Rasmussen: Reaganism Not Dead

Scott Rasmussen, President of Rasmussen Reports and a highly respected pollster, discusses the results of a poll on whether Reaganism has played out among the voters:

"Barack Obama won the White House by campaigning against an unpopular incumbent in a time of economic anxiety and lingering foreign policy concerns. He offered voters an upbeat message, praised the nation as a land of opportunity, promised tax cuts to just about everyone, and overcame doubts about his experience with a strong performance in the presidential debates.
Does this sound familiar? It should. Mr. Obama followed the approach that worked for Ronald Reagan. His victory confirmed that voters still embrace the guiding beliefs of the Reagan era......

A Rasmussen survey conducted Oct. 2 found that 59% agreed with the sentiment expressed by Reagan in his first inaugural address: "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Just 28% disagreed with this sentiment. That survey also found that 44% of Obama voters agreed with Reagan's assessment (40% did not). And McCain voters overwhelmingly supported the Gipper...." Rasmussen Column & Poll

The Atlantic: Huck's Boy Gunning for RNC Chair

The Atlantic reports Huck is trying to get his boy installed as RNC Chairman for a possible Huck presidential run:
"Yes, that IS ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee making telephone calls to Republicans on behalf of his former campaign manager, Chip Saltsman, as Saltsman prepares to run for chairman of the Republican National Committee. Sarah Huckabee, Huckabee's chief spokesperson and his daughter, e-mails: "My dad is definitely supporting Chip for RNC chairman. My dad has had the privilege of working with Chip and knows what he is capable of and shares his vision on how to move the party forward and will be working hard to help him get elected." She says her father hasn't started making calls, yet.
As RNC chair, Saltsman could do quite a bit to further Huckabee's national ambitions even in the pose of a neutral arbiter between candidates.
Speaking of the RNC race, a Republican with ties to many members of the national committee e-mails in regards to my contention that Newt Gingrich, should he decide to run, would be the odds-on favorite for the position: "he doesn't the job unless he has carte blanche to do what we wants. And we are never gong to get a committee that does that."
The Atlantic

Hot Air: Make Newt RNC Chair

Ed Morrissey gets it as he writes on his blog:
"Some wanted Gingrich to run for President in 2008, but this role would suit him much better. Gingrich has operated best as a philosopher for the conservative movement, someone who can both capture the essence of conservatism and put it into action. Gingrich has the skill to communicate to a national audience and an emeritus status that will have people paying attention when he speaks. As RNC chair, his political baggage becomes irrelevant, allowing him to focus on party- and agenda-building instead of running for office.
Most importantly, Gingrich understands the technological tools that escaped the GOP in 2008. American Solutions has established a very impressive grassroots structure for policy, which could easily be adopted and adapted to the RNC. As Patrick Ruffini has been arguing at Rebuild the Party, the RNC needs to close the technology gap with the DNC in a hurry. Gingrich could get the GOP to a terrific start in doing just that...."
Hot Air

Steele & Newt "duking" it out for RNC Chair?

The Washington Times reported on a brewing battle between two of Fox News' conservative commentators, Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele and Newt:
"A behind-the-scenes battle to take the reins of the Republican National Committee is taking off between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.
Neither man will acknowledge his interest in the post, but Republicans close to each are burning up the phone lines and firing off e-mails to fellow party members in an effort to oust RNC Chairman Mike Duncan in the wake of the second consecutive drubbing of Republican candidates at the polls. ....
The Republican National Committee has to ask itself if it wants someone who has successfully led a revolution," Randy Evans, Gingrich confidant and personal attorney based in Atlanta, told The Washington Times on Monday. "If it does, Newt's the one." ......
Republicans agree that their national party is leaderless and in desperate need of someone who has the force of personality and history of accomplishments to command national attention to take on Mr. Obama. Someone is also needed to unite disparate factions that, even in the best of times, generate internal friction among themselves. ......"
Washington Times Story

American Spectator: Fred Thompson possible RNC General Chair?

"As we at the Washington Examiner report today, Fred Thompson is feeling out a possible run for "General Chairman" of the Republican National Committee. But there is more detail to the story. First, note the distinction between "General Chairman" and "Chairman." The potential Thompson run envisions a two-tiered system like the one that worked under Reagan with Paul Laxalt as General Chairman (but that didn't work so well recently with Mel Martinez as General Chairman). The General Chairman usually provides overall direction and philosophical moorings, and acts as the public face of the party doing media and speeches, etc., and also is available probably for big-money phone calls and events -- but the Chairman, with an Executive Director under him, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the RNC. Think Chairman of the Board vs. CEO, perhaps.
Anyway, here are a host of other quotes from the "close Thompson advisor" who is quoted briefly in the Examiner story:
"We are hearing some interest from various sectors of the RNC that there is some interest in having Fred considered for general chairman. Two tiered…. His strong suit is in communications and reinforcing the foundational principles of the party. He’s really the only guy right now who can communicate in a way with the grass roots that nobody else can. He also is one of the few guys who understand the role technology can play. There needs to be a day to day chairman who is raising money, organizing, continue to build, but doing this as a team might be the most constructive way to do this......"
Thompson For RNC Chairman?

