Mitt Romney To Announce He Is Out Of The 2016 Presidential Race - For Now?

Mitt Romney, a man known for changing his mind a lot, will announce that he

will not be running for President in 2016.

Romney made numerous statements in 2013 and 2014 to the media and talks shows, including Jimmy Fallon that he was not going to run for president.    However Romney upended the 2016 GOP race when he told a small group of donors on Jan. 9 that he was seriously considering a third presidential bid.

Romney is set to tell his donors in a conference call later today that "After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I've decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee."

A Romney aide confirmed the 2012 presidential nominee's decision and requested anonymity before the announcement is made. Romney's prepared remarks were posted on Twitter by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt and confirmed by the Romney aide.

One has to wonder if he will jump back in later?

As a side note Romney's niece Ronna Romney McDaniel is running for the Republican Party Chairmanship in Michigan.  Many are wondering how much of a role Mitt Romney will play in the states politics.  Ronna Romney McDaniel has been involved in Michigan politics over the last several years after returning from California.  

Lt. Gov Brian Calley's Brother Arrested For Hit And Run

Ionia County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man and have him custody who they say ran over a woman after dragging her while she attempted to re-enter a vehicle.

The alleged hit and run caught on camera  happened at 5:08 p.m. Wednesday at the Pilot Gas Station, 7205 South State Road in Orange Township.

Wood TV Channel 8 in Grand Rapids has said that a spokesperson from Gov. Rick Snyder’s office has confirmed that the man in the video is John Calley, the brother of Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. John Calley turned himself in to police Thursday evening and was taken into custody.

Investigators say the 24-year-old Ionia woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries while attempting to get back into the passenger side of the vehicle.

Moments after entering the blue SUV the man is seen on surveillance video driving away while the woman attempts to enter the vehicle.

No other information on the incident was released.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Ionia County Sheriff’s Department at (616) 527-5737 or Silent Observer at (616) 527-0107.

John Calley Entering Gas Station

John Calley with cashier moments before incident

Joey Gamrat Withdraws From Michigan Republican Party Youth Vice-Chair Race

Joey Gamrat

 Citing  that the Michigan Republican Committee would rule he was not qualified to run due to his age, Joey Gamrat - who is the son of newly elected State Representative Cindy Gamrat, has withdrawn from the race for Michigan Republican Youth  Vice-Chair.   Joey Gamrat will not be of voting age until July of this year.  

Michael Banerian from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is now the only candidate left in the race and is expected to be the new Youth Vice-Chair as he is unopposed.  Michael has an impressive record himself :

• He is  currently Vice President of the Oakland University College Republicans and have played a large role in re-establishing the club to one of the most active in the state. It went from 0 members to over 100 in just two semesters.

•  He served as Campaign Manager to Nick Hawatmeh for State Representative in 2014 helping coordinate campaigns for Don Volaric for Congress, Jeff Sakwa for MSU Board of Trustees and Nick Hawatmeh for Grassroots Vice-Chair.

•  At age 17, he started his own PAC, "Bloomfield Voice," and raised over $10,000 in donations. The PAC was created to oppose a large tax increase that his school district and the MEA were pushing. he organized hundreds of students to fight the proposal and were successful fighting the same bond, three times in a row.

• In the summer of 2013, the school district banned football players from praying after touchdowns. He  was able to rally opposition to the ban – persuading the Superintendent to meet with students in a roundtable discussion.  His efforts resulted in the ban being lifted.

Below is a message Joey sent to the delegates last week. 

Friends, Supporters, and Fellow Republicans,
 

After much discussion, it has come to my attention that the Policy Committee will likely side with the State Party Legal Counsel and deny my eligibility to be a candidate at the February 20-21 State Convention. I have reached out to each member of the Policy Committee personally, and it is clear that I would have several votes in favor of allowing me to run, and giving the Delegates an option in the Youth Chair race. It is equally clear that there would likely not be enough votes to override the Legal Counsel’s opinion.
 

We have been moving full speed ahead with our campaign, and I am grateful for the endorsements and support I have received from dozens of TEA Party Leaders, State Committee Members, County Chairs, and Elected Officials – to say nothing of the hundreds of Precinct Delegates who have pledged their support as well.
 

