Life of the Party

Last Chance to Save the GOP and Beat the Democrats

Calling all conservative Republicans!

Unhappy with a likely McCain nomination?

Discouraged that the guy you were backing (or the guy he was backing) has jumped on the McCain bandwagon? 

Tancredo endorsed Romney, now Romney is endorsing McCain.  Brownback endorsed McCain.  Thompson endorsed McCain.  Hunter endorsed Huckabee and Huckabee has no problem voting for McCain. 

His endorsers all want YOU to "fall in line", to "close ranks".

Should conservatives just throw in the towel?  Should we fall in line with a candidate who has the endorsement support and preference of Republicans for Choice, who is funded by George Soros, and who is the co-author and promoter of amnesty for illegal aliens? 

But isn't it a done deal?  Doesn't he already have the nomination sewn up? 

No.

He needs 1,191 delegates to vote for him at the national convention.  The delegate count right now is unclear, as the media calls states for McCain when the delegates haven't actually been chosen yet.  There is an overwhelming anti-McCain sentiment among the party faithful, and banded together, might be able to defeat the nomination of John McCain before or at the convention. 

Media darling McCain, has only gotten this far, because conservatives have been divided between the rest of the candidates in the previously crowded field.  Now that the field has narrowed, we need to unite the grassroots conservative movement, ala anti-Harriet Miers style, Catholics Against Rudy style.   

This ain't over. 

Life of the Party to Reagan Wing: Just Do It!

In a bizarre and fancifully written and illustrated, 3 part (so far) series, Reagan Wing president Doug Parris grapples with the only place for conservatives to turn: The REVOLUTION.  Read here for Part I, Part II, and Part III. 

Just do it! 

And for that matter, now that Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson are all out of the race, the entire Reagan Coalition needs to regroup and ask of themselves this question:  Is Democracy in Iraq worth the price of our Constitutional Republic?   

Big Endorsement Coming

The news is all over the net, that Tom Tancredo, who has long been the favorite here at Life of the Party, will be dropping out of the presidential race. 

There's a lot of speculation about who he will endorse.  And rightly so, with the timing, only two weeks before the Iowa caucus.  He's come this far, and his campaign has invested a great deal in winning Iowa.  So the logical conclusion is that he wants to put that investment in a candidate that has a better chance at winning, and who he believes will best further the cause he has been championing: America's sovereignty.  But it is very interesting to see the talk about the other candidates lobbying for his endorsement.  The buzz is that he is the "impramatur" on this issue. 

While being an across the board: pro-life, pro-family, small government, fiscal conservative, Tancredo has been the Lion of the cause to secure our borders, where he has chosen to remained focused throughout the entire campaign.  So much so, that it was to his campaign's detriment, but he has brought the issue of illegal immigration and the sovereignty of our nation to the forefront of the political debate.  As he quipped in one of the debates, "it's nice to hear everyone try to out-Tancredo Tancredo."  Thanks to him, conservative activists have been alerted to recognize the double speak of the posers on the issue.  So much so, that they may not necessarily all get in lock step with whomever he endorses.  Nevertheless, he deserves our many thanks for his tireless efforts.  Remember his words:

This is our country.  Fight for it. 

This is our flag.  Pick it up.

This is our country.  Take it back.   

Life of the Party will be making a presidential endorsement soon as well, so check back. 

Ames Straw Poll Wrap-up

Don McDowell at Cyclone Conservative has an excellent analysis, from an on the ground perspective, of the Iowa Straw Poll.  It is a must read.  He also posted the actual results of the straw poll. 

I agree with Don Ward at Sound Politics who considers it a loss for Romney after spending millions on campaigning there:

Some of the news reports are falsely portraying this as evidence that Romney is gaining street cred with conservatives in the party. Quite the contrary. The poll participants broke overwhelmingly away from the Massachusetts politician.

Basically what was told to Romney is given the choice between him and a group of political nobodies by a two-to-one margin, the poll participants said "We like these guys who don't have a rat's-ass-chance of winning over you and your money, pretty boy."

The real winners of the straw poll were Huckabee, Browback and Tancredo.  It would be nice to see a serious televised debate between the three of these candidates, since all of them are pro-life.  Pro-lifers could really get a look at where they stand on other issues we care about and then make a more informed choice so we can pool our efforts together.  If the pro-life vote continues to go divided, we will surely end up with one of the "top tier" who are either pro-abortion-choice or cosmetically pro-life. 

Update: Pro-life blogger, Leticia's asking, "Will GOP get the hint?" 

Phyllis Schlafly Defends Tancredo's Pro-life Record Against Fraudulant Brownback Charge

And she's recorded a push call of her own!  Here is the press release, another update on the Brownback attacks against Tancredo.

