The Mason Conservative

Have A Great Weekend (Eve 6 Edition)

I'm BUSY this weekend with work and fun. Tommorow is the 11th district convention, and I'll be a voting delegate. I encourage all to support these candidates:
For State Central: David Ray, Steve Hunt, and Keith Damon
For National Convention Delegate: Rep. Tom Davis, Del. Scott Lingamfelter, and Mike Thompson, Sr
For Alternate Delegate: Del. Tim Hugo, Rick Harrington, and Sue Jones

After this, I'm throwing my best fried his bachelor party - so yeah. I'll be back sunday night or monday with posts. And please, spread the word on the YR sponsored RPV Chairman's debate!

Now enjoy some music from one of the most underrated bands for the weekend . . . EVE 6

Eve 6 - Think Twice

Eve 6 Promise

RPV Chairman DEBATE!

I am pleased to have been apart, if only in a smaller capacity, of this effort of united Young Republicans across Northern Virginia.  One thing I learned is there is a lot of unity among NOVA YRs, and a real purpose that we feel that not only are we the foot soldiers of the party, but we are also its future leaders.  A whole lot of people deserve a lot of credit for putting this together and I was happy to be a small part of it.  So I am pleased to announce the ONLY debate between Chairman John Hager and Delegate Jeff Frederick, sponsored by the Prince William, Fairfax Area, and Arlington/Falls Church Young Republicans:

An Invitation to the

RPV Chairman DEBATE

Thursday May 22^nd

 

@ 7:30 p.m.

 

Robert E. Lee High School 

6540 Franconia Road, Springfield VA

 

Please join

The Honorable Jeff Frederick and The Honorable John Hager

for this one-of-a-kind conversation about the future of the Republican Party of Virginia

 

For More information call 703.895.9899 or email pwyrclub@gmail.com

RSVP appreciated, but not required.

Hosted by the Prince William Area Young Republicans, the Fairfax Area Young Republicans, the Arlington/Falls Church Young Republicans and with the help of Fairfax County Republican Committee

Davis To Bush: Change The Game

Rep. Tom Davis has a very thought-provoking suggestions in a memo he wrote for House Republicans.  Davis, a former committee chairman and successful head of the NRCC, brings credibility to a memo like this.  Its a mixed bag of suggestions, but what he essentially says is that President Bush needs to do more to put Democrats in Congress on the record for all the major issues of the day.  Bush, despite low approval ratings, can still set the agenda.  His best point is that Americans despise Congress, but we aren't holding Democrats accountable for that since they are in the majority.  Its a good question, one that many in the GOP establishment need to answer.  Why can't we tie 20% approval ratings to the Democrat majority?

You can get the entire memo through Weekly Standard, and then RedState parses through it.

TC wonders if Davis might be the man to replace Tom Cole for the rest of this election cycle.  Lord knows he's not doing anything else, and this memo is a big step back into the limelight for him.  It can't get much worse than it is right now, and despite whatever your politics are, Tom Davis is the unsung hero the Republican triumphs of the late 1990s and early 2000s, engineering big Republican victories in the house. 

Paging Reverend Wright . . .

. . . perhaps you should take a lead from the Rev. John Hagee, until now noted for some serious Catholic bashing.  Perhaps its a political move, but a smart move nonetheless, Hagee has apologized for his past statements attacking the Catholic Church:

Televangelist John Hagee, one of John McCain’s highest-profile supporters from the religious right, has apologized for comments he made that were offensive to Catholics.

In a letter Monday to Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote, “I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.”

Pastor Hagee, leader of San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church, has often made references to “the apostate church” and the “great whore,” terms that Catholics say are slurs aimed at the Roman Catholic Church.

In his letter, Hagee said he now better understood that the Book of Revelation’s reference to the Catholic Church by those two terms are “a rhetorical device long employed in anti-Catholic literature and commentary.”

“Neither of these phrases can be synonymous with the Catholic Church,” he wrote

Now as a Catholic, let me say that I'm not terribly convinced.  But lets put this in proper context here.  Every Democrat supporting Rev. Wright has always brought up John Hagee as somehow John McCain's equivelant.  Nevermind the fact that McCain didn't spend 20 years sitting in the Cornerstone Church pews nor did he ever call Rev. Hagee a spiritual mentor.  Regardless, Hagee's aplogy is a smart politcal move, at the very least, and he seems to understand the politics of religion and the presidency more than Rev. Wright.  While Wright seems on a mission to bulldoze his opponents and defend himself, even at the expense of Obama himself - Hagee seems to have a strong sense of the pulse of what his past comments could do to McCain in the context of Democrats and MSM hyping Barack Obama.

I have long maintained that the Catholic vote is the most important in the country, and the fact that born-again George W. Bush defeated Catholic John Kerry among the senator's fellow faithful was the tipping point for Bush.  Hagee, who seems to want to see McCain elected and understands what his past words could do to him, has probably helped McCain retain a lot of Catholic support with his apology.  Now do I believe Hagee?  Not really.  But at least he's smart enough to simply apologize - and he might even mean it.

Rev. Wright would do well to follow Rev. Hagee's lead if he wants to see his past parishioner victorious.

Tim Kaine: Why Is He Popular?

