From Eric Dondero:
The following comment warrants a big "Well, duh!"
It came from Sharon Osbourne of the CBS morning show The Talk:
“She is very attractive, but she's the type that you know the classic rock videos, the secretary, the teacher. She lets down her hair. She takes the glasses off. She unbuttons the shirt. Yeah, that's what she's like. Must be. I mean, I don't get it. But men obviously want it.”
(H/t Newsbusters)
Editor's comment - Has anyone ever even heard of this show before?
Working Class America!
by Eric Dondero
During the Texas GOP primry, Sarah Palin appeared at a huge rally in Sugarland, Texas for Governor Rick Perry. Opening the event, Ted Nugent with his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
(My wife and I attended this event, and it was spectacular.)
Now, the duo will appear together again, along with Alaska working man and super outdoorsman Todd Palin.
A rally is scheduled to 11:00 am in Charleston, West Virginia to boost Republican Senate candidate John Raese. He is in a statistical dead heat with Blue Dog Democrat Joe Manchin. The race is turning out to be the most pivotal in the entire Nation, and could decide the make-up of the US Senate. If Raese wins, and all other Senate races break according to current polls, Republicans will have the majority in the upper chamber.
Todd and Sarah's working class roots, should play particularly well in this hard-hat mostly blue collar state.
And Palin's appearance for Raese in the waning days of the campaign will be credited, justifiably so, for putting him over the top if he prevails.
The Queenmaker indeed.
From Clifford F. Thies:
Karen Harrington is the Republican candidate for Congress in Florida's 20th C.D. On the way to a campaign rally, she was stopped by a mother screaming.
NBCMiami describes:
Some political candidates will do anything to get a vote, but when Karen Harrington sprung into action Saturday, it wasn't to talk about taxes.
She was trying to save a life.
Harrington, who is running to dethrone Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, pulled a 3-year-old from an SUV that she just watched flipped over twice while she was on her way to a weekend campaign rally, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
The child's mom, Wendy Breslow, was able to escape the crash unscathed, but screamed that her baby was still inside.
That's when the 46-year-old Republican candidate crawled in the SUV through an open hatch and unhooked the child, who was trapped in his car seat upside down.
Harington was quoted by the local newspaper:
"What kicks in is just rescue the child…. You just hope that God’s on
your side and you can’t second guess that. Adrenaline is just
unbelievable and human instinct to help another person takes over.”
Well, let's say that "human instinct" kicks in for some people. Other people might wear a button to raise consciousness or advocate more funding for government programs. Let's face it, who would you rather be passing by when you're in real danger? Somebody with a Obama bumper sticker or somebody with a McCain-Palin sticker?
"If you're offended by it, there's something wrong with you"
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned for libertarian-leaning Republican for Senate Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania on Thursday. Asked by reporters about the ongoing controversy over Juan William's firing at NPR, Giuliani responded (from The Hill):
"Juan Williams just expressed something that a lot of people feel," Giuliani told the crowd at a campaign rally for Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey. "And he gets fired for it?"
Giuliani appeared to join that call Friday, calling into question NPR's funding.
"We put taxpayer money into that censorship program," Giuliani said of NPR.
the former mayor added that it is irresponsible to ignore the threat of Islamic extremists, noting he doesn't understand why anyone would be offended at that notion.
"I don't care who's offended by it," Giuliani said. "And if you are offended by it, there's something wrong with you."
Giuliani has campaigned for GOP candidates this election cycle in Florida, California and across the Northeast.
From Eric Dondero:
It's likely that Republicans will lose the lone Delaware congressional seat held by Mike Castle. But a few miles down Rt. 13, it's now appearing more likely that the GOP will gain back a seat lost in in 2008.
A new poll finds fiscal conservative Dr. Andy Harris ahead of incumbent Democrat Rep. Frank Krotavil by 11 points. Harris has been backed by the libertarian-leaning Club for Growth.
The poll was conducted by Monmouth Univ. (pdf)
In a rematch of the 2008 election for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, Republican challenger Andy Harris holds an 11 point lead over Democrat incumbent Frank Kratovil. The Monmouth University Poll finds the race stands at 53% for Harris to 42% for Kratovil.
