I am beginning to think that the nature and level of attacks being launched by Mitt Romney against Newt Gingrich, which he would surely use against any conservative threatening his nomination, are going to make it very difficult for Romney to unite the different factions of the GOP and the conservative movement behind his candidacy should he win the nomination. While I have said that I would vote for Rick Santorum, I am appalled at the “anything goes” assault on Gingrich. See NYT article here.

Romney is not a conservative in the traditional sense, and he has a record of big-government Republicanism. Even many years after the success of the Reagan administration, he sought to distance himself from Reagan and the GOP, self-identifying as a progressive and independent. Thus, he resorts to spending multi-millions of dollars trashing his opponents, rather than providing thoughtful arguments on conservatism and constitutionalism. Lest we forget, it was Gingrich who was trying to run a positive campaign and who offered to debate Romney one-on-one, asking Romney to stop with the millions in unanswered ads attacking him. Romney declined. I have no doubt that Romney would do the same thing to Santorum if Santorum was rising in the polls, albeit on different issues.

I have said that Romney is in many ways Richard Nixon, and that Romney would not successfully lead efforts to repeal Obamacare but, in fact, would grow the federal government in many respects. Romney’s advisor, former senator Norm Coleman, has now said as much. That is Romney’s record. Despite having been a businessman, he was not a defender of free market capitalism while governor. Romneycare is, as Santorum pointed out, a top-down government health care system with an individual mandate that is breaking Massachusetts’ treasury and destroying private health insurance. It is a disaster. Romney also backed cap-and-trade and TARP (as did Gingrich).

My great fear is, however, that he is the weakest candidate who can face Obama and will go into the general election with a fractured base, thanks to his own character flaws, which are now on display, and his tactics of personal destruction. Moreover, while Romney can swamp his Republican opponents by 3 to 1 or more in every state with his spending advantage, Barack Obama will be raising more and spending more to beat him in the general election, meaning Romney’s financial advantage will be non-existent.

We better start paying a lot more attention to holding the House of Representatives and winning the Senate with a bunch of solid conservatives. I have spent a year on my radio show identifying and interviewing these candidates, and will continue to do so.

6:04am  by Mark Levin

Bill Kristol: pro-Obama Republican

Oh my, it now seems that Bill Kristol is unhappy about the final deal.  Read article here.

Yes, Bill, we share your pain. You see, Bill, many of us knew this was coming and said so, including on the air. But you were so busy attacking the Tea Party, you missed the obvious. Same with Charles K.

 

6:05am by Mark Levin

(Read referenced article here.)

Yes, folks, why throw out a perfectly good moderate Republican from office?  Why should the conservative base in the GOP participate in the primary process, unless of course the purpose is to vote for the moderate incumbent.  Why should the Tea Party actually exist, unless of course they support incumbent Republicans?

I don’t much care for people who write under fictional identities.  It is not only weird but cowardly.  That said, let me educate this particular gentleman or lady, as we have no way of knowing.  Sharron Angle did not lose in Nevada because she was a conservative.  Harry Reid would have beaten any of the Republicans vying for the nomination.  If necessary, I can explain further later.  The attacks on Angle are cheap shots aimed, again, at the Tea Party.  Mike Castle lost the Republican primary because for years he made a virtue out of disloyalty to the conservative base.  Finally, he paid a political price, must too late by my liking.  He is not missed.  You can only play liberal Republican for so long, hoping to appeal to Democrats while running as a Republican.  Conservatives and Republicans are not obliged to play along forever.  As for Alaska, the establishment favorite won.  But there is little doubt among most conservatives that Joe Miller would have been a superb senator, far more in tune with the needs of the nation today than the ultimate victor.

But what of Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Pat Toomey, all Tea Party supported candidates?  All of their Republican opponents were supported by the GOP establishment.  (Toomey lost the first time around in the GOP primary; Arlen Spector was then said to be the only Republican who could hold that seat.)  Would the country be better off with the Republicans supported by the establishment or these Tea Party backed conservatives?  In politics, you win some and you lose some, but you win none if you don’t try.  And what of the House of Representatives?  GOP establishment favorite John Boehner is now Speaker thanks to the conservative and Tea Party base.  This is all well known, yet routinely ignored.

