Obviously, the American Conservative Union (ACU) didn’t get the memo. After all, Governor Palin is irrelevant, donchaknow. At least that’s what the mainstream media told me, and the mainstream media never lies.
Was that the sound of Katie Couric’s head exploding I just heard ? from the set of the old Geraldo show?
The other news is that this will be the Governor’s first ever appearance at the annual three-day DC gathering of thousands of grassroots conservatives from all over the country, and the timing couldn’t be better. ACU Chairman Al Cardenas sums up why perfectly in today’s announcement:
A watchdog for conservative ideas, the Goldwater Institute is emerging as a key player in the defense of liberties large and small from its headquarters in Arizona, according to The New York Times.
In recent years, it has not only waged court battles on national issues in Washington. It has also used its team of lawyers to monitor state laws and school board missteps, according to the Times. The libertarian powerhouse, as the Times describes it, has also sued a professional hockey team and the Arizona Board of Cosmetology over the rights of tattoo artists.
“There are lots of cozy deals in Arizona, just like everywhere else,” said Institute director Clint Bolick. “The last thing you want is for us to find out. It’s like a skunk coming to a picnic. We ruin everything.”
The institute was founded by conservative activists in 1988, with the blessing of its namesake, Barry M. Goldwater, the longtime Arizona senator and conservative icon. It was primarily a public policy shop that issued reports, until 2007, when it added a crack litigation outfit. The institute’s aggressive lawyers strike fear in the hearts of the state’s public officials.
Read the rest.
Last election cycle, Iowa’s social conservatives and evangelicals catapulted Mike Huckabee to a surprise caucus win. But this time around, the most distinguishing aspect of the social-conservative vote is how fractured it is now – and how fractured it could still be by the time the caucus is held.
“If I was a betting man, which I’m not, I would say it’s going to stay divided,” says Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. “But anything can change.”
Craig Robinson, editor of The Iowa Republican and a veteran GOP operative, thinks that there is one candidate who might have the momentum to unite social conservatives behind his bid.
“If any candidate is starting to coalesce that support, it’s Santorum,” he observes. “People are still very undecided, but I think Santorum seems to have the momentum with these people. He’s been able to stitch together a significant part of that Huckabee coalition from four years ago.
Late yesterday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa’s office sent me an email with a copy of a letter the Congressman had sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on December 15 – a letter to which the A.G. has yet to respond. In it, Issa informs Holder that the Committee would like him to appear for more testimony on January 24, 2012.
In other words, Fast and Furious isn’t going away any time soon.
Issa wrote:
The hearing will examine flaws in the management structure of the Justice Department as demonstrated in the genesis and implementation of ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious. Specifically, the hearing will focus on what senior Department officials could and should have done to put a stop to this reckless program, as well as the specific areas where failures in communication and management occurred.
Friend:
Thank you. Promises Made, Promises Kept: We have much to be proud of. Those that love Freedom and Respect the Rule of Law stand with us.
I’d be lying if I said I was not extremely disappointed by being voted out in a recall election. It has been an honor to serve the people of Arizona in the legislature for the last decade and I am sad to go under these circumstances.
There is still much to be done, even though we lead the nation in many areas, such as economic recovery, safer neighborhoods, job creation, quality education, 2nd Amendment freedom, lower taxes, less regulation, defense of the unborn, protection of property rights, and yes, a return to the principles laid down by our Founding Fathers. We have changed the national debate in a good way. More than 34 states are modeling legislation after Arizona. WOW, who would have ever thought we could have had that kind of an impact? I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to serve and to have made a difference.
The World War II pilots had a saying; “If you’re not taking flak, you’re not over the target.” Well apparently I’ve been living over the target for some time.
Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, discusses the Declaration of Independence, the founders, Woodrow Wilson, and the founders of modern liberalism and how they gave more power to government.
