A Perspicacious Comment

The question isn't just where was [Obama] born, but was he a natural born citizen at the time of his election? If in order to get into college or get financial aid Obama confirmed his Indonesian nationality, then he lost his US citizenship. The law looks to whether a dual national who is old enough to know (17 or 18) shows an intention to relinquish US citizenship. Indonesia did not allow dual citizenship, so a claim of Indonesian nationality by Obama as an adult would indicate his intent not to be a US citizen.

How did he get into Occidental? To Columbia? Biographers tell us he was not a very good student in high school. Obama says he was more into partying than his studies. At Occidental, Obama was part of a group of foreign students, including two roommates and other close friends. He took a trip with his foreign student friends to Indonesia, India and Pakistan over summer vacation 1981. Did Obama enter Occidental as a foreign student -- an Indonesian national?

Posted by Perspicacious, Apr 19, 02:09 AM, as a comment to the rather pedestrian "Why Obama Was Not Born in Kenya" by Don Wilkie in American Thinker.

Contact and Monitor the US House & Senate

Contact them:
View/Contact US House Members by State
View/Contact US Senators by State, etc.

Monitor bills they are considering:
"Thomas" Database at US Library of Congress.
All sites below source heavily from Thomas.

See how they voted:
US House 2011 Roll Call Index
US Senate 2011 Roll Call Index

Analyze Votes and Bills:
US House Votes at Washington Post and
US Senate Votes at Washington Post The Washington Post Votes Database slices and dices, grouping by Yes-No-Present, Zodiac, etc.

US Roll Call Votes at GovTrack has pie charts, cartograms, and other analytics. Bill tracking, research, blogging, and more at GovTrack.

US Bills at OpenCongress has dashboards of status, cross-references, news, and blogs. News, tracking, commentary, community at OpenCongress by the "Sunlight Foundation".

Prepare To Be Carded

The next SD44 GOP gathering will be a social event at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in St. Louis Park on Sunday, April 3rd at 4:30pm.

Also of interest is a debate this Saturday in St. Louis Park on Voter ID sponsored by the League of Women Voters Minnesota:

Sat, 26 Mar, 2011 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Voter Photo ID: Does Minnesota Need It?

The League of Women Voters invites you to a public panel discussion on Voter Photo Identification.

9:00-9:30 Coffee & Connecting
9:30-11:00 Program

Panel Members:
Moderator: Helen Palmer, Past President of the Minnesota League of Women Voters
Pro: Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer(R) 16B, Big Lake (Speaker Change)
Con: Rep. Steve Simon (D) 44A, Hopkins, St. Louis Park
Sec. of State Office: Beth Fraser, Director of Governmental Affairs (Speaker Change)

Legislation (HF 210/ HF 89) has been introduced requiring Voters to present photo ID at the polls, for both new registration and for voting. A new Provisional Ballot procedure is de-fined for registered voters unable to provide the ID. Does Minnesota need Voter Photo ID? What voter fraud does this address? What are the impacts of the bill to state and local budg-ets, voter costs, voter turnout, and election results tabulation? The public is invited to attend this panel discussion to hear from all sides of the Voter Photo ID issue.

Location: St. Louis Park City Hall
Council Chambers
5005 Minnetonka Blvd.
St. Louis Park
Fees: Free and open to the public
Contact: info@lwvmn.org

The Company You Keep

Golden Valley, the city that we call home, publishes a bimonthly city newsletter that's sent out to all residents. It' s a well-designed glossy that usually runs sixteen pages. Most of the information presented is on the mundane matters of civic life: taxes, zoning, budgets, recreation activities, city services, events, etc. There's also usually some hectoring about how you can be more "green" or some other pet cause deemed good by the city's powers that be. The November/December edition included such a section on how buying locally was more "eco-friendly." This nugget caught my eye:

Minnesota2020, a local non-partisan think tank, has promoted a “buy local” campaign for the last three holiday seasons. It also lists Minnesota-owned and operated businesses at www.mn2020.org/giftguide.

While it's true that Minnesota2020 does technically claim to be non-partisan, if you read the organization's own description of itself it's obviously not a neutral, objective group:

Minnesota 2020 is a progressive, new media, non-partisan think tank focused on what really matters. Our daily reporting and research informs, frames and drives public policy debate on the issues that matter for Minnesota's future success: education, health care, transportation and economic development.

