It's the Stupid Electorate

Velma Hart

First it was Joe the Plumber with an embarrassing question for candidate Obama in the 2008 election cycle.  Recently, it was Velma Hart, who described herself as "a CFO, wife, mother and veteran."  In one of those "not-intended-for-prime-time" unguarded moments at a town hall meeting to tout the end of the recession, the rolling cameras from MSNBC caught her on tape.  Now that moment, on the very day, September 22, 2010, the recession was officially pronounced as "over," is going viral on YouTube.

She explained first she was an avid supporter of President Obama and had voted for him in 2008.  But then she expressed her "deep disappointment" with Obama's economic record -- to his face.

"I've been told that I voted for a man who said he's going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. I'm one of those people, and I'm waiting, sir. . .  I'm waiting, but I don't feel it yet."

Calling herself "exhausted" by having to defend not only her vote for him, but now-President Obama, she lamented that she and her husband had thought the "franks and beans" era of their lives had drawn to a close.  But she went on to say she hears it "knocking" at the door. Then she asked the President if her anxiety is to be her "new reality."

Stunningly, the ever-articulate President Obama when he's using a teleprompter staggered through an unsatisfying review of his legislative record of achievement to completely overhaul the socio-economic structure of America, none of which did anything to directly answer Velma's question or to improve her life in any measurable way that satisfied her. 

But here was the stunner for me in his answer:  "That's [living a life of hard work and responsibility] what we want to reward."  Who's the "WE" in his answer?  It's the arrogance that shocks me.  The "WE" is the federal government that will decide who gets rewarded -- how, how much, when, and what.  This President is so out of touch with his own supporters he can't connect emotionally, it seems, at even the lowest level of empathy. 

At least Bill Clinton in his heyday could come up with a quivering lip and an "I feel your pain."

Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

Here's another example yesterday from Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who is once again one of the "political elites" without a clue what Americans are doing, saying, feeling and will soon be voting that way: 

The Boston Herald this morning quoted Kerry as saying, “We have an electorate that doesn’t always pay that much attention to what’s going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what’s happening.”

Classic!!  So, let me understand, "It's the stupid electorate!"  Now I get it.

Here's your test, America:  Two choices -- A) it is Americans who do not understand what's going on; or B) it is our elected officials in Washington D.C. who do not understand what's going on.

If you guessed A, you will be recycled back to kindergarten.

Seven Steps out of Pornography Addiction

This morning an article appeared in the Deseret News, outlining one family's struggle with the husband's and father's addiction to pornography.  This topic is another example of once taboo subjects better left "under the carpet" rather than exposed.  However, like all sins, it loses its grip on those who are addicted when it is dragged out of the shadows into the sunlight.  In the sunlight of open confession, love and forgiveness it dies.  Its power on the individual is eradicated.

The wife and mother in the story says, "I was very nervous about what would happen if it ever leaked out, but privately, I had no clue what it even was. . .  It was something I'd never been exposed to, and I didn't know you could be addicted to it."

Their story can be replicated thousands upon thousands of times across America every day.  Pornography is the drug of this new millennium.  It is highly addictive, and its devastation of families is well-documented by now.  Church leaders have warned for decades of its influence.  The warnings for the most part have gone unheeded with tragic consequences.

For most men, it begins with curiosity.  Access to pornography is easier with the Internet age.  Telltale signs emerge in every case:  Isolation from the family, longer and longer hours away or at home with the computer, lie after lie to cover up what's really going on, denial that it's really a problem, mounting guilt, hopelessness when it becomes obvious it has become a problem much larger than imagined, then ultimately acting on the impulses triggered by the addiction. 

Pornography, many who defend it will argue, is "victimless."  "Nobody's going to be hurt by what I'm doing," they will tell themselves.

There is a long trail now of evidence to the contrary.  Men have lost jobs because its addictive nature leads them to download images at work on the office computers.  That activity can be easily tracked, and is, by most IT departments these days.  The bandwidth capacity of the Internet is routinely being utilized in mounting percentages by those who are accessing pornography.  The good uses to which the Internet can be deployed are squeezed down because pornography is muscling its way into homes and businesses.

