GOP Grassroots Explodes With Presidential Loss

I would have preferred that John McCain had won, but I have to admit that the loss may actually be a good thing for the Republican party. While some news reports state that there is a division in the party, it appears that the opposite is actually occurring.

After the election, I started the Smart Girl Politics Network which now has almost one hundred members and over fifty conservative women bloggers. My network, however, is not the only conservative movement on the Internet. There are new groups popping up on Wordpress, Blogspot, Facebook each day.

A few of the best new networks are Read My Lipstick Network which actually started earlier this year during the election season. Rebuild the Party has developed a ten point action plan to modernize and strengthen the party. The New Republicans is a grassroots college organization that is trying to unite the youth of the party. There are new groups on Facebook such as America's Next Generation of Conservatives and The Next Right which are also looking to unite conservatives and change the direction of the party.

This election has already changed the Republican party for the better. It's no surprise that Republicans owned talk radio, but it was the Democrats that owned the Internet this year. With the grassroots movements growing and each individual group gaining momentum, there is a good chance that come 2012, the GOP will be fighting for that title.

Some wonder whether these individual splinter groups can have the intended effect. They can and they will. It is important that these groups bring conservatives out of the wood work. If the intent is to bring together people who in the past have not been active in the party, it's working. GOP supporters have little to do right now besides regroup, organize, and prepare for another battle in two years.

If these groups continue to grow and then are guided in one direction or another by the leaders of the party and more specifically the RNC's new chair, it will be a movement like we have never seen before in our party. At this point it may not matter which group you join, as long as you join a group.

2010 will look like a different race and these groups will be the ones leading the fight.

If Our Country Removes God, Do We Lose Our Country?

We have all heard those stories from our grandparents about how much they used to pay for this or that.  The favorite stories are the ones when they would talk about how far they used to walk to get here or there.  I look at those stories now with such envy.  Of course, when your a seven year old and your mom is making you listen to some old person tell you something, you could care less.

As we start to age ourselves, it's strange how often you begin to look back on your own past. How far you go back depends on how far to your favorite memories.  Do you go back to your childhood and playing outside with your friends?  Do you go back to the times you spent the holidays with your family and those traditions you remember so well?  Do you go onto Facebook and look for friends from high school or college?

It seems like if you are at that point in your life that you can look back to something that you are old enough to realize how much things have really changed.  When did our society lose it's innocence?  It would be frightening to do some of the things today that we did back then.

Could you imagine leaving your doors unlocked and your windows wide open?  What would happen if you let your children play around the neighborhood the entire day only to come home for dinner?  Would you let your pre-teen go to the mall and hang out with friends alone?  

I look back on my childhood and I don't remember terrorism.  It may have been happening, but it wasn't something that as a child you were aware.  I know that was not the case during the cold war, but I'm not quite that old.  Today, children are too aware of what is going on in the world.  They are bombarded with bad news via television, the Internet, or even from friends at school.

When I went outside to play with my friends, my mom didn't have to worry that a pedophile was going to abduct me.  I know that the media plays up a lot of these issues, but they are happening.  The fears are real, not imagined.

What has changed in our country that has brought us to the point of greed, promiscuity, hate, and a complete lack of respect of others?  It could be just a coincidence, but it seems like the further away from God, whichever God that is for you, the further away we get from being a civilized society.

I have to admit, while I consider myself Catholic, I am far from a practicing one.  I do try to live my life as a Catholic.  I teach my children what is right and what is wrong.  Yet it feels like the further our country as a whole moves away from God, the further we move away from a civilized country.

Each piece of God that is taken out of our society leads us one step further into moral demise. No more God in school, but yet kids can pray who wins American Idol.  No more prayers in public places, yet people can protest with hatred and vulgarity against a war.  No more Christmas plays or Christmas parades, but people will crush a man to death to get a flat screen TV on sale.