The answer is, of course, "Mark Warner," because Kaine has done nothing outside of Virginia Tech to show any kind of legislative leadership and has mainly relied on squabbling Republicans to get what little he has passed through.  And, you know you've done something terrible when you get D.J. McGuire and Ben Tribbett to agree - in principle - that your budget is terrible. 

Sadly, this is the norm for Virginia now.  There is no forward thinking in government, nobody attempting to formulate a plan that fixes problems for good, not just until the next election.  I would be inclined to swallow some tax hikes if you could convince me that all the money we give for transportation, we get back.  Thats why I supported HB3202 despite everything wrong with it.  Tim Kaine can raise every tax from Fairfax to Franklin and it won't matter.  We'll come back two years later with another short fall and more transportation problems because the money meant for us and HR won't get here.  Part of me can't help but think its some kind of conspiracy, because its so simple I can't believe its not fixed yet.  Its like we keep raising taxes just to keep up with the money that isn't going to us from the previous hike.  Despite everything else, at its heart HB3202 was about keeping money where it belonged.

Tim Kaine is "next election" kind of politician, and his budget shows no vision and offers no long term solutions.  Its simply a bandage on a gunshot wound.  As Ben points out, many of the taxes looking to be raised will really hurt lower income folks who with rising gas prices simply cannot afford a tax hike , much less one on sales.

Do You Smell What Amy Frederick's Cooking?

Cause she just laid the Smack-down on Bill Howell.  This letter is truly a think of beauty:

FROM THE DESK OF
Amy N. Frederick

An Open Letter To William Howell, Speaker Of The Virginia House Of Delegates

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I received your letter this morning. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement.

It takes some nerve for you to write me to outline all the reasons my husband should not be Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV). Worse, your letter to me was apparently timed to arrive the same day RPV (the organization our opponent currently oversees) leaked misleading documents intended to attack Jeff's integrity.

Can you imagine your reaction if Jeff sent a letter to your wife Cessie telling her -- in light of the House Republican Caucus losing 11 seats to the Democrats since you've become Speaker -- that you should not be Speaker any more? That the House GOP has gone from a very healthy governing majority to now a slim 3 seat majority under your leadership and therefore you're not best qualified to be Speaker?

Then, on the same day after such a letter, you were attacked for standing on the podium at the 1993 Virginia Republican Convention to ask Republicans to defeat a pro-life nominee for Lt. Governor with a pro-choice alternative?

I believe you'd demand an apology from Jeff immediately -- and while I can't demand anything, I do believe you owe me an apology.

I realize Jeff is a young go-getter, and that rubs the old guard the wrong way. Yet, just because you've known Jeff's opponent for over 20 years, as you stated in your letter, doesn't excuse this sort of conduct.

I do find one of your statements rather curious:

"As the Speaker of the House of Delegates, I've stood firm for our conservative values and John Hager has stood with me. I've known John Hager for two decades, and I've always been able to count on him."

Was it the time you were advocating the Party go with a pro-choice statewide candidate over a pro-life leader, or more recently when John Hager was working to advance the agenda of Democratic Governor Mark Warner, that you were counting on him?

True, Jeff was too young to vote two decades ago when you started working with John, but is the old guard really getting things done?

Republicans came to power on the backs of conservative, grassroots activists, and Jeff is a young leader who has shown he can motivate young voters to join those who have spent years doing the volunteer work necessary to elect conservatives.

Jeff is not going to march more in line with the establishment to earn their support; no thanks. It is amazing to me that the old guard has betrayed grassroots conservatives on so many issues, yet still feels it can dictate to the grassroots who they need to select as their Party leaders.

As you recall, John Hager lost his 1992 bid for RPV Chairman running as a moderate. Then the Party was able to get back to its conservative principles on life, taxes and the 2nd Amendment and the result was us winning control of both houses of the General Assembly and sweeping all statewide offices.

On May 31, I believe the Republicans who attend the convention will vote to get back to winning elections and governing as conservatives -- and will defy you and the rest of the old guard to elect Jeff Frederick as RPV Chairman.

Sincerely,
Amy Frederick

You know I met Amy Frederick last month and came away quite impressed.  If anything, this letter is cleverly written where she doesn't come of as sounding like Maude Flanders ("won't someone please think of the children").  There is just the right touch of sarcasm and snark in there to make it effective and entertaining. 

Someone Explain This To Me

Another One Bites The Dust

Jenna Bush is married. 

Damn.

Good City Council Wrap-Up

Courtesy of The Connection Newspaper

It seems the theme of "change" is being argued even in local races.  I'm not sure if I buy it totally for the fact that only long-time members - Scott Silverthorne and Gail Lyon - bowed out, so there was going to be change no matter what.  But I do buy in some ways, because of how well Stombres and Meyer performed, and that Drummond was able to sneak into the last slot of Winter.

In Which I Agree With Brian Moran

From The DCPost:

"The gas tax is regressive, and when someone is drowning, it's no time to throw him an anchor,"

Oh HELL Yeah!

The newest trailer for The Dark Knight

Bad. Ass.

Its Over, Cruella

More Reasons To Celebrate Stombres

I have had a couple of birdies chirping in my hear that my esteemed state senator, J. Chapman Petersen, is furious that Steve Stombres was not just elected last night, but that he finished so high.  Its like icing on the cake, isn't it?