Friday, January 30, 2009

President Obama Tries to Back Door Republicans in the Senate

In the November elections, the Democrats fell just short of their goal to have a filibuster proof majority.  The still undecided race in Minnesota has left them one vote short of passing some of the most radical legislation in the country's history.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, they may have just found a backdoor to the majority they so desperately seek.  Rumors are flying around Washington that President Obama may in fact nominate New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary.  

If the Senator accepts the nomination, it would leave his current New Hampshire Senate seat wide open.  His replacement would conveniently be named by the current Governor of New Hampshire who also happens to be a Democrat.

If Senator Gregg is interested in the position, it could start the battle of the century with his colleagues in the Senate.  There is word that other Senators have already approached the subject with Senator Gregg asking him to decline the position and help provide the opposition in the Senate.

It is clear by this back door method and the Presidents approach to this stimulus bill that he has no problem bringing Chicago politics with him to the White House.  If you can't pressure the opposition into siding with you, find other ways of eliminating the problem.  That kind of sounds like some of his campaigns in Chicago.

Doesn't sound like much change there!

Monday, January 26, 2009

A Profile in Conservatism: Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann

Smart Girl Politics, SGP, is thrilled that Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann agreed to be the first person interviewed for our A Profile in Conservatism series.

Congresswoman Bachmann was gracious enough to respond to questions submitted to her by members of SGP. It is truly apparent from her answers that she was the obvious choice to be the first person profiled.

Congresswoman Bachmann is currently serving her second term as the representative from the 6th District of Minnesota.


SGP: What is the most important thing you learned during your campaign this past year?

CMB: As much attention as the press pays to the resurgence of big government liberalism – portraying President Obama as the next FDR - it was refreshing to see the outpouring of support I received from conservatives all across the country who rushed to my side when things got tight in the last couple weeks of my campaign. This cuts into question 2 a little bit, but I saw firsthand that conservatism is not dead; it just needs to be reignited and given a direction.

SGP: There seems to be a struggle going on for the Republican Party. What are your thoughts on the current direction of the party? Should it continue to be more centrist or move back to conservative principles?

CMB: As I said in the first question, conservatism is not dead, no matter how much the main stream media, liberal elites, and others may want it to be – it just needs to be reignited. Republicans squandered our opportunity to lead our country for decades to come because we threw conservative policies and principles aside in place of big government programs and spending. Plain and simple, we governed like liberals. Spending skyrocketed, the size of government multiplied, the debt grew, and the conservative ideals Republicans came to power on were left by the wayside.

Interestingly, the Democrats co-opted our ideas for their message and grew their majority. The ranks of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats in Congress have swelled, and simultaneously, the numbers of centrist Republicans have diminished greatly.

SGP: What are your thoughts on the Republican National Committee Chair race and are you publicly supporting a candidate?

CMB: I am not publicly supporting any candidate and obviously don’t have a vote in this race, but I do hope that whoever is chosen understands the need for true conservative leadership and sees the value in developing our message through the latest technologies and communication. We can’t afford to let the youngest generation of voters continue their love affair with the Democrat Party. We must make it clear that we are the real party of change; we are and always have been the real party of reform and innovation. We have to get the message out to the online generation that conservative policies give us the ability to keep more of our money … and more of our freedom. We must remind Americans that they don’t answer to government, government answers to them.

SGP: Minnesota has always been well respected for its fair elections. In light of the Coleman/Franken race, are you confident that the people of Minnesota can trust in the election systems and that their votes will count?

CMB: I think this process has been an utter embarrassment. We made up the rules of the game as we went along. Democrats have claimed to be the party upholding the “one man, one vote” principle; but this race has made it clear that that principle only holds for them when it benefits them. I would like to say how proud I am of Norm Coleman, who has been a good Senator and a good friend. He has conducted himself with dignity throughout this process, while assertively fighting for what’s right.

SGP: How do you move forward with your agenda in the wake of the partisanship being played today? Do you believe that President-elect Obama will truly reach across the aisle and work with Republicans?

