John Adams' ferocious patriotism would be the driving force behind his many trips abroad those seasons of the late 1770s. Trips that would render his wife alone in their Massachusetts home while Adams travelled to Philadelphia ~ that foreign land, as Abigail so considered it.
Abigail realized full well the importance of her husband's travels; his words, deeds, decisions and actions often the sole driving force behind the nation's most important political maneuvers. The nation was at war, the British bottled up in Boston ~ it was 1776 ~ and Adams' words would result in the promotion of General George Washington to commander over the entire army; to include the defense of New York. The striking importance of this move is echoed by the fact that Washington's promotion by Adams ~ an act that ultimately secured the very liberty of the American nation ~ overrode the desires of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress. Indeed, in the days of Adams, as Abigail so eloquently recognized, even the high sounding words of the President of the day required shelving when the obviously farther reaching vision of those wiser persons of action proved more substantial for the nation.
One must ask of one's self then, how would Abigail react to today's actions by the old guard GOP? In less than one short week, the very men who pontificated so profusely of the need to return our nation to the days as given to us by our Founding Fathers have already began returning to business as usual. "Too many high sounding words..." indeed....
Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, former Mayor of Wasilla, and former two-term member of the Wasilla City Council, had her hands full when announcing mid-way through her second councilmember term that she would be running for the Mayoral position. In 1992, a few years before her bid for Mayor, Palin was encouraged to seek that first councilmember seat by fellow work-out buddy and Wasilla friend, John Stein. Palin was recognized as a staunch Conservative, her political positioning born from a strict adherence to Constitutionalism and her deep rooted religious beliefs. Having Palin on the council would offer the citizens of Wasilla a strong Conservative voice, a leader of uncompromising values and ethics and a person passionately dedicated to placing the needs and rights of the citizenry above all else ~ Palin, as Mayor Stein surely recognized back in early 1990s, was the People's politician.
From the moment Palin took that first councilmember seat, through her next term ~ a campaign she won handily ~ and on to her next campaign, Palin set about to establish herself as a champion of Constitutional Conservatism. Disallowing personal preferences to stand in the way of the rights of business owners, Palin became known as a protector of the small business proprietor. Her popularity with the voters surged ~ leading way to her showdown with the very old boys' network that had placed her in power to begin with ~ Mayor Stein and the Wasilla Chief of Police.
Stein's administration ~ now Democrat ~ just prior to the Mayoral election of 1996 had raised taxes. Palin ran on a platform to expose these unjustified sales tax increases and the subsequent wasteful spending measures enacted and planned for the future by the Democrat government of Wasilla that was being run by Stein. That one platform alone skyrocketed Palin to the forefront with voters. Adding in her pro-gun, pro-life and Christian platforms sealed the day ~ Palin was a foe that Stein had no answer for.
Palin needed no help from the GOP ~ the establishment was never contacted; never encouraged to assist with campaigning. But in a convoy they appeared ~ running pro-Palin, anti-Stein commercials with nary a dime charged to the Palin camp. Palin needed no assistance from the old boys' network within the GOP to trump the old boys' network within Wasilla. And she made that message abundantly clear. By the time Bush came calling to declare her state's pipeline the jurisdiction of the GOP ~ Palin now firmly entrenched as Governor ~ issues as they pertain to the "network" had LONG been stenciled for Palin to understand.
Today, nearly 20 years later, as Governor Palin campaigns for a dozen of the most Constitutionally Conservative Tea Party candidates in America, offering an endorsement that ~ in 2010 alone ~ has a success rate unmatched in modern politics, the old boys' network continues its backhandedness with the most powerful woman in politics.
Perhaps if Palin had played "softball" in the Wasilla Mayoral race; or not done away with the millions in dollars worth of wasteful spending in the Governor's mansion; or allowed Bush to hi-jack the oil pipelines in Alaska rather than bring that oil to Americans as efficiently as she did (which is one issue that precipitated such a tumultuous tenure for her as Governor); or perhaps if she'd not made those late night calls to O'Reilly at FOX news to discuss her treatment by the GOP during the 2008 campaign ...
Perhaps today Conservatives would not be witnessing the continued shortchanging we see of Palin at the hands of such "Republicans" as
new-world-order George W Bush ,
Karl Rove, Spencer Bachus, and others. Perhaps if Palin ~ as so many of the Conservative women have noted recently ~ would "butch it down" she would no longer be the proverbial target for the old boys' network whose primary complaint, invariably seems to be, Palin is "a threat to the Republican future." Excuse me, fellows, but if you guys are the future, I'll take that threat! Furthermore, perhaps if Palin weren't so hard core, in-your-face Conservative ~ if you think Palin carries a big stick, you've obviously never read about Abigail ~ tepid right wingers such as the all-but-forgotten Peggy Noonan wouldn't get so strung out when Palin offers a one-liner about the President that Palin has offered so many rousing speeches about that her community calls her Reagan-incarnate ~ come on, Peggy,
really? You're actually going to attack Palin for joshing about Reagan? Slow week, huh?
Again, if Abigail Adams were here today to witness the haranguing bestowed upon the single most important figure in today's ultra Conservative movement ~ the ONE person today striving to bring about a return to Reagan-ism and Jefferson libertarianism (NOT to be confused with the inexplicably odd and obscure Libertarian Party) ~ Abigail would quite possibly shout it from the rafters, "We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them!"
