Erick Erickson's Blog, page 205

Yes to Kingston. No to Upton

This is pretty simple and easy. I'm not sure whether the Republicans leaders in the House of Representatives get it.

But let's break it down for them.

(1) There should be no waivers for Committee Chairmen. None.

(2) Consequently, Jerry Lewis should not be Appropriations Chairman and Joe Barton, as much as I like him and would prefer him to Upton, should not be Energy & Commerce Chairman.

(3) For Appropriations, that leaves Hal Rogers who is terrible and Jack Kingston who is not terrible. Therefore, Jack Kingston should be Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

(4) On the Energy & Commerce Committee, that leaves people like Shimkus, Stearns, and Joe Pitts — all of whom would be great Chairmen, with social conservatives right now leaning toward Joe Pitts.

It really is not that hard. Let's hope the leadership hears the grassroots.

Oh, and remember, giving a reprieve to the incandescent light bulb must be one of the first acts of Congress in the new year.

Morning Briefing for November 22, 2010

RedState Morning Briefing

For November 22, 2010

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

Just a reminder that I'll only be writing the Morning Briefing through Wednesday of this week. And if you have any good tips of smoking turkeys, send 'em my way. I'll be throwing my first on the Big Green Egg at some point before sunrise on Thursday. — Erick

1. The U.S. Police State Outrages Continue: Why is the TSA strip searching little boys?

2. Your Voice is like Kryptonite to Bad Politicians

3. No more kicking the tax hike can.

4. Democrats already forgetting the midterms?

5. Overreaching Food "Safety" Modernization Act Would Destroy Family Farmers

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1. The U.S. Police State Outrages Continue: Why is the TSA strip searching little boys?

You may have heard about Janet Napolitano's blue shirts forcing a cancer-surviving flight attendant to remove her prosthetic breast, or the woman whose pants the TSA's hand went down.

You may have also heard about the woman who was singled out because she was wearing a skirt.

You may have also heard about the cancer survivor who, due to an "enhanced" TSA pat-down breaking the seal on his urastomy bag, was left humiliated, in tears, and covered in his own urine.

Now, meet a little boy who was randomly selected for an "enhanced" screening by the TSA.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. Your Voice is like Kryptonite to Bad Politicians

Until 2008 it was actually a crime in Texas under the state's ethics rules for citizens to voice support or opposition for anybody running for Speaker of the House. This law, while longstanding, was blatantly un-constitutional. Thanks to the hard work of the great team at the Liberty Institute the situation was remedied (back then it was called Free Market Foundation.)

The Federal Court ruled that, "The election of the speaker is not, therefore, a matter of internal Housekeeping. It is an issue of great political importance and a legitimate subject for public debate." (Free Market Foundation v. Reisman, 573 F.Supp.2d 952, 955 (W.D. Tex. 2008)

Since the decision in 2008 it has been legal for Texans to use their Constitutional right to free speech to voice their opinion regarding the election of one of Texas' most powerful leaders. Still, some people don't seem to like common folk like us speaking up.

A few weeks ago, Speaker Joe Straus (the liberal Republican speaker that is running for re-election) lashed out at "outside forces" that were trying to have an impact on the Speaker race. From that kind of label you might think that big corporate donors or crony lobbyists were slandering Straus and throwing big wads of money to fight his re-election. The reality is that the outcry for a conservative speaker is coming from you, the conservative resurgence.

As if the incumbent Speaker telling you to sit adown and shut-up isn't enough, Chuck Hopson (Straus' Democrat-recently-turned-Republican Chair of the House Ethics Committee) sent a letter to the legislature offering them a "word of caution." In this letter Chairman Hopson points to anti-bribery statutes and insinuates that letting a constituent or organization influence your vote for Speaker is illegal.

Ok, so we've got the sitting Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives telling you to sit down and shut up and his Ethics Committee Chairman is telling you that it may be illegal to tell our Representatives to actually represent you. Could this get more crooked?

Sadly, yes.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. No more kicking the tax hike can.

he fascinating thing about the upcoming Obama tax hikes - and I imagine that the irony that if the Democrats had just made Bush's tax cuts permanent in the first [place] then they wouldn't be in this mess right now hasn't been lost on the Democratic leadership* - is that they're hardly inevitable. The current ratio is 255/180 Democrat/Republican in the House; 58/41 (Kirk needs to be seated, still) in the Senate. The Democrats can easily pass a bill that will ensure that people's taxes will not automatically rise in January; and they can pass it whenever they like.

And, really, the Democrats know this.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Democrats already forgetting the midterms?

