Erick Erickson's Blog, page 144

Mark Amodei Comes Out Swinging

Mark Amodei is the Republican pick for the special election in Nevada 2 to replace now Senator Heller. I suspect we're going to hear a lot of Republicans sounding a similar theme. It's just that Amodei's first commercial is extremely timely.

You can learn more about him here.

Are Conservatives & Conservative Organizations in D.C. Actually Feckless Wimps?

A number of conservatives and conservative groups in Washington, D.C. are pushing yet another pledge. This one is to cut, cap, and balance. They want you to pledge to urge your Senator and Congressman to oppose any debt limit unless all three of the following conditions are met: (1) substantial cuts in spending; (2) enforceable spending caps; and (3) passage of the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment, known as S.J. Res. 10 in the Senate and H. J. Res. 56 in the House.

The pledge is wonderful. I fully support it. I also think any conservative and conservative organization that signs the pledge is feckless, spineless, and gutless unless one additional step is taken.

And the sad thing is, I suspect I am one thousand percent right that we'll all be disappointed by the conservatives and conservative organizations signing the pledge. Here's why.We've reached the point of no return in this country, but Republicans keep making deal after deal after deal. They'll negotiate their way to hell and our country to fiscal ruin all while nuancing around pledges.

Meanwhile, the pledge makers and pledge signer really do nothing other than say "Oh my, Senator/Representative X broke the pledge. Tisk. Tisk."

The time for tisk, tisking is over.

I'm calling on the conservatives and conservative organizations who agree to "cut, cap, and balance" to put up or shut up. Here's the Erick Erickson Pledge:

I pledge that if any Republican votes to increase the debt ceiling without first cutting, capping, and balancing using Lee-Cornyn-Hatch, I will work like hell to beat the hell out of him/her in a primary, even if their election is 2014 or 2016.

The time for nuancing and diplomatic niceties in Washington are over.

Instead of standing around in a circle of Washington hoo-haaing like conservatives are prone to do lamenting their sorry fate and wringing their hands on what strategy to take to Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell, conservatives need to adopt a very simple strategy:

Hold the freaking line.

If any Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling without forcing (1) substantial cuts; (2) enforceable caps; and (3) sending the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment to the states, the conservative movement must unite to beat the hell out of them in a primary. Period. End of Story. No more wimping out.

It really is that simple — or at least it is that simple unless your brain has atrophied from being inside the Beltway. Just don't raise the debt ceiling. Oh, I know, some of you are getting sweaty palms thinking about it and insisting that we must raise the debt ceiling.

That's what we always do.

Putting it bluntly — it is time to be a hostage taker and take the debt ceiling hostage to cutting, capping, and balancing the budget.

Will conservative organizations actually stand up and wage scorched earth in the name of saving the Republic, or will they yet again go limp when sold out for the billionth time. My money is on limp, but I hope others will stand on either hand and save this bridge with me.

By the way, the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget amendment is non-negotiable. Other Republicans are offering up balanced budget amendments, but the alternatives either don't limit spending or make it too easy to raise taxes instead of making spending cuts. Lee-Cornyn-Hatch has both a spending limitation component and requires a super-majority to raise taxes.

Folks, talk is over. It's time for action.

Morning Briefing for June 20, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For June 20, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

Save the American Dream

Because you're a RedState conservative, you understand the financial catastrophe that is looming in Washington-and what this means for all Americans. I can think of no better way to fight back and advance the conservative principles that are the only solution to what ails America.

I've recorded a short video that explains more and gives you a way to stand with The Heritage Foundation in letting Congress know you want them to cut out some specific spending outrages.

Our country is running out of time. But I believe we can meet this crisis with wisdom, courage, and strategic effectiveness. Please watch my video now.

1. Are Conservatives & Conservative Organizations in D.C. Actually Feckless Wimps?

2. One Network, Under Secular Elitism

3. Rick Perry's Scandalous Skeletons Come Out of the Closet

4. On Jon Huntsman: See, I Told You So

5. We May Or May Not Be 'Ultraconservative,' But We Certainly Didn't Call the SBA Pledge 'Ridiculous'

6. ThinkProgress and Lee Fang vs the Evil Koch Brothers

7. Union Targets Target and Misses

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1. Are Conservatives & Conservative Organizations in D.C. Actually Feckless Wimps?

A number of conservatives and conservative groups in Washington, D.C. are pushing yet another pledge. This one is to cut, cap, and balance. They want you to pledge to urge your Senator and Congressman to oppose any debt limit unless all three of the following conditions are met: (1) substantial cuts in spending; (2) enforceable spending caps; and (3) passage of the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment, known as S.J. Res. 10 in the Senate and H. J. Res. 56 in the House.

