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In today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Francis Cianfrocca to discuss the the latest Wall Street numbers, China’s move on precious metals, Obama’s economy and the role of public sector unions in the November elections.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. Our standalone site is at CoffeeandMarkets.com for easier browsing of our past broadcasts.

You can subscribe to the podcast by following the links above, and if you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

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Here’s What President Obama Said At Marissa Mayer’s House Last Night

No matter what happens on November 2^nd, 2010 will be the year that conservatives won.  Patriotic conservatives of all flavors, have risen up in extraordinary ways, in every corner of the country.  It appears all but certain that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be dethroned. Dick Morris even predicts as many as 100 new Republican Congressmen giving many people really high expectations for the new Congress.

Others fear that for all their trouble from organizing, holding rallies and knocking on doors, they will only replace the leftist Democrats with RINO Republicans who will squander the victory.  Will we get Speaker Boehner, or a fresh new conservative leader who will truly take a big stick to big government.   A closer look at the numbers should give conservatives reason to be really excited and also a cause for continued resolve.

If you want a conservative Congress, you have to ask yourself just what kind of conservative are you after.  Drew Kurlowski, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Missouri who studies voting behavior and partisanship, referred me to a dataset popular with political science academics called DW-Nominate.  It is a tremendous resource that meticulously compiles the voting records of the Congress going back to the 1st Congress.  If you want to know who George Washington’s favorite conservative was, this is your site.  Moreover, they settled on a definition of “conservative” that is tremendously useful.  Move over “fiscal conservative” and “social conservative” and make room for (limited) “government intervention in the economy”.  Let’s call it L’GIE.  So who are the liggies?

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When Howard Dean implemented his “50 State Strategy” most, including some in his own party, considered his plan to be unworkable and more importantly “unwinnable”. After the resounding sweep of the Democrats in 2006 and Obama in 2008, the RNC has only feebly attempted to replicate this strategy.

From Wikipedia:

“As chairman of the party, Dean created and employed the ‘50 State Strategy’ that attempted to make Democrats competitive in normally conservative states often dismissed in the past as ’solid red.’ The success of the strategy became apparent after the 2006 midterm elections, where Democrats took back the House and picked up seats in the Senate from normally Republican states such as Missouri and Montana. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama used ‘The 50 state strategy’ as the backbone of his candidacy.”

As the November 2010 mid-term elections rapidly approaches it  is now even more important to focus on every race, every state, and every primary. Blogger Melissa Clouthier describes the problem in the Republican party:

“The Republicans conceding in between elections as well as races, themselves, has been a tremendous source of irritation. It is one thing to microtarget and write off a district because it’s ‘unwinnable’. The problem is that too many areas were written off that could, in this election, be won. And now, with no foundation there, it makes the task of winning more difficult. Texas isn’t the only place this has happened. In fact, this is a problem nationwide for Republicans. With a lack of organization and get out the vote effort and the lack of relationship building, many potentially winnable races will be lost simply because there is no there, there. It’s been conceded.”

Clouthier’s article includes a review of a primary race in a solidly red state of Georgia. In Georgia’s 12^th Congressional district candidate Ray McKinney is running a tight primary race against former fire chief Carl Smith, Jr. McKinney, a former supporter of Smith, has run a solid campaign while Smith has been embroiled in a number of ethical situations reminiscent of Democrat candidates. This is where the problem lies, as the Tea Party activists have become more politically savvy, every candidate must be held to a higher standard. To ensure a government that is free of corruption, the people must be willing to expose those within their own party whose actions are not aligned with our values.

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Now that ObamaCare is the law of the land, it’s time to redouble our efforts to make sure that what the Wall Street Journal aptly called, the “worst bill ever” remains front and center from now through the historic Democratic massacre that must take place on November 2, 2010. Even in supposedly safe Democratic districts, we must be outspoken about our revulsion for the multi-trillion dollar scam called ObamaCare, perpetrated—Hugo Chavez style—against the overwhelming will of the American people. Since the Deautocrats in Congress are making decisions that have a colossal impact on my life, I thought it a good idea to get to know our new masters better, and to start holding them accountable for their destructive policies.

Congressman Steve Rothman, Deautocrat from New Jersey’s 9^th district, is serving his 7^th term. Rothman was an early and active supporter of Barack Obama. Here is Rothman’s endorsement of the inexperienced and radical Obama in Dec of 2007:

“I think he is an authentic agent for change, but not only that – he brings to that his extraordinary life experience, his brilliance, his vast knowledge of American and world history and his years as a community organizer as a legislator on both the state and federal level.”

Congressman Rothman is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which allocates all of the funds in the federal budget. Rothman has used this position to bring home his share of pork. But bringing home the bacon—arguably a virtue during normal times—is certainly a vice at a time when America is following in the economic footsteps of Greece. Rothman’s verbal virtuosity, combined with his even keeled demeanor, gives many of his constituents the impression he is politically moderate. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Congressman Rothman has recklessly voted with the ruinous, budget busting agenda of Nancy Pelosi 99% of the time (you can see for yourself on http://www.opencongress.org/).

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The November 2010 elections are shaping up to be  memorable for residents of California as top Republicans target key districts. Minority leader John Boehner hopes to unseat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House while Chuck Devore actively campaigns for Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat.

America’s eagerness to vote out corrupt politicians has opened the field for candidates who understand the issues and  promise to resist the lure of the DC power structure.

In California’s 37th Congressional District race that candidate is Conservative leader Star Parker.

Parker “is the founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal & Education, a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank that provides a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy.”

The 37th congressional district includes most of Long Beach and Compton, as well as Carson, Signal Hill, and parts of other municipalities and is represented by the ethically challenged Congresswoman Laura Richardson.

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