Marriages are destroyed because of the betrayal it represents.  A wife and mother takes a second seat to air-brushed images in an unreal "perfect" world that does not exist except on a computer screen.

Children are estranged from fathers who are distracted by pornography and disinterested in what is going on right under their roofs in their childrens' lives.

Virtually every crime that is committed in Summit County, Utah, according to the county sheriff, has a pornography component.  Did you catch that?  Every crime.  Not just the ones related to sex.  The sheriff's assessment -- "If you can believe and tell the lies about pornography, you'll lie about everything, and every criminal we arrest is a liar."

"Victimless?"  Hardly.

Let me offer seven steps for your consideration if you know someone, or you are one, who is addicted to pornography.

1.  Find a friend.  If you don't have a friend who can accept you for what you are and with whom you can discuss this problem in your life, then find one quickly.  This may be a close friend who himself struggles with pornography addiction.  Strengthen each other, confide in each other, hold one another accountable for your actions in this area.  Be brutally honest with each other.  Remind each other that your wives and families deserve better than a patriarch who has succumbed to the tentacles of pornography.  Don't sugar coat it for each other -- this is your friend, and you are his friend.  Help each other before something tragic happens.

2.  Confess to your priesthood leaders, your bishop and your stake president, that this is a problem.  I can't tell you how many disciplinary councils of which I have been a part when I have heard those who have fallen tell us, "It all began with pornography, and I had no idea how powerful its hold on me had become."  When they have committed serious sins like fornication and adultery, invariably the gateway to those sins has been pornography.

3.  Tell your wife and children openly.  When you attend addiction recovery programs like AA, the first thing people say is, "Hi, I'm Henry, and I am an alcoholic."  When it's drugs, "Hi, I'm George, and I'm an addict."  When it's pornography, "Hi, I'm John, and I'm addicted to pornography."  When it's your wife and children, "I'm your husband and father, and I have a problem I need your help, faith and prayers to overcome."  Once it's up on the table, it loses all its power.  The only reason addiction perpetuates itself is that it is hidden from view.  Once exposed, it withers and dies.

4.  Ask Heavenly Father for His help.  I have always loved this scripture from Nephi, most often referred to as "Nephi's Lament."  The only reason we have this precious insight is that it was recorded on the small plates upon which Nephi wrote "the things of my soul."  If for no other reason, I am grateful the first 116 manuscript pages were lost so we could have these precious words:  "O wretched man that I am!  Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. . . My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.  He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.  He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.  Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.  And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me."  (2 Nephi 4:17; 20-24).

5.  Start telling the truth.  Addicts become liars.  Most become very skilled liars.  They first lie to themselves about their addiction, then they begin lying about everything else to everyone around them.  Stop the lies.  Practice telling the truth in little things like where you're going, with whom you will be, how long you'll be gone, what you're doing, etc.  Unlock your doors, put your computer out in the open for everyone in your household to see and use.  Hide nothing.  Be open.  Be accessible.  Re-engage.  Ask those whom you love the most to hold you accountable.  If you don't have the strength to tell the truth at first, then ask them to coach you, prod you, challenge you, and it will become easier with practice.

6.  Hold your head up.  Get out of the "victim" mindset quickly.  You were addicted.  You will probably always be an addict, even in recovery.  So what?  Remind yourself you are a son of God, endowed with His power from on high.  You have value and worth as His creation.  He loves you.  He will sustain you.  Go to Church.  Sit in the meetings.  Participate.  Be productive.  Be positive.  Be hopeful.  Be smart.  Be a role model for someone else.  Get yourself back in the game.  Don't be a "six-dipper."  Dip a full seven times as the prophet directs, and you will be cleansed.  (See 2 Kings 5:10).  Be confident you are overcoming.  Remember you are not isolated, alone or living on an island of misery of your own making.  You are part of a community of fallen sinners in the Church and in your own family.  Membership in the Church is more like being a patient in a hospital for sinners than it is membership in Club Perfection.  We are all fallen, we all struggle, and we all have problems.  We can help and build one another.  Be part of it.  Partake of the sacrament worthily, not because you are perfect and you have fully overcome your addiction and the accompanying temptations, but because you are a true disciple of Christ, you have turned over your sins to Him, and you are truly one who is trying diligently to partake of the power of the atonement in your life.

