The Radical Right Doesn't Understand Civil Rights

When I woke up this morning to see this link on Twitter from Media Matters about Limbaugh's comments on John Lewis and the Civil Rights march to Selma, AL, it dawned on me that I have left the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and other hard right pundits behind along with Fox News.  Unfortunately, I have also left today's Republican Party behind with their racist attitudes and putting Party over Country time and time again.   Just haven't made it official by changing registration, but today's Republican Party is not my party as I don't even recognize it today.

A lot of Republicans are going through the same withdrawal from the Party we have always known.  For any thinking person to still be following Rush or other hard right mouthpieces makes one wonder.  He doesn't get it.  He has absolutely no clue what the Civil Rights effort was all about.  Martin Luther King was all about non-violence yet the people behind the NRA said he would have been against gun control.  Huh?  That defies belief since he was assassinated by someone with a gun and always preached non-violence.  It is also an insult to our intelligence just like Limbaugh.

His remarks yesterday on the even of the weekend celebrating Dr. King were stupid and irrational even for him as we learn from Media Matters:

Earlier on Friday, Limbaugh had asked on his radio show, 

"If a lot of African-Americans back in the '60s had guns and the legal right to use them for self-defense, you think they would have needed Selma?" He continued, "If John Lewis, who says he was beat upside the head, if John Lewis had had a gun, would he have been beat upside the head on the bridge?" (my bold)

Responding to Limbaugh today, Lewis said in a full press release:

In an effort to encourage people to resist new gun control legislation, a statement was made on The Rush Limbaugh Show today which misrepresents Civil Rights Movement history.  In the shadow of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, in the year we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington in August, and a little more than a month before the annual celebration of the events in Selma, Rep. John Lewis was glad to address this inaccuracy. (my bold)

"Our goal in the Civil Rights Movement was not to injure or destroy but to build a sense of community, to reconcile people to the true oneness of all humanity," said Rep. John Lewis.  "African Americans in the 60s could have chosen to arm themselves, but we made a conscious decision not to.  We were convinced that peace could not be achieved through violence.  Violence begets violence, and we believed the only way to achieve peaceful ends was through peaceful means.  We took a stand against an unjust system, and we decided to use this faith as our shield and the power of compassion as our defense.

"And that is why this nation celebrates the genius and the elegance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s work and philosophy.  Through the power of non-violent action, Dr. King accomplished something that no movement, no action of government, no war, no legislation, or strategy of politics had ever achieved in this nation's history.  It was non-violence that not only brought an end to legalized segregation and racial discrimination, but Dr. King's peaceful work changed the hearts of millions of Americans who stood up for justice and rejected the injury of violence forever."

WHAT HAPPENED IN SELMA ALABAMA?  

On March 7, 1965, 600 peaceful nonviolent Civil Rights workers attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery to demonstrate the need for voting rights in Alabama.  The march was led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams.  They were met on the Edmund Pettus Bridge by Alabama state troopers who beat the unarmed marchers.  Lewis suffered a concussion on the bridge.  A few days after the march President Lyndon Johnson introduced a bill to the Congress which became the Voting Rights Act of 1965, described as one of the most effective pieces of legislation Congress has issued in the past 50 years.  An important section of the Voting Rights Act is currently in jeopardy and will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in February.  

I cannot fathom the fear that went through those 600 marchers that day in March 1965.  All they wanted was to be treated like equals according to the Constitution.  It should not have been an issue but especially in the south, blacks were considered inferior and had no right to vote in the minds of the white southern males.  When Pres Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, I figured it was the end of it, but I was wrong.  That same attitude permeates parts of the South today as we are seeing with the rise of the white supremacy movement, John Birchers, Minuteman, and other racist groups.

It is an attitude that I find disgusting but saw it up close and personal.  When my kids and I were going back to Ohio to visit my parents from Texas, we stopped in Jackson, MS, at a Shoney's for breakfast.  We were given seats in an area with all blacks which frankly didn't bother me but found it strange, they were all put in one room when there were plenty of tables in the main part of the restaurant.  Finally was told it was my accent as they could tell I wasn't from around there.  So if you are not a Southerner, they put you with the blacks.  It was fine with me because they were very friendly but it has stayed with me.

It reinforced what I thought of Mississippi from when we were transferred Ohio to TX, we spent the night in a hotel in Jackson, MS.  My husband and I were having a conversation with the woman who had brought us the cot on where would be a good place to eat when the assistant manager stopped the conversation and asked us to come down the hall.  We were informed by him that we were not to talk to black employees.  My jaw must have hit the floor and my husband said in a not very nice way, "What do you mean?" and the manager took one look at my husband and said he was sorry - ignore what he said.  Anyone who knew my husband, knows that was not the end of it.  We ended up getting a free room before it was over but it never took the bad taste out of my mouth.

Often wondered if that mean, obnoxious man fired the employee even though my husband told him if he heard she was fired, he would have his job next.  We were on Government PCS orders which meant we were to report anything wrong where we stayed or ate so they could warn others.  I am sure Holiday Inn management did not like my husband's letter, a copy of which went to the main travel office for the Command.

In 2012 we had voter suppression at the hands of the Republican Party in mostly minority areas in order to elect Mitt Romney.  In Florida they cut the number of early voting days so people had to stand in line for hours -- same thing happened in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  It didn't deter minority voters who came out in huge numbers as their votes were not going to be denied.  Next month the Supreme Court will decide if that 1965 Voting Rights Act still needs enforced in some places in the South.  If they use what Republicans did in the last election, the answer would be a resounding 'YES' we still need the law.  It shouldn't be that way after all these years.  The very people that wrap themselves in the Constitution are the ones who want to deny equal rights to non-white males.  Women are to be seen not heard in today's Republican Party as they continue to try and pass legislation against women's rights.

We also need a federal law against gerrymandering that Republicans brag about they instituted for the 2012 election to win them the House.  When you compare House Districts from before 2012 to the map of 2012, you are shocked in places like Pennsylvania but then their leader of the House declared they had just passed a law on voter ID that would win Romney the election.  That bill affected black voters in Philadelphia who had been voting at the same precinct for over 40 years and almost couldn't vote until some common sense people stepped in.  Now the RNC Chair Priebus and some State Chairs/legislatures want to change the way electors are counted so a Republican can get elected President because doing it the way it has been done for years is bad for Republicans.  I don't recognize this Republican Party and would leave it today if I had a party to go to but here in Oklahoma, the Democrat Party is poorly run.

