2010: A New Beginning of the Spotsylvania County Republican Committee! Part 1 of 2: A Few Reflections from the Vice-Chair

From the eyes of the 2008-2010 SCRC vice-chairman… that's me.

Over the past two years, the Spotsylvania County Republican Committee (SCRC) has been blessed to have a prosperous track record and a growing and great collection of volunteers. I hope this will not change and will continue its progress. (By the way, the pictures in this post are a hodgepodge of snapshots I've collected at various events to demonstrate the many things we do throughout the year on the committee. It's not all just election-day campaigning. It's SO much more! They're in no particular order...)

On April 1, 2010 we will vote for a new chairman and executive staff starting at 7pm at Riverbend High School. Three men are seeking the chairman's seat but the one who gets 50% +1 of the vote will assume the job the next day. He'll need a strong and dedicated vice-chairman to help him succeed. This blog entry is dedicated to that person and to those who he or she would come in contact with in the next two years.

This committee has grown from just a few dozen regular attending members in 2007 to nearly a hundred— with more new faces coming to each meeting in 2010 than ever before! Growth has come especially since the 2008 presidential defeat when I think it started to actually “sink in” that our country is indeed in trouble and the “someone” who should “do something” about it is staring at us right in the bathroom mirror.

These new faces didn't just happen to stumble across the committee though (well I hope not anyway.) For the most part, they were somehow touched in their lives by some program or outreach that we've done either in between election seasons or during them. Some were contacted by an active or passive member who participates in our committee at some level and invited, or they might have just simply "Googled" us. Either way... the groundwork was already laid by "someone else" to get them to the next committee meeting where they became enticed enough to come back again and join.

While serving as the SCRC vice-chairman, I’ve accepted a lot of grunt-work duties and tried to make lemonade from the lemons. In retrospect, it was all worth it, and I can hardly believe it’s already been 23 months since I was sworn in! I’ve been an integral part in fundraising, committee promotion, recruiting, marketing, blogging, campaigning, organizing volunteers, lobbying, organizing huge events, phone banking, sign building, t-shirt making, social networking, advising elected officials, liaison work within the business community, street activism both locally and nationally, making headlines … and making new friends too! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg… and I’m only the vice-chair!

Our chairman does MUCH more than this, but I’ll get to him in the next post. Stay tuned.

The SCRC is bountiful and blossoming in 2010 despite our community, state and national setbacks— most of which are financially related, but also spirit-related too. I’ve talked to literally hundreds of folks in the region about their fears and realities in life and what role that government leadership and politics plays in them. I believe most would agree, when an honest conversation can be had— free from party rhetoric, name-calling and mud-slinging— that the government presence in our daily lives has expanded from a potential presence to a seemingly permanent one.

No one I know on either side of the aisle feels that they are freer and have more opportunities than they did 10 or 20 years ago. Most feel like they are one step closer to being royal subjects than free to do as they wish in a free country. No this isn’t all Obama’s fault— this is a growing epidemic in all levels of government that started long before the "anointed one" took the helm. If there's anyone to blame, we have only ourselves for not becoming more involved in who's running our government, and our lives, at ALL levels... from the HOA to the school board, the board of supervisors, the state we live in and most certainly the federal levels of leadership.

As vice-chair, I get a lot of emails asking about what we do and what is expected of our members. I love getting them! I try to get others involved and activated any time I can. This is the only way to get true community involvement in OUR government right??

Across the board, as I typically get around to what amounts to a recruiting speech for one conservative cause or another, the endgame responses I get usually contain, “I don’t have the free time”, “I wouldn’t be good at that sort of thing”, “someone else will do it won’t they?” “I don’t follow that sort of stuff (politics)”, “that’s what I elect other people for so they can worry about these things” and so forth.

BUT once in a while, I am fortunate to find a diamond in the rough, often with groups of younger people who aren’t as committed to the chains of adult responsibility yet; and we seem to be able to move mountains together with only the slightest direction and leadership. These are the moments I live for. These are the moments that make volunteering for a Republican Committee worth while… when I realize I’m not alone and I don’t have to do all the heavy lifting myself. There's actually "someone else" to help me!

