Murdoch unloads on Kerry, Obama, the left

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, in a discursive speech Monday evening, blasted Secretary of State John Kerry and attacked the left for creating an "identity crisis" that he charged has undermined American strength and fostered terrorism around the world. --And he drew a connection between U.S. foreign policy and domestic culture, arguing that "in recent years, there has been far too much institutionalization of grievance and victimhood."

Read more at Politico
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55 Conservative Leaders Release Vision For New Congressional Leadership Letter

Republican leaders have a responsibility to better align their party’s policy stances with founding American principles, the U.S. Constitution, and the will and consent of the American people against the threats facing this nation right now. Congressional leaders represent more than merely the internal majority of their respective chambers. They become national leaders of the entire Republican Party and, when in the majority, the citizens of every state. This is the essence of self-government.

Read more at Citizens United
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McConnell’s “Leadership” May Cost Republicans the Senate

A far cry from the popular establishment meme that principled conservatives are damaging the GOP’s credibility, recent evidence suggests if there is a cancer within the ranks it is spreading from the party’s epicenter. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has become an albatross around the necks of his Republican colleagues, safeguarding his own career at the expense of those around him and the electoral viability of the party at large.

Read more at Conservative Review
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Our Most Overestimated President

This past weekend’s Wall Street Journal carried an article entitled “Our Most Peculiar President” which reviews two new books on former President Richard M. Nixon. The reviewer concludes that Mr. Nixon was an extreme introvert in an extreme extrovert job. The lengths to which Mr. Nixon would go to avoid engagement in social discourse – focused primarily on conversations with others – were extraordinary. Virtually everyone in Washington was aware of Mr. Nixon’s peculiarities – meaning that the press had to also know – and yet it was left to the historians to compile and comment on those peculiarities decades later.

It has been nearly four decades since Mr. Nixon was forced to resign the presidency in disgrace. It will probably be another forty years before the historians have banished the progressive sycophants and deal honestly with the peculiarities of President Barack Obama. And when they do one startling characteristic will subtend all of the actions of Mr. Obama’s presidency.

Read more at the Oregon Catalyst
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Jason Chaffetz strips Meadows of subcommittee chairmanship

The House Republican crackdown has reached a new level of severity. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz has stripped North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows of his subcommittee chairmanship, just days after he defied leadership on the House floor by voting against a party-line procedural motion. --“Sometimes the coach needs to make a change on the field,” Chaffetz (R-Utah) told POLITICO Saturday. “He’s still a valuable contributor, and I really like Mark Meadows, he’s a good person. But I need to make a change.” --Losing a subcommittee chairmanship midway through a congressional session is among the most serious punishments thus far in Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) majority.

Read more at Politico
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Republicans lose faith in party leadership

A new Pew Research Center poll shows that America is unhappy with the GOP led Congress. In fact, Americans are disgusted as Republican congressional leaders only registered a 22% overall approval rating.
What is especially significant is that the poll shows this anger is bi-partisan. Only 41% of Republicans approve of the performance of the GOP congressional leadership. This is much lower than the 60% approval rating GOP leaders received in 2011 and the 78% approval rating they received from Republicans in 1995, months after the party took control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Read more at GOPUSA.com
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Brent Bozell calls out GOP leadership on Fiscal Cliff

ForAmerica's Brent Bozell writes the Republican Leadership of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate challenging them on putting tax raises on the table.  The question he asks is, "If you now claim a tax increase on small business is the correct course of action, were you lying all along when you claimed this tax increase would decimate the economy?" See full letter at ForAmerica... Read More......

Radio host David Webb reacts to attack by Rep. Carson on Tea Party

On August 31st, David Webb, black talk show host and a founder of Tea Party 365 appeared on Megyn Kelly’s America Live on FNC in reaction to Andre Carson’s comment that the tea party wants blacks 'hanging on a tree.' SEE VIDEO. Webb points out that most blacks are Democrats; blacks make up 12% of the population, therefore, black conservatives make up a very small percentage of Americans. So it is not surprising to find few blacks involved in the tea party. He maintains that it’s not a matter of color, it’s a matter of principle. He advocates for limited government and sound fiscal policy. ✧ According to a 2010 article on Webb’s website, if you are black and you’re not a Democrat and especially if you are a tea partier, you’re an Oreo, a traitor, a ‘spook at the door’, or an Uncle Tom. If this isn't a form of racism, it is intimidation and it's coming from black leadership as heard recently from members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Read More......