CMB: To be honest, the partisanship of the White House doesn’t scare me half as much as the partisanship of the Democrat leadership in the Congress. I expect that they will look to seize this opportunity to ram through enormous spending bills, Big Labor agenda items, and liberal social policies.

Just look at the first couple of weeks of the 111th Congress: The Senate pushes through its land grab; both houses push through massive changes to employment law that benefit no one but trial lawyers; the so-called $825 billion stimulus package is rushing into law. This is likely only a preview of the next two years.

SGP: With the losses in November, grassroots organizations, such as SGP, have sprung up all over the internet. You, yourself, are participating on Twitter. How do we quickly modernize the Party to meet the tech and communication challenges into 2010, 2012, and beyond?

CMB:
Early in 2007, I brought on a staffer to map out and administer an effective new media strategy and its paid enormous dividends. It helps me to communicate with my constituents in ways that are convenient and useful to them. Most people don’t realize that when the Democrats took over Congress they instituted a 5-day Washington workweek. Unlike the Republicans, who worked 3 long days in Washington and then sent Members home to their districts for 4 days to talk to their constituents, the Democrats believe that all good ideas come from inside the Washington Beltway. By using new media outlets – like Twitter and Facebook – as well as new technologies, like telephone townhalls, I can keep in touch with my constituents even when I’m not able to be with them face-to-face.

If nothing else, the 2008 elections revealed to everyone how far ahead the Democrat Party is in embracing the latest forms of communication and technology. I hope the incoming RNC Chairman sees this and makes fixing this one of his top priorities, and that more members in the House and Senate embrace these highly effective media tools.

Fortunately, I’ve already seen in the first two weeks of the 111th Congress a greater emphasis from Republican House Leadership on new media, urging every Member to develop their own outlets like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. As hard as this may be to believe, some Members here on the Hill are still adjusting to email, never mind Facebook; so it will be a longer process for some. But as our leadership makes the transition, that will only help each Member do the same.

SGP: With all the debt we have created through the bailouts, it seems the only way out is to grow the economy. Is energy independence (developing our natural energy resources as well as building nuclear plants, etc) still the "magic bullet" to get America's economy on the right track?

CMB: It’s certainly a key part. Now that gas prices have subsided, nobody wants to talk about energy anymore. This concerns me because once the global economy begins to stabilize, we are going to be right back where we were in 2007 paying $4 a gallon or higher if we don’t enhance our production and utilize America’s own resources.

Not only would increased domestic production be an enormous job creator, but it would put our nation on a path towards greater energy independence which only helps our economy in the long run – not to mention our national security.

SGP: Only 7% of the candidates who ran under the Republican ticket this year were women. How do we encourage more young women to get involved in politics? What steps can we take to identify and support women candidates for office?

CMB: That’s a great question in which there’s no simple answer. I don’t think the problem is that Republican women aren’t involved in the political process – as activists around the country and Congressional staffs are certainly not underrepresented by women - but it’s making that leap to actually run for office where Republicans are lacking. I think as time goes on, more and more Republican women will run themselves as more Republican women make the national spotlight. And, what a great boon that will be not only for our Party, but for the country. Republican women bring a special perspective to the way we govern, and that’s a perspective we can use more of.


SGP would like to thank the Congresswoman for her time and participation. Please continue to check back for more interviews in the "A Profile in Conservatism" series.

Birth Control Will Save Our Economy!

Just when you think you have heard the most ridiculous thing you can hear come out of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, she goes and gives you something else to shake your head at. Careful, after you read this you won't just be shaking your head, but banging it against a hard surface.

The Speaker is defending a move to add birth control funding to the new economic stimulus package. Pelosi claims that "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government." According to Drudge,

The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC's THIS WEEK.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning
services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost.
The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for
children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states
meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned,
the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal
government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the
downturn in our economy.