But what this reveals is a real contempt for serious efforts by conservatives to challenge Washington orthodoxy.  It is one thing for conservatives to talk and write and rally, but quite another to participate in the electoral process to advance conservative principles.  This is why the argument we have heard the last few weeks, that we need to wait until the next election, falls on deaf ears for so many of us.  When that election comes, we are told to mind our place, to support the incumbent, or at least not to challenge him/her.  What they really mean to say is we are second class citizens who are too stupid to know what is right for the country.  These establishment Republicans sound like liberals don’t they?

If Barry Goldwater had not challenged the establishment Republicans there would have been no conservative movement.  If Ronald Reagan had not challenged the establishment Republicans (oh, he lost twice before winning the presidential nomination, I guess he should never had tried), the Republican Party would have been in permanent minority status.  If the Tea Party had not turned out in force last November, Boehner would still be a back-bencher and Mitch McConnell would not be within a few votes of being Majority Leader.

More importantly, if we conservatives fail, the nation is doomed.  This is not a game.  This is for real.  The primary process exists for exactly times like this.  The Republican Party is only as good as those who we elect under its banner.

 

6:07am by Mark Levin

(Read referenced article here.)

Virtually every Republican running for president does not support the Boehner-Reid-McConnell-Krautha​mmer-Kristol-Gigot-Obama deal.

I guess that makes them, what, Hobbits? Pro-Obama Republicans? Tea Party Extremists? Vain and obtuse?

No, it makes them right.

 

12:43pm by Mark Levin

American Spectator’s Jeffrey Lord — his upbeat piece. As always, brilliantly written.

 

 

Mark linked this article by Jennifer Rubin to this facebook post.   And he referenced other articles here and here.

Update:  Two additional articles linked  4/11 @ 3am here and here.

More updating: 

Over at National Review Online, some of the youngsters are trying to better Andy McCarthy. And they fail miserably.  They think the Boehner deal is really swell, best we could do, blah-blah-blah.

And…

Poll: Deal that avoided a shutdown is more popular with Dems. Imagine what the numbers would be if the public knew what exactly is in this $38.5 billion figure, something we still don’t actually know in detail.

I am hearing the same thing all morning on talk radio – that the real battle is not the continuing resolution being debated today, but the 2012 budget battle, which involves far more money.
 

This is a foolish argument.  Conservatives need to take every opportunity to educate the public about their principles and the Left’s policies.  This is how you build support for future battles.  A consistent strategy and substantive message is crucial for subsequent confrontations.  You continue to pound away on your themes and pound away at their themes.  And you take advantage of every opportunity to advance your case and policies.  Today it is the CR.  Tomorrow it is the debt limit.  The next day it is the 2012 budget.  They are not exclusive of each other.

 

As for the CR and the debate today, I have said for two months that if the Republicans stay strong, consistent, and confident in their position, they will win the day — including the so-called PR battle, if they actually try to communicate with the American people. See here http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/video-mark-levin-rails-against-spending-bill-stop-making-deals-with-these-leftists/  and here v=qQbWQfLxeFwhttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june11/shieldsbrooks_01-07.html and here http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2011/02/mark-levin-gop-needs-to-start-thinking.html and here http://www.frumforum.com/levin-wants-a-shutdown-real-americans-dont

The only segment of our society that has not experienced this recession is the government.  Why should it be immune?  Why should the taxpayers and private sector “sacrifice” but the government roll along, growing, spending, and regulating at will?  If there are 800,000 non-essential federal employees, according to the president himself, what does that tell you?   

As I have said before, this is not 1995, the situation is more dire, the public is engaged, and a government shutdown will demonstrate that life will, in fact, go on.  The only question is whether John Boehner will stand strong in these negotiations or not.  If he agrees to a compromise that further reduces spending “cuts” below even the total $61 billion the House Republicans agreed to (which was a compromise in itself), then he has failed — despite best efforts to spin it.  We have only come this far thanks to folks like you, who have made very clear that you have had enough of this and you will support politicians who will stand firm on reversing course. 

As for so-called riders, de-funding Planned Parenthood is a matter of principle.  If the Left wants to kill unborn babies, and that is among its top priorities, let it do it on their own dime, not mine.

Mark put a small little blurb on his FB page this morning regarding the $38.5 billion deal that was reached in the 11th hour.

