It seems that all too often when Democrats criticize Republican policies, a good number of my fellow partisans run for cover. But, in the wake of attacks on the Ryan reform, Republicans are fighting back against a mendacious opposition whose leaders are misrepresenting their plans to reform Medicare in light of its looming bankruptcy.

Last week, we saw Republicans rising to defend the Ryan budget in the wake of the Republican loss in NY-26. Senator Marco Rubio cut a powerful video. “Ryan,” Glenn Thrush and Abby Phillip reported in Politico, “directly confronted President Barack Obama over Democratic ridicule of Ryan’s controversial Medicare overhaul plan – while other GOP leaders accused the president for “demagoguery” during a chilly bipartisan White House meeting.”

“The ability of the Republicans,” Jennifer Rubin writes, “to push back, and to begin to get the facts out is impressive“:

Michael Steel, spokesman for Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) told me this morning: “We’re making progress, and we know the truth is on our side — but everyone is going to have to keep working hard to make sure the American people know that we have a plan to preserve and protect Medicare, while Democrats’ insistence on the status quo will mean bankruptcy and steep benefit cuts.”

We’re not acting like Republicans of the past and sitting on our hands, hoping the merits of our ideas will sell themselves. We know we need to aggressively defend them in the fact of determined opposition.

This bright blogress suggests “Lincoln-Douglas style” debates with Ryan as “the standard-bearer for the Republicans.” At the same time, Rubin wonders “which Democrat would be willing to take him on”, hinting that there would be few takers “since their talking points have shriveled after only a few days of intense scrutiny.”

NB: Sometimes our critics do have a a point. And in response to PeeJ’s criticism below (comments 4 & 6), I changed the introduction to this post as the original was incidental to the post (and actually distracted from my meaning).

Do you think the GOP will win if its strategy is to apologize for every media-manufactured “right-wing” outrage?  It will not.  We will win the day by using all the tools in our arsenal to fight the tyranny of these totalitarian ideologies that have been visited upon us from overseas, where those same ideologies caused only chronic human misery.  We will win by using the New Media to expose the bankruptcy of their beliefs and tactics.  And ultimately we’ll win, because their ideas simply don’t work.  No amount of media spin can change that.

–Andrew Breitbart, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!

Picked up Andrew Breitbart’s Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! while browsing in the Barnes and Noble at the Grove on Saturday and have found it hard to put the book down.  The book provides much food for thought and perhaps some fodder for future blog posts. In defining the “Coulter Threshold,” the author provides some sound advice for conservatives, a recommendation which rings particularly true for gay conservatives:

I had passed what I call the Coulter Threshold: the point where you understand that Ann Coulter and those like her are standing up for what they believe in, feeling the righteousness of living without fear of missing a dinner invite from Tina Brown or fundraisers with Steve Capus or Ben Sherwood or Steven Spielberg or Jeffrey Katzenberg–or worse, the agony of being excoriated by those conservatives who fret that their liberal overlords will start admonishing them for keeping company with you. Feeling the thrill of sending a message to these people that we reject their worldview for the way they reject ours.

More on this anon. In the meanwhile, buy Breitbart’s book. It’s a great read, a great read.

That makes two of us….

From HotAir.com:

Rush Limbaugh offered that off-hand endorsement of Marco Rubio after Florida’s newest Senator announced that he would oppose any more short-term spending bills in Congress.

Meanwhile, Rubio has a few other ideas as well, notably to cut off the EPA’s efforts to expand its regulatory reach. His office announced earlier today that Rubio would attach an amendment to “every major bill” in the Senate to cut off funding for EPA enforcement of “job-destroying numeric nutrients regulations,” as well as rescind authority for spending of any unused stimulus funding.

One could argue that Rubio is too “inexperienced” to be a serious Presidential contender.  Well, I don’t recall the current Oval Office occupant sticking in any job longer than two years.  Rubio has him up on that by a mile.  And, Rubio was the Speaker of the House in the Florida Legislature.  Those two facts are just off the top of my head.

