Recently in Republican Leadership Category

(H/T: Mark Tapscott, Editorial Page Editor for The Washington Examiner)

The Tuscaloosa News, just posted an article based on a recent speech Trent Lott gave at the local Lincoln-Reagan Dinner. During the speech, Lott said he knew in his heart earmarks were wrong. He also acknowledge that Republicans, who feasted on the orgy of congressional pork, are now paying the price.

Here are the key paragraphs:

Lott was known as one of the "Princes of Pork" while he was in Congress for his ability to bring home the bacon to Mississippi and he said that also caused some friction with McCain.

"John used to harass me because I would get earmarks -- or pork barrel projects -- in Mississippi," he said. "And I would say, 'Well, yes, John, I'm a senator from Mississippi and we're the poorest state in the nation.'

"But we're not anymore, that pork paid off."

Then Lott made a couple of admissions I found startling.

"But you know what, in my heart I knew he was right," he said of his pork barrel ways. That's no way to do business, we shouldn't be doing all that earmarking -- it got completely out of control.

"It got out of control with Republicans and that's why we are being punished a little bit," he added. "Because we forgot how we got there, what we believed in, the principles that after 30 years put us in the majority, gave us the White House, the congress, the senate, the house. And then we ran out of ideas...

"But that was an aberration, that's not who we really are."

It is, however, an aberration from which Democrats across the nation, from the top of the ticket on down, are counting to make hay this election cycle.

Read the full article here.

By Clare Venegas

Pork-lovers beware: Rep. Jeff Flake is watching.

Should a fellow Congressman decide to slip an earmark into a spending bill, Rep. Flake might call them to the floor to publicly defend it during "The Flake Hour," the time after every spending bill that Flake calls on earmark sponsors to justify the waste of taxpayer dollars.

Or they might find their pet project the subject of Flake's Friday email blast for the "egregious earmark of the week," which always concludes with a humorous quotation. Case in point: Flake said, of a $13.4 million earmark compensating Suffolk County, Massachusetts fishermen for "economic losses" from "fishing limitations": "Give a man an earmark and you have fed him for today."

He and Rep. John Campbell (CA-48) have led the way speaking out against Democrat Charlie Rangel's nearly $3 million earmark to build his "Monument to Me" on the City College of New York campus.

Flake's courageously public fight against earmarks apparently angered his colleagues so much that he was pulled from the Judiciary Committee in 2007 for "bad behavior." One source said the decision was influenced by Appropriations Committee members who resented Flake's outspoken opposition to earmarks. If speaking out against earmarks is "bad behavior," then Republicans everywhere should call their congressmen to behave even worse.

In January, Flake wrote a letter to House Republican Leader Rep. John Boehner requesting to be assigned to one of 29 Republican seats on the Appropriations Committee. Flake asks the simple question, "Wouldn't it make sense to have at least one Republican member of the Appropriations committee who doesn't earmark?"

Boehner should answer with a resounding YES. But if he and other Republican leaders ignore reform-minded members like Flake, then it's time to change leadership and Flake's name should be on the short list.

We Republicans are really at a crossroads. When the big money folks start openly advocating that we "set aside ideology and focus on finding good, electable candidates" we are in serious trouble. Isn't the entire point of the party system to identify qualified individuals who are willing to aggressively advocate on behalf of one value system who then compete against those who represent another value system?

This was just posted over on the Total Buzz blog by Martin Wiskol:

OC Group Trying to Reverse GOP's California Fortunes

Former state GOP Chairman Duf Sundheim leaned on several big-money guys in OC to launch "California Republicans Aligned for Tomorrow." The group plans to set aside ideology and focus on finding good, electable candidates for statewide office. One name that has come up for governor: Meg Whitman, former chief executive officer of eBay. After all, the GOP has won just four of the 24 statewide races held since 1998.

Read the complete story on the Sundheim's group, whose Orange County members include George Argyros, William Lyon, Michael Hayde, and Larry Dodge.

Here is the corresponding newspaper article written by Martin Wisckol and his associate Ronald Campbell:

Local GOP donors at core of new party strategy
Wealthy Republicans set aside ideology and focus on finding candidates who can win.
By MARTIN WISCKOL and RONALD CAMPBELL
The Orange County Register

When former state GOP Chairman Duf Sundheim decided to launch an unusual plan to get Republicans elected in California, he turned to big money men in Orange County.

He rallied together nine donors at $100,000 each. Six are from Orange County, including the New Majority political action committee and four of the New Majority's key members.

Why did the Palo Alto lawyer lean so heavily on the Orange County-based New Majority?

"They tend to see things as they are and say, 'Why not try something different,' " said Sundheim, chairman of the state party from 2003 to 2007. "They are creative and they get things done."

