Archive for May, 2011
Arizona Ground Report
(Moderator’s Note: Thank you to Hillbuzz reader Kimberlie for this! Please use the “Contact Us” in the navigation menu above to send in your Ground Reports. We would especially love to get reports from campaign events.)
Dear Hillbuzz,
I went to a political focus group last weekend moderated by Dr. Frank Luntz (the
pollster often featured on Fox News). I was in the Conservative/Republican group
(they wisely kept each political group separate), and it was very interesting.
About 10% of these people were overly aggressive, even to Dr. Luntz. Unless you
were a “purist” (or Ron Paul supporter) they didn’t want to listen to a thing you
had to say. They were the types who are pushing for a 3rd party candidate just so
they can “send a message” to the GOP. I argued the fact that this would only assure
a liberal/Dem win, and they honestly did not care! They wanted candidates to be
EXACTLY how they wanted them to be or they would “throw them out”.
Dr. Luntz told these people that he just interviewed a group of swing voters, and
they felt exactly the opposite, and that an unwillingness to listen or take other’s
views into account was alienating swing, moderate and independent voters. He told
them all the shouting and name calling was not helping their cause, and if they
wanted people to consider their argument, they needed to bring the volume down and
actually LISTEN to other points of view. He told several of them that they were
scary and they were prime examples of why the Tea Party has been getting higher
“unfavorable” ratings lately in national polls.
Things got really heated when he told them that the research he’s done indicates
that R’s will win the House and Senate, but Obama will win the WH again. When
someone challenged him about this, he replied “Dude, this is what I DO! I’ve been
to Ohio 6 times this year, how many times have you been there? I’ve been to Florida
8 times. I’ve talked to people on the ground in every battle state, and they are
extremely worried about the R’s Medicare plan.”
We asked what we could do to counter the Dems misinformation, and he said to get
organized and get out to the seniors in retirement homes, active living communities,
etc and educate them. For the most part, they only watch the MSM and are unaware
that the media has a political agenda. They truly believe what the Dems are
peddling about Republicans pushing grandma off a cliff.
After he said that, the meeting started wrapping up and some of the people were
clearly depressed about the thought of Obama winning a 2nd term. I got into my
Hillbuzz mode and chastised them for being Eeyores. I told them to get out and DO
what Dr. Luntz said and take action, not sit around whining about how “all is lost”.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know what Dr. Luntz said. He is a very conservative
guy who is very politically astute, and I think we should consider his advice and
start to mobilize and take action. I looked through the descriptions of HB Action
Items, and I’m not sure which color this action item would fall under…maybe we need
another color for “Community Organizing”. I suggest using pink, as a poke in the
eye to Code Pink!
If you have any questions about what I experienced at the focus group last week,
please let me know.
Kimberlie
National Tweet Your Weiner Day
HT/ Newsrealblog.com
To show solidarity and support for poor Democrat representative Anthony Weiner, whose Twitter account was mysteriously “hacked” last week, we’re asking Hillbuzz readers with Twitter accounts to tweet a photo of your Weiner on Wednesday, June 1st, 2011.
National Tweet Your Weiner Day is that day that we should all take a moment to update our social media passwords so that we may avoid getting caught with our pants down.
We’ve attached a Weiner pic to this post to get you started. (We think the folks at Newsrealblog must be psychic, because they posted this back on March 17th.)
We would like to create broad awareness of National Tweet Your Weiner Day, so please be sure to “Like” this post on Facebook and share it with your friends on Twitter.
Herman Cain vs Mitt Romney: Who’s Qualified To Be President?
The LSM is determined to convince you that you are unhappy about your choices for the GOP nomination because of the “Weak GOP Field.”
My contention is that this is the most exciting year for the GOP, conservatives and libertarians in decades. We don’t have a GOP frontrunner yet, because there’s no GOP incumbent, and fewer and fewer people rely on the LSM to tell them what they think. People like you, the readers of Hillbuzz, are taking ownership of the nomination and vetting process.
I found this post on Free Republic over the weekend: Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Presidential Qualifications.
What makes this analysis interesting is the fact that it was published back on December 29, 2010, before Herman Cain’s exhilarating performance in the South Carolina debate.
