Carolina Politics Online

A few weeks back I sent out some candidate questionnaires to the 13 candidates running for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.  They were lengthy and very detailed and I felt would be a great source of information on each candidate running in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.

Unfortunately, to date I have only received one back.  I am disappointed in the response because I am not one to give softball questions (which may be why I only got one back) and I think these questionnaires could be used as excellent educational resources for those of you wanting to read up on the candidates running.  But, without further ado, here are the responses from Republican candidate Paul Thurmond.  It’s a long read, but well worth it.  If you wanted to know it, the answer is probably here.

Health care and insurance costs have been rising steadily each year.  What is your opinion of the current proposal that is currently being reconciled between the House and Senate?  What, if anything, would you propose differently to help bring down health care costs?

I cannot and will not support a plan, like the one offered by Congressional Democrats that is currently being considered.  Should either the current House bill or Senate Bill be enacted before I am elected, I will work to repeal these bills when I get to office.

The current proposals, increase government control while doing nothing to address the biggest problem with our system- rising costs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Obama Administration’s own actuaries have said that the Democrats’ plan would raise costs for American families, and raise the amount we spend on health care in general.

Instead of forcing people into plans they may not want and out of the plans they currently enjoy, we should enact real reform that decreases costs for all Americans while focusing on patients instead of government. I would support a plan that increases the number of insured Americans while decreasing the cost everyone pays.  Such a plan will include reforming allowing people to buy plans across state lines, and providing states the tools necessary to lower health care costs. Unfortunately the Democrats’ plan does none of these.

Do you feel that the Federal government has an obligation to provide a public health insurance option for those who cannot obtain their own?

Long ago, our government created health care systems to provide quality care for the elderly, and the chronically poor.  These long-standing commitments cannot now be broken.  That said, we also must recognize the reality that currently nearly half of the funding spent on health care is spent by the federal government, and that spending is increasing at a rate much higher than the dollars being spent by the private sector.

If another government run insurance plan were created, what little health care cost containment we have now, would be completely lost and we would forever surrender 1/6^th of our economy to the Federal government.  What we should do, instead, is focus on lowering the cost of health insurance so that those who cannot afford it now can do so in the future.

The current Congress has come under heavy scrutiny over its spending practices.  The current National Debt is over $12 trillion and the debt ceiling was recently raised to over $14 trillion.  Does this concern you?  Why or why not?

The current Democrat controlled Congress and White House makes the fundamental mistake of thinking that they can spend our way out of the current recession.  They spent 2009 passing trillion dollar bill, after trillion dollar bill and when President Obama’s budget, the health care bill and the cap-and-trade bills are combined they have threatened to raise taxes by $3.6 trillion over the next decade.

This spending and taxation are unsustainable, we must enact across the broad cuts in spending and taxation.  On the spending side, Congress needs to sunset duplicative government programs, eliminate under-performing agencies, and address the runaway spending of entitlements.  On the tax side, we must create an environment where small business is allowed to expand, hire more employees and become more profitable.

For the 2009 fiscal year 62% of the Federal budget was allocated towards Social Security, Medicare, and defense, the three biggest expenditures of the Federal government by far.  These percentages are increasing each year.  How can the Federal government continue to fund these programs at their current rate particularly with Medicare having a projected insolvency date of 2017 and Social Security in 2037? (these figures come from a May 13, 2009 publication in the Wall Street Journal)

There is not a government program more important to the future of our nation than the Department of Defense, Social Security and Medicare are individually.   One of the explicit powers of the Federal government mentioned in the Constitution is providing for the common defense and as I said previously, we have made long-term commitments to our senior citizens, and I will not allow these commitments to be broken.

However, the fact that these programs are important does not mean they are without waste, fraud and abuse.  Congress must take a line-by-line review of these programs in order to eliminate these cost overruns.  The savings we see from these cuts must not be used to pay for new Federal spending.

At a time when our servicemen and women are putting themselves in harm’s way in order to protect our freedom and security, we must cut carefully.  Ensuring we do not repeat the mistakes of the 1990s where the Defense budget was cut to the point that we found ourselves unable to effectively protect our servicemen and women after September 11^th.  In fact, defense spending, as a percentage of GDP, has been falling since the 1960s.

