Mike Pence to headline GOP pre-Obama rally

Indiana Congressman will appear live via video from Washington, D.C.

By Lynda Waddington 3/24/10 12:13 PM

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, will serve as the featured speaker Wednesday night in Iowa City when state and college Republicans host a rally on the eve of a scheduled visit by President Barack Obama.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

The rally, dubbed “Stand Up for Freedom,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the University of Iowa campus and also features the four individuals engaged in a GOP primary for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. While other scheduled guests will appear in person, Pence, considered by many to have 2012 presidential aspirations, will appear via Skype from Washington, D.C.

“I’m proud to have Congressman Pence standing with Iowans tonight and standing up against the continued assault on our personal and economic freedoms from the Obama administration and Iowa’s congressional Democrats,” said Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa.

On Tuesday, Pence promised that the “fight is not over” and that “House Republicans are determined to take our case on this government takeover of health care to the floor of the Congress and to the American people.”

Pence also promised that, should there be a Republican majority in Congress following the 2010 elections, that he and his colleagues would work to repeal the legislation.

Prior to members of the passage of the health care reform legislation, Pence appeared on FOX News to blast the bill and Obama as pro-abortion.

“It’s disappointing to see member of Congress exchange 30 years of pro-life law for a piece of paper from the most pro-abortion president in American history, but we are going to stay in this fight” Pence said. “We really believe the American public knows now that there is public funding for abortion in this bill.”

Obama and anti-abortion House Democrats, led by Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, struck a deal that included an executive order that would continue the status quo in relation abortion services, which has been historically managed by the Hyde Amendment. According to Pence, however, the executive order is a piece of paper that holds no promise because it can be legally challenged and overturned by the court.

Local Republicans are billing the rally as a preemptive strike to Obama’s scheduled visit to the University of Iowa on Thursday. Dane Nealson, chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, announced Tuesday on Twitter that “President Obama is becoming the biggest recruiting [t]ool” the University of Iowa College Republicans have ever had. The organization has been particularly engaged in promoting and hosting the rally.

In addition to Pence, confirmed speakers at the rally are Strawn, UI College Republican Chairman Natalie Ginty, Iowa attorney general candidate Brenna Findley, and the four 2nd District congressional candidates – Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Steve Rathje, Christopher Reed and Rob Gettemy.

Mike Pence: Path to repeal begins in Iowa

By Lynda Waddington 3/25/10 6:48 AM

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence set a clear task before Republicans Wednesday night in Iowa City: “Give the president and Obamacare the kind of welcome that it is going to deserve across the country.”

The Indiana Republican, who is believed to be a 2012 presidential contender, said that if Iowans fulfill their task that he guarantees that the rest of the nation will follow suit.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

“I don’t think there is any mistake that the president has chosen Iowa City in your fair state to start making his case for this government take-over of health care to the American people,” said Pence, who spoke via the Internet to roughly 150 people gathered for rally on the campus of the University of Iowa. “Iowa is use to leading the nation. … It is time for the people of Iowa who believe in conservative values, who believe in limited government and who believe we can do better on health care reform to lead this nation again.”

Pence’s remarks came at an event jointly organized by the Republican Party of Iowa and the Federation of Iowa College Republicans on the eve of a visit by President Barack Obama. In May 2007, then-candidate Obama first outlined his plan for reforming the nation’s health care system at a presidential campaign rally in roughly the same location.

In less than 10 minutes of public remarks, Pence referred to recently passed health care reform legislation as Obamacare eight times and as a “government take-over” seven times. He also noted, no less than four times, that he and other Republicans in the U.S. House are determined to repeal the bill and begin the process anew.

“It was in the dead of the night on Sunday that Democrats in Congress and in this administration rammed through a government take-over of health care filled with individual mandates, job-killing taxes and a government-run insurance plan,” he said. “Some say we made history on Sunday night. Well, I said on the House floor that I think we broke history because we broke with our traditions of limited government, personal responsibility and the consent of the governed. The majority that will break these traditions is a majority that should be retired from Capitol Hill.”

Pence promised that if the bill was repealed and Congress — presumably with a Republican majority following the 2010 elections — was allowed to write a new bill that it would cut the cost of health insurance without growing government, provide “real malpractice reform” and use the savings to provide insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and provide the type of reform “necessary to ensure the long-term solvency of our country and all the programs that are vital to those most vulnerable.” He did not indicate why such reforms were not proposed or debated when the Republican Party previously controlled Congress.

Mike Pence Addresses Threats, Vandalism, and Smears of Law Abiding Americans Exercising Their Rights

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

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Mike Pence Discusses Earmark Moratorium, Massa on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell

"YOU" Republicans!