The author’s conclusion?
Of course, if after examining the evidence you still don’t believe Herman Cain is qualified to be president, then you would have to also conclude that Mitt Romney is not qualified to be president. The only significant difference in their resumes is Romney’s four year stint as governor of Massachusetts—a governorship that was, from a conservative perspective, an absolute disaster. Mitt Romney was not a success as governor, and it would be pure spin to say otherwise.
Take a look at the article on Free Republic. Would it be useful to have this kind of head-to-head comparison of all the GOP candidates? Should we make this a project for the Blue Team?
Hillbuzz Open Thread: May 31, 2011
Watch this video before consuming any political reporting.
So, how many family members have you shared WeinerGate with today? My folks were visiting yesterday, and I asked, “So, what do you think about WeinerGate?” Neither had heard of it. But my mom immediately said, “I bet it’s about a Democrat.” Gotta love my mom. 
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” – Shakespeare
“There is no shortage of lawyers in Washington, DC. In fact, there may be more lawyers than people.”
— Sandra Day O’Connor
It makes sense that there would be a lot of lawyers operating the Judicial branch. But are we dealing with an Attorney Overpopulation Problem in our legislative and executive branches of the federal government?
Anti-attorney sentiment is not new:
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
— (Henry VI, Act IV, Scene II, by William Shakespeare).
The 112 Congress, seated in 2011, includes 202 attorneys out of 535 members in the House. That’s about 37% of the body. Slightly more than 1/3 of the House of Representatives is a lawyer. One out of every three. (Is it any wonder these people love to write 3,000-page laws? Is it any wonder that normal people can’t read them or understand what’s in them?)
And that’s not actually very “representative.” Lawyers make up 0.36% of the U.S. population at large. About one third of one percent. One out of every 300.
That makes me wonder. Which of these presidential candidates (or presumed candidates) are lawyers?
Barack Hussein Obama – Lawyer (but not a Muslim)
Herman Cain – Not A Lawyer (CEO, talk radio host)
Newt Gingrich – Not A Lawyer (historian/professor)
Gary Johnson – Not A Lawyer (entrepreneur)
Sarah Palin – Not A Lawyer (TV commentator/commercial fisher)
Ron Paul – Not A Lawyer (OB/GYN, author)
Tim Pawlenty – Lawyer
Mittens Romney – Lawyer
Hmmm. Anyone besides me seeing a pattern here?
Does it matter that lawyers are 100 times more prevalent in the House of Representatives than in the population they are supposed to represent?
What’s your take on this?
Sarah Palin & LTC Allen West at Rolling Thunder
By now you’ve probably guessed that I’m a libertarian, and I have a “policy crush” on Ron Paul. I love, love, love him. Unfortunately, he’s a better candidate on paper– in the many, many books he’s written on the economy, foreign policy and sound money–than he is in the age of TV and the 24-hour news cycle. He’s whip smart, and has enormous integrity. But slick, he is not.
So while Ron Paul will always be my first choice in terms of policy, when it comes to charisma and crowd appeal (and the ability to make Lefty heads explode), I’m a huge Sarah Palin fan. And an even bigger Allen West fan.
Here is a photo that literally gave me goosebumps. It’s from SarahPac.com, shared by a couple of Alert Readers.
The Next Two Presidents of the U.S.
I honestly think we’re looking at an unbeatable GOP ticket here. And though I don’t agree with Sarah Palin 100% on the issues, I would nonetheless sleep soundly at night during the Sarah Palin presidency, knowing that the person in the Oval Office truly and deeply loves America, always has, and always will.
What a thrilling image!
Can you imagine the contortions the Left and Lamestream Media (redundant) will have to go through to criticize this pair–the first woman presidential nominee and the first black vice-president nominee of a major party?
Monday Open Thread: May 30, 2011
If this performance of The Star Spangled Banner doesn’t make you cry, you are dead. Or your soul is dead, like The Grinch (pre-Cindy Lou Who) or Ebeneezer Scrooge (pre-Tiny Tim) or Michelle Obama (pre-your husband, who is not a Muslim, getting elected president.)