7.  Change old patterns.  As editor of the record, Moroni reminds us:  "Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; And if men will come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness [meaning, our mortal flesh] that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  (Ether 12:26-27).  I had an uncle who once told me the hardest addiction he ever had to overcome was smoking cigarettes.  Everywhere he would be during the day, his office, his car, his study at home, had a supply of cigarettes at the ready.  He had to take them all away from himself.  His patterns were so deeply ingrained in found himself reaching in all the old familiar places for cigarettes long after he had quit.  But he changed his patterns.  With pornography it is no different -- find a replacement.  The scriptures are a wonderful substitute.  Redirect temptations into a more productive channel.

This is not the perfect roadmap out of pornography addiction, but I can tell you if followed it will work.  Above all, be patient with yourself.  You will not become "cured" overnight.  However, you will become less and less inclined to reach for it if you have replaced it with something else.

The article cited above reports:  "Because sexuality is part of the sacredness of marriage for most Christians, when the truth came out Christina felt 'it was the same as (him) having an affair. If you're going to look at it on the screen, you've already done it in your mind.' When she discovered the images that shattered his secret on the home computer, 'it took me years to get them out of my head, and it took me four days to get up the courage to confront him.'"

A recent Republican primary election victor in Delaware, Christine O'Donnell, is running for the vacated seat of Vice-President Joe Biden.  She was openly guffawed in the press for a statement of her belief that masturbation was synonymous with adultery.  She took the same position as the woman in today's story cited above.  If O'Donnell triumphs in the general election in November against what pundits are calling 10-1 odds against, the lame duck session before the new Congress is seated will be blocked from its filibuster-proof majority, because she would be seated immediately after the election.  Whatever further damage the lame duck session might dream up would effectively be negated.  It's no wonder the media want to paint her as a buffoon.  And why is she a target?  Because she speaks the truth and dares to expose the sophistry.

In today's sophisticated world of anything goes, what else would we expect?  The root word of "sophisticated" is. . . sophistry.  The word means "plausible but fallacious argumentation."

You can try to persuade me, yourself and others that pornography is a harmless, victimless and insignificant indulgence in your spare time, but you are merely indulging in sophistry.

When a senatorial candidate dares to speak the truth about it, the world tries to kill the messenger with sophistry, but it doesn't alter truth one iota.

It's the Spending, Stupid -- Part Deux

Recently, I posted with a headline, "It's About the Spending, Stupid!"  Today, the headline was repeated by Daniel Henninger in The Wall Street Journal and bolstered with even more recent polling data from Rasmussen to back up the claim.

"Look at the astonishing numbers in the Rasmussen poll released last week. Nearly seven in 10 respondents (68%) want a smaller government, lower taxes and fewer services. The party breakdown: GOP, 88%; Democrats, 44%; and Other, 74%. In short, the independent voters who decide national elections have moved into the anti-spending column. I don't think they'll leave any time soon.

"In a note on last week's poll, Rasmussen points out that the only time it recorded a higher shrink-the-government number, at 70%, was in August 2006. That was just ahead of the famous off-year election in which Republican voters withheld support for their party's free-spending members in Congress."

In a prior post I talked about how Obama had lost the middle.  It wasn't wishful thinking -- the numbers are proving it now.

Peggy Noonan observed as much in her column today.  She talked about pendulums swinging in a shorter and quicker political arc than ever before, as I did in a prior post.  There is something MONUMENTAL about to happen in America on November 2nd.

Yikes!  National commentators are making all my earlier predictions come true!

We are increasingly a country of one heart and one mind regardless of political party, and I like it.  You can be part of it too, but you have to get out and vote this year.  You have to help put an end to spending.  You have to vote for people who will scale back government.  The Republicans couldn't ever do it, and the Democrats couldn't ever do it. 

But you can.  Because the government is what you say it is.  You have to stop those who would perpetuate the status quo of profligate borrowing and spending.  We are the people who founded this government.  It will yield to our will.