I’ve been wondering when Rubio would begin to flex his leadership muscles in the Senate.  Mark this week as the beginning of the rise of Marco Rubio.

[RELATED:  House Budget Chmn. Paul Ryan explains how America is screwed by our debt problem.]

-Bruce (GayPatriot) 

Well, well, well…. (h/t – Instapundit)

Even Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, who made battling earmarks a cornerstone of his Congressional career since his election in 1990, said he would not have predicted that Congress could kick the habit.

“Think of this fight we have had for 20 years,” Mr. Boehner said in a recent interview. “If somebody would have asked me, ‘Will you ever get there?’ I would have had my doubts.”

But through a confluence of events, Mr. Boehner and the rest of the anti-earmark crowd did get there; the impact of the decision by leaders of the House and the Senate to ban earmarks for at least the next two years is already being felt.

When House Republicans were searching for cuts to offer Senate Democrats as part of a temporary spending plan to avert a government shutdown, they were able to reach into accounts set aside for earmarks and find nearly $2.8 billion that would have previously gone to water projects, transit programs and construction programs. No earmarks, no need for that money, and the threat of an imminent shutdown was eased.

Lawmakers said the absence of earmarks also allowed for a more freewheeling debate on the House floor during consideration of the Republican plan to slash $61 billion from this year’s budget since Democrats and Republicans were not caught up in protecting the special provisions they had worked so hard to tuck into the spending bill.

ACTUAL change you can believe in.  Boehner’s Congress has already shown to be a better steward of our money than every Congress in a generation before.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Yes…. THAT Adam Baldwin, folks!

Tonight’s special guest for the first segment is TV/film actor and conservative author Adam Baldwin. Most of you know Adam for his work on NBC’s spy/comedy show “Chuck”. He’s had a successful Hollywood career for over 30 years including the role of “Animal Mother” in Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam War classic “Full Metal Jacket.” I first remember Adam when I was a kid and I saw the movie “My Bodyguard”. A classic!

Our second half-hour features fellow North Carolinian blogger Lorie Byrd. She was one of the original center-right bloggers back in the day.  Lorie was featured on PoliPundit, started Wizbang, and writes at her own blog Byrd Droppings. We’ll talk about the state of play in the crucial NC Congressional races.
 

RELATED LINKS FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW

Adam Baldwin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Baldwin
Adam Baldwin on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/adamsbaldwin

Lorie Byrd on Twitter: www.twitter.com/loriebyrd
Renee Ellmers for Congress: www.ReneeforCongress.com

Election Projection (The Blogging Caesar): http://electionprojection.com/index.php

WSJ: Congressional Staffers Gain from Insider Trading

FOX News: Military/Overseas Americans May Be Disenfranchised on Election Day

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Ilario Pantano is a combat veteran of two wars, a small business owner, an author and a constitional conservative. He is running for Congress to retire an entrenched politician who votes with Nancy Pelosi over 90% of the time in a district that has not elected a Republican since the 1800s. This race was recently upgraded from “Safely Democrat” to “Toss Up” because polls show that Ilario can win, and momentum is building on his side.

Pantano has another distinction in this race.  He was viciously attacked by the anti-war, anti-American Left as the result of his service to our nation in Iraq.

Ilario Pantano is a respected combat veteran, and bestselling author who has worked in both global markets and small business. The “born again Southerner” is a 38 year-old conservative committed to promoting job creation and revitalizing the economy, protecting the homeland and preserving our conservative values.

On his way to a meeting in Manhattan, he witnessed the Twin Towers burning in the attacks of September 11, 2001.   Friends and colleagues were killed in the attacks.

Pantano rushed to a recruiter’s office and began the lengthy process of returning to service in the Marines, this time as an officer.  

Pantano graduated Marine officer training in the top 2 percentile and was selected by his peers to lead their Infantry Officer Class. Upon graduation, 2^nd Lt Pantano and his family were assigned to Camp Lejeune North Carolina, where he took command of an Infantry Platoon with the 2^nd Battalion of the 2^nd Marine Regiment, the WARLORDS.  The WARLORDS deployed to the “Triangle of Death” Region in Iraq where they conducted combat operations in Latafiyah, Yusufiyah and Falluja.