As the Republican Party has gone far to the hard right, common sense has been thrown out the window.  The fact that the GOP still supports pundits like Limbaugh, Hannirty, or Fox News says all you need to know.  They send their minions around to attack people on website comments, twitter, and recently the Koch Tea Party types who carry out their orders have been claiming spam from blogs that dare go against the NRA/GOP.  I know as I have personal experience with a sister blog, Democrats and Republicans for Sale that was hosted here in Blogspot.  More on that in the days ahead.

I haven't changed my views but the Republican Party controlled by the Koch Brothers and wealthy donors certainly has.  When the House needs a retreat to learn how to talk to women telling House Members not to use the word 'rape' insults my intelligence when that same group supports the Personhood Bill that gives rapist a right to stop an abortion by his victim.  GOP had a panel with no minorities on how to attract minorities in a southern mansion that was owned at one time by a slave owner which made it all for show.

Very few honest people left in the Republican caucus in Congress -- they want members to spend four hours a day fundraising on our nickle as taxpayers during a 3-day work week.  It is an insult to every taxpayer what is being done in the Republican controlled House.  In the Senate the Democrats have weak kneed Harry Reid who is afraid to push real filibuster reform to return the filibuster back to where you have to actually talk.  Where does this leave the taxpayers?  Out in the cold as the do nothing Congress looks on its way to continue to do nothing except now the Republican Party wants to dress up what they say to be more likable.  NOTE to GOP:  It is not going to work.

People need to think long and hard because Republicans are the party of Sheriff's around the Country saying they won't enforce federal law, an organization who holds "Gun Appreciation Day" on the weekend we celebrate Martin Luther King Day who originally had a white supremacist as a co-sponsor, members of Congress and former GOP Governors calling President Obama a tyrant, Hitler, Chavez, lazy, un-American among other things, and to top it all off, it is the Party of a group of House/Senate/Consultants who met on the night of the last Inauguration to plan on how they were going to stop the Obama agenda and not work with the new President which I consider scandalous.

If you stand for honesty and integrity with common sense, the Republican Party today is telling you to get lost.  The 'my way or no way' of the GOP hard right with the help of the Koch Brothers and other wealthy donors have officially taken over and moved the Party way to the right.  The father of the Koch Brothers who help found the John Birch Society would have been proud of his sons as they have paid back the center right Reagan Republicans for ousting the John Birchers from the Republican Party.

Where do Teddy Roosevelt/Eisenhower/Reagan Republicans go?  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

"Gun Appreciation Day" on Jan 19th Is Co-Sponsored By A White Nationalist Party

UPDATE at 4:45 p.m. 1/18:  Looks like some people endorsing the "Gun Appreciation Day" woke up and the A3P is no longer a sponsor.  It took Media Matters pointing out they were a white supremist group which means the organizers did not bother to check their sponsors.  I stand by what I said about the day and the fact that they didn't check out their groups says it all.  They would still be a sponsor without Media Matters IMHO!

*******

My jaw dropped when I followed the link on Twitter this morning and discovered that a White Nationalist Party Group, American Third Position Party (A3P), is helping sponsor Gun Appreciation Day.  Eric Erickson from Red State who is also a CNN contributor is also a sponsor.  When you do the research on the A3P, your jaw will drop to the floor as you will learn below.  Media Matters  discovered the connections and posted a short time ago along with the flyer of the event for people to sign up:

Gun Appreciation Day Is Sponsored By A White Nationalist Party
Blog ››› 1 hour and 56 minutes ago ››› ERIC HANANOKI 

Gun Appreciation Day, a prominent effort backed by conservative media outlets and activists to oppose new gun laws, has accepted the sponsorship of a white nationalist organization to promote and mobilize supporters for its January 19 event. 

Gun Appreciation Day (GAD) is partnering with the American Third Position (A3P), a political group that describes itself as representing "the unique political interests of white Americans." According to a party official, the organization is composed of "white nationalists." 

GAD's organizers ask supporters to visit "gun stores, gun counters, gun shows, and gun ranges to protest the Obama administration's post Sandy Hook assault on gun rights." The event has received significant media coverage and promotion in recent days. 

GAD lists A3P on its "sponsors" page along with its logo, motto ("Liberty. Sovereignty. Identity") and a link to American3rdPosition.com. Other sponsors include prominent conservative media outlets like RedState, the right-wing blog edited by CNN contributor Erick Erickson. The event's main page asks visitors to "Please Support Our Sponsors."  

The pro-gun event is teaming with A3P despite ample and easily found evidence of the group's fringe views. The first Google result for the group after its official website is the user-edited Wikipedia page for A3P, which currently states in its opening sentence that the group "promotes white supremacy." 

After reading that at Media Matters, decided to do my own checking into A3P and all I can say is that I will NEVER visit Red State again after deleting myself from their list of accounts.  Media Matters was 100% correct.  I am in shock that a white supremacist group is even recognized as a co-sponsor of Gun Appreciation Day which I already thought was despicable, but there it is right on the flyer for you to sign up.  While researching the A3P group I found this gem at the Southern Poverty Law Center in their research:

 It describes government policies that aim to encourage integration in schools and diversity in workplaces as “tyrannical and racist.” 

What words are we hearing out of the hard right Republicans like Rand Paul, Louie Gohmert, and others against Obama especially on gun control?  "Tyrannical or Tyranny"  Some on the hard right have gone so far as to call for his impeachment over the 23 Executive Orders which he had a right under the Constitution to sign, but that didn't stop Rand Paul and others from calling him a tyrant or the 'racist' comments those on the hard right make about the President on Fox News, Rush, Hannity, and from some Republicans who should know better but it gets good publicity and brings in the loons to support them.

The word 'tyrant' seems to have become a code word for Obama wanting common sense gun control which the vast majority of Americans support versus the hard right fringe who wants to own any firearm they want as they need to protect themselves from the 'tyrannical' federal government.  Word delusional comes to mind and the fact groups like the NRA, A3P, Stormfront and other hate groups are playing on that delusion is scary.  I would have never called the NRA a hate group in the past but it is today from the words coming out of LaPierre's mouth along with other NRA spokesman.  Don't know what else you call it with the NRA ad using Obama's daughters along with the way they attack this President with lies.  

NRA puts up an on-line ad about Obama's daughters having USSS protection asking if his daughters are better than ours - the right elected officials except for Chris Christie have remained pretty silent.  Former Congressman Joe Scarborough did not remain silent.

On Wednesday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, conservative host Joe Scarborough didn’t hold back in his disgust, though he was speechless for a few minutes before he let loose.