Change is on the way, and this time it will be change YOU can believe in. 

And because YOU believe, YOU will do it.

It's about the spending, stupid!

James Carville, when he was running the war rooms in the Bill Clinton era, famously said, "It's about the economy, stupid," when asked what those elections were all about.

Fast forward to 2010.  This year, "It's about the spending, stupid."

When Bob Bennett went down in flames earlier this year, failing to get out of convention with enough support to even be a primary candidate, we were warned here in Utah that we would be sacrificing a senior Senator who knew how to bring home the bacon to our small state.  Because of his powerful voice in Washington D.C., we were told, we would no longer have his "clout."  He not only defended the earmarks during his campaign, he advocated for them, arguing, "If we don't take the earmarks they will just go to some other state."  We were scolded, "You just don't know how things work in Washington."  Well, he never understood the voters who perceived him as part of the big problem in Washington D.C. 

The big problem is this:  To perpetuate the status quo at all costs. 

The Obama economic team, presumably the brightest minds in America, seem to have no awareness about the simple-minded judgments of their masters, the voters, because they arrogantly proclaim they are the ruling elite who know better than the masses.  That mentality might work for dictators in other parts of the world, but not here in America. 

I noticed last week how slow the incumbents have been to learn the lesson.  Americans are angry this year.  So angry they appear to be poised to begin again and disembowel the establishment.  Like me, the buyer's remorse over our national leadership is palpable.

Lisa Murkowski, incumbent Republican Senator from Alaska lost a narrow primary election last week.  Why?  Apparently her message that she brings home the bacon to Alaska was resoundingly rejected.  Enough is enough, voters there have said.  Politicians who were on deck for the last several years are going to pay dearly for their inept handling of the economic throttles.  Now they will be throttled. 

This is shaping up as more of a bloodbath for both parties, and I say it's about time.  The Republican regulars are licking their chops in anticipation of a huge victory come November.  We're only eight weeks out from November 2nd, and you can feel it in the air.  CHANGE is on its way.  If they don't blow it this time, Republicans are going to notch a big win. 

But it's only a potential anti-Democrat win.  What's the big plan, guys?  Haven't heard much about that, only that Democrats are evil.  Give us a reason to suggest you should be trusted again.  Memo to Republican strategists:  It had better be about more than promising to "crackdown" and investigate.  We don't care about Obama's Justice Department letting the Black Panthers skate.  We DON'T care about that.  Where's the substance for your plan for economic reform?  Stay on task, people!

The only question remaining is what will the margin be at the end of the day?  Will they get to 218 in the House?  Can they knock out the filbuster-proof majority in the Senate?  Harry Reid's seat would be a good start on the path to that goal.  They need a magic number of 39 seats to win control of the 435-member House.  The Senate's harder, but doable.

It's possible.

The party leader of the Democrats is on permavacation, apparently.  This weekend he's at Camp David.  Those torturous three-day work weeks in Washington are just too much!  At the rate he's flying Air Force One, the frequent flyer miles are piling up faster than the most prolific business traveler.  Harry Reid is running for his political life in Nevada, while his boss adds new decor to the Oval Office with inspiring quotes woven into the rugs.  But don't lose any sleep for Reid.  Even if he loses he wins -- don't think for one minute his leadership in the Senate during this last several years will not come without handsome rewards in retirement. 

And where's Nancy Pelosi?  She won her seat in 2008 with a 72 percent majority, but her popularity among voters nationally as Speaker has shrunk to 11 percent, according to CBS in a poll among registered voters in March.  She's been totally AWOL this summer.  Yet she proclaims, "We're proud of what we've been able to accomplish."  Really?  Then tell us more, pray tell.  Even the Democrats who are running for re-election have shunned her.  Instead of trumpeting their legislative success these last nineteen months, they are all in total retreat.  The tsunami is gaining momentum and there is nothing they can do in the next eight weeks to stem the tide. 

As you may have discerned from this page, I have no confidence in either side of the aisle.  Let the purge be massive and without party label.  New blood on both sides is the required remedy this year.