Michele Bachmann, mother of 28 children ~ 5 through natural birth; 23 foster children ~ has been involved in politics since her first anti-abortion activism in 1976. Raised in a Democrat household, Bachmann, born in 1956 in Waterloo, Iowa, encountered a novel while attending Winona State. That novel, read by Bachmann in her senior year, entitled "Burr" by Gore Vidal ~ in which Vidal bastardizes the Founding Fathers, American history and this nation's founding in general ~ would, naturally, change Bachmann's political course for good. Tossing the Democrat party (and perhaps the book as well) out the proverbial window, Bachmann joined the Republican Party as a devout Conservative and Constitutionalist.
Bachmann's first recognition as a Conservative in Minnesota came in 1991 when she led a protest group of nearly 3 dozen to voice their dissent against a tax-payer funded Medical Center. The center ~ known at that time as the St. Paul - Ramsey Medical Center ~ was scheduled to receive a $3 million appropriation. Bachmann's group exposed the center for performing abortions and for employing pro-abortion advocates. Speaking to the media from the position of taxpayer, Bachmann decried being made to fund the hospital, stating "in effect, since 1973, I have been a landlord of an abortion clinic, and I don't like that distinction." (Credit the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Bachmann has long been recognized as a leader who supports the Founding Father's beliefs in God and religion. The Establishment Clause allows for States to manage their affairs with respect to religion. Bearing this Constitutional right in mind, Bachmann and other parents established a Charter School that included courses on Christianity. This nation's Founding Fathers built America upon philosophies as written and taught by such men as John Locke. These teachings, both scientific ~ to include Epistemology ~ and religious ~ to include the Letters Concerning Toleration ~ are the cornerstone of our Founding Documents; parts of the Constitution are taken verbatim from Locke's writings. In fact, Jefferson considered, even called, Locke among "my trinity of the three greatest men the world had ever produced". To include teachings in our schools on Christianity is, therefore, as much a part of being American as is teaching courses on science and philosophy. Bachmann realizes this. Unfortunately, she and the parents in support of her were considered too radical ~ too Conservative? ~ for their Stillwater town.
Perhaps the most telling of Bachmann's Conservative positionings ~ the posturing that, much like her contemporary, Palin, would establish her as an "outsider" (one who is NOT 'on the take' from the old boys' within the GOP) ~ would be her vote on the Iraq War. It was January 2007. Bush has suffered a "thumpin'" to coin his phrase, and the nation had ~ in hind-site, disastrously ~ turned the entire House over to the Dems. The overriding mood of the nation was that the results of the election were a referendum on the Bush strategies in Iraq. Pelosi herself squawked to the effect that if the Dems took control in 2006 that the nation was sending Bush a message. Unfortunately, the GOP old boys' network refused to remove the blinders. Bachmann, and a few hundred Reagan Conservatives just like her, decided the time for hard questioning was at hand. Bachmann voted "NO" on Bush's "New Way Forward".
Just last week, as the people once again voiced their opinion ~ this time sending the Dems packing and returning the House to GOP rule ~ finalizing the vote on November 2, 2010 (we're still awaiting Alaska, ironically), Bachmann announced her decision to run for the #4 spot in the Republican leadership in the House. The position of GOP Conference Chairman, should Bachmann win, would place her in quite a powerful position. And the old boys' network has come out swinging.
Just as Palin, Bachmann has been endorsed by ~ and consistently endorses ~ the Tea Party. A true Constitutional Conservative from the beginning of her tenure in politics (to include her time as an activist), and a proven "outsider" to the old boys' network, Bachmann picked up a serious backing last Thursday after her announcement to run for the Chairman position. Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), calling Bachmann a "
Constitutional Conservative", offered this ringing confirmation of Bachmann's abilities:
"The Republican Conference Chair needs to be the best communicator we have. ... Michele has charisma and she brings with her an impressive skill set. She embodies the agenda of the constitutional conservatives. Constitutional Conservatives are the majority makers, the conscience of America and the new agenda setters."
But that's not what the old boys' network wants to hear. They're not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet for a woman who dared to cross ol' George and his "new-world-order" agenda. Not when there's a triumvirate so close to success the 3 can practically taste the victory smoke. The three boy network in question? Hensarling, Pence, and ~ wait for it ~ Boehner.
"Hensarling has eyed the conference position for more than two years. He intended to run for the post in 2008 but bowed out after Pence, his close friend, was encouraged to run for the job by Boehner.
Hensarling ran Pence's ultimately successful bid to become the third-ranking House Republican; since he served as conference chairman in the minority party (without a Speaker position), it was the No. 3 spot.
Pence recently announced that he would not pursue the job for a second term and endorsed Hensarling to be his successor."
Perhaps if Bachmann had ... on second hand, there's probably no scenario to be played out on this one; this particular old boys' network triumvirate has been locked in for years. Interestingly, there WAS another player in the field between Hensarling and Bachmann ~ and THAT player, in fact, was another true Tea Party-er. But the network, it seems, got together and (perhaps) "encouraged" a team effort on this one. That player bowed out recently, endorsing Hensarling. That former potential player? Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Dear Ms. Blackburn, whose "team" are you on, ma'am?
The big picture ~ that vision of America as a land of Constitutional Conservatives, Reagan Republicans, Jefferson libertarians the likes of John Locke, George Washington, John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson himself, as well as a land where our children know the meaning of American Exceptionalism ~ was supposed to begin becoming clearer last Tuesday, November 2
nd, 2010!
What is becoming more clear, however, is that the old boys' network ~ Hensarling, Pence, Boehner, Rove, Bachus, their cronies the likes of Noonan, hell, even Bush himself ~ are lurking, posturing, positioning towards 2012. They are moving in the wings, building the next GOP White House to reflect as much of an anti-matriarchal one as possible. Ask yourself, citizenry: Why? Is this what John Adams had in mind?
Is this what Abigail Adams had in mind?
"We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them."