I hate the phrase, “it’s for The Children.” Too often, it’s used to justify hideous government excesses and violations of freedom. But in this case, what we’re doing really is for the children of America. Just remember that when you watch these girls perform. You’re working underground, as a member of the American Resistance, for them, for your own kids, for your nieces, nephews, grandchildren, for the kids at your church or synagogue, the kids down your street…for all the kids who have come after you and deserve to grow up in the greatest country on the face of the Earth, like you did.*
As Kevin DuJan said back on Memorial Day of 2009,
Today we think the focus should be on the men and women in uniform, past and present, who kept this nation safe and protected our freedoms…Whatever you are doing today, whether it’s a barbeque or a party or whatever, try to work the national anthem in there for a moment, and pause briefly to remember this is indeed not just “a pretend holiday”, but something that matters a great deal.
What did you do today to honor a Veteran?
*Unless you’re Barack Hussein Obama, who is not a Muslim, but coincidentally grew up in the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia. (Mr. President, you’ll just have to take our word for the fact that the United States of America is the greatest country that ever was.)
New LSM Meme: “Weak GOP Field”
Last week, I alerted Hillbuzz readers to the first major Lamestream Media GOP meme of this election season (branding cucumber-and-mayo RINO GOP candidates as “serious” and real conservative and/or libertarian candidates with broad support and the ability to beat Obama as “unserious.”)
As the Lamestream Media’s approval ratings continue to hover in single digits (similar to personal injury attorneys, seeping poison ivy rashes, gastroenteritis and Congress itself), the meme just hasn’t caught on.
Their next attempt to manipulate the GOP primary process comes in the form of Meme #2:
“GOP Voters Unhappy With Weak GOP Field”
If they can get this meme to catch on, it will have at least four up-sides for the Lamestream Media and the Left (redundancy alert!):
- It dismisses the enthusiasm generated by Herman Cain; the massive grassroots support of Ron Paul; the fundraising prowess of Mittens Romney (hey, I don’t like it, but it’s real); and collectively demeans all declared GOP candidates
- It implies that if you support any of these candidates, you’re an idiot on the fringes, making it easier to turn you into an Eeyore.
- It encourages a never-ending string of candidates to enter the race for the GOP nomination, forcing an ever-larger list of similar candidates to compete for the same pool of campaign donations
- It increases the odds of violations of Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican” as candidates attempt to differentiate themselves and break away from the pack.
I’m not saying fewer candidates are better than more candidates. More excellent candidates are better than more RINO, milquetoast, cucumber-and-mayo candidates.
I’m just saying (again), don’t let the LSM set the terms of the debate. Don’t let the LSM tell you who is “serious” or “electable” or “popular.” Don’t become an Eeyore.
Sunday Open Thread: May 29, 2011
Who doesn’t love Schoolhouse Rock?
A fun and retro reminder of what millions of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guard and other Patriots have fought and died for.
(UPDATED to include Coast Guard. Thanks for the reminder.)
Poll: 85% of Republican Voters Care More About Government Spending, The Economy and National Security Than Social Issues
H/T ImpeachObamaCampaign.com
Long-time Hillbuzz readers know that we are fighting a war against three enemies: Leftists, The Lamestream Media and Islamofascism. And by “we,” we mean Americans who love our country, work for a living, save for retirement, love the American Dream, respect the rule of law, and honor the Constitution’s limits on government power.
In most cases, The Lamestream Media and The Left are one and the same–98% of Washington Bureau reporters vote for Democrats. And to save our country, we must never forget that virtually all political reporting in America is agenda-driven.
Most members of the Washington Press Corp(se) sincerely believe (or strongly suspect) that all Conservatives are reactionary, raaaaacist, selfish, ignorant, buck-toothed, misogynistic, gullible, Pinto-up-on-cinderblocks, Bible-thumping bigots.
You must never, ever forget this when you’re reading news stories about Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mittens Romney or T-Paw, or any other potential GOP or Tea Party candidate.
Case in point. This past week, the Gallup organization conducted a telephone poll of 971 randomly surveyed Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The results of this poll are available here.
Gallup asked participants to rate the issues that are most important to them. They are (in order):
- Government spending and power (36%)
- Business and the economy (31%)
- National defense and foreign policy (15%)
- Social issues (15%)
In other words, 85% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents care more about everything and anything else than they care about social issues.