In 1994, the Republicans swept the House races, picking up 52 seats and getting, for the first time in 40 years, a Republican majority and a Republican speaker, Newt Gingrich.  It was unprecedented.  The Democrats had held sway in the House forever, it seemed.  That year even then-Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA), lost his seat. No problem this year for Pelosi, however.  She'll retain her House seat, but she won't be Madam Speaker much longer.

I saw a Gallup poll among registered voters this week that had Republicans beating Democrats in a generic ballot by 10 points, 51 percent to 41 percent.  Public trust is a fragile commodity.  If those numbers are true, it appears voters are ready to forgive and hand the Republicans another chance. 

In the 68-year history of that poll, the GOP had never led by more than five points.  This is potentially earth-shattering news for Democrats who are going to receive a slap down heard round the world.  In Europe they wonder aloud, "Why are the Americans flirting with socialism?"  They understand what the brilliant tacticians in the Obama administration don't -- socialism is a failed experiment, and it has been proven a failure again and again.  It will fail here in America too.

The incumbent Republicans, however, are in big trouble nationwide as the "enablers" to socialism.  The Republican majorities under George W. Bush lost their way and acted more like tax-and-spend Democrats when they had the reins the last time.  No incumbent wants to change the status quo.  But voters do.  If you were on watch in recent years, you will pay the ultimate political price for your duplicity this November. 

RealClearPolitics in their polling data has Republicans ahead in 206 races and Democrats ahead in 194, with 35 too close to call.  The Cook Political Report puts 68 Democratic House seats "at substantial risk," while judging less than a dozen GOP seats to be in real trouble.

A few weeks ago, the ever-erudite and ever-so-articulate White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, conceded the obvious -- Republicans could take the House. Yikes, what an admission that was!  He's not alone, because other Democrats have said as much.  Those Democrats are just so sneaky!  They've got those always-say-no Republicans right where they want 'em.

If the GOP underperforms and doesn't sweep both Houses, Obama's supporters will just say, "See, voters  don't trust the Republicans, and our man still has the hearts of the American voter." 

The cash disparity between the parties this year is stunning.  The Wall Street Journal's Neil King Jr. notes many of the closest races this year are dominated by the deep pockets of the Democrats.  In twenty of those races "the Democrat has at least a four-to-one cash advantage over the Republican candidate." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says it has nearly $17 million more to spend on key House races than its GOP counterpart. Then there are the unions: "The AFL-CIO says it will spend more than $40 million to back candidates and mobilize residents of union-member households to vote in November, overwhelmingly in support of Democrats."

No such thing as a sure thing.  Republicans take note.

In 1994, Newt Gingrich was the chief architect of "The Contract with America."  It resonated with voters.  It was packed with conservative principles to cut spending, cut taxes, and deregulate industry, all designed to allow the economy to flourish.  It was right out of Ronald Reagan's conservative playbook.  One of the things that drives me crazy is Presidents taking credit for economic success and getting blamed for sour recessionary economies in reverse.  With all due respect to those who assert otherwise, Ronald Reagan only had a bully pulpit which he fully utilized, but in the end it is Congress alone, the elected representatives of the people in our republic, who hold the purse strings.  It is members of Congress who must ultimately be held accountable by voters, not Presidents, for the prosperity or the recessions through which we pass.  Bill Clinton rode the horse triumphantly when he finally reached the promised land of a budget surplus, but the underpinnings were the result of Americans giving the purse strings to Gingrich, who made good on the Contract. 

Bush and his majority Congress, not Obama and his majority, destroyed all those gains.  This latest Democrat majority in both Houses just put the final nails in the coffin Republicans constructed on their watch.

There are differences between 1994 and 2010. The miscalculations in Democrat messaging this year have been -- for lack of a better analogy -- tsunami-like.  A tsunami builds in magnitude as it rolls across the ocean, triggered by an earthquake at sea.  By the time it hits landfall it's too late.  For a year, Democratic strategists have been saying:

"We'll pass health care, they'll love us." 
"We'll have a Recovery summer, they'll love us."
"We'll run against Wall Street, they'll love us."