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

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

House Republicans Unilaterally Ban All Earmarks

MIKE PENCE: “OUR NATION IS FACING A FISCAL CRISIS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS”

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

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Mike Pence: "It's Time for a Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution!"

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

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

"If we fail to act, our children will be less
free, less prosperous, and less secure. It's
time for a Spending Limit Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States."

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence,
Chairman of the House Republican Conference,
gave the following statement today on the floor
of the U.S. House of Representatives on his
proposed Spending Limit Amendment to the
Constitution:

"Federal spending is out of control, and the
American people know it. Our nation is facing
a fiscal crisis of epic proportions.  In the
past five years, federal spending has climbed
from an historic average of 20 percent of the
American economy to nearly 25 percent today,
and it's rising. According to the Congressional
Budget Office, the first five months of this
fiscal year the federal government ran a
deficit of $655 billion, keeping the country
on track for a record $1.6 trillion deficit
this year.

"After years of trying to rein in federal
spending under Republican and Democrat
administrations, the American people want
fiscal discipline and they want new ideas.
That's why Congressmen Jeb Hensarling, John
Campbell, and myself introduced the Spending
Limit Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States. Under our amendment, absent a
declaration of war and a two-thirds vote in
the Congress, Congress would be required to
adhere to its historic percentage of the
economy.

"For the last 60 years we've only taken 20
cents on the American dollar out of this economy.
It's time we put that limit in the Constitution
of the United States.  If we fail to act, our
children will be less free, less prosperous,
and less secure. It's time for a Spending Limit
Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States."

Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage March Commemorating 45th Anniversary Of Bloody Sunday

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

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Congressman Mike Pence participated in the 2010 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, which took place from March 5—7 with stops in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. This year marks the 45th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the most pivotal events of the civil rights movement. Congressman Pence joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) in serving as honorary co-leaders and Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL) and Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) were the honorary co-hosts. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) served once again as the Pilgrimage Chairman.

Mike Pence: Obama Attack On Prayer Meeting Is Attack On Free Speech

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

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Outraged Conservatives: Barring Critic of Obama’s Gays-in-Military Policy from Air Force Prayer Meeting Is Attack on Free Speech


By Pete Winn and Karen Schuberg

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins (FRC photo)

(CNSNews.com) - Conservative leaders and members of Congress largely expressed outrage Friday that the Air Force had blacklisted Family Research Council President Tony Perkins from speaking at Andrews Air Force Base because of his position on the military policy on homosexuality.

As CNSNews.com reported Friday, the Air Force has admitted the chaplain's office at Andrews retracted an invitation to him to speak at the prayer luncheon held there on Feb. 25 because of the views that Perkins had expressed.

Andrews is the home base for Air Force One, the designation for the airplane that carries the president when he travels.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNSNews.com that he’s “disappointed” the Air Force would “un-invite” Perkins because of his positions.

“These actions are out of line with the caution that the heads of the military branches have expressed with regards to this policy,” Inhofe said.

“Each one of them has indicated that it would be best for the Pentagon to finish its review before addressing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a manner that disrupts readiness and recruitment. I wonder if Tony Perkins would have received the same treatment if his views on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell had matched those of President Obama.”

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, was outraged.

“I think many members (of Congress) are outraged,” Kingston told CNSNews.com. “The mainstream media hasn’t given this as much coverage as they would if they agreed with Perkins. This is something that I think that people will be asking a lot of questions--a harbinger of what may be out there to come, you know, if on a high-profile captain like Tony Perkins, they reject him. They may (start) doing it to everybody else."

Kingston said he thought the Air Force was "using" the incident to send a message to its own chaplains about what thhey could and could not say from the pulpit.

“(W)hat they were doing is using him to drive a message--that your brand of sermon is no longer welcome in the U.S. military,” he said.

He added: “I think it probably does go beyond the Air Force. They knew there would be a backlash to this, and I think they had a design about that: ‘OK, you know, we want other (chaplains) to understand and pipe down on your personal views on this biblical view, and you believe it, just keep it mellow; we want watered-down messages.’”



Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said he would be looking into the incident more deeply.

“I hold Tony Perkins in the highest regard, as do pro-family Americans across this country,” Pence said. “And I would hope that the change in the speaking roster had nothing to do with his stated positions on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But we’ll be making appropriate inquiries,” Pence said.

Conservative leaders like Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center (the parent organization of CNSNews.com), said it was “truly frightening” that Perkins, a former Marine officer and minister, had been “thrown off a military base, in effect, for expressing his Christian views.”

“This is beyond political correctness,” Bozell told CNSNews.com. “This is flat-out political censorship taking place. And I would wish that the White House would not only condemn it, but flat-out reverse this policy.”

Bozell said Rep. Kingston was correct that Perkins won’t be the only conservative to be censored for his views.