If Republicans do not take a stand against this pork-filled bill, what will they take a stand against? President Obama is set to meet tomorrow morning with the entire Republican caucus to discuss the same stimulus bill. How the bill looks after this meeting, will demonstrate President Obama's true level of reaching across the aisle.

If the bill still looks as it does now, we will have at least a few more years of hearing Pelosi's ludicrous explanations..........................and more than a few head banging headaches.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

McCain to Vote No on Obama's Stimulus Package

Many Republicans have been watching former Presidential Candidate, John McCain to see if he would return to his "mavericky" ways and begin to partner with his new buddy President Obama. It appears now that Senator McCain will be putting a speed bump up in front of that new found friendship.

On Fox News Sunday, Senator McCain calling himself a member of the loyal opposition stated that he could not support the bill as it is now written.  Senator McCain does not believe that the stimulus bill will do enough to put people back to work.

McCain also stated that he will work to have President Obama extend President Bush's tax cuts most of which were geared toward the wealthy.  President Bush's tax cuts are set to expire and President Obama has signaled that he will allow them to do so or even end them early.

McCain who has often worked on the side of Democrats in the past earning him the "maverick" title appears to be standing by his party on the stimulus issue.  However, it leaves open the question of where will the President and the Senator find common ground.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Obama: I Could Lose Re-election....

President Barack Obama met today in a private meeting with Democrats and Republicans to discuss the economic stimulus package and planned tax increases on the rich. After a debate over tax policy, President Obama announced that his plan would triumph because as he puts it, "I won."

President Obama as well as Harry Reid gave the impression after the meeting that in fact both parties were closer on the issue than the public realizes. (Now, that 's a scary thought.) Obama told participants that it was time to rise above typical partisan differences and warned of the dangers if the White House and Congress don't work together.

According to Fox News Major Garrett, President Obama also showed concern about how failure to pass his stimulus bill may impact future Congressional races and even his own re-election possibilities.

"We're all political animals, we've all got political bases," the president is reported to have said. "If we don't get this done we (the Democrats) could lose seats and I could lose re-election. But we can't let people like Rush Limbaugh stall this. That's how things don't get done in this town."

If there was any doubt that the decisions President Obama is making are politically motivated, this is proof-positive he will be a poll-driven President. It took the President four days in office to mention concern for his own re-election. In the same breath, he informs Republicans to no longer follow the advice of talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh.

The most concerning information for conservatives that has come from this meeting is the fact that Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, stated that the package should pass by mid-February. With his statement, McConnell signaled that Republicans will not seek a filibuster to block the bill guaranteeing that they will cave to the President's plans.

The campaign for 2012 has begun. Democrats 1 Republicans 0.

A Powerful Argument

My site has never been a social issues site. I have posted one topic on abortion since I started and that was the only exception. I came across this pro-life video by a Catholic organization. It is an extremely powerful argument for the sanctity of life.

As a Conservative, I am pro-life. However, I have not always agreed with many of the tactics taken by the pro-life community. This is an extremely powerful, positive message and it was absolutely worth sharing.

Site Under Construction

I wanted to simplify the site and make it a little easier to read.  Please excuse the craziness while I construct the new site.  Thank you for your patience.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Smart Girl Politics, SGP, Rocks the Twitter House

Conservatives celebrated the future last night at the 1st Annual SGP Twitterball.  The ball, which was hosted by Smart Girl Politics, was a huge hit from the get-go.  The ball featured some of the brightest up and coming conservative movements, as well as politicians and celebrities.  

Within minutes of starting, the SGP ball was trending as the number one topic on Twitter last night.  A great feat considering the inauguration events that were taking place celebrating President Obama.

The event kicked off in the main ballroom with a short introduction and welcome from moi. We had a great welcome video that was done for us by author and columnist, S.E. Cupp.  She welcomed everyone to the historical event while getting ready for a ball herself.

The craziness soon spread to four additional ballrooms with the main ballroom continuing to chat right along.  We were so pleased to have great conservative politicians such as Saul Anuzis, Chip Saltsman, and Sharon Day join us.  All three are currently running for Republican National Committee positions.  