However, I am interested in building our Party, not putting it through a TEA Party versus Establishment battle. I want to spend my time advancing the Cause of Freedom and Liberty through finding, recruiting, training youth across the state, and building relationships. I want to be an emissary for the Principles our Founding Fathers labored so long and hard to make a reality, the very Principles our Party was founded on: Individual Liberty, Personal Responsibility, and a system of Government that recognized the power rested solely in the hands of the People, through God's design.
 

So even though I am withdrawing from the race for Youth Chair, I will not stop working all over the state. I will attend County, District, and other Youth functions. I will work to continue advocating our Principles in all environments: College, High School, Middle School, and even Elementary School.

 I included some information below, for those of you curious about how we got to this point. While reasonable folks can disagree about my conclusion(s), the fact remains that it is not as set in stone as some have portrayed it. Ultimately the Policy Committee is charged with making that determination. Regardless, there is some interesting precedent in our Nation’s history. I also link to a recent Politico story about how successful Presidential campaigns will be recruiting 16 and 17 year olds in the coming year, since they will be eligible to vote in the 2016 Presidential Election.
 

Please do not hesitate to call have any questions or comments. I am always available to chat!
Thank you for your past support, and prayers along this campaign trail, and I look forward to continuing building up with you a foundation for youth to get politically involved
 Sincerely,
  Joey Gamrat
 When I first decided to run, I went to my local Clerk and filed the necessary paperwork to register to vote. However, because I am 17, and don't turn 18 until July 3, they accepted my paperwork, but were not prepared to issue a voter registration card until a later date. The next regularly scheduled election in my Township wasn't until a date in late 2015 that occurred after my 18th birthday.
 

I then proceeded to gather the necessary District Chair signatures, and submitted my paperwork in a timely fashion to the Policy Committee.

 In the interim between my registration/obtaining the signatures, the Legislature put the Gas Tax on a statewide ballot for May 5. This means I cannot be issued a voter registration card until after the Gas Tax vote on May 5th. So, sometime shortly after May 5, I will be issued a voter registration card.

 A thorough review of the By-Laws, as amended February 4, 2012, Article IV, Paragraph (A) reveals there is no specific preclusion about how young someone can be to serve in the role of Youth Chair, only how old.

There is a requirement in Article III, Paragraph (E) that a Regular Member (someone with voting rights) be a Registered voter. This Paragraph deals specifically with membership as relates to voting matters, and financial contribution requirements. It does not state when someone has to be registered to vote, only that they must be registered to be considered a "Regular Member".
 

Furthermore, there is no restriction in the February 20-21, 2015 Convention Rules, as adopted May 3, 2014, on how old someone must be to RUN, or even that they be registered to vote to RUN.
 

So my arguments were:
 1. I met the qualifications at the time I sought and obtained Congressional District Chair approval.

2. The By-Laws only speak to my ability to SERVE (said another way, be SEATED) as a Regular Member of the State Committee, not to the qualifications to RUN. It is the purview of the Policy Committee (and subsequently the Rules Committee of the Convention) to determine someone's qualification to RUN.

3. Section 16 of the Rules for Feb Convention state: "Participation in the Republican county and State conventions shall in no way be abridged for reasons of sex, race, religion, AGE, or national origin, and the county and State conventions shall encourage the broadest possible participation by everyone in party affairs."

 Said again, there is no age limit for how YOUNG someone must be in order to RUN, only a requirement that they be registered to vote to take a SEAT as a Regular (Voting) Member of the Committee.

If I was successful in seeking the office of Youth Chair, I could properly take a seat as a voting member of the Committee sometime shortly after May 5, 2015, once my previously filed voter registration was then issued.
 The Delegates should make this decision for themselves (after all, no one is required to vote for me in the Youth Chair race if I am on the ballot) and I should therefore not be denied ballot access, as we attempt to build the Party and reach out to Young voters. (There is precedence, by the way, for this occurring in the US House of Representatives. Multiple times, candidates have been ELECTED who are younger than the Age requirement in the US Constitution to SERVE. The House handles the seating of the Member accordingly, but the voters are not denied the right to choose whether they wish to elect that person.)

 Below are three examples pertaining to Age, there are others based on other items, but these three are pertinent.