Thanks to the committees I’ve served on or the groups I've given a talk or speech with, I’ve made friends that I know I’ll be in touch with for many years to come. Not all of them staunch Republicans either! Surprisingly, I’ve learned that not every Republican is an angel, and not every Democrat is a demon as MSNBC and FOX would have us all believe. I actually met a staunch Democrat named Angel working for a conservative Republican's campaign though. My head is still spinning from that one but it did answer the question, "can't we all just get along?"

YES WE CAN! (...MOST LIKELY)

In good economic times, it’s very hard to convince people that they need to join up with a conservative political committee to “keep what we have” and fend off those who would take from us and redistribute our collective wealth to others who don’t want to work for it. After all, there’s no immediate threat to anyone and it sounds like “boogeyman” talk. Folks get complacent quickly it seems. I’m supposing it’s because they didn’t help out then, and things are good for them— so why change?

When tides turn and the county is scraping for cash to provide the same level of service at the same time our families are losing jobs, while interest rates go up and credit gets scarce; people tend to look out for themselves first and leave the politicing to “the other guys”! This too is a seemingly impossible time to ask a neighbor to invest their time and resources in something greater than self, when they are legitimately concerned that they can’t provide food for their families.

In the past two years we’ve shared in good times and bad. We’ve had both victories and defeats both locally and nationally as a political party. But you’re reading this blog now and hopefully have been for a few years now since we started it, so I’m going to assume you know this already.

CHANGE WE CAN ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN!

I say all this to be brutally honest to the next vice-chair… to do this job right, you have to DEDICATE yourself to it, or you’ll let a lot of people down. I’m a firm believer in term-limits from a citizen-run government, or quasi-government group. It’s time for that “someone else” to step up and take the job, and I’m hoping that YOU will consider doing so. Yes YOU!

Victory favors the bold, but elections are won by those WHO SHOW UP.

Will you be the next SCRC vice-chairman or will you trust that “someone else” will do it for you?

If you won't step up that far to actually do the job, I'm asking as a favor to that person who does... please volunteer your time to the committee and its related causes that you're called upon to help with. If you can't do that for some reason, please send a financial donation in your absence to lighten the load of those fantastic volunteers with whom I've come to admire and respect. They don't usually get a fancy title, but they ARE doing the heavy lifting for ALL OF US.

Planned Parenthood to Ask Virginia General Assembly to Approve Pro-Abortion License Plates!

That's right- if you can't get enough abortion in your life- and you could care less if your baby is stabbed in the skull by a profiteer proclaiming to be a doctor with your best interests in mind, then by all means- YOU should buy a pro-abortion license plate to support Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia!

What will your delegate vote when this is presented for approval? Have you called and asked him/her?

cross posted on RappahannockRepublic.com .

Higher Energy Costs: Democrats Plan to Have YOU Pay for Bike Paths and Rickshaws Overseas

What the bill does:
The federal government will provide free carbon emission allowances to foreign governments, NGOs or private entities, who would in turn sell these allowances to utility companies and use the proceeds from the sales to support projects in developing countries.

It is expected that entities like domestic utility companies will raise their rates on American consumers to fund the purchase of these carbon emission allowances. (H.R. 2454, Sec. 441, p. 1212)

What this means for Americans:
Under the Democrats’ national energy tax, entities like utility companies will spend an estimated $58 billion in the year 2020 alone to purchase carbon emission allowances that will go to fund international projects. These companies will collect this money through higher energy costs imposed on American families and businesses.

That money will be used to support international clean technology programs. USAID’s international clean energy technology activities have included projects like the integrated bus rapid transit and bike path plan in Senegal , and the development of a hydrogen rickshaw in India .

With 14.7 million American workers unemployed, raising electricity prices on American households to fund bike paths and rickshaws overseas is the height of absurdity.

Is this the change and hope you voted for?

[LEARN MORE ABOUT LIBERAL ENERGY SCHEMES HERE]

Keep American money in America- vote for a Republican in 2009 and 2010!

Federal GOP Fights to the End to Defend US Jobs and USA's Future from 'An Inconvenient Myth'

By Associated Press Writers H. Josef Hebert And Dina Cappiello

WASHINGTON – In a triumph for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed sweeping legislation Friday that calls for the nation's first limits on pollution linked to global warming and aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, yet more costly energy.

The vote was 219-212, capping months of negotiations and days of intense bargaining among Democrats. Republicans were overwhelmingly against the measure, arguing it would destroy jobs in the midst of a recession while burdening consumers with a new tax in the form of higher energy costs.

