Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Call For New Contract With America by Gregory Hilton

Two prominent GOP Senators today called for a new Contract With America. They want a document similar to what was advocated by Newt Gingrich and House Republicans in 1994 that helped the party catapult to victory. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was a guest on Fox News Sunday while Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared on Meet The Press. Both Senators are optimistic about GOP prospects in November, but they believe it is not sufficient to emphasize opposition to the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats. The original Contract With America described an initial legislative agenda for the Republican Party, and it committed the GOP to specific promises if they were allowed to become the majority party for the first time in 40 years.

Washington State Tea Party: We Have the Power to Destroy the GOP by Gregory Hilton

Libertarian isolationists have cost the GOP three seats in the U.S. Senate, and this year they want to increase that number to four. According to the survey data, Republicans have an excellent chance of defeating liberal Sen. Patty Murray (WA). If Murray is re-elected she is hoping to become the Senate Democratic Whip in the next Congress. On Tuesday, President Obama visited Seattle on her behalf and later that night she was renominated for a fourth term. All the polls are close, and in a bad sign for the incumbent, she was held under the half way mark on Tuesday when she received 46% of the vote.
Murray received 46% of the vote but the combined GOP total was 49%. This is the first time in many years that the Republicans have led in the so-called “jungle primary” (all candidates from both parties on one ballot). This could be one of the best Republican pick up opportunities of this election cycle, but Libertarians once again want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Their threat should not be ignored and they have already inflicted serious damage in Washington State.
In 2000, Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) was defeated by 2,229 votes, while a Libertarian candidate received 64,734 votes. In 2004, Republican Dino Rossi lost the governorship by 129 votes while a Libertarian received 63,500 votes. On Tuesday it was the same Dino Rossi who received the GOP Senate nomination.
Former NFL tight end Clint Didier was supported by Ron Paul and Sarah Palin, and received 12 percent of the primary vote. Didier claims to be a anti-government “solid conservative,” but accepted $275,000 in federal farm subsidies to do nothing with his land. Didier claims to support our troops, but is totally against their mission. He wants the United States to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and he believes America should give up its veto power in the UN Security Council.
Didier says the Republican Party is “a large part of the problem with the economic turmoil we face today.” While they strongly disagreed on foreign policy, Rossi and Didier were in agreement on most domestic issues. Didier said Rossi: “is part of the Republican establishment – all you have to do is look at those he surrounds himself with. I don’t believe he’s the conservative people think he is. If people want more of the same, the McCain or Bush type of governing, then they can support Dino.”
Radphord-Leon Howard, 68, of West Richland, Washington is was one of Didier’s biggest boosters. Howard is a self described “Goldwater Libertarian,” and is Coordinator of the TriCities Tea Party, and can not be ignored because libertarians and tea party members composed one third of the delegates to the Republican state convention. During the primary he repeatedly said “We need to destroy Rossi.”
Howard also wants to destroy neo-conservatives whu support the U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and believes:

Rossi against Patty Murray is a win for the “Party Bosses” on both sides of the aisle. Rossi is a has-been: No matter how it happened, he lost both elections against Gregoire (that makes him a “loser” not a “winner”). Rossi is a political hack and will do whatever the party wants. He cares nothing about what the people want! Rossi isn’t committed to anything but himself and his political future. The D.C. “party bosses” don’t like Clint Didier because he was endorsed by Ron Paul and Sarah Palin . . . that scares the neo-cons! Rossi is what the “establishment GOP” wants and sending Rossi to D.C. is the same as re-electing Murray.

Howard was furious when Rossi told the GOP state convention that he will not agree to pull America out of the United Nations, and he was thrilled when Didier repeated the John Birch Society motto, “We need to get the U.S. out of the U.N. and get the U.N. out of the U.S.! Some say we need to stay engaged because of our ‘veto’ vote, I ask why!?”
Now Howard and his ally Ross Burton of Kennewick want Didier to run as a write-in campaign for Didier in the general election. They know Didier can not win, but that is not their goal. They want Senator Murray to be re-elected. Burton says “We have the power to destroy the Republican party. We have to show them we are willing to do it or they won’t get the message.” In a message to Tea Party members today, Howard said:

Those of us who endorsed and campaigned for Clint Didier and Paul Akers, did so for many reasons but the biggest reason for me is because Dino Rossi is a RINO! It looks as though the GOP Party Bosses are still in charge and they would rather send a “business as usual” political hack to D.C., so the corruption will continue. Washington state voters will have the choice of a Patty Murray in Tennis Shoes or a Patty Murray in Wing Tips! For myself, I no longer vote “for the lesser of two evils” because evil still wins. I choose to vote for a person of principle; a person who speaks with passion; a man who will not back down when he is right; a man who will not be intimidated! I will write-in Clint Didier on November 2nd! I invite you to join me because it matters not which Patty Murray goes to D.C.; neither of them represent me, my family, my state, or my nation.