What kind of memories will our children have to look back on if this trend continues?  How far back will their favorite memories be hidden?  Is it so wrong to say a little prayer to keep someone safe, or to hope that someone gets better?  Is it so wrong to hope that we are safe from harm and that our children have nothing to fear?

What is next?  Removing "In God We Trust"?  Taking the Christmas out of Christmas?  I really do fear where we are headed.  And this is coming from someone who doesn't go to Church..........but should!

SGP Network is Proud to Launch Our New Site!

The day after the election I posted a request on my blog. I wanted to get conservative women together to discuss our thoughts, ideas, and principles. I wanted to start a group that would allow conservative women a voice. I knew there were sites out there, but none that met all of the requirements for which I was looking.

I wanted a group that did not support a single candidate. I wanted a group where conservative women felt like they could be heard. I wanted a group where, as we grew in numbers, we could actually influence the direction of the Republican party.

I am proud of how far we have come so far. As of today, we have our network on Twitter, Facebook, Teamsarah.org, and Youtube. We have over twenty blogs listed on our blogroll. We have added new authors on our SGP network sites. Finally, the biggest announcement to date in our network, the launch of our new site on Ning.

Smart Girl Politics

We welcome conservative women to join our discussion on how we can help conservative candidates in the elections to come. We will support conservative women at all levels in politics. We are a grassroots effort that will work on local, state, and national levels. Please visit us at the new site. We will be hosting an online Meet & Greet on Tuesday, December 2 @ 10 pm (eastern).

The Bright Spots in a Bleak Economy!

Every night I read through the news to decide on a topic to write. Tonight, I was almost depressed reading the news. There were so many stories about how bad the economy is and how much worse it could get. Almost every news story started with "the worst in X amount of years." Instead of contributing to the negativity, I decided to put some positives out there. A few bright spots so to speak.

First, oil prices fell below $50 today for the first time in almost two years. The average price of gas is down almost fifty percent to $2.02. With the dramatic drop in oil and gas prices, the consumer price index data for October was historic as well. October’s 1 percent drop in consumer prices was the largest monthly decrease in the 61-year record of comparable data.

In keeping with my positive theme, this is good news for those of us who have to buy anything right now. People may have a few extra dollars to spend on their kids for Christmas rather than putting it them in their gas tanks to get to work.

Second, due to the same drop in prices, a few of those countries that do not have our best interest at heart are falling on hard times. Iran continues to feel the pressure of the falling gas prices. With less income from their oil, they may be slowed in some of their evil ambitions. The strain could eventually push the people of Iran to question their leadership. We could hope that leadership gets tossed out on there butts. (I know it's wishful thinking, but this is a positive article.)

Finally, with the economic data not so bright, the illegal immigration into the country has dropped 46%. With the reduction in jobs and the elimination of some construction jobs, the opportunities for illegal immigrants is on the decline. This does not account for the number of illegal immigrants who have returned to their native countries for the same reasons.

My point to all of this is that for years we have been told how bad things were. Some justified. Others exaggerated. If you are a person who see things half empty, you most likely will find your life half empty. If you are a person who see things half full, you most likely will find that your life is in fact full. There are bright spots in everything we see in life. You just have to look for them.

Credit Card Companies Are Now Crunching Consumers..Beware!

If you think today's economic news is terrible, hold onto your seat because it is about to get a lot worse. There is still one extremely large shoe to drop before all is said and done in the financial district. That shoe is full of lead and headed in one direction...down. Credit card defaults are about to skyrocket.

At this point you would think that these companies would start learn their lesson. Unfortunately, due to greed or pure stupidity these companies are about to send our economy further into the dark hole.

Most credit card companies were also the holders of those bad mortgages. In an attempt to recoup some of their losses, these companies are increasing rates on their credit card holders. Many of these rate increases are occurring with no apparent reason. What I mean is usually your credit card rate is increased due to late payments. When you pay your credit card bill late, the credit card companies usually will set your interest rate to the default rate. Those default rates are now as high as 35%.

