Reapportionment: Mapping The New Congressional Districts by Gregory Hilton

New York has lost two seats and it is likely there will be some combination of the districts of Democratic Reps. Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney and Gary Ackerman. The last time New York had 27 House seats was in the early 1820s, when the chamber had 181 seats. The two upstate districts with the heaviest population losses are in the western part of the state and are represented by Democratic Reps. Brian Higgins and Louise Slaughter. With a Democratic Governor and state Assembly and a GOP Senate, expect each party to lose a district.

Yesterday’s release of the Census Bureau data allows the 2012 Congressional reapportionment process to begin. Drawing the new maps will be the subject of considerable speculation for the next six months. The GOP will gain at least six seats, and they are practically assured of pickups in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Utah. Also, several vulnerable Republicans will see favorable territory added to their districts.
The liberal Huffingtom Post does not agree with this assessment. Their current headline article is “Reapportionment Not Necessarily Good News for Republicans” by Robert Creamer. He is the same author who wrote their analysis explaining why Democrats would keep control of the House.

Have Democrats Learned Anything From The 2010 Campaign? by Gregory Hilton

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) concedes defeat in a 2006 landslide. For every candidate who wins an election, there are many losers and families are always impacted.

After enduring the heartbreak of the 2006 and 2008 elections, I have sympathy for what the Democrats will endure tomorrow. I am thrilled for my fellow Republicans, but Barack Obama is still President and he can veto anything they pass. I am also not joining the GOP chorus and predicting the President will be defeated for re-election.
Republicans lost 26 seats in 1982 and Reagan’s approval rating was a dismal 35%. He came back two years later to carry 49 states. Any GOP gloating will be muted by remembering the loss of so many fine statesmen over the past four 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.

Conservative Division Could Re-Elect Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) by Gregory Hilton

There is another tremendous opportunity for Republicans to gain a U.S. Senate seat, but the victory could be snatched away by Sarah Palin and the libertarians. As the poll below demonstrates, liberal Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is now in a 47% to 47% tie with former State Sen. Dino Rossi. This is the fifth month in a row that Rossi has been within striking distance of the incumbent.
Rossi was defeated in 2008 by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D). She kept telling voters the state had no deficit. Rossi on the other hand warned of at least a $3 billion deficit. It was not until a few months AFTER the election that Gregoire revealed that Washington had an $8 billion deficit. Rossi has a powerful message but he will not get to tell it if he is defeated in the GOP primary by former NFL player Clint Didier.
Sarah Palin will be campaigning for Didier and he already has Ron Paul’s endorsement. Didier portray’s himself as the anti-DC candidate. However, he has received nearly $273,000 in federal farm subsidies. He put his property in a land bank and the government pays him to grow nothing. The taxpayers are actually making the payments on his property so he has time to go around and bash the government.
Ron Paul and Clint Didier are a perfect fit. Didier is a 100% isolationist who wants America to give up its veto power in the UN Security Council. He says “The United Nations has failed. I want the United States out of the United Nations, and the United Nations out of the United States.”
He foolishly accuses the United States of “empire building,” and compares America to European nations which were seeking colonial empires.
Didier says “We need to stop trying to police the world and telling other nations how to manage their affairs. America is a republic; therefore let’s stop trying to spread democracy.” There is no American political figure who wants our nation to police the world, and our troops are battling terrorists and keep us safe.
Didier is also angry at George W. Bush for not submitting a declaration of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Didier is a protectionist who opposes NAFTA, CAFTA and America’s membership in the WTO.
Sarah Palin was foolish to endorse Didier and I am disappointed she will be campaigning for him.

The New Breed: Jamie Herrera Heads to Congress by Gregory Hilton

State Rep. Jaime Herrera, 33, and her husband with U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, State Sen. Joe Zarelli and State Rep. Kevin Parker.

State Rep. Jamie Herrera now has a commanding lead in the GOP primary. Rep. Brian Baird (D) is retiring and this is an excellent pick-up opportunity for the GOP. If she wins, Herrera will instantly become a national spokesman for the Republican Party.
Herrera and her primary opponent are Hispanic, and they both advocate a tough crackdown on illegal immigration. She supports beefing up security measures at the border, refusing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and, like Arizona, using local law enforcement to identify people who could be deported. She says “I will be a member of Congress more concerned with saving your money than spending your money. . . Any real reform will start by stemming the flow of those entering this country illegally. I do not support amnesty for illegal immigrants.”
The district is basically suburban Portland (Vancouver, Washington) on the Washington side of the Columbia, with a large rural area. Vancouver has many young professionals who want nicer homes but cannot afford to live in Lake Oswego and West Linn. The district is not at all like Portland, with its very liberal bent. Congressman Baird was a “Blue Dog”–who famously averred to the growing tea party movement in his district as “brownshirts”.
Under great pressure from his district, he voted against the health care reform bill. He then announced his retirement and voted FOR the final HCR bill. There are strong rumors he has been promised a federal job in return for his vote but that it will not be official until the next Congress.
Herrera and her husband Daniel met when they were both interns in the office of Congresswoman Rodgers.

Dino Does It! Rossi Will Announce U.S. Senate Candidacy Tomorrow by Gregory Hilton

PHOTO: 10/8/08 Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray with Gov. Christine Gregoire and then Sen. Joe Biden.

