BAILOUT FAILS!

Head here to see Michelle Malkin’s write-up of the roll call vote for the Wall Street Bailout plan.

I admire all the Representatives (yes, even the Democratic ones) who voted against this bill.  We can all be proud of the Republicans who stuck to the principles of fiscal conservatives who stood up for the free market, when many in the conservative commentariat (I’m looking at you, National Review Online), didn’t.

Hopefully, all the Republican challengers this cycle will look for their opponents on this list and follow John Gard’s lead.

RNC Chairman Mike Duncan campaigns for Jason Chaffetz

Here are the details, fresh from my inbox:

When: Wednesday, October 1

Time: 11:00 am

Where: RNC Victory Office, 746 East 820 North, Provo

Here is a map of the location you can use for directions.   Make sure to get there early and bring your checkbook!

If you can’t make it, be sure to donate to Jason Chaffetz’ campaign here.

John Gard fights the bailout

According to RedState, John Gard is the first Congressional candidate to use the Wall Street bailout in an ad against an incumbent.

I agree with him.  This bailout is horrendous.

You can donate to John Gard’s campaign here.

Jeff Beatty statement on the FBI probe of Wall Street firms

Fresh from my inbox:

“There isn’t a player in this whole debacle that John Kerry isn’t in bed with: He took $111,000 in campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs and lobbyists, then lobbied aggressively on their behalf to prevent the tighter government controls that would have prevented this crisis. He holds $2 million in AIG stock, and lobbied on its behalf to ensure that $150 million federal Big Dig money kept flowing AIG’s way. And one of his top presidential campaign advisors was his close personal friend Jim Johnson – the former Fannie Mae CEO who walked away with millions as the mortgage industry descended into chaos.You can donate to Jeff Beatty’s campaign here.

John Kerry needs to clean his hands of this money and show he is accountable to the voters for the role he has played in this economic crisis. I demand he give the campaign contributions and stock from these companies under investigation to a fund to help home owners in mortgage trouble. Taxpayers must be the only beneficiaries of the bailout, not a billionaire like Kerry and the bad friends he’s made through 24 years in the senate. The people of Massachusetts have every right to replace him with a senator who will serve their interests, not the special interests.”

You can donate to Jeff Beattys campaign here.

NRA Endorses Lou Barletta

Two other gun rights groups endorsed him as well.

You can donate to Lou Barletta’s campaign here.

Sean Parnell concedes AK House Primary

Rather than go through a recount process, Sean Parnell has conceded the primary election to Rep. Don Young (links in the original):

“If I thought there was anything wrong, inappropriate or unprofessional about the way this election tally was conducted, I would not only call for a recount, I would demand one,” Parnell said. “But that is not the case here.”

Events in the presidential contest may have diminished his incentive to keep fighting for the House seat. With Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin now the GOP‘s vice presidential nominee, Parnell is in position to become governor if the Republican ticket prevails. In a statement, Parnell noted that his current “responsibilities are heightened even more with the exciting possibility” that Palin could become vice president.

I’ll have to admit that since the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate, I have thought that it was less likely that Sean Parnell would ask for a recount.  If Palin ascends to the Vice Presidency, Alaska will need to keep at least one reform-minded leader behind.  And, while this makes it more likely that Democrat Ethan Berkowitz will win in November, he is pro-drilling in ANWR and has to be more ethical than Don Young.

BFF: Charlie Brown and Code Pink

Charlie Brown, State Sen. Tom McClintock’s opponent in California’s 4th District House race, showed up in uniform at an anti-war protest led by the radical Code Pink.  Today, Tom McClintock fires back:

In case you’re unfamiliar with Code Pink, they’re the group of “patriots” who show up at Walter Reed Medical Center to protest the war and ask our woundd veterans if it was worth losing an arm to support the War in Iraq.

Classy bunch, right?  And Charlie Brown is even classier for standing beside them.

You can donate to Tom McClintock’s campaign here.

Barletta takes the lead!

Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta took a 9-point lead over intrenched incumbent Rep. Paul Kanjorski in a poll released today:

In the poll of 547 registered voters, Barletta attracts the support of 44 percent of respondents to Kanjorski’s 35 percent.

Perhaps more troubling for Kanjorski are some of the poll’s internal numbers: Only about 50 percent of Democrats surveyed are supporting the 12-term congressman, compared to Barletta’s 70 percent edge among Republicans. Barletta has also opened a 54-27 percent lead among independents.

In another sign of Kanjorski’s vulnerability, less than 35 percent of those surveyed believe he deserves to be re-elected.

That is excellent news for the Barletta campaign.  After Kanjorski’s admission that the Democrats lied to their constituents in order to win back the House in 2006, perhaps he’s lost their trust?