The world has been witnessing increased aggression from nations like Iran and North Korea. Do you agree with the idea of the Monroe Doctrine that the United States has an obligation to police the world against these types of perceived threats?

As the last remaining Superpower, the United States has a responsibility to deal proactively with nations that have the potential to harm our citizens or international stability.  In many corners of the world, the only appeal for peace understood by dictators is a stern call from our Secretary of State, or a United States aircraft carrier, parked off their coast.

While I am uncertain if any appeal will be heard by the current rulers of Iran and North Korea, we must use all available options to calm the threat posed by these rouge states.  In doing so, military force should be the last resort, used only when international dialog, economic sanctions and all other options have been proven fruitless.

Were Israel to launch an attack against Iran over their goal of uranium enrichment capabilities, how should the U.S. respond?

Israel is the United States top ally in the Middle East and I am deeply concerned about an Iranian regime that continues to defy the United Nations and the international community by developing a nuclear weapons program.  I support all international efforts to eliminate this development that poses a grave threat to Israel and to the United States. I support every option available to prevent Iran from achieving success with its nuclear weapons program and would have co-sponsored and supported the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, and the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act.  I support Israel’s right to determine its security needs by its own standards.  I also find it unhelpful for other governments, such as Russia and China to conduct back door dealings with Iran and at the same time try to dictate when Israel should or should not use force.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate is over 12%.  What can the government do to bring that number down and help put people in our state back to work?

Government should not be in the business of job creation.  Government should be in the business of creating the environment where small businesses are allowed to flourish by giving them the tools to succeed.  I would advocate allowing credit to be made more available to small businesses as well as encouraging small business tax credits.  I would also work to defeat harmful policies such as climate taxes, cap-and-trade, card check and government run health care legislation that have frozen the level of confidence that small business have which has resulted in small businesses not hiring new employees.  Also transportation and infrastructure projects would immediately help create new long lasting jobs in areas such as high speed rail and modernizing America’s bridge and highway systems.

Do you feel it is in the best interest of the United States to continue sending foreign aid to other nations despite our rising national debt?

I feel that strategic foreign aid is an investment of tax payer dollars for the national security interests of the United States.  I support a strong system of transparency where the public is entitled to know where every dollar of foreign aid is spent.  I strongly support former President George W. Bush’s vision for the Millennium Challenge Corporation.  His criterion for foreign aid through the MCC was only to nations that demonstrated: good governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizens were eligible for foreign aid. By using this model for partnerships it allows developing nations to be strategic allies of the United States and prevents them from becoming havens for terrorism.

Some have criticized NAFTA saying it is responsible for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.  Do you agree or disagree with that sentiment and what is your overall opinion of NAFTA?

Trade pumps more than $45 billion into the South Carolina economy every year and employs more than 260,800 South Carolinians.  Almost all of these dollars flow through the Port of Charleston and the Port of Georgetown from countries with which we have trade agreements.  Additionally, while trade is often demonized as an American jobs killer, the facts do not support this argument, since the enactment of NAFTA, only 3 percent of job losses can be attributed to free trade.

Instead of returning to the failed protectionist policies, we must create a climate that incentivizes companies to move their manufacturing operations to South Carolina.   The first step in this process is fighting against harmful policies such as a cap and trade tax, card check and government run health care legislation all of which will kill more manufacturing jobs than trade ever has.

Were you supportive of TARP, the automotive bailout, and the stimulus bill and/or do you feel they have been effective?

Washington repeatedly touts statistics which they claim prove that the Stimulus and the bailouts have worked.  But even if these facts are to be trusted, the only thing they can tell us is that these bills just kick the can down the road.  Avoiding tough questions to stay in office, while saddling future generations with debt, has unfortunately become the rule in Washington. Instead, these issues should be addressed head on to truly solve problems before they become unmanageable.

