old Party,' is the party of Abraham Lincoln. According to historian Diane Alden,in the 26 major civil rights votes after 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80 percent of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favored civil rights in over 96 percent of the votes. [Photo N. Illinois University] After receiving a press release about the National Council for a New America, I happened across an article about the NCNA’s conversations with the American people, with the first to be held in Arlington, Va., on Saturday at the popular restaurant Pie-tanza. The CNN article was benign, but quite a few comments weren’t. Here’s an example posted under the moniker, ‘Sonya’: “Hmmm, rebranding? How do you rebrand a bunch of self-centered, out-of-touch, dumb obstructionists? Personally, I'd be happy if they'd all drop out of sight forever and open the door for a new opposition party. We all know their faces and we're all sick and tired of them. Rove, Limbaugh, Cheney, Bush, Hannity and.FIX NEWS!!! The list goes on and on and THEY ALL MAKE ME SICK!”

If you read The US Report, you know how much I love politics and history. So especially for Sonya, I’d like to fill her in on a few matters wherein the Democratic Party rebranded at various times:

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Look at Specter switch in 1965 shows GOP battle scars nothing new

Updated on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 10:47AM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Undated photo of Arlen Specter during a run for governor. [photo from Sen. Specter's US government website]In 1965 Arlen Specter ran on the Republican ticket for District Attorney of Philadelphia and won. Specter was actually a registered Democrat and even more surprising, a member of Americans for Democratic Action. The year was a challenge for any politician. And none other than Richard Nixon gave the GOP some timely advice: “There is room for both the left wing and the right wing in the party…and each must learn to live with the other.” Nixon wasn’t the only one speaking about the conflict.

Former Sen. Prescott Bush warned Sen. Everett Dirksen (minority leader at the time) about speaking at a November, 1965 rally in Hartford—Bush said Dirksen would be stepping into a bitter battle between GOP conservatives and liberals. Dirksen cancelled his speech.

And the GOP wasn’t alone in having internal conflicts—the Democrats had the same issues but as now, their public relations machine was slicker. The Prescott Evening Courier pointed out how the Dems dealt with the problem: “what the Democrats long have done—be conservative in the South, liberal in the North.”

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Rubio didn’t ask committeewoman to leave meeting; says record clear on immigration

(Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)—Former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio responded to our request for information about GOP committeewoman Lisa Rader being asked to leave an event where he spoke. We wrote about that in our column Mar. 16.

Former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio's political plans are the subject of much speculation. [Photo from Marco Rubio website.]At our invitation, Rubio responded, “I do not know Ms. Rader, and was not responsible for asking her to leave. I believe the management of the establishment did, but not because I asked them to.” His assertion corresponds to Rader’s claims on that point. Rubio continued, “My position on immigration is clear and well defined.” Rubio also defined his approach.

The former speaker specifically noted two tenets of his platform: “1. I believe we must improve border security dramatically; 2. I do not support Amnesty or any other effort to legalize the status of people who entered the U.S. illegally or who entered legally and have since overstayed their visa.”

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