You really have to love it when these people get so worked up (say, about losing "Ted Kennedy's seat") that they step all over their message with quotes like this:

“Why would you hand the keys to the car back to the same guys whose policies drove the economy into the ditch and then walked away from the scene of the accident?”

That’s Chris Van Hollen, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, meaning to help Coakley win Teddy Kennedy’s seat, and running right off the road into a ditch called Chappaquiddick.

(h/t Instapundit)

Here's a snapshot of all the latest polls in the Massachusetts Senate race.  Long story short, it's looking like Scott Brown's decision to turn the race into a virtual referendum on ObamaCare was brilliant.  In deep blue Massachusetts no less.

Exit questions:

1) Does ObamaCare pass?

2) If he actually wins this thing, how many democrats announce they won't be running for re-election by the end of the month?

It's looking more and more possible each day.

Yesterday's Rasmussen poll only had them apart by one point, so anything can happen, depending on turnout.

Can you imagine the political implications (not just to ObamaCare) of a Republican winning "the Kennedy Seat"?

But now ALL conservatives, no matter what state you're in, have a chance to make a difference.

The campaign has set up a "call from home" program and EVERY conservative in America can help.  Are you willing to make 15 or more calls to stop the radical left agenda by the Obama/Reid/Pelosi team?

Another option is that you can make a contribution...but just as importantly, if you can't send any funds...you can make some calls and help the cause.

If you want to make a contribution...just visit the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate Web Page.

If you are willing to make some phone calls...sign up here

***

One more vote.  That's all it will take to stop the health care bill in the Senate.

Pitch in and help Scott Brown get that vote for us next Tuesday.

 Why should we as conservatives focus on the grassroots when it comes to politics?  Because that's where the opportunities are. 

Remember Willie Sutton's response to why he robbed banks?  "Because that's where the money is".  It's that same in politics.  The grassroots is where the votes are.

Ask almost anyone what they think of politics and the usual response is: "It's a dirty business. I don't want anything to do with it."

Yes, politics can be a dirty business, but it's only as dirty as the people that are involved in it. 

It gets dirty when far too many good people don't roll up their sleeves and spend the time and effort necessary to clean it up.  Whether you're washing your car, changing a diaper, or doing the dishes, you're doing a job that must be done to keep things from getting too far gone.  It's maintenance.  And it's the same way with politics.

Working a little bit at a time, maintain­ing a democratic political system is easy, but when we ignore it for long periods of time the dirty work of politics piles up.  Then, when we can't stand to look at the mess any longer, it takes a massive effort to clean it up.

Voting, educating yourself and others about the legislative and political process, and getting personally involved in the affairs of your city, state, and nation is maintenance. 

The best way to go about that "maintenance" is with good grassroots organization, for three reasons:  read more »

As with just about everything else, the end of the year is a good time to look back and review things.  In this case, we took a look at the most popular items on the Conservative Outpost for 2009 and listed the Top Ten (according to traffic) below.

Enjoy!

The Outpost Top Ten for 2009:

1. The Outposts' Republican Leadership Survey (who do you think "runs" the party?  Who should?)
2. Say "NO" to Socialized medicine! (The Outpost campaign to stop Obamacare)
3. Can We Decommission the Health Care Bill with Sodium Silicate?
4. What will Obama's public approval rating be on Labor Day, 2010? (poll)
5. The Obamacare flowchart  (see how streamlined it is for yourself!)
6. Lies and more lies! (Obama on health care)
7. Beware conservative "extremists"! (Obama's DHS is on watch!)
8. The Obama Deficits (as far as the eye can see)
9. The ACORN Guide to Do-it-Yourself Pimpin' (or "How to Start a Brothel in Ten Easy Steps!")
10. Democrat says "We're going to let you die" as part of Obamacare (AARP, are you listening?)

   read more »

 Not that this would come as a shock to anyone who pays any attention whatsoever to government, but....

A study by two economists at the University of Michigan demonstrates that banks with better political connections got more bailout money from the TARP program.

Among the more interesting (though unsurprising) findings:

• Just one standard deviation in terms of political contributions equaled an increase of almost 15 million in bailout money.
• A standard deviation in spending on lobbying was associated with an increase of over 10 million.
• And (surprise) banks that had headquarters in districts represented by members of the House Financial Services Committee had a 26% better chance of getting bailout funds at all.

Like they say, it's not what you know, but who you know.

(h/t Heritage)

I've spent a good bit of time in the past few years working to create a type of self-help "how to" resource for those who want to learn the basics of how to be effective when it comes to conservative political grassroots activism.  And now, at long last, it's done.

The "it" in question is "Grassroots 101: Grassroots Training Series".  Grassroots "101", as in the first in a series of resources and ebooks that will focus on "the fundamentals of political success", and "Grassroots Training Series", as in a series of three manuals that take you step by through the basics of political activism for beginners, intermediate and advanced activists.

Grassroots activism works

Conservative grassroots activism can change policy and influence decisions from the local school boards all the way to Washington, DC - but it depends on how diligent you are.  If we are going to be successful, we have to commit to doing what Ronald Reagan called "the hard work of freedom".  And that work includes community, social and political action.  And effective activism begins with knowledge.

The purpose of the Grassroots Training Series is not to be exhaustive, (that's another book!), but to cover the highlights and break down the complexities of the political system and give a basic understanding of some of the more fundamental techniques that can help you achieve success.  read more »

One of the best ways to understand what a piece of legislation is all about is, well, to read it, (which too many of our elected officials refuse to do...or don't allow enough time for the American people to do).

This is even more true when it comes to Obamacare.

For example, Grover Norquist had a little fun doing a word search on the House version of Obamacare and found some interesting patterns.

If you care about your freedom (and/or your money), take a look at how often the following words appear in the bill:

• "Tax" 87 times
• "Taxable" 62 times
• "Excise tax" 10 times
• "Taxes" 15 times
• "Fee" 59 times
• "Penalty" 113 times
• "Require" 118 times
• "Must" 58 times
• "Shall" 3,424 times

Not exactly the language of liberty, is it?

The ability to obstruct is an important thing.  Especially if you're in a minority and don't want to get run over by a majority.

Gene Healy has a good column out today looking at the importance of the Senate filibuster, which is made all the more obvious in the current fight over Obamacare.

He points out that a number of liberals are beside themselves about the ability of Republicans to influence and/or slow down the health care debate.

Our entire constitutional architecture is based on the idea that it should be hard to do big things. As Hamilton put it in Federalist 73, "the injury which may possibly be done by defeating a few good laws, will be amply compensated by the advantage of preventing a number of bad ones."

Krugman points out that the 60-vote requirement for cloture "appears nowhere in the Constitution." While he's got the document out, maybe he can enlighten the Times' readers as to where Congress finds the power to force all Americans to buy health insurance.

Instead of getting upset that the opposition doesn't lay down when they try to ram something through, maybe liberals should be more concerned with the fact that the majority of the American public (as opposed to a minority in Congress) don't agree with their plans for health care.

And that majority gets to vote in eleven months.

Just to make you feel a little more comfortable about the people that are the biggest advocates of Obamacare, it turns out that most of them admit to not really knowing all the details.

Of course, this is ONLY legislation that would give the government effective control over about one sixth of the US economy.  No need to pay that much attention I suppose.

Anyway, here's a nice collection of quotes put together by the Senate Republican Caucus. 

Makes you feel real good about who's minding the store, doesn't it?  read more »