 Source: http://history.house.gov/…/O…/Constitutional-Qualifications/
Accessed on January 13, 2015

 Age
The founders initially set 21, the voting age, as the minimum age to serve in the House. During the Federal Constitutional Convention, though, George Mason of Virginia moved to make the age 25. Mason said that there should be a period between being free to manage one’s own affairs and managing the “affairs of a great nation.” Convention Delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the suggestion that any further restrictions be placed on House membership, and cited the service of William Pitt as a counterexample. Pitt, who held office at the time of the Convention, was the youngest prime minister in British history at the age of 24. Nevertheless, Mason’s amendment passed seven states to three.
 

The House and Its Members
Article I, section 5 of the Constitution provides the House with the authority to determine whether Members-elect are qualified to be seated. For instance, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to ever serve in the House when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the age of 22. The House also seated Claiborne at the age of 24, when he won re-election. The House, however, has not always been so lenient. Representative John Young Brown of Kentucky was first elected to the House in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, but the House refused to administer the oath of office to him until he was 25—after the first session of the Congress was over.

 Politico Article about Campaigns courting young voters:
http://www.politico.com/…/young-voters-campaigns-114141.html
 

Rand Paul Tells Voters To Run From Rerun Candidates

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky hasn't officially said whether he's running for president in 2016, but it appears that he believes America deserves a fresh set of candidates.

Paul, a first-term Republican senator, tweeted that campaigns by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney -- none of whom have officially announced a candidacy, despite widespread speculation that they will do so -- would represent "things to run from."

Signs that Paul is running for President, include recent hiresearlier this month, the Washington Post reported that Paul had hired Chip Englander as his campaign manager.  Englander, most recently oversaw Bruce Rauner's successful campaign for Illinois governor.

Then in Michigan, last summer he hired consultant John Yob as national political director and chief strategist of its Michigan operation.

Yob has previously served as national political director for John McCain during the 2008 primary season and ran state and national convention delegate operations for Rick Santorum in 2012.  In Michigan, he helped elect Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and Attorney General Bill Schuette in 2010. He also worked on the tea-party backed campaigns of Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell and Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle in 2010.

Most recently, Yob advised Republican primary campaigns by Nebraska Senate candidate Ben Sasse and Florida Rep. Curt Clawson.

Obama sends campaign team to defeat Netanyahu In Israel's 2015 Elections

Last week the White House criticized House Speaker John Boehner for breaking protocol by inviting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on Iran.  This week the Obama administration sent a campaign team to Israel to defeat Netanyahu’s 2015 bid for re-election, Israeli media reports.

Haaretz, Israel’s oldest daily newspaper and its version The New York Times because of its liberal political leanings, only published the report in its Hebrew edition. However, Independent Media Review and Analysis, which is “an ongoing analysis of developments in Arab-Israeli relations,” according to its website, deemed it of sufficient importance to provide an English translation on Monday.

It reported:

Foreign Funding Bankrolls Anti-Netanyahu Campaign – Flies in 5-Man Obama Team

Haaretz reporter Roi Arad revealed in an article in the Hebrew edition today that the foreign funded organization, “One Voice”, is bankrolling the V-2015 campaign to defeat Binyamin Netanyahu’s national camp in the March 2015 Knesset Elections.

One indication of the generous financing is that it has now flown in a team of five American campaign experts (including Jeremy Bird, the Obama campaign’s national field director) who will run the campaign out of officestaking up the ground floor of Tel Aviv office building. V-2015 is careful not to support a specific party – rather “just not Bibi”. As such, the foreign funds pouring into the campaign are not subject to  Israel’s campaign finance laws.

Hacker Attack? Facebook and Instagram Down

Facebook and Instagram two of the most popular social networking sites, are experiencing technical difficulties on Tuesday.  Both sites went down around 12:50 am  Eastern Time.

Users who try to enter the sites are denied access. Facebook said it is trying to work out the technical problems.

"Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on it and we'll get it fixed as soon as we can," Facebook said on its website.

Users from the United States and India reported that they were unable to log on to the website.

Just yesterday Facebook censored itself to be in compliance with Turkish law which prohibits insults to the Prophet Mohammed, did hackers attack Facebook over this censorship?

Facebook was up and running again as of 2:15 am.  This marked one of the longest down times in it's history. 

Turkey court orders block on Facebook pages insulting Prophet Muhammad

A Turkish court ordered Sunday a block on access to a

number of Facebook pages that share materials insulting Prophet Mohammad.

