Octomom, Obama, and Public Assistance

Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman Guiterrez (born Natalie Denise Suleman), is popularly known as "Octomom". She is most widely known for giving birth to octuplets in January 2009.

She is a controversial figure, having used in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in all her pregnancies. She had six prior children, was unemployed, and on public assistance when she gave birth to her eight youngest children. Octomom is a high school graduate, has a four-year college degree, and even has taken some graduate level courses.

Suleman gained much attention following the highly unusual birth of eight children. She received monetary contributions, TV deals, and has been in numerous magazine articles as well. Now that some of the initial reaction to her unprecedented situation has worn off, she apparently is spiraling back down to the same conditions which allowed her to get pregnant with eight embryos simultaneously in the first place: dependence on government run public assistance programs.

With a record-high 40 million people on food stamps in Obama's America, and free healthcare being promised in the future, what are the odds of more such Octomom-style debacles taking place?

Where Does Didier Stand on Defense?

Nothing better illustrates the paradoxical dilemma of Washington Republican U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier than Sarah Palin's speech at last Sunday's Freedom Fest in Norfolk, VA:

Something has to be done urgently to stop the out of control Obama-Reid-Pelosi spending machine, and no government agency should be immune from budget scrutiny,” she said. “We must make sure, however, that we do nothing to undermine the effectiveness of our military. If we lose wars, if we lose the ability to deter adversaries, if we lose the ability to provide security for ourselves and for our allies, we risk losing all that makes America great! That is a price we cannot afford to pay.”

Palin has endorsed Dider, calling him a "patriot."  However, Didier also enjoys wide support from members of Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty (which cannot officially endorse any candidate.)  Didier even urges visitors to his campaign website to sign a declaration of support for the Campaign for Liberty.

The Campaign for Liberty states:

The Whitman County Republican Convention: My Take

UPDATED 3/10 to include podcast link - tf

Yesterday, Ron Paul spokesman Jesse Benton stated that Paul knew his presidential race was over, but believed, "We still think we can influence the debate and build an organization moving forward that brings the GOP back to its roots."

Paul said "We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects."

Today, that "revolution" came to the Whitman County Republican convention in Colfax.

The Public Service Building auditorium was packed with 78 delegates seated. That's almost as many as were elected in the caucuses last month. Certainly all of the 20 Paul delegates were there, as well as all the alternates.

Things got off to a lively start when some objected to one of the Paul supporters podcasting the convention. Click here for podcast. A vote was taken and the natural freedom-loving spirit of Whitman County residents kicked in. The camera stayed on.

Next came the election of state convention delegates. Geoffrey Sechter, a WSU student and Paul supporter, started a rebellion movement of sorts last week, attempting to get a bloc of state convention delegates elected who did not back John McCain. I supported that effort, in principle. As you know, I have not bought my tickets for the "Straight Talk Express" yet. I believe tremendous pressure needs to be put on McCain to bring him more in line with the conservative base of the party. But I ultimately feel this is futile. My focus this year is going to be on our state and local races, and not the presidential race. Sechter put together a list of 11 candidates, all of them Ron Paul supporters. A flyer at the convention stated they were for:

- putting America first
- supporting Washington state Republicans
- NO amnesty for illegal immigrants
- lowering taxes AND spending
- protecting 2nd amendment rights
- supporting a conservative, constitutionalist Supreme Court
- protecting the value of the dollar

All very admirable values; all ideas that will take the Republican Party back to its traditional Reagan base. Sechter obviously followed my advice about Paul supporters getting involved in state and local races as well.

Only one of their candidates, however, was elected as a delegate. Four others made it as alternates, including our own Ray Lindquist.

The problem for the Ron Paul supporters is that their more fringe beliefs always come back to bite them in the butt. There were numerous amendments to the platform presented today for legalization of medical marijuana, abolishing all foreign aid, declaring the line item veto unconstitutional, thinly veiled attempts to condemn George Bush for pursuing a "war of aggression" and making the President "prove" the need for an Executive Order, and lastly, the whole enchilada of having the U.S. not pursue "military adventures, interventionism, preemptive war, and nation building." All of these amendments failed miserably. The Iraq War is still supported by a majority of GOP members, and I'm sure that proportion is even higher in ultra-red Whitman County. Everyone would comment on how nice it was to see the young faces in the crowd and the enthusiasm (it was), but those nuttier positions really turned people off.

When Paul supporters talk about taking the party back to its roots, they often compare Paul to Ronald Reagan. But that overlooks one very salient fact (forgivable, perhaps, considering many of them were not yet born or were infants when the Gipper was president): Reagan pursued an extremely aggressive, activist, interventionist foreign policy, greatly increasing military expenditures on distinctly non-defensive weapons like the MX missile, cruise missiles, B-1 bombers, modernized WWII battleships, aircraft carriers and quadrupuling the size of the Special Forces. From supporting the Contras, invading Grenada, landing the Marines in Beirut, attacking Syrian targets in Lebanon, bombing Libya, snatching the Achille Lauro hijackers, and escorting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, it would be hard to find a modern president who believed more in "military adventures." There are other significant differences as well. Reagan strongly supported the line-item veto and was responsible for launching the War on Drugs.

