Stimulus – No Transparency equals Democrats Lying or A Recipe for Republican Revival

Photo from AP Photo by J. Scott Applewhite from DailyLife.com

Transparency in Government, the much touted “change” that Obama supporters heartily cheered about, appears to have disappeared in light of excuses regarding “a need to act fast” (or: Chicken Little: “The Sky is Falling”). A downloadable copy of the bill that was in the House is still available on-line, yet the Senate Version, to which Pelosi promised to give a 48 hour public window (transparency), is not yet online, and was not online in time for the late, Friday the 13th, Senate Vote. What this means, in plain English, is that the Senators who voted for that Act, had no clue as to the contents. There was insufficient time to read the bill - and those Partisan Democrats who signed off on this Act, did so blindly.

Regardless of a string of broken promises in less than two months of the new administration, the Stimulus appeared to be a panic driven act, that greedy and ideological legislatures, taking advantage of the hue and cry a nervous and apparently inept White House (not the public), added untold sums of debt through the addition of pet projects that, for all intents and purposes, could have been shelved for a later date, until the economy stabilized. What prompted the addition of pet programs and projects having nothing at all to do with stimulating the economy, rather creating bigger government (37 new bureaucracies at last count), is anyone’s guess, but, with those legislatures that live and die by the polls, it is a good bet that had they not acted now to add their favorites, they may not get another chance.

An outline of what this “Act” contains, is available at The G.O.P. House, however, this is an incomplete list due to last minute add-on’s that took place in the Senate – the details however, are bone-chilling to anyone who has ever balanced a checkbook, or had to use fiscal restraint in order to: fill a gas tank, pay the mortgage or buy groceries (average working Americans). These line items (from the G.O.P. House link above) are noted as Questionable or Non-Stimulative Spending; and include some worthy programs, however, those are questionable only due to timing, and the others are outright waste.

Questionable or Non-Stimulative Spending:
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
• $2 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund, providing funds to organizations such as ACORN, which has been accused of practicing unlawful voter registration in recent elections
• $10 million for the inspection of canals in urban areas
• $100 million for grants to small shipyards
• $198 million to authorize payments to certain Filipino veterans from WWII
• $300 million for the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program
• $2 billion to support the manufacturing of advanced vehicle batteries
• $1 billion for Community Development Block Grants
• $1.3 billion for Amtrak, including $450 million for a new rail security grant program not included in either the House-passed or the Senate-passed bills
• $300 million for federal procurement of plug-in and fuel efficient vehicles
• $8 billion for a High Speed Passenger Rail Program, after the House did not include any funding for the program and the Senate included $2 billion, which will fund at least one project from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
• $15 million for historic preservation at historically black colleges and universities
• $170 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to research the causes, effects, and ways to mitigate climate change
• $200 million for Americorps and other paid "volunteerism" programs
• $400 million for NASA to accelerate climate research missions
• $5.5 billion for federal buildings (GSA), including $4.5 billion to convert federal buildings into "high-performance green buildings" and $450 million for a new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security.
• $210 million for a new grant program to modify and upgrade local fire stations
• $142 million for the Coast Guard to alter or remove 4 obstructive bridges
• $25 million for the Smithsonian Institution for maintenance backlogs
• $1 billion for expenses in conjunction with the 2010 decennial census
• $650 million for Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupons
• $1 billion for a Prevention and Wellness Fund, which can be used for sexually transmitted disease (STD) education and prevention programs at the CDC
• $500 million to replace a 30-year old computer system at the Social Security Administration
• $500 million for a health professions training program-funding which an earlier committee report said were allocated because "a key component of attaining universal health care reform will be ensuring the supply of primary care providers."

On February 4th, Rasmussen polls reported that a mere 37% of the general public supported the Stimulus Bill, subsequent emergency polling by White House media source CBS showed a conveniently sharp increase in support for the Bill. Which begs the question: “Did CBS confine its demographics to Congress?”

Should the general public’s feelings regarding this lack of transparency, pushed through on a Friday night, massive spending boondoggle, be in line with Rasmussen, then the haste with which those ideologues voted is clear. They hope that their constituents’ will either forget they voted “Yea”, or that somehow, this will work in time to save their Senate and Congressional behinds. The clock is ticking. What is most amusing is the headlines accusing the Republicans of not cooperating on the Stimulus – giving Republicans in every Congressional district possible ammunition in 2010. It will, at the very least, be difficult for those in the dog house with their constituents to explain how on earth George Bush prevented them from voting “No”. Many may not care a whit, counting on the time-tested voting blocks of African-American’s, Hispanics and Catholics to carry them blindly to another term – that said, there have been some recent changes over at the G.O.P. that may change minds, specifically in those demographics that are considered “owned” by the D.N.C. (See aggressive new R.N.C. Chair Michael Steele, who happens to be Catholic (a much sought after large voting block), African-American, and a technology savvy and likable guy.