“What is wrong – what’s wrong with these peopl,e Mika?” he asked incredulously, repeating the phrase three times to his co-host. He was joined by panelist Mike Barnicle and co-host, Mika Brzezinski, who seemed to be feeling the same repulsion for the NRA ad. 

“That’s a real ad — that my friend is political pornography,” Barnicle said. 

In fact, the entire panel had nothing but harsh criticism for the NRA ad. Someone even said it was one of “the grossest things” he had ever seen in his life. Co-host Brzezinski called the NRA, “out of step and out of the mainstream” and “totally out of sync with what is going on in our society.” 

Scarborough then delivered a tongue-lashing to the rifle association, adding that the president’s children had no say in the decision when their father stepped forth and decided to run for president, calling it one of the most bone-crushing, sacrifices any husband or wife could ask of their family. He also said that the minute that decision is made, those children and their entire family had targets on their backs.

Joe went on to say:

“I am a conservative Republican who received the NRA’a highest ratings over four terms in Congress. I come to you this morning with a heavy heart and no easy answers. Still I have spent the last few days grasping for solutions and struggling for answers — while daring to question my own long-held beliefs on these subjects,” said Scarborough. 

“I knew that day that the ideologies of my past career were no longer relevant to the future that I want, that I demand for my children,” added Scarborough. “Friday changed everything. It must change everything.”

Joe Scarborough who is a conservative is the voice of reason in a sea of hard right extremists like Rand Paul and others who use the word 'tyrant' to describe this President or like the NRA who calls the President an 'elitist hypocrite who have taken over the Republican Party of today.  We need more like Joe to speak out like he did on Andrea Mitchell's show:

Joe Scarborough joined Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC after Obama's speech on Wednesday. He criticized Republicans for being what he said was out of touch with Americans, an assertion he has made before, as well as the NRA.

He laid out what he saw as the GOP's two choices in the House of Representatives. "They can either pass a comprehensive gun control package right now and shape it under Speaker Boehner, or they can wait two years when they lose the majority and have Nancy Pelosi write that bill," Scarborough said. "There are no other choices."

He went on to hammer Republicans for living in an "echo chamber" for the past year. Scarborough issued the same warning to his party immediately after the Newtown shooting. In December, he said "we will lose" if Republicans continued to defend Glocks and Bushmasters.

Former Rep Joe Scarborough, NJ Governor Christie, and General Colin Powell along with a few others are what is good about Republicans who are willing to roll up their sleeves to make it a better country and stand for Country over Party.

On the hard right is this group A3P which is all about making America a white nationalist Country where only white Europeans can reside.  That should scare everyone that this group is now on the national stage with a CNN pundit, Eric Erickson, to co-sponsor 'Gun Appreciation Day.' To celebrate guns on Martin Luther King's birthday is appalling in itself since he was assassinated by a gunman but to co-sponsor the event with this white supremacist group is beyond any words I would want to put in print.  Today's hard right seems to have no common sense or decency left with their actions/attacks against common sense gun control measures. I expected the hard right to be against any gun control but to align with AP3 for 'Gun Appreciation Day' has me stunned and apprehensive on what lies in the future.



If anyone wants to be frightened of a group who now has the national spotlight with being co-sponsors of 'Gun Appreciation Day,' look no further then the A3P.  Found their background from investigative research done at the Southern Poverty Law Center. This picture is of the AP3 table that was set up at a So Cal event.  Some of the details of AP3 uncoveered in investigative research are posted below.  For more details, please visit SPLC.   Mega thanks to the Southern Poverty Law Center for their fine investigative work over the years even if it is frightening like this one as it gives us an idea of what is happening:

American Third Position

American Third PositionFounded: 2009
Location:
Westminster, Calif.
Profiled Leadership:
Kevin MacDonald,
Profiled Leadership:
William Daniel JohnsonIdeology:
White Nationalist  

The American Third Position is a political party initially established by racist Southern California skinheads that aims to deport immigrants and return the United States to white rule. The group is now led by a coterie of prominent white nationalists, including corporate lawyer William D. Johnson, virulent anti-Semite Kevin MacDonald and white nationalist radio host James Edwards. David Duke’s former right-hand man, Jamie Kelso, helps with organizing. The party has big plans to run candidates nationwide.  

In Their Own Words  

“The American Third Position exists to represent the political interests of White Americans.” - American Third Position website 

“We want an America that is recognizable to us, one that we can feel comfortable in.” - American Third Position website  

“The initial basis of our own upstart organization is the racial nationalist movement. It has been in disarray for the last 20 years so there's not as large a base for us to draw on.” - American Third Position Chairman William Johnson, Feb. 20, 2010, interview on James Edwards’ “The Political Cesspool”

Background  

The American Third Position (A3P) was officially formed in October 2009, but its foundations were laid five months earlier. In May 2009, a racist skinhead group named Freedom 14 created the Golden State Party (GSP) in order to establish what was meant to be a respectable white nationalist political party. Members of Freedom 14, which organized via the hate Web forum Stormfront, were known for handing out anti-immigration fliers with white supremacist themes in Orange County, Calif.  

The Golden State Party’s mission statement began, “The Golden State Party exists to advance the political interests of European-Americans, to save from destruction our unique culture, to safeguard our identity,” and its policy statements carried strong white nationalist themes. Freedom 14 members handed out fliers promoting the GSP over the summer of 2009. But that effort fell apart in September of that year, when it was revealed that Tyler Cole, the chairman of the GSP, had previously been convicted of two felonies and had been using pseudonyms like “Eugene Cameron” and “Tim Robbins” to hide his criminal past.  

Embarrassed by the incident, Freedom 14 members decided to try for a fresh start. On Oct. 15, 2009, they held a meeting to form a party with a new name and new leadership. They elected racist corporate lawyer William Daniel Johnson as chairman of the newly renamed political party, American Third Position. Johnson had been advocating for the deportation of all non-white immigrants and U.S. citizens, including anyone with any “ascertainable trace of Negro blood,” since 1985, when he wrote a book arguing for a constitutional amendment to do just that. Johnson promoted his book far and wide, including at the 1986 Aryan Nations World Congress.  

The A3P holds all the same positions that the GSS did. Some paragraphs of the A3P policy statements are precisely the same as those on the old GSP website. The A3P wants all immigration to cease immediately and for all undocumented immigrants to be deported as soon as possible. Its members believe that whites deserve a nation of their own and that non-whites endanger white culture and society. To mitigate this threat, the party wants to offer financial incentives for recent immigrants to return to the countries where they came from.  