The pledge is wonderful. I fully support it. I also think any conservative and conservative organization that signs the pledge is feckless, spineless, and gutless unless one additional step is taken.

And the sad thing is, I suspect I am one thousand percent right that we'll all be disappointed by the conservatives and conservative organizations signing the pledge. Here's why.We've reached the point of no return in this country, but Republicans keep making deal after deal after deal. They'll negotiate their way to hell and our country to fiscal ruin all while nuancing around pledges.

Meanwhile, the pledge makers and pledge signer really do nothing other than say "Oh my, Senator/Representative X broke the pledge. Tisk. Tisk."

The time for tisk, tisking is over.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. One Network, Under Secular Elitism

Just as I thought that the primary reason a father who loves golf as much I do would have to boycott NBC Sports and it's recently acquired Golf Channel is the inundation of frigging Viagra (and similar) commercials, the geniuses at NBC decided to use their considerable wisdom and virtue to edit the Pledge of Allegiance for the rest of us, for they consider us dupes.

This morning, before the final round of the United States Open - a Father's Day tradition for golfers in this country and beyond, and arguably the most grueling test of golf in the world - NBC produced one of those little lead-in montages… You see, the Open is being played at historic Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, right outside of Washington, DC, and the montage was a little patriotic deal showing pictures along with clips of kids reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Only - the fine producers at NBC decided that it would be much better for the viewers not to be subjected to the phrase "under God," not once - but twice.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Rick Perry's Scandalous Skeletons Come Out of the Closet

Every Republican Presidential candidates is a closet homosexual who engages in mass orgies with women and boys while keeping multiple mistresses on the side hidden from their wives all while funneling highway contracts to their best friends for a kickback.

Every Republican is like that if you believe those candidates' opponents within the Republican Party.

Rarely do these rumors ever actually become true.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. On Jon Huntsman: See, I Told You So

My objection to Jon Huntsman remains simple: while serving at the pleasure of the President of the United States, he began plotting against the President of the United States. It matters not who the President is. It matters that the man was disloyal to his President while serving as his mouth piece to our biggest strategic adversary in the world.

Many people responded to my objection by saying, "he never campaigned or did anything to start campaigning while serving the President." This statement is made in direct contravention to the public facts and record.

And now even the Los Angeles Times concedes that I was right.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. We May Or May Not Be 'Ultraconservative,' But We Certainly Didn't Call the SBA Pledge 'Ridiculous'

In calling the Susan B. Anthony List's pro-life pledge "a mess", the Washington Post's Jenn Rubin seeks to use "ultraconservative" RedState to prove that even those icky social conservative sites dislike the pledge.

It is not only inaccurate to say that, it is absolutely journalistic malpractice for which I insist upon a correction.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

6. ThinkProgress and Lee Fang vs the Evil Koch Brothers

While I claim no expertise, I do have a general understanding of how the oil market works, which is more than can be said for ThinkProgress "investigative journalist" Lee Fang. A series of articles (notably here and here) has convinced the so-called Progressive community that Fang has blown the lid off a Koch Brothers conspiracy to control oil markets via speculation.

For Mr. Fang, the Koch Brothers' "Contango Strategy" is the smoking gun. A contango market allows the owner of oil storage to score low-risk profits of several dollars per barrel. The Kochs capitalized on such a situation back in late 2008/early 2009. But Fang repeatedly fails to explain how commodities futures trading drives the market price of the commodity.

To better understand how the market works, let's take a closer look at this strange term, contango.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

7. Union Targets Target and Misses

The United Food & Commercial Workers, following years of failed efforts at unionized mega-retailer Wal-Mart, grocer Whole Foods and seeing some of its unionized employers like A&P file for bankruptcy, had set its sights on a new target: Target.

On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board conducted a secret-ballot election in Valley Stream, NY at one of Target's approximately 1750 U.S. stores. If the union won, it would have been the first-ever unionized Target in the nation. Ultimately, the union failed.

After the employees cast their secret ballot and the NLRB counted the ballots, the union lost 137-85.

The union, of course, is displeased with the employees choice and is blaming the retailer for its loss.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

On Jon Huntsman: See, I Told You So

My objection to Jon Huntsman remains simple: while serving at the pleasure of the President of the United States, he began plotting against the President of the United States. It matters not who the President is. It matters that the man was disloyal to his President while serving as his mouth piece to our biggest strategic adversary in the world.