The Golbasi Duty Magistrate Court gave the order on the request of Prosecutor Harun Ceylan, who was investigating the pages on social media.

The court decided that Facebook, the world’s biggest social network, would be blocked Turkey if Facebook fails to implement the order.

The court’s decision has been forwarded to the Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication and to the Access Provider Association.

Previously, a court in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir province ruled on Jan. 14 to block access to web pages showing Charlie Hebdo's latest cover featuring a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad.

The cover depicts Prophet Muhammad in a white dress and shedding a tear, holding up a sign reading, “Je suis Charlie” -- slogan popularized after Paris attacks -- below the headline "All is forgiven."

On Jan. 7, 12 people were massacred in a gun attack in the Paris headquarters of the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

“In comparison with Twitter and YouTube, Facebook cooperates with the Turkish authorities much better,” said Yaman Akdeniz, a cyberlaw professor at Bilgi University in Istanbul. “Therefore, it’s not surprising that Facebook removed these pages right away.”

The company’s most recent public report on compliance with government requests covers the first half of 2014. In that time, Facebook said, India asked the company to block almost 5,000 pieces of online content, the most of any country. Turkey was second, with nearly 1,900 pieces of content blocked at the government’s request, and Pakistan was third, at more than 1,700.

Facebook said that Turkish officials asked for details about local users of the service 249 times in the first half of 2014, and that the company complied in about three-fifths of the cases.

Hundreds Of Thousands March For Life, Media Silent

Hundreds of thousands and some estimates put the number of participants at a half-million –

converged on the nation’s capital, Washington, DC on Thursday, to participate in the annual March for Life, held each year on the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made procured abortion legal in all fifty states.

The only network that offered coverage was CBS, which dedicated 15 seconds to the March in the context of highlighting moderate Republican opposition to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Meanwhile, NBC , ABC, and Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo, completely ignored the March. The networks did, however, find time to cover "DeflateGate," sidecar dogs in America, and Prince Andrew’s sex scandal.

John -Henry Weston, co-founder of LifeSiteNews.com said, "If 200,000 people showed up in Washington to protest in favor of almost any other cause, it would be considered national news by nearly every newspaper or network. The decision to ignore America's biggest march yet again shows that U.S. mainstream media, including the Big Three networks, has no interest in reporting on anything that might harm its agenda -- and nothing undercuts that agenda more than hundreds of thousands of mostly young people coming to D.C. to support life."

Republican Chair Race : Former Reagan Aide Norm Hughes Jumps Into Race

Norm Hughes with Ronald & Nancy Reagan circa 1980s

Norm Hughes who was a former aid to Ronald Reagan and was an architect of Michigan's Right To Work initiative,  and is currently the President of MiCPAC, Mi. Conservative Union, and is involved with many other Conservative efforts has decided to run for Michigan Republican Chairman.   He is joined by Marian Sheridan, Lakes Area TEA Party leader and Vice President of the Greater West Bloomfield Republican club and former board member of the old 9th Congressional District Republican Committee. 

Marian Sheridan

Norm is a professional architectural engineer and long-time conservative leader in Michigan going back to the 1960s, Norm Hughes held three positions in the Ronald Reagan administration and is co-author of Michigan’s landmark Tax Limitation Amendment. Many encouraged Norm to run for chair in 2013 but he choose to back Todd Courser at that time.  It was Norm's leadership that almost gave Todd the Chairmanship over Bobby Schostak

Below is the text of the radio introduction Jay Macknally did on Norm on his radio show in March of 2012

Norm Hughes is a 1969 graduate of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University where he was class president three years and student government president his senior year. He took 50 additional hours in engineering. Mr. Hughes also studied at University of Detroit Law School, University of Michigan graduate school of engineering, and continuing education studies at Eastern Michigan University and University of Wisconsin, and has taught graduate architecture students at Lawrence Tech. He has won several Who’s Who awards in the design and build industries and has had his own design and construction management company for more than 30 years.

 Mr. Hughes has been involved in the conservative movement since 1964. He served as Chair of the Conservative Party of Michigan, Michigan Conservative Union and on the board of the American Conservative Union. Mr. Hughes was Michigan Executive Director of the 1976 Reagan Campaign and was a Reagan Delegate to the National GOP Conventions in 1976 and 1980. In 1984 Mr. Hughes was a presidential elector and was selected to put Reagan’s name into nomination at the meeting of the Electoral College. Mr. Hughes also served as chair of county and district Republican committees and was a Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in 1978 and 1980.