Mr. Anuzis was great working the virtual rooms as if they were a part of his daily routine. Everyone had a great time throwing questions at him.  He easily hopped from room to room though we aren't sure if he ever made it to the room he was supposed to be.I hosted "The Gingrich Room" which was joined by Mr. Saltsman.  We took on the topic, "How can groups like SGP circumvent the main stream media to get their message out."  We were thrilled to have the opportunity to ask questions directly to him and have them answered.

RNC Secretary candidate, Sharon Day was featured in our "Take Back Congress" room discussing how we can get more conservative women involved in politics.  SGP's very own celebrity Ms. Tabitha Hale, a.k.a. pinkelephantpun, joined Sharon Day taking questions from participants in the room.

Rebuild the Party's Mindy Finn discussed how to reach out to the next generation of conservatives with columnist and Bill O'Reilly regular, Amanda Carpenter.  They were featured in "The Reagan Room".  It was definitely one of the liveliest rooms of the event.

Top Conservatives on Twitter co-founder, Michael P. Leahy and Dontgo Movement's Eric Odom held down their rooms like true pros.  Each directing the conversation and fielding questions as if they were everyday politicians.  

Two surprise guests who were also spotted floating between rooms were columnist and Fox News contributor, Michelle Malkin and Weekly Standard columnist, Mary Katherine Hamm.  It was a thrill for conservatives to be able to have an outlet to tap the minds of some of the brightest "smart girls" out there.

It was great fun had by all.  Smart Girl Politics looks forward to hosting similar events in the near future, but this event will always be the first of it's kind.


Friday, January 16, 2009

SGP Announces it Will Host Historic Twitterball

Smart Girl Politics is proud to announce that it will be hosting the 1st Annual SGP Twitterball on January 20, 2009 at 9:00 PM EST. Twitterball is a virtual party for the entire Conservative online community. We are very excited to share this news with all of our members. We ask that if you have a blog or website that you please help us spread the word about this first of its kind, historical event.

SGP Leadership team has been hard at work behind the scenes. We are pleased to announce that we have some of the best and brightest in the Republican party joining us for this tremendous event.

Saul Anuzis, Republican National Committee Chairman Candidate
Chip Saltsman, Republican National Committee Chairman Candidate
Sharon Day, Republican National Committee Secretary Candidate
Michelle Malkin, columnist and Fox News Contributor
Amanda Carpenter, columnist and regular on Bill O'Reilly
S.E. Cupp, author and columnist

In addition to this great talent, we have also brought together the leadership of some of the top Conservative Grassroots Organizations online such as Dontgo, The New Republicans, Rebuild the Party, and TCOT. Not to mention, the leadership of Smart Girl Politics.

Please find below the agenda for the evening which will help guide you through the event. For more information about the event, please visit our main network site (www.smartgirlpolitics.ning.com) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at smartgirlpolitics@yahoo.com or on Twitter @SGPolitics.

Agenda For the Twitterball

Main Ballroom
9:00 Introduction to #sgpball
9:15 Presentations begin in alternate ballrooms-Host will direct guests
9:20 Discussion by Smart Girl Politics and The New Republicans

#sgp1994 (The Gingrich Room)
9:15 Introduction of Topic: How can groups like SGP and TCOT counter the Democrats online presence and circumvent the mainstream media?
9:20 Discussion by Michael Leahy
9:35 Discussion by Chip Saltsman

#sgp2010 (Take Back Congress)
9:15 Introduction of Topic B: How do women such as those on SGP get more involved in the Republican party and help contribute effectively to a GOP victory in 2010?
9:20 Discussion by Tabitha Hale
9:35 Discussion by Sharon Day

#sgp1980 (The Reagan Room).
9:15 Introduction of Topic C: How can groups like SGP and Rebuildtheparty reach out to the next generation of conservative voters? How do we reach translate internet supporters into real world supporters?
9:20 Discussion by Mindy Finn
9:35 Discussion by Amanda Carpenter

#sgp2012 (Take Back Presidency)
9:15 Introduction of Topic D:How do groups like SGP and #dontgo communicate to their candidates that tech like social media is the future? How can we get more GOP politicians to engage?
9:20 Discussion by Eric Odom
9:35 Discussion by Saul Anuzis

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Smart Girl Politics on the Verge of Making History....