Exhibit No. 1 might be Arnold Schwarzenegger. The New Majority lent critical early backing to Schwarzenegger's campaign. Despite criticism from grassroots Republicans that the new governor was not a GOP purist, Sundheim stuck by Schwarzenegger throughout his term as state chairman.

But Schwarzenegger was a rare win for Republicans in this heavily blue state.

The GOP has won just four of the 24 statewide elections since 1998. Sundheim said the genesis of his new group came in October 2006, when he was trying to raise money for lieutenant governor candidate Tom McClintock and secretary of state candidate Bruce McPherson. He says surprisingly few potential donors even knew the two were running. Both lost.

"In the future, I want to make sure people like this have the money and resources to get the ball over the line," said Sundheim, who started organizing the group last year.

Sundheim emphasized that the group - California Republicans Aligned for Tomorrow or CRAFT - does not have an ideological agenda other than to elect Republicans.

The New Majority is natural fit for such an effort. The group has focused on being a voice of moderation in the party, emphasizing diversity and practicality. It downplays social issues like abortion and gun-control, which can energize the GOP base but scare off middle-of-the road voters.

Sundheim said his group will not be making donations to candidates, nor will it be running independent expenditure campaigns. Rather, it will be talking to potential candidates, and encouraging those it thinks have a chance. It will pay for surveys and focus groups. It will make sure potential candidates know where to turn for help in terms of consultants and fundraisers. It will sponsor candidate seminars, and take other steps to make sure strong candidates know what they're doing.

Read the rest of the story over at the Orange County Register, here.

By Andrew Roth @ Club for Growth

Shortly after joining Congress in 2000, Rep. Jeff Flake swore off earmarks forever. Others have followed. GOP Leader John Boehner was arguably the first Shortly after joining Congress in 2000, Rep. Jeff Flake swore off earmarks forever. Others have followed. GOP Leader John Boehner was arguably the first among current House members. He shunned earmarks way back in 1990 (who said accepting earmarks was necessary for getting re-elected?). And with the earmark crisis reaching a feverish pitch nowadays, fiscal conservatives are realizing that something radical needs to be done. Real reform needs to be enacted, and the first step is to lead by example.

Below are the brave members who have personally decided to stop receiving pork projects, if only temporarily, while they fight for reform. This may not be an exhaustive list. If you know of a House member, or work for one, who should be added to the list, send me the documentation and I'll happily add them. Also, be sure to heap praise on these members. And, if you have time, call your own representative if they aren't on the list and encourage them to swear off pork. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.

HOUSE MEMBERS (41 members)
Jeff Flake (AZ-06)
John Campbell (CA-48)
Jeb Hensarling (TX-05)
John Shadegg (AZ-03)
John Boehner (OH-08)
John Kline (MN-02)
Tom Price (GA-06)
Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03)
Virginia Foxx (NC-05)
Trent Franks (AZ-02)
Michele Bachmann (MN-06)
Eric Cantor (VA-07)
Patrick McHenry (NC-10)
Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04)
Paul Ryan (WI-01)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
Devin Nunes (CA-21)
Louie Gohmert (TX-01)
Paul Broun (GA-10)
Henry Waxman (CA-30)
Joe Pitts (PA-16)
Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Todd Platts (PA-19)
Patrick Tiberi (OH-12)*
Mark Udall (CO-02)
Joe Wilson (SC-02)
Ron Kind (WI-03)
Dan Burton (IN-05)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Mike Pence (IN-06)
Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05)
Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
Nathan Deal (GA-09)
Michael McCaul (TX-10)
Judy Biggert (IL-13)
John Linder (GA-07)
Dave Camp (MI-04)*
Thad McCotter (MI-11)
Jackie Speier (CA-12)*

SENATORS (7 members)
Tom Coburn (OK)
Jim DeMint (SC)
John McCain (AZ)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Richard Burr (NC)
Russ Feingold (WI)
Barack Obama (IL)

Again, please offer words of encouragement to these members. And if your representative isn't on the list, call their office and urge them to cut the addiction. The Capitol switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121.

I received verbal confirmation from Tiberi's office on March 7, 2008. I received verbal confirmation from Camp's office on April 2, 2008. I found this article about Speier's disgust with the earmark process. Her office confirmed the report, but did note that Speier, who came into office after a special election victory in April, requested earmarks as a promise made to her predecessor, the late Tom Lantos.

Read the whole article and more just like it at, www.clubforgrowth.com

By Chip Hanlon @ GreenFaucet.com

News is breaking that Alaska Senator, Ted Stevens (R), has been indicted on multiple corruption charges relating to his service in public office. Shocker.

By now you have most likely also heard that this year's fiscal deficit will mark a record, but fear not! Today's Democratic-led Congress has a plan to fix the reckless fiscal habits of the Republicans they replaced... by spending even more! Seriously, the House Appropriations Committee is considering a 2009 fiscal budget nearly 8% larger than this year's!