In other words, the press and those Democrats in the Congress and Legislature who blindly followed Pelosi and Reid down that yellow-brick road laden with ideological, partisan future debt will play a hand in the fastest turn-around of a party’s fortunes in modern history. The public is aware, and even the proposed Fairness Doctrine, will not keep those suffering in the trenches (taxpayers) from voting. One has to remember that when Reagan clocked Carter (Massachusetts voted for Reagan twice), it was without: talk radio or Fox News – it was word of mouth and disgust with the Democrats out-of-control spending and a weakening economy (never mind those foreign policy debacles) that brought changes to the nation, first the White House and then both houses.

This Massachusetts Conservative understands that history has a funny way of repeating itself, and fully expects a very interesting and competitive 2010 election. The season has begun in the Bay State, with names already floated to replace Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D): Scott Brown, Brad Jones, Karyn Polito, Michael Sullivan, Lou Evangelidis, and Bruce Tarr .

Given the fact that Massachusetts does tend to vote when over-taxed, (50 plus percent of the electorate are “unenrolled”) any one of the aforementioned would be able to give Patrick the boot in 2010. This trend may go towards the Senate and Congressional seats that will be up for re-election in 2010, including Ted Kennedy’s – the newly elected Mass. G.O.P. chair Jennifer Nassour, is of like mind with the Party Chair, Michael Steele, who, upon gaining the Party Chair, made the statement that his “friends in the North east” will no longer be abandoned. At that time, neither Steele, nor Nassour had the benefit of the press branding Republicans as anti-stimulus and the subsequent distrust of the bill by those that vote, on both sides of the aisle. This current administration may go so far as to change many once-safe “Blue” states – “Red”.

To read the last version available (House version) as of 7:47 am on Valentine’s Day 2009: visit: The Library of Congress which will give you a link to download the last version directly from the Congressional Printing office. The PDF is 1400 plus pages long, and, when one cuts through the “legalese”, the sheer amounts devoted to non-stimulating projects, boggles the mind. In addition, it was hinted at that this version, was not final, and that more was added behind closed doors (hence, no public notice and an inability of a Senator, even had it been Clark Kent, to read through the pages in time to make an informed decision for their constituents.

Image from: Patriot from patriot.eponym.com

Hero of the Week: Rep. John Boehner (YouTube Video of his House Speech 2/13/09)

Steele’s GOP Promise – Analysis - Reaching Out and Winning over Democrats without Compromising Conservative Principals – His Winning Attributes: The

From Wikipedia: Steele Presents award to USNS Comfort Crew

There is a great deal of excitement among grassroots conservatives over the choice of Michael Steele as Republican National Committee Chair – and most media are either missing the point, or ignoring several facets of Steele’s resume and biography that are critical. First, one has to look at the man in total, the fact that he has been involved in Republican politics since Reagan became an inspiration, having ideals similar to his mother’s, hard-working and principled, Steele did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Reagan’s appeal to those who traditionally voted with the Democrat Party is apparent in Steele, who personally identifies with those constituents and, by virtue of that fact, invites them back into the party.

One major factor of Steele’s biography that has been somewhat absent (while the focus, of course, is the fact that Steele is an African American - truly a moot point), is his Catholicism. Prior to his graduation from John Hopkins (He went onto Georgetown to earn his Law, Degree) Steele, a devout Catholic, graduated from Archbishop Carrol High School in Washington DC, went onto John Hopkins (Where he earned a B.A. in International Relations), and of import, he attended the Augustinian Friars Seminary at Villanova University for 3 years, prior to his enrollment at Georgetown. .

Steele’s resume is impressive in many ways, yet, why would the fact that he is a Catholic be a bigger factor than, say race? A quick study of the Catholic vote in the United States is in order.
Catholics are primarily working class (union) and vote consistently with the Democrat Party (with exceptions), and against the teachings of the Church (especially as it applies to Abortion). In fact, since 1972 the “white” (here we go, media obsession with race again) Catholic vote (numbered at 20-25 million or as high as 30 million, depending upon the source), has had an impact on the General Election, in fact, they have voted consistently for and with the winning party since 1972 (noted by Washington Post). Keeping that in mind, the Catholic Vote was more responsible for the election of George Bush in 2004 than evangelicals. -Why? They identified with Bush, not as a pro-life protestant, but as the “guy in the work shirt standing atop the rubble of the World Trade Center, when compared to the “elite” John Kerry windsurfing off the Cape, Catholics voted with the guy who most closely resembled their own ideals (not political party).

