I don’t really have a particular dog in the fight for RNC Chair. After twenty years in politics, I think well-run individual campaigns are more important to victory than the machinations of a national party organization. The RNC should mostly just raise lots of money, get out the vote and then…get out of the way. Its really kind of a political Hippocratic oath; first, do no harm…to the party’s brand or its candidates.

Still, I’ve been fascinated by Dan Riehl’s coverage of the race and, specifically, the problems swirling around the frontrunner (!?), Reince Priebus. Priebus is GOP Chair in Wisconsin and, along with about three dozen other state chairs, had a pretty good election cycle this November. (Of course, also along with three dozen other state chairs, he had a pretty disastrous cycle in 2008.) Until very recently, he was also on staff at the RNC, serving as General Counsel after steering Michael Steele into the Chairmanship.

On the side, it seems, he also used his legal skills and government and political contacts to secure federal stimulus money for clients. Redstate thinks there is nothing unusual in this, just another lawyer-helping-his-clients situation. Although, as Dan Riehl points out today, his work went quite a bit further than simply advising clients on the stimulus’ impact. And keep in mind, Priebus was the state GOP Chair at this exact time. At the very least, that obvious conflict sets up some pretty funny juxtapositions.

On March 5, 2009, Priebus co-authored a client alert heralding the awarding of $500 million to Wisconsin and noted:

The $529 million in stimulus funds allocated for Wisconsin state and local transportation projects is likely to result in increased opportunities for Wisconsin road, bridge and other transportation contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.

Of course, a little less than a year later he told this to the Stevens Point Journal:

“The stimulus, the jobs bill, all of them — they all create a very small amount of government jobs, but they cost us our future,” Priebus said. “We get very little in return for the massive amount of money that we’re putting toward these government programs.”

I doubt the media would ever do anything with those two quotes. Doubtless, they will also overlook this quote from a pitch also co-authored by Priebus:

If you are interested in learning about other provisions included in The Act, the Michael Best Stimulus and Economic Recovery Team is prepared to assist you in understanding the implications and in developing and implementing a strategy to secure the benefits of this unprecedented legislation. Specifically, we will assist you to identify opportunities, prepare appropriate proposals and make targeted contacts to secure funds.

Well, isn’t that precious.

(more…)

Looking increasingly like the liberal Washington, DC politician critics so often accuse her of being, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski invoked the state’s largest minority group… and dyslexics to cast a number of new challengers for the Alaska Senate seat as insensitive.

Murkowski’s campaign has informed Salon they see the inclusion of any names, other than perhaps her own, on a list of write-in candidates, as “sad.” Having been denied her party’s nomination, Murkowski now seems to think that any Alaska citizen, other than herself, we assume, who may desire to run for the seat as a write-in candidate is somehow being unfair.

Murkowski campaign spokesman Steve Wackowski tells Salon that “Operation Alaska Chaos” could cause problems for people in Alaska — including native Americans — whose first language is not English.

“I think it shows the desperation of Miller’s supporters. Quite frankly, I think it’s pretty sad,” he said. “For someone who is dyslexic or needs assistance, it’s dissappointing … but we’re not shocked. ”

The Murkowski camp is distributing wristbands, cards, and buttons with the candidate’s name to assist write-in voters.

It’s unclear if any of the other write-in candidates have raised significant funds to furnish voters with wrist bands, cards and buttons, as she has done.  None of the new write-in candidates appear to have violated Alaska’s election laws in any way. (more…)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The number of write-in candidates for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat has swelled to about 150 amid an effort by conservatives to target the write-in candidacy of GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The number by Thursday’s write-in deadline had grown from just a handful earlier this week.

Murkowski mounted her bid after losing the primary to tea-party backed Joe Miller, and some conservatives have urged Alaskans to make their own write-in runs

Those conservatives include Dan Riehl, who issued a call on Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government website to “highlight the chaos brought about by Lisa Murkowski’s seemingly unending quest for power” with her campaign. (more…)

Nobody likes a racist…
Nobody likes a race hustler either.

On Saturday March 20th the leftist media reported what they described as a horrible story from their sources at the conservative-hating Huffington Post. The media claimed that members of the Congressional Black Caucus were called n*ggers and spat on by tea party protesters as they walked from the Longworth office building to the Rayburn office building. At least one report said that it was “a chorus” of racist hatred. Another report said the Congressional members heard the n-word at least 15 times. Reporters from ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX News, (including Bill O’Reilly), MSNBC, and so on, repeated this horrible story.

Unfortunately, it was a fake. The media had no evidence… Nothing. As the story was a complete fabrication. It was totally made up.

In fact, several videos were later released that proved that there was no “chorus” of racist hatred and no one screamed the n-word. It was all a lie.

Several people, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. filmed the entire episode and could not find any evidence of racist hate. Let’s get his video, before the DNC alters it!

He found nothing.

(more…)

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

– Thomas Paine, The Crisis, December 23, 1776

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

– Esther 4:14

These are interesting times. Under President Obama and the most liberal Congress since 1965, the United States government is expected to borrow a trillion dollars per year for the next decade while the size and power of our federal government will grow at the expense of our liberties. 

(more…)