PRO-LIFE BLOGGER

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Boundless American Future Of Mike Pence

John Hayward


Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), chair of the House Republican Conference, addressed the Detroit Economic Club on Monday.  It was the same day President Obama rolled out his proposal to reduce the deficit by about 1%, through a freeze on the salaries of civilian federal employees.  Pence had some larger ideas on his mind.
The gentleman from Indiana takes a dim view of the bailouts which have given the government so much control over the private sector.  “In September 2008, when the Bush Administration proposed that Congress give them $700 billion to bail out Wall Street, I was the first Member of Congress to publicly oppose it. I didn't think we should do nothing, I just thought it was wrong to take $700 billion from Main Street to bailout bad decisions on Wall Street. I warned that passing TARP could fundamentally change the relationship between the government and the financial sector and so it has,” Pence told his audience in Detroit.  “Taxpayer funded bailouts are no substitute for economic policies that will create real consumer demand. I have no doubt that American automakers and autoworkers can compete and win in a growing American economy.  To restore American exceptionalism, we must end all this Keynesian spending and get back to the practice of free market economics… The free market is what made America’s economy the greatest in the world, and we cannot falter in our willingness to defend it.”

As a matter of fact, General Motors was competing reasonably well in automobile sales, prior to the government takeover.  It wasn’t until 2008 that Toyota surpassed it as the world’s largest automaker, and both companies experienced declining sales that year, as the global auto market contracted.  Toyota actually posted the first operating loss in its history in 2008.  The big problem for General Motors was an unsustainable business model, in which paying fabulous union salaries and benefits became the primary reason for its existence.  Soaring labor cost killed GM, more than declining sales.
This is the model for statist economies around the world.  “Free” markets require flexibility.  Suppliers and consumers must be able to react to changing conditions.  Risk must carry the promise of reward, and the possibility of failure.  Unyielding entitlements and crushing tax burdens combine to form a layer of ice around businesses and their customers.  No one would have been willing to buy GM cars at the price they needed to charge, in order to make their business model work.

Bailouts don’t “rescue” capitalism.  They transfer resources from taxpayers to politically favored constituents.  The much-ballyhooed public sale of GM stock earlier this month profited unions far more than taxpayers, or especially the private-sector investors who owned shares of General Motors before the government takeover.

Pence told the Detroit Economic Club that he favors limiting federal spending to no more than 20 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, an essential first step to ensuring other fiscal restraints are not magically transformed into tax increases.  He recalled the words of Ronald Reagan: “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.”  The acolytes of the total State have attempted to write this concept into our language, by calling endlessly increasing government “progressive”… which implies that making government smaller would be “regressive,” the agenda of Neanderthals desperate to “turn back the clock.” 

After stressing the importance of maintaining the Bush tax cuts to “end the uncertainty that is stifling investment, innovation, and growth,” Pence made a bold call for radical tax reform.  “The best option, the most pro-growth option, is a flat tax.  I believe it is time that America adopted a flat tax and scrapped the current system once and for all.”  Besides inflicting vast compliance costs on American corporations and individuals, our insanely complex tax system is a means of control.  It uses a network of subsidies and penalties to shape both economic and political decisions.  It is a system the government uses to purchase political support for its agenda.  Its punitive effects have become more important than revenue generation, as we can see from the furious resistance of socialists to tax reductions that have been historically proven to increase Treasury receipts.  A flat tax would represent a massive reduction of government power… which would mean a massive infusion of liberty.

Pence cited the absurd new tax filing requirements of ObamaCare as an example of government regulations run wild.  “Take the requirement from ObamaCare that businesses must file with the IRS a form 1099 for any purchases from a vendor for goods or services over $600 in a year.  Seriously, that is in the law. Of course, this is ridiculously burdensome and just adds to the red tape that small businesses face across the country.  It should be repealed immediately.”  A vote on repeal was scheduled for Monday night in the Senate.

Pence says that “to renew American exceptionalism, we must recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic, but moral in nature… As we promote policies to restore American exceptionalism, we must also reaffirm our nation’s commitment to the values that made our prosperity possible.”  On the gigantic scale of a four trillion dollar central government, economics is morality.  Entire populations have suffocated in the loving arms of the welfare state.  It only takes a few generations for the moral corrosion of dependence to wreak havoc on the intended beneficiaries of socialism.  America’s destiny will not be found in a musty cocoon of bailouts and welfare programs.

The nation stands at a crossroads, an intersection of opportunity and requirement for its people.  The two are incompatible.  One replaces the other.  We cannot believe in ourselves, and also believe in a State empowered to manage our lives.  The very rhetoric of “hope” Barack Obama used in his presidential campaign implies a weak and dependent populace.  “Hope” is passive.  People determined to command their own fates do not sit around and wait for someone to rescue them.  We can choose to accept risk and hardship… or we can settle for whatever the State sees fit to provide, in a world where winners and losers are chosen in advance, and the fruit of enterprise is stolen to purchase immunity from consequence.

In the conclusion of his remarks in Detroit, Mike Pence made his own choice clear: “I choose the West.  I choose limited government and freedom.  I choose the free market, personal responsibility and equality of opportunity. I choose fiscal restraint, sound money, a flat tax, regulatory reform, American energy, expanded trade and a return to traditional values.  In a word, I choose a boundless American future built on the timeless ideals of the American people. I believe the American people are ready for this choice and await men and women who will lead us back to that future, back to the West, back to American exceptionalism. Here’s to that future. Our best days are yet to come.”