Minnesota has become distracted by divisive side issues, drawing public attention and support from schools, jobs, roads and health care. Conservative public policy retreats from properly investing in and maintaining these vital community pillars by focusing instead on topics that turn people against each other. We refuse to accept this decline. Minnesota is great when we have good transportation, strong job creation, universal health care and quality schools.

Minnesota 2020 delivers accurate policy proposals and smart progressive messaging by linking academic and traditional foundation research. We seek to achieve tangible and demonstrable solutions. Through our communications strategy, we've compelled legislative and executive branch policy change.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Minnesota2020 was founded by one Matt Entenza? Yes, that Matt Entenza, who just last year spent millions in a futile attempt to secure the DFL's gubernatorial endorsement. Minnesota2020 is non-partisan for fund raising purposes, but in reality it's policies are pretty much in lockstep with the DFL.

Now, I admit that is a minor irritant. But it still does bother me that a city publication--funded by my tax dollars--would promote an effort (including providing a link to their web site) by an organization with a clear political agenda. The least they could have done is included the label that Minnesota 2020 itself uses--"progressive"--to inform residents of the political leanings of the group. I also doubt if I will ever see a mention of a local conservative non-partisan think tank, say Center of the American Experiment, appear in my city newsletter.

Does He Represent YOU?

Jay from Golden Valley offers his services to help put together a flyer for Rock Rice. Here's what it could look like.

LOOKING OUT FOR WHOM?

RYAN WINKLER

STATE REPRESENTATIVE, GOLDEN VALLEY/ ST LOUIS PARK

"DEFENDER OF BIG GOVERNMENT AND THE STATUS QUO"

1. NO TEACHER/TEACHER UNION LEFT BEHIND: Ryan appears to be brave enough to stand against teacher reform, defend the teachers unions, and turn down over $330 million in NEW education grant funding from the Obama Education Administration's Race To The Top grants. By standing with only the most liberal of house membership against: reforms to help reform tenure modestly, link extra pay bumps to performance, and to allow experienced private sector professionals into the teaching profession, Ryan let us know he stands squarely behind the teachers, and unfortunately against funding for school districts and kids. Why? Because the union said so.

2.SNOW TUBING TO RECOVERY: The 2010 BILLION dollar bonding bill was supposed to put Minnesota jobs on the front burner. Ryan decided that allocating $1 million for new snow making gear for a new snow tube run at Theo Wirth Park would put Minnesota back to work. No highway improvements for Hwy 55, no Hwy 100 upgrades, no state grants for local police, no fire equipment made in Minnesota, yep...snow machines. Where are they made? I don't know either.

3. HOW ABOUT GOVT BORROWING FOR MY PRODUCT?: Ryan sponsored House Bill 2993 last session that asked for a Constitutional Amendment vote to allow state bonding/borrowing..."to pay capital costs of design, acquisition, installation, construction, equipping, and servicing public information technology systems, licenses, and infrastructure; and..." HF 2993 Guess where Ryan works? Ryan is the CFO at Nazca Solutions, a Ted Mondale run company that provides information technology systems to units of government. If we are going to spend a BILLION dollars on each bonding bill shouldn't Ryan's company get a chance to make some money too?

4. SAVE MONEY, OVER THE LABOR UNIONS DEAD BODY!: An amendment was offered in the 2010 session to allow cities and counties to hire non-union contractors to complete normal construction and renovation tasks, and if any savings were realized half of the savings were deposited right back into the state's general fund. Yep, saving you and me money. Any guess on how Ryan voted? (Gottwald amendment vote to HF1671, 3/22/10)

Starting to see a pattern?

How is Rick Rice different?

Find out at Rick Rice for Minnesota House of Representatives.

Rick Rice on the Radio

Rick Rice will join Mitch Berg and Ed Morrisey on the Northern Alliance Radio Network today on AM1280 The Patriot. The show airs from 1pm-3pm. Tune in if you can.

All's Fair

A message from Carelton Crawford:

The 5th CD day at the State Fair is Thursday, August 26th. Volunteers are needed to sell balloons and buttons, identify Republicans, register voters, and encourage volunteering for the fall campaign.

The Party will reimburse you $9.00 for admission fee ($9 tickets can be purchased in advance at Cub Foods).