I do not believe these skewed statistics and judge these programs to be failures.  TARP was supposed to bring back responsible lending in this country, yet homebuyers and small business owners still find it nearly impossible to secure credit.  Our domestic automakers are once again turning profits but have become wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Federal Government.  The Stimulus was touted as necessary to keep unemployment below 8 percent.  South Carolina’s unemployment rate for the past few months has hovered above 12 percent.

Instead of government enlargement, we need to remove government from the private sector.  Give the freedom to build the cars that the American people want to buy at a price they can afford back to American car companies.  Jobs can be created by allowing businesses to spend more of their capital on growing their business and less spent to pay the tax man.  Finally, Wall Street needs to learn that the Federal Government is not their insurance agent.

If I had been in Congress, I would have voted NO on TARP, NO on any automotive bailout, and NO on the Stimulus.

Should the Federal government raise taxes to make up for the rising Federal budget deficits?

No.  Increasing taxes will only stifle innovation and economic growth.  Without this growth, our tax base will shrink as businesses lay off existing workers or forgo hiring new workers, which also leads to more government expenditures due to the payout of unemployment benefits.

As a real world example of this fact, the Obama Administration’s proposal to increase the top two tax brackets from 33% and 35% to 36% and 39.6%, respectively.  According to the Administration, this tax increase will make the “rich” pay their fair share while helping to balance the Federal Budget.   However, when the facts are examined, it is evident that 44% of small business owners would see a tax increase due to this proposal.  As such, this targeted-at-the-rich tax increase will in fact hit those which are responsible for 80 percent of new hires.

Should the Federal government cut spending to balance the budget?  If so, what specifically should it cut?

Yes.  We cannot return fiscal order to our government without making cuts to the Federal budget.  The first step should be ending duplication in Federal programs.  While, the Federal government should help retrain workers to capture new job opportunities, it is absurd that there are 15 different Federal entities managing 165 different job-training programs, similarly there are 342 economic development programs run by the Federal government through 13 autonomous government entities.  Cutting the duplication out of these programs could save billions of dollars in overhead and administrative savings alone.  This is just a first step; we must also cut those Federal Departments which only serve to further their own interest.  For example, of every taxpayer dollar which finds its way to the Department of Education, 30 cents never leave D.C.  Instead these funds are used to pay Washington bureaucrats.

Would you be in favor of a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget by the Federal government?

Congress should be forced to live within its means, just as every local government, state government and American family already does.  I applaud our Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint for leading this charge in the Senate and when elected, I promise to sponsor or cosponsor an Amendment to our Constitution requiring a balanced budget.

Do the American people have a reasonable expectation to privacy?

Our Founding Fathers wrote strong protections against government intrusion in our daily lives into the Constitution; and if elected I will place my hand upon the Bible and swear to uphold those protections.  Our nation now faces an enemy which uses tactics and strategies that our national security apparatus have never encountered and were certainly never envisioned by our Founding Fathers.  However, these new threats do not make our Constitution obsolete and I will spend my time in office ensuring that our government continues to maintain a responsible balance between security and privacy.

Do you agree or disagree with the TSA’s push to deploy more full body scanners at airports across the country?

TSA’s efforts to deploy more full body scanners will be another tool to increase aviation security.  The current magnetometers in the Nation’s airports – which detect only metal objects – are antiquated and are a 1970s solution to the current day security challenges.  While the whole body scanners may not be the silver bullet, they far surpass the abilities of the Nation’s current airport screening technologies.  Whole body imagers can detect liquids, powders, gels, ceramics, small improvised explosive devices and likely would have detected the explosive on the Christmas Day Detroit terror bomber.  While passengers may have legitimate privacy concerns, privacy issues are being addressed with the TSA and no passenger will ever be forced to undergo whole body scanning.  Pat downs remain an option.

Should TSA engage in profiling?

TSA’s Behavior Detection program is a relatively new layer of aviation security.  Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs) observe passenger behavior at airport checkpoints and throughout airports in uniform and in plain clothes.  Based in part on Israel’s human factors layer of security, BDOs are trained to detect certain behaviors in the stressful airport environment to determine if a passenger may have ill intent. While the BDO program would not be considered profiling, it is an important step in engaging passengers directly within the confines of U.S. law.