In case you didn't notice, unemployment numbers ticked up in August to 9.6 percent nationwide.  Some recovery (little "r" not big "R").  All those glorious plans to connect with voters on these issues have met with astounding opposition.  It isn't so much the messaging as it is the practical reality -- "It's about the spending, stupid."

Look for a lot of negative ads in the next eight weeks from the Democrats -- it's all they've got left.

I remember another stunning difference in 1994.  I voted for Ross Perot because I was convinced his message if not heeded would put us right where we are with the two dominant parties today.  Perot was my man twice.  He was well-organized, unlike the Tea Party this year, but he had no visibility and had to scream like crazy to even be included in the debates between Bush and Clinton.  One thing the Tea Party has going for it this year is visibility and it's gaining strength.  Its candidates are running under the Republican banner, but make no mistake, these are not your parents' Republicans.  They are much more independent and outspoken against the traditional GOP.  They are younger, and they are more anchored to the people than ever before.  That's a positive trend I'd like to see perpetuated.

That's exactly why I believe on principle they are going to win back at least the House if not the Senate too.

There is only ONE issue on the ballot in eight weeks.  Who is bold enough to stop the spending?  Who will stand up and be counted as a tightwad, a green-eye-shaded, cold and calculating accountant, who will speak the truth to the American people?  Who will say, "The Emperor has no clothes?"  Who will admit higher taxes currently imbedded in legislation passed over the last nineteen months in the middle of the night time and time again is disastrous, no matter how noble its intended purpose may have been?  Who will say taxes and spending are out of control, and I will stand up for the American people in opposition to the continuation of the status quo? 

There isn't a Democrat out there this year who can say with a straight face, "I was not part of this problem," nor is there a Republican incumbent who can remain untainted by his or her role in the complete abdication of their fiduciary duties to the taxpayers.  Not one of the incumbents has shown the least restraint in subduing the spending spree.  Everything they have done is to indicate they don't really want to stop spending.  For too long our politicians have cared only about perpetuating themselves in the next election.

Bob Bennett was Exhibit A, and now we have another, Lisa Murkowski, as Exhibit B.  I am certain there are other examples, and they must all be eliminated if we are to save the Republic.  Save it from what, some have asked?  From complete ruination and the effects of profligate spending to sustain the unsustainable staus quo.  This is not hard to understand.

There is simply no place to run and hide this time.  Judgment awaits its perpetrators.  If you don't get it yet, let me say it one more time:

It's about the spending, stupid!

Left Wing

Remember when I said Obama had lost middle America?  Here's another link saying the same thing.  Classic!

I used to think no one in the White House was doing the irreparable political calculations on how devastating it would be to govern from the far left. 

Now I think they just don't care.  These are the smartest people in the world.

"Obamanomics" -- is that a word?

Whatever it is, it isn't working very well.  Why?  Because private capital is being hoarded and isn't even in the game yet.  I've seen recent estimates that American-owned banks are sitting on up to $2.7 Trillion.  Why?  Uncertainty.

This editorial from the Washington Examiner stated the case well yesterday:

"They've spent nearly $8 trillion since 2007, including nearly $2 trillion on economic stimulus programs and an equal amount for the Troubled Asset Relief Program and similar bailouts. They've effectively nationalized Fortune 500 corporations, taken over the health care sector, and set the regulatory stage for more bailouts and takeovers, but the needle is still stuck. Worse, recovery isn't likely for many months ahead because those same politicians are planning more of the same failing policies.

"Consider that entrepreneurial small businesses are the job-creation machine of a free-enterprise economy. But these firms are about to get smacked with significant tax rate increases that will keep most of them struggling just to survive. President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will let the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 expire as scheduled Jan. 1, 2011. The current 33 percent tax rate on individuals will go to 36 percent, and the current 35 percent rate will increase to 39.5 percent. Those are individual rates, but the majority of small-business profits are taxed as income to individuals."

The editorial concludes:

"As for the big corporations that are hoarding billions of dollars that would otherwise be flowing into new investments and fueling renewed economic growth, there is no mystery why they are putting off making such decisions. Who can blame them after seeing the nationalization of General Motors and Chrysler, or the moratoria under which hundreds of large and small energy firms were forced to stop drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and on land in places like Wyoming?