Runaway spending is a disease plaguing both parties today.

So, the fall of Republican Ted Stevens doesn't break the heart of this GOP-er because he's precisely the type of pork barrel piggy who needs to be replaced if our party is to return to its fiscal senses. The good news is, you can help improve Alaska's delegation even further-- by contributing to the primary challenger of the state's only Congressman, Don Young.

Why Young? Because he's the architect of the ultimate spending boondoggle, the infamous "bridge to nowhere." And his primary challenger, Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, will enter Congress as a spending reformer, one who has been edorsed by many prominent national Republican organizations--a rarity against a sitting GOP representative--including the Club for Growth. Good enough for...

For the complete article and more just like it, go to GreenFaucet.com

While Hugh Hewitt vacationed in Rome, Representative John Campbell sat in as guest host on Hewitt's afternoon radio program. Topics of discussion were earmark reform and the failure of Republicans to embrace true fiscal responsibility.

Here is the segment featuring Lincoln Club president, Rich Wagner and Red County president, Scott Graves.

Lincoln Club President, Rich Wagner and Chairman, Tracy Price were guests on the Real Orange last week discussing their call for Republicans to embrace earmark reform as a symbol of what is supposed to be a core Republican value... fiscal responsibility.

Take a look...

Following the Republican defeats of election night 2006, Carol Platt Liebau wrote an article for Townhall.com titled, "Recapturing the Spirit of '94". She used the article to, in part, emphasize the importance that congressional Republicans should re-embrace the principle of fiscal responsibility.

Why are some lessons so difficult to learn?

Here are the key paragraphs... 

... it's time for Republicans to let the sunshine - and the base - back in. For far too long, too many Republican politicians have treated the conservative base like Ross Perot's proverbial crazy aunt in the attic. Certainly, there's no place in either party for unreasoned extremism. But there's likewise no justification for Republican officials' inexplicable tendency to behave as though good, reasonable conservatives are either too unsophisticated to be taken seriously, too foolish to understand when the issues most important to them are being ignored, or too slavishly devoted to the GOP to withhold their votes when politicians haven't gotten the job done.

In short, congressional Republicans need to begin treating the base less like a rampaging beast to be placated, and more like a trusted friend to be consulted. Too often, party decision-making has a cliquish element reminiscent of an eighth grade cheerleading squad. Would it really hurt anyone for the politicians to turn to the people who fund, electioneer and vote for them most loyally and ask, "What do you think?"? Seeking input about the candidates for the party's new leaders would be a great way to start the conversation. Communication and transparency are key - and given the advent of talk radio and the blogosphere, easily accomplished. It hasn't been happening, and it's time for it to start.

There's no doubt that challenges come with defeat - but there are also new opportunities. It's time for congressional Republicans to close the book on Election Night '06 and resolve that, by November of 2008, theirs will once again be the party that Americans trust with their pocketbooks, their values - and, in an era of Islamofascist terrorism, with their lives.

The whole article can be read here.

Robert Novak just published his syndicated column in the Washington Post titled, "Ultimatum to the GOP" located here.

The article is based on his receipt of a Red County article titled, "We Refuse to Support a Permanent Minority" written by Lincoln Club president Rich Wagner and board member, Chip Hanlon. The article appears in the current issue of Red County magazine, here.


Excerpt of the We Refuse to Support a Permanent Minority article:

Still oblivious to the source of our discontent, a number of free-spending Republicans recently rushed to meet House GOP leader John Boehner, urging him not to back an earmark reform proposal from the Republican Study Committee. The idea they fought so mightily against? A ban on earmark requests from Republican members of Congress for one year.

The porkers' struggle is typified by Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia--sponsor or co-sponsor of $83MM in earmarks in last year's budget alone--who, amazingly, defended earmarks as "being entrepreneurial about bringing something home."

In response to us on that remark, former Speaker Newt Gingrich scathingly replied, "There's nothing entrepreneurial about the Appropriations Committee spending other people's money."

Alas, bold GOP leadership on earmark reform is still nearly absent in Washington.  Michigan's Thad McCotter highlights this by arguing the futility of fighting for earmark reform, saying members of the House can't lead on the issue because, "...we are not the field marshals, we are the foot soldiers."

Thank goodness Newt Gingrich suffered no such humility in 1994.

Excerpt from Novak's column:

That's the view expressed in the Lincoln Club paper signed by Rich Wagner, the group's president, and Chip Hanlon, a board member. It deplores the refusal by party leaders to support a one-year moratorium on earmarks, whose 285 percent growth when Congress was under Republican control is "the perfect symbol of the GOP-led profligacy that drives us crazy still." Earmarks "epitomize the fiscal recklessness that led to Republicans becoming a minority in 2006. . . . It's no wonder the Republican leadership continued to fail on . . . entitlement reform and a reduction in federal spending."