This district is comprised of nine counties that make up Maryland’s Eastern Shore plus parts of three other counties in the Baltimore area. In 2008, the same two candidates vied for an open seat – open due to Harris’ defeat of incumbent Wayne Gilchrest in the GOP primary. In that race, Kratovil won a narrow victory by racking up an 11 point margin in his native Eastern Shore to offset Harris’ 12 point advantage in the western part of the district. That scenario is unlikely to play out this year. The poll finds Harris with an advantage in both the eastern (50% to 44%) and western (56% to 40%) portions of the district.
“Prior to 2008, this seat was safely in the Republican fold. It looks like it will revert to form in 2010,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Congressman Kratovil’s job performance rating among likely voters in his district is decidedly negative at 34% approve to 49% disapprove.
Dr. Harris is a former Naval officer, and a chief surgeon at John Hopkins. He is currently a practicing physician at a number of hospitals on the Eastern Shore.
From Eric Dondero:
In early August we reported on Doug Cloud's race for Congress in Washington State's 6th District. We noted that Cloud had been called "more of a libertarian" in his views by his primary opponent. We also noted that he had received the backing of "Mainstream Republicans (more libertarian than moderate), Tea Party Coalition PAC, and the Republican Liberty Caucus."
Now a new poll has been released showing Cloud ahead for the first time, over longtime incumbent Democrat Norm Dicks by 4.
From Cloud for Congress campaign release:
TACOMA, WA On Thursday the Cloud for Congress Campaign received the newest poll results, which legitimized what they knew all along. "We are winning this election and the momentum has been building for our team the last few weeks. Our message is obviously resonating with the voters and they will not stand for the status quo," Doug Cloud reasoned after viewing the newest poll results from Wenzel Strategies, a respected national polling company out of Ohio.
The most notable results in the poll came in the question that asked "If the election for the United States Congress were today and the candidates were Republican Doug Cloud and Democrat Norm Dicks, for whom would you vote?" The answer options were "definitely for Cloud, leaning for Cloud, definitely for Dicks, leaning for Dicks, and not sure". Doug Cloud received a combined 609 votes for "definitely for" and "leaning for" while Dicks only received 558 for the 2 answers. 95 were still unsure.
The 6th includes Bremerton and northwestern WA, across the Pugent Sound from Seattle.
Editor's Note - Doug Cloud's teenage son Thomas Cloud is a regular reader of Libertarian Republican.
And so it begins...
From Eric Dondero:
The body has not even been put into the ground; but already top Democrat Senate leaders are angling for Harry Reid's majority or minority leader spot. From Fox News and Reuters comes the very first indications this morning that Democrats see Harry Reid in serious danger of reelection.
From the Fox News Politics Blog:
Angle has shown a small but sturdy lead in recent polls, and names are being whispered about as potential replacements for Reid as the Democratic leader in the Senate. One likely replacement is his whip, Dick Durbin. Another possible replacement is Chuck Schumer who has been doling out campaign cash to other Senate Democrats who are in trouble.
What goes around...
And this ominous note from Reuters:
If Reid is defeated in the U.S. congressional elections on November 2, his Senate colleagues would move quickly to pick a successor.
Senate Democrats would vote in a secret ballot after Congress returns to work on November 15.
HOPEFULS MAY CAMPAIGN ON ELECTION NIGHT
If and when Reid is declared defeated, potential successors may begin calling other Senate Democrats to line up support.
That is what Reid did in 2004 when it became clear that Daschle would lose. Reid, then assistant Senate Democratic leader, quickly announced he had secured the votes for the job.
It's the Chicago way
And at least one candidate for Senate is already jumping ahead of the game.
From The Hill:
Giannoulias said that if he were elected, and if Democrats were looking for a replacement for Reid as party leader, he'd back Durbin, the current No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, over Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
"Chuck Schumer's a wonderful guy, but I'm a Durbin guy," Giannoulias said Wednesday evening on MSNBC.
"Let's just say that Senator Durbin is a great friend, a great senior senator," Giannoulias explained.
Of course, Giannoulias has to win his election first. Current polls have him behind from 1 to 4%. Ironically, it's just as likely that his opponent Mark Kirk will be voting for the new "Senate Majority leader"; Mitch McConnell or Jim DeMint.
From Eric Dondero:
I've got to say this is a huge relief for us rightwing rock fans. How many times do you have to blot out a rocker's political views in your own mind, while listening to their music? Springsteen comes first to mind. But then there's John Mellencamp. I'm a huge fan. But he's such a damned Lefty, that it's hard to enjoy any of his music past or present.
We Mellencamp fans might have a bit of a reprieve, finally!