When someone tells you that one person can't change the world, well they may be right. However, one person can combine their voice with others to change the world. This blog was started by a stay at home mom who wanted to get involved in politics the only way she could.....by blogging.

In eight short months, Smart Girl Politics has gone from an unknown blog to a conservative women's movement. In the last two months, SGP has become a fAst paced place for conservative women to meet. It currently has over one thousand members between it's Facebook and Ning sites. It also has almost two hundred blogs and websites on it's blogroll.

Today, SGP will announce a major conservative event that will place it on the verge of history. Beginning tonight with a members only Treasure Hunt, SGP will announce an online virtual event to mark inauguration day. This is a historical event and is the first of it's kind ever to take place online.

While SGP is a community that was developed by conservative women for conservative women, we are ecstatic about the support we have received from so many "smart guys". If you have not yet joined Smart Girl Politics, now is your chance to be part of history.

Further announcements regarding the January 20, 2009 event will be posted to this site tomorrow. Check back for more details.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mr. Hope and Change Becomes President Doom and Gloom

Barack Obama campaigned for almost two years on the mantra of hope and change. The campaigns cheer leading motto was "Yes We Can". Who would have thought that this campaign full of hope and promise would then become the administration of doom and gloom and "No, We Can't"

On a daily basis, President-elect Obama has held press conference after press conference discussing how bad things are going to get for the American people. He talks about how bad it will get if he doesn't taken action X or action Z. One day this week, he actually held two press conferences to reinforce how bad our lives are going to be.

We all know that things have gotten a little tougher and for some of us things are down right miserable. It is not something that needs to be reinforced on a daily basis. While we want our President to be honest with us, we also want our President to give us hope...........and apparently change. So what has happened to the President-elect's positive message.

Some have said that Obama is trying to make things seem so bad in order to remind people that this is occurring on George Bush's watch and that he has just inherited it. In part that is probably true, Democrats want to use the doom and gloom to ride their wave of success for years to come to allow them to push through their policies of expanded government.

If early on, Obama tells us how horrible things are and continues to pound the drum, he makes it easier to announce how he saved us from devastation. If he tells us we will all be on welfare and lose our jobs, he can then claim in four years to have saved millions of jobs.

Do not kid yourself, this incoming administration will continue to campaign throughout the next four years. Why else would you campaign on hope and change and govern on death and despair?

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Obama to Hold Talks with Hamas.....Anyone Concerned Now?

They say that actions speak louder than words. In the world of politics, the only way to judge a politician is by his actions because we know that you can't listen to the words that are unloaded from their mouths.

During the campaign season, most of the President-elect Barack Obama's words were tightly scripted. His words were so precisely written that you could not tell what he had said five minutes after he had said it. On a rare occasion his true agenda would peak through all of the rhetoric and you would have an idea of what he had planned.

Now that he is the President-elect, his actions our speaking a lot louder those words he spoke during the campaign season. Tonight's headline on The Drudge Report should concern anyone who supports Israel.

According to the Guardian, the incoming administration is prepared to throw out the Bush Administration's policy of isolating terrorist groups. Sources close to the transition team say that the new administration will be opening up a new line for dialogue with Hamas.

The talks would most likely be started in the dark through the U.S. Intelligence agency. How exactly to do you start a conversation with a terrorist group? What exactly do you negotiate with them? What exactly will you give up for a supposed peace with Israel? How do you convince a terrorist group not to destroy the one country that it wants eliminated from existence?