John Hayward is a staff writer for HUMAN EVENTS, and author of the recently published Doctor Zero: Year One. Follow him on Twitter: Doc_0. Contact him by email at jhayward@eaglepub.com.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

President Mike Pence 2012


MIKE PENCE

RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

AND

THE AMERICAN DREAM
by

Chris Dickson
http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com



Thursday, October 14, 2010

Huckabee: "Mike Pence is one of my Heroes"

Laura J. Gardner | The Journal Gazette
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee shares a laugh with Sandra Herman at the Allen County Republican Party Bean Dinner on Wednesday evening.

Huckabee gives Daniels, Pence a lift

FORT WAYNE – and possibly future – Republican presidential candidate believes two prominent Hoosiers would make viable candidates to be the country’s chief executive.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Gov. Mitch Daniels and Rep. Mike Pence would be qualified to lead the country as the next president. The Fox News host was in Fort Wayne on Wednesday as the keynote speaker at the Allen County Republican Party Bean Dinner fundraiser.

“Mitch Daniels has done I think an exemplary job as a leader, manager and governor of the state,” Huckabee said in an interview before the dinner. “I tend to think governors make good presidents because they’ve actually managed a microcosm of the federal government.

“On the other hand, Mike Pence is one of my favorite members of Congress, one of my heroes, and I love the guy. I think he is the most articulate, conviction-based and principled member of Congress. If we had 434 like him in the House, there wouldn’t be an uprising among the voters right now.”

Huckabee, Daniels and Pence have all been rumored as possible GOP candidates for president in 2012. Huckabee has not committed to seeking the post but said he would be happy to see Daniels and Pence run.

Huckabee sent a fundraising letter this summer criticizing Daniels for calling for a truce on social issues so government could focus on the economy. Pence topped Huckabee in the Family Research Council’s Values Voter straw poll last month – Daniels finished ninth.

“I would be delighted if either or both of them get in it because I think it just raises the level of the debate to solid conservative, responsible fiscal management,” Huckabee said of Daniels and Pence.

Huckabee said the race will be hotly contested, guessing 20 people would start out seeking the party nomination, which likely will be reduced to about eight by January 2012.

But he added that election is still far off, and the focus for voters should be on the upcoming congressional races and not speculation for president.

“The only thing that matters right now is making sweeping changes in the Congress this year in the midterms. That is going to do more to save our great republic than anything that happens two years from now,” he said.

Huckabee believes it will be a banner year for Republicans. While Democrats are trying to hit at potential divisions between tea party activists and conventional Republicans, Huckabee said voters don’t care about that. Instead they are fed up with a federal government that has overreached. He believes voters will correct that on Election Day and Republicans will retake the House and have a “real shot” at taking the Senate and a majority of the governors.

“It’s because the intensity of the Republican voter is just on fire,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Huckabee spoke to the crowd of about 600 for about 35 minutes at Ceruti’s Summit Park.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mike Pence: GOP Agenda To Include Social Issues


MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM

by

Chris Dickson

Mike Pence has led the campaign to ensure social issues would not be ignored. | AP Photo Close

An election year agenda being unveiled by House Republicans Thursday will include language affirming the party's support of "traditional marriage" and its opposition to abortion rights, House GOP sources tell POLITICO.

The document, to be unveiled at a hardware store in Sterling, Va., will include "a commitment to life and a commitment to marriage," one source said. Two other sources cautioned that the language on marriage is likely to be in the preamble to a series of legislative goals and that an effort to put a bill along the lines of the Defense of Marriage Act into the package was rebuffed.

House Republicans had a spirited debate behind closed doors about the degree to which social issues should be included in the new agenda, and social conservatives have been pressing for the GOP to be more explicit in putting social issues in writing on this 2010 agenda.

Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.), winner of a 2012 presidential straw poll at the recent conservative Values Voters conference, led the campaign to ensure social issues would not be ignored. Some others believed that the plan should focus more narrowly on fiscal and security issues that unite a broader swath of the GOP.

The decision to at least affirm opposition to abortion and gay marriage appears to represent a compromise between the factions.

House Republicans will be able to review the new agenda this afternoon, after which they will discuss it at a conference meeting. Republican leaders will unveil it to the public Thursday morning.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42547.html#ixzz10IK8Kgse

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Pence on the Presidency: Pluperfect


MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM

by

Chris Dickson

Fresh off coming in first place in the presidential preference poll at the Values Voters Summit this past weekend, Mike Pence tonight is making a speech on the nature and conduct of the presidency at Hillsdale College. We at the Spectator secured an advance copy of it, and it is powerful stuff. It is thoughtful, wise, eloquent, inspirational, and timely. It also takes some barely veiled, beautifully targeted shots at the current occupant of the Oval Office. The theme is that the presidency is not an office for a ruler, but for a servant; not for somebody to "transform" us, but for somebody who will listen to us and work for us, to make our visions a reality rather than to impose his vision on us. Obviously, this is not what one B.H. Obama is doing, or at least trying to do.

What the nation says -- the theme of this address -- What it says, informed by its long history, impelled by the laws of nature and nature's God -- What it says quite naturally and rightly, if not always gracefully, is that we as a people are not to be ruled and not to be commanded. It says that the president should never forget this; that he has not risen above us, but is merely one of us, chosen by ballot, dismissed after his term, tasked not to transform and work his will upon us, but to bear the weight of decision and to carry out faithfully the design laid down in the Constitution and impassioned by the Declaration of Independence.

Furthermore:

The presidency has run off the rails. It begs a new clarity, a new discipline, and a new president. The president is not our teacher, our tutor, our guide or ruler. He does not command us, we command him. We serve neither him nor his vision. It is not his job or his prerogative to redefine custom, law and beliefs; to appropriate industries; to seize the country, as it were, by the shoulders or by the throat so as to impose by force of theatrical charisma his justice upon 300 million others. It is neither his job nor his prerogative to shift the power of decision away from them, and to him and the acolytes of his choosing.