 Mr. Hughes served in the Reagan Administrations as Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy; as Senior Policy Advisor and Associate Director designate for Emergency Operations at FEMA; as a Presidentially appointed member of the U.S. Architectural and Barriers Free Compliance Board; and for several years on the White House Speakers Bureau.

 Mr. Hughes is now involved with the North Oakland Tea Party Patriots and is working on a plan to involve tea party activists in bringing about needed changes in our state and local governments. Norm Hughes will share some of his experiences with Ronald Reagan and working within the Federal government, will share lessons from previous conservative movement activities, and will lay out a blue print on how we can move the tea party enthusiasm from protest to action, as we prepare to go from campaigning to governing.

Due to Norm's credibility he immediately joins Ronna Romney McDaniel and Dr. Kimberly Shmina as the leaders in the race.  Two other known candidates at the time of this article are David Wolkinson - former Bentivolio Campaign Manager and former 40th District State Hose Rep Candidate and Joel Poynter- Lake County Republican Chairman.s

Ronna Romney McDaniel announced earlier this afternoon her running mate to will be former two time MSU Trustee candidate Jeff Sakwa.

****UPDATE*****  Joel Poynter is out and is supporting Norm Hughes.

***Update 1/23/15 ***  Dave Wolkinson has dropped out of the race

Obama Uses Democrat Staffer As Prop To Say Economic Policies Are Working. 2nd Time She Is Used In A Year

Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC), who gained national

 notoriety for shouting, "You lie!" during an address by President Barack Obama 

to a joint session of Congressnow says he's been "vindicated" 

for calling out the President.

If you are going to try to lie, perhaps you shouldn't you a Democrat Staffer to present your lying case. 

Rebekah Erler whose story of economic recovery was highlighted by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address is a former Democratic campaign staffer and has been used by Obama for political events in the past.

Erler was presented by the White House as a woman who

Obama and Erle in a Minnesota Cafe June 1014

was discovered by the president after she wrote to him last March about her economic hardships. She was introduced to America in the speech as proof that middle class Americans are coming forward to say that Obama’s policies are working.

One fact that was forgotten in the White House bio of Erler is that she is a former Democratic campaign operative, working as a field organizer for Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.).

This also wasn’t the first time the White House used the former Democratic campaign staffer Rebekah Erler as a political prop. Obama spent a “day in the life” of Erler in June so that he could have “an opportunity to communicate directly with the people he’s working for every day.”

Reuters revealed Erler’s Democratic affiliations following that June event, and the Minnesota Republican Party attacked

Rebekah Erler with Michelle Obama
at the State of The Union.

Obama for being “so out of touch with reality that he thinks a former Democrat campaign staffer speaks for every Minnesotan.”

Obama used Erler as an example that the economy is getting better. Here is the part of Obama’s speech regarding Erler. Notice it is not mentioned that she is a Democratic Party Staffer:

Seven years ago, Rebekah and Ben Erler of Minneapolis were newlyweds. She waited tables. He worked construction. Their first child, Jack, was on the way.
 They were young and in love in America, and it doesn’t get much better than that.
 “If only we had known,” Rebekah wrote to me last spring, “what was about to happen to the housing and construction market.”
 As the crisis worsened, Ben’s business dried up, so he took what jobs he could find, even if they kept him on the road for long stretches of time. Rebekah took out student loans, enrolled in community college, and retrained for a new career. They sacrificed for each other. And slowly, it paid off. They bought their first home. They had a second son, Henry. Rebekah got a better job, and then a raise. Ben is back in construction – and home for dinner every night.
 “It is amazing,” Rebekah wrote, “what you can bounce back from when you have to…we are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.”
 America, Rebekah and Ben’s story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard, and scrimped, and sacrificed, and retooled. You are the reason I ran for this office. You’re the people I was thinking of six years ago today, in the darkest months of the crisis, when I stood on the steps of this Capitol and promised we would rebuild our economy on a new foundation. And it’s been your effort and resilience that has made it possible for our country to emerge stronger.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Wins 3rd Term - Mitt Romney Wooed

With no apparent challengers, Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus won an unprecedented 3rd term last week at the Republican National Convention  held in San Diego California. 