Credit card holders all over the country that are being hit hard by other areas of the economy are now having their credit card rates increased to the these higher rates without a reason. They are already struggling to pay mortgages, food bills, and now their credit cards. Many of the people hardest hit by the economy were paying the minimum payment only on their cards. Now with the increased rates, they are unable to make their payments and are delinquent in paying their bills.

Instead of allowing customers to continue paying their bills at the current interest rates, these companies are forcing people into bankruptcy. Why wouldn't these companies want some payments coming into them? By increasing the rates and in some cases the minimum payments, they are pushing people into default.

Know your rights: Watch your credit card statements each month. If you see that your credit card company has increased your rate, you have the right to put a hold on the previous rate. If you call or write your credit card company and request that a rate hold be placed on your card. You will no longer be able to charge on that card, but they will not be able to raise the interest rate on the current balance.

If these companies continue with this practice, they will send more and more people into bankruptcy and it won't just be the credit card companies that don't get paid.

Welcome A New Blog to the SGP Network of Blogs

As part of the grassroots effort to help spread the views of conservative women, we are rolling out a series of new blogs that will help support our movement.  The latest blog to roll out as part of the Smart Girl Politics network is Conservative Women United.  This blog will feature writing from a key group of conservative women, as well as guest bloggers from within the SGP network.

Watch out.  This is an opinionated group of women with a lot to say to the world.  Check out the first two posts by a new blogger named "D".  We will be adding additional blogs and additional writers as we begin to expand our message. Also while your on the site, make sure to check out a few of our network blogs at the top of the page.

Keep an eye out for another new blog soon to be up and running.....Smart Girl Report.  If you are interested in joining our network of authors and bloggers, please send an email to me at smartgirlpolitics@yahoo.com.

If you don't want to write, but want to be part of our new network, join us at the Smart Girl Politics Group.  You can be part of the discussion or join to network with other conservative women.

The First Conservative Battlefront: Immigration Reform?

Of all the subjects that went completely without debate or discussion throughout the election cycle, immigration appears to be at the top of the new administration's agenda. Why exactly was it that immigration was not mentioned during the Presidential debates? Could it be that there was no need for a debate?

What exactly did the former rivals have to say to each other today? Was immigration at the top of the discussion? Most speculators are waging their bets that immigration was, in fact, a key part of those discussions. John McCain is not the President-elect. However, he does have a chance to make one of his final marks on the country. What better way to redeem his legacy than to take one of his most famous bills that went down in flames a few years ago and push it through a new, more cooperative Congress.

Immigration reform is one of the key elements to the continuing success of the Democratic party. Should the Democratic party led by their most liberal captains push through an immigration reform bill that would grant amnesty to over twelve million people, it would all but guarantee the expansion of their voter rolls. They will not close our borders. We have seen proof of that in the last several years. They will fake it as usual and state one policy (build a fence) while they undermine it with another (no money to pay for that fence).

While it is extremely unlikely that you could ever deport twelve million people, it is also criminal to allow amnesty to those who broke our laws by coming here illegally. There has to be a way to protect our country from those who cross our borders with or without the direct threat to destroy it.

I respect John McCain. I voted for John McCain. However, I hope that John McCain does not make a deal in the shadows of secrecy that will further push him away from the Republicans that he represented in this election cycle. His legacy amongst his fellow party members would be better served by opposing such legistlation rather than supporting it.

If Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, et all chose to make this one of the first of their liberal agenda items, it will be the first test of a new Republican party. It will give conservatives a view of which team players are really in their court and which ones truly are RINOs. It will give all of the new conservative movements on line their first challenge of putting their mobilizing forces to use.

Get ready....the first fight of many may be just over the horizon and it doesn't look pretty.

"I Don't Think We Have The Votes!"...... Thank Goodness!

There may be a small chunk of goods news in the midst of all the bad bailout news.  It appears less likely that the Big 3 auto dealers will be seeing any chunk of change now or in the future.