Should illegal immigrants in the country be given a pathway to citizenship and what can be done to stop the flow of illegal immigration?  Should it be stopped?

We are a nation of immigrants. However, without the rule of law, our nation loses the vital character imbued in it by the Constitution.   Rewarding those who enter our country by breaking these laws with amnesty degrades the value of citizenship and damages our country.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States….”  In terms of providing for the general Welfare, what does that mean to you?

To me, government should provide for the people that which they cannot provide for themselves.  Too often the Federal government is considered the first option when in fact it should be considered only when the private sector, local government and state government have proven themselves incapable of handling a problem.

What, in your opinion, is the primary role of the Federal government and have they stayed within or strayed from the constraints of that role?

The primary role of the federal government, as laid out in the Constitution, is to foster a society where all Americans are free to use their inalienable rights. What the Federal Government cannot do, though it has increasingly been attempted (resulting in outsized deficits, an unmanageable debt, and increasing dependents on government largesse), is to guarantee individual outcomes. If elected, I will fight to ensure that the Federal Government is one that promotes strong families, individual achievement, growth in the economy, and everything that makes America the exceptional country that it has been since 1776. But I will also strongly oppose government that replaces these things with bureaucracy and unaffordable government from Washington that ignores what makes this country great.

This is just incredible.

Spratt defended his support of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a bill that has been debated by U.S. Congress for months. He champions the bill, as well as President Barack Obama’s involvement in trying to pass the bill in Congress.

“I would have liked to see the bill done a bit differently, but he’s (Obama) done a magnificent job on it,” Spratt said. “This is something Presidents Truman, Nixon, Ford and Clinton have tried to do before, and I give him credit for trying.”

The Lancaster News

Those are the words Congressman John Spratt used to describe ObamaCare while speaking at the Lancaster County 2010 Democratic Convention.  I think this man needs to stop puffing on the magic dragon.  The entire process of this health care plan has been carried out in a fashion of Mafia thuggery masquerading as the legislative process.  It’s been filled with backroom deals, bribes, and threats and intimidation.

If this is what Bubba thinks is magnificent then he has either been in Washington too long and/or senility is setting in.

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation’s oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is “fluid” and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn’t issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

That’s a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning.

ESPN

Of course it was a charade. Obama doesn’t give a damn about what the public thinks about anything. He’s demonstrated that pretty consistently throughout the past year.

So what is the point of this? The states have been managing the use of their waterways with little to no problem for over 200 years. Well, it turns out that this whole unconstitutional power grab is being orchestrated by the radical left environmental movement.

As ESPN previously reported, WWF, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Pew Environment Group and others produced a document entitled “Transition Green” shortly after Obama was elected in 2008. What has happened since suggests that the task force has been in lockstep with that position paper.

Then in late summer, just after he created the task force, these groups produced “Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy.” This document makes repeated references to “overfishing,” but doesn’t once reference recreational angling, its importance, and its benefits, both to participants and the resource.

Additionally, some of these same organizations have revealed their anti-fishing bias by playing fast and loose with “facts,” in attempts to ban tackle containing lead in the United States and Canada.

That same tunnel vision, in which recreational angling and commercial fishing are indiscriminately lumped together as harmful to the resource, has persisted with the task force, despite protests by the angling industry.

As more evidence of collusion, the green groups began clamoring for an Executive Order to implement the task force’s recommendations even before the public comment period ended in February. Fishing advocates had no idea that this was coming.

The commercial and recreational fishing industries have already been taking a big hit in both North and South Carolina and the last thing we need is further encroachment by the Federal government.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already exhibited plenty of incompetence in the way it enforces U.S. fisheries laws such to the effect that Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC-03) has called for a halt to all prosecutions of fishermen by the NOAA and a complete overhaul of how the laws are enforced.

Morlock fears that “what we’re seeing coming at us is an attempted dismantling of the science-based fish and wildlife model that has served us so well. There’s no basis in science for the agendas of these groups who are trying to push the public out of being able to fish and recreate.

“Conflicts (user) are overstated and problems are manufactured. It’s all just an excuse to put us off the water.”