 
It was also at this meeting that former two time presidential candidate and 2012 Republican Nominee Mitt Romney suddenly was granted time to deliver a few remarks to those at the convention  which included guests and major GOP donors aboard the carrier.

And on Monday, Reince Priebus announced the appointment of former Romney presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to head the RNC’s 2016 Presidential Trust.

“There is no one better suited for this important role than my friend and my Congressman, Paul Ryan,” Mr. Priebus, the former Wisconsin GOP chairman, said in a statement.

It has been noted by historians, that Albert Einstein once said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."  

One has to ask is the Republican Party insane or do they have things right this time?  Moderates have failed in 1996, 2008 and 2012.  If your candidate is almost the same as the other guy, voters will go to the other guy.  

Below is Reince Priebus' acceptance speech for his 3rd term"

REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
 RNC CHAIRMAN REINCE PRIEBUS
WINTER MEETING GENERAL SESSION
 JANUARY 16, 2015

Good Morning.

Thank you. Thank for your support. Thank you your vote to continue the work we started together. I look forward to two more great years, and I feel proud and blessed to serve as your Chairman.

We have more elections this morning, so I’ll try to keep this around 10 minutes. Or, as Hillary Clinton would call it, just a $25,000 speech.

I want to make three things very clear today.

First, 2014 was a historic year for Republicans, and the RNC made it possible.

Second, winning 2016 is going to take a lot more hard work.

And third, for the next two years, we’re going to be laser-focused on the White House—both its current occupant and the Democrats who want to occupy it.

Winning last November took a lot. It required an unprecedented investment in our field program—and a large and talented team. It meant using the best data we’ve ever had to guide the earliest voter-targeting operation we’ve ever deployed.

The RNC, as well as our sister committees and other groups, learned the lessons of the Growth and Opportunity Project. We adapted accordingly.


Two years ago, we said we had to be a full-time, national party. We said we had to be present in communities. We said we’d have the best digital and data program we’ve ever had.

People doubted us. We proved them wrong. For 2016, I’m sure we’ll have doubters again. We’re going to prove them wrong again.

We will focus first and foremost on the things only the RNC can do: Laying the groundwork for our nominee, whoever that is. Preparing a debate and primary system that works for our candidates. Building and maintaining the best data file in history.

Only we can do that. The law says that only the RNC can raise resources and coordinate with Republican campaigns. No other groups, no other PACs, no other organization can do what we do.

As we learned last year, leading by example matters. We aggressively reached out to communities we hadn’t talked to in far too long. Others followed suit. Candidates who worked with us, won.

We also proved that we have to push back forcefully to defeat Democrats fake narratives, like their “War on Women.” Candidates who took that to heart won. And in some cases, Democrat candidates made fools of themselves. We have to do the same thing in 2016.

Of course, other groups are also out there promoting conservative ideas and the Republican message. And I’m glad there’s so much energy on our side that we have other people working to get Republicans elected. But it’s up to us, the RNC, to play the leading role. We’re the gold standard, and we’re going to set the standard even higher this year.

So, number two, how are we going to do that? Many of you have heard me say this already: For 2016, we’re 80 percent of the way there, with 80 percent of the way left to go.

Our ground game has to be bigger.

Our data has to be even better.

Our engagement with minority communities has to continue.

Last cycle, we broke fundraising records. This cycle, we need to break more.

We don’t know who our presidential nominee will be. Despite what some say, we don’t choose the nominee. The delegates and voters do.

But we do have to make sure our process is sound and our debates are informative—and not a field day for the media. We do have to ensure the primary calendar makes sense and leaves us in a strong position. And we’ve done those things.

Now, we have to keep building the infrastructure. Because a nominee can’t do it alone. A good candidate is helpful. But winning the presidency is a team effort—and it’s up to the RNC to prepare now.

Preparing now something only the RNC can do. That’s not my opinion. That’s the law.

And that brings me to Democrats and the White House.

For the last four years, good bills that came from the House got stuck on Harry Reid’s desk. With a Republican Senate, those bills can get a vote.

So now it’s up to President Obama. Will he listen to voters and change course? Or will his desk be the place good legislation goes to die?

Republicans have to keep the pressure on him to listen to voters. But this is also why it’s so important to win the White House in 2016.