For these reasons, I had to part company with Mr. Sechter and his "revolution." I did not vote for any Ron Paul supporter.

Here are the delegates elected today:

Joel Benjamin
Don Cox
Francis Benjamin
Vangee Harrison
Joe Schmick
Ann Heath
Nancy Gregory
Aaron Crandall*
Cheryl Brock
Jared Webley

Alternates:

Ray Lindquist*
Alex Marcelo
Steve Passmore
Roger Carter
John Goyke
Geoffrey Sechter*
David Stueckle
Jonathan Fletcher
Willard Davis*
Jim Kuzsnir*

*One of Sechter's rebels.

I did not wish to be considered a candidate for delegate because I am going back to Virginia that weekend to move my daughter out to Pullman to attend WSU (Yes, I'm excited! Dad-daughter cross-country roadtrip.) Plus, even if I was in town, I couldn't go and vote in good conscience for McCain.

If the Ron Paul supporters truly wish to take us back to our Reagan roots, they are going to have to engage in coalition building, just the way Reagan did. They are going to have to ditch the out-of-the-mainsteam fringe positions and the pseudo-Republicans and focus on the more popular and paltable messages of limited government and fiscal responsibility.

In other business, party planks were amended to reflect true conservative positions on parental notificaton of abortion, stem cell research, allowing concealed carry at public universities (Geoffrey's,) eliminating the death tax (mine,) and getting rid of the "prevailing wage" on state contracts (Ray's.)

We also heard speechs from Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland and Attorney General Rob McKenna who are both seeking reelection this fall, and representatives for Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dino Rossi. Of course, the words "Dino Rossi" were constantly on everyone's lips.

Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent served as the convention chair and he did a great job. Michael's approachibility, quick wit and folksy sense of humor make him an outstanding politician. I see great things ahead for him,

I mostly enjoy these events for the chance to see my friends like Michael Echanove, Greg Partch, Jerry Finch, Ann Heath, et. al.

A special congratulations goes to my four-year old daughter Megan, who patiently endured the eight-hour marathon of "talking about America," as she put it. Dr. Forbes is in Shanghai, China for a Spring Break faculty/student trip to help Chinese orphans with speech and hearing problems.

"Impassioned politics: Whitman County caucuses see highest turnout rates in years"

If you read this excerpt from the story below, you'll quickly see the problem that myself and other Republicans have with the Paululans:

Devin Prewett, 24, came to the caucus to give his full support to Paul. He even turned his Subaru Outback into a moving Paul billboard.

Prewett said the lack of media coverage for Paul doomed the candidate's push for presidency.

"I really think if Ron Paul had the media coverage his message would get out and he would be a more popular candidate," he said.

If Paul doesn't receive the nomination, Prewett said his next choice would not be a Republican.

"If (Paul) doesn't get on the ballot the next best choice is Obama and I would be willing to jump to the Democrats," he said.

Keep in mind that Mr. Prewett and all other participants at the caucus were required to sign in and attest that they were Republicans. Maybe this Paululan disloyalty explains why thousands of primary ballots are being disqualified because voters refuse to sign a ballot oath identifying themselves as a Democrat or a Republican.

The only thing that Obama and Paul have in common is their stated intent to immediately withdraw the troops from Iraq. I can't see Mr. Prewett as being much of a Libertarian if he buys into Obama's nanny statist, big government policies. A sheep in wolf's clothing.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Whitman County residents turned out in droves to the county's presidential caucuses Saturday.

Pullman resident and Republican Precinct Committee Officer Nancy Gregory said the nearly 100 people at the Pullman caucus was the most she had seen in years.

"Every (election) I come to the caucus meetings, and there are about three or four times more people here today," Gregory said Saturday.

The turnout and passion this year reminded Gregory of former President Ronald Reagan's initial push for the White House, she said.

"This is how we elected Ronald Reagan," Gregory said. "We got all the Reagan supporters out at the caucuses and all the delegates, or most of them, were Reagan supporters."

While the turnout was high - estimated by Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Fagan to be 170 people countywide - in comparison to past caucuses for the Republicans, there was no runaway winner.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led all candidates with 29 delegates, followed by Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ron Paul, each with 20 delegates. Mitt Romney finished with 10 delegates, despite having suspended his campaign last week. A total of eight delegates were uncommitted.

The results from the county's tight three-way race was similar to those from the rest of the state. Overall, McCain finished with just over 25 percent of the statewide vote, followed by Huckabee with 23.8 percent and Paul with just under 21 percent. Romney received 16.7 percent of the state's delegates.

