Romney: Out (at least for now)

After making moves that indicated he might run for President for a third time, Mitt Romney announced today that he is opting against another presidential bid.

In a conference call with supporters this morning (text), Romney said, "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."

Toward the end of Romney's statement, he said "I've been asked, and will certainly be asked again if there are any circumstances whatsoever that might develop that could change my mind. That seems unlikely."

CNN correspondent Jake Tapper, one of the few true journalists in the mainstream media, thinks there is some ambivalence in Romney's remarks that might leave open the possibility of a late entry into the race, if Romney isn't satisfied with the GOP field.

I, for one, hope Romney stays out. 'Third time's the charm!' doesn't seem like it should be the GOP motto in 2016 -- and that goes for Jeb Bush, as well.

Betrayed: Fake Pro-Lifers in the GOP Caucus

From Erick Erickson at RedState:

Led by Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), the House Republicans have yanked a bill that would prohibit the savage killing of 5 month old children, some of whom are gruesomely killed feeling their bodies torn limb from limb.

The Republicans did this on the day of the March for Life, when thousands upon thousands of pro-life voters marched on Washington. These are the base voters of the GOP who now see the party betraying them.

I have been writing about the GOP’s incompetence, contempt for their base, and lack of real pro-life bona fides for several years. It has been a recurring point I make and have made in the run up to the 2014 elections.

But it is often pro-lifers who have the hardest time believing it. Fiscal conservatives recognize it immediately. But pro-lifers see a politician kissing babies and talking Jesus and they extend plenary grace toward the politician. When the politician betrays them, they love them just the same. After all, they just couldn’t get the votes to get it done. But they really believe in the cause.

That, at least, is the pro-lifers’ rationalization.

In fact, today we are already seeing some pro-life groups making excusing for the House Leadership. These stooges love them some table scraps. But the majority of the pro-life movement will not be so easily mollified.

The GOP has been exposed, just after its election, as incompetent and having contempt for its base. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) has become the Abortion Barbie of the GOP — more successfully defending late term abortion than Wendy Davis ever hoped to do.

More and more of the Republican base sees the GOP Leadership today as I have long seen them. And that, friends, is a good thing.

Renee Ellmers. Jackie Walorski. Marsha Blackburn. These are self-proclaimed "pro-lifers" who fought tooth-and-nail to preserve the practice of unborn child murder, also known as abortion. Ellmers went so far as to say she would vote for the bill -- only after she made sure it wouldn't see the House Floor. Despicable hypocrisy.

Only a handful of nations in the world allow unborn babies to be murdered/aborted after 20 weeks of pregnancy. We are in the same company as the communist regimes in North Korea, China, and Vietnam.

Respecting and preserving life is the fundamental platform of Republican Party principles. These fake pro-lifers must go.

Muskogee GOP precinct meetings scheduled for January 27th

Muskogee County GOP to hold precinct meetings Tuesday, January 27th

Muskogee, OK  –  Muskogee County Republican precinct meetings will be held on Tuesday, January 27th at 7pm. The meetings will take place in room 'E' of the Muskogee Civic Center.

Precinct meetings are an opportunity for every registered Republican to participate first hand in grassroots politics and are open to all registered Republicans in Muskogee County.

In Oklahoma, attending a precinct meeting is the first step in the election of delegates to the Oklahoma Republican State Convention to be held in Oklahoma City on April 11th.

A person must be a registered Republican voter of the precinct to take part in a precinct meeting or to serve as a delegate to any Republican convention.

Call (918) 360-7228 for more information, or visit the Muskogee Republicans Facebook page.

NARAL colludes with Maryland county to discriminate against pro-life clinics

E-mails reveal Maryland officials collaborating with 

NARAL to shut down pro-life pregnancy center

Dustin Siggins, LifeSiteNews.com

E-mails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request have revealed that Maryland government officials and activists with the state chapter of NARAL Pro-Choice America have been working closely together on a legal effort to shut down a local pro-life pregnancy care center.

The e-mails have also revealed a seven-part plan developed by NARAL to shut down pro-life pregnancy care centers that could indicate a nationwide strategy.

In 2010, Montgomery County passed an ordinance requiring Centro Tepeyac Silver Spring Women's Center and other pro-life pregnancy care clinics to post signs stating that they did not have doctors on staff. The county claimed it wanted to prevent pro-life clinics from giving women misleading information.

Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Centro fought the ordinance, which did not apply to abortion clinics. On April 30, 2014, Montgomery County dropped its defense of the law after a third decision against it on March 7, in which U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow, a Clinton appointee, noted that the people who accused the centers of spreading "misinformation" were “universally volunteers from a pro-choice organization sent to investigate practices” at the centers.

The e-mails obtained by LifeSiteNews reveal that, unbeknownst to the public, Montgomery County dropped the case after conferring with NARAL. The county stopped defending the law the month after NARAL recommended that very action in a March 14, 2014 letter, sent a week after the judge permanently blocked the law.

“It is our hope that the Montgomery County Council (Council) will once again partner with us to ensure Montgomery Council citizens are aware of the misleading tactics used by crisis pregnancy centers," Maryland's NARAL chapter president, Jodi Finkelstein, wrote.