In the wake of the task force’s framework document, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and its partners in the U.S. Recreational Fishing & Boating Coalition against voiced their concerns to the administration.

“Some of the potential policy implications of this interim framework have the potential to be a real threat to recreational anglers who not only contribute billions of dollars to the economy and millions of dollars in tax revenues to support fisheries conservation, but who are also the backbone of the American fish and wildlife conservation ethic,” said CSF President Jeff Crane.

Morlock, a member of the CSF board, added, “There are over one million jobs in America supported coast to coast by recreational fishing. The task force has not included any accountability requirements in their reports for evaluating or mitigating how the new policies they are drafting will impact the fishing industry or related economies.

“Given that the scope of this process appears to include a new set of policies for all coastal and inland waters of the United States, the omission of economic considerations is inexcusable.”

This is not the only access issue threatening the public’s right to fish, but it definitely is the most serious, according to Chris Horton, national conservation director for BASS.

“With what’s being created, the same principles could apply inland as apply to the oceans,” he said. “Under the guise of ‘marine spatial planning’ entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean.

“Every angler needs to be aware because if it’s not happening in your backyard today or tomorrow, it will be eventually.

This is what happens when you put an out of touch ideologue beholden to radical special interests in the highest office in the land. The fact that Obama intends to implement this with an Executive Order completely bypassing Congress gives credence to the accusation that he is becoming an elected dictator, much like Hugo Chavez.

This won’t be used to just regulate fishing either. Rest assured that the bureaucratic entities created to manage all of this will also be used to thwart any oil or natural gas exploration off our coastal waters, thus effectively reinstating the Federal drilling ban that just expired less than two years ago.

There is already talk of a ban on bottom fishing all the way down the North and South Carolina coasts to Georgia.  Thousands of jobs in these states can potentially be effected by this at a time when they are experiencing double digit unemployment rates. That aside, there is also the element of this being yet another chipping away at the block of individual freedom and liberty that Americans have enjoyed for over two centuries and that the President and this Congress spit on daily.

If this is put into place it seems like El Presidente will get to decide when and where you go fishing. With the industry being so large I am hoping this will end up in the Supreme Court with a Constitutional challenge if Obama makes good on this move.

Public pressure might be building on Bubba or maybe it’s his shoddy polling numbers, but something is possibly causing Spratt to reevaluate his position on the health care legislation.  According to a few different publications, Spratt is being referred to now as a possible undecided vote on reconciling the health care bill with the Senate version.  Spratt voted in favor of destroying the American health care system late last year.

“We’re telling constituents that he is withholding judgment until he sees the final bill,” says a staff aide.

Christian Science Monitor

Obviously, there are a lot of Democrats who voted “yes” in the fall who have indicated that they want to vote “no” or are considering voting no: Jerry McNerney, Steve Kagan, Henry Cuellar, Kathy Dahlkemper, Dan Lipinski, Marion Berry, Baron Hill, Brad Ellsworth, Dina Titus, Michael Arcuri, Dennis Cardoza, James Oberstar, Bart Stupak, Shelley Berkeley, Dan Maffei, Earl Pomeroy, Nick Rahall, John Spratt and Kurt Schrader.

National Review

I will update the whip count near the end of the day, but Steve Kagen, along with John Spratt, may be undecided now.

Fire Dog Lake

If you live in South Carolina’s Fifth District, call John Spratt’s Congressional office and demand he vote no on the health care bill.  Tell him to stop representing San Francisco and start representing South Carolina.

Washington Office
1401 Longworth Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Tel. 202-225-5501
Fax 202-225-0464

Apparently Bubba has set up a call screening system in order to stop the influx of out of state residents from calling into his office about the health care bill.  I guess I can sort of understand.  He doesn’t represent people that live outside of the Fifth District.  Although now that I think about it, he doesn’t represent those of us in the Fifth District either.

A poll conducted last week by Rasmussen of the Republican gubernatorial primary in South Carolina shows Henry McMaster the current favorite.  Out of the four candidates he leads with 21% of the vote.  He also has the highest favorable ratings.  Lt Governor Andre Bauer comes in second with 17% of the vote, yet ironically has the highest unfavorable ratings by a mile with 21% of respondents viewing him very unfavorably and 22% somewhat unfavorably.