After the election, it seemed like the White House might have gotten the message. Obama said "the overwhelming message that I hear from the voters is that we…want you to work harder to arrive at consensus. We want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy…" White House officials were reported to be "deeply concerned about winning back political independents". The FCC also seemed to get it. Chairman Genachowski said "At the FCC, our primary focus is simple: the economy and jobs."

Message received, right?

Apparently not.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Overreaching Food "Safety" Modernization Act Would Destroy Family Farmers

The Senate has voted to take up consideration of S.510, the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act, which would grant the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) more control over our diets. The supposed intention behind the legislation is to protect consumers from food-borne illnesses. But will it really?

If passed, the misnamed Food Safety and Modernization Act would authorize the FDA to tell farmers how to grow their crops. Federal bureaucrats who likely know little to nothing about farming will set the guidelines on appropriate temperatures, what soil to use, how much water to use and what animals are allowed to be on certain fields.

A study by Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) office states "on the whole this bill represents a weighty new regulatory structure on the food industry that will be particularly difficult for small producers and farms to comply with (with little evidence it will make food safer)"

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Today Is Mark Kilmer's Birthday. This Open Thread is For Him.

On February 5, 2009, we lost our dear friend Mark Kilmer.

While he is gone, he is not forgotten. We miss him. Were he here today, his birthday, he would no doubt at all put this in an open thread. And so we do.

John Cornyn Declares He Will Continue The War Against Conservative Candidates

This is just pitiful. You'd think that John Cornyn would have learned his lesson, but he hasn't.

In a closed door meeting of Senate Republicans, John Cornyn lectured his colleagues that instead of going out and recruiting conservatives against his terrible NRSC hand-picked candidates, Senators should just come talk to him.

Seriously?

We got into this mess because Cornyn didn't listen. He did not listen to those who backed Pat Toomey. He did not listen to those who backed Marco Rubio. He did not listen repeatedly.

Senator, if you want conservatives to work with the NRSC it is very simple — let the people pick their nominees and stay the heck out of primaries.

Joe Straus Is Worried. Keep Up the Pressure.

100% NARAL rated Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, the Republican who relied on Democrats to get into his job and then obstructed major conservative reforms in the Texas House of Representatives, is worried he might be voted off the island.

How do I know?

Well, one of his advisors, Vincent Harris, left me a message on my cell phone tonight that Straus would be calling me tomorrow from a San Antonio, TX phone number.

For the Speaker of the Texas House to be calling a blogger from Georgia to, I assume, convince me he is not the 100% NARAL rated and Planned Parenthood praised Democrat in Republican clothing that I know him to be, must mean we are having an impact and he is worried.

That just means we must keep the phone calls going. Below the fold — more phone numbers to call!!!

Oh, and my phone is pre-programmed to transfer all calls from people rated 100% by NARAL to phone hell, which I think is located at this phone pole in India.

I appreciate the sentiment, but save your breath Mr. Speaker.

And party foul on Vincent for giving out my phone number. That's a big no-no.

Now, with renewed zeal and the knowledge that you are having an impact, you Texans go below the fold and burn up some phone lines. Ask them where they stand and report back. Push them to stand with Ken Paxton.Kenneth Sheets — member elect of Dallas

Ken Sheets has pledged his support for Ken Paxton!!!

Stefani Carter — member elect of Dallas

(972) 385-3313

Charles Schwertner — member elect of Georgetown

(512) 863-4563

John Frullo — member elect of Lubbock

806-853-8275

Larry Gonzales — member elect of Round Rock

512-244-1280

Sarah Davis — member elect of Houston

713-320-2077

Van Taylor — incumbent (special election this year) of Plano

972-398-9416

Linda Harper-Brown — incumbent of Irving

(972) 717-2871

Kelly Hancock (HD-91):

(512) 463-0599, (817) 590-9280

Larry Taylor (HD-24):

(512) 463-0729, (281) 338-0924

Jerry Madden (HD-67):

(512) 463-0544, (972) 424-2235

Morning Briefing for November 19, 2010

RedState Morning Briefing

For November 19, 2010

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

1. Joe Straus Is Worried. Keep Up the Pressure.

2. Ah . . . Dick Lugar

3. Another TSA Outrage

4. DeMint Champions Taxpayers, Stands Firm for Earmark Reform

5. Abortion and the 2010 Elections

———————————————————————-

1. Joe Straus Is Worried. Keep Up the Pressure.

100% NARAL rated Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, the Republican who relied on Democrats to get into his job and then obstructed major conservative reforms in the Texas House of Representatives, is worried he might be voted off the island.

How do I know?

Well, one of his advisors, Vincent Harris, left me a message on my cell phone tonight that Straus would be calling me tomorrow from a San Antonio, TX phone number.