Many people responded to my objection by saying, "he never campaigned or did anything to start campaigning while serving the President." This statement is made in direct contravention to the public facts and record.

And now even the Los Angeles Times concedes that I was right.

Huntsman's campaign, while he was still serving as ambassador, began lining up speaking gigs for him in key primary states. Huntsman says he had no connections to the people doing this on his behalf, but the facts show otherwise.

Did Jon Huntsman violate the Hatch Act, a federal law prohibiting political appointees from engaging in politics? It does not look good for Huntsman and you can bet that, should he be the nominee, the media will do to him with Hatch Act allegations what they've done for two years to Sarah Palin.

At least with Huntsman it will be deserved.

We May Or May Not Be 'Ultraconservative,' But We Certainly Didn't Call the SBA Pledge 'Ridiculous'

The pseudo-conservative Washington Post blogger, Jenn Rubin, has decided to label RedState as 'ultra-conservative'. I can only guess that it is because we advocate hanging the traitor Jonathan Pollard instead of setting him free like Rubin does and also because we here at RedState embrace Jim DeMint as a standard bearer for conservatism while Rubin would prefer to take an exacto knife and excise from the movement those conservatives she does not care for, e.g. social conservatives.

So if your definition of ultraconservative is one who believes in conservatism across the board, then I guess we are. If your definition of "conservative" is one who detests most social conservatives and loves American traitors, then I guess Jenn Rubin is a conservative. I've always viewed her has a libertarian too ashamed to admit she is a libertarian because of the people we typically think of as libertarians and because one of Jenn's foremost issues is the defense of Israel, which neither liberals nor libertarians care much about.

So in that vein, RedState is ultraconservative because Jenn is fashioning herself as a mainstream conservative to make herself feel comfortable in a group she otherwise doesn't want much to do with it.

It happens.

In any event, in calling the Susan B. Anthony List's pro-life pledge "a mess", she's seeking to use "ultraconservative" RedState to prove that even those icky social conservative sites dislike the pledge.

It is not only inaccurate to say that, it is absolutely journalistic malpractice for which I insist upon a correction.

Speaking for the majority of the front page here at RedState, we embrace the pledge, do not think it is a mess, and for Rubin to extrapolate that "RedState" thinks the pledge is "ridiculous" when it was actually one diarist who got only four recommendations is what is actually ridiculous.

You would think people who grew up in the blogosphere would have some sense of how RedState works instead of making the same mistake the New York Times editorial board recently made.

See, we "ultraconservatives" here at RedState actually do allow a pretty wide variety of viewpoints between conservatives in our diaries and on our front page. If I or a "Directors" post have not taken a position on something, you can be pretty damn sure the site as a whole has no position, though some individuals here may.

The majority of us on the front page, however, support the SBA List's pledge, and find it perfectly reasonable.

Yes, we do think the candidates for President should only pick pro-life appointees in the same way, I am sure, the left wants only pro-choice appointees picked.1 As for the hyperbole over the SBA List's pledge, let's be clear on what is happening:

Mitt Romney does not like the pledge and has a bunch of sympathetic allies making excuses for why he shouldn't sign the pledge using the most extreme examples imaginable — examples that neither we here nor, I'm sure, the Susan B. Anthony List are prepared to get worked up about. But Romney needs cover and his faithful allies are willing to throw the Susan B. Anthony List under the bus to give him that cover under a bunch of hyperbole about a very decent and worthwhile pledge.

As for Herman Cain's separation of powers argument, it is honestly the stupidest thing to come out of his campaign. I guess Cain won't offer up a budget to congress either, since, you know, that's congress's job. Saying he will not not "advance" the legislation in congress displays a naiveté about the Office of Presidency I did not think he had.

By the way, I would note that Jenn Rubin spends an inordinate amount of time in her section of the Washington Post bashing conservatives. Seriously, I long ago stopped reading her because the hand wringing over what actual conservatives are doing . . . er . . ."ultra" conservatives are doing was no more or less than what the purported lefties at the Washington Post do.

With friends like Jenn . . .

As an aside, any "conservative" who gets a tingle up their leg or developes a case of thigh sweats for Tom Ridge and laments he might be excluded from a Republican administration is definitionally not a conservative.

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Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I got home around 2am, but got to sleep in my own bed. Then got woken up by the kids at 7 . . . and again at 8 and 9 and 10 and finally decided having them lay on top of me and pretend alligators were eating me was enough.

I got out of bed at 11. It's been a very long week.

Happy Father's Day.

Consider this an open thread.

