Rest In Peace, Margaret Thatcher.
-Bruce (@GayPatriot)
Update on SC Senate Race
When the grassroots effort began which led to me strongly considering a challenge to Lindsey Graham for US Senate in 2014 — I promised that I would conduct my efforts in a transparent manner through social media.
I’ve been relatively quiet about my decision making process this week.
That was by design. After the enormous reception I received at CPAC, my team of advisors and I thought it best that we keep a lower profile this week.
This has allowed us to do the quiet due diligence that we need in order to make a final decision on whether to enter the race.
I promised that there would be a decision by mid-April, and there still will be.
I’d just ask everyone’s patience with me as I consult with my family, friends and members of the conservative grassroots that I respect dearly.
Thanks and have a great weekend.
-Bruce
Meatless Monday & The Great Steak Dinner Bet Payoff
Monday, Feb 25 in Glendale, CA
Monday, Feb 25 in Glendale, CA
Dan did a post a few days ago, but I wanted to re-invite our friends in the Los Angeles area to join me and him for “Meatless Monday” by enjoying a hearty steak dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Glendale, Calif. The official event invite is here on Facebook.
And since I’m also new Vice Chair of GOProud, I’ll be talking about our new efforts at chapter development and outreach.
For those not familiar with “The Great Steak Dinner Bet,” here’s the video from CPAC 2010.
-Bruce (@GayPatriot)
A case for conservative optimism
To some degree, I regret not having blogging during the fiscal cliff negotiations. They may, to be sure, represent a low point for congressional Republicans, but they may also represent a turning point. The once-divided House Republicans emerged unified from their Williamsburg retreat. And Congress has now disposed of one of the few issues Obama emphasized in the campaign — and demagogued after his victory — increasing taxes on the wealthy.
He will not longer be able to use that issue (i.e., “tax the rich) against Republicans as effectively as he did in the campaign. And he now gives Republicans a chance to remind Americans about the second part of his “balanced approach” to deficit reduction: spending cuts.
Las Friday, we learned that despite his successful reelection campaign, President Obama does not have the power he needs to “fundamentally” transform the nation as he would like. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the incumbent’s attempt at constitutional overreach, striking down his use “the Constitution’s recess appointment power to make appointments despite the absence of a recess” to appoint members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
This ruling will make it relatively easy for employers to challenge all the pro-union rulings the NLRB has made since Obama announced the appointments. The Democrat cannot willy nilly put policies into place increasing regulation and giving more power to favored special interests.
And despite a largely favorable press, Obama’s current approval rating hovers just below that of George W. Bush at a similar point in his term, indeed, as George Will observed, the Democrat enjoys “the lowest approval rating (according to Gallup, 50 percent, four points lower than that of the National Rifle Association) of any reelected president when inaugurated since World War II”, with the eminent pundit opining that the incumbent’s “contradictory agenda [is] certain to stimulate a conservative revival.” [Read more…]
The Grand Opportunity Party
This piece was originally posted by my good friend Billy at the Charleston Tea Party webpage and at RedState. It is re-posted here in full.
-Bruce (@GayPatriot)
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New US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) hits the nail squarely on the head in this piece for the Washington Post. The Republicans MUST become more effective at presenting the idea of the opportunities that conservatism provides. The GOP no longer needs to be known as the Grand Old Party, but the Great Opportunity Party. Our principles of limited government, personal responsibility, and a desire to make tomorrow better than today, are what make us uniquely qualified to address our nation’s challenges in the most productive manner. We MUST become salespeople of conservative ideals.
What is the opportunity that the GOP provides? We have a belief in the power of the individual to improve their own lot in life. We understand that it is hard work and a desire to learn that allows people to invest in their future. We KNOW that America and our founding principles are what continue to make America that “shining city on a hill” that John Winthrop spoke of as he reached the shores of this great land. I believe that we are at a time for choosing, and we must do as Reagan said, ““Four years ago we raised a banner of bold colors – no pale pastels. We proclaimed a dream of an America that would be a ‘shining city on a hill’.” We’re talking about the same bold colors today – crafting a message of opportunity and then communicating that message eloquently, forcefully, and without apology.
We offer a spirit of entrepreneurship. This idea is not only confined to those that own their own business, it applies to everyone as they seek to do their job to the best of their ability. I remember a store manager early in my career said to me, “Billy, in order for us to be successful, we need to run it like we own it.” He meant to take pride in the job that I did, and if I took ownership of the job I was assigned, I would be rewarded. This lesson paid off, as a short period of time later I entered the management training program. I continued to carry that philosophy throughout my time in the grocery business, and continue it today as I have a small business of my own. Any person can be an “entrepreneur,” whether it is the men and women that keep the office clean, the folks that make the products we use everyday, or the people that take care of us when we go out to eat. Anyone that takes pride in their job, and seeks a way to improve, is an entrepreneur.
We offer a way to invest in their future. The ability of an individual to keep the fruits of their labor is essential to investment. When we speak of “investing,” we don’t mean merely putting money in a 401(k), we mean saving to buy a place that you can call home, to buy books for your children so they may learn, to afford a family vacation so that you can make memories that will last a lifetime. Investment can take on many of these forms, but it is about one fundamental idea, “I want to make tomorrow better than today.”