Palin finds unlikely admirer in John Mellencamp
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has found an admirer in John Mellencamp.
The legendary rocker says that while he doesn't support her positions, he is impressed by the mark she's made on the country since the 2008 election.
Mellencamp says people get the wrong idea about her intellect "just because she says things and winks."He says she "knows exactly what's she doing" and "she wouldn't be where she is today if she didn't."
Mellencamp gives Palin credit for handling the rough world of politics. He says "she's pushing the right buttons" and "you can't be stupid and do that."
It's certainly no endorsement of Palin. But it's respectful. That's good enough. I'll take it.
(H/t Breitbart)
From Eric Dondero:
Soon-to-be House Majority leader Rep. John Boehner came into Montgomery yesterday to campaign for Republican nominee Martha Roby.
From ABC affiliate WNCF TV:
Wednesday, Minority leader John Boehner was in Montgomery to support congressional candidate Martha Roby.
A recognition Roby thinks voters will respond well too.
"They want to know that there is an individual out there who will step up and show real leadership and when it comes to representing this district, not just voting for this district, but fighting for this district, every single day," said Roby.
Recent polls suggest Roby is pulling ahead.
From HuffPo, "538 Blog projecting Martha Roby win" Oct. 21:
The 538 Blog with the New York Times released an updated look at the Alabama District 2 House race between incumbent Bobby Bright (D) and challenger Martha Roby (R). The October 15th projection gives Roby a 76.5% chance of winning the November election. Their projected margin is Roby winning with 51.9% of the vote to Bright's 45.9% of the vote.
And this item from Right blogs tipster Charlie Bogue:
Public Opinion Strategies puts Martha Roby ahead of incumbent Democrat Bobby Bright by 2; Bright is already declaring he won’t vote for Pelosi as speaker.
During the primaries Roby, a Montgomery City Councilwoman since 2003, was considered the more moderate-leaning conservative in the race. Now, the Democrats are hitting her for being an extremist wanting to slash government programs.
A new ad running in the district put out by the DCC suggests Roby wants to "privatize Medicare." The ad accuses Roby of taking the position as a result of her support for Rep. Paul Ryan and his budget plan. It states that Roby is:
“funded by special interests working to privatize Medicare”.
(Source: Dothan Eagle)
To help MarthaRoby.com
Loses 150 pounds on a diet of pork rinds and string cheese
From Eric Dondero:
The Iowa Libertarian Party will win major party status and will not have to petition for ballot access if the party's candidate for Governor polls more than 2%. Eric Cooper, the LP nominee is starting to gain media attention for his race, but for a reason not necessarily connected to politics.
From KCAU TV, Sioux City, "Libertarian Takes Idea Of Less To Extremes" Oct. 21:
The Libertarian candidate for governor in Iowa is Eric Cooper.
His party believes in small government, and Cooper took the idea of less to extremes.
He lost almost 150 pounds in just 8 months. He ate less than 1,000 calories, and walked 4 miles a day.
The main foods he ate were pork rinds and string cheese.
"I love pork rinds. I mean every day it was like I was so hungry, and when I got that bag of pork rinds to eat I was so happy, so they are my favorite food in the world, Still. I eat em for lunch every day, still," said Cooper.
He went on this diet specifically for the election.
"I didn't wanna be embarrassed. I knew I was gonna have my picture taken a lot, and I didn't wanna say, oh god, look at that fat guy," said Cooper.
The weight loss also takes away a bullet from his opponents.
"They'll call you fat if they can't think of anything else, but I don't have to worry about that anymore, because I'm not fat."
Moderate Republican Terry Brandstat is way ahead in the polls for Governor. A vote for Libertarian Cooper is a safe bet for libertarian-leaning Republicans.
Perhaps the more votes he gets, the more he'll be encouraged to keep the pounds off?
No PC on Jihadist threat
From Eric Dondero:
Living up to her libertarian reputation on both free speech issues, and fiscal conservatism, Sarah Palin called for the immediate defunding of NPR yesterday, over the Juan Williams controversy.
From Palin's Facebook page:
At a time when our country is dangerously in debt and looking for areas of federal spending to cut, I think we’ve found a good candidate for defunding. National Public Radio is a public institution that directly or indirectly exists because the taxpayers fund it. And what do we, the taxpayers, get for this? We get to witness Juan Williams being fired from NPR for merely speaking frankly about the very real threat this country faces from radical Islam.