The Lincoln Club blasts conservative Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, whose personal earmarks totaled $83 million last year, for defending his pork as "being entrepreneurial about bringing something home." It also assails conservative Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, a member of the leadership who has opposed earmark reform and voted on the floor against only one earmark. With his annual earmarks totaling $22.5 million, McCotter declared a year ago, "I will not unilaterally disarm my donor state."

On June 25, however, McCotter apparently felt enough heat to disarm unilaterally, with a surprise announcement that he had requested no earmarks this year. It may be too late for the 42-year-old third-termer, threatened with losing his House Republican Policy Committee chairmanship after only two years if the Lincoln Club of Orange County gets its clean sweep.

"We urge other Republican donor groups to reinforce this important beginning," read the club's ultimatum. It went on: "It is not credible to ask the American people to return Republicans to the majority when all we offer them is the same group of leaders and policies they so recently rejected."

The statement asserts that these leaders "have no idea what we say when we get together" and are "still oblivious to the source of our discontent." Now, if these contributors have their way, it is too late for the leaders, at least in the House. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who began his campaign for re-election in Kentucky by bragging about his earmarks for the state, probably has more to worry about from his Democratic election foe than insurgent Republican senators. But House Minority Leader John Boehner, who sponsors no earmarks himself but has not backed reform, faces an all-too-serious challenge.

The grumbling. The head shaking. The anger.

Written by Rich Wagner & Chip Hanlon

Congressional Republican leaders clearly have no idea what we, their fellow GOP members (and financial backers), say to one another when we get together, yet for years one refrain has been constant: our extreme discontent over how the former GOP majority blew it on spending.

Budget earmarks, which jumped by 285% between 1994 and 2005 as their cost soared by 60%, stand as the perfect symbol of the GOP-led profligacy that drives us crazy still. In and of themselves, earmarks are admittedly a small part in the budget process, amounting to roughly 2% of the federal budget in 2005.  Yet they epitomize the fiscal recklessness that led to Republicans becoming a minority in 2006.

Unable to rein it in on the smaller earmark items, it's no wonder the Republican leadership continued to fail on the more critical structural spending issues such as entitlement reform and a reduction in federal spending (hello Prescription Medicare). 

Still oblivious to the source of our discontent, a number of free-spending Republicans recently rushed to meet House GOP leader John Boehner, urging him not to back an earmark reform proposal from the Republican Study Committee. The idea they fought so mightily against? A ban on earmark requests from Republican members of Congress for one year.

The porkers' struggle is typified by Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia--sponsor or co-sponsor of $83MM in earmarks in last year's budget alone--who, amazingly, defended earmarks as "being entrepreneurial about bringing something home."

In response to us on that remark, former Speaker Newt Gingrich scathingly replied, "There's nothing entrepreneurial about the Appropriations Committee spending other people's money."

Alas, bold GOP leadership on earmark reform is still nearly absent in Washington.  Michigan's Thad McCotter highlights this by arguing the futility of fighting for earmark reform, saying members of the House can't lead on the issue because, "...we are not the field marshals, we are the foot soldiers."

Thank goodness Newt Gingrich suffered no such humility in 1994.

And that's just the point, isn't it? Today's Congressional Republicans have lost all resemblance to the revolutionaries who then typified the principles our party could--and should--stand for.

Indeed, because today's Republicans are so addicted to pork and big-ticket spending, it is time to demand dramatic action.

Therefore, as a start, we strongly support and call upon the House GOP leadership to institute a minimum one year moratorium on earmarks by Republicans, and for the Senate GOP leaders to follow suit.  Concurrently, we urge other Republican donor groups to reinforce this important beginning through their influence as well, with the ultimate intent to work towards substantial Republican spending reform.

Second, we are dialoguing with like-minded groups across the country about electing new Congressional Republican leadership in both houses of Congress.  Regardless of November's outcome, it is time to make a clear statement to voters that we intend to establish a new team and goals, re-discovering our lost principles of a government limited in size, scope, and spending.

It is not credible to ask the American people to return Republicans to the majority when all we offer them is the same group of leaders and policies they so recently rejected.

It's not just "branding," but the right policies which will breathe new life into the Republican Party and re-energize voters.

And one more thing: come November 5th, should the current GOP leadership in either house survive to lead in a new Congress, the Lincoln Club of Orange County will review its financial backing of all Congressional Republicans, and we urge others to do likewise.  A GOP caucus that would re-elect such leaders is not one we would likely continue to support.

Because, simply put: we refuse to support a permanent minority.


Rich Wagner is the President of the Lincoln Club of Orange County. Chip Hanlon is a Lincoln Club board member, President of Delta Global Advisors, and Founder of GreenFaucet.com.