What happened then with John McCain? Perception: (Aided by an all too willing media) – The choice was clear, you either voted for a guy who didn’t know how many houses he owned, or the guy who was a community organizer and talked the talk of the working man (unless of course, he was out of earshot at a fundraiser in San Francisco . (A fact, which, for some reason, did not trickle down to the rank and file). Additionally, the issue of abortion played a minor role until the last moments leading up to the election (and afterward), when some Catholic Priests began to make a little noise about Obama’s support for partial birth abortion.

A few events have taken place within the Vatican and the Church since the last election that may be worthy of note: One of Obama’s first official acts was to repeal the ban on aid for abortions overseas, a move that prompted a Senior Vatican Archbishop, Rino Fisichella, to call the American President “arrogant”. (Outstanding treatment and article here at “Right Pundits”) The fact should not go unnoticed that an Italian Archbishop (Vatican Politics) making such a statement is more impactful than one coming from an American Cardinal in the same building – it is proximity to the Pope. Almost immediately following the lifting of this ban, the Vatican suddenly went tech – with a dedicated, English only, YouTube Cannel. Although Church’s are in danger of losing Tax-Exempt Status should they preach politics from the pulpit; there is no restriction on speaking out against the act of abortion, or any other topic relevant to the Church’s teaching – additionally, the church has every right to excommunicate or otherwise prohibit Catholics who are pro-choice from participating in church sacraments; given the more involved Vatican, one might anticipate that this trend will continue and increase in scope.

Now enter Steele, a devout Catholic, at the helm of the pro-life party, who can identify (through his own life experience) with the working class (otherwise known as: dedicated Democrat votes). Additionally, the more the media screams (there really is no other word for it) “Race”, the more Steele downplays that aspect (we are all American’s regardless of color, ethnicity and/or gender) and focuses instead on the truism that regardless of the aforementioned, most Americans are center right – the problem has been that, since Reagan, no one has bothered to engage those voters, giving them (and the states in which they reside) up for lost.

As an Evangelical, Spanish Catholic, living in Massachusetts, the election of Steele and his statement, “To my friends in the Northeast: get ready, baby. It's time to turn it on, and work to do what we always do well, and that is win. We're gonna win again in the Northeast. made the mantra: "Hope and Change" a reality - for Conservatives. For far too long, Massachusetts (among other states that were considered “too Blue) have been all but ignored by the national party – Massachusetts, especially, should be given a closer look for the following reasons: a) the states electorate is overwhelmingly independent; with both Republicans and Democrats losing members in the past two election cycles, b)those independents have been responsible for putting Republican’s, when and where available, into the statehouse, the US Senate and the Governor seat. Finally, independents will also give Massachusetts 12 electoral college votes to a Republican - as they did with Reagan – twice.

What has been lacking to date for the conservatives in this state? Effective leadership at both the state and national level; which changed this past week with the election of Jennifer Nassour (her plan for the State Party bears a striking resemblance to Steele’s plan for the national party), and Steele’s understanding that the Blue States are “ripe for the picking”, (There are sufficient grassroots activists (read conservatives of all strips and registered independents) already in place that will work for the party, if asked to the dance. They’ve been asked to the dance.

While, The New York Times, is making Steele’s Chair about “Race”, they did not delve into his “appeal” to the “regular folk”, or the Catholic Vote, which may end up reducing the ranks of their pet party. Steele, no stranger to the media, is characterized as having an ”upbeat image” by the Baltimore Sun, immediately taking control by publicly telling Republican Legislatures to "Stick to their Guns" on the Stimulus package, a fact that did not go “unreported”.

How important is Michael Steele to the Republican Party’s image? Just Google the new DNC chair, former Gov. Tim Kaine (who will, be in the same position as RNC's Duncan was – taking orders from Obama, as the party leader). Steele has the ability to run the RNC his way - without the restrictions of a Party Head. One can draw the conclusion, therefore, with this change of pace, the expectations regarding races on all levels in 2010 has changed.

Michael Steele – New RNC Chair!

Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor from the State of Maryland and current GOPAC Chair, has become the Republican Party Chair. Steele promises to be the hands-on Party Chair that Republican Grassroots activists have been waiting for. Charismatic, media savvy and in-touch with technology, Steele’s election to Party Chair is well-timed - 2010 promises to be a better than anticipate year for Republican candidates, given general resistance to stimulus plan, and economic trends that have small businesses and the middle class leery of the current Congress.