1* 2010 South Carolina GOP Primary for Governor

For Release March 8, 2010

Keadle Asks for FEC Investigation

Scott Keadle takes issue with Congressman Patrick McHenry’s abuse of the franking privilege in a recent mailer to residents of North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District.

“Mr. McHenry has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars sending thinly-disguised campaign mail to voters. All of them have pretty pictures and explain what a great guy he is. All of them cost a lot of money, and add to the mountain of bills that McHenry and the Washington politicians have piled on the struggling taxpayers in this district,” said Keadle.

“This is an abuse of his office and McHenry should charge all costs to his campaign fund and not taxpayers,” said Keadle. “This is just one more example of how out of touch this Congressman is with the struggling citizens of North Carolina.”

“I’m calling for the Federal Elections Commission to investigate the printing and mailing of this slick color brochure,” added Keadle.

In anticipation of McHenry’s denial of adding to the size of government, Keadle said: “Mr. McHenry, please do not insult us further by denying that you voted for bigger government when you were in the majority under the Bush administration. In FY2006, for instance, you voted to increase taxation of North Carolina families by more than 5% of their paycheck. Saying a Republican President made you do it doesn’t make it right or ‘conservative’.”

—30—

Contact:
Garry Ballard
Keadle for Congress
press@keadle.com
704-775-8037

President Obama is sinking all of his remaining political capital into destroying the American health care system and the question to be asked here in the Charlotte area is will Larry Kissell capitulate or buck his party again and vote against ObamaCare?  Kissell represents a swing district that leans slightly Republican and although a Public Policy Polling poll taken a couple of months ago showed him hovering over 50% in hypothetical November match ups, this issue will make or break that.

As reported today in the Charlotte Observer, Kissell insists that his position has not changed and that he has no intention of supporting the current proposal in Congress and that is probably a good thing.  The American people are not seeing eye to with this administration.  Over half the country opposes the bill and almost two-thirds of Americans think it would be better to pass smaller incremental bills that address specific individual flaws in the system.

If Kissell were to change his mind and vote for the bill it will mark the end of his very short political tenure.  Hell, even if he doesn’t vote for it and it still passes it could seal his defeat.  The original House bill only passed by five votes so it’s hard to predict how this is going to turn out if the Democrats decide to proceed with reconciliation, but the word is the White House is putting on the pressure.

Congressman Patrick McHenry has sponsored H.R. 4705, a bill that would redesign the $50 bill with the likeness of the late President Ronald Reagan.  According to a press release from McHenry’s office he had the following to say regarding the bill:

“Every generation needs its own heroes,” said Congressman McHenry.  “One decade into the 21st century, it’s time to honor the last great president of the 20th and give President Reagan a place beside Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy.”

It’s an interesting proposal and I certainly don’t have an issue with it, but the timing is questionable in my mind.  McHenry has two primary opponents facing him in the May election and I just wonder if he his invoking Reagan to appeal to the tea party demographic.

The campaign of Scott Keadle, one of McHenry’s primary opponents, had the following comments:

“While President Reagan certainly deserves to be memorialized, I doubt whether he would have focused on this issue when we have such urgent problems facing North Carolina’s workers and families.”

Scott Keadle, a candidate for the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, will speak at the Catawba County Candidates’ Forum Thursday, March 4.

Keadle will speak about issues important to the people of the 10th District at 6:30 p.m. at Bennett’s BBQ Restaurant, 1819 Fairgrove Church Road SE, Conover.

A 45-year-old Mooresville dentist, Keadle is currently an Iredell County commissioner.

North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District currently includes all of Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln and Mitchell counties, along with parts of Gaston, Iredell and Rutherford counties. The Republican primary is May 4.