One of the group’s policy statements injects a touch of neo-segregationist language into an already racist platform. It describes government policies that aim to encourage integration in schools and diversity in workplaces as “tyrannical and racist.” To counter this, the party declares, “Parents have a right to choose where and with whom their children are schooled,” a line of reasoning also adopted by segregationists during the civil rights movement.  

Unlike most racist organizations, the A3P has a relatively capable cast of established white nationalists running the show. In early January 2010, it was revealed that Kevin MacDonald had become a director of the A3P. MacDonald is a notoriously anti-Semitic professor at California State University, Long Beach, who theorizes that Jews are genetically programmed to weaken the societies that they live in. In his 2004 book Understanding Jewish Influence: A Study in Ethnic Activism, MacDonald described Jews as “hostile toward American Christian culture” and claimed that they work aggressively to attack and subvert that culture. White supremacists regularly cite his works to provide “evidence” for their anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. 

On Jan. 21, 2010, the ATP’s website announced that James Edwards had become a director. Edwards is a board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white nationalist group that decries race mixing and has described black people as “a retrograde species of humanity.” Edwards runs a radio show called “The Political Cesspool” that has interviewed a “Who’s Who” of the white nationalist movement as well as extremists of other stripes. Edwards has personally accused Jews of using pornography as a “subversive tool” against white people and is regarded as a young and promising leader among white nationalists.  

On March 6, 2010, Johnson and MacDonald attended a meeting of the Institute for Historical Review, a Holocaust-denial group that publishes an anti-Semitic journal. Tomislav Sunić, a former Croatian diplomat and professor, gave a speech at the meeting. Two weeks later, Sunić became the third director of the American Third Position. Sunić has spoken at several events put on by hate groups, including a leadership meeting of the Council of Conservative Citizens in 2008. He has been interviewed for former Klan leader David Duke’s Internet radio show and has written several books, one of which talks about how Jewish influence has shaped the U.S. and supposedly threatens its European heritage. Anti-diversity themes resound throughout his works.  

Don Wassall became a director on May 4, 2010. Wassall was once the leader of Council of Conservative Citizens chapters in Nevada and Pennsylvania. He has been active in the white supremacist movement for decades, running the American Nationalist Union and its newspaper The Nationalist Times since 1985. A subscription to the magazine is now included in the A3P membership package. Wassall was prominent in the Populist Party during its brief existence: during that time, he worked on both David Duke’s 1988 and Bo Gritz’s 1992 presidential campaigns.  

Rounding out the A3P’s white nationalist team is Jamie Kelso, who has in the past worked for David Duke and served as a moderator for Stormfront, the first major hate site on the Web. The A3P website does not mention Kelso’s official position, but he has described himself as the “executive assistant” to William Johnson. Kelso is a behind-the-scenes player at the A3P, but an influential one — he is responsible for bringing in Wassall as a director. 

The red and bold is mine as I wanted everyone to get a quick look at what this group A3P is all about and begin to realize that President Obama is up against the same types of hate as JFK was when he was President.  John Birchers, Minuteman, White Supremacist, and Neocons were against JFK and now we have those same groups rearing their ugly heads today.

NRA is fast becoming a member of those groups with statements they have been making recently about taking to the streets, the elitist President, wanting to give guns to school children, etc.  It is sick and preying on those who are on the irrational side to start with.  When the vast majority of the American want some gun control and over 90% now want background checks, these organizations like the NRA, A3P, and others are on the wrong side of history.  NRA leadership does not listen to the vast majority of their members today but plays to the extremist members which is frightening IMHO.

Time for Common Sense Americans to speak out and tell their members of Congress to vote for common sense gun control that was supported by Presidents Reagan, GHW Bush, Bill Clinton, GW Bush and now Barack Obama.  President George W. Bush could not believe the Assault Weapons Ban was going to be allowed to expire, but the NRA puppets masquerading as Congressmen let it expire at the request of the NRA.  Same group that opposed the ATF and USSS joining together.  The nomination of an ATF permanent Director by President Obama is the first step of righting the ATF ship after seven years without a director yet it is opposed by the gun lobby and some members of Congress as 'tyrannical' which leaves you stunned.  What is the NRA trying to hide that they don't want a strong ATF?

Today these five Presidents are called names for the hard right because they didn't believe ordinary citizens should be carrying guns meant for the military with large clips of ammo or armor piercing bullets.  They believe in the protection of all Americans.  The new gun control laws may not solve all the problems, but it would have saved those young children at Sandy Hook because the son would have been required to be reported by his psychiatrist which would have prohibited him buying big clips of ammunition or being in a home with all the weapons of his mother.  Same with the Aurora shooting or the one against Cong Giffords where both men were under care for mental health issues.

To find the information on your Senators/House Members to call/write them can be found at:

Congress.org for pertinent telephone numbers in DC  

Members of Congress with their websites/contact/webmail can be found at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm or http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Time to make our voices heard.  I stand with President Obama on the common sense gun control laws, do you?

Rand Paul Grandstanding on Nullification of President Obama's Executive Orders?

Is Senator Rand Paul going to run for President as he panders to the hard right?
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) on Thursday took on comments from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who said he will introduce legislation to nullify President Barack Obama's executive actions on guns in an interview on CNN:   Must admit that Virginia voters sent a reasoned man, Tim Kaine, to the Senate who understands how far hard right some of the Republicans in the Senate have become and is willing to speak out for what is right.  
When I saw what Rand Paul had to say about the President, all I could think of was the fact that I was against Rand Paul being elected in Kentucky even when a good friend wanted me to help out his campaign.  I had a bad feeling he would regret helping Paul and he does.  His wife tried to tell him he shouldn't get involved but the voices of two women didn't matter.  Now he wants to work against McConnell's election after taking his blinders off.  He sent me the link to the Rand Paul story at Talking Points Memo which is excerpted below:

Paul plans to debut the proposal on Wednesday’s edition of Hannity on Fox. Details of the plan shared with TPM Wednesday show Paul plans to say the executive actions violate the Second Amendment and the powers given to the Congress in the Constitution, facts he says allow Congress to declare them “null and void.” 

“We only have descriptions of the executive actions, yet many could be construed to describe an attempt by the executive to make laws in violation of the Article 1, Sec. 8 of the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment,” reads the one-page summary of the Paul plan shared with TPM by his staff. 