At the White House, Obama said the bill would create jobs, and added that with its vote, the House had put America on a path toward leading the way toward "creating a 21st century global economy."

The House's action fulfilled Speaker Nancy Pelosi's vow to clear major energy legislation before July 4. It also sent the measure to a highly uncertain fate in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was "hopeful that the Senate will be able to debate and pass bipartisan and comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this fall."

Obama lobbied recalcitrant Democrats by phone from the White House as the House debate unfolded across several hours, and Al Gore posted a statement on his Web site saying the measure represents "an essential first step towards solving the climate crisis." The former vice president won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work drawing attention to the destructive potential of global warming.

On the House floor, Democrats hailed the legislation as historic, while Republicans said it would damage the economy without solving the nation's energy woes.

It is "the most important energy and environmental legislation in the history of our country," said Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. "It sets a new course for our country, one that steers us away from foreign oil and towards a path of clean American energy."

But Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican leader, used an extraordinary one-hour speech shortly before the final vote to warn of unintended consequences in what he said was a "defining bill." He called it a "bureaucratic nightmare" that would cost jobs, depress real estate prices and put the government into parts of the economy where it now has no role.

The legislation would require the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by about 80 percent by mid-century. That was slightly more aggressive than Obama originally wanted, 14 percent by 2020 and the same 80 percent by mid-century.

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are rising at about 1 percent a year and are predicted to continue increasing without mandatory limits.

Under the bill, the government would limit heat-trapping pollution from factories, refineries and power plants and issue allowances for polluters. Most of the allowances would be given away, but about 15 percent would be auctioned by bid and the proceeds used to defray higher energy costs for lower-income individuals and families.

"Some would like to do more. Some would like to do less," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in advance of the final vote. "But we have reached a compromise ... and it is a compromise that can pass this House, pass that Senate, be signed by the president and become law and make progress."

That seemed unlikely, judging from Reid's cautiously worded statement. "The bill is not perfect," it said, but rather "a good product" for the Senate to begin working on.

And there was plenty to work on in a House-passed measure that pointed toward higher electricity bills for the middle class, particularly in the Midwest and South, as well as steps to ease the way for construction of new nuclear reactors, the first to be built since the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.

The bill's controversy was on display in the House, where only eight Republicans joined 211 Democrats in favor, while 44 Democrats joined 168 Republicans in opposition. And within an hour of the vote, both party campaign committees had begun attacking lawmakers for their votes.

One of the biggest compromises involved the near total elimination of an administration plan to sell pollution permits and raise more than $600 billion over a decade — money to finance continuation of a middle class tax cut. About 85 percent of the permits are to be given away rather than sold, a concession to energy companies and their allies in the House — and even that is uncertain to survive in the Senate.

The final bill also contained concessions to satisfy farm-state lawmakers, ethanol producers, hydroelectric advocates, the nuclear industry and others, some of them so late that they were not made public until 3 a.m. on Friday.

Supporters and opponents agreed the bill's result would be higher energy costs but disagreed vigorously on the impact on consumers. Democrats pointed to two reports — one from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the other from the Environmental Protection Agency — that suggested average increases would be limited after tax credits and rebates were taken into account. The CBO estimated the bill would cost an average household $175 a year, the EPA $80 to $110 a year.

Republicans questioned the validity of the CBO study and noted that even that analysis showed actual energy production costs increasing $770 per household. Industry groups have cited other studies showing much higher costs to the economy and to individuals.

The White House and congressional Democrats argued the bill would create millions of "green jobs" as the nation shifts to greater reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and development of more fuel-efficient vehicles — and away from use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.

It will "make our nation the world leader on clean energy jobs and technology," declared Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who negotiated deals with dozens of lawmakers in recent weeks to broaden the bill's support.

Pelosi, D-Calif., took an intense personal interest in the measure, sitting through hours of meetings with members of the rank and file and nurturing fragile compromises.

At its heart, the bill was a trade-off, less than the White House initially sought though it was more than Republicans said was acceptable. Some of the dealmaking had a distinct political feel. Rep. Alan Grayson, a first-term Democrat, won a pledge of support that $50 million from the proceeds of pollution permit sales in the bill would go to a proposed new hurricane research facility in his district in Orlando, Fla.

