New Agenda for the Left: Make the Moderate GOP Look Increasingly Extreme

By Ellen Janoski

It’s been a long time coming. For those who haven’t heard, controversial Republican Arlen Specter finally took the R from behind his name and replaced it with a big fat D.

After old-timey Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter advocated for socialization via the Democrat’s Stimulus Bill and became one of the three “Republicans” responsible for passing the bill through the senate, most conservatives were fuming.

This wasn’t the first time Specter has flippantly forgot what party he represents, but it was the last straw for PA conservatives. And finally, his re-election efforts were looking grim.

Specter seems to be concerned only with self-preservation, so the switch makes sense. However, conservatives have significant reasons to be up in arms. As Specter was exiting stage left of the Republican Party he managed to paint the Republican Party as the one forcing him to make such a “conscience led” decision.

His derogatory statements against the GOP have given liberals a perfect opportunity to continue to paint us as extremists.

Specter stated that his primary reason for leaving the GOP was that the “Republican Party has moved far to the right” since the days of Reagan. The evidence he cites is the fact that 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania switched parties this past fall.

Those new democrats don’t prove that Republicans have become “too conservative.” It simply means Pennsylvania, for multiple reasons, has become much more liberal, as shown by last November’s election. Not to mention, party politics in America has become so black and white and so completely cyclical, that a very unpopular Republican president will basically do all the needed campaign work for the next Democratic president, single handedly. We have seen this occurring in many past elections over the years.

This statement by Specter gives liberals the perfect opportunity to say, “See, I told you those right wing Republicans are off the deep end.” Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell couldn’t wait to get behind the cameras to say, “Arlen Specter finally decided that he couldn’t represent those crazy right wing radicals. He had no choice but to switch parties. He had to do what was in the best interest of America.”

What exactly has the Republican Party done in recent years to fall into this category of right wing extremism? Was it the Bush administration? Bush’s economic policies were pretty close friends with some of Obama’s. Bush’s big spending policies made conservatives everywhere wonder where he was taking the Republican reputation. Maybe it’s the fact our Republican Presidential nominee voted as much with the Democrats as he did his own party, and that his daughter is apparently now the leading spokesperson for all homosexual Republican activists.

The Republican platform and mission has not changed since the 1980s. Our mission still reads the same. If only the Republican Party stood by our mission more like we did during the Reagan administration instead of being bullied by leftists who demand that conservatives accept their ideologies and morals…or lack thereof.

It’s the principles and mission Arlen Specter has a problem with, not the alleged “right wing radicals” in Pennsylvania. In fact, after listening to Arlen justify his vote for the stimulus bill, I can probably guess which areas of our mission he has the most problems with:

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations, and that the best government is that which governs least.

Oh and let’s not forget the values section of the Republican platform. Maybe Specter didn’t read this section before registering as a Republican all those years ago:

Values of the Republican Party Platform

Upholding the Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Ensuring Equal Treatment for All

Protecting Our National Symbols

Freedom of Speech and of the Press

Maintaining The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life

Preserving Traditional Marriage

Safeguarding Religious Liberties

Preserving Americans’ Property Rights

Extreme Americans: Report from the Harrisburg Tea Party

By Audrie Zettick Schaller, Brain-Jockey

It may have rained--even poured--but it didn't seem to dampen spirits at the Tax Day Tea Party on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg. I was there and agree with other sources that there were at least 1,000 people in attendance. (Addendum 4/16: some official accounts say 2,000 were there). Many more who were less willing to get chilled to the bone repeatedly drove by in their cars, taking photos, shouting in agreement...but we're not counting those. Imagine if the weather had been clearer.

Here's a quickly-produced YouTube video of the event.

Notice all the extreme Americans present, engaged in behavior that is downright threatening:

• Chanting inciteful slogans (USA, USA).
• Spontaneously breaking into song (God Bless America).
• Bringing food and personal items to donate to The Bethesda Mission. Voluntarily. The way we like it.

Proud to be among these great folks.






By the way, that's me and my daughter in the still photo with the signs. We were interviewed by the ABC affiliate in Harrisburg. This was her first protest. Aren't we "Smart Girls." And Extreme Americans.

Something Interesting Is Going On Here In Pennsylvania!