Sen. Chris Dodd to ABC News:  "I want to help them if we can, but I'm not going to give anyone a blank check, so we're going to try and do something if we can next week.  I don't think the votes are there.  Candidly, I don't think we have the votes to get that done.  With no big change between now and next Wednesday, I'm skeptical."

The Democrats will need help from Republicans to "get it done" even in January. Republicans are less likely to agree to the deal after the last $700 billion bailout.  Could they actually have learned their lesson?  Republicans have stated that if they bailout the auto industry it will just be a matter of time before the next industry lines up.

It is even more crucial that at least one of the three Senate seats currently up for grabs remains in the hands of the Republican party.  Americans were angered by the last bailout and continue to watch their tax payer dollars being thrown at problems that aren't getting fixed.

We can hope that those so-called "blue-dog" Democrats can still hear their constituents screaming in their ears or we are going to have bigger problems in the near future than those we have today.

RNC Chair Up In The Air?

It could very well be the first battle of many on which direction the Republican party takes in the next 2-4 years.  Many names are being thrown out to lead the Republican National Committee.  It could be the decision that saves or kills the party itself.

Michael Steele has thrown his name into the mix.  Newt Gingrich for the time being has taken his name off the list.  Mike Duncan, the current RNC chair, has tipped his hat that he may run for re-election.  Fred Thompson seems to be sending out signals that he would take the job.  

Tonight it appears that Mike Huckabee will back his former campaign manager, Chip Saltman for the position.  He has not begun making formal calls on Chip's behalf, but has made a statement that Chip has his support for the position.

Angered by the results of the Presidential election in his state, current Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis took an original approach at announcing his desire to run for the position. Mr. Anuzis took the liberty of announcing his intention to run using the "Obama strategy" using Twitter, Facebook, and emails before a formal release tothe MSM.  Mr Anuzis is a techie who blogs on his website "That's Saul, Folks!"

Each have their own pros and cons, but regardless of who takes the position it is more important what they actually will do with the position.  The Republican party doesn't need new principles or ideas.  It needs a party that actually lives up to the ones they always have had.

The next RNC chair is going to have to be savvy.  They not only have to be the voice of the party, but they will also have to be the marketing, advertising, CEO, and community organizer (sorry..couldn't help myself) of the "new" Republican party.  Republicans are going to have to be smarter and more energizing of their base than they have been in the past.  They are going to have to target groups of voters that they have severely neglected in recent years.

Can the new chair save the GOP?  Let's see who wins and who the reach out to when they do!

Let them fail or we all fail.

Hello Congress.  In the last several months, you have cherry picked which companies survived and which ones failed.  You asked the American people for over $1 trillion with promises that it would loosen the financial constraints  currently being placed on the country. (It's not like we had a choice, but to give them this money.)

Unfortunately, it is time to let some, most, fail.  The companies are lining up to literally grease their pockets with tax payer dollars.  Today, American Express requested to become a deposit bank in order to qualify for some of that cash.  If I say I am a bank, will you give me some extra cash too?  I could use it right about now.

Next in line is the "big three".  Do we really need to save the auto industry too?  What happens if we let them fail?  It could actually be a win-win situation to let these companies fail. Throwing money at this industry is not going to solve the problems they are facing.  In fact, it will most likely make it worse.  If in fact we let them fail, the market will take care of the problem.  

The reason that American car manufacturers can no longer be competitive is because they are being dragged down by their unions.  Foreign car companies, who also employ a large number of American workers, are not beholden to the unions.  They are able to be more competitive and offer better cars at cheaper prices.  Every American made car has $1500 built into the price for health care costs to union members.  This amount doesn't include the pension plans that the unions have enforced onto these companies.

If these companies are allowed to fail, some will be gone for good, others will reorganize under Chapter 11, and other companies will step up and fill in the voids.  If we let them fail, it will send a signal to other companies and other industries.  It will force them to find alternative solutions and they will find those solutions.

