It remains fashionable these days for Republicans to cloak themselves in the legacy of Ronald Reagan, especially those who served in Washington during the 1980s. Thad Cochran and his supporters have already tried to remind the people of Mississippi of his steadfast conservatism. But don’t be fooled. Thad Cochran was no soldier in Reagan’s army. Continue reading “Thad Cochran Is No Reagan Conservative”
Since the rise of the Tea Party movement in 2009, which was a direct reaction to President Obama’s massive expansion of the federal government, the Left has fought back with a fury, mostly by hurling insults like “fascists,” “radicals,” “Nazis,” “arsonists,” “terrorists,” “anarchists,” and the favored “extremists.” This is nothing more than a misguided attempt to discredit us with smear tactics.
But why? If we true conservatives are really nothing but a tiny fringe movement, as they claim, why all the fuss? Because we are a vital threat to their very livelihood – a livelihood that depends on a government that rewards the elites and punishes the rest of us. Should we galvanize our movement to full control of the Republican Party, our candidates will emerge victorious, and their cash cow government is finished, and they know it.
So instead of taking the word of Reid, Pelosi, and Obama on what our movement is really all about, let us tell them! Continue reading “And They Call Us the Extremists!”
Webster’s dictionary defines leadership this way: “The power or ability to lead other people.” A business dictionary defines it as “establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, providing the information, knowledge and methods to realize that vision.” Can we honestly say this describes Thad Cochran’s time in Washington over the last four decades? Many conservatives think not. Continue reading “Thad Cochran’s False Leadership”
With the US Senate race in full swing throughout the state of Mississippi, new charges have emerged from supporters of Thad Cochran in a pathetic and desperate attempt to paint Chris McDaniel as an untrustworthy politician in regards to his fiscal record as a member of the state senate and to attack his “misguided criticism of Cochran’s service to Mississippi,” in the recent words of Mr. Brian Perry in the Leader Call. Mr. Geoff Pender of the Clarion Ledger has also made similar arguments to attempt to discredit Senator McDaniel’s record of fiscal conservatism.
To begin with, Mr. Perry and Mr. Pender engaged in a classic political trick: cherry-picking votes. They took one vote Senator McDaniel made in 2009 in favor of an $282 million omnibus spending bill to make their case that he is not as fiscally conservative as he claims and that he is, in essence, no different than his opponent, Thad Cochran. Their inference is that Senator McDaniel is a fiscal hypocrite willing to support pork and wasteful spending when it suits him, while attacking Cochran for doing likewise. Yet it is nothing more than political blather suited for the ash heap. Continue reading “Chris McDaniel: Mr. Fiscal Conservative”
Was JFK a great President? As the nation marked the 50th anniversary of Jack Kennedy’s tragic assassination, new polling shows that many Americans consider him to be among our very best, ranking higher than any President in the last half century according to the latest Gallup survey. Two years ago, he rated fourth all time, ahead of such Presidents as Washington and Jefferson. But is this accurate?
As a historian, it makes little sense to rank a President who served just over one thousand days in office, rather than a full term or even two. It’s very difficult to judge his more limited accomplishments and what effect they had on the nation and even the world. Continue reading “Ranking President Kennedy”
In a recent post I exposed Thad’s Cochran’s horrific fiscal record, a legacy of taxing and spending worthy of any good liberal, but sadly that’s not the only flaw he possesses. His career does not reflect true conservative principles in the areas of national defense, the culture wars, active government, and the environment.
It simply cannot be said that Thad Cochran is supportive of all efforts to maintain a strong national defense and protect our borders. In 1982 he voted for amnesty for illegals, and in 2005 against a small increase in funds for tighter border security. Senator Cochran voted to cut $80 million from the Titan missile program in 1982 and voted against increases in the MX missile system and the new Midgetman missiles that President Reagan wanted as part of his defense buildup. Continue reading “Thad Cochran’s Flaws Not Just Fiscal”
Americans love anniversaries and this year marks some pretty remarkable ones, most notably the sesquicentennial of the battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg, two events that dealt a crippling blow to the Confederacy in the summer of 1863, and the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. But 2013 also marks the centennial of another crucial event, the enactment of the infamous income tax.
Pushed by Liberals for decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the income tax was supposed to be the “great leveling,” a policy that would correct the long-festering problem of wealth inequality. However, there was one problem – the Constitution specifically prohibited the government from taxing the American people directly. Continue reading “The Constitution and the Income Tax”
Recent political events, particularly with the Senate immigration bill, have only confirmed to me that its long past time we quit playing games and started fighting back against the Left. Richard Nixon coined the phrase in the 1952 presidential race as Ike’s running mate, telling the party it was time for a “rockin, sockin campaign.” Nixon has always been known as a fighter in politics. He fought his opponents and fought them hard. By doing so, he was successful in almost all of his races.
He smashed Jerry Voorhis in his 1946 campaign for Congress and, even though he faced a woman in his 1950 race for the US Senate, he never took his foot off the gas to expose Helen Gahagan Douglas for being a communist sympathizer. “She’s pink right down to her underwear,” Nixon thundered on the stump. And, truth is, she was, which is why John F. Kennedy secretly donated money to Nixon’s campaign, rather than support his fellow Democrat.
Yet Nixon’s one major slipup was in the 1960 presidential election, when he took the advice of a weak-kneed consultant and backed off Kennedy in their famous televised debates, so as not to seem like a bully. It cost him the presidency that year, just as it did for Mitt Romney last November. They played it safe, as did McCain in 2008, and all three met the same fate. Continue reading “It’s Time for “Rockin’, Sockin’” Politics”
This week marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought on July 1-3, 1863 in a small Pennsylvania town. Celebrations began on Sunday and are scheduled to last all week. Articles and commentary from across the political spectrum will flood the Internet and the airways in praise of those who fell on that hallowed ground in defense of liberty.
Yet the praise will be directed at Union forces. But what about the 28,000 Southern soldiers who died for what they believed in? Did they risk less? Were their ideals any less glorious than those above the Mason Dixon line?
We have come to expect as much from leftwing Northern “scholars,” as well as Southern scalawags. But, painfully, those who call themselves conservatives will take the Union side in the conflict as well. Continue reading “The Real Legacy of Gettysburg”
On April 13, those of us who love liberty and value the ideals of the American Revolution should reflect on the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, one of our greatest presidents.
After penning the words of the Declaration of Independence, and serving in a variety of public offices, Jefferson stood for election to the presidency in 1800. Americans were more than ready for a change after twelve years of Federalist rule, and as a result, Jefferson’s Republican Party swept into power by taking over both houses of Congress in addition to the Presidency.
Many historians erroneously claim that President Jefferson did not institute much change once he entered the White House. This is wholly untrue. Jefferson made monumental changes during his presidential tenure, beginning with his inaugural ceremony, completely altering the decorum of the presidency. He wore simple clothing and walked to the Capitol rather than arrive in grand style. Today newly inaugurated presidents walk part of the way up Pennsylvania Avenue as a tribute to Jefferson. Continue reading “Happy Birthday to Mr. Jefferson!”
Ryan S. Walters 