After months of insurgent violence triggered by the infamous ambush and grisly hanging of Americans in Fallujah (2004), Pantano was investigated for actions in killing two terrorists after a disgruntled Marine that Pantano had publicly demoted filed a complaint. The case took on national attention. Media outlets from dozens of national networks and newspapers overflowed the courtroom.  After a lengthy and very public hearing of the facts, Pantano was cleared of all charges and given a new command, but death threats from jihadists and fear for his family ultimately led Pantano to resign his commission. 

Pantano was the subject of faux outrage from the MoveOn.org wing of the Democrat Party (the only wing at this point).  He was falsely accused of murder and the anti-war loons went all Jack Murtha on him.  LINK: http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=760785&page=1

Now, it is true that Pantano doesn’t think “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should be repealed at this time.  Having never served in the military, I have to completely respect his perspective.  However, I also believe that someone like Pantano (a Gen-X’er who grew up under Reagan and responded to his nation’s call after 9/11/01) will have a completely different perspective on gay issues than many who currently sit in Congress (GOP & Dem alike).  What is that perspective?  An open mind. 

Pantano is a true American hero.  He’s a hard-working, hard-charging candidate and I believe he will be the new Congressman from NC-07.  If Pantano wins this seat, Nancy Pelosi has a very hard path to retaining her Speaker’s gavel. Please join me in supporting the candidacy of Ilario Pantano.  DONATE NOW!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

It speaks for itself.  I’m honored that John Schwarzman, the artist, emailed me to make me aware of his work!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

After promising to be a “moderate Democrat” (and we all know that term is a lie), US Rep. John Spratt has voted lock-step with the Socialist policies of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

Luckily for the residents of the 5th District in South Carolina — they have a great Republican candidate in Mick Mulvaney who will splat Spratt on November 2nd.  (Full disclosure:  I have personally donated to Mulvaney’s campaign.)

Mick was elected to the SC House in 2006, his first foray into politics, becoming the first Republican ever elected to that position in his District. In 2008 an unexpected retirement created a vacancy in the SC Senate, and Mick ran for and won that office in what was widely regarded to be the hardest fought legislative race in South Carolina that year.

Mick serves on the Judiciary, Labor/Commerce/Industry, Medical Affairs, Agriculture/Natural Resources, and Corrections Committee. He was identified as the Freshman Legislator of the Year in 2006 by the Palmetto Family Council for his work on the South Carolina ultrasound bill. In 2010 he was named Legislator of the Year for his work in support of the State’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS). He has received one of only a handful of A+ ratings in the entire legislature. His previous endorsements for office include the NRA and NFIB.

Mick’s view of the proper role of the Federal Government:

I believe in the United States Constitution. I believe in the concept of a limited federal government. I believe that the federal government’s primary duty is to safeguard our personal freedoms so that we can reach our highest potential as individuals.

Somehow our government has forgotten that. In just a generation Washington has gone from “Ask not what your country can do for you….” to “We will guarantee your GM warranty.”

It also strikes me that Washington has better things to do than to tell us how to live our lives. I don’t want to live in a nanny state or under a government that thinks it should be Big Brother. Generally speaking I believe what you do in your own home or in your private life is your business. At the same time neither is it the government’s job to institutionalize the corruption of American culture and history, or to legislate the wholesale destruction of our traditional community values.

The best balance comes in recognizing and honoring the limitations on the federal government – and the primacy of the people and the states – set forth in the Constitution.

PLEASE DONATE TO MICK MULVANEY TODAY. 

If John Spratt loses, Nancy Pelosi won’t be the Speaker of the House.  It is THAT important.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The trailer.  The website.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Ben Howe confronts a Progressive protesting the “Restoring Honor” rally yesterday.  Funny how the event was at the Lincoln Memorial…. but the misguided protestor was lamely hanging out by himself at the Washington Monument.  Heh.