(Washington, D.C.) – Phyllis Schlafly, the godmother of conservative politics, stepped into the presidential primary today to dismiss the malicious charge made against Presidential candidate Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO). The founder of Eagle Forum, a pro-family organization in existence since 1972, is an outspoken opponent of abortion and is credited with leading the effort to stop the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Senator Brownback has alleged that Tancredo’s commitment to life is questionable because his campaign accepted a contribution from an individual who supports Tancredo on immigration but has in the past supported Planned Parenthood. Monday, on the Jan Mickelson radio show in Iowa, Schlafly dismissed the charge as "ridiculous."

"I’ve known him [Tancredo] for 30 years and he’s solid on every issue," Schlafly said. "And he’s a long time consistent pro-lifer... I’m really distressed that Brownback has made some ugly charges about him, which I believe are not true." The Brownback campaign has recently resorted to "push calls" calling on pro-lifers to "Say no to Tom Tancredo and his Planned Parenthood friend and help end abortion in America."

Phyllis Schlafly has recorded a push call of her own, dismissing the charge against Tancredo. "I want to go on record as saying… I know for sure he [Tancredo] has always been a champion of the right to life of the unborn." {Transcript Below}


Transcript:

Hello, this is Phyllis Schlafly.

Senator Brownback’s campaign is making calls to cast doubt on the pro-life commitment of Congressman Tom Tancredo.

I want to go on record as saying I’ve known Tom Tancredo for 30 years and I know for sure he has always been a champion of the right to life of the unborn.

The national right to life committee grades him A. Tom has an outstanding and consistent pro-life record.

Paid for by Tancredo for President.

Tancredo Demands Apology from Brownback for his "Despicable and Deceitful Campaign Tactics"

It's heating up in Iowa.  Here is a press release from the Tancredo for President campaign:

Des Moines, IA) - Presidential candidate Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) today demanded an apology from Senator Sam Brownback for the "despicable and deceitful campaign tactics" he is using to deliberately mislead the voters of Iowa concerning Mr. Tancredo’s unassailable pro-life record. Tancredo was referring to push calls financed by the Brownback campaign that intentionally suggest Congressman Tancredo has ties to Planned Parenthood, a major abortion provider. (Transcript below)

"Sam [Brownback] and I have been friends for several years and he is well aware of my life-long commitment to the unborn. Yet he has approved the use of despicable and deceitful campaign tactics in an effort to deliberately mislead the voters of Iowa concerning my record and my commitment to life." Tancredo said, "I call on Senator Brownback to cease with the maliciously misleading push calls intended to harm me and apologize."

Concerning contributions he has received Tancredo said, "Americans from all walks of life, from all racial and religious backgrounds, and from all political persuasions support me because they believe as I do that illegal immigration is the greatest domestic threat we face as a nation and they know I will never resolve this issue by giving amnesty to illegal aliens."

Tancredo has an A rating from the National Right to Life Committee, and a 0% rating from NARAL, an abortion rights organization.

And here is the transcript of the Brownback campaign push call:

Hello this is an urgent alert for pro-life republicans in Iowa. Tom Tancredo has accepted tens of thousands of dollars from the founder of a Planned Parenthood network, the largest provider of abortion in the world. Pro-life republicans have asked Tom Tancredo to donate the money to a crisis pregnancy center here in Iowa that helps women chose life. Tom Tancredo stubbornly refuses to do so. Say no to Tom Tancredo and his Planned Parenthood friend and help end abortion in America. This call is paid for by Brownback for President.

As reported here before, the individual to whom the Brownback campaign is referring, happens to be on the board of directors of FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), so he obviously shares Tancredo's position on illegal immigration and border security, NOT his position on abortion.  Tancredo not only has a 100% pro-life voting record, but supports a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution, a rare pro-life position among the presidential candidates. 

It seems Brownback is at a loss for how to win over some of the pro-life voters in Iowa who also oppose amnesty for illegal aliens and want to see the borders secured with no compromises.  In Tancredo, they find a candidate for president who shares their views on both of these watershed issues and many others. 

Senator Brownback, you know better. 

Update: According to Vital Signs, Brownback stands by the call.

Breaking: Tancredo Responds to Brownback's Attack

In a press release yesterday, Sam Brownback attacked his pro-life opponent Tom Tancredo for accepting "thousands of dollars from the founder of a Planned Parenthood network."  He was referring to Dr. John Tanton, who also happened to be a founder of FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform).  The press release failed to mention that, but instead attempted to mislead pro-lifers supporting Tancredo:

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Tancredo's presidential campaign, political action committee, and congressional re-election campaign have accepted thousands of dollars personally from Tanton, and thousands more from a political action committee connected to Tanton.