If we bail out this industry now, next week there will be another dozen lined up with their hands out waving to Congress.  Where will it stop?  There was news today, that the US' credit rating may be lowered from "AAA."  It will cost us more to borrow from other countries.  Our debt will continue to rise and we will find ourselves in a weakened state of affairs.  I don't mean financially.

Unfortunately, they won't be allowed to fail.  The Democrats have too many favors to pay back to the unions.

What Do You Think About The New Look?

S.P.G. or Smart Girl Politics is under construction. For all of those who have been with me from the beginning, please share your thoughts and suggestions about the new look of the blog. You read my blog so your opinion matters.

I will be back with my regular posts this weekend. Thank you for a great four months.

Hey GOP - Wake Up and Pay Attention - You're Missing The Point!

In the wake of defeat, the Republican party is in retreat and regroup mode. Members of the party are jockeying for key new leadership roles, conservatives and moderates are currently meeting to redefine what the party is and what the party should become. Yet for all of the self-reflection, will they actually miss the point of their great loss?

The party is now in a battle with itself. Conservatives are challenging moderates to take back the party. Conservatives did not lose this election because they were conservative. Moderates did not win because they were moderates. The Republican party must go back to it's roots. It must go back to the good ole Reagan days. Unfortunately, in today's political climate it may not be enough.

The only voting block that Republicans won were white males. They lost the voting blocks of women, hispanics, and blacks. Now obviously with the first black candidate running for President of the United States, it was a vote that they were all but guaranteed to lose. However, without painting all of them with a broad stroke, most Hispanics are conservative by nature. The women's vote is one that should be a challenge, but is attainable with a little effort.

Yes, Sarah Palin was a great first step. However, if John McCain hadn't decided to throw that "hail-Mary pass", how long would it have taken the party to nominate a women for President or Vice-President. The fact of the matter is that Republican leadership has done a pitiful job of reaching out to women voters. There is no female bench in the Republican party. As great as Kay Bailey Hutchinson is, she can no longer be the token Conservative woman. Yes, there are a few others, but only one or two are known nationally.

Only 11% of the GOP's candidates for Congress this year were women (38 of 342 candidates were women). Eleven percent is pitiful to say it politely. I am not suggesting that there be a quota system set up, but there are extremely talented conservative women who need to be given the opportunity to not only run, but need to be given leadership roles in the party. No, Sarah Palin does not give the party a pass. She wasn't elected.............yet.

If the Republican party is going to truly have a chance to regroup and come back with a vengeance, it must actually change with the times and stop bowing to that "old boys network". They already have the white male vote in the bag. If they do not change now, the name for the future GOP should be the "grand ole dinosaur."

Thank You To Everyone.....Big Changes Are Coming Soon!

Thanks to all of my readers over the last three months.  Although the outcome was not what we had hoped, I personally had a lot of fun debating everyone and meeting so many new people.  It was even worth dealing with all of the Obama trolls on a daily basis.

I will be taking a few days off from posting anything major.  You will see minor changes in the works to prepare for some bigger ones coming soon.  I will be focusing in a new direction and reaching out to Conservative Women.  

Thank you to all of you who have already emailed me to join in the fun.  It looks like we will have a motivated and fun group going forward.  Check your email the first of next week and we can start putting some real changes to work.

Anyone interested in joining in a new Conservative Women's Movement, please contact me at smartgirlpolitics@yahoo.com.  It is time that we had a voice as Conservative Women.  It is apparent after this election that past organizations such as N.O.W. no longer have our best interests in mind.

It is up to us to speak up, be heard, and start making a difference in the future of the Republican party.  Thank you again for all of your support.  I look forward to everyone's feedback in the coming weeks and months.

Stacy

Stand Up and Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight....and Then Go Vote!

It is most likely a rare occurrence that anyone visiting this blog is an undecided voter. Most people who visit sites such as this are solidly in their camps. This final blog before election night is not to influence any one's vote, but to help remind you why you should do whatever you can tomorrow to get out the vote. Call at least five friends and make sure they got their behinds to the polls. After you vote, take your I voted sticker over to Starbucks and get your free cup of coffee.