We have to have an honest discussion about the jihadist threat. Are we not allowed to say that Muslim terrorists have killed thousands of Americans and continue to plot the deaths of thousands more? Are we not allowed to say that there are Muslim states that aid and abet these fanatics? Are we not allowed to even debate the role that radical Islam plays in inciting this violence?
I don’t expect Juan Williams to support me (he’s said some tough things about me in the past) – but I will always support his right and the right of all Americans to speak honestly about the threats this country faces...
If NPR is unable to tolerate an honest debate about an issue as important as Islamic terrorism, then it’s time for “National Public Radio” to become “National Private Radio.” It’s time for Congress to defund this organization.
Referendum winning 49% to 27%
From Eric Dondero:
There are a number of libertarian-oriented initiatives on ballots nationwide this election year. They include: A major sales tax reduction in Massachusetts from 6% to 3%; an end to affirmative action hiring and for college admissions in Arizona; and, of course, the legalization of marijuana initiative in California.
But another libertarian-oriented initiative has received little media attention outside of the State of Oklahoma.
Brigitte Gabriel explains in an editorial at NewsOK, "Sharia law question merits support" Oct. 16: 
The "Save Our State" amendment will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot and mandates that courts "rely on federal and state laws when deciding cases forbidding courts from looking at international law, or Sharia law."
Sharia law, in short, is a comprehensive, theo-political law system used in many Islamic countries including Iran that is based on precepts contained in the Quran and the hadith (the sayings and traditions of Mohammed). Under sharia law, women have few rights compared to men, freedom of speech is severely curtailed and freedom of religion is limited or nonexistent.
Critics across Oklahoma, including newspaper editorial boards, have dismissed the initiative as uneccessary. Gabriel cites a specific example for all the doubters:
Perhaps the most egregious example occurred last year in New Jersey. A Muslim woman sought a restraining order against her husband, who was beating and raping her several times a day. Remarkably, the judge refused to issue the order on the grounds that the husband was following his Islamic practices (sharia) and had thus committed no crime. Fortunately, a year later his ruling was overturned.
The Right on the forefront of protecting Women's Rights
Bobby Eberle of GOPUSA explains further:
The concerns of Sharia law being used as a basis for determining the outcome of court cases in the U.S. was strong enough for the Oklahoma legislature to take action. ABCNews.com reports reports that Oklahoma "is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban state judges from relying on Islamic law known as Sharia when deciding cases."
Sharia has gained a toehold in some western countries, notably Great Britain, where five sharia courts have been established to settle certain disputes among Muslims, with the government's blessing. The proposed Oklahoma amendment is aimed, in part, at "cases of first impression," legal disputes in which there is no law or precedent to resolve the matter at hand. In such cases, judges might look to laws or rulings in other jurisdictions for guidance. The proposed amendment would block judges in Oklahoma courts from drawing on sharia, or the laws of other nations, in such decisions.
If this law eliminates the possibility that a husband beating his wife could become an accepted practice in this country, then I'm all for it.
With 10 days left to go before the election, polls show the initiative winning with a large margin. From Fox News:
A poll by The Tulsa World in July found that 49 percent of voters support the amendment compared to 24 percent who opposed it and 27 percent who were undecided.
The measure won ballot placement by an overwhelming vote of the legislature, 82 to 10 in the House, and 41 to 2 in the Senate. The two chief sponsors of the legislation were Rep. Rex Duncan on the House side, and Sen. Anthony Sykes on the Senate side. Sykes is regarded as one of the most libertarian members of the legislature, as the main proponent for 10th Amendment States Rights legislation. (Reference: LR article June 7)
by Stephen Maloney
As someone who's worked every day on Christine's campaign since March 4, I have a deep personal and political interest in Ms. O'Donnell's winning on Nov. 2.
Given that Gov. Pete DuPont endorsed Mike Castle at the GOP State Convention -- my young friends Diane Hernandez and Jason C. O'Neill nominated Christine -- the following piece is absolutely remarkable. It will not earn Gov. DuPont any friends among his neighbors in the mansions of lush, upscale Greenville, north of Wilmington. But the WSJ piece is a definite exercise in courage. It's also a game-changer for a campaign, my friend Christine's, that needed a game-changer.
