THREE REASONS WHY PENNSYLVANIA’S SPECIAL ELECTION IS IMPORTANT

Pennsylvania’s special election for John Murtha’s seat in the 12th district is an important marker in the race for control of the House this November for three reasons:

One – the district typifies the culturally conservative area that House Democrats will have to defend in November.

Two – the race is likely to be decided on national issues.

Three – A loss in Pennsylvania would prime the pump for a series of “Are Democrats headed for disaster?” stories.

Keep in mind, Democrats hold a 1.3 million voter registration edge over Republicans in the state, which is why Democrat Governor Edward Gene Rendell moved the special election to the same day as the statewide primary where Democrats have very competitive races for Senate and governor and there are few (if any) competitive statewide primaries in the GOP.

I.M. Kane

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Why Pennsylvania’s special election matters more

By Chris Cillizza

Tim Burns, the Republican, and Mark Critz, the Democrat, are running in a Pennsylvania special election later this month. AP photos by Keith Srakocic

Within four days later this month, voters in Hawaii and southwestern Pennsylvania — two locales thousands of geographic miles apart and even further separated culturally — will head to the polls to pick replacement Congressmen.

While the special elections in Pennsylvania’s 12th district and Hawaii’s 1st district — set for May 18 and May 22, respectively — are both important markers in the race for control of the House this fall, the Keystone State race to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D) matters more when it comes to analyzing the overall political environment.

Why? For three major reasons.

First, the Pennsylvania district is just the sort of culturally conservative area that House Democrats will have to defend in November in race across the country.

It was the only district that went for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in the 2004 election then flipped to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) four years later.

And, Republicans have featured both President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) in their ads in the 12th, a precursor to their November strategy in swing districts — particularly if Burns wins.

Second, the issues on which the race is likely to be decided are entirely national in scope.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has attacked former congressional staffer Mark Critz (D) on Democrats’ energy policy and the health care legislation in ads. In a commercial launched this morning, businessman Tim Burns (R) takes Critz to task for opposing the repeal of the “radical” health care bill that “drastically cuts seniors’ Medicare…raises taxes…and even uses taxpayer money to pay for abortions”.

Third, Pennsylvania goes before Hawaii and primacy matters in these sorts of things. A loss by Democrats in Pennsylvania would prime the pump for a series of “Are Democrats headed for disaster?” stories if Djou goes on to win for days later. If Democrats can win in Pennsylvania though, they are far more able to withstand a loss in Hawaii — writing it off to local rather than national politics.

Compare that trio of Pennsylvania factors to the operating dynamic in Hawaii and an obvious contrast emerges.

While Hawaii is a far more Democratic district — President Obama won with 70 percent there in 2008 — a ballot quirk that puts former Rep. Ed Case (D), state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa (D) and Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou on the same May 22 ballot makes drawing national conclusions from the race more difficult.

The two Democratic candidates are drawing over 50 percent of the vote combined to the mid 30s for Djou. National Democrats have acknowledged privately that if Hanabusa and Case remain in the race they are likely to lose on May 22 but believe that a one-on-one fight in the fall will go their way. (That’s another contrast worth noting between the two races. A Djou win would put him at the top of Democratic target lists while a Burns victory might mean Republicans keep the seat for the foreseeable future.)

Like any race, however, there are mitigating factors in each contest that make Pennsylvania something short of entirely national and Hawaii something short of entirely local.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats have a 60,000 voter registration edge over Republicans and the special will take place on the same day as the statewide primary where Democrats have very competitive races for Senate and governor while there are few (if any) competitive statewide GOP primaries.

In Hawaii, the split between liberals and labor who are for Hanabusa and the national party establishment who are, still somewhat quietly, for Case carries echoes of the split that tore apart the GOP in the New York 23rd district special election last year. (Most Democratic strategists dismiss the idea of a split within the party nationally, noting that the divide in Hawaii is far more about the state politics — both U.S. Senators are for Hanabusa — than about the state of the party.)

And, while the two Democrats vs one Republican dynamic is clearly the dominant one in Hawaii, there is considerable intensity in the GOP base (and even among independents) for Djou — empirical evidence of an intensity gap that has played out in a series of national polls over the last few months. As one Republican strategist noted: “A Charles Djou victory would be a sign of increased GOP intensity. Two years ago, Republicans would have lost this seat.”

Putting those caveats aside, it’s clear that Pennsylvania’s special election is the more true national referendum of the two May races. It’s why spending by the two national parties is already over $1.1 million and nearly certain to grow considerably in the final 13 days of the race.

And, it’s why every political eyeball in the country will be focused on southwestern Pennsylvania on May 18.