Card Check: If we allow unions to go into business and bully employees with an open vote, we will open all small businesses to union intimidation. Small businesses will be forced to lay people off in order to have money to fight off the unions. We all know how well industries taken over by union have fared in history. (airlines, steel, and auto). The unions will be more powerful and even more influential in the Democratic party.

Taxes: If you think the tax threshold will remain at $250,000, you are naive. We have already heard Democratic surrogates lowering the expectations down to $120k. Do you think that was an accident? No way, they are softening the blow purposely. I had a friend of mine this evening, a small business owner, tell me that if Obama is elected he will be laying off two or three of his employees after January 1 to adjust for the tax increase he will feel. Do you work for a small company? Is your job safe under Obama's administration?

Fairness Doctrine: Say goodbye to Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and all of your other favorite talk radio hosts. Just look at what Obama did to those newspapers who didn't endorse him. Shutting down opposing views is anti-American no matter which candidate you support.

Energy Independence: Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid will cave to their environmental extremists. We will never have energy independence under this threesome. They oppose drilling and will immediately place the ban back on off-shore drilling and will oppose drilling for gas or oil shale in the Rockies. The Democrats are against coal, nuclear power, and drilling. If you don't think your energy costs are going to go back up, think again.

Retirement/401k accounts: At the very least, the Democrats want to tax your contributions. If you employer matching funds are taxed as well, you most likely will not receive them again. The worst case scenario is that they will actually seize your retirement accounts and tie it to your social security. What happens if social security goes bankrupt?

These are not the only issue that are of concern under an Obama administration and both houses controlled by the same party. These are the final arguments for voting for McCain/Palin, but don't just vote. Paraphrasing the words of one John McCain:

Stand up and fight, never give up, never give in, stand up and fight, fight for what you believe in, fight, fight, fight.

Oh.......and go vote too.

Killing The Coal Industry Will Lead To Energy Independence?? Update: Video Added

On September 23, 2008, I wrote this blog detailing how Joe Biden stated there will be no more coal plants built in the US.  He stated that China can keep the coal plants over there.  His comments were made in response to an environmentalist's question why an Obama/Biden administration would use coal. Video proof of his comments were included.

The very next day, I posted this blog entry detailing how the members of the Coal Industry could very well determine who wins this election.  I wrote the entry in response to Al Gore's call that same day for students to show civil disobedience when new coal plants were being built around the country.  This entry also included statements by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, saying that she was against coal because she was trying to "Save the planet."  As well as comments by Senate Leader, Harry Reid, stating how "coal was making us all sick."

If at any point in this election, you had doubts about where the leaders of the Democrat party stood on the issue of coal, this should settle it for you.  Today, a recording of Presidential candidate Barack Obama has surfaced stating how he will "bankrupt" the coal industry.  I have included the recording for you to hear it for yourself.

The one state where I have the most readers is Pennsylvania.  Most likely because I am a resident here as well, but I hope it is because I also understand the people here.  The coal industry is critical to the tri-state area (OH, PA, WV).  It is critical to the Ohio Valley more than anything.  This area is a large Democrat party stronghold.  I hope that they look at which party will be serving their self-interest in the next four years and skip over the rhetoric of the last two.

H/T Hotair.com  If you live in the areas affected by the coal industry, email this video to them today.  Send this video to your local newspapers and TV stations.  It is crucial that we know exactly where Barack Obama and the leaders of the Democrat party want to lead us.

UPDATE:  High five to the McCain/Palin campaign for jumping on this tape.  I am in a suburb of Pittsburgh and just received a robocall stating that the future of the coal industry is in jeopardy.  It tells you to listen to Barack Obama himself and then plays the tape above.  

UPDATE2:  Video of the conversation added below.  Again, h/t to Hotair.com.