Category → Commentary
ALRLC quoted in the national media
Stephen Gordon provided his immediate opinion regarding Parker Griffith’s change of parties. Dave Weigel of the Washington Independent picked up his quote:
Steve Gordon, an Alabama conservative activist who worked on former Rep. Bob Barr’s (R-Ga.) Libertarian presidential bid last year, tentatively attacked Griffith, using some of the same language as Burgess. “What seems to be a GOP victory at first may well become another liberal victory in the long term,” Gordon wrote in a post for the Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus. “Unless Parker Griffith starts voting like a true fiscal conservative, Alabama could be stuck with another entrenched big-government Republican congressman.”
The “Burgess” to which Weigel referred is Alabama Eagle Forum Executive Director Brooklyn Burgess:
Brooklyn Roberts, an Alabama conservative activist, told TWI that Griffith was falling into a familiar role — that of the “big-government” politician who changes parties without changing stripes.
“I’d expect him to become another [Alabama Sen.] Richard Shelby in terms of bringing pork home and spending,” said Burgess, referring to the senator who left the Democratic Party after the GOP’s 1994 sweep. “I think Griffith will hurt the conservatives who were running for this seat. If he wins I think he’ll become another big-government Republican we can’t get rid of.”
Michelle Malkin also picked up the quote, as well as one from Jeff Sessions, Les Phillip and Steve Boyette.
It’s nice to see the national media paying a bit of attention to the true conservatives in Alabama.
Barack Obama and Charlie Crist rooting for the same team
It’s no secret that Florida Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist (FL-RINO) has a lot in common with President Obama. Both promise no tax increases, but deliver quite the opposite. They both like to stimulate the federal deficit by bankrupting our children and grandchildren.
Now it seems that both Obama and Crist will be rooting for Florida over Alabama at Saturday’s SEC championship game. Tax hikes and deficit spending are bad enough, but supporting Florida over Alabama takes things just a bit too far. Bear Bryant is surely rolling over in his grave right now.
For obvious reasons, the Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus made no endorsements in the recent Iron Bowl contest. However, it’s fairly certain that few people who maintain Alabama values will be supporting the team of Charlie Crist and Barack Obama this weekend.
Mark Sanford provides proof that small-government messaging works
Despite the protestations of folks like Mike Huckabee, Republicans need to get back to basic message of small-government conservativism if they choose to win elections once again. I’ve said this time and time and time and time and time again. Folks much brighter that me (i.e. Richard Viguerie, Ryan Sager, John Dean, Peggy Noonan, Ron Paul, Michael Tanner, Bob Barr) have been presenting the same message since before the 2006 elections.
One of the people I continue to cite as an example of good conservative messaging is SC Governor Mark Sanford. Here’s Frank Luntz analyzing the Republican and Democrat response to a recent Sanford ad:
“Governor Sanford is the most articulate Republican out there right now and the other Republicans ought to pay attention,” said Luntz a couple of days ago on Fox. “Or if they don’t, their numbers will continue to languish.”
The GOP needs libertarians more than libertarians need the GOP right now
Stephen Gordon chimed in regarding the debate between senior GOP personalities over at The Next Right. He concludes:
There aren’t enough libertarians out there right now to become the dominant force in American politics. As election results continue to prove, there aren’t enough people willing to support business-as-normal inside-the-beltway Republican types, either. Should the national GOP leadership re-invite libertarians to the table (as they are doing in some places at a state and local level), the Republican Party might once again become more significant in the national political arena.
Obviously, neither side in this fight is afraid to duke it out. Libertarians have one critical advantage, though.
Libertarians are used to wandering in the wilderness like political nomads. We know we’ll be called upon from time to time to act as tour guides in order to lead the Republican leadership towards some safe small-government oasis or waterhole of individual liberty. We don’t even need maps or compasses, as the routes are permanently etched within our minds. Being tough and hearty political travelers, another forty years in the wilderness doesn’t scare us all that much.
We are, however, becoming increasingly annoyed with Republican leaders who have established a pattern of stiffing us on the bill for our services — making us significantly less inclined to help out in the future.
We warned Republicans in 2004. We showed some resistance in 2006. We showed most of our cards in 2008. Months after the election, the John Cornyn/Mike Huckabee/Lindsey Graham wing of the party continues to hurl insults at us. At this point, any reasonable person might ask why libertarians would even care to lift a finger to help.
Without enough allies to fight the Democrats or even the skills to find the path to small government and individual freedom, the current Republican leadership may not be destined to forty years in the wilderness. Without libertarian assistance, they may not even make it to the next oasis.
With or without the GOP, libertarians will somehow survive. Can the GOP survive without libertarians?
Guns save lives!
A friend and I have been covering this Georgia Second Amendment success story, which is probably the most under-reported piece of news I’ve seen this year. This might be a good time for a refresher course on how many lives might be saved if not for Sarah Brady and her evil ilk. Here’s some background for the upcoming video from Wikipedia:
On Wednesday, October 16, 1991, Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby’s in Killeen. She had left her handgun in her car to comply with Texas state law at the time which forbade carrying a concealed weapon. When George Hennard drove his truck into the cafeteria and opened fire on the patrons, Hupp instinctively reached into her purse for her weapon, but it was in her vehicle. Her father, Al Gratia, tried to rush Hennard and was shot in the chest. As the gunman reloaded, Hupp escaped through a broken window and believed that her mother, Ursula Gratia, was behind her. Hennard put a gun to her mother’s head as she cradled her mortally wounded husband. Hupp’s mother and father were killed along with twenty-one other persons. Hennard also wounded some twenty others. As a survivor of the Luby’s massacre, Hupp testified across the country in support of concealed-handgun laws. She said that had there been a second chance to prevent the slaughter, she would have violated the Texas law and carried the handgun inside her purse into the restaurant.
It’s worth the five minutes to watch her testimony. Even if you’ve seen it before, it’s a good reminder of the price we pay for allowing enemies of the Second Amendment to hold seats in Congress.
You know how the gun-grabbers keep insisting that guns kill? Folks with rational minds know that people, not guns, are the the real killers. We know that a gun is merely a tool. However, as long as they continue to spout their mindless mantra about evil guns running about our streets all willy-nilly killing folks as they please, we may as well remind them that GUNS SAVE LIVES!
Draft the Judge
There’s a new Twitter account to draft Judge Andrew Napolitano to public office.
It looks like there’s going to be a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court which needs to be filled. On the extreme off-chance that the Obama administration has set their litmus test to be a very thorough understanding of the Constitution, then Napolitano’s certainly their man. We won’t be holding our breath around here for a Napolitano appointment from President Obama, though.
Cam Ward provides some good data on the cost of public education
Here are the key points raised by Rep. Ward over at Doc’s:
“One thing that is quite evident from these numbers is that we must reform the pension and public health care system in the education budget,” wrote Mr. Ward. “Every state is facing the same issue as Alabama when it comes to huge reductions in services and available revenue sources.”
Considering the state of Alabama’s projected economy over the next couple of years, perhaps it’s time for teachers to tighten their belts just like the rest of us are having to do.