PEBO, who has not yet taken office, has had a busy week deconstructing the safety zone that President Bush has created for the U.S. He has stated that he will close Gitmo acknowledging that some of those prisoners might actually be dangerous. He just now believes that some of those detained may be dangerous.

He nominated Leon Panetta as his CIA chief which will most likely take us back to a 9/11 mindset. Finally, he tops off the week by suggesting that the U.S. negotiate with a terrorist organization. Al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri is blaming the Israeli actions in Gaza on PEBO. Will he now send U.S. Intelligence agents over to Afghanistan to negotiate with him as well.

I have concern for those in Israel, but after the week we have currently seen from Barack Obama my concern is now for us.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Politicians Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn't......Well You Know!

Minutes after the November Presidential election, Democrats, mainly those in the media, began talking about how the Republican party was in disarray. The words in every left-leaning newspaper around the country were about the downfall of the party and conservatism. Well you know that old saying:

Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Over the last month, it seems more than apparent that the Democrats glass houses have a few cracks in them. I am not even referring to the glass ceiling that Senator Clinton spoke of in regards to the women's movement.

Since the election, President-elect Obama has faced criticism from both sides of the aisle. The right thinks he is not conservative enough (obviously) and the left doesn't believe that his agenda and cabinet appointments are radical enough. Of course every President faces this issue just before taking office.

It would be a normal period in time for the Democrats if not for a string of bad luck since the election. First, they suffered two defeats in Georgia and Louisiana. (Not really a big deal after the issues that have since followed.)

Second, the Governor Blagojevich scandal continues to give Republicans fodder on a daily basis. Was Rahm Emanuel involved? How much did he know and when? And as if the lingering questions about the Obama staff's meetings with the Governor weren't enough fun, we now are being entertained by the Governor's ego appointment of Burris to the Obama senate seat.

Today's events were just icing on the cake for the Republican party. Watching Mr. Burris attempt to enter the Senate with all of the cameras flashing was a pure political comedy act. The only thing funnier was the disgust on the face of Bob Beckel on Fox News trying to defend the actions of the Democrats.

Imagine what that glass house looks like when I throw in the fact that Governor Richardson had to withdrawal his name for consideration for the Commerce Secretary position. I don't know something about a Grand Jury investigation. Don't forget the mess in New York over who will replace Senator Clinton. Could it be Caroline Kennedy?

So for all of those who were talking about the down fall of the Grand Ole Party, I have just one thing to say:
Be careful where you throw those stones of yours!
Sorry, but I just couldn't help myself.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Women Scorned or Beaten in Politics.

Conservatives are definitely in offense mode after the defeat handed to them in November. I should know I felt the wrath the other day when I wrote a blog defending Caroline Kennedy. The interesting thing about the blog that I posted was that it was not exactly my opinion.

Earlier this week while watching Fox News, a conservative commentator defended Caroline Kennedy. She stated that Conservatives should defend Kennedy's right to position herself for the Senate seat. My first reaction was one which I apparently share with many other Conservatives. However, her statement gave me pause and made me sit back and think for a minute.

I decided to write a blog that took the position this commentator had taken. Any good debater knows that regardless of how you feel about a subject, when you debate it you have to take the side you are given. Therefore, I did. I chose a position I mostly disagreed with and I debated it. I knew that I would get a reaction. I did not, however, expect quite the reaction I actually got.

It appears that I was able to find a common ground with both Conservatives and Liberals. Neither side is all that excited about Caroline Kennedy's possible appointment to the Senate. Who would have thought that a Democratic Senate seat appointment would bring these two groups together?......at least for a second.

The more that people left comments against the blog here and on the SGP network site, the more determined I was to debate them on it. I felt the need to hold my position and see how it played out. Difficult would be an understatement. On more than one occassion, I caught myself somewhat apologizing for my positions. It reminded me that it has been a long time since I have had to debate anything.

Thank you everyone for such a great debate. I can assure you that if conservative politicians have the fire in their bellies that those of you who debated me have, Republicans will easily take back the Congress in 2010.

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