Here's an excerpt below: 
"On Election Day the question is: Who will help correct the negative policies that have hurt our nation over the past few years? One of the candidates [Democrat Chris Coons] supports almost all of them; the other [Christine O'Donnell] favors policies that would make us more successful in the future. Two weeks from now we have avery important election in America's First State that could change the direction of our country."
This endorsement piece by former Gov. Pete DuPont's needs to get in the hands of as many Delawareans (and as many Americans) as possible. Thanks for your help, and God bless you
Editor's Note - There's some history here that some Newbies to the libertarian movement may be unaware of. Long before there was a Republican Liberty Caucus, back in 1987, there was a small movement of "Libertarians for Pete DuPont." DuPont was running for President. I was part of this effort, if not it's most active driving force.
DuPont put out very libertarian papers on privatization of Social Security and other governmental services. He even had Cato Institute associates working as policy analysists on his campaign. The term "libertarian" was used on occasion in the national media to describe his views way back in 1987. It follows that he would now endorse libertarian/conservative Christine O'Donnell.
by Wayne Allyn Root
The final nail was driven into the coffin of the Obama agenda on Thursday night by a Reno, Nevada grandmother. Look to Nevada on the evening of November 2nd to see the power of the historic Tea Party tsunami. After spending over $20 Million defining Sharron Angle as radical, extreme and dangerous, if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid loses to this Tea Party grandmother, then you can bet it's all over for the Obama agenda. The big government, pro union, anti/business socialists (aka Democrats) will be going down to landslide defeats all across the country. And here's my advice: YOU CAN BET ON IT.
You gotta love a state where the constitution bans taxes and welcomes guns in the hands of law abiding citizens. But starting on November 2nd, Nevada will be known as the state that fueled the Tea Party citizen revolution.
It all started earlier this week when Sharron Angle announced she'd raised a staggering $14.3 million in the 3rd quarter- the second biggest haul in the history of American politics. I'd have given a million dollars to see the faces of Reid and his campaign managers when they heard the news. I'll bet "shock, awe, and violent waves of nausea" best described their reactions.
Then came the big Thursday night debate. Reid had painted Angle as ignorant, radical, extreme and dangerous. Yet the grandmother from Reno came across as credible, sincere, honest, and filled with common sense. She stood toe-to-toe with the United States Senate Majority Leader and never flinched. The line of the night came from Angle when she stared down her opponent and said, "Man up Harry Reid." I'll bet Harry's handlers got a little weak in the groin area after that line.
Harry Reid, the man who has carried the water for the Obama socialist agenda of tax, spend, and bankrupt America, is the one who came across as radical, extreme and dangerous. Sharron Angle showcased common sense in proving that wanting to lower taxes and allow people to keep more of their own money isn't extreme. Wanting to raise taxes in a depression on job creators and small business owners- now THAT'S extreme.
Angle proved that wanted to reform and personalize (partially privatize) a failing Social Security system is not extreme. Wanting to keep the status quo for a system that threatens to implode and bankrupt the entire economy- now THAT'S extreme.
Angle proved that wanting to reform education and eliminate the bloated Department of Education to bring the money back to Nevada, where local parents can decide what's best for Nevada's children, is not extreme. Wanting to keep the status quo for a disastrous public education system that is miserably failing our children- now THAT'S extreme.
Angle proved that wanting to cut spending to reduce the deficit and debt isn't radical. Wanting big government to keep printing and spending money we don't have- now THAT'S extreme.
Most extreme of all would be re-electing the man who dug a $100 trillion dollar hole of deficit, debt, earmarks, bailouts, stimulus-to-nowhere, and unfunded liabilities that threatens to destroy the American Dream for our children and grandchildren. It was on Harry Reid's watch that America went bankrupt. Could anything be more radical, dangerous, or irresponsible than sending him back to the Senate?
The common sense of a Tea Party grandmother is just what the doctor ordered. We need a Tea Party "citizen politician" who says "no" to more spending, "no" to bailouts, "no" to bigger government, "no" to higher taxes, and "no" to digging the hole deeper. We certainly need fewer rules, regulations and laws created by the lawyers, for the lawyers, to screw the people.
And then there was the final zinger of the night from Angle: "Senator Reid, how did a poor boy from Searchlight Nevada become a multi-millionaire on the government payroll?" You could feel the air going out of Reid as he stumbled and stammered. A simple grandmother had ripped the privilege, power, and intimidation factor from the U.S. Senator who lives like political royalty at the Ritz Carlton. Suddenly the emperor had no clothes. How indeed Harry?