Fagan said she had only heard positive results from the county's 12 Republican caucuses.

"Everybody said they had more people than ever and the discussions were really good," Fagan said. "Everyone is focused on the elections ... "

Democrats also enjoyed a strong turnout, with about 1,000 people taking part in Whitman County caucuses, said Carolyn Kress, party chairwoman.

"We probably tripled what we did four years ago," Kress said. "We were needless to say pleased. It was very successful, we just couldn't ask for more."

The results in the county mirrored those statewide, with Sen. Barack Obama receiving a majority of the delegates. Obama tallied 142 delegates from the county, compared to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 40. Statewide, Obama received 67.5 percent of the delegates, while Clinton showed with 31.2 percent.

While the high turnout in the Democratic caucus was partly attributed to the tight race between Clinton and Obama, much of the increased turnout at the Republican caucus can be chalked up to younger generation's renewed interest in politics.

The unusual amount of young participants did not go unnoticed by 76-year-old Pullman resident Miriam Rehwaldt.

"There are so many young people; more young people than anyone," she said.

Many of the younger voters came out to support Paul.

Alex Marcelo, 20, described his vote for Paul as a "principle vote," acknowledging that Paul likely will not win the Republican nomination. However, Paul has given him a renewed faith in the Republican Party.

"Because of the Bush administration, I had written off the Republican Party for a long time," Marcelo said.

"Fundamentally, what attracts me to Ron Paul is he believes in the Constitution. Ron Paul reminds us the Constitution is there to limit the government, not the people."

Marcelo was elected as one of two delegates from Precinct 218 in Pullman to head to the county convention in Colfax on March 8.

Marcelo has pledged his vote for Paul. He said if Paul does not receive the nomination he would not be able to support the party's current front-runner.

"I honestly can't support (McCain)," Marcelo said, adding that Huckabee would be his second choice.

Devin Prewett, 24, came to the caucus to give his full support to Paul. He even turned his Subaru Outback into a moving Paul billboard.

Prewett said the lack of media coverage for Paul doomed the candidate's push for presidency.

"I really think if Ron Paul had the media coverage his message would get out and he would be a more popular candidate," he said.

If Paul doesn't receive the nomination, Prewett said his next choice would not be a Republican.

"If (Paul) doesn't get on the ballot the next best choice is Obama and I would be willing to jump to the Democrats," he said.

Switching parties is definitely not an option for Rehwaldt, a longtime Republican.

"I will go for anybody who will beat Hillary or Obama," she said. "I am a Republican, so I will back whoever."

Ron Paul - Racist, Bigot, Homophobe

Will this finally knock this lunatic out of the race, or at least dry up his money?

A collection of Ron Paul quotes.

“[O]ur country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists—and they can be identified by the color of their skin.”

“I think we can safely assume that 95% of the black males in that city [Washington, D.C.] are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.”

“We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, but it is hardly irrational.”

“The riots, burning, looting, and murders are only a continuation of 30 years of racial politics.”

“The criminals who terrorize our cities—in riots and on every non-riot day—are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are. As children, they are trained to hate whites, to believe that white oppression is responsible for all black ills, to “fight the power,” and to steal and loot as much money from the white enemy as possible. Anything is justified against ‘The Man.’ And ‘The Woman.’’”

“My friend waved to the tiny [African-American] child, who scowled, stuck out her tongue, and said (somewhat tautologically): “I hate you, white honkey.” And the parents were indulgent. Is any white child taught to hate in this way?” [As a matter of fact, Paul has appeared on a radio program called “The Political Cesspool,” which has featured the neo-Nazi twin pop stars Prussian Blue. –ed.]

“But this is normal, and in fact benign, compared to much of the anti-white ideology in the thoroughly racist black community. The black leadership indoctrinates its followers with phony history and phony theory to bolster its claims of victimology.”

“Korean-Americans, hated by blacks, never riot, and in fact are some of the most productive people in America (the reason for black hatred).”

“The cause of the riots is plain: barbarism. If the barbarians cannot loot sufficiently through legal channels (i.e., the riots being the welfare-state minus the middleman), they resort to illegal ones, to terrorism.”

“We must not kowtow to the street hoodlums and their sanctimonious leaders.”

“Regardless of what the media tell us, most white Americans are not going to believe that they are at fault for what blacks have done to cities across America. The professional blacks may have cowed the elites, but good sense survives at the grass roots.”

“Indeed, it is shocking to consider the uniformity of opinion among blacks in this country.”

“Blacks have ‘civil rights,’ preferences, set-asides for government contracts, gerrymandered voting districts, black bureaucracies, black mayors, black curricula in schools, black beauty contests, black TV shows, black TV anchors, black scholarships and colleges, hate crime laws, and public humiliation for anyone who dares question the black agenda.”

Type rest of the post here