The sad part of being Republicans in Washington these days is the fact that they have no power or influence to stop the Democrats from passing anything they wish. To their credit however is their continued beating of the drums of warning about the dangers of the socialist agenda of this president and his administration. One of the Grand Old Party’s (GOP) most glaring flaws in past years has been their move away from conservative principles as they try desperately to win elections by acting more like Democrats on political issues. This strategy worked in New Jersey as a liberal Republican was elected as governor of that very liberal state; however, it has no chance of succeeding on a national level. In NJ, it could be said that even a broken clock is right sometime.
The Democrats are counting on a divided GOP going into the upcoming 2010 election. They hope to hide or diminish the many negative things that characterize the Democratic Party and this president. Yet passing an onerous and unpopular healthcare bill will surely work against the Democrat’s hope of deceiving and confusing the voters. Voters, especially seniors, may not understand every jot and tittle of the healthcare legislation but they do understand key points that will adversely affect them. They owe their information to the tea party movements and outrage from the general public and non-liberal news media.
Republicans are afraid of putting up a true conservative candidate for fear that he/she will not win. It has been a long time since they have put up one, and they are judging their chances solely on what the media and the left tell them-----which in itself is flawed and strange reasoning. What they should do is take a look at the 2006 and 2008 elections where true liberal Democrats soundly beat their liberal GOP candidates. The GOP could bring millions of conservatives back into the party if they redirected their energy, time and money towards fiscal and social conservative solutions for our local and national problems.
Unfortunately conservative voices fall on deaf ears as the GOP purposely ignores them. Even though the Republicans in Washington continue to beat the drums of warning against socialism the infection of liberalism within their own ranks tend to water down their message. After all, if they cannot show any significant difference between themselves and the Democrats, then what makes them more deserving of a seat than the Democrats?

Recently I corresponded with several of my conservative friends about the so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats that they were complimenting for holding their ground. I told them that they should not hang their hopes on what the “dogs” say--- just watch what they do. The game played by the “Blue Dog” Democrats on the healthcare legislation is transparent. Often they say, “If this is in the bill I won’t vote for it,” or “If this isn’t in the bill I won’t vote for it.” Since their words have proven to be hollow and meaningless in years past, why should anyone believe them now? Liberal Democrats know that when the final vote is taken, the “dogs” will all vote the party line. They also realize that Senator Collins and Snow, the two RINOs (Republican In Name Only), will also vote with the Democrats. So this show by the “dogs” of being stubborn, concerned about fiscal issues and being judicious is very transparent and a huge sham. There are a lot of liberal fleas on these “dogs”--- politics is indeed a malodorous and duplicitous business.

BLACKHAWKE

Sarah Palin is a very personable and intelligent person. Liberals are very much afraid of her huge popularity among the American people. They have tried everything to bury, demonize, criticize and marginalize her. Liberal activists, the media and Democrats have viciously attacked her family and overall tried to destroy her. They have failed in their attempts. Sarah Palin, ex-governor of Alaska, is more popular now than ever before.
When it comes to style, honesty, strength, consistency, toughness and connecting with the people, she reminds many of President Ronal Reagan. The Republican Party needs her and other real conservatives to put it back on track and get out of the minority. But, I fear the liberal majority in the Republican Party will not support her in 2010 or 2012. They too do not like her because she represents exactly the type of down to earth conservatism that they lack. They would rather pursue the failed strategy of trying to out-liberal the Democrats. A strategy that the Democrats want them to keep------ which begs the question to Republicans, “what is the definition of insanity?”
As a conservative Independent I view Sarah Palin as the first person to come along since Ronald Reagan that I can get excited about. If the Republican Party makes the huge error of kicking her to the curb, I do hope she runs as an Independent. If she did that, I truly believe she would be the first Independent to win the Whitehouse.

It is imperative that our military and national defense teams present a united front to all our enemies. This front must be maintained even when the decisions and policies of this president seem anti-military and weak on national defense. Truth is, over many years Democrat politicians have often shown their disdain for our military and national defense through speeches, policies and rhetoric on the floors of the Senate and the House.
A friend of mine, a retired Marine of African ancestry, emailed me in April and said that it sickened him to watch the Marines having to salute Obama as he entered and exited Air Force One and the helicopter. I reminded him that those Marines are saluting the Office of The Presidency, not the man. He said I was right but it still didn’t make him feel any better. Told him to eat more whole grain and take a nap.
For conservatives it is difficult to watch our military establishment undergoing attacks from a Democratic administration, and it makes it extremely taxing and stressful for the men and women in uniform. So I can understand my friend’s frustration, but the fact that presidents come and go every four years offers hope for our military. One thing is for sure our military will continue to provide a united front to both our foreign and domestic enemies.