Herman Cain Resurgent At Right Online #RO11

I was critical after last week's debate, not so much of Herman Cain per se, but of the fact that he has been unable to show he is competent in handling policy.

Right Online and the Republican Leadership Conference both show it doesn't really matter right now with the crowds. They love him.

In both New Orleans and Minneapolis, Cain pounded the Obama Administration, its profligate spending, and its growing out of touch with American values. The crowd hung on every word and, in Minneapolis, gave him more standing ovations than even Michele Bachmann.

More and more polls are showing that Cain continues to go up in the polls. Karl Rove and Charles Krauthammer may think he isn't a serious candidate, but the voters love him enough that they have made him one.

Cain is going to have to begin working the transition between being an insurgent campaign and a top tier campaign because he is now deeply, deeply relevant to the 2012 election.

As a measure of both his and Michele Bachmann's impact, they came in fourth and third, respectively, in the RLC straw poll. Ron Paul, who came in first, bussed in students. Jon Huntsman, who came in second, bought up tickets in bulk. Neither Bachmann nor Cain took steps to boost the outcome in their favor and still managed to do phenomenally well.

Tim Pawlenty Impresses Right Online #RO11

The energy level was not the same as with Michele Bachmann, but then the speech was a different sort of speech.

Pawlenty arrived at Right Online after a rough day of travel from Iowa with a very late plane. We were actually going to meet and chat before he went on stage. Instead, he took off from Iowa at the time we were supposed to meet and made it to Right Online ten minutes before his speech.

Consider that he arrived ten minutes before his speech after multiple flight problems and used neither notes nor the podium to make his case. The crowd responded extremely positively to a guy who could, unlike Obama, speak without a teleprompter and, unlike Bush, not make a series of unfortunate verbal gaffes as a result.

It was a refreshing demeanor and a great speech. He threw in a jab about Mitt Romney saying we shouldn't be rewarding co-conspirators to Obamacare. He took on Obama's energy policy and spending policy. His energy policy was summed up in two words, "More energy."

He highlighted his record as Governor of Minnesota, even pointing out he was willing to shut down the government to force the legislature to restrain spending.

His speech was like his campaign style — it was slow and steady, not boring, but not flashy, building steam to the end. By the end, he had the crowd cheering and denouncing Obama's policies with him.

A lot of people I know like Pawlenty a lot, but they don't view him as "Presidential." They sometimes use the word "gravitas" and say he lacks it in a way Mitt Romney does not. "Sure, he's the guy you want to have the beer with, but maybe he isn't the guy you want taking the 3 am phone call," they say.

Maybe it is the gradual evolution of Pawlenty on the campaign trail as he continues to build steam or maybe people are just noticing. But his speech, unteleprompted, without notes, and without time to decompress from his flight before taking stage, was the kind of speech a Presidential candidate gives who is the kind of candidate you must take seriously whether you want to or not.

Michele Bachmann Sets A Very High Bar at Right Online #RO11

Michele Bachmann was scheduled to speak for 17 minutes at Right Online. She took an extra 18 minutes and 30 seconds.

The whole speech felt like it was only a few minutes. It was funny, fascinating, informative, and powerful. She set the bar very, very high for other candidates.

Her tax lawyer background showed in her speech, as did her faith. She used a dollar bill, folding it to show how Barack Obama's policies have devalued it 14% and how the federal government borrows 42% of every dollar spent. She had the audience join her so they too can show others.

She hit Obama on something few Republicans ever do — unemployment in the Hispanic and black communities, noting how his policies have hurt the very groups he pledged to help. She focused as well on youth unemployment. Black youth in this country face 40% unemployment this summer and Hispanic youth face over 20%. Astonishing.

Bachmann brought the crowd to its feet multiple times. She pledged that she would not fight until Obamacare is repealed. She tackled medicare reform too. She pointed out that while the Democrats are scaring old people about Republican reforms, the Democrats took $500 billion from Medicare to fund healthcare for the young. She says the GOP needs to start pointing out that Barack Obama intends to bankrupt medicare and force senior citizens into Obamacare.

The speech really was dazzling and not because of the zingers and one liners. It was an extremely substantive speech about how Obama's policies are hurting the country. Its substance, facts, and figures sets a very high bar for the other Presidential candidates who will be speaking at Right Online.

This afternoon both Tim Pawlenty and Herman Cain will speak. We'll see if they clear the bar.

The Muslim Marine and More #EERS

It's a free for all Friday night and there is a lot to get into tonight, including today's incident at the Pentagon.

It's also a free for all Friday night.

You can listen live at http://wsbradio.com and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.

Consider this an open thread.