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IT’S THE LEFT THAT POSES A SERIOUS THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY, STUPID

The Democrat Party propagandists, a.k.a. the mainstream media, have been conditioning the public to think that tea party patriots pose a serious threat to our nation’s security. Never forget:

“[I]t is leftists who support convicted cop-killers, organize to prevent other Americans from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights, consistently threaten violence, and otherwise have a long history of supporting foreign powers who wish our nation and its freedoms harm

[T]he Extreme Left considers itself as being part of a global movement for “peace and justice.” … Pipelines are being blown up in Canada, domestic anarchists and other extremists are beginning to glorify their Greek and Italian counter-part’s use of explosives and murder internationally. Many American Far-Left websites are beginning to publish the “communiques” and “how-to” manuals from their foreign “comrades.” …

It’s just a matter of time before the Left begins to emulate their heroes- and the killing begins again.”—Brandon Darby 

I.M. Kane

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The Extreme Left: A Ticking Time Bomb

By Brandon Darby

The Mainstream media (MSM) is [sic] currently peddling the Obama Administration myth that patriotic Americans, many of whom have served in our military or who otherwise have an American flag hanging proudly in their front yards, pose a grave threat to our nation’s security. We have seen calls for Republican leaders to denounce Tea-Partiers and other activist groups opposed to Obama’s agenda. We are currently seeing our nation’s Department of Justice being hijacked to score political points for the Far-Left.

Let us remember that it is leftists who support convicted cop-killers, organize to prevent other Americans from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights, consistently threaten violence, and otherwise have a long history of supporting foreign powers who wish our nation and its freedoms harm.

For many years, the anti-American culture of the extreme left has been largely ignored. Like a cancer running through the body politic, the culture of hating America has metasticised [sic]. It is now “uncool” to have a flag in the yard, support our troops or believe in American exceptionalism.

To better see how the left works and the threat it poses, let us take a look at the Left and the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC).

As could be expected, many leftist groups and individuals decided to stage large protests and demonstrations in St. Paul, Minnesota during the 2008 RNC. This is a very American thing to do and is protected by our constitution. However, a group of extreme leftists joined together and called themselves the RNC Welcoming Committee. These individuals set out across the country and used the internet to organize other like-minded individuals and groups to shut the RNC down and they threatened to use “any means necessary.” The organizers showed videos of firebombs being used, handed out maps of “targets,” and went as far as studying the communication systems of law-enforcement and EMS with the stated intention of possibly shutting down such systems.

Of course, a majority of the left-oriented individuals who participated in the RNC protests and demonstrations did not want much to do with the more radical RNC Welcoming Committee. This division in the Left’s protest organizing is standard practice at all large protests and demonstrations. However, the organizing hierarchy of the protest groups is another story all together and will be touched on later in this piece.

As the RNC kicked off, the protests began. All began well and thousands voiced their opposition to the Republican party. At the same time, the the [sic] extreme leftists and anarchists were attempting to follow through with their violent threats by actually making fire-bombs and attempting to use force to prevent Republicans from attending the convention. The Extreme Left wanted to prevent other Americans from exercising their Right to Assemble. Again, bombs were made by several different groups. Thankfully, numerous law-enforcement agencies and the FBI had infiltrated the groups. The bombs were confiscated, arrests were made, convictions were won, and Republicans were able to exercise their right to assemble and were not killed, burned, or otherwise maimed, as the extreme left had intended.

Reading the accounts, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that the attempted atrocities came from extreme leftists and the more moderate Left had no part in any of it. Right? Well, wrong.

Here is where the more moderate groups participate and contribute to such extremism: As soon as the demonstrations were over and the arrests were made, the more “moderate” Left began to stand behind the extremists. Local law-enforcement and the FBI’s successful efforts to stop violence and protect the Republicans right to assemble began to be portrayed as “government oppression of demonstrators.” The ACLU and the National Lawyers Guild began helping to defend the various radicals who had decided to dehumanize and interfere with the rights of Republicans.

There is yet another trial coming up which stems from the Left standing behind the extremists. The Left and the MSM have dubbed the extremists as the “RNC 8.” They are now “fighting” for their “rights” to “assemble.” The many heroes from all of the various law-enforcement groups involved are now being demonized by defense attorneys and the many leftist groups involved. Yet somehow the White House is claiming that conservatives are a threat?

The matter of the extreme anarchist “RNC 8” gets even more disturbing. One of the key “direct action” “trainers” and “community organizers” for the Leftist extremist contingent, Lisa Fithian, also happened to be on the streering [sic] committee for the umbrella organization which encompassed the more “moderate” Leftist groups. This umbrella organization, United for Peace and Justice, boasting nearly 1,400 various groups from across the nation, seemingly organized both the “moderate” and the “extremist” demonstrations.