On November 2nd Nevada will show America how to throw a citizen revolution. Nevada will show America who the real radicals, extremists and dangerous thieves are- the elitists, lawyers, and career D.C. politicians. Nevadans will fire a shot heard around the world with a message to the United States Senate Majority Leader- "HARRY REID, YOU'RE FIRED!"
Wayne Root was the 2008 Libertarian Vice-Presidential candidate, and currently serves on the Libertarian National Committee.
From Eric Dondero:
PJ Media contributor and friend and contributor to Libertarian Republican Bryan Preston reports that the Democratic Party chairman in Williamson County, Texas resigned Tuesday. He then endorsed the Republican who is challenging the Democrat in the state Representative race.
From PJ Media:
In spite of its conservative reputation, Williamson County voters elected liberal Democrat Diana Maldonado to the Texas House in the 2008 Obama wave to represent District 52. This year, Maldonado faces a very strong challenger in Republican Larry Gonzales. Gonzales received a very unexpected endorsement Tuesday, when the Williamson County Democratic Party chairman, Greg Windham, resigned his post and endorsed Gonzales on his way out.
Bryan remarks:
"This looks like it may be the first shot in a civil war that will begin once the left has led the Democrats to a national defeat."
A New Direction on Fiscal Conservatism
"And guess what this liberal will be all about... this liberal will be about socializing... taking over your industry"
A New Direction on Individual Liberties
"Everybody between the ages of 18 to 25 will serve 3 months in basic training in a kind of civil defense"
A New Direction on National Security
"The War is lost"
From the Editor - Just released video from our friends at RedState.com
by Eric Dondero
We've been reporting here for the last few weeks on a new Democrat strategy that has emerged: Blasting Republicans for the House and Senate as "extremist libertarians" who want to cut government, abolish the Education Dept. and privatize Social Security. We've seen this strategy emerge in an Oregon House race (Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio), and down in South Carolina (Dem Rep. John Spratt). Both Dem incumbents, as if from some DCC playbook, attacked their Republican opponents as "extremist libertarian" government slashers. Up in Wisconsin, young Republican Sean Duffy was criticized in numerous ads for wanting to "abolish Social Security."
Now a brand new poll by the liberal/establishment leaning The Hill, suggests that such a strategy is falling flat on its face. From The Hill (h/t Memeo), "Voters are not worried about ‘extreme’ label on candidates" Oct. 21:
Democratic attacks on Republicans and the Tea Party for being too extreme are failing to sway voters, according to The Hill 2010 Midterm Election Poll.
Only 15 percent of likely Democratic voters said they were voting to “ensure extreme right-wing candidates are not elected to Congress.”
Independents, who are the largest bloc of undecided voters and are vital to Democrats if the party is to retain its House majority, are also unconvinced by warnings about extremism. Only 14 percent of them said they would vote for a Democrat to avoid electing an extreme right-wing candidate; 11 percent said they would vote Republican to avoid electing an extreme left-wing candidate.
Note - Republicans are leading in two of the three races incidentally (Mick Mulvaney in SC and Duffy in WI), with a virtual tie in Oregon.
Republican Party breaking down barriers
From Eric Dondero:
The Republican Party is on the verge of electing the first female governor in New Mexico history. And she will also have the distinction of being the the very first female hispanic Republican governor elected in the United States.
Republican for Governor Susana Martinez continues to surge in the polls. SurveyUSA now has her up by 12 points. Rasmussen had her up 52 to 42 a week ago. Other less recent polls had her up over Democrat Diane Dinesh by 7 to 8 points.
A female Chris Christie
National Review describes her fiscal conservative philosophy.
From National Review this morning, "Reviving New Mexico":
“They see in her . . . the combination of the right characteristics that make her believable as an outsider, a reformer, as someone who can make the tough choices,” says Republican state senator Rod Adair. He adds that Martinez has a “Chris Christie kind of dynamic going for her,” a reference to New Jersey’s Republican governor, who has garnered acclaim for his budget-slashing reforms.
Note - Martinez was heavily supported by Sarah Palin very early on in her race for the GOP nomination.
Martinez is a County Prosecutor from southern New Mexico, Las Cruces way.
by Eric Dondero
Looking for a sure thing, easy-to-do agenda item you can hold your newly-elected Republican House member too? Tell him/her to completely abolish NPR. Get that horrible politically correct taxpayer-subsidized program off the government tit without delay.