Paul’s bill will set out to nullify Obama’s executive actions, deny any federal funding for their implementation, and allow members of Congress and state officials 

Was looking for what Paul had to say on Hannity and found this at Huffington Post:

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is proposing legislation to nullify President Obama's executive actions on gun policy, claiming that the president's actions are a breach of constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. 

During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News' "Hannity," the Republican senator outlined his plan to challenge Obama's anti-gun violence package. 

"Our founding fathers were very concerned about us having separation of powers. They didn't want to let the president become a king." Paul said. "In this bill, we will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation." 

Paul continued: "I'm afraid that President Obama may have this king complex sort of developing ... I think there's a history of this arrogance."

Talking Points Memo was able to obtain a proposed copy of the bill that Rand Paul intends to submit to the Senate which has zero chance of passing.  How many other Republicans will sign on to this action?  This is a slippery slope for the Republican Party when you realize how few of Executive Orders the President has signed compared to other Presidents and the fact President Obama is surrounded by constitutional lawyers who all previewed what was being via the Executive Order route.  None of the constitutional lawyers last night on the cable news shows (not Fox) thought Paul had any standing.

More wasting of taxpayers on bills that will never see the light of day.  At least we know now that Paul most likely is going to run for President with this stunt.  Now we know in Paul's mind that the 2nd amendment trumps the Presidential powers.  I read his proposed bill at TPM and couldn't believe what I was reading.  Will keep tabs to see if this bill does get submitted and compared it to what it says on TPM.
  Decided to look into Executive Orders and see how many President Obama has signed since an email purporting he had signed 900 was debunked by Fact Check.org who also had this to say:

Executive orders originated under George Washington, and their use stems from interpretations of Article II of the Constitution — which created the executive branch — and from presidential precedent. 

Obama has not issued 900 executive orders. He has signed slightly fewer orders than President George W. Bush during this point in his first term, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara, which tracks executive orders. Obama has issued 139 executive orders as of Sept. 25. (The U.C. website listed 138 orders on Sept. 25, the same day Obama signed order 139). Bush issued 160 executive orders through Sept. 20, 2004, a comparable amount of time.
The viral email that claims Obama has signed 900 executive orders lists 13 orders as evidence, all of which previous presidents signed in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Presidents number their executive orders consecutively. The first executive order that President Obama signed was EO-13489, which dealt with presidential records. Obama’s predecessors signed any executive order with a number lower than 13489. 

The first executive order the email lists and attributes to Obama is 10990, which John F. Kennedy signed in 1962. The order reestablished a council to oversee safety of civilian federal employees. It did not — as the email claims — allow a government takeover of the nation’s seaports, highways and other modes of transportation.

Imagine that -- Republicans including a member of the House from Texas, Kay Granger, sent this email around with the information there were 900 EO's signed by Obama.  All she had to do was check it out but in today's GOP it is the narrative not the facts that matter.  After the facts were pointed out, she removed it from her website.  
Shows how some of today's GOP will believe anything that is against this President.  Doesn't say a whole lot about the honesty and integrity of some Republicans in Congress and at the RNC along with State organizations of the Republican Party where in Red States, the State Chairs have become extremely arrogant.  More on that later.

Democrats and Republicans for Sale Blog Declared Spam

This post is dedicated to the person(s) who decided to have a four year old blog declared spam.  What horrible thing did I do?  I took on the gun lobby of NRA, RNC, Republicans in Congress, and the Koch Brothers organizations!  If they think reporting my blog as spam is going to make me be quiet, they are in for a rude awakening.  Not only will it not silence me, but I intend to dig in even more to help Democrats defeat the GOP in the House in 2014 because they are nothing but obstructionists and believe free speech only belongs to them.

The RNC Chair wants to change the way the President is elected so they can scam the voters just like they have with gerrymandering House seats.   Only way they can win is to change the rules and suppress votes.  I cannot believe I am even a member of the Republican Party today where guns are more important than the lives of people.  More details later about the RNC plan to change awarding electoral votes in some states.

Tomorrow, I will have more but for tonight there is no Democrats and Republicans for Sale until blogspot determines it is not spam.  Will be back with more information about the President's plan and how the GOP is out of control calling for his impeachment and states saying they will not enforce federal law.  Absolutely disgusting.

Jordan Eagle Road Walk-on at OU is Hope of a Nation

College Football seasons kicks off next Saturday in Norman with the University of Oklahoma hosting the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Saturday night at Owen Field.  Coming out of the tunnel for the first time to the cheers and strains of Boomer Sooner will be Choctaw native son, Jordan Eagle Road, in his first appearance as a member of the Oklahoma Sooners.  OU had very few scholarships available this year so a preferred walk-on has a great chance to get a full ride football scholarship during his playing time at Oklahoma.  He is a very good athlete and student which will take him far in life.  Children of the Choctaw Nation as well as other tribes will be rooting for this young man along with whole the Sooner Nation.

You see so much bad written about college athletes this year like those at the University of Miami, Ohio State, USC, North Carolina, and more who were more worried about the almighty dollar than loyalty to their team and their university.  The lack of values by some of these football players cast a shadow on college football.  The problem is we get so many stories about those who break the rules and so little about the college athletes who are also good students who don't get into trouble.

That is what made it great to read a story of a young man, Jordan Eagle Road, who turned down a full ride scholarship at a smaller school to fulfill his dream of playing at the University of Oklahoma as a preferred walk-on.  When I saw this in the Norman Transcript this morning I thought it was a great story to restart Voices from the Heartland this weekend as summer is coming to close hopefully along with 100+ days with little to no rain.  To look on the bright side, my lawnmower has not had much of a workout this summer.

Boomer Sooner!

August 28, 2011Walk-on is hope of a nation
Talahina Choctaw shuns full scholarship to play for D-I OU
By Michael Kinney The Norman Transcript 

NORMAN — Residents of tiny Talihina — population pushing 2,000 — hope a native son will put them on the map.

Oklahoma wide receivers coach Jay Norvell (left)
 gives instructions to freshman walk on Jordan Eagle
Road during the Sooners' first practice of the
 season, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011. (Transcript photo
by Jerry Laizure)

Centered in the middle of Choctaw country, Talihina’s greatest export soon may be Jordan Eagle Road. The freshman for the University of Oklahoma football team is not only carrying his own hopes and dreams with him around campus, but also those of his family and the Choctaw people.
 
“We are from a very small Southeastern town,” Eagle Road’s mother, Teresa, said. “No one in this area ever gets looked at. This is just exciting for all youths to see Jordan accomplish a goal like going to a D-I school and participating in football.”
Eagle Road has been part of the Sooner program for a few weeks. He hasn’t played in a single down and most likely will not this season.  