In the run-up to the vote, Democrats left little to chance.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to an administration post, put off her resignation from Congress until after the final vote on the climate change bill. And Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., who has been undergoing treatment at an undisclosed facility, returned to the Capitol to support the legislation. He has said he struggles with depression, alcoholism and addiction, but has not specified the cause for his most recent absence.

___

On the Net:

American Clean Energy and Security Act: http://tinyurl.com/ph52vs

GOP Convention is Completed- Winning Ticket for November Emerges! [Photos Here]

We may never know the final tally of the votes at the Virginia Republican Convention at the Richmond Coliseum on May 30, 2009—but we sure know who won by a massive margin!

Bob McDonnell - Governor
Bill Bolling - Lt. Governor
Ken Cuccinelli - Attorney General
Pat Mullins - RPV Chairman

Though the speeches were a touch long winded and some were as similar as the next, several stood out. One of which was Ken Cuccinelli's. It began with the fanfare of a U2 video release complete with light show and 100 giant waving Gadsden flags in every level of the coliseum.

11,007 delegates checked in to vote and more than 1,000 guests and observers were present to watch some great speeches and take home souvenirs of the memorable day.

I could go on about how great some of the others were as well, but frankly—if you cared to hear about it that much—you would have attended personally and voted yourself. For the interested, but still lazy, the entire program was broadcast on www.rpv.org and via Bearing Drift blog . For the rest of you, I implore you to get off your duffs and come to a county meeting and GET INVOLVED while you still have a country to help out in!

242 Spotsylvanians signed up to be delegates to this convention. 140 actually did. Decisions are made by those who SHOW UP in life—and especially in politics. Thankfully, I witnesses a whole lot of NEW faces this year, so I'm very encouraged by the renewed spirit I'm seeing in our county!

Oh, did I mention Sean Hannity was there and spoke for about 15 minutes? Yeah, he was very cool to hear from. And now the attendees all have a secret; they know the real reason Alan Colmes is no longer on the show with him!

Bravo to Fox News for having higher ratings than ALL CABLE NEWS NETWORKS COMBINED this year! In fact, Fox & Friends is #1 for it's 90th consecutive MONTH!

America is LISTENING finally! WE just need to make sure they VOTE now.

I guess the implementation of government socialism and the real threat of putting Americans in jail for freedoms the country was founded on has been a wake up call for some of us.

Now thoroughly unified and back in the swing of putting forth the truly best candidates of the party, Virginia is looking good for the Republicans this year.

We got our teeth kicked in last year, and rightfully so in many races. We were not sticking to our core values like we should have been and were infighting when we shouldn't have been.

On that note, Ideologs and principled Constitutionalists are certainly welcome to debate and challenge the status quo and should be holding our leaders accountable whenever possible—I know I do. But, on behalf of the vast majority of Virginia Republicans who may not be as smart as wise as you but still consider themselves to be more Republican than Democrat at least: please stop acting as obstructionists in the processes of electing the best candidate (directed at some who supported Stanley, Muldoon and Brownlee).

If the GOP has broken parts (and it does), by all means, HELP FIX THEM. But if your sole goal is to attend local and district meetings to disrupt them, then all I can say is: there are other parties that may work better for you and you owe it to your unwaivering, fundamental, constitutional principles to explore your political options and be happy with your lives. You don't have a right to make other people miserable. You know who you are...

The GOP is a big tent and it's not owned solely by your (very small) group(s). Note that this commentary is not necessarily directed at the candidates themselves, but rather some of their vocal and ill-intentioned supporters. Again, you know who you are. All the candidates who did not win the nomination acted very respectfully and accordingly made it very clear that they would work hard to support the winning team now and through November. That's the RIGHT way to handle yourselves.

Thank God, those days are behind us for the moment at least, and we have taken back freedom's battle cry that rightfully belongs to people who want to EARNESTLY govern and HONESTLY represent all Virginians... and YES WE CAN do it!

CHANGE is coming to Richmond in November! The drowsy giant has woken up—and he's wondering where the hell his country went!

Starting with a sweep in November for Republicans in Virginia, America may yet get back on track no matter how much Obama and his private club of baby killers and tax cheats mess things up for us in the mean time.

If you missed it in person, you missed a great time and an exciting day in Virginia history. Get your head in the game from this point forward and GET INVOLVED in your local GOP and GET ACTIVE in campaigning for November!