Take that, Barack!

While most of Pence's best passages are paragraph, a few pithy sentences stand on their own. They stand well because they are rooted in the best of American values. For instance: "The powers of the presidency are extraordinary and necessarily great, and great presidents treat them sparingly." And: "A president who slights the Constitution is like a rider who hates his horse: he will be thrown, and the nation along with him."And: "The sun will burn out, the Ohio River will flow backwards, and the cow will jump over the moon 10,000 times before any modern president's conception is superior to that of the Founders of this nation."

And, stirringly, on America's prudential place in the world, as oft by example as by direct engagement, but always steadfast: "We can still astound the world with justice, reason and strength."

But what am I doing by doling this out in dribs and drabs? Here, yes here, is the whole speech. Read the whole thing and marvel. Maybe Mike Pence will run for the presidency in 2012, or maybe not. But he definitely belongs in the conversation for it, and as a potential leading light among the candidates. And even if he does not run, the other candidates should call upon his eloquence and his wisdom.

To Rep. Pence, we should all say: Good job, good sir. Good job.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Senator Dick Lugar: Mike Pence for House Speaker

Lugar: If GOP Wins Congressional Majority, 'Who Will Be Our Newt?'

Published August 13, 2010

| FoxNews.com

Indiana Republican Sen. Dick Lugar is questioning whether a would-be Republican majority in Congress has the leadership to deal with a stymied President Obama the way former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was able to forge a working relationship with President Bill Clinton.

Speaking at an Excellence in Public Service Series luncheon that he hosts, Lugar told an audience Thursday in Indianapolis that he's confident Obama will be out of the White House in 2012, but a GOP-led majority in Congress would still have to deal with the Democratic president for two years if it wins in November.

Given that scenario, the Republicans "had better have ideas," he said, according to the Evansville Courier Press. They also better have a leader, he warned, noting that he is not confident House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio or Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell can fill Gingrich's shoes.

"The question is, how creative will Republicans be in the face of this? If we get the majority, will there be the sort of negotiations that occurred between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton, for example?" he asked. "And if so, who is going to be our Newt?"

After Democrats lost the congressional majority in 1994, Gingrich took the helm in Congress. He is credited with working with then-President Clinton to get passed several tenets of the Republican "Contract With America," the program on which the GOP campaigned in the 1994 election.

But the Republicans are more diffuse in their program pronouncements in 2010, and Lugar reportedly said that the GOP "had better begin thinking in the next 13 weeks about what we are going to do."

The Courier Press reported that Lugar suggested that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, whose proposals have been largely overlooked, even by him, may have the chops to lead the party in ideas and courage to reduce spending. He also suggested fellow Indianan, Rep. Mike Pence, has the creativity and ability to advocate.

Regardless who is the GOP leadership, Lugar, who's vying for a seventh term and recently voted to confirm Obama's Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan and approve a $26 billion small business aid bill, said members better act fast.

"Come January, the public will anticipate something or they will become extremely angry and frustrated," Lugar reportedly said. "They will say, you know, once again, we have been failed by the elections, by people who claimed our support."

Click here to read more from the Evansville Courier Press.

Mike Pence to POTUS: Give Credit Were Credit is Due

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

President Bush and U.S. troops persevered while others sniped


By Rep. Mike Pence


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August 30, 2010

As the combat mission in Iraq draws to a close for the United States and the president prepares to address the nation tonight, the Obama administration is attempting to rewrite history by taking singular credit for our accomplishments in Iraq. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. recently claimed it was President Obama who laid out the plan for a responsible end of the war in Iraq. But that's not the whole story.

As we mark this milestone, let us remember the real history of Operation Iraqi Freedom and give credit where credit is due - to the American service members, their families and a commander in chief who would not accept defeat in the face of withering criticism at home and abroad.

Seeing U.S. combat forces leaving with success is chiefly the result of the professionalism and sacrifices of our military in executing the surge and the Status of Forces Agreement implemented before Mr. Obama set foot in the Oval Office.

First, our brave men and women in uniform deserve our nation's deepest gratitude. With great valor, they manned the front lines of the war on terror and achieved a stable and successful conclusion to our combat operations in Iraq. We commemorate the more than 4,000 American troops who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Their names will forever be enshrined on the hearts of the people of two grateful nations. For their families, the war in Iraq will never end, and we pray that God comforts them with the knowledge that the sacrifice they endured was not in vain.

We also commend the many more who suffered life-altering injuries in the course of their courageous service. All of the men and women who served under the American flag in Operation Iraqi Freedom have made us safer, and they have made us proud.

Our troops went to Iraq as part of a strong multinational force that executed one of the swiftest military advances in history. In a remarkably short time, they liberated the Iraqi people from a brutal dictatorship, and the world watched the celebrations in Baghdad.

Those early accomplishments did not bring a swift end to the conflict in Iraq. Vicious terror and military attacks continued against our troops and innocent civilians. But President George W. Bush recognized the long-term danger of abandoning an unstable Iraq, although many of his political opponents here at home did not. While Republican leaders like Rep. John A. Boehner were saying "victory is the only option," leading voices in the Democratic Party took a starkly different approach.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that "this war is lost," and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted, "This is not the way to go. It has failed." Both advocated a premature withdrawal and timetables that would have ensured defeat and consigned the Iraqi nation to a future in the hands of radical insurgents.