FB post: Saturday, April 9th, 2011 7:47am

What if $10 billion of the $38.5 billion actually is from the prior two CRs? And what if another $12 billion of the remaining $28.5 billion actually comes from a change in the budget baseline that would have occurred anyway? I cannot personally vouch for this, but this is what I am being told from certain Capitol Hill sources. I will know more in the hours and days ahead. And I will get to the bottom of this.

GOP Bid to Reclaim Senate Fuels Fight for Party’s Soul

The Republican Party is in play, and the passage of President Barack Obama’s health plan has inflamed the intraparty wrangling.

On one side are pragmatists like Mr. Cornyn who insist that uncompromising conservatives aren’t good bets to win swing states. On the other are purists like Mr. DeMint who want to field as many conservatives as possible to recapture the public’s trust at a moment when faith in government is at low ebb.

Republicans contend that fierce opposition to the health law will resonate with an angry electorate. “It’s likely to be the centerpiece of many campaigns, particularly against Democrat incumbents,” Mr. DeMint says. “I think it will be a very powerful message.”

The few Republican Senate candidates who haven’t gotten on board with the repeal push, such as Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware, have taken flak. “While this president is in office, repealing this full law is not realistic and not the best use of our efforts,” he said in a statement.

“Unforgivable,” wrote Christine O’Donnell, Mr. Castle’s conservative challenger, to her supporters. “What else can we call my opponent Mike Castle’s cynical refusal to fight for the repeal of ObamaCare?”

Read more

(Excerpt from RemoveRINOS.com )

NEW ACE OF SPADES: MIKE CASTLE
The decision to move Ms. Snowe from the Ace of Spades position has followed weeks of soul searching. But consider the following:

• In 2009 only seven House votes were included in the RemoveRINOs updates (our subjective take on the “worst of the worst” from the American Conservative Union’s list). Castle voted the wrong way on all seven votes. From the Senate, Snowe voted the wrong way on only six of eight.
• Since 2005, Castle has racked up 51 of the most egregious votes. Snowe has racked up only one more, dating back all the way to 2001 (our senate votes go back further than our House).
• The clincher: it was awful when Snowe voted Obamacare out of conference–yes, that was awful–it was even worse than Castle’s vote for Cap and Trade. But, we’re to the next phase, and Castle has made it clear he will not seek repeal. If Castle wins the GOP Senate nomination against O’Donnell and wins in November, he’s just going to be another congressional obstacle. Period. By so nonchalantly opposing repeal, he has not only made it clear that his election would hurt the repeal movement but that he has little regard for what tea-partiers and conservatives want.

Read more

(Excerpt from RemoveRINOS.com )

Mike Castle

• Voted FOR Cap and Trade.

1. For info on the faulty science behind the legislation, please see the following piece by Jonah Goldberg and Kim Strassel: “The Shrinking Consensus.”
2. For info on the even faultier economics behind the legislation, please see the following piece by Guy Benson from National Review Online: “Cap and Trade Doesn’t Work.”
3. For a sad statement on possible motive guiding these “GOP Turncoats” (the term used by Michelle Malkin, as well as quite a few other conservatives), please see the following piece by Kevin Mooney of The Washington Examiner“: “Republicans who helped pass ‘cap and trade’ benefitted from environmental donations.”

• Voted FOR the 2009 omnibus bill that meant an additional 8% increase in spending, on top of the stimulus (ACU-17).

• Voted FOR the $700 billion bailout of the financial industries (TARP) in 2008 (ACU-8).

• Voted AGAINST a 2009 amendment to withhold tax- payer dollars from Planned Parenthood (ACU-17).

• Voted AGAINST a 2007 amendment to withhold tax- payer dollars from Planned Parenthood (ACU-6) Read what Kathryn Jean Lopez has to say about Planned Parenthood: “Planned”.

• Voted AGAINST the surge: Had Castle gotten his way, we would have surrendered to Al Qaeda, granting them victory in our most clearly defined battlefield.

Read more

Note to all you Mike Castle supporting spammers out there: I will not allow you to copy and paste the personal smears being used to attack Christine O’Donnell. You may try all you like, but it will not be posted. Why don’t you try to challenge her views on the issues, instead?

Delaware politics: Castle won’t join GOP effort to repeal health law

Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware voted with other Republicans against health care reform legislation, but he isn’t joining his party’s call to repeal the bill.