For the Speaker of the Texas House to be calling a blogger from Georgia to, I assume, convince me he is not the 100% NARAL rated and Planned Parenthood praised Democrat in Republican clothing that I know him to be, must mean we are having an impact and he is worried.

That just means we must keep the phone calls going. Below the fold — more phone numbers to call!!!

Oh, and my phone is pre-programmed to transfer all calls from people rated 100% by NARAL to phone hell, which I think is located at this phone pole in India.

I appreciate the sentiment, but save your breath Mr. Speaker.

And party foul on Vincent for giving out my phone number. That's a big no-no.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. Ah . . . Dick Lugar

So the Republicans win sweeping, historic victories across the country on election night. They largely repudiate the Democrats' agenda.

One of the issues out in fly over country was the DREAM Act to set a pathway for citizenship for illegal aliens who've managed to go to college.

Many, many people across the country oppose it and a lot of Republicans on the campaign trail used it as an example of Democratic lunacy.

So Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, as his first act after returning to Washington following the elections, introduces two versions of the DREAM Act.

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), up for re-election in just two short years, makes as his first act back being the bi-partisan co-sponsor of both versions of the DREAM Act.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Another TSA Outrage

A friend of mine sent me this about his TSA experience. He, unlike most of us, was coming back into the country from Afghanistan on a military charter.

"When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards.

"Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That's where the stupid started. . . ."

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. DeMint Champions Taxpayers, Stands Firm for Earmark Reform

We are fighting two wars overseas. We are in the middle of an entitlement crisis that could bankrupt this country. The national debt is simply out of control. And your elected leaders voted to spend $500,000 of your taxpayer money for Brown Tree Snake control and interdiction in Guam.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Abortion and the 2010 Elections

It is a sincerely regrettable fact that less than three weeks after a monumental election for the GOP we have found it necessary to repeatedly engage in fratricide with some of our whilom coalition partners. However, some of our libertarian brethren have been feeling their oats since the election and have taken to throwing around wild and unsupported ipse dixits about how they won the election all by their lonesome and if the GOP wants to win in 2012 it better throw all the ugsome social conservatives under the bus where they belong. It is important to realize that they brought the fight to us; social conservatives did not stand up after the election and loudly proclaim 2010 as a referendum on abortion and declare that everyone who wants to talk about the flat tax or social security reform should sit down and shut up.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Ah . . . Dick Lugar

So the Republicans win sweeping, historic victories across the country on election night. They largely repudiate the Democrats' agenda.

One of the issues out in fly over country was the DREAM Act to set a pathway for citizenship for illegal aliens who've managed to go to college.

Many, many people across the country oppose it and a lot of Republicans on the campaign trail used it as an example of Democratic lunacy.

So Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, as his first act after returning to Washington following the elections, introduces two versions of the DREAM Act.

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), up for re-election in just two short years, makes as his first act back being the bi-partisan co-sponsor of both versions of the DREAM Act.

Welcome to Washington.

Another TSA Outrage

A friend of mine sent me this about his TSA experience. He, unlike most of us, was coming back into the country from Afghanistan on a military charter.

——–

As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards.

Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That's where the stupid started.

First, everyone was forced to get off the plane–even though the plane wasn't refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It's probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren't loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.

The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it reinspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to reinspect our Cargo–just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, reinspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.

This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols.

So we're in line, going through one at a time. One of our Soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the Soldier that they're going to confiscate his nail clippers. The conversation went something like this:

TSA Guy: You can't take those on the plane.

Soldier: What? I've had them since we left country.

TSA Guy: You're not suppose to have them.

Soldier: Why?

TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.

Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I'm allowed to take it on.

TSA Guy: Yeah but you can't use it to take over the plane. You don't have bullets.

Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?

TSA Guy: [awkward silence]

Me: Dude, just give him your damn nail clippers so we can get the f**k out of here. I'll buy you a new set.

Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns–but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

Morning Briefing for November 18, 2010

RedState Morning Briefing

For November 18, 2010

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

1. Freshman House Republicans Need Some Good Discernment

2. More Than One 'I' In Coalition

3. Next step: the War on Irish Coffee.

4. SecTrans Ray LaHood hates your cell phone.

5. TSA Unionization: A $30 Million Annual Gift to Union Bosses

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1. Freshman House Republicans Need Some Good Discernment

The Politico has an article on the number of leadership posts that the incoming class of 2010 is demanding be set aside for freshmen. Two slots on the Elected Leadership Committee (ELC), which basically means they will sit at the leadership table and participate in the discussion, one class president (largely irrelevant), and importantly, two coveted slots on the Steering Committee which makes committee assignments and decides chairmanship races.

