Conservative Media Bias? Yes!

  What are Conservatives chief complaints about the Liberal media? That there is always an agenda, that it is hopelessly one-sided, and that they can beat a story to death until the next shiny object comes along, and then they are on to their next object of destruction.
  But in the wake of the Todd Akin circus this week, with Conservative media right there to jump on, who needs Liberals? Let's get some things straight right from the start. What Akin said was inexcusable, and should not be condoned by anyone, and he should never have done an interview with Charles Jaco in the first place. Anyone who has lived in St. Louis for 5 minutes knows that Jaco does not exactly have the warm fuzzies for Conservatives.
  As soon as this story broke, every Conservative media pundit, not so much local, but definitely national, promptly went about finding a table to get up on and jump up and down and scream about how Todd Akin must go now! Most of these people had never even heard of Todd Akin, but they were sure he was going to all but hand a second term to Barack Obama.
  Instead, what if this had happened. All those Conservatives went on TV, acknowledged the incident, roundly condemned it, even gave their opinion on whether or not he should stay or go. Then said, "Now let's talk about the economy, let's talk about jobs, let's talk about how we can get this country moving again." That's not what happened. Mark Levin must have popped a blood vessel the way he ranted on. Ann Coulter called Akin a "selfish swine", who only thought of himself by staying in the race. Funny, I know there must be one or two people who support Akin. Certainly no one bothered to find them. Is this the "fair and balanced" that we Conservatives have been known to give a rant or two about?
  Did I miss something, and it is Halloween already? I thought for sure that must be those pesky Liberals howling again. Well no, it was not. Today, a Rasmussen poll came out that shows Claire McCaskill up by 10 points. Ya' think?!!
  What I think is that there was an agenda to this as soon as it hit, and it became known that the top GOP honchos were going to pull the money plug. There wasn't a single Democrat anywhere to be found squawking about this. President Obama only touched on it briefly a few days after it happened, and briefly again today. Even though Todd Akin was the one uttering those unseemly comments to get the wrecking ball rolling, our own Conservative media grabbed that ball and boy did they run with it.
  We all know what is at stake in this election. Taking control of the Senate is almost as equally important as taking the White House, especially if we are to have any hope of repealing Obama care. Maybe if the whole situation had just been condemned by all, and then we talked about something important, we would not be where we are. Come November, if Todd Akin loses the Senate election, the blame will not just be on him. It will also fall on the complete over reaction by top GOP officials, both state and national, and yes, we will have our own Conservative "experts" to thank as well.
  So nice going people. What happens when the almost impossibly high standards we are beginning to set become so steep that even mere mortals are unfit to run for office?
  Maybe some people should just come down off the table, and in those immortal words from Archie Bunker, stifle yourself.                

Piling On

  I really have been trying very hard not to write about Congressman Todd Akin, and his unfortunate remarks about "legitimate" rape. For the simple reason that the whole thing is so stupid and blown wildly out of proportion.
  Having said that, what I find completely jaw-dropping is the never ending ability for Republicans and Conservatives to eat their own. Nobody on the right is going to condone what the Congressman said. It was inane and uneducated at least. Highly insulting and insensitive to any woman who has been a victim of rape and abuse at best.
  Akin has since apologized for what he said. As a supporter of Akin's I like to think what he wanted to say was actually correct, it just got horribly twisted in the transition from brain to mouth. But for some on our side, apologies and promises to do better next time are just not good enough. Establishment Republicans seem to be saying,"Congressman, could we please have your head on a platter so as to make an example of you for the next Conservative that writes stupid checks with his or her mouth that their brain never intended to cash?" "Better yet, could you please just step down from the race so that we can hand a much-needed Senate seat back to Claire McCaskill so she can continue to rubber stamp every Obama edict that comes down the pike?
  It is times like these that require, shall we say, a little "testicular fortitude" from Conservatives. But in the wake of comments by Mitt Romney and others condemning what Akin said, and both the Missouri and national GOP Committee pulling support from Akin's campaign, it appears that he will be getting, at least from the State Republican Committee, the CD1 treatment. The CD1 treatment is when you do not support your strongest candidate, and basically hand the election to your Democratic opponent because you don't want to make anyone angry. Hey Missouri GOP, how did that work out for you?
  Unfortunately, it is probably likely that the Republican Grand Poobahs will make life miserable for Todd Akin until he cries "Uncle", and withdraws from the race. Maybe the Libertarian or the Constitution Party candidates are still available. They can probably count on a call from the Republican Party.          