Early in 2007, amid growing violence in Iraq, Mr. Bush acted on the advice of commanders on the ground and embraced a new strategy that came to be known as the "surge." When I met with Mr. Bush days before he announced the strategy, he told me and a handful of other congressional leaders that he had "decided not to lose." He told us he was implementing a new strategy on the ground with new commanders and was determined to give victory one more chance.

Despite public opposition and criticism in the press, Republicans in Congress stood with our soldiers, again and again, supporting the surge and providing the resources they needed to complete the mission.
House Democrats voted 11 times to implement artificial timetables and tried repeatedly to impose unrealistic conditions on military funding that would have amounted to cutting the funds to our troops in Iraq. They were ready to forsake the fledgling security efforts of Iraq's own forces and abandon an infant democracy to the embrace of brutal terrorists.

As senators, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were among the voices calling for a premature withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. To make their point, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden even voted to deny necessary funding for our troops. They also voted 10 times to impose a dangerous timetable for withdrawal that only would have increased the resolve of our enemies.

It also is important that history record that then-Sen. Obama opposed the surge strategy as soon as it was announced. He claimed that instead of reducing violence, the surge would make things worse and no amount of additional troops on the ground would "make a substantial difference." After Mr. Bush's 2007 State of the Union speech, Mr. Obama told an interviewer, "I don't think the president's strategy is going to work."

Despite the fact that it was obvious by late 2007 that violence in Iraq was declining, Mr. Obama and other leaders of his party refused to recognize the progress. In November 2007, Mr. Obama argued that the United States had "not seen improvements, but we're actually worsening, potentially, a situation there."

The simple fact is that Mr. Reid, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Obama were wrong about the surge and wrong to oppose it.

This administration didn't even set in motion the agreement leading to today's withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq. Before Mr. Bush left office, his administration negotiated a Status of Forces Agreement that was approved by the government of Iraq in December 2008. This agreement set in motion the drawdown of American troops from combat operations in Iraq. On Jan. 1, 2009, before Mr. Obama took office, the United States gave control of the Green Zone and Saddam Hussein's presidential palace to the Iraqi government.

Today, Iraq is experiencing a higher level of stability and security, but our mission there is far from over as our military shifts to an advise-and-assist role. Thousands of American soldiers will remain in Iraq and will need the continued support of this administration and Congress as they assist the Iraqi people in achieving lasting security.

I am grateful for the support the Obama administration has shown our troops in Iraq, but its long-standing opposition to our military's successful surge strategy must not be forgotten in the midst of this widening American success. The truth is, this successful transition is due to the brave service of our troops and a commander in chief who supported the military's strategy in the face of intense domestic opposition.

As the president addresses the nation tonight, let's hope he gives credit where credit is due: to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces who wrought stability from tyranny and terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and, for once, let's hope the president gives credit to a predecessor who refused to accept defeat.

Rep. Mike Pence is chairman of the House Republican Conference.

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ramadi3-website


Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Congressman Mike Pence to stump for Pro-Life GOP contenders


MIKE PENCE
Reclaiming the Republican Party
and the American Dream

by
Chris Dickson

by Alex Isenstadt

POLITICO

Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, the House GOP Conference chairman who has established a national conservative following, is intensifying his visibility on the campaign trail.

Pence held a Wednesday morning fundraiser for GOP attorney Todd Young, who is mounting a challenge to Democratic Rep. Baron Hill. It was one of a string of events Pence is holding for party contenders. Earlier this month, Pence held fundraisers for Indiana Republicans Jackie Walorski, Larry Buschon, Marlin Stutzman and Todd Rokita.

The Indiana congressman is preparing to take his campaign on the road. During September, he will headline events for a roster of GOP challengers in targeted races in the Rust Belt region. Pence is scheduled to make stops for Steve Chabot in Ohio’s 1st District, Jim Renacci in Ohio’s 16th District, Tom Ganley in Ohio’s 13th District, Keith Rothfus in Pennsylvania’s 4th District, Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District, David McKinley in West Virginia’s 1st District and Andy Harris in Maryland’s 1st District.

Pence, a five-term congressman from eastern Indiana, has been widely mentioned as a future candidate for governor and has even been rumored as a potential 2012 presidential prospect. Earlier this year, he turned down an opportunity to run for the state’s vacant Senate seat.

While the Indiana Republican takes on an increasingly active role in the campaign’s final weeks, he is also padding the National Republican Congressional Committee’s treasury. On Wednesday, Pence cut the NRCC a $100,000 check, bringing his total in raised and contributed funds to the committee to more than $1 million.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mike Pence: 'Stumulus Bill has failed; Hoosiers Deserve Real Plan for Real Recovery'


by Congressman Mike Pence

America is known as a land of opportunity. Our country was built and sustained by risk-taking entrepreneurs whose pioneering ideas and hard work forged a nation of economic prosperity.

We have seen this firsthand in Indiana. Innovative leaders like Bill Cook, Clessie Cummins, Tony Hulman, Eli Lilly, Madam C.J. Walker and others developed products and services that allowed our state to grow and flourish. Successful small business owners in towns and cities across the state are a testament to the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit of Hoosiers.

In these tough economic times, days of widespread economic opportunity might seem like single-class high school basketball -- a relic from a bygone era. Right now Indiana families are hurting in the city and on the farm. Unemployment is at 10.1 percent statewide and is higher in many of the counties in eastern Indiana.

Hoosier families I talk with are anxious about this economy. They are concerned about runaway spending in Washington. Most of all, they are worried about jobs.

In Indiana, we have been blessed with six years of outstanding leadership from Mitch Daniels. The governor and his team have made job creation a priority from day one and put our state in a position far better than many of our neighbors.