The good news is we have great potential candidates for president. Our voters are going to have a real choice. Leaders with diverse backgrounds and diverse experiences. We should be excited because this means real debates and real conversations.

I’d much rather have that than what the Democrats have. They’ve got one candidate ready to coronate herself and a sitting VP who’s been running for president since before I could vote.

Most Americans want something better. 71 percent say they want the next president to have an agenda different from Obama’s.  I can promise you, you’re not going to get something different than Obama with a member of the Obama administration.

So it’s up to us to make the case against the Democrat candidates that want to be Obama’s third term…whether that’s Hillary or Biden or Warren or someone else.

And by the way, the funny thing about Hillary Clinton is that the more people hear from her, the less they like her. In fact, in the last six years, her approval rating was the highest when she was out of the country and off the campaign trail.

People don’t like her so much now that she’s back home campaigning.

And let’s be clear: she is campaigning. She’s just found a way to get paid really, really well for it. For example, bilking cash-strapped public universities for a quarter million dollars to fly in on a private jet and give a speech about nothing. But, she still wants you to know she’s just your average “dead-broke” American.

At the RNC, we’re not waiting until Hillary’s the nominee; we’re not waiting until she announces to go after her record. We’ve been preparing for a long, long time, and we’re Ready for Hillary.

We’re ready to show America that this country can do better than Hillary Clinton and Obama’s third term. Because the next generation deserves better.

It comes down to a question of what kind of country we want for our children.

If we want a country where opportunity is abundant, competition is thriving, and power is in the hands of the people—then we have work to do.

If we want a government that honors the Constitution, respects our tax dollars, and doesn’t intrude into our daily lives—then we have work to do.

And if we want a president who spends less and listens more—then we have work to do. We have to elect a Republican president.

That’s why we’re here. To do what’s right for the future of our country. As we move forward in this cycle, don’t ever lose sight of that. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s not about us.

We serve on this committee because we want what’s best not just for our party, but for our country.

But keep in mind 2016 could be a do our die moment for our party. I’m not one to be dramatic, but I want you to know I’m serious.

We’re feeling good after 2014, but midterms are our natural strength. We started out behind, but it was still like a home field advantage. Now we’re playing on their turf.

Democrats are divided and disappointed right now, but we can’t count on that lasting forever. If we don’t win, what happens to our country? If we don’t win, what happens to our party? Could we function as a national party in the same way?

It’s difficult to keep up with the opposition when you don’t have the presidency; I can promise you that.  So what’s a party chairman going to say in 2017 to our donors and our grassroots if we’re looking at 12 years out of the White House?

We have to win. And we’re going to win.

So for almost everything we do, we have to ask ourselves, “Is this helping us win the White House?” The answer should always be “yes.” That is our number one focus. Too much is at stake. As Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, “Success demands singleness of purpose.”

I’m still here as your Chairman because I believe in what we’re doing. It’s not glory, it’s a grind. This is still a work in progress, and I want to finish the chapter with you.

If we do that, our party and our country will be better for it. We’ll have a Republican majority in the House, a Republican majority in the Senate, a Republican in the White House—and a more prosperous future for this great country.

Thank you—and God bless

Illinios Legislature : Give Us Your Social Media Passwords

A new Illinois law passed by legislators now can demand a student's social media password.  This is the equivalent of your being required to give law enforcement keys to your house without a warrant.

This law is in direct conflict with the 4th amendment of the Constitution of illegal search and seizure without warrent.

The new law gives school districts and colleges the ability to demand a student's social media password regardless if it was posted after hours

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Some parents have already received letters from the schools to notify them of the new rules.  

I would never allow any child in my family to give up their password.  The passwords are protected under a parent's authority who granted them internet access through their account.  No child can get a telecommunications account to the internet accept through a parent or guardian.  No telecommunications company will do business with a minor under the age of 18.  

Synopsis of the law via Illinois General Assembly :

"In provisions concerning bullying prevention, prohibits a student from being subjected to bullying through the transmission of information from a computer that is accessed at a nonschool-related location, activity, function, or program or from the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by a school district or school if the bullying substantially interferes with or limits the victim's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school or substantially disrupts the educational process or orderly operation of a school. Provides that the definition of bullying includes cyber-bullying; defines "cyber-bullying". Provides that a school district's or non-public, non-sectarian elementary or secondary school's policy on bullying shall include a process to investigate whether a reported act of bullying is within the scope of the district or school and, if not, a process for referral of such an act to the appropriate jurisdiction. Requires computers without web-filtering software or computers with web-filtering software that is disabled to be used when complaints of cyber-bullying are investigated. Effective immediately."