Garry Ballard
Keadle for Congress Campaign
press@keadle.com
704-775-8037

Talk radio host Jason Lewis of Minneapolis will be headlining a fund raiser for South Carolina Fifth District Congressional candidate Mick Mulvaney in Charlotte on Friday.  The even will be held at the Greek Isles Restaurant at 200 East Bland St in Charlotte and starts at noon.  Apparently the seating is limited so they are asking people to arrive early to ensure they get a spot.  Attendance is free, but guests are responsible for their own meals.

More information on Facebook

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2010

Contact: Aaron Groen

202-225-2071

WASHINGTON—The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) today awarded Foxx an “A” grade for her record of consistently voting to reduce spending and keep taxes low.  In NTU’s detailed rating of more than 300 House votes in 2009 Foxx scored a 94 percent, giving her the highest score out of North Carolina’s congressional delegation.

“Working hard to keep federal government spending in check and to keep North Carolina families’ taxes low is one of my top priorities,” Foxx said.  “So I’m pleased that NTU recognized my commitment to fiscal responsibility and limited government in their 2009 vote ratings.”

NTU’s rating of members of Congress’ votes covers 333 House votes in 2009 that had a significant affect on taxes, spending or debt.  Foxx’s “A” grade reflects her voting record on these 333 votes and also earns her the NTU’s “Taxpayers’ Friend Award”.

For more information on NTU’s congressional ratings, how the ratings are calculated and what roll call votes are used please visit www.ntu.org.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Wake Forest University was given a grant for $71,623 to “study the effects of self-administering cocaine on the glutamate system on monkeys.” Ah, but that’s not all.  Wake Forest also received a grant in the amount of $147,694 to study “preliminary data on the efficacy of integral yoga for reducing menopausal hot flashes.”  Wake Forest lies in Congressman Mel Watt’s (D) district.  I wonder who appropriated those earmarks.

There is also $50,000 for the American Dance Festival, Inc. and $250k to preserve an insect collection.

Can anybody tell me how any of this is supposed to stimulate the economy?  That was the purpose of the stimulus bill after all, hence the reason it was referred to as the stimulus bill, or more appropriately, the Porkulus bill.  Perhaps this is why after spending billions of dollars it hasn’t done jack.

Many months ago when I was expressing my dismay about the Porkulus bill and referred to it as such, our dear friend Lynn told me I was sounding too much like Rush Limbaugh.  Well Lynn, you haven’t commented in a while, but in case you are still popping by, I told ya so.

All I have to say is thank God for John Pope and the Civitas Institute for taking the time to expose this kind of crap because Lord knows I certainly don’t have the resources to.  Maybe some day.

Adam Brickley who writes for Race 4 2012 was a CPAC blogger who had the fortunate experience of crossing paths with Katherine Jenerette, Republican candidate for South Carolina’s First Congressional District.  In his own words, he was very impressed with her after speaking with her and decided “in a moment” that she is needed in Congress.

After spending a few minutes with her – I think this woman definitely has a shot. For one, she is a PISTOL - and I’m not even sure that term does her justice, even when bolded, italicized, underlined, and capitalized. She sat and chewed that fat with several bloggers for a few minutes - and this woman doesn’t just come off as a real person, she IS a real person. In all my political experience I have NEVER met a candidate with such a total lack of pretension.

Of course, she’s solid on the issues, and very well spoken (although in a very down to earth fashion) – but it was the “what you see is what you get” attitude that really hit home for me. She pulled absolutely no punches and made no apologies for either her demeanor, her thick southern accent, or anything else about herself.

Jenerette was my favored candidate in the 2008 GOP primary for relatively the same reasons.  She has the right ideas, the right background, and the will and nerve to fight the corrupt status quo in Washington.  Had she defeated Brown in the primary, the general election would have been quite a race between her and Linda Ketner, both of them being two very intelligent and assertive women in South Carolina, a state that I don’t believe has ever sent a woman to Washington.

With there being such a large pool of candidates for this seat this year I will probably spend a lot of time on this particular race until the primaries approach so keep stopping by to see what’s new.

The Cumberland County Republican Party had a big “to do” last week and a crowd of about 300 gave their endorsements for candidates in the 2nd, 7th, and 8th Congressional Districts in North Carolina, all of which cut in to Cumberland County due to a gerrymander in which the City of Fayetteville is located.