Newt: Will Serve if Asked

The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported:
"Newt Gingrich has let it be known that, if Republicans want him, the former U.S House speaker is willing to serve as chairman of the national party and lead it out of the wilderness it’s blundered into...."

What more motivation do conservatives need to make it known to the RNC Newt should be elected Chairman? Its going to take some work by conservatives as the RNC might not be too keen about seeing Newt as party boss. Here is the rest of the story:
"The question is whether the 168-member Republican National Committee is open to the match....
The odds are stacked against the former Georgia congressman, for several reasons....
For one thing, six days after the election of Barack Obama and substantial gains by Democrats in the House and Senate, Republicans have yet to decide whether a serious overhaul of the party is required. (Lost the Congress in '06. Lost the White House and nearly gave the Democrats a filibuster proof Senate. No major changes are needed.)....
A Gingrich chairmanship might get loud support from the GOP’s talk-radio contingent. The former House speaker has close ties to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Neal Boortz.
But the RNC is a different, often parochial animal, made up of the top three members of the GOP establishment in every state and U.S. territory, plus the District of Columbia.The RNC is scheduled to make its decision in January....
Moreover, while President Bush still searches out new lows in popularity, the RNC is peopled with those who helped him win two elections — and many remain loyal. (Solution for that: Purge them)...
Those interested in the job include Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan GOP, and Katon Dawson, the South Carolina chairman. The current RNC chairman, Mike Duncan, also seeks another term. (Duncan? Need any more proof on how clueless some of GOP leadership is?)......
Atlanta C-J Story

Ayn Rand Defends Capitalism, Slams Conservatives

Before Heritage, Club for Growth, Cato, and Rush, capitalism had few defenders such as Ayn Rand. Here is an audio recording of a lecture given by Rand. She defends capitalism while criticizing the weak support of it given by conservatives at the time.

Rand Lecture on Capitalism

American Spectator Update on Race for RNC Chair

"South Carolina Republican Party chair Katon Dawson intends to launch next week "one of most organized, national campaigns" for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, according to a South Carolina-based political consultant.
"We're talking about a campaign that could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," says the consultant, who says that Dawson has even retained a Washington, D.C.-based PR agency to place pro-Dawson items on conservative and political blogs.
(Troll Alert)
"He wants to create the impression that he is the only candidate with a national presence, and that he already has it won," says the consultant. (Sounds just like something out of the Obama campaign.)
Dawson has spent more than two months campaigning for the job, which, if he won, would allow him to help Palmetto State Gov. Mark Sanford, who is looking to mount a campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.
Dawson is hosting a post-election conference in South Carolina, where a number of RNC committee members will be in attendance, to discuss the future of the Republican Party.
Dawson will use the meeting to lobby the committeemen and women, in the hope of firming between 30 and 40 votes of the 168 total voting.
Other potential candidates include Florida party chair Jim Greer, Michigan co-party chair Saul Anuzis, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich."
http://www.spectator.org/archives/2008/11/07/wasting-no-time/1

Any question why this website was created? More state party chairmen seek the position of RNC Chairman. Most of them tend to be surrogates for governors that want to run for president or burnish their resume. How many of them see the big picture or have a record of fighting for conservatives at the national level? How long will the learning curve be for them? Can conservatives afford to take a chance on unknown rookies during the next two years? Do any of them have a plan for taking back the House or Senate besides a vague promise about stronger fundraising?

Do any of them have a resume that compares to Newt's?

Newt: Losses are GOP's Fault

The Indianapolis Star reported November 7 some of Newt's comments to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce the night before:
"Republican losses in Tuesday's elections should be blamed on Republican incompetence, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in Indianapolis on Thursday.
"When you've had the failures that we've had, when you've had the economy we've had and the Wall Street meltdown, it's a little hard to turn around and focus on what the campaign did," Gingrich said. "Any Republican who wants to talk only about the campaign misunderstands the great lesson of the last eight years: that you have to govern well to make a lasting majority."....."
Indianapolis Star Article

Does Current RNC Chairman Want Another Term?

The Seattle Times reports the race for GOP Chairman is heating up and publishes a little nugget of information that some will find hard to believe:
"Republican leaders in different states say a growing number of hopefuls have been making calls and sending out feelers to be the leader to replace current chairman Mike Duncan, even though Duncan is said to want a new, two-year term....."
Seattle Times Story

After last week its hard to imagine re-electing the current chairman is even a topic for serious discussion. Mr. Duncan was MIA for the last year (Quick, how many of you can guess in 3 seconds who the DNC Chairman is?). Republicans were demolished last week and have been on a losing streak since 2006. Republicans were outhustled, outspent, and outcoached. Despite the Republican Party's record for the last two years at the polls, Mr. Duncan is actually seriously considering seeking another term. As Johnny Mac would say, "you CAN'T be serious!!!"

