Closure

It seems as if everyone has commented on the recent battlefield death of Osama Bin Laden.  And that's what it was - a battlefield death.  It wasn't an "accident", it wasn't a "contingency operation", he was killed on the battlefield in America's continuing war against Islamofascist terrorists.  It was a good day for America.  Importantly, it was a great day for the men and women who have valiantly volunteered to hunt down terrorists like Bin Laden wherever they reside - be it the deserts of Iraq, the jungles of the Philippines or the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.

It is also a significant day for America's first responders who remain on the front lines in the war against terrorists here at home.  It is a solemn, thoughtful, and bittersweet day for the many families who lost loved ones on 9-11 and for the "Gold Star" families who have lost loved ones in this now ten year war against the evildoers.

I am ever proud of my country.  And this week, once again, I reminded why.  Americans are unique in the world.  We have a remarkable resolve.  We have borne great burdens and we have made tremendous sacrifices as a country and, yet, we continue to endure.  We continue to thrive.  We continue to remain steadfast.

We are America.  And, now, Osama Bin Laden - in his last breath of thought - knows what that means.

Courage?

Today is my birthday (I proudly share it with Booker T. Washington) and I don't think I could have received a better birthday present than the budget Paul Ryan introduced today.

I do not believe it is overblown hyperbole to say that the budget submitted by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) may be the seminal legislative document of my life time.  In an act of political courage rarely seen in our elected officials, Congressman Ryan wrote a budget document that eliminates the deficit, reforms Medicare and Medicaid significantly, reduces the overall tax burden, and obliterates “Obamacare” to name just a few positive aspects of this budget.  Additionally, Congressman Ryan acknowledges the extremely hard work that will need to go into explaining and “selling” his plan to the American people.  More importantly, Ryan recognizes that he is risking his political career with his bold proposal – this is a courageous document.

The question now becomes, will other Republicans have the courage of Paul’s convictions?  As of this writing, no Republican member of the Washington Congressional Delegation has issued a statement either in favor or against Ryan’s budget.  That is unfortunate.  I did a quick search around the web and found favorable statements from other Republican members of Congress.  This is extremely important because the time is now to define the narrative before Nancy Pelosi, the pathetic combo of Reid/Schumer, and the rest of the Democrat demagogues begin to try to define Ryan and Republicans as heartless Neanderthals (if you’ve done any reading today, you know they’ve already started).

It is incumbent upon our Republican members of Congress to stand up NOW and be heard.  Equivocation and obfuscation are not leadership traits.  And our country is crying out for bold, courageous leaders.  So I put this question to our elected Republicans:  Are you willing to take a vote that may cost you your job?  Moreover, are you willing to stand on principal to secure prosperity for future generations at the risk of your own prosperity?

Congressman Reichert what is your answer?  Congressman Hastings what is your answer? McMorris-Rodgers?  Herrera?  Are you willing to stand with America against the Obama/Reid/Pelosi assault on our fiscal future?

Folks this is it.  Call members of Congress to the carpet if they tell you “I’m still studying the proposal” or some such  nonsense.  They have known this was coming for a long time.  Ryan put his “Roadmap” out before the 2010 campaign.  No studying needs to be done.   Step up and lead or step aside.

Back At It

I took a brief hiatus following the 2010 election.  I needed to get way from politics, take stock of my experience on the campaign trail, focus on my family, and get to work building my business back up.  Now, it's time to get back at it.

My last post focused on the abysmal performance of Republicans in Washington State during the 2010 election.  Although (as one commenter stated) a focus on an effective ground game won't be a cure all for what ails Washington Republicans, it sure will help.  To that end, I've accepted a request by Ralph Reed to help build a ground game here in Washington.  For the 2012 election cycle, I will be serving (in a volunteer capacity) as the State Chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, the Washington State chapter of Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition (http://bit.ly/dIjqd) (editors note:  Ralph Reed's organization is in no way affiliated with Gary Randall's organization here in Washington State).  I'm not sure what we'll be calling "Washington Faith and Freedom Coalition", but know this:   My sole focus will be on building an effective grassroots organization in which people of faith will have an opportunity to be heard at all levels of government.  If you're interested in learning more, send me a comment through this blog or get in touch with me on Facebook.

There has been a change at the top of the Washington GOP since my last post.  Congrats to Kirby Wilbur.  You have your work cut out for you!  I'm sure Kirby will do a great job.  He's an extremely effective messenger and that will be half the battle.  Congratulations are in order, as well, to all the new members of the Executive Committee and the newly elected county chairs throughout our great state.

I couldn't be more proud of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the brave Republicans who stood against union thuggery and for the people of Wisconsin.  They did America a real favor by exposing the self-interested, selfish, leftist agenda of the public employee unions.  At the end of the day, those union thugs weren't interested in "rights", they were interested in holding on to power.  The absolute best component of the Wisconsin legislation?  No more forced payment of union dues - it's now voluntary.  That's what scared the heck out of all of those out of state "protesters" and that is what have public employee union sycophants scared to death.  Oh to be able to do the same thing in Washington State!

Here's a quick thought on a completely unrelated topic.  Wouldn't it make sense to require a county GOP chair to field Republican candidates in contested races in their county in order to keep the position of county GOP chair?  I figure if you can't get anyone to run as a Republican then you probably shouldn't have the job.  Additionally, shouldn't there be some threshold of success?  Perhaps just ONE victory in a contested county race in order to keep the job?  Lori Sotelo (King County chair) did a pretty good job of recruiting candidates and winning a contested race in one of the most liberal counties in the state.  That begs the question:  Why couldn't we win seats in other counties?  I'm just saying.

Is anyone as nervous as I am about the current crop of Congressional Republicans?  With a few exceptions (Allen West, Paul Ryan, Michelle Bachman) there seems to be a lot of the same old same old.  I'm hearing a lot of backtracking on the no earmarks pledge.  Many of the new Freshmen seem to be embracing the "perks" that come with the job.  These are the same people who railed against all these perks while on the campaign trail.  This budgeting by continuing resolution isn't going to get the job done.  The future is now.  We are broke and it is time to make some very difficult choices - choices that might cost some of these men and women their jobs.  Do they have what it takes?

I've rambled on long enough.  It's good to be back and I hope to actually contribute something meaningful to the conversation.

Please pray for the people of Japan, persecuted Christians in the Middle East, and all those who TRULY long for freedom.