I received this message in an email from Castle’s conservative opponent, Christine O’Donnell.

Mike Castle, RINO candidate for the Senate in Delaware, just thumbed
his nose at you, America’s patriots. He said he opposed efforts like
mine to repeal ObamaCare as futile.

The AP broke a major story not even 24 hours ago:

“While this president is in office, repealing this full law is not realistic and not the best use of our efforts,” he said in a statement.

Trust me, if we keep sending Mike Castle-types to the Senate nothing
will ever change. But if we send enough people like me, then sooner
rather than later everything will start changing . . . for the better.

We – you and I – want our America back, but I need your help!

About repeal of the health bill, my opponent Castle is saying we
should wave a white flag. No, we need to unfurl our American flags
and help lead a national crusade to end ObamaCare . . . and end the
assault on our liberties.

When the Lords of the Backroom – the career politicians in Washington
- are shoving a rancid health bill down our throats, Mike Castle’s
timid response is, “Well, let’s just swallow it.”

My response is far different. I say kick down those backroom doors,
shine a bright light on the corrupt people inside, and spit out this
abomination of a health bill.

I pledge to follow the example of true Republicans leaders like Jim
DeMint and Judd Gregg. I will help them drive a stake through the
heart of the health bill monster.

Unlike Castle, I will never surrender. I will never accept this
travesty known as ObamaCare.

I will vote to repeal and replace!

Mike Castle has rarely met a special interest group he won’t sell out
to. In my case, I reply on you, American patriots, for the donations
I need to fight the battle to repeal healthcare . . . and to oppose
the rest of Obama’s socialist agenda.

I’m a proven vote-getter among Delaware Republicans. If you help me,
I can beat Mike Castle, and he knows it. He’s running scared.

Help me to help our country survive this liberal onslaught against our
freedom. I promise I will never – not in this lifetime – let you
down.

Take a stand with me today. We will fight this until the end.

The move comes on the heels of a new poll that showed Republican Dede Scozzafava had fallen behind her two competitors in a race too close.

Republican state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava has suspended her campaign for upstate New York’s 23rd Congressional seat, leaving Democratic nominee Bill Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in the race that will conclude Tuesday.

The move comes on the heels of a new poll that showed Scozzafava had fallen behind her two competitors in a race too close. The Siena College poll has Owens picking up 36 percent of the vote, while Hoffman has 35 percent. Scozzafava has 20 percent, with nine percent of voters undecided.
…
“The reality that I’ve come to accept is that in today’s political arena, you must be able to back up your message with money — and as I’ve been outspent on both sides, I’ve been unable to effectively address many of the charges that have been made about my record,” she said.

Update: You’ll feel tingly all over to hear that both Steele and Newt have endorsed Hoffman, now that Scozzafava has dropped out.

The two sources of proof that Michael Steele is mistaken are Dede Scozzafava and Dede Scozzafava, in writing and on tape.

On Oct 19, 2009, the all things liberal labor In These Times reported:

In These Times obtained a copy of a candidate questionnaire from the AFL-CIO’s legislative department. In that document, Scozzafava pledged to co-sponsor EFCA with card check, as did her Democratic opponent Bill Owens. To wit:

If elected, would you co-sponsor and vote for the Employee Free Choice Act (S.800/H.R. 1041), which passed the House by a vote of 241-185 on March 1, 2007 but was blocked by a Senate filibuster in June, 2007 (the Senate failed to invoke cloture by a vote of 51-48 vote)?

The Employee Free Choice Act, introduced by Senator Kennedy in the Senate and Representative George Miller in the House, would require employers to honor their workers’ decision to join a union after a majority of them signed a union authorization card or petition; establishes first contract mediation and arbitration; and creates meaningful penalties against employers who interfere with, coerce or fire workers for attempting to join a union. OWEN [sic]– YES, DEDE – YES

That same day, John McCormack of The Weekly Standard reported:

“I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports card check. “Yes, yes I do,” she replied.”

The Scozzafava campaign quickly backtracked after first alleging that John McCormark yelled at her while asking questions. They did so when he played the full audio of the incident for the Associated Press and they confirmed his version of events.

Before the last shred of their credibility is lost, perhaps Newt Gingrich and Michael Steele should ask John McCormack if they can also listen to that audio.

Note: Visit DougHoffmanForCongress.com.