Former President and cigar aficionado Bill Clinton, recently claimed that anti-government rhetoric from the Tea-Partiers concerned him and could lead the way to violence. Has Mr. Clinton ever looked at the websites of the Far-Left? They have infoshop.org, where the latest “communiques” from the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) can be read by all of the nation’s underground and covert “cells.” Or what about the indymedia.org sites which are sprouting up in most cities?

Did Mr. Clinton not know that all of the latest Animal Liberation Front (ALF) “communiques” can be read there?  Does Mr. Clinton and the folks at MSNBC realize that the majority of the Left believes in and use the term “GreenScare.” This is a Leftist buzzword which is used to defend Eco-Terrorists, like the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and Animal Rights terrorists, like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). It’s meant to tie the FBI’s efforts to stop such domestic terrorism with Mccarthyism.

Let’s get our history straight on the Left in America. The 1960’s and 1970’s were dangerous times for our nation. There were various Black Nationalist groups who stated very clearly in both word and action that they intended to overthrow the US government. They worked with foreign powers to do just that. They murdered police officers. They kidnapped the children of wealthy Americans. They hijacked commercial airliners and forced them to land in Cuba. They set off explosives. They saw themselves as part of a global struggle for “peace and justice.”

The FBI nuetralized them and prevented them from committing further acts of violence. Those who did not die in shootouts with law-enforcement officers were mostly incarcerated for their crimes.

Then the Extreme Left began to grow again. The cop-killing criminals who were in cells began to be deified.  The conservatives ignored this. Now such thugs are heroes to a large percentage of our society. One can easily look at Mumia abu-jamal, Leonard Peltier, and the National Committee to Free the Angola Three. The Left claims that all these individuals and groups are innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. However, it is telling to note that the Left never mentions the particulars of the crime. In the case of Mumia abu-jamal, a young officer named Daniel Faulkner was murdered, leaving behind his wife and young baby. Never once is this mentioned as a tragedy by Mumia’s leftist supporters. In fact, while claiming his innocence, they also make sure to attack the character of Officer Faulkner. He was, according to the Left, a “racist.” He was also a “pig.” Once again, the Left and the MSM have overlooked these facts and claimed that conservatives pose a threat.

Now this is where the Left gets scary again. Once again, the Extreme Left considers itself as being part of a global movement for “peace and justice.” What was once a simple unchallenged glorification of a dark-Leftist era and a ridiculous glorification of that era’s thugs has grown into a force to be reckoned with–and scared of.

Pipelines are being blown up in Canada, domestic anarchists and other extremists are beginning to glorify their Greek and Italian counter-part’s use of explosives and murder internationally. Many American Far-Left websites are beginning to publish the “communiques” and “how-to” manuals from their foreign “comrades.” Groups such as the SHAC (Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty) have successfully used violence and threats of violence to bring a company to it’s [sic] knees by using violence against shareholders and any company that would work with the target of their aggression.

Though much of the violence being exhibited by the Left in foreign nations has largely been stopped by the FBI in domestic matters, the Left-wing Extremists are glorifying violent actions by their foreign “comrades.”

It’s just a matter of time before the Left begins to emulate their heroes- and the killing begins again. They are a ticking time bomb.

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IT’S THE DEMOCRAT PARTY, STUPID

Although conservatives outnumber leftists almost two to one, the best conservatives could do during the Reagan and Gingrich/DeLay years was to slow the growth of government. With the emergence of the “tea party” movement, it’s now possible to stop government growth and actually shrink its size.

“[M]ost conservative leaders and organizations in Washington were silent when George W. Bush and congressional Republicans were expanding government at a record-breaking pace. Even today, too many conservatives are willing to overlook the fact that the GOP’s leaders in Congress, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner, were willing accomplices of Bush’s spending policies and that Mitt Romney was for Obamacare before Obama was.”—Richard A. Viguerie

The tea party movement must not yield to the temptation to start a third party. A third party will split the right-of-center vote and guarantee a socialist dictatorship and leftist Democrat Party dominance over America, which will ensure the death of the Founders’ dream of a democratic Republic.

I.M. Kane

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From an old-school conservative, advice for the tea party

By Richard A. Viguerie

As an active participant in the conservative movement for more than 50 years, I’ve long thought that, even at the peak of our strength, conservatives could only slow the growth of government, not reverse it.

That was the case under Ronald Reagan, who didn’t have a sympathetic Congress and whose administration was plagued with officials who did not share his vision. It was the case in the era of Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, who came to power claiming that Washington was a cesspool, but later acted as if it were a hot tub. DeLay’s K Street Project, which pressured lobbyists to contribute to Republicans, was but one example of how their early ardor for reform was replaced by a desire to hold onto power.