“Today, it’s Tony Perkins. Tomorrow, who is it? Is there someone who says something offensive to the Obama administration and the will of Congress and is told he can’t speak there? Is there somebody who says something that is unacceptable to the Obama administration so he can’t speak at the university?

“My God, this is fascism. This is not America. This is not the country that I grew up in. This is not the kind of ‘change we can believe in.’

Bozell said it is no surprise that the story was not being covered by the mainstream news media.

“This is the kind of story the national news media will love to ignore because it speaks to the ugly underbelly of the Obama machine, of the Chicago mafia,” Bozell said. “This is the Chicago mafia at play. And the national news media will do everything in its power not to report this story. But it will get out through the new media. The American people will learn about it.

Other conservative leaders expressed similar concerns.

Ron Robinson, president of Young Americans for Freedom, told CNSNews.com the exclusion of a major conservative figure like Perkins on the basis of his views was a "sad reflection on the political correctness in today’s military.”

“Perkins’ position is the one that historically was true through almost the 200 years of American military history. It’s said that the Obama administration is trying to censor people that disagree with them," Robinson said.

“We see this administration give lip service to some support of military personnel, but in fact, it just seems to want to push a radical left-wing agenda, and I think that seeps down through the ranks,” he added.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, called it a “chilling indication of how military brass are already operating--pressuring those who agree with the current law on homosexuals in the military to be silent.”

Wright added: “Navy Admiral Mullins told reporters that not a single member of the military has raised the issue since he told Congress that homosexuals should serve openly. This letter provides insight into why the troops may be silent. We are a country directed by the rule of law, not a monarchy. Obama's views do not trump the law. When there is a conflict, the military should follow the law, not Obama's opinion."

Precursor to Zero Tolerance

For conservative publisher Alfred Regnery the incident shows evidence the military is being politicized.

"Tony Perkins is a national leader of considerable stature who rightfully takes positions on such things as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,’" Regnery told CnsNews.com. "Since when are people in the military so sensitive that they cannot listen to things they may disagree with? And I'd be surprised if most of them don't agree with Tony anyway."

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, called the incident a “cautionary tale” – a taste of what will happen if the law is changed to remove the military ban on homosexuality in the armed services.

“What strikes me about this story, is how clearly it demonstrates how the culture of the military can be used by the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) left to accomplish its goals,” Donnelly told CNSNews.com.

“In this case, the Air Force chaplain who meant well in sending the letter that he sent to Tony Perkins, was carrying out what he thought was the expectation of the administration--that from here on in we would have sexual minorities accepted in the military. The letter seems to suggest that the law--the LGBT law--has already been passed, legislation to repeal current law regarding homosexuals in the military.

“For (the chaplain) to send a letter like this, though, which is so far ahead of any expectation, is useful to us in the current debate because it shows how the concept of zero tolerance would work."

Donnelly said that any time the military implements a policy “in the name of civil rights,” it also implements a “Zero Tolerance” policy.

“That means that anyone who disagrees would be subject to career penalties, and would thereby be dismissed from the military,” she said. “In this case, when the Air Force chaplain said, ‘Well, we can’t have Tony Perkins come and speak because he does not support the issue of gays in the military,’ that was a demonstration of how it would work if the new law is passed and there are number of chaplains and people of faith who have the same view that Tony Perkins does.

"This kind of deliberate, organized discrimination, and silencing of disagreement is exactly what would happen on a large scale if the LGBT law (eliminating the military ban on homosexuality) is written,” Donnelly added.

Meanwhile, former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer--a previous president of the Family Research Council--said he, too, is outraged but he is not surprised at the incident.

“I would have been surprised if I heard that Tony had been invited and actually got to speak,” Bauer, currently president of American Values, told CNSNews.com.

What happened to Perkins sparks feelings of déjà vu for Bauer.

“Back in the ‘90s, when I was heading FRC, I was ‘disinvited’ to a Coast Guard prayer luncheon, for similar reasons,” Bauer said. "I got this invitation, was surprised to get it, accepted and everything was going fine, and then a number, as I recall, of gay rights groups and separation of church and state groups spoke up and--I think--a member of Congress that was on the committee that dealt with Coast Guard appropriations also got involved.

"The theme was the same: that I held ‘unacceptable views.’ ”

At that time, Bauer said, another liberal Democrat was in the White House--Bill Clinton.

“When Washington is in the hands of people who most aggressively accuse others of intolerance, they almost always attempt to limit the free speech of those that disagree with them, on the right,” Bauer said.

The term "political correctness," Bauer said, doesn’t do it justice.

“Even the term is politically correct,” Bauer said. “What it is is a concerted effort to either force people to observe the unwritten liberal rules on what you can and can't believe or to face the prospect of being silenced if you won’t do that.”