Stunning New Poll: Get Ready for House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) by Gregory Hilton

The nation’s most prominent liberal blogger, Matthew Yglesias of The Atlantic Monthly, has just reprinted this chart from the Gallup Poll demonstrating that the GOP has a huge seven percent lead in the 2010 generic ballot between Republicans and Democrats. His only comment was, “This means House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)”. Yglesias reaction is not an exaggeration. This is the biggest generic ballot lead for the Republican Party in history.

TV Ads From Defenders of Wildlife Thrown Out: Group Called False and Misleading by Gregory Hilton

KOAT-TV in New Mexico has removed an ad sponsored by the liberal environmental group Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. The ad began airing last Thursday, and similar to 2008, its target is former Congressman Steve Pearce (R-NM). The TV station acted after receiving documentation that many accusations in the ad were false. According to the group New Mexico Watchdog: “The ad cited a report by CREW, which later admitted it botched its investigation.

Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) is Dead, Leaves Final Message

Former Congressman Dan Rostenkowski died of lung cancer today at the age of 82. Her served on Capitol Hill from 1958 to 1994 and was Chairman of the Democratic Caucus and the House Ways and Means Committee. He was a liberal Democrat but unlike many in his party, he was never a protectionist. One of his greatest triumphs was passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The Hypocrisy of Sen. Howard Metzenbaum and a Tax Lesson from LeBron James by Gregory Hilton

"Fighting the Unbeatable Foe" is the biography of the late Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH). Author Tom Diemer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer praises the Senator for battling major corporations and deregulation. For the tax avoiding Metzenbaum, the real foe was the Internal Revenue Service.

The late U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D) and basketball star LeBron James are both well known names in Ohio, and they have an important message for the nation on tax policy. Metzenbaum served on Capitol Hill from 1974 until 1994, and died at the age of 90 in 2008.

Kansas Senate Race: How Congressman Jerry Moran (R) Won by Gregory Hilton

The bitterly fought U.S. Senate primary in Kansas ended on Tuesday night. Incumbent Senator Sam Brownback (R) is stepping down after 14 years to be the state’s next Governor. Brownback unsuccessfully sought the 2008 GOP presidential nomination and the Republican Party will not have a problem retaining this seat.

Democratic Caucus Rejects Minor Spending Cuts: “We Have Got to Stop This Insanity Now” by Congressman John Adler (D-NJ)

Editorial Note: Freshman Congressman John Adler (D-NJ) and three of his colleagues were rebuked yesterday by a unanimous vote in the House Democratic Caucus. Adler was joined by Reps. Gary Peters (D-MI), Jim Himes (D-CT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and they were seeking to eliminate $1.4 billion in spending which had been placed on top of President Obama’s budget request.

Michigan is an Economic Disaster and The Bureaucracy Must Go Away

by Rick Snyder
Editorial Note: Rick Snyder, an Ann Arbor businessman, hopes to be his state’s answer to Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ). Snyder won Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary last night. He is now the front runner and is expected to move into the Governor’s Mansion next January. He calls himself “The Job Creator” on his web site, and as CEO of the computer company Gateway, he raised $200 million in venture capital funds.

Why We Need to Kill The Death Tax by Gregory Hilton

Whitemarsh Hall outside of Philadelphia was constructed in 1921 by J.P. Morgan's partner, Edward T. Stotesbury. It was then America's fifth largest home, and his other residences were "El Mirasol," the first Spanish style mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and Wingwood House, his 80 room “cottage” in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stotesbury's 150 servants rotated between various residences and maintained his private railroad car, yacht and fleet of luxury automobiles. Whitemarsh Hall was over 100,000 square feet, and it had 147 rooms, 24 fireplaces, three elevators with access to six different levels (three below, three above), a movie theater, barber shop and wine cellar that remained fully stocked through out Prohibition.

The death tax is now back on top of the legislative agenda. As part of George W. Bush’s 2001 tax cut, the estate tax was reduced gradually and this year it is zero. The death duties will go back into effect next January unless Congress acts, and the old 55% rate will return.