But with the emergence of the “tea party” movement, for the first time in my life I sense that it may be possible for conservatives to actually shrink the federal government.

This moment has been a long time coming. Back when Barry Goldwater became the first member of the conservative movement to be nominated for president, the movement had just two legs — free markets and a strong national defense. After religious conservatives became the third leg, conservatives won three landslide presidential elections in the 1980s. But even that was not enough to stop the expansion of government.

The tea party has added a fourth leg — an emphasis on limiting government through fidelity to the Constitution and our nation’s founding principles, without being operationally aligned with either party. With this addition, we conservatives now find ourselves sitting at a large four-legged table and outnumbering liberals by almost two to one in a recent Gallup poll.

Yet some of the tea party’s greatest strengths also present formidable challenges. How does a leaderless movement (and our lack of a single leader is very much one of our strengths) continue to grow and gain power?

More specifically, how can we make sure that we stay focused on a central set of causes? We must define ourselves — or our opponents will. And they are working overtime to do so. Proverbs 29:18 tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

As a longtime member of the movement for smaller government, I’ve seen political causes, both liberal and conservative, rise and fall and disappear. From that vantage point, I have five suggestions for my fellow tea partiers, advice that can help the movement endure for years to come and make it the main vehicle of change in America.

Be independent.

Most important, tea partiers must remain distinct from both political parties. The GOP would like nothing better than to co-opt the movement and control the independent conservatives who are its members. But we must keep in mind that perhaps the single biggest mistake of the conservative movement was becoming an appendage of the Republican Party.

In his 1976 presidential primary campaign, Reagan said we needed new leaders unfettered by old ties and old relationships. The tea party does not have the old ties and old relationships with Republican politicians that Reagan was talking about and that caused so many conservative leaders to lose their way. Remember that most conservative leaders and organizations in Washington were silent when George W. Bush and congressional Republicans were expanding government at a record-breaking pace. Even today, too many conservatives are willing to overlook the fact that the GOP’s leaders in Congress, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner, were willing accomplices of Bush’s spending policies and that Mitt Romney was for Obamacare before Obama was.

Go on a policy offensive.

We must take on policy initiatives that will fundamentally change America but that, because of crony politics, neither political party will touch. Tea partiers already know that promoting complete adherence to the Constitution, and particularly to the 10th Amendment — which reserves the powers not explicitly granted to the federal government for the states and the people — is the way to change policy. Using this approach, we need to move major proposals to the center of debate and action, among them audits of the Federal Reserve, a restructured tax code and an end to corrupt gerrymandering. We must also pursue constitutional amendments mandating term limits, a balanced budget with tax limitations and an end to automatic citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

Pressure institutions to change.

We must expand our cause beyond anger at politicians. Wall Street banks once operated with the knowledge that individual integrity is essential to the functioning of a free market, but now we have Goldman Sachs executives cheering the housing market collapse. So, rather than focus solely on government, we also need to train a spotlight on the failed leaders of other major American institutions from Hollywood to Wall Street, including big business, banks, mainstream media, labor unions and organized religion (notably my own Catholic Church).

Get involved, then stay involved.

Tea partiers must make ourselves a constant presence and conscience in the lives of those we elect. Once politicians get into office, they are surrounded by lobbyists and special interests that want more, not less, from government. We must push back by making our influence felt at a steady procession of meetings, breakfasts and dinners, and we must speak up via letters, phone calls, e-mails and town hall meetings. Too often after we send people to Washington, we hear from them only through their fundraising appeals. We need face-to-face contact to remind them that we’re here to support them when they do right, and that we’ll vote them out when they do wrong.

Avoid the third-party trap.

Just as the tea party movement must not be co-opted by either of the major parties, nor can it yield to the temptation to start a third party. In 2008, Republicans lost three Senate races because of conservative third-party candidates. Those losses have made it more difficult to oppose and defeat liberal judicial nominations, Obamacare, cap-and-trade legislation and other policies that, even in a best-case scenario, will take conservatives years to undo.

As a practical matter, the two major parties have rigged the rules against third parties, all but ensuring defeat. If conservatives fall into the third-party trap, they will split the right-of-center vote, thereby guaranteeing the left’s control of America for at least another generation. The opportunity of a lifetime will have been wasted.

This doesn’t mean we should automatically support whatever candidates Republicans put up. The tea party electoral strategy should be simple and consistent: We must run principled conservatives in the primaries and then throw our support behind the most conservative major-party candidates in the general election.

Richard A. Viguerie, a pioneer in the use of direct mail for political advocacy, is the author of “Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.”

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