This  is three minutes of pure fun as Ben rips this guy apart and demonstrates the sheer lack of principles of the Progressive movement.  At the end, the poor fool stammers and shouts “Well, you’re a RACIST and an IDIOT.”  Yup, when their intellectual argument breaks down after three minutes — Progressives pull the race card out as their last gasp of hope. 

This is why I don’t associate with the Gay Left — straight, gay or whatever — this protestor exemplifies the Progressive movement; and the Gay Rights crowd are a keystone of the American Progressive movement.

It IS all about redistribution of wealth.  But that isn’t “social justice” folks; it’s Marxist-Communism.

UPDATE: Ben Howe will be my guest tomorrow night on my BlogTalkRadio show, “GayPatriot’s America” at 8:30PM Eastern Time.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Well, duh.

Reviewing poll numbers which show that even as Republicans leads in generic matchups against Democrats, the GOP has still failed to regain the positive image it enjoyed frequently in the mid-1990s and occasionally in the early 2000s, I realize that our party still has not recovered to the damage the “brand” suffered in the concluding years of the Bush Administration.

At the same time, polls have shown that the ideas which undergirded the Reagan Revolution have gained greater favor among the American people.

In other words, people like the basic Republican ideas, but don’t yet trust the GOP to promote them and enact legislation consistent with them once in office.  It’s why I believe my party needs a new Contract with America, not the same as that successful document from 1994 — one that helped the GOP regain (after a 40-year hiatus) a congressional majority and whose planks the Democratic President of the United States cited as his accomplishments when he accepted his party’s nomination in 1996.

In a renewed contract, Republicans could acknowledge its failures in recent years and say something like “We understand that you [the American people] held us to the ideas behind that Contract and when we abandoned them, you voted us out.  We know that should we again stray from the small-government policies, you can — and likely will — do the same.”

Just such a Contract would go a long way to showing that Republicans recognize that they made errors in the past and could help improve their standing with the American people.

You may recall this ugly incident which showed the true colors of many of our Congressional elitists.  Here is US Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) on full display with one of his constituents.

Etheridge has a strong challenger in Republican Renee Ellmers.  She has discovered that Etheridge has learned more than arrogance from his fellow Democrats in Congress.   Like Charlie Rangel, Etheridge too seems to have a problem understanding what taxpayers’ money is all about.

This is such a good trailer…. I wanted to bump it up so more folks could see it. 

And as my response to stupid comments from people like David.

Wow. A nice contrast to the Obama-Sherrod vision of America.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Sounds like the title of a great movie!  Heh, heh.  Well, I’m still in a nostalgic mood for what our Founding Fathers did on July 4, 1776.  And I caught this item on today’s Heritage Foundation blog.  I hope you find it as inspiring and motivating as I did when I read it this morning.

Happy Birthday America! America is 234 years old. She was born on July 4, 1776, with the passage of the Declaration of Independence.  Since then, America has grown from thirteen colonies on the east coast to fill a vast continent. Her economic and military power is envied around the world. And the American people are hardworking, churchgoing, affluent, and generous.

Independence Day is an opportunity each year to remember the root of our success—our founding principles as set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence serves as a philosophical statement of America’s first principles. As Matthew Spalding describes, the Declaration affirms that all men are created equal. By nature, men have a right to liberty that is inalienable, meaning it cannot be given up or taken away. And because individuals equally possess such inalienable rights, governments derive their just powers from the consent of those governed. The purpose of government is to secure these fundamental rights, and the people retain the right to alter or abolish a government that fails to do so.

These principles have made America the great nation it is today. But, since the early 20^th century, these principles have been under attack in the academy, the media, and popular culture. So-called progressives have rejected the existence of self-evident truths—in the Declaration of Independence and elsewhere. Instead, they embrace the notion of “Progress” that is constant change towards an unspecified end. From these faulty principles, it follows that, all men are not created equal; some people are further along in the historical process than others. There are not permanent rights with which man is endowed. Government creates rights, and these rights evolve according to the demands of the time. There is no need for consent of the governed, just experts who will tell us how to live and how to progress.