Do you need any more reason than this? Juan Williams, a longtime liberal-leaning contributor to NPR, was just unceremoniously fired from the socialist network for the following comments, made on Fox News Monday night (NY Times, h/t Memeo):
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”
What Williams is saying here essentially, is that most Muslims put their loyalty to their religion and Islamist ideology, over the United States. Not only a reasonable comment, but downright common sense.
Ironically, Rasmussen released a poll, earlier this week showing that Americans by overwhelming majority of 57%, believe that "American has become too politically correct." An astounding 74% believe that government favors political correctness over common sense.(Source: WALB TV)
We're gonna have all these incoming freshman Republican congressman in a couple weeks. If you're assisting in their campaign right now, get a solid commitment.
Don't ask the Congressman-elect to support something off-the-charts like drug legalization, abolishing the IRS or a return to the Gold Standard. We'll get to those items later. But do tell him or her right now, as you pick up those campaign brochures to walk another neighborhood, that you fully expect them to push for immediate elimination of all funding for NPR, PBS, the Ad Council and other government programming.
by Clifford F. Thies
Senator Lisa Murkowski is running an ad showing the endorsement she received during the primary by then former Senator Ted Stevens. Murkowski did not run the ad during the primary campaign as Stevens died.
We, at Libertarian Republican, are generally inclined to let the dead rest in peace. But, since Murkowski and the Stevens family have interjected Stevens into the general election, we will comment on the guy.
Stevens was the promoter of the Bridge to Nowhere and dozens of other pork barrel projects for his long-time supporters back home, and was always happy to join into back-scratching deals with his fellow Senators for the mutual assurance of lard for their supporters at the expense of Joe and Jane Taxpayer.
In 2008, he was found guilty on corruption charges for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and was defeated at the polls by the Democrat, giving the Democrats their sixtieth vote in the U.S. Senate and opening the door to a flood of socialist legislation and special-interest spending.
Upon news of the conviction, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin, then the standard bearers of the Republican Party for President and Vice President, called on Stevens to resign from the Senate. Possibly, if he had done so, he could have been re-elected, the seat declared vacant, and a special election could have been called to fill the vacancy. But, Stevens was absolutely too arrogant to see the big picture.
Following the election, there were discoveries of prosecutorial misconduct, and the conviction was vacated. In view of Stevens' age and the fact that he was but a private citizen, the federal government chose not to pursue a new trial. (In contrast, the federal government is pursuing a new trial after a hung jury in the case of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.) This was not an exoneration. In
terms of the law, Stevens is presumed innocent. But, we, acting in the capacity of private citizens, are free to draw the appropriate conclusion.
McCain was absolutely correct to spotlight the corruption that had crept into the Republican Party as a key issue of the 2008 election. His spotlighted boondoggles such as the Bridge to Nowhere sponsored by Stevens and the Woodstock Museum sponsored by then New York Senator Hillary Clinton. These are two of many thousands of other parochial projects, earmarked into legislation without public scrutiny on the basis of $10,000 to $1 for campaign contributions (i.e., $10,000 in contributions gets your project a $100 million earmark). In the case of Stevens, home improvements and other gratuities from those benefitting from legislation he sponsored were also involved, the value of which appears to have been over-stated during his trial.
And, the problem wasn't just in the Senate. Over in the House, Congressman Tom DeLay unveiled the "K Street Project," signaling to lobbyists that Republicans were for sale on the same basis as Democrats. Famously, DeLay declared he war on federal spending over. There was no more fat to cut, he said.
Thus, the Republicans, who were given majority status in order to reign in the gargantuan extent of the federal government, had become taken over the the federal government.
Now, I will get serious. It may be too late to save the country from the coming implosion of the federal government. Even if the Republicans were to win this year's elections, the extent of the fiscal problem is so enormous, the cuts in spending that will be necessary, the futility of trying to increase revenue by raising tax rates even higher, and the looming inflation may mean that it isn't possible, economically or politically, to get the done that needs to be done. Furthermore, the Republicans may, after a few years in the majority, again fall into corruption and lose interest in even making the attempt.
But, re-electing politicians like Lisa Murkowski who are oblivious to the problems befalling our country would be crazy. It would be like throwing gasoline on a fire. You might as well convert your assets into diamonds, sew them into the lining of your overcoat, and seek a new life in another country.
Dr. Thies is a professor of economics at Shenandoah Univ. in Virginia.
