RNC Chair: Elected Not Selected

At the end of January the Republican Party will elect a new national spokesman. The national chair of either political party is usually selected by the President. But since there is no Republican President to appoint the new RNC Chair there will be an election in which the 168 members of the Republican National Committee will vote. The voting body of the RNC is made up of State Chairs and a National Committeeman and Committeewoman from all 50 states (and US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.).

RNC chairman candidates include Ken Blackwell of Ohio, Saul Anuzis of Michigan, Katon Dawson of South Carolina, Mike Duncan of Kentucky, John "Chip" Saltsman of Tennessee, and Michael Steele of Maryland. All are considered conservative and competent to lead the party.

RNC Committeeman Morton C. Blackwell of Virginia recently prepared a questionnaire in which all six candidates responded to 37 questions regarding the leadership of the Republican Party. Their responses are posted on Townhall.com. This is a must read if you care about the future of the Republican Party. The newly elected RNC Chair will become the national spokesman for the party and will oversee a $100 million budget. I can't overstate the importance of this position and what it means for the conservative movement going forward.

We also have the unique and historic opportunity to take part in a national conversation regarding the election of the next RNC Chair. There will be a live debate on January 5 that will include all declared candidates. You also have the opportunity to submit questions and vote on questions that will be asked. The debate is moderated by Grover Norquist and sponsored by his organization, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). Follow this link for all the details.

Merry Christmas

ACORN, Soros Linked to Franken Vote Grab

By: David A. Patten
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Al Franken a lead some six weeks after incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman appeared to win by 725 votes on Election Day, has extensive ties to both the ACORN organization now under federal investigation for vote fraud, and to MoveOn.org ultra-liberal kingmaker George Soros. Click here for the rest of the story

Palin church burning - 'hate crime' virtually ignored?

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow

A religion columnist and journalism professor says the mainstream media's coverage of the fire that gutted Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's home church has been thin, but it's hard to say exactly why it's been underplayed.

Investigators say the fire that destroyed Wasilla Bible Church in Alaska on December 12 was likely the work of an arsonist, but the mainstream news media, with the exception of The Associated Press, has largely ignored the story. Terry Mattingly is the editor of the website GetReligion.org, a Scripps Howard columnist, and director of the Washington Journalism Center. He says because the fire occurred in a remote area, major networks may not want to fly reporters in from Los Angeles, Washington, or New York. Mattingly believes a regional bias could be at play, but adds that he has no doubt that if a fire occurred at the church of a socially accepted victim group, the coverage would have been more extensive.

"To give you an example: right now in a parallel case down in California, we have demonstrations and some vandalism and stuff at Mormon churches....We're beginning to see some coverage of that," he points out. "Yet I think that if you had some sort of corresponding mirror image situation, say, conservative crowds that were doing vandalism and picketing, say, a congregation in the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church, you'd be seeing that on page one of the Los Angeles Times."

Mattingly contends news outlets need to probe whether the fire at Palin's church was a hate crime, considering an Alaska statute "criminalizes destruction of real or personal property belonging to religious or charitable organizations."

AP's report says an accelerant -- possible gasoline -- was poured around the exterior of the church and the fire was set near the entrance. A small group of people, including two children, was inside. No one was injured in the blaze.

A Little Blago for Everyone

A cornucopia of corrupt crapulence.
By Jonah Goldberg (I love Jonah Goldberg!)

There are so many things to love about the Rod Blagojevich scandal it’s hard to know where to begin.

Wait. That’s not right. There are so many bleeping things to love about this bleeping-bleep Blagojevich scandal it’s hard to know where to begin. Read the rest here...

Scandals keep piling up for Democratic politicians

WASHINGTON — The arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday marks the latest in a series of recent scandals erupting around Democratic politicians, an ironic turn for a party that won control of Congress in 2006, in part by saying it would end a "culture of corruption" under Republican leadership. Click here to read the rest...

'At Least Bush Kept Us Safe'

The two words Democrats don't want tacked onto that sentence.
By PEGGY NOONAN

To drive through the suburbs of Northern Virginia is to marvel still at the widespread wealth, the mansions and mini-mansions that did not exist a quarter-century ago and that now thicken the woods and hills. It used to be sleepy here; it used to be horse farms. I remember looking at one of the new houses 22 years ago. As I explored the heavy, sprawling concrete basement, the agent said, "We think this would take a 40-megaton bomb." She meant it as a serious selling point. We were near Langley. Click here to read the rest.

DeMint: Capitol Visitor Center Fails to Honor Faith

Delete Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) from the list of admirers of the new Capitol Visitor Center.

DeMint issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the new facility for "omitting the history of faith." DeMint noted that the new tourist spot ignored his request to include the phrase "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance.

DeMint said the center, which opened Tuesday, also has displays that are "left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history."

Here's DeMint's full statement:

“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the history and purpose of our nation's Capitol, but it fails to appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success. While the Architect of the Capitol has pledged to include some references to faith, more needs to be done. You cannot accurately tell the history of America or its Capitol by ignoring the religious heritage of our Founders and the generations since who relied on their faith for strength and guidance. The millions of visitors that will visit the CVC each year should get a true portrayal of the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in Congress since its establishment.

“The current CVC displays are left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history. Exhibits portray the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems. This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.’ Instead, the CVC’s most prominent display proclaims faith not in God, but in government. Visitors will enter reading a large engraving that states, ‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.’ This is an intentional misrepresentation of our nation’s real history, and an offensive refusal to honor America's God-given blessings. As George Washington stated clearly in his first inaugural address:
‘…[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.’

“The fundamental principles of the freedom we enjoy in this country stem from our Founding Fathers’ beliefs in a higher power, beliefs put forth in the Declaration of Independence and manifest throughout our Constitution,” said Senator DeMint. “If we cease to acknowledge this fact, we may cease to enjoy some of the freedoms we take for granted. We must not censor historical references to God for the sake of political correctness. And we must truthfully represent the limited form of government the Constitution lays out so that our ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’ So help us God.”

-J. Taylor Rushing of The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Reid: We won't smell the tourists anymore

from Drudge:

By Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin
dcexaminer.com
The Capitol Visitors Center, which opened this morning, may have tripled its original budget and fallen years behind schedule, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a silver lining for members of Congress: tourists won't offend them with their B.O. anymore.

"My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid in his remarks. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."

But it's no longer going to be true, noted Reid, thanks to the air conditioned, indoor space.

And that's not all. "We have many bathrooms here, as you can see," Reid continued. "Souvenirs are available."

$621 million well spent.

The Obama Jolt

Is Barack a secret centrist?
by Fred Barnes

Barack Obama wants to give the economy a jolt. So far, though, the biggest jolt we've seen is the one the economy has given to Obama. That jolt, in the form of a plummeting stock market, upset Obama's desire for a leisurely transition. It made him virtually America's acting president. Follow this link to read the rest.