A major behind the scenes recruitment effort by national Republicans will end in success tomorrow. After months of effort and survey research, former State Senator Dino Rossi has been convinced to enter the crowded GOP primary for the nomination to oppose the re-election of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). Rossi believes it is crucial to deny Murray a fourth term because:

Governor Who Promised No State Income Tax Now Supports It by Gregory Hilton

That was then, this is now. In September of 2008, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) said her opponent, State Sen. Dino Rossi (R), was wrong. He based his gubernatorial campaign on a no new taxes pledge, and claimed she favored the adoption of a state income tax. The Governor responded vigorously by saying the accusation was “a big lie.” The Governor said an income tax would be “unwise and unrealistic.”

A Christmas Present for Republicans: 10 New House Seats in 2012 by Gregory Hilton

The population report released by the Census Bureau on Wednesday afternoon was excellent news for the Republican Party. This is the last report the Census Bureau will make prior to next years count. The data shows Americans are continuing to relocate in low tax and business friendly sun belt states where new jobs are being created.
The high taxes and burdensome business regulations of the Northeast and the Midwest are once again resulting in significant population losses. The next official population count will be released a year from now, and the changes will be reflected in the 2012 election.
At a minimum the population shift will most likely mean 12 seats will shift from the north to the south and west. My prediction is that the 2012 election will result in a 10 seat House gain for the GOP. I am basing this on the new census figures, as well as the analysis provided by Polidata and Election Data Services.
A census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790, and it is a Constitutional requirement.
In the past year alone, Texas grew by 478,000 which is almost the size of a Congressional District. The Lone Star state is expected to receive four new districts as a result of the upcoming census. That could change and the alternative would mean three new seats for Texas and two for Arizona.
To win control of Congress in 2010, Republicans would need to gain 11 Senate seats and 40 House seats. A 25 to 30 seat House gain in 2010 could well lead to control of the House of Representatives in 2012. Washington is the only Blue State to gain a Congressional District, and it is far from certain Democrats will win the expected new seat in the suburban Seattle area.
Who ever is in charge of the states in 2011 will be drawing the new Congressional District maps, and once again the outlook is favorable for Republicans. In Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and Texas — Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion. In Nevada, Democrats control both chambers, while a Republican is governor.
Based on the data in new report the probable gainers and losers in the next election are as follows:
Probable Gainers:
Texas (4)
Arizona (1)
Florida (1)
Georgia (1)
Nevada (1)
North Carolina (1)
Washington (1)
South Carolina (1)
Utah (1)

Probable Losers:
Ohio (2)
New York (1)
Illinois (1)
Louisiana (1)
Massachusetts (1)
Michigan (1)
Minnesota (1)
Missouri (1)
New Jersey (1)
Pennsylvania (1)
Iowa (1)

Left Wing Rhetoric Has Been Far Worse Than Limbaugh by Gregory Hilton

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Addresses the 2009 CPAC Conference

Rush Limbaugh’s anti-Obama rhetoric at yesterday CPAC conference was over the top, but the other side makes the same mistake. Far too many people avoid facts or a calm explanation of their viewpoint. They instead try to destroy another person’s character. There are people like this in both political parties and they little interest in compromising for the good of our nation.
Examples of this are easy to compile. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) gleefully said every 100 deaths in Iraq equaled another seat for the Democrats in Congress. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) called Bush a “loser” and said our troops “have lost in Iraq.” He also called the surge a failure BEFORE it even get started.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) called Osama Bin Laden a ‘freedom fighter’ and claimed he was more popular in Afghanistan because he “built schools, roads and hospitals.” She said we were the ones killing Afghani people and not Al Qaeda.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) compared American behavior at Guantanamo Bay to that of “Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others — that had no concern for human beings.”
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) said Abu Gharaid, where no one died, was “just as bad as the 6 million Jews being killed.”
Sen. Bob Byrd (D-WV) said the American guards at Guantanamo were “no better than and no different than the Nazi concentration camp guards.” Not even one death had been reported at Guantanamo at the time of remark.
NAACP Chairman Julian Bond said there was no difference between “The American flag and the Confederate swastika”. Former Sen. John Glenn (D-OH) said “It’s the old Hitler business.” Garrison Keillor called our guards “Brownshirts in pinstripes.” Linda Ronstadt described them as “A new bunch of Hitlers,” and Al Gore used the phrase “Digital Brownshirts”.
This rhetoric is not constructive, and Adolf Hitler and the Nazi’s have no relation with a democratic United States and our humane military.
When Mohammed al-Qahtani, the suspected 20th hijacker of September 11, 2001, was experiencing chest and head pains he was given a CAT scan and put on a heart monitor. A radiologist was flown to Cuba for consultation, and an operation was scheduled right away. The Nazi’s did not do that.
The most unfortunate thing about the quotes I selected is that they were all from Al Jazeera broadcasts on both their English and Arabic news site. They were used to inflame our opponents in the Middle East. As far as political rhetoric is concerned, so much of the debate today involves personal destruction.
I know little about Michelle Malkin but she is in the political arena and it is fine to disagree with her viewpoint. I would not call her, or any other person, a pig. A liberal pundit did that today. I do not believe politicians are windbags, and practically all of them have good motives. I will disagree with lawmakers, but I will not question their intelligence if they are on the other side.
I sincerely admire many liberal lawmakers who disagree with me, and I would never say their election was an “insult to the human race.” That quote is from the same pundit. I address these lawmakers in a civil tone and with respect for the position they hold.