"Also, an explosion of new anti-business regulations to further hobble the economy is coming soon, thanks to Obama-Reid-Pelosi policies. As ATR's Grover Norquist told The Examiner, 'You don't know what the law will be next month, or if you will even be allowed to own your business. The only thing you can be sure of is they will raise your taxes. You would be a fool now to go out and hire somebody new.' "

Prediction:  Take away the Obama majority in both Houses of Congress in November, and private enterprise will get back into the game and re-ignite the sputtering American economic engine. 

How many days left before the election?  It can't come soon enough. . . 

Missouri votes "NO" on Obamacare

It's official -- by a margin of 71 percent to 29 percent, Missouri voters approved a referendum to invalidate any Obamacare mandate to purchase health insurance or any penalty for not doing so.  Expect a host of other states to do exactly the same thing.

America's first returns are now in on the personal mandate included in Obamacare.  That's the same mandate then-candidate Obama once said would never be part of universal healthcare.  The constitutionality of the personal mandate is going to provide a spirited debate for a long time to come.  So much for campaign promises.

In this thought-provoking piece after the Missouri election, libertarian columnist (Scripps Howard News Service and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University) Deroy Murdock nails the issue squarely on the head:

"A July 30 and 31 Rasmussen survey shows that — among 1,000 likely voters — 59 percent want Obamacare overturned, while 38 percent disagree. (Error margin: plus/minus 3 percent.) Despite relentless Democratic preening over Obamacare, pro-repeal sentiments have risen from 55 percent (42 percent opposed) on March 24, when Obama signed this bill.

"The American people can kill this monster in its crib. Handing Republicans the keys to Congress on Nov. 2 could smother this $2.5 trillion extravagance in its infancy. While a GOP repeal vote surely would earn a presidential veto, a Republican Congress could defund this law's implementation.

"Instead, Republicans should administer a pro-market antidote to Obamacare's poison: health-insurance vouchers; Medical malpractice reform; universal, tax-free Health Savings Accounts; and individual, portable medical plans — all available across state lines.

"Obamacare's ultimate demise likely will require a Republican chief executive to sign its death certificate. Until that joyous occasion, Americans should dream of the day when Obama returns to Chicago to break ground on his presidential library."

* * * 

 

Set aside for the moment any concerns about the actual cost of Obamacare (my major complaint).  An aroused American electorate is pushing back against the perceived intrusion into their freedom of choice. 

 

IT'S THE CORE ISSUE IN THE UPCOMING MID-TERM ELECTIONS. 

 

The party that gets it figured out between now and then will prevail in November, and this time they'd better stay true to their constituents.  Shall we have freedom, or a central, arrogant, Washington-knows-best, dictatorial government?

 

The decision, as always, rests in the hands of the voters.  I'm betting they get it right.  They usually do when the God-given, Constitutional right to agency is on the line. 

"Like pouring molasses on an ant hill"

This letter to the editor on July 7th at USA Today caught my eye:

The financial overhaul bill being considered by Congress is laughable. Like pouring molasses on an ant hill, this bill is certain to slow the nation's economic recovery ("7 things that helped break the economy ... and how Congress aims to fix them," Cover story, Money, June 28).

With government regulations handcuffing the banks and making them set aside more capital to cover potential losses, consumers will see an increase in the cost of capital. How is the housing market going to recover if we deter lending?

Government regulation got us into this mess by forcing irresponsible loans on the banks then bailing them out with taxpayer dollars when they failed. Do we really expect government regulation to be the saving grace this time around?

Lastly, the bill inexplicably ignores Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These institutions will continue to bleed taxpayer money with their blank checks from the government.

Hopefully, the damage to our nation will be limited until we can elect some economically competent and market-oriented representatives in November, if they exist.

Mark King; Atlanta

Thanks, Mark King -- couldn't have said it better myself. . .