Shifts are available at the following times:

Thursday, August 26th (1st day of the Fair--5th CD Day)

9:00 AM-1:00 PM
1:00-5:00 PM
5:00-9:00 PM

Friday, September 3rd (Metro Day)

9:00 AM-1:00 PM
1:00-5:00 PM
5:00-9:00 PM

If you are interested in working a shift please reply to carleton.crawford@gmail.com or contact Kaylea at 651-964-5435 or klc@mngop.com. The Republican Party Building is located on Carnes Avenue between Ye Old Mill and WCCO Radio.

Off Target

Mitch Berg takes down Representative Ryan Winkler's attempt to shakedown Target for its political contributions in a post at Shot in the Dark:

No. It showed that it's dangerous being a for-profit business in Minnesota, under the watchful eye of the DFL. That it's dangerous to cross the all-beneficent, all-knowing Mother Party.

It shows the risk of crossing party hacks like Ryan Winkler, who think that corporate political giving is "new," and that corporations should just shut up and take it--for giving $100,000 (which is, by the way, $761,000 less than various members of the Dayton family and Dayton's ex-wife Alida Messinger have given in this cycle to "Win Minnesota" alone).

And it shows the risk of actually having to run a political campaign on donations from people and companies that actually have to earn their money, as opposed to merely inheriting it; the DFL will try to keep you from earning that money.

It's the Chicago Minnesota DFL way.

Me? I'm off to Target. I'm going to buy something I may not even need all that badly. And I'm going to write "thanks for donating to MNForward" on the charge slip.

CD5 Golden Valley Phone Bank Now Open

A message from Carleton Crawford:

I'm very pleased to announce that the 5th CD Golden Valley Office and Phone Bank are now open on a regular schedule.

5th CD Republican Golden Valley Office and Phone Bank
1405 North Lilac Dr., Door #1 (Suite 108)
Golden Valley, MN 55422

Regular Phone Bank Hours:

Mondays: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Tuesdays: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Wednesdays: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Thursdays: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Fridays: closed
Saturdays: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Sundays: closed

The environment surrounding this election is looking very promising, and we have a chance to not only keep the governorship in Republican hands, but elect candidates to offices not held by Republicans in many years. But good things are much more likely to happen if we lay the groundwork for our candidates to succeed. A lot of people have made a lot of phone calls, and knocked on a lot of doors for the party and its candidates, but even more of us need to do so if this is to be the election the pundits think its going to be.

Any time at all, all you gotta do is call.

Golden Valley Memorial Day Parade

Here are a few pictures from today's Golden Valley Memorial Day Parade. It was the first year for the parade and John Giese did a great job pulling this together and hopefully it was become an annual event. A good time was had by all as we gathered to remember and honor those who have fallen.

One of the highlights for me was seeing a number of soldiers dressed in battle gear from World War II. Both paratroopers--such as this bazooka carrying chap on the left--and infantrymen were on hand.










There was also some military equipment:


And it wouldn't be a parade without at least one fire truck:


There were also a couple of vintage cars, including this 1919 Model T Ford driven by my father. Grandpa had a couple of cute kids in the back along with his son who was very impressed with the turnout on the parade route:


There was a great crowd on hand for the ceremony at city hall:


It was nice to see so many families with young children at the parade and the ceremony Hopefully they'll want and be able to make this Memorial Day Parade and Observance an annual event.

Gentlemen, Start Your Campaigns

On Monday night, Republican delegates in SD44 endorsed three candidates who will seek to break the DFL stranglehold on our district (cue the Nugent).

In the 44A House race, we have Stephen Manderfeld.

In the 44B House race, we have Rick Rice.

And for the SD44 Senate seat, we have Paul Scofield.

They all will face uphill battles against entrenched DFL opponents and they will all need our support both in time and money. But they will all work hard and if there's ever been a year for us to bring some real change to SD44, it's this year.

Smart Politics: Is Ryan Winkler the DFL's New Attack Dog?

Is Representative Ryan Winkler the DFL's New Attack Dog?

Peace In the Valley

For several years now, my family has attended the Memorial Day event at the Veterans Memorial Ampitheater in St. Louis Park. The organizers do a fine job honoring all those who served and especially remembering those who paid the ultimate price for their country.

But ever since we moved to Golden Valley a few years, we've thought that it would be good to have a similar way to remember the day and what it's supposed to mean a little closer to home. Now, thanks to the hard work of one Golden Valley resident named John Giese, we will have that opportunity.

This year, there will be a Golden Valley Memorial Day Parade. Hopefully, it will be the beginning of what becomes an annual tradition in the city.