This is a serious attack on our principles, but not an insurmountable one.

We, The People are in charge.  Our government’s power comes from our consent.  And our rights come from our Creator. Never forget that!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

At least since the 2008 Republican National Convention, where I had the good fortune to be present, when the then-Governor of Alaska, our party’s nominee for Vice President gave a stem-winder of a speech, I have compared that good woman to the Gipper.

Like that great man, she has a natural stage presence, a certain dynamism, an appreciation and affection for the ideas which define our nation, and a heart-felt optimism about its future.

Unlike Reagan, however, she lacks an education in the depth and breadth of conservative political philosophy.  Before his famous speech on behalf of then-GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater in 1964, he had spent years reading widely and reflecting on what he was learning.  Only after he had educated himself did he launch himself onto the political scene.

And now Palin, with great energy and incredible effect, is so launching herself.  She is doing a lot of good for the GOP, but she is also delaying her own return to a position of leadership.  She inspires us, she motivates us, but she needs better educate herself before she can lead us.

But, maybe that’s not her goal.  Maybe she relishes her role as the Reaganite rallying the rank and file around his ideas and vision.  Commenting on her appeal in his list of influential Republicans, Chris Cillizza writes, “There simply is no bigger figure in the Republican party than Palin. Where she goes, crowds and enthusiasm follow. But, there is a difference between enthusiasm and influence.”

I’m glad she’s out there, stumping for our team.  She is helping promote the ideas of Ronald Reagan.  But, if she wants to follow in his footsteps, she’s got some larnin’ to do.

No, I’m not going to Barney Frank’s Florida condo.  Shame on you people!

Actually I’m bound for New Orleans, Louisiana to report on and envelop myself in the Southern Republican Leadership Council.  I’m hoping it is like CPAC but with more Southern food.

I’ll be reporting from inside at Bloggers’ Lounge later tonight.  Four great speakers lead off the program tonight:  Mary Matalin, Liz Cheney, JC Watts & Newt Gingrich.  Hmmm, Watts/Cheney… 2012 anyone?

So watch this space later today for reports of N’awlins.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Just chanced upon this post, The Coming Conservative Renaissance, while linking another.  I had penned it in October 2008.

As our readers note, Tammy Bruce is a gun-toting, abortion-rights’ supporting lesbian feminist who once served as president of the LA chapter of the National Organization for Women, breaking with them after her harsh criticism of O.J. Simpson and his defenders during his murder trial.  In 1992, she enthusiastically backed Barbara Boxer in her first bid for the United States Senate.

On Saturday night, she was Bruce and my guest at the Claremont dinner, honoring former Vice President Cheney.  And not only was it a treat to hear the Vice President speak and to meet that great and good man, but I was particularly honored to sit next to Tammy at dinner.  She is a great conversationalist who does not mince words.

Just like the former Vice President.

And during dinner, we were constantly being interrupted as numerous guests at this fundraiser for a conservative think tank came up to tell this pro-choice lesbian how much they loved her and appreciated her work.  She was even approached as we retreated to the bar after the dinner.

So, here we have an openly lesbian, openly pro-choice, openly feminist woman with an enthusiastic fan base among Angeleno conservatives.  Guess being a lesbian is not a hindrance to earning accolades on the right.  Kind of defeats the narrative of a narrow-minded, gay-hating right.

John and I had a great time on our whirlwind trip to LA this weekend. Thanks to Leah, Western Princess of the Homocons for her hospitality!! Karl Rove and Dick Cheney’s speeches were challenging but inspirational. We were thrilled that they appreciated our blog and went out of their way to acknowledge our prescence.

More travel for me this week: Atlanta, including the BlogTalkRadio shoe on Wed night at 10pm Eastern.

And now, I plan to snooze across the fruited planes….