But in Indiana and across the country, we need more good-paying jobs. We need Washington to foster a climate in which small businesses have the opportunity to innovate and expand. A new generation of entrepreneurs must have the resources and freedom to succeed or fail.

Our leadership in Washington claims that we are on that road to recovery. Last week, the White House issued a report saying that the stimulus bill that passed a year and a half ago had "saved or created" 2.5 to 3.6 million jobs." This report, based on a highly inflated projection of how much economic growth is created for every government dollar that's spent, is further evidence that folks in Washington just do not get it.

The national unemployment rate was 7.7 percent when the stimulus was passed. Today it is 9.5 percent. Since the passage of the stimulus, more than three million jobs have been lost across the country, resulting in a net job loss of 2.4 million.

These numbers tell the real story: the stimulus bill has failed. Hoosiers deserve a real plan for a real recovery, not more spending, more taxes, more debt and more unemployment. Economic freedom is the key to returning America to prosperity. In Congress, I have proposed a constitutional amendment limiting federal spending to one-fifth of the national economy, the historical standard set since World War II. Getting control of spending and ensuring that the federal budget cannot grow faster than family budgets will provide our job creators with stability.

Instead of raising taxes in the midst of a recession, Washington should embrace across-the-board tax cuts for working families, small businesses and family farms. Preserving and expanding tax cuts set to expire at the end of this year will encourage investment and lead to new jobs.

Hoosiers know that trade means jobs. Each day trade agreements languish on Capitol Hill, jobs and economic opportunities are squandered. Passing pending trade agreements with countries like Colombia will benefit Indiana farmers, manufacturers and other Hoosier exporters by eliminating tariffs that serve as barriers to trade.

In the weeks ahead, I will be outlining new ideas for economic growth. Ending wasteful spending, encouraging investment and unlocking the boundless potential of the American entrepreneur are steps Washington must take to get our economy back on track. We must preserve the land of opportunity for future generations.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Congressman Mike Pence on FOX News Sunday

Mike Pence on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews

Mike Pence To Join Bachmann's Tea Party Caucus


MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson
and
Chris Dickson


by Brian Beutler

Michele Bachmann's freshly minted Tea Party Caucus has its first member of GOP leadership: Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence.

At a press availability this afternoon, Pence was enthusiastic. "You betcha," Pence said when asked if he'd join.

"I come out of a background -- I was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, I was chairman of...the House Conservative Caucus," he added. My hope is that this Tea Party caucus...will be an avenue for bringing some of the energy and the enthusiasm and the focus that I've seen, from the National March on Washington where I spoke on 9/12, to traveling around Indiana and all around the country, deeper into the well of Congress.

Pence has been solicitous of the Tea Party movement in the past -- the 9/12 Tea Party in DC was promoted heavily by conservative groups like FreedomWorks and right wing radio and TV host Glenn Beck. But his enthusiasm for joining the new caucus is a reminder that GOP leaders continue to flirt with the far right flank of their base.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

MIKE PENCE RETURNS TO IOWA

Mike Pence Returns to Iowa

Jul 8 2010, 8:32 AM ET |

Oh, he's definitely thinking about running for President. (That's because, so far as I'm aware, he's not writing a book.) Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) will return to Iowa as the guest of Steve Scheffler's Iowa Christian Alliance on Oct. 2. (The ICA was last known for getting mad at Sarah Palin for backing Terry Branstad over Bob Vander Plaatz in the gubernatorial primary.) This is Pence's second visit to Iowa in a year.


T

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Defending Israel Takes More Than Hugs


PENCE & BAUER: Defending Israel Takes More Than Hugs

17 months of damage can't be erased with one friendly meeting

By Mike Pence and Gary Bauer

as printed in The Washington Times, July 7, 2010

The alliance between our nation and Israel has deep and enduring roots, yet since taking office, President Obama has torn apart the ties that bind. Despite a meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that by many accounts was cordial, much still remains to be done to restore the friendship between our two countries.

The modern nation of Israel was established as the clock struck midnight in Jerusalem on May 14, 1948. Eleven minutes later, President Harry Truman, rejecting the advice of Secretary of State George Marshall and most of the foreign-policy establishment, recognized the newly restored Israeli nation. The next day, Arab states declared war on Israel in an effort to kill the new nation in its crib.

Since then, under Israeli prime ministers and American presidents of both parties, the friendship has endured. Both countries believe in the dignity of every human being. Both nations believe in fundamental human rights - freedom of speech, assembly and dissent. We share values rooted in the rich soil of Judeo-Christian civilization; we face hatred from similar enemies.

The Israeli people are overwhelmingly pro-American, and Americans express affection for Israel at levels that are rivaled only by our feelings toward Great Britain. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attack, Americans were shocked to see street celebrations break out in parts of the Middle East, with dancing crowds celebrating the pain inflicted on us. But we were comforted to see Israelis cry along with us, lower their flag and declare a day of mourning as we buried our dead. Israelis understood very well what had happened to America. Proportionately, more Israelis were killed by Palestinian jihadists during the intifada than we lost on Sept. 11.

It is against the backdrop of this cherished alliance that the realization is slowly taking shape in both Israel and the U.S. that Mr. Obama is the most anti-Israel president ever to occupy the Oval Office.

In the 17 months since taking the oath of office, the president methodically has moved the United States away from our friend Israel while reaching out to the most thuggish regimes in the Middle East. He sends letters offering friendship to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a man who says Israel will be "wiped off the map," while at the same time disrespecting Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Obama protests that nothing has changed and that he is committed to the U.S.-Israel relationship. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton went to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention to reassure the audience that we are committed to Israel's security. Other administration functionaries use the same talking points, but public policy tells a different story. The administration shows a disturbing pattern of currying favor with enemies like Iran while pushing aside the concerns and interests of allies like Israel.