Steele’s RNC Whips Work To Secure Nomination and Move GOP Forward

From CNN: Michael Steele’s bid for the Republican GOP Chair has some interesting RNC Committee members working on his behalf; with most of the names released being residents of “Blue States”. Most notable are the Chairs of Arizona, California, Connecticut, D.C., Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin; states that understand what is at risk as far as membership and branding are concerned – should the GOP stand by the status quo. (Florida and Idaho Chairs are also acting on Steele’s behalf.)

What is interesting is that those who would maintain the status quo (Red State) point to Steele’s celebrity status, quasi innuendo’s regarding his finances and his “affiliation” with the moderate “Republican Leadership Council and Christie Todd Whitman, as reasons why Steele is not acceptable as a Chair Candidate. In a word – Bunk. Steele’s high profile will only enhance the RNC – having a Party Chair in the spotlight will bring much needed attention to the Party, a Chair, by the way, who is not shy about speaking up regarding social conservative values. The fact that Steele is “affiliated” with Moderate Conservatives proves that he has the wisdom to include all factions of the Party – worth noting: Moderate Republicans and Independents tend to think alike.

Case in Point Massachusetts – where Mitt Romney won the Governors chair on a Moderate Stance (pro-choice). Mitt Romney was forgiven by those fiscal conservatives (Beltway), once he made a heartfelt conversion. However, he still held the Massachusetts Governors Chair for the Republican Party - as a moderate. Should Michael Steele take the GOP Chair, there would be hope for the GOP to finally make inroads into territory that has been given up as lost for decades. To have Massachusetts and Michigan in the loop again, would be no mean feat. By promoting an Individual who will include all factions of the party, for the good of the Party, is just smart. To those ridiculous Social Conservatives whose litmus test includes that one cannot be associated with anyone related to anyone who may hold a less than far right point of view, and insist on some “righteous” notion of party purity – rethink your stance before there is no Party.

At the moment, those who are so disenfranchised with the Republican Party and its inability to see the forest through the trees (i.e. Beltway Think) are taking long hard looks at alternative political affiliations such as the
Constitution Party and the Liberatrian Party. Michael Steele’s persona is one which would give these, as well as moderates, independents and fair minded conservatives a reason to believe that all is not “lost” – he would fight against “media perception” – which has done more damage in eight years of unopposed opposition than any other factor the GOP might face.

Michael Steele and the RNC Chair - Leadership without Compromise

There are several candidates for the RNC Chair, all with hefty resumes and conservative credentials; however, the choice should be made with an eye towards leading the Party forward, rather than focus on the “moderate”, or worse, trying to recapture a bygone era. From an intellectual perspective, the GOP losses in the past two elections were the result of the natural course of history, magnified by a seeming loss of identity. Over the past 6 years, there appeared to be little in the way of either social or fiscal conservatism coming from the Party leadership. Therefore a “business as usual”, chair candidate, will not bring the “change” necessary to attract the “base” as well as those all-important independents fence-sitters who are crucial to state and national elections.

The traditional GOP model was a party of inclusion, Abraham Lincoln aside, the platform of the Party has remained consistent, yet, the Party is viewed by the uninformed as a group of angry old wealthy white men, propped up by a base made up of religious nuts. This view has been fostered by the Democrats (who are actually a party made up of wealthy old white men, propped up by a base that is comprised of the “haves” (Hollywood, The Union Leadership, NARAL, Editors) and the “have nots” (Name the minority). The Democrats get better press and the Republican Leadership remains silent. Both parties have their share of “base” negatives, it is a question of producing an “image” that will appeal to those “independents” – if the DNC can downplay Ayers, Wright and the entire Chicago Political Machine, surely someone within the GOP would be capable of “normalizing” their base, which happens to be the normal aspect of the party – Social Conservatives, specifically those who are religious.

The choice of the RNC chair, therefore, should be carefully weighed towards an individual who is both socially and fiscally conservative, has a track record of inclusion of the various factions that make up the GOP, is media savvy and has the understanding of technology in order to counter the left, and actually grow the base. Michael Steele, former Lt. Governor of Maryland, FOX news contributor, and current GOPAC chair, meets that criteria.

In a recent interview with the Baltimore Examiner, Steele talked about his desire to “tear up the old playbook” and “move the party forward”,

That's going to start with building a ground game of fresh new faces and new voices that reflect a modern GOP. That's what I've tried to do at GOPAC [the candidate-training organization he chairs]. It doesn't mean that we're less conservative; it doesn't mean that those founding principles on which we have stood and are time-tested are no longer relevant. In fact, they are, maybe even more so. But how we speak to them and how we express them to voters without ticking them off or making them feel we're sitting in judgment of their lives and communities will make the difference.

