By Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources (www.originalsources.com)
February 19, 1999
I received an e-mail today from a talk show host who is concerned about the "disgust, disappointment and betrayal like are being demonstrated currently" towards the Republican party. And, I listen to enough shows, radio and TV, to realize that there is a very distinct pattern developing. In fact, C-Span's call in programs have been a show-case for just that kind of talk from self-identified Republicans who are angry at the Republican party and are threatening to go to some other party.
As a matter of fact, I listened to many hours of just such call-ins coming in on the "Republican" line at C-Span during the impeachment debates in the House and then the trial in the Senate. Almost invariably the first call on the Republican line seemed to be an angry Republican determined to leave the party and go join the Democratic Party, because they were angry with the impeachment.
Then, I would check out my e-mail and the e-mail going to members of Congress on the Conservative Action Center on Mike Reagan's website (www.reagan.com). There were NEVER any such e-mails going to Congress. But, then, most people going to that website actually ARE Conservatives.
On my own website (www.originalsources.com) I am finding that I am also getting an occasional hostile e-mail, full of anger, abuse and insults about Republicans. But, I find, nearly all these are coming from people who are NOT Republicans, but are pretending to be Republicans.
It became very obvious after weeks of listening to C-Span callers that those very first callers of the day who claimed to be Republicans were using the same words over and over. They appear to be coached in what to say, how to say it, how to call in early to be the first person online, etc.
I smelled a rat. And then, inadvertently, I got an e-mail which convinced me that, sure enough, what I had suspected WAS going on. The Democrats are telling their people - perhaps some of their paid operatives - to call the conservative talk shows and pretend to be Republicans. Lying, we have discovered in recent months, is not considered wrong in Democrat Party leaders.
Why would they do that? Because there are a whole lot of people out there in the Republican or conservative circles who are easily discouraged at the notion they may be a minority. I really don't believe they are. In fact, from my fifty years of watching what goes on in the political arena, I don't think the Liberals ever had more than 12-15% of the people who really believed in their big government agenda. Of course, their agenda was never SOLD as a big government agenda. It was sold as a way of "taking care" of the people.
Today it is obvious that the majority of the voters want less government, less taxes, and less regulation. So, how do you undermine their desires and get them to vote for people who do the exact opposite of what they really want? You use propaganda. And you run candidates like Bill Clinton who lie.
Let's take two stories in the last 24 hours - the AFL-CIO's announcement of $46 million for full time political operatives until the year 2000 and Conservative Paul Wyrich, head of the Free Congress Foundation in Washington, saying, "I no longer believe that there is a moral majority. I do not believe that a majority of Americans actually share our values. ... If there really were a moral majority out there, Bill Clinton would have been driven out of office months ago." He suggested it may be time to "drop out of this culture" - perhaps even abandoning efforts to influence the American political system.
Phyllis Schlafly, head of the Eagle Forum, said of the Clinton impeachment. "A lot of people are angry that he got off. They just don't understand it. They're shaking their heads: What is the problem?"
Christian Coalition director Randy Tate, a former congressman from Washington state, said there is "considerable frustration" over the acquittal because "it makes it tough to teach kids right from wrong, in the sense that the president doesn't know right from wrong." Schlafly noted: "It's only partially a moral problem. I think there is so much the Republican Congress can do in so many ways to grab the leadership and yet they continue to play a defensive game," she said. "Republicans have had Congress since January 1995 and what do we have to show for it?"
I am beginning to think that what is really needed is a new set of conservative leaders. How in the world can any intelligent human being make the statement Phyllis Schlafly made? The Newt Gingrich Republicans have turned Washington upside down since January 1995. They have worked hard, passed legislation only to see it repeatedly vetoed. Then under the astute leadership of Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott they got together with Blue Dog Democrats, and making a few minor modifications to gain their support, passed bills like the Balanced Budget and Welfare Reform with veto-proof majorities. Faced with a veto-proof bill, Clinton always signs it, and then takes credit for it.
All but one item in the Contract with America was passed by the House of Representatives - and that one did not pass because it took 290 votes and the Democrats didn't vote for it. As Newt Gingrich said, in his final report on November 13th, before stepping down as Speaker:
The Contract With America made ten commitments that said we get a vote on all ten. It did not say we could pass all ten, because we knew we couldn't. Two of them were constitutional amendments that took 290 votes. We voted not in the first 100 days as we promised, but as Dick Armey reminded me, in the first 93 days on every single item, and we passed all but one.And here is a simple test by which citizens can measure the Republican party. These, by the way, are the little holes I punch each time we pass one, they go to the floor. Simple test is easy. Did we keep our word? I'll ask you.
Did House Republicans pass welfare reform?
Did House Republicans pass the first balanced budget in 30 years?
Did House Republicans pass the first tax cut in 17 years?
Did House Republicans pass a reform of the Internal Revenue Service?
Did House Republicans pass medical reform without a tax increase?
Did House Republicans pass anti-drug legislation?
Did House Republicans pass the first military increase since 1985?
Did House Republicans pass the first Intelligence increase in 17 years?From the standpoint of any citizen's reasonable judgment of the facts -- not the spin, the facts -- again, and again, calmly, systematically, we kept our word. I must remind you we did a lot more than the Contract.