To put it another way, social issues are the #1 concern of only 15% of the likely Republican voters surveyed.
The poll also asked to rank GOP candidate preference by issue. So among that 15% social-issues-sliver of Americans, 23% favor Sarah Palin, versus the 18% who favor Mittens Romney.
I’m not a math wizard, but I think that means that less than 4% of Republicans favor Sarah Palin as their #1 choice for President thanks to her positions on social issues.
But you’ll note, that is not the headline of the article at Gallup.com (“Romney’s Appeal Spans the Issues, Palin Leads on Social Values.”) Nor is it the headline of most news stories generated by this poll.
I write headlines for a living. And here are just a few totally accurate headlines I could write based on the results of this Gallup poll.
Read these alternate headlines (all based on the exact same data) and pay attention to how they effect you emotionally. Then ask yourself why the Lamestream Media wouldn’t go with these headlines or write these stories.
- Poll: 85% of Republican Voters Care More About Government Spending, The Economy and National Security Than Social Issues (the headline I chose for this post)
- Non-Candidate Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney Tied Among Foreign Policy Voters
- Poll Confirms Tea Party Platform’s Appeals to GOP Voters
- Ron Paul #2 Choice Among Declared GOP Candidates
- Unknown GOP Candidate Herman Cain Within 3 Points of Mitt Romney Among Voters Concerned About Government Spending
- Herman Cain Beats Newt Gingrich on Foreign Policy, Say GOP Voters
- GOP Voters Favor Ron Paul Over Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty on Business and Economy
- Non-Candidate Sarah Palin Ranked #2 Among GOP Voters Surveyed
- Tim Pawlenty’s Support In Single Digits On All Issues Among GOP Voters
- Herman Cain Ranked #2 Behind Mitt Romney on Government and Deficits by GOP Voters
And yet the media (mark my words) is going to play up Mittens Romney’s “broad-based GOP support” and pigeonhole Sarah Palin as the choice of the rabid religious right. They likely won’t mention Herman Cain at all (except to call him an Uncle Tom) or Ron Paul (except to call him a cranky old man).
Why?
Because the media is 100% in the tank for Barack Hussein Obama, and will do anything to make sure he is re-elected. Anything.
And a proven winner of a strategy is to divide and conquer.
In order to squeak out another term, the media and the Obama Regime (redundancy alert!) must create divisions and infighting among voters who are concerned about the size of government, the economy and Islamofacism, because generic GOP candidates always win against generic Democrat candidates in polls on these issues.
And social issues are the executioner’s axe they will use to divide and conquer.
The media works hard every day to convince GOP candidates that they have to focus on social issues like gay marriage and abortion to win. The 2010 midterm Democrat electoral bloodbath proved that this is a Big Lie. The winning platform was the Tea Party platform of smaller, Constitutional government, low taxes and massive spending cuts.
According to these poll results, you also hand the 2012 election to Obama when you use social issues as a “purity test” and threaten to stay home on Election Day to “teach the GOP a lesson” unless the GOP candidate promises to outlaw abortion on January 21st, 2013 (which the president couldn’t do, even if he or she wanted to.)
The truth is that the libertarian vote–estimated to be approximately 14% of the electorate–is key to Republican victory is 2012. As Ronald Reagan said, “I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.”
In the 2012 election, the libertarian vote will be the swing vote. Not the evangelicals or social issue Republicans.
Keep that in mind as you read stories and watch news coverage of GOP candidates. The Government-Controlled Media is desperate to divide the Obama-defeating voting block that is made up of the GOP, libertarians, Independents, and the Tea Party.
You aid and abet the lamestream media in this quest when you consume news headlines and poll results without thinking or analyzing the motives of the news outlets that are producing them, and then forward these news stories, Eeyore-like, to your friends and family.
Never forget it! If you are a member of The American Resistance, the people writing most of the stories about GOP candidates believe you are a reactionary, raaaaacist, selfish, ignorant, buck-toothed, misogynistic, gullible, Pinto-up-on-cinderblocks, Bible-thumping bigot.
So why on God’s green Earth would you let them pick your candidate for you?