Could John McCain actually win Pennsylvania? According to the latest polls, the answer should be a resounding.....NO. The Real Clear Politics poll average in Pennsylvania is currently at 11%. So, what exactly is going on here in PA?

An internal Democrat poll leaked to a radio personality at the end of last week, shows that the current set of public polls may be way off. This internal poll shows Barack Obama with a 2-point lead over John McCain. This is well within the margin of error. One could saythat is probably an outlier. Maybe....but there are a few tell-tale signs that suggest other wise.

First, John Murtha is doing everything he can to lose Western PA for Obama. He told the two major Pittsburgh newspapers that his part of the state are racists or do not like change. Then after apologizing for his comments, he opened his mouth again and stated that this part of the state are "rednecks". I guess he considers that an upgrade to racist. This may have a small impact on the polls, but a 8-11%. I don't think so. There has to be more to it than just Murtha.

Second, this is the one battle ground state where John McCain has his largest deficit. Why is he focused on PA? Why would he not spend more time and money in Iowa or Colorado or even New Mexico where the polls don't show quite a dramatic gap? John McCain and Sarah Palin will make four stops here in three days. Palin has added a stop in Beaver, a Democrat strong-hold, on Thursday. This was just added to the schedule today.

Third, in a new CNN article tonight, "Rendell "still a little nervous" about Penn., asks Obama to return. If the public polls are correct, why is Rendell so nervous? The article states:

Rendell said the McCain campaign is clearly making a push to win Pennsylvania, given the recent visits by the Arizona senator, his wife and his running mate. As a result, he wants Obama to appear in western Pennsylvania, Harrisburg and one more “large rally” in Philadelphia.

Democrats generally worry that the race is significantly closer than what recent polls have suggested. According to Rendell, there is also worry among Democrats the McCain campaign has successfully raised the enthusiasm level among Republicans in the state.

It appears he is not the only one nervous. Several union leaders have stated that they are facing resistance from their members to voting for Obama. Teachers Unions have been on the phones to their members as well taking polls to gauge which candidate has their support.

With this information, it begs the question......If the polls in Pennsylvania are off by 9 points, what do other internal state polls look like? If you add even a five point error in McCain's favor to most state polls, Obama loses the election.

The Coal Industry Could Win This Election For John McCain!

In the wake of all that has happened today, what I am about to share with you may seem like a minor issue. However, there are so many far reaching implications to this information that it could seal the deal for a McCain Presidency.

According to Reuters New Service, Al Gore, in an interview today, urged young people to engage in civil disobedience to stop the construction of coal plants without the ability to store carbon. The only problem, there are no commercial scale projects that exist anywhere to demonstrate that type of technology.

According to the government, there are 28 coal plants under construction in the United States. Another 20 projects have permits and are nearly ready to begin building. This also does not include the plant which I blogged about yesterday in West Virginia. That plant will turn coal into liquid and ultimately into a gas substitute.

Why should Al Gore's statement have any relevance on the Presidential election? Well, if you add his "civil disobedience" statement to the statement made by Joe Biden yesterday saying he and Barack Obama do not support any coal plants here in American, there emerges a pattern.

On June 20, 2008 Harry Reid stated, ""The one thing we fail to talk about is those costs that you don't see on the bottom line. That is coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick; it's global warming. It's ruining our country, it’s ruining our world. We’ve got to stop using fossil fuel.” All while, Nancy Pelosi is "trying to save the planet."

Coal is a vital part of our energy future and redefining our independence from foreign oil. However, I do not wish to jump into the impact on our energy policy in this blog. What I do wish to look at is the coal industry and it's direct impact on this election.

Nearly one million jobs are directly and indirectly created by the coal industry. Most, but not all, of these jobs are found in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This industry is absolutely crucial to the economy of these states. In West Virginia, 99% of all electricity generated comes from coal and $214 billion is added to the state's economy.

For the Democrats, and specifically the Democrat Leadership, to take on the coal industry is to put this election in the hands of John McCain. Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania will be the key to winning both of these states. If you directly challenge the blue-collar workers in these areas and their livelihoods, you will push this mostly democrat population into the hands of the Republicans.

Check mate.......the game will be over.