Iran's government is responsible for the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq. Yet the White House offers the Iranian regime friendship, diplomacy and dialogue. The president has displayed infinite patience with Mr. Ahmadinejad. Iran's deception has been overlooked. Mr. Obama has eagerly sought talks while promising no preconditions even as Iran insists that its nuclear program will not be negotiated. A year ago, when Iranian reformers were beaten and murdered in the streets of Tehran, the Obama administration was slow and tepid in its condemnation for fear it would damage the administration's outreach to the oppressive Iranian government.

Compare this indulgent treatment of Iran to the bullying Israel has received from the Obama administration. There was unprecedented outrage when the administration heard that the Jerusalem municipal authority had allowed building permits to go forward in a well-established, undisputed Jewish neighborhood. White House officials made sure to "leak" to the media that Mr. Obama was livid with Israel. The White House publicly demanded that all building stop in East Jerusalem, a demand to which no Israeli prime minister could ever agree.

The American people have been left to wonder how an American administration could denounce the Jewish state of Israel for rebuilding Jerusalem. What should a reasonable observer conclude when Israelis building homes in their own capital elicit more White House anger than does Mr. Ahmadinejad, who promises a second genocide and urges the Iranian people to imagine a world without Israel and the U.S.?

When the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference met in May, it was widely assumed that the Obama administration would use the opportunity to rally support against the Iranian nuclear program. Instead, the conference, with the support of the Obama administration, issued a statement demanding that Israel, which is not a signatory to the treaty, open its nuclear program to outside supervision. It's unprecedented for a U.S. president to sign on to a resolution that singles out Israel and ignores Iran, Syria and North Korea.

The most recent browbeating of Israel came when the president criticized Israel's blockade of Gaza as "unsustainable." This administration does not understand the critical importance of the Gaza blockade. The terrorist organization Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad for thousands of rockets that killed innocent civilians in Israel. The blockade helps keep weapons away from Hamas, saving lives in Gaza and Israel. Yet the American president sees fit to join the anti-Israel international chorus, which seeks little more than to tear down Israel's right and ability of self-defense.

Time and time again, the pattern is the same. The world is being sent a clear and unmistakable signal: This administration will not stand with Israel against the circling vultures. The Obama administration's policies are undermining our ally, emboldening Israel's enemies and making a Middle East war more, not less, likely. By endangering Israeli security, Mr. Obama is also making America less safe. Our alliance with Israel is not a liability; it is an asset. Together with other free nations, we are defending our shared values.

A group of respected world leaders and academic figures, including former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, met in Paris recently. They boldly asserted, "There is no West without Israel." They are right. Israel is the "tip of the spear" of Western democratic values in a dangerous neighborhood of thugs, jihadists and dictators. The weakening of the Israeli nation does not help America. It puts us more at risk. Undermining a 62-year alliance with Israel doesn't win friends for the U.S. - it makes every nation question the value of aligning with America. After all, if America will break with its most cherished ally, what other nation could rely on our promises?

We are entering dangerous waters. Iran is marching forward with its nuclear program. NATO member Turkey appears to have realigned against U.S. interests and toward a new alliance with Iran and Syria. The president's policies toward Israel are damaging an alliance that now more than ever needs to be strong. Meeting with Mr. Netanyahu and treating him with respect this week was a good start. But much work still remains to be done.

Rep. Mike Pence is chairman of the House Republican Caucus, and Gary Bauer is the president of American Values and chairman of Campaign for Working Families.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/8/defending-israel-takes-more-than-hugs/?page=2


Monday, June 21, 2010

Mike Pence and the Winning Back of America


MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson
and
Chris Dickson

By Ed Lasky

As the political landscape shifts, one Congressman in particular is helping lead us forward to win back America: Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana.

What are the talents that leaders need in this environment to rally the troops and lead us to victory in November and beyond?

Principles that have been long held not just us but by the leaders themselves: politicians who do not flip flop but hold fast to their ideals. They are dependable. Their values harmonically resonate with most Americans because they reflect and express the American creed. They are an expression of what makes us Americans. Rep. Pence's fidelity to these values demonstrates his fealty to us. They are conservative values that hewn closely to the visions of our founding fathers. They are the values held dear by members and sympathizers of the Tea Party movement.

Mike Pence -- like Ronald Reagan -- is a son of the heartland has those values. While incumbents and establishment insiders try to figure out how to adapt and appeal to the tea party movement, Mike Pence was very early recognized by them as someone who had already earned their allegiance by years of devotion to those principles. He has not changed his bedrock values; the rest of the nation has come back to them. He expresses those values quite well as the keynote speaker at the recent Taxpayer March on Washington. After 18 months of Democratic steamrolling over our principles , the shredding of the Constitution, and the turning of the people's house into a house of ill-repute (via bribes and deals behind closed doors) , Pence called it like it is when he characterized Nancy Pelosi as "the least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History" . Telling it like it is -- that is what we should want in our leaders.

We need leaders who are a fount of ideas: people who are prepared to face the many challenges before us with policy proposals -- and not airy platitudes that are hot air nonsense read off a teleprompter (Yes We Can; We are the ones we are waiting for) that resemble haiku as written by a freshmen. We need someone who has experience with policies that work. Never before have Americans been more primed to learning about policy proposals. This is partly due to a revulsion towards the radical changes imposed upon us (hook and crook, and a lot of the latter) -- by the troika of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid and their Democratic partners.