Monday, May 31st 10:15AM – Seeman Park

Parade will proceed westbound on Golden Valley Road toward City Hall

Ceremony at 11:00 AM - Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Rd

Speaker: Brigadier General Timothy J. Cossalter

Representation by Army & Air National Guard, Armstrong High School Choir and Symphonic Band, Girl Scouts, Minnesota Transitions High School JRROTC, North Hennepin Squadron Civil Air Patrol, Minnesota Sojourners, American Heritage Pipes & Drums, Pow-Miafamilies.org, 101st ABN Div 502nd PIR Fox Company, GV Little League, Military Order Of The Purple Heart and more!

FLAG ROW: 1 ½ mile stretch of Golden Valley Road will be lined with Old Glory & POW-MIA flags.

FREE HOT DOGS, CHIPS, & POP for all in attendance after the ceremony.

Hosted by VFW Post 7051 and Chester Bird American Legion Post 523

SD44 Endorsing Convention

When: Monday, May 24th at 7pm (registration opens at 6:30pm)

Where: Eisenhower Community Center in St. Louis Park

What: Convention to endorse candidates for Minnesota House seats in 44A and 44B and the District 44 Senate seat

Who: All SD44 Republican delegates and alternates

How much: $5 at the door

Middle Road

There seems to be a glorious opportunity for conservative politicians to reverse President Obama's attempts to play both ends against the middle, by aligning their message with the mood of those in the middle. Especially those running for Congress. While Democrats seem more and more willing to spend money (your money) on those at the bottom while also bailing out those on the top, what have they done to make things better for you or your children? Whether it's health care, the economy, or education it's pretty hard to point to much that your average middle class American believes has gotten better since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006.

While there's always a danger of playing too much to populist passions, an effort to identify and align with middle class concerns would seem to be smart politics for conservative candidates. Especially those in districts that traditionally have not been receptive to the standard conservative approach.

One of my frustrations with the Republican Party over the years has been that too often we have fielded candidates who are unwilling or unable to articulate the right message for their particular district. If you're running for Congress as a Republican in Minnesota's Fourth, Fifth, and to a certain extent Eighth Districts, you already are facing long odds. While rousing red meat conservative speeches may win you applause and accolades at the party conventions, they are not going to win over many voters in your dark blue districts. Michele Bachmann can talk about limited government, personal responsibility, and strict adherence to the Constitution all the time and still win election after election. Republican long shots in traditionally Democratic districts can't.

So if you're running in one of those districts and you want to have any hope of winning this year, you need a message suited to your voters. It can still be a conservative message, but it's got to be a conservative message that resonates with the people in your district. And this "playing the middle against both ends" strategy appears to be one that would. Especially this year.

Teresa Collett, Joel Demos, and Chip Cravaack take heed. Your best hopes of pulling off the improbable are to play to middle. Not from an ideological perspective, but an economic one.

MN GOP State Convention

Down at the State Convention with other folks from SD44 and other Republican Party people. Will be providing updates on Twitter. Follow me at:

http://twitter.com/ChadTheElder/

All You Gotta Do Is Call

A message from CD5 leader Carleton Crawford:

If you are going to the America Unplugged Tour Event (Governor Pawlenty, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Twila Brase) on Wednesday at Orchestra Hall (see link for tickets) please stop by the Republican Party phone bank in the Orchestra Hall lobby and make a few phone calls before going into the auditorium.

We will begin calling at 6:30. We'll be trying reach previously unidentified registered voters to determine their political preferences. The more Republicans we identify this spring and summer, the more effective our campaign will be this fall.

This is looking to be a huge event. We participated in a similar event in 2008, and made over 1000 voter contacts. This will be a great start to the 2010 campaign season. I hope to see you there!

Resolution Trust

There was an interesting piece in Saturday's Wall Street Journal on the history of U.S. Secession Efforts. This little nugget in particular caught my eye:

This sort of idealistic optimism--at the core of the American psyche--is amplified in secessionist movements. We're a can-do people, and if we don't like our state government, we are quite prepared to make a new one. Sometimes the fervor pushes secessionists to the next level, and they attempt to leave the union altogether. The outcome of the Civil War is no deterrent to the outraged. North Dakotans proposed leaving the nation in 1933; Texas governor Rick Perry flirted with the notion in 2009; and just last week, Republicans in Minnesota's 5th District passed a secession resolution.

