A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

Seriously? Are they smoking crack? That’s all they can come up with?

It follows logically that they should now rebrand themselves as the “Repbulican Socialist Party” because all they seem to do is look at what the Democrats do and figure out how they can “Republicanize” it.

I was fearful that the backlash in 2010 was going to give Republicans a false sense of security. I was afraid it would make them feel like they really did have support of the people without changing much. I guess that won’t be an issue, because if this is all they can come up with, there won’t be much of a backlash.

Here are some better ideas of what they need to change. Forget “rebranding” anything. Choose any one of these issues,  hammer it, and you’ll get a lot further than you will by calling the kettle black.

• Abolishing, or at least establishing Congressional audit of, the Federal Reserve. Support a move to a commodity backed currency.
• Support repealing the 16th Amendment and institute a flat tax, Fair Tax, or (better still) nothing
• Repeal the 17th Amendment
• Fight any proposal to nationalize/bailout anything with a unified voice

Here’s an example of what Republicans should be saying to us right now to win us over. Instead, they are just confirming our suspicions…

These people truly are too stupid to hold public office. And that, my friends, is saying something.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Party People in the House
• Welcome To The Party Republicans!
• You Don’t Really Believe This Do You?

I’ll give him this…he did his homework. I think he may have checked out a few of the blogs of those who would be attending the meetup tonight. Or, more than likely, his researcher checked them out…dunno. Case in point–he invoked the name of Ron Paul 5 or 6 times throughout his talk. The libertarian streak (he claimed he has one of those too) was pretty strong in the room. He also made a point to champion homeschooling and gun rights early on.

He most definitely had checked out Frankly Speaking. She asked tough questions, and he gave…answers to some of them. He even pre-empted a question he expected her to ask on term limits, saying he himself was bothered by the fact that held his job as Congressman for so long. I believe him when he says we wishes he could’ve/would’ve left Washington earlier, but I suspect that his extended stay has a lot to do with fact that he knew Phil Bredesen was pretty much untouchable in 2006.

When asked about bringing conservatives back to the GOP and keeping them from going third party (the term “rogue” was actually used–heh), he brought up the very valid point that the only way to change the system was from within–if you wait for a third party to change things you are going to be waiting forever. It’s a great point, and since he made it himself, I will have high expectations of him to walk that walk if he’s elected governor.

As for his libertarian streak, Congressman Wamp didn’t seem to be very aware of a reasonably popular idea amongst libertarians and constitutional conservatives to repeal the 17th amendment. It seems like a current conservative/libertarian U.S. Congressman with aspirations of becoming a governor would want to do everything possible to return the power of the States back to the States, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I liked a lot of what I heard. And as The Missus pointed out when I was recapping the meetup to her, this is exactly what I hoped for from Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign–I wanted the conversation shifted to the libertarian direction. I’m seeing a lot of evidence that the GOP is starting to notice that (1) young people can be excited and mobilized by the concepts of liberty and (2) they pretty much stunk the place up for eight solid years.

As far as governor-specific questions go, I heard two things from Mr. Wamp that I really liked. One, “absolutely no income tax”…I love that. Two, he would like to look at eliminating the estate tax in TN. His point was that the state collects $93M in estate taxes each year, but that could probably be made up in increased sales tax revenues if retirees were encouraged to move here (and consequently spend money) because of the elimination of the estate tax.

As I said, I think Congressman Wamp, and the rest of the establishment Republicans for that matter, are starting to get the picture that they need to return to a “get-government-out-of-my-life” message. I don’t think he has the act down pat yet, but I give him credit for trying. I’m already more interested in this race!

And let me say this…

I greatly appreciate Zach Wamp’s willingness to meet with us and commend him for spending only 1/4 of the time speaking and 3/4 of the time fielding what were, at times, very tough questions from people he was 100% sure would put their impressions on Al Gore’s internet for all the world to see.

Links to others who were in attendance are coming! Here are thoughts form Blue Collar Muse.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Ron Paul Supporting Chuck Baldwin
• Republican Debates at the Reagan Library Part I
• Alaska Libertarians for Ron Paul

And it’s pretty interesting.

On Monday, Blue Collar Muse honored me by having me on his DontGo Show and one of the topics discussed was how conservatives can deliver a message of freedom that excited the voter base, especially young people. I brought up the point that Ron Paul did just that throughout the Presidential campaign, yet was mocked and laughed down by the Republican establishment at ever turn. I believe the term “nut jobs” was thrown around pretty regularly.

Here’s a video from December 2007. Notice the high density of enthusiastic young people who walk by in this video.