The 6-2, 185 pounder is a preferred walk-on trying to learn an entirely new position.
“I have never been through anything like this before,” Eagle Road said. “I knew it was going to be hard when I came up here. But it has been real fun and I’ve learned a lot. Every day it’s competitive. Every day you go out there you are going to be competitive or you are going to get yelled at.” 

Yet, just his presence on the Oklahoma roster has already put Eagle Road in a very unique standing. He is only one of the few full-blooded American Indians currently on a Division I football team. 

“I think there’s a reality to that; you are going to find less than a handful of female American Indian athletes playing at Division I programs across the country,” said Cedric Sunray, an adjunct instructor in American Indian Studies at Bacone College. “You are not even going to find that many male American Indian athletes across the country. You are talking about the heart of Indian territory, the University of Oklahoma. And to have a kid like him on the team is a blessing. Not only for the Choctaw nation, but also other tribes in the state. For OU as well.” 

According to Sunray, many college coaches are reluctant to recruit American Indian students because of the stereotype that they will just leave school. Those who come from a rural reservation-based community and into an urban center can have a culture shock and have been known not to stay. 

“You have to see yourself in a mirror to be impacted very, very strongly,” Sunray said. “It’s one thing to see a young man out there, who is successful in the field, has good grades but doesn’t happen to be American Indian. That person can impact lives too. But when an Indian kid sees Jordan Eagle Road, they say. ‘That’s me.’ When these Indian kids see Jordan, they just automatically go to him. They see themselves in him and then know they can be successful.” 

Eagle Road’s high school career was one of legendary status in Talihina. As a senior he quarterbacked the Golden Tigers to a 12-1 record with 770 yards passing and 11 TDs to go along with 1,890 yards rushing and another 29 scores. For his career he racked up more than 100 touchdowns for the 2A squad. 

But when recruiting season started, he was getting lukewarm interest from Division I schools.
“He got a lot of letters, no offers, but letters from OU, OSU,” Eagle Road’s father, Bill, said. 

“They were kind of interested. We went down to TCU to visit that school. We were going to go with whatever offer we had. UCO came looking around Christmas time. Then Northeastern came calling about a month before signing day. We always thought about what if he had that chance to go to a bigger school?” 

That is when Sunray took an interest in Eagle Road. He was working as the American Indian athletic recruiter at Bacone when he heard about the prep star. Sunray approached the Eagle Road family to learn more about Jordan. He came away impressed with what he found out and decided to do something about it. 

“I was a Bacone College at the time we were certainly recruiting him and I noticed there were no Division I programs recruiting him,” Sunray said. “I thought to myself, a kid that scores 112 rushing touchdowns in his four-year career, has a 3.5 GPA, 25 ACT, he’s an identifiable straight up Indian boy and he didn’t have any D-I offers? He would have had a full ride at our small college, which is the oldest historically Indian college in the country. I couldn’t sleep one night. And I talked to my wife and she said you need to go down to athletic department at OU.” 

Sunray met with Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Bruce Kittle, the on-campus recruiting coordinator. He presented them with a portfolio of Eagle Road to go along with game tapes the Talihina coach had sent them. They soon extended Eagle Road an invitation to walk-on at Oklahoma. 

The family had already made the decision that if the Sooners offered an invite, they would turn down the full scholarship offers he had gotten from smaller programs. They felt he would make a larger impact being part of Oklahoma. 

“Everyone looks up to Jordan,” Teresa Eagle Road said. “He’s a good student. Having a Native American set that standard, it’s something that would show to all Indians that if he can make it at OU and get on a scholarship, it can happen to another youth who could be in his place one day. Work hard, study hard academically, athletically, put them all together you have a great student and athlete. For him to go to OU, they are looking up to him.” 

Jordan Eagle Road could have saved his family money, gotten a good education and had a great career at NSU, Bacone or any of the other schools who had an interest in him. But for him to make his biggest impact, Sunray said he felt Oklahoma was the only place for Jordan. 

“It’s because of how people can view him,” Sunray said. “If he had gone to play at Bacone or NSU in front of a small amount of people, it wouldn’t have that prestige quite honestly associated with it. Whereas the change he can create in the lives of young American Indians as a player for the No. 1 team in the nation at the Division I level is much greater. With that forum, there is so much he can do.” 

Eagle Road already has been contacted by the Oklahoma Indian Health Center and other places that have asked him to come speak to the youth. America Indians have one the highest rates of suicide, substance abuse and other social problems among any ethic group in the country. But Sunray said they do not get the attention that others do. Having a player like Eagle Road succeed can shine a light on them. 

Eagle Road is taking it all in stride. Even though he knows he has responsibilities that have a far-reaching effect, his first job is to help the Sooners in anyway possible. 

But Eagle Road does recognize his story will carry weight when it spreads throughout Talihina and the rest of state. 

“You can dream big if you want,” Eagle Road said. “But if you work hard at it, you can get to where you want to be. I really wasn’t thinking about coming here. It wasn’t on my mind because I am at a small school. I thought it was kind of far-fetched for me to dream about being here. 

Every Oklahoma kid grows up dreaming about playing for Oklahoma. It’s really awesome to be here right now.”
Source:  Norman Transcript

Red State: Horserace for July 21, 2011

We are bringing this site back to life with an analysis of the Presidential Republican Primary candidates that is now featured on Red State by Erick Erickson.  We will continue to spotlight what candidates are doing in their run for President along with starting to track announced candidates for the US Senate like Ted Cruz from Texas.  We believe that 2012 is going to be an even better Republican year as we take the Senate back along with the White House.  Good analysis by Erickson and we have added our own comments in red to each candidate.

Horserace for July 21, 2011

Posted by Erick Erickson

Thursday, July 21st at 12:36PM EDT

For all intents and purposes, from here on out, we have to presume Rick Perry is a candidate for the Presidency of the United States until he declares otherwise. I think it is safe to conclude he’s in.

As Perry rises, Pawlenty falls as does Bachmann. Cain implodes. Romney stagnates. And then there’s the funny tale of Jon Huntsman. It kind of makes me chuckle. There’s a lot to get into this week in the horserace for the White House.

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann is down again this week.
Let’s be clear. I don’t think the headache story is a big deal. I don’t think it really hurts Bachmann. The story that hurts Bachmann though is that some of her former staffers are a brood of vipers out to get her. I have heard many horror stories myself, but most of what we’re getting now is designed specifically to undermine Bachmann as she continues to gain major momentum. She raised $2 million in a day and that spooked a lot of people.