The Tancredo campaign has responded:

Those who contribute to the Tancredo campaign are supportive of Congressman Tancredo and his principles and values; in no way does this suggest he endorses theirs.

As for the Congressman's pro-life record, it is unassailable.  What is far more interesting to the people of Iowa is Senator Brownback's complete embrace of massive amnesty for illegal aliens.

Further, not only is Tancredo's pro-life record unassailable, but his complete position is pro-life without discrimination over how babies were conceived.  He has received the support of Republican National Coalition for Life, an uncompromising pro-life PAC.

Senator Brownback is grasping at straws with this "guilt by association" attack after being widely criticized by conservatives for his support for amnesty and his waffling on the cloture bill last Thursday regarding amnesty.  That he is attacking Tancredo in Iowa, indicates that Tancredo is gaining ground for his unwavering position against the illegal invasion of America by law breakers and against Republican politicians who would sell out our American sovereignty for some "cheap labor", as well as his solid commitment to protecting innocent life. 

Perhaps Congressman Tancredo should ask why Senator Brownback would accept an award from the National Council of La Raza (The Race), which also has plenty of ties with pro-abortion groups and has been on the record supporting pro-abortion policies, aside from being one of the top lobbying groups in favor of the recently defeated (for the 5th time) Senate amnesty bill.

How Conservatives Can Pick Their President

Jane Chastain at WND explains how conservatives can ignore the media and put a conservative nominee on the ballot for president.  She's certainly not the first to outline this path, but she weighs in on the Fred Factor too.  Here's more on the Fred Factor from the Washington Times.

Tancredo on Abortion and Illegal Immigration

Addressing the Iowa Republican Party, Colorado Congressman and Presidential hopeful had these words to say concerning abortion and illegal immigration:

There's some irony here, when we are told that we need these workers to support an aging society.  Yet over the past three decades, we have allowed over 40 million Americans to die in abortion clinics.  Why have we turned our hearts from our own innocent babies and embraced the Culture of Death?  We no longer even talk about the tragedy of abortion or its consequences on our mothers, our culture and our land.  Instead, we are seeking to replace the missing with an imported servant class. 

The entire speech can be viewed in a two part video here.   This is the man who gets it.  He understands the problems facing America.  The media knows he makes a good case.  Chris Matthews had him on Hardball and even said so, yet the very next night, at the Republican debate, he was marginalized by Matthews himself in the set-up, was barely asked 4 questions in the entrire 90 minute program and was cut short in time given to answer. 

Get to know the man.  Donate. 

The Right Stuff Coming From Colorado

Along with Congressman Tom Tancredo, who is the best pro-life candidate for President on a wide range of issues, an impressive pro-life organization demonstrates something is happening in Colorado. 

Colorado Right to Life, unlike other organizations that bear the "Right to Life" name are actually committed to the cause without compromise.  Not only are they committed to defending the Right to Life in principle, they are taking action. Recently, the organization for a bill in the state house that would have made nearly all abortions illegal.  Though it did not succeed this time around, they remain committed to an uncompromising position and do not appear to backing down from the position that all abortion is wrong. 

Exhibit A~ a sample of their "Truth Truck" mobile pro-life billboards exposes the racist roots of Planned Parenthood:

Exhibit B~This press release that appeared at Pro-Life Blogs

today, the aggregate for pro-life the pro-life blogging community:

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     Contact:  Leslie Hanks
APRIL 24, 2007                                                                  720-394-8946

 

             AREA PASTORS JOIN EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION CEREMONY
                     AT COLORADO RIGHT TO LIFE'S 40TH COMMEMORATION OF
                                         AMERICA'S FIRST ABORTION LAW

Several Denver area pastors will stand with Operation Save America's Reverend Flip Benham
April 25, 2007 at the Old Supreme Court Chambers as part of their 40th anniversary
commemoration of the nation's first abortion law.

Rev Benham will lead the pastors in an Emancipation Proclamation ceremony
for the Pre-born.  Pastor Biff Gore - Park Hill Bible Fellowship Church, Pastor Curtis Holmes - Open Door Fellowship Church, Pastor Ron Fox - Berean Bible Church, Pastor Kraig Burleson - All Saints,
and Pastor John Clifton - Church in the City see the dire urgency of nearly 1,400
minority babies in America being killed by abortion every day and the need to restore
legal protection to all human life, from fertilization through natural death.

The Emancipation Proclamation ceremony will follow the keynote speech
by former UN Ambassador, Dr. Alan Keyes -"The Pro-life Cause:  Defending America's
Future."

                                       1:30 pm - 4:00 pm at the State Capitol
                                                 Colfax and Broadway
                                                       April 25, 2007

BECAUSE ABORTION IS ALWAYS WRONG