Even more interesting–my sources are telling me that the Republican Party in one large middle Tennessee county doesn’t want these “nut jobs” involved in their party.

So here’s my question…

If young people who are excited about freedom are “nut jobs” for willingness to walk the walk (literally) the Republican Party is talking (at least for this election cycle), what is the proper term for the establishment Republicans who only want to talk the talk?

I can’t tell if Tennessee Republicans feel invincible because of the idiocy of Tennessee Democrats, or if they’re trying to emulate them.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Zach Wamp Meets With East Tennessee Bloggers
• Ron Paul’s ‘Nutjobs’ Good For the GOP?
• Ron Paul on World New Tonight

It’s a simple word. But it means different things to different people. To me, “change” sort of implies something is different.

“Change” is powerful. It can alter the course of history. It could even turn a television show on its ear if given the chance.

Did you ever watch the Dukes of Hazzard? What a great show, huh? I remember one of the big discussions at school back in the day was over who was a better driver–Bo Duke or Luke Duke? If you remember, Bo drove most of the time. Every now and then Luke drove, but it was mostly Bo.

I was a big Luke Duke fan back in the day. I loved it when he drove. But was that really change?

They were still in the General Lee. It was still orange with an “01″ on the side and a Confederate flag on the hood. Roscoe was still chasing them around Hazzard County. Daisy still wore short shorts. The General still couldn’t be damaged no matter how high they jumped.

Most importantly, Boss Hogg was still trying to swindle the good people of Hazzard and put the fruits of their labor into his own pocket, and the people of Hazzard kept on electing him.

You know, basically the same damn episode they showed the week before.

Change would have been Enos and Cletus patrolling the streets on Segways.

Change would have been Uncle Jessie cooking meth in the barn instead of making moonshine.

Change would have been Cooter getting elected to Congress.

Change would have been Bret Michaels singing some crappy theme song instead of the great Mr. Waylon Jennings singing a bad ass one.

Change would have been the Boar’s Nest becoming an after-hours dance club.

Change would have been something, you know…DIFFERENT.

But from where I’m sitting, it looks like Boss Hogg and his cronies still have their hands in the cookie jar.  So why do the good people of Hazzard keep electing them?

YEE-HAW!

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Tennessee Trash
• The End of Silence
• CNN Debates at Reagan Library

The Hollywood movie that was the nomination process and the general election are over too. Back to the real world.

All of the people who were afraid of getting a third term of Bush may be surprised to find that…they are about to get a third term of Bush.

As with Bush, I’m still concerned about never-ending war, ever-increasing government spending and additional encroachments of our civil liberties.

Dear Sean Hannity…your “conservative underground” radio show is neither conservative nor underground. Talk amongst yourselves.

Dear Obamaniacs…I’m opposed to group think in general, and your group think in particular. If you truly believe saying, “We all have to be on the same page” is going to get the 50% 46% 47% of the country who disagreed during the general election to lay down their opinions, you got another thing coming.

Next, there are two groups of people in the world you don’t boo and jeer–professional golfers and heads of state. Taunting and jeering Bush at the inauguration? Really? Seriously? Do this in your living room if you like. Do it at an NBA game. Booing a President is low class at best. Just sit on your hands and wait for your storybook ending.

Dear Republican Party…you are not conservative, as is evidence by the pummeling you’ve taken recently. When real conservatives say “conservative”, they are talking about conserving the principles the country was founded on. You know–classical liberalism.

I really hope I’m wrong about what we’re headed for in the next four years. But please don’t insult my intelligence by dropping a hammer on my head and telling me it’s really a sickle.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Party People in the House
• Possible Cheney Resignation
• A Bold Prediction

Very cool use of technology and journalism going on as these students document their trip to DC for their community.  I’m also following the students who have sent updates so far on Twitter…@morganesmith, @SColgrove, @tkelliott, @jwrundle, or their hastag– #wcindc.  And here’s their Flickr pool.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Google Buys Jaiku
• Twitter “Buys” Summize
• Time to Move This Island

Obama, December 30th: “The Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree…”

Reid, January 6th: “Mr. Burris is not in possession of the necessary credentials from the state of Illinois.”

However, Obama has since decided that he would rather have this embarrassment to go away quickly. If he had taken a stand sooner, Obama could have prompted Illinois politicians to take legal action that would have stripped Blagojevich of his ability to nominate someone for the Senate seat. Instead, Obama tried to distance himself from the corruption and stood by quietly. Blagojevich called everyone’s bluff and now the people of Illinois will be forced to accept Burris as their Senator. Obama has since decided that he wants this out of the headlines as soon as possible and called Harry Reid and told him to fix it. What a difference a few days made….