What we are seeing is what I predicted. The pile on has begun. Given her press operations thus far, I think Bachmann is going to have a tough time staying ahead.

More troubling for Bachmann, she signed the cut, cap, and balance pledge then voted against the related legislation. A number of outside conservative groups who were moving her way now tell me they have pulled back. Her rationale for voting against Cut, Cap, and Balance does not compute after signing the pledge.

Backmann followed the lead of Ron Paul who did not sign the pledge -- she attends his weekly meetings and if anyone paid attention to her questioning to the Fed Chair, it was right out of the Paul playbook.  As to her aides, she has gone through more Chiefs of Staff and aides while in Congress in two plus terms then some go through in ten years which says something about her managing style.  She is totally disorganized and eventually seeing mail stack up would get to anyone.  As for the headaches, no one with that kind of migraine should have even considered running for President when you know you are incapacitated at times.  There is also a problem with her husbands lack of credentials even though he calls himself doctor.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain could have been an awesome candidate. He is a turn around artist. You eat at Burger King because Herman Cain brought it back from the brink. Same with Godfathers. He could have been the outsider’s Mitt Romney with a real record of job growth.

Instead, Cain became the guy who hates Muslims. And now that’s all the press wants to talk about. I don’t know if Cain is just not listening to his advisers or if his advisers are misleading him. But I think the first step for him to turn around his campaign is to fire Mark Block, his top adviser. He needs a dramatic overhaul to prove he is serious and not fringe.

A lot of variables outside of Herman’s control must break his way for him to be viable. He can influence them, but not control them. Right now, they are breaking against him in part because of the influence he is exerting on the variables. He has no path to victory and no more shot at even the Vice Presidency as things are going right now.

The day Herman Cain said he wouldn't sign a bill over 3 or 4 pages showed a total lack of understand of the Office of President and how government works.  Anyone who has followed government knows that budget and appropriation bills are huge as they have to cover everything or an agency won't be able to buy something.  His attacks on Muslims have been over the top and even if people agree with him, most don't want to see that out of a President because it sets us up for another attack and paints all Muslims with the same paintbrush.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich’s campaign is over. He came out against the McConnell “Pontius Pilate Act”, but was not able to get traction from it. I’m writing off Gingrich’s campaign. When the Speaker of the House who led the GOP through the last major government shutdown is unable to get media attention as Washington is now on the verge of a shutdown, he’s yesterday’s news.

We honestly think he is still in the race as a holding place for Governor Perry.  It is no secret the two are good friends and Newt even wrote the  foreward for the Governor's book, "Fed Up."  Newt's biggest problem is he is a policy wonk which doesn't translate to a lot of support.  Not to mention he traveled and worked with Hillary and Pelosi -- not something that the vast majority of Republicans will overlook.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman peaked on the day in January Newsweek reported he might be running. Even the day he announced got less press. He has been unable to make headway. Yes, there is plenty of time, but the oxygen has been sucked out of the room.

Even the media that turned him into a darling has started ignoring him. Foreign policy is not the major issue. His backing Obama’s stimulus in 2009 hurts him with the base. Heck, he’s even losing Utah — a state in which he served two terms as Governor.

He can turn it around, but it will be very hard to do. And just today comes word his campaign manager is out. Things are not looking good. Whew!

One question:  Why is he running as a Republican after the 2008 when it seems he was an admirer of Obama and then went to China as the US Ambassador after resigning as Governor of Utah.  No way would he have received that appointment if he had not been in Obama's corner.  Obama doesn't reward anyone who was against him in 2008 because you have to remember Obama saying "I WON!" which set the stage for the problems we are in today along with some of his lackluster appointees not to mention his own short comings as the inexperienced President.

Thaddeus McCotter

I see no reason to keep McCotter on this list unless something changes in the next week.

Another why is he running?

Sarah Palin

Last week I reported that people close to Palin are beginning to change their mind and think she might run. Thus far, there have been no signs that she actually is running and I maintain that she is not going to run. I think Rick Perry getting in keeps Palin out, unless she’s getting in to run interference for Perry.

With her high negative numbers would be foolish to get in the race after saying if the right conservative got in the race she wouldn't run.  Don't think she will run and will endorse Rick Perry.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul will not be the nominee. However, a lot of conservatives are giving Paul, unlike Bachmann, a pass on opposing Cut, Cap, and Balance because he did not sign the CCB pledge and previously pledged to never raise the debt ceiling. It will not, however, help him.

Not going to win and has less support today than in 2008 which was almost nil.

Tim Pawlenty

With Rick Perry presumably getting in, I think the game is almost over for Pawlenty. He did everything right. His polling is headed in the right direction. He has gotten key support. But the slow and steady pace is about to get overshadowed.

However, we should be mindful that Pawlenty is boots on the ground in Iowa and is largely camped out there. He could surprise in a big way and we shouldn’t count him out. It’s great to have a national perspective on this, but we shouldn’t be ignorant of what is happening on the ground. And in Iowa, folks tell me that Pawlenty is being seen plenty. The same people, however, tell me they feel like the oxygen is being sucked out of the room by Bachmann and the anticipation of a Perry run.

Gov Pawlenty has not caught fire like I thought he would.  Will someone please tell me why he hired someone from Romney's campaign in 2008?  He has some great ideas but he does not generate the enthusiasm among a lot of people.  I could support him for President and believe he would be a very good addition to the cabinet of the new President in 2012.

Rick Perry

From here on on, we treat Perry as a candidate. News reports say Perry is meeting with donors and meeting with briefers on national issues. He has a ready supply of funders at his call based on his very successful tenure as head of the Republican Governors Association.

When Perry gets in — it is no longer an if in my book — Bachmann goes down in the polls, Pawlenty’s struggles increase, Gingrich gets out, and Cain is toast. But polling also shows Perry takes votes from Mitt Romney, which must have Governor Romney troubled.

Perry will, immediately upon entry, be the subject of withering attacks he’ll have to survive. I suspect he’ll be able to do it.

Rick Perry has been through the rough and tumble Texas polical scene where they have thrown everything but the kitchen sink and in 2008 some of the backers of Kay Bailey did just that at the request of Bush 41 and his band of KB supporters with Karl Rove getting involved and Mitt Romney endorsing KB.  Can tell Mr. Romney one thing -- Rick Perry will never forget that endorsement of Romney and neither will his supporters.