Lessons From The Campaign Trail

Last week was a long week. Maybe because I am on vacation this week. It was also a hard week. One that I did not think was going to end so quietly.
  At the risk of telling my life story on a blog, I am working on a career change. Something in Politics. I haven't quite narrowed it down yet, but something. So I worked on my first campaign. A Congressional campaign. It was fun, educational, sometimes surprising, and a lot of work. But last week in particular, it was sad. We lost.
  You at least try to be a grown-up about the whole thing. After all, you win some, you loose some right? You suck it up, put your big boy pants on, and life goes on. You try to pinpoint where you might have gone wrong, and vow to do better next time. Usually one of life's lessons learned early on.
  But as I sat with my fellow campaign workers watching election results, I knew that each one of us was feeling the same way. We were sure the numbers were going to get better. It was still early. As it got later though, the numbers were not getting any better. Finally, I knew I had to leave. I still had a paying day job I had to get up early for. Nobody wanted to leave. Leaving would make it final. But we did. Maybe it sounds a bit silly, but we were all a little teary-eyed and were trying not to show it. We had all worked so hard.
  On the way home, I felt such a sense of loss. Not just because we had lost the election, but this had been such a big part of my life the past few months. What now? I didn't sleep well that night. Perhaps it was a combination of realizing that the next step was not going to take place, and too much Kentucky Fried Chicken.
  When my alarm went off the next morning, I stumbled to the shower as usual. As I started to wake up, I realized that yes, this was an ending of sorts, but it was also a very important beginning. I had my own projects in the works that I could now devote more time to, but as a group, I knew that we were definitely not done. We had other ideas and possibilities we were kicking around. The world, at least this corner of it, had not seen the last of us.

  I have met amazing people in the last few months. People I am so honored to call my friends. They have taught me a lot, and given me some valued experience to take with me as I maneuver along the career-change path. I know because of them, that path will have a few less bumps in it than it might have had. I have always been one of those people who never quite knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I think I might just know now.

Community Organizing Conservatives

It seems like the Left has always cornered the market on boycotts, protests, and making enough noise to get their candidates elected. But in case no one has noticed lately, something is starting to happen.
  It began in early 2009 when the mainstream media declared the Republican Party dead. Then, CNBC's Rick Santelli ranted that a Tea Party style revolt needed to happen. The rest, as they say, is history.
  Conservatives have learned a lot in the last four years. They learned that they were definitely not alone. They learned that a big part of the problem was in house. Old timey squishy Republicans, who got elected and re-elected year after year. They didn't rock the boat, didn't make waves once they got to Washington. They slapped Liberal Democrats on the back and called them their friends so everybody would like them.
  So in 2010, Conservatives found their voices. They found them in a big way. With the help of the Tea Party, which had become reality, they swept through the House of Representatives and Governor's mansions in a way that had not been seen, at the very least since 1994.
  Elections years are tricky things it seems for the mainstream media. Once again, they are sounding the death knell for the Tea Party. They must figure they have to start on that early. But once again, Conservatives are fighting back. With the support of Chick Fil A in record numbers, after the uproar over comments made by CEO Dan Cathy in support of traditional marriage. Then, with the run-off election in Texas, where the Tea party favored candidate, former State Solicitor General Ted Cruz won over Republican "establishment" candidate, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, who was thought to be the heir apparent to this seat. Cruz will face Democratic nominee Paul Sadler in November.
  Ted Cruz won the nomination because of Grass Roots. Pure and simple. The biggest thing for Conservatives to take away from the Ted Cruz victory, and others like it, is that they have discovered their power. They went door to door, they made phone calls, they held fund-raisers. They organized the community for Ted Cruz. And they won. Now they have to keep winning. Keep flexing their muscles. Get rid of wishy-washy moderate Republicans. Stop giving a damn whether or not the mainstream media is going to like us. They won't. Keep standing up and speaking out Conservatives. Keep rocking the boat until we overturn it.
  Establishment Republicans, your time is up.