Rep. Hanna: Republicans Ready to Lead in February
From the Statesman Journal, January 8, 2008

The 2008 supplemental session isn't just a "test" for implementing annual sessions in the Oregon Legislature. It's a test of leadership in the House and Senate. The Legislature will work within a very limited window of time. The agenda must be narrow in scope, and our time at the Capitol must be well-organized.

Republicans are prepared to come back to Salem and tackle the state's most pressing issues. These are issues the Legislature failed to pass in 2007 and issues that simply can't wait until the 2009 session. To that end, House and Senate Republicans have joined together to advance several critical issues facing our state.

No Excuses: Oregon Needs More Troopers for 24/7 State Police Coverage
In a press conference Monday, House Majority Leader Dave Hunt (D-Gladstone) said Democrats wouldn't fund more State Police Troopers because the agency is incapable of achieving 24/7 coverage this biennium. Deputy Republican Leader Andy Olson (R-Albany) rejected the excuse and said the Legislature must fund 39 additional State Troopers in February.

"The time is now for the Legislature to fund 39 new Troopers to reach 24/7 coverage," said Rep. Olson, a retired State Police member. "Democrat leadership opposed funding 24/7 OSP coverage throughout the 2007 session, and now seem satisfied with the insufficient gains made in new Trooper hires."

In a response to a reporter's question about Democrats' ambiguity on 24/7 coverage, Rep. Hunt said OSP Superintendent Timothy McLain "specifically told us, and has consistently told us, that he can only hire, train and deploy so many Troopers."

In a Jan. 9 letter from McLain to Rep. Olson, the Superintendent writes that "should the Oregon Legislature authorize us to hire 39 addition (sic) troopers this February 2008 Session we would be able to meet that goal."

"Seven in 10 Oregonians want 24-hour State Police coverage to ensure their safety," Rep. Olson said. "Oregonians don't want excuses. It's time for the Legislature to provide the dollars and enable the State Police to hire 39 more Troopers."

Democrats Keep Oregonians Waiting Until Election Year
As Democrats unveiled their policy ideas for the 2008 February Session, House Majority Leader Dave Hunt suggested during a press conference that these were "new issues." With the February session less than one month away, one must ask: Why are Democrats just now addressing them?

In 2007, Republican legislators came up with a plan to fully fund the Oregon State Police - giving Oregonians 24/7 coverage - but Democrats insisted on a tax increase; this week Democrats announced their plans to move the State Police toward 24/7 coverage.

In 2007, the Democrat budget-writers cut General Fund dollars for Oregon Project Independence from the Governor's Recommended Budget; this week they announced it needs to be funded.

In 2007, the Democrats suspending the bipartisan Big Look Commission to update our land use system, suggesting it would confuse voters over Measure 49; this week they suggested they want to take another look at reforms.

In 2007, Republican legislators introduced legislation to increase water storage in Eastern Oregon, a bill that was killed on a party line vote; this week Democrats finally agreed that water supplies in rural Oregon is a priority.

In 2007, Republican legislators introduced the Legislative Audits Office to monitor the performance and spending of state government, and despite record revenues and a 20 percent growth in state spending, the bill was killed; this week the Democrats finally announced that accountability is a priority.

"So why now," asked House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg). "Why address these issues in 2008, when Democrats could have joined with Republicans in addressing these issues during the 2007 regular session?"

In Case You Missed It: Oregon Schools Continue to Lack Teacher Development Tools
"School districts need more support from the state and each other to improve the state of professional development in Oregon, according to a study released Tuesday by the nonprofit Chalkboard Project." ("Study Says State Needs to Improve School Aid," The Oregonian, 1/9/08) "Republicans propose creating a statewide network to deliver effective professional development programs for educators. Oregon's kids deserve excellent teachers, and 2009 is simply too long to wait." (House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna, "Republicans are Ready to Address Oregon's Priorities," Salem Statesman Journal,1/8/08)

"A proposal to make sure mandatory professional development courses actually improve student achievement died in the Ways and Means Committee." (School Reform a Slow Process, Medford Mail Tribune, 6/29/07)

During the 2007 session, Democrats failed to pass HB 2614 to coordinate a statewide system for research-based, sustainable, high-quality professional development of teachers. Read More......