In the letter, sent by the county to LifeSiteNews along with other e-mails through a Freedom of Information Act request, Finkelstein "strongly" recommended that the county drop the case and implement seven other strategies.

Read more here.

Time for a new Speaker: Fire Boehner

Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives swears in its new members, and votes on Speaker for the upcoming congress. Some House conservatives are mounting an effort to keep John Boehner from returning as Speaker. Helping lead that charge is Oklahoma's own Jim Bridenstine.

Here's how it works. When the House votes tomorrow, they vote by alphabetical roll call. To win, the Speaker candidate has to receive an absolute majority of voters cast (votes cast as "present" don't count). Republicans outnumber Democrats 246-188, so the Democrats have no chance of getting to 218 votes. A member can vote for any living adult American, even for individuals who are not members of Congress. If 29 Republicans vote for someone other than John Boehner, that forces a second round of voting.

Conservative congressmen Louie Gohmert (TX) and Ted Yoho (FL) have offered themselves as candidates for Speaker. Either of these men would be a huge improvement over Boehner.

John Boehner has been an ineffectual, disappointing Speaker. Too many times has he caved to Obama's pressure, or sought out Democrat support to pass legislation that Republicans opposed. Enough is enough.

I fully expect Congressmen Cole and Lucas to enthusiastically support Boehner (Cole in particular is an establishment pal, and has already called the opposition to Boehner "unprofessional" and "very disappointing". I call Cole an embarrassment to conservatism.). Congressman Mullin likes to tout himself as a conservative, but I fully expect him to repeat his previous vote for Boehner (prove me wrong, Congressman).

Two years ago, freshman Jim Bridenstine stood on conservative principle and did not vote for Boehner. Tomorrow, another Oklahoma freshman has the same opportunity. Steve Russell campaigned as a staunch conservative, wanting to go to Washington to change the status quo. Congressman Russell, this is your chance.

It's time for a new, conservative Speaker. Fire Boehner.

What You Can Do
Call Congressman Russell's DC office at 202-225-2132.
Call Congressman Mullin's DC office at 202-225-2701 -- other numbers here.
Call Congressman Lucas' DC office at 202-225-5565 -- other numbers here.
Call Congressman Cole's DC office at 202-225-6165 -- other numbers here.

Huckabee ends TV show, looks at possible 2016 run

News broke tonight that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is ending his Fox News Channel program, 'Huckabee', so that he can explore the possibility of a 2016 presidential campaign without the entanglements of a cable television contract.

Huckabee made the announcement on his Facebook page.

"There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether I would run for President. I won't make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that is not fair to them. The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox so I can openly talk with potential donors and supporters and gauge support. As much as I have loved doing the show, I love my country more, and feel that it may be time for me to leave a zone of comfort to engage in the conflicts that have almost destroyed the bedrock foundations of America. I feel compelled to ascertain if the support exists strongly enough for another Presidential run. So as we say in television, stay tuned!"

Huckabee ran for president in 2008, winning the Iowa caucus and seven other states. He narrowly lost Oklahoma to eventual nominee John McCain.

Bridenstine: Boehner lost my vote [again]

Congressman Jim Bridenstine: I Will Not Vote for John Boehner

Washington, DC, January 2, 2015     
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The day after Republicans won the largest majority in the House of Representatives in almost 100 years and won a significant majority in the Senate, our liberal activist President claimed to hear the voices of all the people who didn't vote.  It was another example of stunning obstinacy from this President.

It seemed Democrats were melting down, Republicans were unified, and all we had to do was buy enough time to get our Republican reinforcements to Washington in January.

Like President Obama, Speaker Boehner must have heard voices that didn't vote.  Together they crafted the CR/Omnibus, a $1.1 trillion spending bill which funded the government for 10 months and blocked our newest elected Republicans from advancing conservative policy and delivering on campaign promises.  With this vote, Republicans gave away the best tool available to rein in our liberal activist President: the power of the purse.  The power of the purse is Congress' Constitutional strength.

For the next 10 months, the CR/Omnibus will fulfill Obama’s ambition of creating an even larger constituency of dependency on Obamacare. The President’s goal has always been to create as much dependency as possible before enforcing the destructive employer mandate.  The CR/Omnibus hands the liberals that victory.  This is unconscionable after watching the campaign rhetoric that won such decisive victories for the GOP.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations expire in February, when Republicans will supposedly fight to defund the illegal amnesty plan created by the President.  Does anybody believe that President Obama is concerned about Republicans not funding DHS?  Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have already sued the Administration for not allowing them to enforce the law.

The Constitution requires the President to faithfully execute the laws of the United States.  He has refused to enforce the laws on border security, Obamacare, illicit drugs, and the release of detained terrorists.  His activism in his last two years has accelerated to include executive amnesty, initiating international climate deals without a treaty, and establishing an embassy in Cuba without consulting Congress.  When our Constitution is under assault and House Republicans give away our Constitutional power of the purse, they share the guilt of abandoning our founding principles.

The CR/Omnibus legislation sufficiently undermines the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution that it warrants my pending vote against the Speaker.  Speaker Boehner went too far when he teamed with Obama to advance this legislation.  He relinquished the power of the purse, and with it he lost my vote.