Town hall meetings are just one manifestation of the deep concern people have towards policy. They hunger for new policy because the old ones often failed and the ones put in place by Democrats threaten our future. People are interested in charter schools and vouchers, cutting back public employee unions, the deficit time bomb, immigration reform.

Democrats denigrate Republicans as the "Party of No", as paleoconservatives, as antediluvian dummies. Of course, these slurs are wrong historically and currently but liberal partisans are wont to throw insult as often as they throw dollars away.

Supply-side tax cuts as a way to boost growth? A Republican idea. Enterprise zones? Republican. Vouchers and school choice? A Republican idea. Tearing down monopolies is a legacy of the Republican Theodore Roosevelt and has been modernized by the Republican quest to eliminate the one last vestige of monopoly power in America: the provision of "government" services (when was the last time you looked upon government workers as serving you?). Welfare reform to restore a sense of self-esteem to our less advantaged? A Republican idea (Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin; Bill Clinton was forced into such reform by a Republican Congress).

The list can be continued to the present day. The GOP has health care plans and budget proposals to slash the deficit-but the media smothered coverage of them. The GOP needs to push past the cover-up and bring the truth to the light of day.

As Peter Berkowitz wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, "Republicans squandered their hard-won reputation as the party of ideas. It's time to reclaim it".

Mike Pence has been in the forefront of devising new policies for many years. Even before entering politics, he was president of a think tank. After entering politics, he has led the way on immigration reform (focusing on securing our borders and following and enforcing our laws as well as providing a way for honest immigrants to meet our labor needs), free speech (battling Democratic plans to impose the Fairness Doctrine on us -- that would be the death knell for talk radio and independent voices. He battled the health care plan water boarded down our throats by Democrats (see his Wall Street Journal op-ed, "This Law Will Not Stand"), the budget (as he was in the forefront opposing the disastrous "stimulus" bill and has tried to prevent yet another bailout -- this time of spendthrift European nations who have avoided the tough choices need to bring this fiscal affairs in order). He wants to stop "the freight train of big government " (a ringing phrase coined by him) before we are crushed by it. The big spending that is endemic in D.C. and has become a pandemic across state governments -he wants to end the waste of our money and restore fiscal sanity to the asylum that Democrats now run-into the ground.

Pence is a talented writer; he knows how to explain and expound his ideas (just peruse his Wall Street Journal columns, for example). I predict a book by him -- such as Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney have written -- to be published that charts his agenda to climb the bestseller lists because it is our agenda, too.

Mike Pence is a man open to new ideas -- if they bring good things to Americans. He has a real world example of how pro-growth policies and limited (but well-run) government works in his own home state. Indiana's Republican Governor, Mitch Daniels, has put in place the very type of policies that Pence has championed for years. The result has been an economic miracle in the so-called Rust Belt that has garnered acclaim across America. We need these types of policies writ large across America. Mike Pence can propel them forward.

These leaders cannot come out of the blue. We have an example of that in The Oval Office now. We will need a leader who knows the ways of the world, the people to reach out towards, the networks of power to plug into and channel, the levers to pull. Time is of the essence. While there may be a sour mood in the nation regarding incumbents, this is not the time to cast a ballot against them all. The problems we face need to be addressed now. In other words, we need someone who knows the way of Washington but has not been captured by them.

Mike Pence has, in barely a decade, become an influential leader among his fellow Republicans. He was chairman of the Republican Study Committee and is now the co-chairman of the House Republican Conference. He is third highest ranking Republican in the House leadership. His fellow Republicans hold him in high regard; he has -- and will continue -- to power his ideas and plans to fruition by being able to channel his fellow members' votes in the direction the nation so desperately needs now. He is the one national figure that can bridge the establishment world of party powers and the energized movement of millions of Americans towards the Tea Party. The tent can be bog when it is held aloft by standard bearers such as Mike Pence.

We need people in charge who can inspire America. As the Obama-induced malaise spreads across America, we need someone who can boost our spirits and restore our confidence. In our media age, we need someone who is telegenic, fast on his feet, and who has shown skill in using both old and new media not just as message machines but as morale boosters. He has to be media savvy-with or without a prompter leading the way.

Mike Pence has the very skills -- the ability to connect and inspire people -- that Ronald Reagan had during his life. Not surprisingly, both shared a background in media and the public stage before entering the political world. Ronald Reagan had experience in radio and film, and his ability to tap the energy of the crowds was honed by giving hundreds of speeches across America. Mike Pence, who was inspired by Ronald Reagan, learned the ropes by hosting both a statewide talk radio program in Indiana as well as a television program covering the issues of the day. Pence is a favorite of talk radio hosts to this day -- and for good reason. But he has not stopped there in his drive to be a tribune for the people.

He has been a pioneer in using You Tube to reach over the heads of a biased media outlets and into the hearts of Americans across the land (see -- and make a favorite -- the Mike Pence channel on You Tube, podcasts, the web-all our tools that a man determined to fix our government has brought to bear over the last few years. He has been ahead of the curve.

But he needs our help.

We need to step up to the plate and help fuel the engine and prime the pump. How can we do this?

Talk to our friends and family, spread the good news, send emails with links to his website and You Tube Channel, cut and paste his columns and broadcast them far and wide. We can also, candidly, support his campaigns -- as I have been doing for years. I consider it one of the best investments I can make to ensure a bright future for my children and to restore America to its rightful place in the world. I hope you join me and many thousands of Americans in helping Mike Pence help us.

Ed Lasky is news editor of American Thinker.