We know that personal responsibility is essential to success. When you play by the rules and work hard you CAN succeed, however a burdensome government can often make this more difficult. The wages that people earn should not be used to bail out irresponsible business owners and others that have made poor decisions. The ability to fail is essential to success, I have learned far more from my failures, than I learned from my successes. If that opportunity to fail was not there, I would never have learned those valuable lessons. When people make bad decisions in business, they need to be allowed to fail, so that we all may learn these lessons to ensure success in the future. It is much better to learn not to touch a hot stove by watching someone else burn themselves, than putting yourself through that pain.
We have many other reasons for why we truly are the “Great Opportunity Party,” and this is just a start. I challenge each of you to think of ways that opportunity can lead to success, and to become salespeople of these ideals. Change begins at home, and I hope many of you will join us in this fight. We must shout our message from the rooftops, and liberate everyone from the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” We can continue to ensure that America remains that “last best hope for mankind,” but it will take all of us working towards a common goal to get there.
No dearth of conservative leaders in 2012
Four years ago, appearing on PJTV the night of the election, I said that Rush Limbaugh had then become the interim leader of the conservative movement. Roger Simon, as I recall, disagreed.
In retrospective, I may have had a point. Rush did give a great speech at the following CPAC (2009) challenging the new president and articulating the conservative vision. But, that talker is more a cheerleader and a motivator, than an actual leader. To be sure, he helps us deliver our message and encourages us.
Perhaps Rush came to mind at the time because, in the first eight years of this century, the conservative movement had become increasingly moribund. The Tea Party was not yet born. Few outside Florida had ever heard of Marco Rubio. Bobby Jindal hadn’t even completed his first year as Governor of Louisiana.
Two years later, a whole host of articulate conservatives would rise to the fore, with Bob McDonnell elected Governor of Virginia the following year, then several thoughtful Republicans including Rubio elected to the U.S. Senate, including Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, Rob Portman from Ohio and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania.
Paul Ryan would soon take over the chairmanship of the House Budget Committee. The Tea Party would become even stronger. [Read more…]
How Conservative Women Confront Media Bias
I’ve arrived in Tampa and am now blogging from an awesome panel featuring some of the most powerful women in the Conservative movement.
This panel features Townhall.com editor and author Katie Pavlich, US Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, US Rep. Renee Ellmers and Breitbart Editor Dana Loesch.
The format is interesting… clips demeaning Republican women are shown (many are from Bill Maher, shockingly…). Then the panelists respond to the clips and the overall insulting way the media treats Conservative women.
It is a great panel to start the convention for me. All of these women are smart and accomplished and many have had to overcome great professional and professional odds.
Kudos to the organizers of this panel. It is an important topic and very empowering to hear our strong Conservative women stand up for their values and our nation.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Good Morning From RedState Gathering
I have the pleasure to be attending the 4th Annual RedState Gathering in Jacksonville, FL.
Our first speaker this morning was soon-to-be US Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz. Wow, what an inspiring person. He is so passionate about this country, it made me realize how refreshing a message that is. It seems we have been in a national funk for quite some time. As I said on Twitter recently – “Mr. President, we are tired of being exhausted. Sincerely, America.”
But Ted Cruz is optimistic — more than me, I must admit. He is definitely going to be an important addition to the United States Senate in 2013 and a great partner with his ideological and Cuban-American counterpart, Sen. Marco Rubio.
I’m absorbing more than taking notes, so as always if you want a snapshot of my brain this weekend at RedState, follow me on Twitter!
Later today, we will see a preview of the new Citizens United film, “Occupy Unleashed.”
I also hear rumors that a certain video featuring chickens & lasers will be shown to the group. Heh.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Dodging Lasers To Get Chicken
My sincere apologies that it appears the last place this video is posted is at my very own blog!
My intent was to get this posted here sooner, but it just wasn’t possible until this morning. The video was shot on Wednesday, but it wasn’t cleared by the powers-that-be until Thursday morning. Well, I was driving from Charlotte to Jacksonville, FL all day Thursday. (I’m in JAX for the RedState Gathering…. more on that later)
So here it is, members of the GayPatriot community — my trip to Chik-Fil-A on Wednesday…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jku_4IVJ5ik[/youtube]
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Nearly one-third of voters want to know more about Romney
To win them, he should talk more regularly about the jobs he helped created while at Bain and articulate the policies he plans to implement as president to foster similar job creation.*
In one of the best pieces on what Romney needs to do as the campaign heats up, Sean Trende caught something in “the latest Pew poll“* similar to an item I caught in the NBC/WSJ survey:
by a 90 percent to 8 percent margin, registered voters say that they already pretty much know what they need to know about President Obama.
Second, by a 69 percent to 28 percent margin, these voters say that they already pretty much know what they need to know about Romney. In other words, three times as many voters are still evaluating the presumptive GOP nominee as are evaluating the president.
Third, among independents — who are almost certainly the lion’s share of those who have not yet formed a strong opinion of Romney — 42 percent say they want to know more about his record as governor, 37 percent want to know more about his record as CEO of Bain Capital, and 35 percent want to know more about his tax returns.
(Via Powerline picks) Emphasis added. He found that 28 percent of voters still want to know more about Mr. Romney. Earlier today, digging into the NBC/WSJ poll, I observed that “Romney’s favorable/unfavorable underwater at 35/40 means than one-quarter of Americans still haven’t made up their minds about the presumptive Republican nominees.” He still has a chance to sway these folks.
And no wonder the Obama team is trying to define and destroy the presumptive Republican nominee. They want to provide a negative image of Mr. Romney’s record to that chunk of the electorate still wanting to know more about him.
Trende thinks (and I agree) that Romney needs go positive, detailing his accomplishments in the private sector and putting forward his plans for political reform and economic recovery. [Read more…]