One of the things I'm proudest of and I think in the long run will do more to change Washington and more to get beyond the lobbyist than everything done by common cause in 30 years was the simple act of creating the Thomas System at the Library of Congress, so that every bill introduced in the House, every debate, every Committee report, every hearing shows up on the Internet. And one of the proudest days I had in the last Congress is when Chairman Bill Archer stood on the floor of the House, introduced the tax bill and announced the Web site. It was available within 30 seconds. And that afternoon 200,000 citizens accessed the entire tax bill without a lobbyist, without paying for it, and without cutting down any trees for the paper.
If all of us work in the right way for the year 2000, I think that this party will be stronger, that we'll achieve more, and that we can build on the foundation of three consecutive elections, the first in 70 years to be won by the House Republican Party.
Let me say I hope we can drive this home to every Republican, every Conservative, and every taxpayer in this country; the image of a President Al Gore and a Democratic Congress should be more than enough to unify us in two years of very diligent, hard work. Because our ideas are so important, our majority is so vital and the challenge of the year 2000 is so important, I had to make a decisive choice between my own interest and what I believe to be the more important cause of the country and my party.
On Friday it became clear to me that if I were to remain in the House, I would be an excuse for decisive and factionalism. The ideas are too big; the issues are too important for any one person to put their office above the good of the country and the party. That is why I announced my retirement on Friday. I had worked 40 years, since I was a 15-year-old high school freshman in 1958, to achieve a House Republican majority.
Through GOPAC and the National Republican Campaign Committee, I had crisscrossed the country for candidates for 20 years. And the week before the election I was in 14 states."
And what thanks have they had? Conservatives have kicked them in the shins. Conservatives have become so engrossed in the propaganda of the liberal media that they have fallen for it. They don't read the bills any better than the Democrats do, yet because of Newt Gingrich and the Republican majority he worked so hard to get elected, those bills are at everyone's fingertips at http://thomas.loc.gov.
Every single Republican in the 1998 election who campaigned on Newt Gingrich's suggested agenda won. The few who lost didn't follow Newt's advice. To have good government, it takes actively supporting good people when they do what is right. Instead, what we are hearing from old and tired conservatives is, "Let's just give up. It's too hard." Some are being lured by wolves in sheep's clothing to drop out, look for another party.
This country was not created by cowards who gave up when they lost a battle. And that is what was lost in the Senate Impeachment Trial. A battle - not the war. Why? Was it the fault of the Republicans? No. All but five of the Republicans voted for at least one article of impeachment - and that was all that was needed - one. It was the DEMOCRATS who voted - 100% of them - for acquittal. Fifty Republicans, according to the polls, risked their political futures by defending Truth, and Honor and Justice. What is at stake here is Freedom. And defending Freedom takes Courage. Phyllis Schafly is certainly right about one thing - "It's only partially a moral problem." This nation was founded by men of many religious persuasions. Today in America there are more different kinds of religions than there were in 1776. There are not only Christians and Jews - there also are Muslims, Buddhists, Agnostics and followers of Lao Tzu.
And there in all those faiths are Moral people who believe in Truth, Honor, Justice, Freedom and have the Courage to defend those principles in order to live in a free country. We have spent more than a year listening to the White House spin doctors tell their side of the story - that truth, honor, justice, courage, morality have no place in the Clinton Administration - that those things are none of our business.
So, do we just wait until we've lost our Freedom? Apparently that is being suggested. And that brings us to the second story - Bill Clinton and the AFL-CIO have just announced a $46 million project run by full time, well paid political operatives to re-take the Congress for the Democrats.
In response I have an announcement. I announce the formation of the Banner of Liberty, which will bring together in a network all those individuals - housewife, truck driver, doctor, lawyer or talk show host, or groups - political, business, religious, educational - who are willing to adopt as their goal support for Truth, Justice, Freedom, Courage, Honor and Morality.
This is a movement, not an organization. It's aim, according to its founder, Gavin Grooms, the young owner of CTR Publishing, is a call to action. Those wishing to participate may do so by sending him an e-mail (ggrooms@ctrpublishing.com). He is planning to hold rallies in various cities - beginning, he hopes, in Pasadena, California to show appreciation for Rep. Jim Rogan's extraordinary defense of Justice in the Senate Impeachment Trial. Because of Rogan's defense of Justice, he one of the members of Congress the Clinton White House intends to defeat at all costs. But, Rogan said, "I know that in life dreams come, and dreams go. But conscience is forever. I can live with the concept of not serving in Congress. I cannot live with the idea of remaining in Congress at the expense of doing what I believe to be right."
So, wherever you live, send Gavin an e-mail and tell him you want to be involved - and let him know which area of the country or which town you live in. This is not a new political party - or an appendage to any existing political party. The party you belong to is not important. What is important is your support of the principles of Truth, Justice, Freedom, Courage, Honor and Morals. As I understand it, Banner of Liberty will organize support for those principles and inform the public about those in public life who are supporting those principles.
We should all know by now that the liberal media- network news and the dominant newspapers - won't support them. They've spent most of the past year convincing Americans that lying under oath is OK -especially if your name is Bill Clinton.
To Comment: mmostert@originalsources.com