Thursday, June 17, 2010

Mike Pence: GAO confirms it is Time to Defund Planned Parenthood


Pence: “The time has come to deny any and all federal
funding to Planned Parenthood by passing the
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.”


Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Mike Pence
today issued the following statement regarding
the release of a new Government Accountability
Office (GAO) report revealing that the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America received
$657.1 million in taxpayer dollars from Fiscal
Year 2002 to Fiscal Year 2009. The largest
source of these funds ($342.1 million) was the
Title X family planning program.



“It is morally wrong to end an unborn human
life by abortion. But it is also morally wrong
to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of
pro-life Americans and use those funds to
promote abortion.

“This report confirms that the largest
abortion provider in America is being
bankrolled by American taxpayers. In these
tough economic times, there is simply no
reason why taxpayer money should go to fund
the activities of abortion providers and
equip them with the resources they need to
end innocent human life.

“We must stop providing taxpayer dollars to
abortion providers through Title X. We must
put an end to Americans unwillingly providing
financial support to the abortion industry.
The time has come to deny any and all federal
funding to Planned Parenthood by passing the
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.”

Background:

The Title X Family Planning program was
enacted in 1970 as Title X of the Public Health
Service Act. Title X is the only federal grant
program that provides individuals with
comprehensive family planning and related
preventive health services.

Congressman Pence introduced The Title X
Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 614),
a bill prohibiting the distribution of
Title X family planning money to entities
that use abortion as a method of family
planning. The bi-partisan bill has
93 co-sponsors.

Originally, family planning services were
not allowed to include abortions and
currently federal dollars are not used
directly for abortions. However, over the
years, the subsidy of abortion providers
under the umbrella of family planning has
been gradually accepted.

Current law prohibits the use of Title X
family planning funds “in programs where
abortion is a method of family planning;”
and current regulations require some
form of separation between federally-funded
family planning services and abortions.
However, the current regulations do not
contain a descriptive standard of what
constitutes “separation.” They only require
the level of separation to be more
than “mere bookkeeping.”

When Title X money goes to clinics that
provide both abortions and family planning
services, even though the money cannot
directly fund abortions, it is being used to
offset operational costs with federal funds,
freeing up money to promote and provide
abortions.

Rep. Pence, Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) and 29
other Members requested the GAO study,
which can be accessed at
http://gao.gov/products/GAO-10-533R.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Mike Pence Asks Obama, "Who's Side Are You On?"

Rep. Mike Pence Has a Question for the President

By Doug Powers • June 10, 2010 04:22 PM

**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers

In light of the fact that all problems are solved in the United States and our debt and spending are under control, President Obama yesterday pledged $400 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian territories. The money was pledged during a meeting between Obama and Mahmoud Abbas.

Obama said he would not meet with the CEO of BP because “he’s going to say all the right things to me, I’m not interested in words, I’m interested in actions,” so it’s nice to see him have such confidence in Abbas to be honest and forthright in his ultimately successful attempt to get his hands on hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars.

Cassy Fiano calls it a “terrorist stimulus package,” and if it is, the only reason for optimism is the hope that a terrorist stimulus will work as well as the stimulus package. If Sheriff Biden is in charge of making sure the aid works as intended, Abbas is screwed.

But remember, the $400 million is just a “down payment”:

The Obama administration’s promise of aid includes money to increase access to clean drinking water, create jobs and build schools and affordable housing. State Department officials called the projects “a down payment” on the U.S. commitment to improving life in Gaza.

Last year, U.S. officials pledged a total of $900 million for Gaza and the West Bank, but acknowledged the difficulty of distributing the funds, especially because Hamas controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization. The aid announced Wednesday may be distributed through organizations performing relief work, State Department officials said.

Sure. This aid will be different… it won’t be handed to the guys in the “Hamas” shirts, but rather to the nice folks wearing the “samaH” shirts (inability to recognize a t-shirt turned inside-out is a time-honored skill that’s been handed down through generations of United Nations aid distributors).

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana isn’t happy with any of this, and asks Obama what I’d consider the rhetorical question of the week: “Whose side are you on?” (h/t Cubachi):

Here are some things the media doesn’t report about Gaza. It ain’t all misery and Israeli-induced dispair.

According to exit polling on election day 2008, 78% of Jewish voters went for the US presidential candidate with a background that suggested he would empathize with the Muslim point of view (and I’m putting that so mildly that it borders on beyond sarcasm). I’m not Jewish, so if three-quarters of American Jewish folks don’t mind, maybe I shouldn’t be as concerned as I am. We’ll see what the numbers look like after the 2012 election.

**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers

Pence Slams Pelosi: 'Least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History'

Jason Mattera
VIDEO: Pence Slams Pelosi: ‘Least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History’


When asked to compare Nancy Pelosi to previous House speakers, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) didn’t hold back. In an exclusive interview with HUMAN EVENTS, Pence excoriated her as the “least democratic speaker in the history of the House of Representatives,” arguing that she’s blocked a “free and open debate” in Congress.


Mr. Mattera is the editor of HUMAN EVENTS and the author of Obama Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation (Simon & Schuster).

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Servant General of the F.L.A. (Franciscan Lay Apostolate); Hermitage Scullion; Former Radio Talk Show Host; 3rd Degree Knights of Columbus, Former Staff Member of United States Senator Dan Coats; Retired Infantry Major: served with U.S. Army Intelligence in Vietnam and Europe; Wife: Karen (married 54 years), 5 children, 11 Grandchildren ... To request your special intentions to be offered up before our Eucharistic Lord in intercessory prayer, please e-mail your Prayer Intentions to the Portiuncula Hermitage at: chrisdicksonfla@gmail.com