You can donate to Lou Barletta’s campaign here.

Kanjorski and Wall Street

The Lou Barletta campaign has released a statement on the recent Wall Street meltdown:

Kanjorski’s Republican opponent, however, says lack of oversight by congressional committees, including the subcommittee the Democrat congressman chairs, is part of the problem.  On top of that comes what Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta calls “personal greed”

“Kanjorski is tasked with the congressional oversight of the mortgage, banking and insurance industries. But Kanjorski has taken more than $2.7 million in campaign contributions from the subprime mortgage, banking and insurance industries and Realtors – all areas he is supposed to regulate – since 1989. (www.opensecrets.org)”, claimed Barletta, in a news release.

A Democrat politician with disturbing ties to the sub-prime mortgage industry?  Why, that sounds familiar.

You can donate to Lou Barletta’s campaign here.

Using Murtha’s own words against him

Captain Ed Morrissey picked up on Bill Russell’s new ad against corruptocrat Rep. John Murtha this morning.  Here it is:

This ad, while a bit long, would be effective if it get smuch airtime in Murtha’s district.  As Ed says:

The most effective ads use the opponent’s own words against him, and Murtha supplied many examples for Russell to use. This ad reminds people of Murtha’s rush to pillory Marines in combat in order to support his own political angle, and how Murtha has remained strangely silent when his allegations were exposed as smears.

Rep. Murtha shares Sen. Obama’s hubris and overconfidence, which could lead to both their defeats this fall.

You can help out Bill Russell’s campaign by donating here.

Jason Chaffetz and Sarah Palin on ANWR

This summer, before the world met Sarah Palin, Jason Chaffetz met her to talk about energy independence and ANWR.  Here is a video of the trip.

You can donate to Jason Chaffetz’ campaign here.

John, Freddie, and Fannie

The Enron-style accounting practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have lead to a government bailout of historic proportions.  However, it seems that the Freddie and Fannie had enough money to donate to more than a few political campaigns.  Jonah Goldberg over at NRO’s The Corner has found the top four beneficiaries of these donations:

#1 Chris Dodd

#2 John Kerry

#3 Barack Obama

#4 HIllary Clinton

Now Down the Ticket-sponsored Senate candidate Jeff Beatty is calling on Sen. John Kerry to return these donations:

Republican challenger Jeff Beatty has called on U.S. Sen. John Kerry to return campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Jeff Beatty (R) According to OpenSecrets.org, Kerry has received $111,000 in campaign donations from the two mortgage lenders between 1989 and 2008, the second most of any senator.

“This is totally inappropriate and I am demanding that he give this money back,” Beatty told PolitickerMA.com. “It just goes to show his pattern of taking special interest money.”

Somehow I doubt that Sen. Kerry will do what is right and ethical in this situation.  Just another example of a Democrat who says he is “for the people” caring not one lick about where their tax dollars are headed.

You can donate to Jeff Beatty’s campaign here.

The Washington Times on PA-11

The Washington Times has a good profile of the Congressional race in Pennsylvania’s 11th House District between Rep. Paul Kanjorski and Down the Ticket-sponsored candidate Mayor Lou Barletta.

You can donate to Lou Barletta’s campaign here.

Andy Harris for Small Business

Andy Harris picked up two major endorsements today:

Maryland First Congressional Candidate Andy Harris picked up a major endorsement Tuesday morning in Salisbury. He is being backed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

NFIB officials say Harris understands the needs of small businesses. Harris says those small businesses are the foundation of the American economy.

Congratulations, Dr. Harris!  The combination of a Governor Martin O’Malley and a President Barack Obama would be a disaster for small business owners across the Eastern Shore.

You can donate to Andy Harris’ campaign here.

Young up by 239 votes

That’s the latest word from the recount of the Alaska GOP House primary.  From the Washington Post (links in the original):

With the regular, absentee and provisional ballots counted, Rep. Don Young now leads Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in the Alaska House GOP primary by 239 votes. But the race isn’t over quite yet, and Young faces a tough general election even if he does eventually beat Parnell.

[...]

The Anchorage Daily News says that overseas absentee ballots are still being accepted until Wednesday. After that, a state board will review the results, as is standard practice in every Alaska race. The results will likely be certified around Sept. 18. Unlike some states, Alaska does not provide for an automatic recount except in an exact tie. But the loser of a contest or 10 qualified voters can ask for one to be conducted, and if the race’s margin is less than .5 percent, as this one appears certain to be, the state will bear the cost of the recount. Parnell has not said yet whether he would request a recount.

As the article notes, even if Sean Parnell loses the primary, he still has a bright future in Alaska politics, especially if the McCain-Palin ticket wins in November.

I’ll make sure to keep you up to date.