The straw poll winners were:

• Renee Ellmers – NC-02
• Will Breazeale – NC-07
• Lou Huddleston – NC-08

In my political experience straw polls are really just a way to gauge where the committee insider support is going to be.  They carry very little weight when it comes to who the voters are going to choose and that’s a good thing because for what ever reason they also decided to hold a presidential candidate straw poll vote and Caribou Barbie emerged as the victor.

Slowly back away and run.

A few weeks back I wrote about how Change the Congress in 2010 came out against Patrick McHenry’s reelection bid and instead endorsed one of his primary opponents, Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle. Keadle’s endorsement was based on the idea that he will not be a career politician and has experience as the average working man, something sorely lacking in the halls of D.C.

Keadle’s campaign have responded to the endorsement.

“Scott is always pleased to have the endorsement of true conservatives who want to take our government back from career politicians. It takes guts to challenge the powerful Washington establishment, and Scott shares that quality with Mrs. Wellborn. Obviously she recognizes that before we can clean out the Democrats in the fall elections, we must first nominate authentic Republicans. Scott is the real deal–no politics, no bull, just a dentist and a family man who has had enough of the same lousy people getting the same lousy results. He’s tired of watching his team lose and he thinks we need new players on the field.”

“Conservatives across the country are demanding a return to citizen-legislators who truly represent the intent of our Founding Fathers. It is time for an end to Washington insiders ruining our country. Change The Congress 2010 members from here in Western North Carolina have given Scott financial and volunteer support, and are excited about his candidacy.”

Man, this thing is getting huge!  Mark Lutz, a managing partner of the technology company Virtual Factory Inc. based in Quincy, Massachusetts is the eighth Republican to jump into the race to replace Congressman Henry Brown.  According to the Post and Courier, Lutz intends to focus on his lack of political experience as one of his strengths against his many opponents.  We are supposed to have a citizen legislature, after all.  The article also notes that Lutz is a supporter of the Fair Tax, a plan that would eliminate the Federal Income Tax and replace with a national sales tax.

Lutz makes the twelfth candidate to join this Congressional race, along with seven other Republicans, three Democrats, and one Independence Party candidate.  The current crop of candidates are:

• Councilman Ryan Buckhannon (R)
• Col. Robert Burton (D)
• Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III (R)
• Robert Dobbs (D)
• Katherine Jenerette (R)
• Charleston County School Board member Larry Kobrovsky (R)
• State Representative Tim Scott (R)
• Councilman Paul Thurmond (R)
• Dick Withington (D)
• Stovall Witte (R)
• Jimmy Wood (I)

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell was proud to report in a news release that despite the snow covering Washington, his office is open.

“My staff is dedicated to making sure our constituents are able to reach our office and receive the help they need,” Kissell said in a news release. “I applaud their determination and perseverance in getting into the office and getting it open despite this historic snowfall. While our DC staff was snowed in, our District staff made sure anyone contacting our offices received assistance but I’m proud our DC folks are back at their desks.”

The N&O

Wow. What great determination by Kissell and staff -volunteers all- to trudge through the snow and get to work for N.C.

Oh wait, that’s right. They’re not volunteers. This is their freaking job. Taxpayers are actually paying you to be there, Larry. Get over yourself, already.

Rep. Tim Scott,  who in 2008 became the first African American Republican in the State House in at least 100 years, is now running for Congress.

Scott had been running for lieutenant governor. Scott, the former chairman of Charleston County Council, announced Monday he is abandoning his run for statewide office and is instead taking a crack at replacing U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, who is retiring.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports Scott is now the seventh Republican in the race. If elected he would be the first African American Republican in Congress in six years.

The State

That’s looking like a crazy race to succeed Brown.

Other Republican candidates are: Isle of Palms City Councilman Ryan Buckhannon, Charleston businessman Carroll Campbell, GOP activist Katherine Jenerette of North Myrtle Beach, former Charleston County School Board member and lawyer Larry Kobrovsky, Charleston County Councilman and lawyer Paul Thurmond, and former Brown aide Stovall Witte.