Jack Kemp's longtime Republican Congressional seat fell to the Democrats last Tuesday. We lost because the opposition used Medicare tactics, we did not have a response that satisfied the electorate, and a 3rd party candidate (a former Democrat to boot) who ran on the Tea Party ticket. All three contributed to our loss, which if it were in Texas would've been heading into a runoff.
TCR suggests that we tell it like it is using wordsmith Frank Luntz's way of explaining. For example, the GOP plan preserves and strengthens Medicare long term while helping to control runaway federal spending. The Democrats alternative is business as usual, which only guarantees that long term the Medicare system collapses.
The Democrats need to be challenged. What are their ideas to deal with our problems in Medicare and Medicaid? How would they fix it?
Hats Off To Tim Pawlenty
In Iowa, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty says it's time to end ethanol subsidies.
TCR also likes Governor Pawlenty's slogan: A Time for Truth and so far he is putting meat on the bone early in his campaign. He is demonstrating the kind of leadership America needs.
Obama Asleep At The Switch, Iran Building Missiles In Venezuela
Did you notice that the German paper Die Welt recently reported that Iran is preparing to station medium-range missiles in Venezuela with a range that could threaten South Florida?
This could be a replay of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962! And what is President Obama doing about it? Apparently nothing.
Because instead he is too busy declaring that Israel and its leadership are the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Of course Hamas, the new partner of Fatah in the Palestinian "unity" government continues to deny Israel's right to exist and in fact wants to liberate all of Israel from Israelis and finish the job for Adolph Hitler.
Israeli PM's Passionate And Informed Defense Of The American-Israel Alliance
With thanks to friend Gary Bauer (cwfpac.com) here are the takeaways from Benjamin Netanyahu's historic address before a joint session of Congress last week; which got 29 standing ovations!
THE ARAB UPRISINGS: 'Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of one-percent are truly free, and they're all citizens of Israel. This starting fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.'
'IRAN AND PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH: 'President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. …Yet the Ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003,when it feared the possibility of military action. That same year, Muammar Qadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation...
'As for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say never again, we mean never again. Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.'
THE LAND OF ISRAEL: 'In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo. This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year-old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.'
THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT: 'If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? …Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, I it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it. You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish State...
'In recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli prime ministers, to establish a Palestinian state… They were simply unwilling to end the conflict. And I regret to say this : They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorist. And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that the descendants of Palestinian refugees will one day flood Israel. My friends, this must come to an end.
'President Abbas must do what I have done, I stood before my people…and I said, 'I will accept a Palestinian state.' It is time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say, 'I will accept a Jewish state.'
PAST CONCESSIONS: 'In recent years, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and Gaza. But we didn't get peace. Instead, we got 12,000 thousand rockets fired form those areas on out cities, on our children, by Hezbollah and Hamas,…Imagine that right now we all had less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? … Well, we aren't going to live that way either.'
HAMAS: 'Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction and to terrorism. …Hamas' leader condemned the killing of Osama bin laden and praised him as a holy warrior. …Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda. So I say to President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas. … Make peace with the Jewish state! And if you do, I promise you this: Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.'
A FUTURE PALESTINIAN STATE: 'We will be very generous on the size of a future Palestinian state. But…Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967. ...Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. This means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the boarders of Israel. … As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all of worship for all faiths in the city. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.'
As Legislative Session Ends, What Happened To Capping Property Tax Increases?
Just because the real estate market has cooled does not mean that the long-term conservative goal to lower the present 10% property valuation for tax purposes and cap increases to something lower, but it never came up in Austin!
Don't look now, but New York of all places just agreed to lower the cap to 2%. What gives Texas Republicans?
Dan Patrick To The U.S. Senate And If So, Paul Bettencourt To The Texas Senate
Last week State Senator Dan Patrick of Houston announced an exploratory committee for a race for the U.S. Senate. The field already has a number of candidates (5 at last count) and has Lt. Governor David Dewhurst looking at it also. This potential race will shake Texas GOP politics. If Patrick runs he will probably be the Tea Party candidate with strong conservative support from his home base in the Houston area. Dewhurst with statewide ID off the charts and ample resources is also a formidable presence in the race if he decides to go.
As for the State Senate, if Dan goes for another race, look for former Tax Assessor-Collector and conservative hero Paul Bettencourt to run and win. Is Austin ready for Paul?
TCR on the Air
Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones, Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and replaying Sundays at 5:00 p.m. on PBS Houston Channel 8 and on the web at www.houstonpbs.org.
The show is on hiatus until June 24. Upcoming shows:
6/24/11: The Texas Challenge: How Demographic Changes Will Affect Texas with Rice Professor Steve Murdock.
7/01/11: Human Trafficking with Assistant Harris County Attorney Linda Geffin.
7/08/11: Dr. Terry Grier, HISD Superintendent of Schools.
For a fun feature go to www.houstonpbs.org and under Red White and Blue, you can see commentary about the show and its guests by Gary and David each week. The current show as well as past shows are also available on YouTube.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his thirteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last nine years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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