How many more losses will it take for some accountability to appear in the Republican Party? When will leaders like Mr. Duncan show some character and step down from their current positions? Perhaps Republicans have become a party of big government in more ways than one as failure is rewarded while true leadership or popularity is punished. Any remaining doubts about the fitness of the Republican leadership were erased last week when few Republican leaders publicly defended Governor Palin from what were obviously insider smears. Can one imagine such crap happening when Reagan or Newt ran the party? Even if the stories are true, such lilliputian behavior shows the current leaders and certain members of the Republican party are not friends of conservatives. These are the same type of people who fawned over the Roman emperor who feared the one Roman general who beat Atilla than Atilla himself.

Its time for a new direction in the Republican Party. How can Republicans demand accountability for the Democrats when they don't demand it of themselves? Change is needed, in more ways than one.

American Spectator: SC's Dawson Looking to become RNC Chairman

American Spectator reports:
"Katon Dawson, chairman of South Carolina's Republican Party, has been calling supporters around the country for the past several weeks seeking support for his candidacy as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Dawson, the owner of an auto-parts-supply company, has been calling GOP donors and fundraisers, among others, telling them he has lined up enough votes within the 168-member national committee to make him a prohibitive favorite for the job.
"He's made it clear he doesn't expect John McCain to win the presidency," says one RNC fundraiser who has received such a call. "Katon's an ambitious guy. He's made no bones about the fact that he wants the RNC job."
But no one takes seriously the notion that Dawson is anywhere close to having a large voting bloc of RNC votes. "There are too many others poised to get into the race," says one RNC member. "We're looking at between 10 to 15 potential candidates and maybe seven or eight of them already have constituencies on the committee. No one is in a position to call this thing over, particularly since our next president, John McCain, gets to pick the next chairman."
That point is something that Dawson has seemingly overlooked, and his aggressive campaigning at a time when most Republicans are fighting hard to get McCain elected President has angered a number of Republicans because they understand why Dawson, who has been a local GOP chair in South Carolina, and won the state party job in 2002, is running: in part, to help jumpstart a presidential bid for the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford.
According to one political consultant working in South Carolina, Sanford is prepared to move forward with a presidential exploratory committee soon, should McCain not win the presidency. The driving force behind by Dawson's aggressive campaign, as well as Sanford's rumored early toe-dip in the 2012 race, is said by some political observers in Columbia, SC, to be the first lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford, a former Wall Street senior executive at Lazard Freres, who ran her husband's campaign.
"We all know Dawson is doing Sanford's work, just like [Florida GOP chairman and another potential RNC candidate] Jim Greer is doing Charlie Crist's bidding," says an RNC member. "By now we're used to the campaigning by state party guys to help their state politicians who want to seek higher office. What we're uncomfortable with is the way Dawson is doing this, the timing. It's unbecoming and insulting to Senator McCain."
Dawson was actually campaigning for the job during the Republican Convention, something that angered not only the McCain campaign, but other Republicans with longtime ties to the RNC. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, one of the more successful RNC chairmen in recent history, is said by some RNC insiders to be angry at Dawson's aggressive campaigning.
"We still have a Presidential campaign to win, and this guy is running around acting like we've already lost," says another RNC member. "McCain better win South Carolina by 10 points or else Mr. Dawson is going to have to answer for some things."
Dawson is holding an event in mid-November in South Carolina to discuss the future of the Republican Party. He has been touting both former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as special guests at the event. Both are also expected to mount presidential runs themselves in 2012 should McCain lose tomorrow.
"You have some people, like Dawson and Romney, who have been acting like we've already lost the race, and are out there trying to feather their own nest," says another RNC member. "That's not going to make you many friends in the rank and file who have been working pretty hard the past three months."
Gingrich is said by some to be seeking a role at the RNC, perhaps as a general chairman, a role last filled by Florida Sen. Mel Martinez. He has kept quiet about post-election plans, but he flirted with running for president late in the 2008 election cycle and is believed to be mapping out a bid for 2012 should McCain lose."
http://spectator.org/archives/2008/11/03/aunt-zeitunis-protectors/1

Newt: Repeal Sarbannes-Oxley

Mr. Gingrich called for the repeal of this law in a recent essay published in The San Francisco Chronicle:
"It has been six years since Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after the devastating accounting irregularities of Enron and WorldCom. While the intent of the law was to prevent corporate fraud, there is growing evidence that it has done more harm than good, and is undermining the venture-capital industry in Silicon Valley. Now, with signs that our economy is moving toward recession, Congress should take this opportunity to repeal the law....
Newt Calls for Repeal of Sarbannes-Oxley

Robert Novak: Can Newt Lead Republicans Out of the Wilderness?

Robert Novak on Newt and the Republican Party:
"In serious conversations among Republicans since their election debacle Tuesday, what name is mentioned most often as the Moses, or Reagan, who could lead them out of the wilderness before 40 years?
To the consternation of many Republicans, it is none other than Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House. ....
Republicans appear chastened by the failure of seeking moderate, independent and even Democratic votes. They are ready to try going back to the "old-time religion." .......
Nobody in Republican ranks, however, matches Gingrich's dynamism. .......
Recent Novak Column on Newt