Mike Lee Volunteers Thanked

Primary Election night was a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. As the numbers mounted and primary victory slowly became certain, excitement increased along with an overwhelming sense of gratitude that so many Utahns had come to feel the same way we do about Mike. I have heard Mike say over and over how humbling it has been to see people work so hard to capture the Republican party nomination.

It is a privilege and an honor to help and support a candidate who is striving to create positive change in Washington and achieve lofty goals in government. The rock-solid foundation and support structure we have all labored to build together has made an enormous difference. On a national and local level people are still asking what we did to win the nomination. We know that winning was simply a natural by-product of countless good people sacrificing their time and deploying their talents to achieve something important. Personally, I hope each of you can recognize the vital role you played in the primary victory. I also hope you can pause for a moment, (a very brief moment) and enjoy the satisfaction which comes from achieving something significant.

As Mike said on election night, “This is not the end, or even the beginning of the end. It is simply the end of the beginning.” There is much work to be done and I am sure we are all looking forward to finishing the job and getting Mike elected as Utah's next Senator on November 2nd.

Below I have outlined a few answers to some common questions, which have been asked by our amazing volunteers, as well as some activities and action steps we all can engage in to keep our momentum moving.

Now that the primary election is over what do we do?

Answer: The job is far from finished! We hope to have you each as involved as you would like to be moving forward. We know that when you are excited about a candidate like Mike you want to do all you can. Just remember to pace yourself, beware of burnout and recognize that it is good to take some well-deserved time off. For those of you who are chomping at the bit to reengage, here is a list of things you can begin to do now:

1. Help your neighbors get registered to vote or organize voter registration drives. To do this you will need to know who is a registered Republican and who is not. Your elected precinct chair should know. If you can't get it from your precinct chair, we can help you out. Voters can register online. If you fill out the forms with them on paper you will have better results. Just remember to quickly turn in all registration forms in order to be in compliance with the law.

2. You can register to vote by mail here. Also, make sure your neighbors are aware of this option and help them get registered. We will be outlining some specific initiatives along these lines in the coming weeks.

3. Write a pro-Mike Lee letter to your local newspapers with opinions and articles. If you don't know what to write, take a look at our website for ideas.

4. If you have Mike Lee shirts or buttons, wear them around. You'll be surprised at how many questions that will generate!

5. You can contribute any amount from $5 - $2,400 dollars!

6. Find out who the campaign leaders are for your area. Examples are county coordinators, city coordinators, leg. captains, precinct leaders, sign coordinators. If you do not know, ask. If you see a vacancy, ask to fill it.

7. If you know of people who own property along busy roads ask them if you can put a sign up. Then, turn that information in to either a sign coordinator, city, or county coordinator.

8. We are going to do some calling on Callfire and would like some help. You can contact Heather at hwilliamson@mikelee2010.com.

I would like to help other Republican campaigns, but can I still help Mike's campaign in the fall?

Answer: Of course you can do whatever you like, and it is fun to see so many citizens fighting for all of Utah's great conservative candidates. Because you have been part of a campaign which achieved what many thought was impossible, other campaigns will naturally want your help. This cross-campaigning can be done, just be careful not to spread yourself too thin and remember the race doesn’t end until the votes are counted on November 2nd.

What kind of events will take place this summer where Mike will be in attendance?

Answer: Most of Mike's time will be spent fundraising, meeting with media, and switching gears for the November election. Mike will still be attending parades and participating in numerous public events. Please check in often on the website and you can also follow what Mike is doing via Facebook and Twitter.

Are we going to get more t-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers?

Answer: We will be getting plenty of "swag" in the coming weeks!

Thank you for engaging in what has become an amazing story. Mike jumped into the race on January 5th with a handful of supporters and a commitment to both restore the constitutional debate and reclaim our future. Our numbers grew and Mike’s message rang true, as thousands of Utahns listened in homes, schools and at events of all kinds. And while much has been achieved in helping Mike win the Republican nomination, there is much work to be done and the best is yet to come. Our hope is that you know how grateful we are to have you on our side in this important race. If you have any questions, concerns, or see opportunities please send me an email.

Bill Lee
Field Director
Mike Lee for Senate
(801) 722-4646
blee@mikelee2010.com