Bingo – Steel knows what is at stake, and understands the need not to abandon GOP principals, but to effectively communicate. What sells this social conservative? The man understands the GOP’s biggest problem and he addresses it a phrase that should be practiced by every GOP candidate, from the local dogcatcher to the Senate to the White House : ”I don't need to be Democrat Lite to win.”

To learn more about Michael Steele and his Candidacy for the RNC Chair: visit Steele for RNC Chairman

The next RNC Chair – There are the usual players and then there is Michael Steele.

After the historic loss to the Democrats (and by historic, it was historically time for a party change), the RNC chair is up for grabs. Rumors are floating across the blogs as to who would be most suitable as a successor to Ken Mehlman, the man with the impossible task of uniting a party behind the liberal-moderate John McCain, all the while dealing with those who would see the status quo remain, the “Town Hall-Club for Growth” Republicans who are out of touch with the base. Mitt Romney is currently cruising with the National Review – déjà vu 2012. Will they never learn? Romney is the first name that pops up on the list of RNC Chair contenders – at least over at the Daily Kos. The article refers to Romney as the Rights Howard Dean. Enough said.

Chip Saltsman, former head of the Tennessee State GOP is rumored to be actively seeking the post - he’s liked enough over at RedState where the first choice is Newt Gingrich? Newt makes sense to the Beltway pundits who would like to return to a Reagan Era, which simply no longer exists. The Washington Post weighs in with its list of hopefuls: Jim Nussle, former Iowa Congressman, Katon Dawson, chair of the South Carolina G.O.P., Jim Greer of Florida and Saul Anuzis, Party Chair of Michigan ( The “well-connected in to the political chattering class in Washington, having spent years building relationships.” – quote from the Post Article, just seals the deal). The list goes on to include Duncan Hunter, among others that are in line with the traditional Washington Republican think – perhaps with the exception of Saltzman – however, one more name is being bandied about that is of real interest – Michael Steele

Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, and GOPAC Chair, is not only likable, but someone who would have the ability to bridge the gap between the Washington elite and the “rest of us”. Chairing GOPAC is no mean feat and this organization is critical to the survival of the Republican Party. Steele has performed remarkably in that capacity and would make a smooth transition to the GOP Chair – bringing the all critical "connect to the base" skills to the table. “Drill Baby Drill” – is exactly what the party needs – an infusion of youth and new ideas. The comments over at the Save Jersey blog are most interesting – and give insight into what the party needs in order to move forward – youth and inclusion.

So, who actually chooses the RNC chair? From Real Clear Politics:
“Technically, RNC chairs are elected by the full 168 committee members, made up of two representatives and a chairperson from each state, along with officers. Several recent chairs have taken multiple ballots to win their post outright. But in recent years, the incumbent Republican president has anointed a chairman who is elected by acclamation.

Some presidents have used the appointment to reward top strategists from their political campaigns; George H.W. Bush (Himself a former RNC chair) elevated Lee Atwater to the post in 1989, while George W. Bush appointed both Ed Gillespie in 2003 and Ken Mehlman in 2005. Other picks are used to promote current or former elected officials. Recent chairs include former Virginia Governor Jim Nicholson and former Montana Governor Marc Racicot.”

However, since there is no incumbent, the race is open and will be voted on by those 168 committee members in January.

Whoever is chosen as party-chair is in a historically well-favored position. Smart observers understand that this loss was bound to happen (history again) and with the shape this nation is in (as a result of bad management of Freddie and Fannie by the Democrats, while the Republicans either turned a blind eye, or wanted media approval so badly (Bush), they actually aided and abetted the process which resulted in the largest tax burden in history) the blame game will come soon enough - from those who cast “historic personality votes” for Obama and against anyone who was a “Republican”.

A great deal is riding on the Democrats ability to deliver on promises made, avoid a worsening economic crisis, carefully manage a war on a minimum of two fronts (while cutting defense) and so much more - no sane Republican would want to be in Barack Obama’s shoes right now. That said, while some conservatives are looking to salvage their political Beltway necks (McCain aide’s gossiping like hens instead of men in order to blame Palin for example), what the RNC needs is a chair that is savvy enough to reel in Washington - start adding to a grassroots base that is already on board and tap those Democrats and independents that are already looking ahead to 2012 – Michael Steele just may be the ticket. Will the Party leaders put aside their egos and power grubbing mind-think aside? Leadership - the Steele's and the Palin's - are needed to march forward. Those would would see Jeb Bush in the White House and Newt Gingrich at the helm are not simply delusional - but dangerous.