I missed the Fifth District Convention and haven't heard this "secession resolution" mentioned previously. My initial reaction would be to ask, "Really? We really passed a resolution to secede?" 'Cause at this point I would think our focus should be on winning elections, not creating material for our opponents to use to paint us as anti-government, out of the mainstream extremists.

I gotta think the idea of secession is probably not going to play real well with the majority of residents in the Fifth District. You know, they're the people who vote. The ones we're trying to convince that we have the better political philosophy, policies, plans, and people to help turn the country around.

UPDATE: A bit o' Googlin' came up with snarky pieces on the secession resolution from the City Pages and the Star Tribune's Lori Sturdevant. Neither of these media outlets would be expected to ever present Republicans in a fair light, but why should we provide the grist for their mill?

Back to Basics

Like many Republicans in Minnesota, I believe that the current MN GOP Party Platform is desperately in need of a major overhaul. We're not talking about a little pruning here and there either. We're talking about taking a chainsaw to it and getting rid of as much of the dead wood as possible (upwards of 90% of its current form).

If you share this sentiment, you should check out Mitch Berg's post at Shot in the Dark. Mitch has gotten together with some of the best and brightest activists on the local conservative political scene to come up with a proposed alternative.

I still think their effort is too lengthy and in need of a little nip and tuck, but it's a heck of a lot better than the unwieldy beast that we're stuck with today. See what you think and drop your feedback into the comments section at the post.

Myth Making

Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL) 44B weighs in on the "myth" of states' rights.



More from Winkler on these myths:

Seifert and Emmer lined up for Act II last week. They led every single Republican in the Legislature in a bizarre attempt to deny health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans. And they brought their secret weapon: do it yourself constitutional theories-–legal fantasies born and raised on the Internet.

Yes, Minnesota Republicans in the House and Senate called Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional. Using states' rights myths in an attempt to undermine historic federal health insurance reform, Seifert, Emmer, and their misguided followers want to exclude Minnesotans from the health care benefits all other Americans will receive. And they want to do it by wasting taxpayer dollars to file a frivolous lawsuit against the federal government.

At last count, this "bizarre" attempt to employ "legal fantasies born and raised on the internet" to question the constitutionality of ObamaCare was being supported by attorney generals from fourteen states.

Winkler goes on to make it quite clear what he thinks of those who dare raise a voice against this latest expansion of federal power and accompanying diminution of individual liberty.

That's what happens when partisan fringe movements play on people's fears. Mistruths and conspiracy theories turn into party platforms, and Minnesotans end up paying the price.

Act III is next week when the Tea Party Express will roll into town with such reality TV heroes as Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Before then, the Republican Party has to decide if they are a serious party with a serious purpose, or whether they are the party of cheap entertainment, paranoid conspiracy theories, and unguided anger. I guess we'll find out next week if they fall all over themselves to get Joe the Plumber’s autograph.

If the stakes weren't so high, the extreme behavior of Minnesota Republicans would almost be funny. But with 215,000 Minnesotans unemployed and 480,000 uninsured, our state needs serious leaders focused on real solutions--instead of just the fear they’re trying to peddle. Constructive conservatives are welcome.

Got that folks? If you oppose ObamaCare, you're part of a "partisan fringe movement" that "plays on people's fears" by employing "mistruths, paranoid conspiracy theories, and unguided anger." Does it sound like Ryan Winkler represents you in any way whatsoever? Does it sound there's any chance he'd be open and willing to listen to your voice, the voice of his constituents?

Winkler's closing "outreach" that "constructive conservatives are welcome" is about as genuine and meaningful as President Obama's alleged desire for bi-partisan participation in crafting the health care reform legislation. What Winkler and President Obama really want are "moderate" Republicans who will roll over for them and cave in to the Democrats view on most occasions. Occasionally they'll throw these "good" Republicans a bone and let them have a little pet project here or there, but mostly their role is to be play ball with the majority party and not get in the way of their path of progress.

Sorry Ryan, but there's still some of us out here who believe that the framers came up with a pretty darn good way to balance the powers of various branches and levels of government with the individual rights of American citizens. This Constitution has served us well as a country over the years and even though it occasionally gets in the way of progressive plans for a glorious way forward to serve the common good, we cling to this quaint believe that its precepts should be respected and followed. You may consider these traditional beliefs to be nothing more than "myths," but to a good number of Americans they are the foundations upon which our exceptional country has been built upon.