80 More Girls Kidnapped by Boka Haram This Time Cameroon. Time For A New Hash Tag Offensive?

Suspected Boko Haram Jihadists from Nigeria kidnapped around 80 people, many of them children

, and killed three others on Sunday in a cross-border attack on villages in northern Cameroon, army and government officials said.

The kidnappings, among the largest abductions on Cameroonian soil since the militants began expanding their zone of operations across the border last year, came as neighbouring Chad deployed troops to support Cameroon’s forces in the area.

“According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted,” a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told Reuters.

He said the early-morning attack had targeted the village of Mabass and several other villages along the porous border with Nigeria. Soldiers intervened and exchanged fire with the raiders for around two hours, he added.

Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma confirmed the attack, in which he said three people had been killed, as well as the kidnappings, but was not able to say with certainty how many people had been taken in the raid. Around 80 homes were destroyed, he said.

Last year 300 girls were kidnapped from Nigeria and the best response the U.S. was willing to give was Michelle Obama holding a sign with the hast tag #bringbackourgirls ; 

Source: www.theguardian.com

Miricale: Man pinned between semi trucks in huge Oregon pileup

(Photo: Sergi Karplyuk/KTVB First Person)

One man who was involved in a crash on I-84 near Baker City Oregon on Saturday made quite an escape.

Sergi Karplyuk, who was also involved in the crash, says he took a photo of a truck driver that was pinned between two semi trucks.

The driver in the photo is reportedly from Washington. The photo shows the driver peeking out of what's left of his four-door Chevy pickup.

Witnesses say the driver escaped with just a scratch on his head.

Meanwhile the Oregon Department of Transportation Department continues to try to clear the wreckage that involved up to 70 vehicles, including dozens of semi trucks

Al "Not A Reverend" Sharpton Calls Oscars Racist, Lt Allen West Puts Him In His Place

Race baiter Al "Not A Reverend" Sharpton is at it again.  He is

Al Sharpton

leading the false outrage that no black actors where nominated for an Oscar.  Since when is race a factor 

"Not A Reverend" Sharpton, I thought it was the performance, directing, writing etc.??  

Allen West

I don't think the Oscars are racist.  Haven't there been black actors and actresses nominated and didn't they also win Oscars?

Thankfully Lt. Col Allen West puts Al "Not A Reverend" Sharpton in his place. Here is what he says in response to Sharpton's dribble:

Liberals may be terrible at handling the economy or protecting our nation, but they sure are entertaining. The latest side-splitter comes from the White House official court jester, Al Sharpton.

As the Washington Times reports, Reverand Al “announced he was holding an “emergency meeting” to discuss Hollywood’s all-white list of Oscar nominees and talk about possible action against the Academy Awards’ powers-who-be.”

“The movie industry is like the Rocky Mountains,” he said in a statement reported by Business Insider. “The higher you get, the whiter it gets. … I have called an emergency meeting early next week in Hollywood with the task force to discuss possible action around the Academy Awards.”

Now bear in mind this is only the second time in the last 20 years that only white folks were nominated for best actor, actress or director Oscars, so it’s not like there’s a continuing pattern of racism.

But I’ll tell you where there IS a clear pattern of racism. It’s in the NFL!
 I did a quick review of the starting line-ups for the four playoff teams (Seahawks, Packers, Colts and Patriots) and 65 percent of those players are black. I’d say that’s a little lop-sided, wouldn’t you — considering blacks make up only around 14 percent of the U.S. population.

And don’t get me started on the racism in the NBA!

If you want to talk about no diversity in honoring excellence, look at the recipients of the Most Valuable Player awards over the last 58 years.

It’s shocking! Seventy-eight percent of all MVPs in history have been black! Boy, I’d say the NBA is way too black. We ought to hold an emergency meeting to discuss possible action against the NBA, right Al? I mean it’s simply not FAIR.

In the NBA, it’s like outer space Al — the higher you get, the darker it gets