Obama, January 7th: “I think he’s a fine public servant. If he gets seated, then I’m going to work with Roland Burris, just like I work with all the other senators.”

Reid, January 7th: “We don’t have a problem with him…”

No one seems to care that Burris is far from the best candidate for the seat. Obama gets to put this embarrassment to bed quickly and Senate Democrats avoid a special election that could potentially risk losing a critical seat to Republicans. Who cares about the people of Illinois when you can protect party interests? Sounds like business as usual to me.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• Obama Melting Down Already?
• A Bold Prediction
• Well, Here We Are *sigh*

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has had a tough week. His approval rating has dropped from 13% (pre-arrest) to 8% (who are these people?), all of his former political allies are trying to distance themselves from him, and President-elect Obama, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan are calling for his resignation. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Illinois politics, Lisa Madigan is Mike Madigan’s daughter. Mike happens to be the Illinois Speaker of the House and one of the leaders of the Chicago Democratic Machine. Lisa wants to be Governor….she’s had a really good week and has enjoyed kicking Rod while he is down.

Nobody, including President-elect Obama, seems to think that Rod should be allowed to choose who takes Obama’s United States Senate seat. Senate Democrats threatened to refuse to seat any new Illinois senator he chooses. Trouble is, Rod still happens to be Governor, he has not been convicted, and he still gets his day in court. Until he resigns, is impeached, or someone has him legally removed from office, it is his right to appoint someone to the Senate seat. No matter what they would like to do, Senate Democrats do not have the legal authority to reject a fully qualified appointee.

One of the top candidates for the seat is U.S. Senator Jesse Jackson, Jr.. He has done everything possible to distance himself from Rod in the past few days and has stressed that he had no direct conversations with Rod about the seat. He forgot to mention that several of his supporters were mobilizing to raise at least one million dollars for Blagojevich’s campaign in an effort to “convince” him that Jesse, Jr. was the right choice. FYI, ever wondered why Jesse Jr.’s Dad, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, attacks injustice everywhere (where there are cameras) except the City of Chicago? It’s because Mayor Daley arranged for the Jackson family to get a beer distributorship in the city that generates millions in revenue each year. The Jackson family gets millions and, in return, Jesse does not cause problems in his hometown.

The qualifications for the U.S. Senate seat are minimal. A Senator must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen and “an inhabitant” of the state. Rod’s had a tough week and is under a lot of stress, maybe you can help him out? Based on these criteria, who would you nominate? Be creative, there are a lot of talented candidates. Mike “Da Coach” Ditka happens to reside here. Christie Hefner just announced that she will be stepping down from her position as Chairman & CEO of Playboy. Rod and I look forward to your thoughtful suggestions.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• A Simple Tip for McCain
• Stupid Lending….The Rest of the Story
• Is There a Pro-Technology Candidate Out There?

Dunno.

But I saw this today and realized there are at least a few people who don’t get it worse than I don’t get it. The video is hardly scientific, but it’s worth a laugh at least. You can get more info at HowObamaGotElected.com

H/T to Billymac for the “Where are we going…” quote that he used back in the day as his email signature.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• And I Ain’t Lost Yet
• Veep Watch Advice
• John Galt–His Name Is My Name Too

It’s only been 50 minutes or so since Barack Obama was declared President-elect.  I’ve been watching, listening, reading for most of those minutes, and I have to say I’m a little shocked at the reaction of some of his supporters.  While I admire your optimism, I wonder if you aren’t setting yourselves up for some major disappointment.  I was worried that people may have set their expectations a little high, but now I’m pretty sure of it.

Although George Bush went absolutely berzerk in expanding the power of the federal government and the Presidency, I’m not sure he went far enough for Barack Obama to make the kind of sweeping changes you guys think are going to come about on January 20, 2009.

I hope you guys aren’t too disappointed if you don’t get what you are wishing for, and I really hope you guys aren’t too disappointed if you do get what you are wishing for.  With the incoming Congress, it’s reasonable to  expect them to help him make all of these dreams come true.

There’s been many a bride who looked towards her wedding day with a romantic gleam in her eye and never considered what it would mean to be married.

Wedding cake is delicious though, even though I prefer pie.

If you enjoyed this post, visit Hear ItFrom Us for more.

Similar Posts:

• The Two Barack Obamas
• A Summary of the Debate
• You Can’t Say That On…Anywhere