These two steering slots need to be filled with hard core conservatives who can be trusted to not just go along with whatever decision Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor make. And currently, the Appropriations Committee controls too much of the committee (Jerry Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ken Calvert, Steve LaTourette, Tom Cole, etc.), and this cannot be expanded. . . .

The class of 2010 are right to be operating as a block, but they need to be discerning within their ranks as to who is the real deal and not to vote for them just because they're nice or articulate or good looking or funny or whatever other ridiculous consideration these popularity contests come down to.

Reform of the Steering Committee is Fundamental; each member should get one vote. But it also matters who the members are. The class of 2010 need to make their votes count.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. More Than One 'I' In Coalition

There has been much ink spilled and bytes consumed in the past week over that tea party letter asking Republicans to, in effect, shut up about social issues. This is a problem that both sides have had in the past.

Some social conservatives have wanted federal government involvement in their issues at the expense of fiscal integrity and some fiscal guys have wanted government involvement in their issues while ignoring life, gay marriage, etc.

[T]here is more than one "I" in coalition. Both sides must work together as best they can and it is inappropriate for either side to want to shut up the other side.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Next step: the War on Irish Coffee.

The FDA has informed four companies that caffeine is an "unsafe food additive" when mixed with alcohol. In this particular case, the drinks being affected are cans of carbonated, caffeinated, and alcoholic drinks… but if you're wondering what's the scientific difference between that and a hand-made mixture of coffee, whiskey and whipped cream, the answer's simple: there isn't one. This is strictly 'political'… or more accurately, 'pandering.' And if you're wondering what's stopping the government from deciding that bars shouldn't serve Irish or Jamaican coffee - or, God help us, Red Bull and vodka, which is apparently the big club drink now - the answer's even simpler: nothing. Nothing at all. If young drinkers start consume hand-mixed caffeine/alcohol concoctions, the FDA will start going after the organizations that serve them.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. SecTrans Ray LaHood hates your cell phone.

So. It's a few years from now. You're driving in your car (with a passenger); it's night, and it's snowing. You're out in the middle of nowhere. One of your tires blows out: fortunately, you're able to stop before you flip the car, but you're still out in the middle of nowhere at night in the snow with a flat tire. But that's why you have Triple A… so you get out of your car and move far enough away to get a signal on your cell phone, then spend roughly the next hour or so slowly freezing solid as you navigate the tow truck in.

Why?

Because Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is a complete moron who wants to jam your cell phone, that's why .

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. TSA Unionization: A $30 Million Annual Gift to Union Bosses

When we have an administration more concerned about rewarding its union cronies than the U.S. Constitution (see ObamaCare for reference), giving union bosses access to the wallets of TSOs was only a matter of time. Now, the Transportation Security Agency's blue shirts who are doing Janet Napolitiano's bidding frisking, groping, molesting and seemingly sexually assaulting the American public, are about to get license for further abuse—a union card.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Freshman House Republicans Need Some Good Discernment

This morning's Politico has an article on the number of leadership posts that the incoming class of 2010 is demanding be set aside for freshmen. Two slots on the Elected Leadership Committee (ELC), which basically means they will sit at the leadership table and participate in the discussion, one class president (largely irrelevant), and importantly, two coveted slots on the Steering Committee which makes committee assignments and decides chairmanship races.

These two steering slots need to be filled with hard core conservatives who can be trusted to not just go along with whatever decision Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor make. And currently, the Appropriations Committee controls too much of the committee (Jerry Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ken Calvert, Steve LaTourette, Tom Cole, etc.), and this cannot be expanded.

Specifically, Politico mentions that Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi is interested in serving on the steering committee. This cannot happen. Nunnelee chaired the Appropriations Committee in the Mississippi State Senate, and looks to be the second coming of Thad Cochran. Once an old school appropriator, always an appropriator, and the burden is on Nunnelee to prove that he will be different at the federal level.

Politico does not mention Jeff Denham of California as being interested, but I could see this being the very type of position he would be interested in. Denham would be terrible on the committee, blending in as a conservative publicly and taking the leadership line privately. He was a real problem in the State Senate.

Others of concern for any of these positions: Bob Dold, Charlie Bass (heaven help us!), Steve Womack, and bank lobbying tax hiker Steve Stivers.

Who can be trusted on this most insider-of-insider committees? Tom Graves (he should be considered a freshman), Jeff Duncan, Justin Amash, Renee Ellmers, Tim Huelskamp, and Allen West for starters.

The class of 2010 are right to be operating as a block, but they need to be discerning within their ranks as to who is the real deal and not to vote for them just because they're nice or articulate or good looking or funny or whatever other ridiculous consideration these popularity contests come down to.

Reform of the Steering Committee is Fundamental; each member should get one vote. But it also matters who the members are. The class of 2010 need to make their votes count.