Perry brings enthusiasm to the campaign that has been missing since it first started way too soon.  The former Aggie yell leader is full of energy and has a family that backs him 100%.  The minute Rick Perry announces excitement will hit the campaign trail.  It will be the 800 lb gorilla land in the race ready to hit the ground running. 


Obama will have an opponent that won't lay down and will confront him on the many issues that have affected not only Texas but a lot of states in Middle America.  Oil and gas people are waiting to write those checks to the Governor in big numbers the way Obama has been after oil and gas.  TX and OK have been in the target zone for the EPA for so long and it has gotten worse under Obama.  This Oklahoman and former resident of Texas is proud to support Rick Perry as are many others I know.

Mitt Romney

The most important issue of the day is the debt ceiling and Mitt Romney is not leading on it as the presumed frontrunner for the GOP. He has played it too safe and refused to be out there aggressively. While Rick Perry is authoring op-eds with Nikki Haley on cut, cap, and balance, Mitt Romney is largely crickets.

Having played it too safe and held on to a lead, I think Romney is going to get hurt. He has a definitely ceiling in support and as other candidates start dropping out, I think they’ll gravitate to others, not Romney.

Not only do I not support Romney, but would have a hard time voting for him as his policies are too liberal and he is too attached to his church no matter what he says.  We have seen first hand how the Church influences elected officials -- no thanks.  His endorsement of Kay Bailey in the 2008 Governor's race makes him a non-starter for me on top of everything else.  Also he was the MA Governor and after living in that state for the longest nine months of my life while my husband was on an Industry Assignment for the Air Force, I would never vote for anyone who was Governor of MA.

Rick Santorum

This will be Rick Santorum’s last appearance in the Horserace. I now consider him a former candidate. 

We agree 100% -- he never caught on as a candidate.

Source:  Red State

George Will: Rick Perry: A Texan’s ‘exceptionalism’

On the while this is a very positive article by George Will but we would be remiss if we didn't point out a few things that are not quite right.  Rick was raised a Methodist and the family are members of a Methodist Church in Austin.  He attends a church at times that is closer to the rental house they are living in while the Governor's Mansion is renovated from the fire.   That church is one of the non-denominational mega churches that has sprung up around the Country.  There are a lot of people that have been put off over the years by the mainstream churches as they have trended farther left.  To say that Governor Perry is an evangelical is stretching it a wee bit.

Perry says that as governor, he regularly attends numerous churches to speak. As for why he ultimately chooses to go to one place and not another, he said he administers a simple test. 

"If I remember on Wednesday what the message was on Sunday, it was a good message," Perry said.

Would bet a lot of people who go to church could relate to that last statement.   There are times while listening to a sermon you wonder what a pastor is talking about as they ramble on and on.  We had a Lutheran Church in the town I grew up where the pastor said if it cannot be said in 20 minutes, it is not worth saying and had his wife time his sermons who would give him a heads up when he was approaching 20 minutes.  His messages were ones you did remember.

Would like someone to explain this paragraph to me because most of it makes little sense to people outside the beltway:

 Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner, might be easier to elect than to nominate. The reverse might be true of Perry. Is he a wine that will not travel? To win the White House, a Republican must be competitive among independents, including women, in places like Montgomery County outside Philadelphia. Perry — his accent, his Westerner’s body language, those boots — is proof that, in spite of the culture’s homogenizing forces, regional differences remain remarkably durable. But so, too, do regional antipathies, some of which have intensified as voters have become more polarized, partly because of a Texas governor who became president.

Speaking for a lot of us in Middle America, Mitt Romney is not someone we want to see as President and after his gaffe in Florida don't think we are alone.  Saying that "I am unemployed" was not a joke and if I was unemployed I would be highly insulted to think a millionaire considers himself unemployed.  All he wants to do is run for President or he could go back to work any day he chooses and if he chose not to work, he has plenty of money not to worry.  It shows that Romney is totally out of touch with grassroots America.

Another thing about the paragraph above that bothers me is why would a Republican candidate worry about what women outside Philadelphia think of our candidate.  When was the last time we could count Pennsylvania as a reliable red state?  Ronald Reagan?  It is what Middle America including Ohio and the south think of Gov Perry and he gets a huge thumbs up from us.

Governor Perry was very well received in NYC by the Republicans but then that doesn't fit the narrative that a Texan cannot win the Presidency again.  Why not?   Would rather have the plain spoken Texan any day than someone who changes their views to get elected.

Rick Perry: A Texan’s ‘exceptionalism’By George F. Will, Published: June 24San Antonio 

In the 1850s, on the steps of the Waco courthouse, Wallace Jefferson’s great-great-great-grandfather was sold. Today, Jefferson is chief justice of Texas’s Supreme Court. The governor who nominated him also nominated the state’s first Latina justice. Rick Perry, 61, the longest-serving governor in Texas history and, in his 11th year, currently the nation’s senior governor, says these nominations are two of his proudest accomplishments. 

French cuffs and cowboy boots are, like sauerkraut ice cream, an eclectic combination, but Perry, who wears both, is a potentially potent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination because his political creed is uneclectic, matching that of the Republican nominating electorate. He was a “10th Amendment conservative” (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people”) before the Tea Party appeared. And before Barack Obama’s statism — especially Obamacare’s individual mandate — catalyzed concern for the American project of limited government. 

Social issues, especially abortion, are gateways to the Republican nominating electorate: In today’s climate of economic fear, a candidate’s positions on social issues will not be decisive with his electorate — but they can be disqualifying. Perry — an evangelical Christian, like most Republican participants in Iowa’s caucuses and the South Carolina primary — emphatically qualifies. 

Pausing in his enjoyment of a hamburger the size of a hubcap, Perry, the Eagle Scout son of Democratic tenant farmers, says that he entered politics as a Democrat: “I never met a Republican until I was in the Air Force.” Perry’s father had been a B-17 tail gunner flying out of England in 1944. Perry, stationed abroad flying C-130 transports, became a captain and a believer in American exceptionalism. 

He matriculated into the culture wars in the riotous year of 1968. As the University of Texas at Austin was becoming a bastion of liberalism, Perry headed to Texas A&M, which was transitioning from an all-male military school but not from conservatism. He became a Republican in 1989 — “I made both parties happy” — at a younger age than Ronald Reagan did, and he has never lost an election. 

(snip) 

Between 2001 and last June, Texas — a right-to-work state that taxes neither personal income nor capital gains — added more jobs than the other 49 states combined. And since the recovery began two Junes ago, Texas has created 37 percent of America’s net new jobs. 

Excerpt:  Read More at the Washington Post