Arkansas’ Curtis Coleman has upset the left…
And what’s so wrong with that?
In an interview with KTHV last week, Conservative Republican candidate for US Senate Curtis Coleman responded to a question on embryonic stem cell research with the following:
“Embryonic stem cell research is taking the concept of taking a life and using it to conduct experiments so we can temporarily extend somebody else life. Let me tell you what i just described, I just described what the nazis did to the jews in the death camps of WWII.”
Coleman has proclaimed his pro-life stance from the outset of his campaign, so such a statement shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Though his Right to Life position paper on his website doesn’t specifically mention stem cell research, Coleman makes clear he’s adamantly opposed to abortion and dedicated to protecting the life of the unborn.
Still, Democrats are attacking the central Arkansas businessman. Claiming he’s attacked researchers and Jewish Arkansans, left-wingers across the country have descended on the story like a pack of ravenous wolves.
When asked to comment for this article, Rabbi Kalman Winnick of the Agudath Achim Synagogue in Little Rock said he didn’t think the comparison was appropriate, but stopped short of saying it was invalid. He said there is a contemporary tendency to compare anything one disagrees with to the Nazis and that practice is hurtful to those who actually endured the atrocities of the Nazis in WWII. According to Winnick, such comparisons should not be used in modern political disputes.
Winnick did not take a position for or against embryonic stem cell research, but did say he’s not sure Coleman was wrong to place a high value on a potential life. The Rabbi said he does a lot of counseling and often tells people they can be both right and wrong in what they’re saying. “What you say may be right, but you can be wrong to say it,” said the Rabbi.
Predictably though, liberal blogs and news organizations have seized the comment to paint Coleman as an “extremist.” But, these left-wing media outlets have ignored the veracity of Coleman’s statement as they intentionally misinterpreted the comment in the hopes of boosting Democrats’ chances in a race that recent polls have shown is more than likely to be won by the GOP in November.
MSNBC, The Huffington Post, Think Progress, and other left-wing Democrat propaganda appendages are all trying to convince the electorate that Coleman envisions microscopic cells being marched to gas chambers. But Coleman meant no such thing, and the left-wing rags all know that.
Given Coleman’s unequivocal belief that human life begins at conception, by definition he believes an embryo embodies human life. Coleman insists he’s not against using other types of stem cells for research purposes. He posted the following comments on his blog to clarify his misinterpreted remark.
“We must, therefore, be ever vigilant against allowing ourselves to rationalize our way into unjustly terminating life at any stage. I have consistently and strongly supported stem cell research, especially umbilical cord stem cell research, and celebrate reports that more than 70 human diseases are being treated by this process. I question only the specific kind of embryonic stem cell research that requires human life to be sacrificed by the destruction of a human embryo.”–Curtis Coleman
We’ve all seen images of atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazis in WWII concentration camps. Mass graves, human incinerators, gas chambers, cattle cars, starving prisoners literally worked to death to feed the Wehrmacht are burned into our minds from photos, movies, and newsreels that we’ve seen over the years. But lesser known atrocities were committed in these camps as well, including the use of Jewish prisoners as human guinea pigs for medical experiments.
The United States Holocaust Museum breaks down Nazi medical experiments on human subjects into three separate categories.
Experiments aimed at:
- facilitating the survival of Axis military personnel
- developing and testing pharmaceuticals and treatment methods for injuries and illnesses
- advancing the racial and ideological tenets of the Nazi worldview
The authors of the previously mentioned left-wing articles on Coleman’s comment have intentionally attempted to give the impression that such experiments only fell into the third category. Perusing the comments on several of these articles, it appears the consumers of these Democrat propaganda organizations have virtually no idea that experiments of the first and second category were performed in the Third Reich death camps.
Technically and literally, experiments in the first and second category did exactly what Curtis Coleman described–they took lives to conduct experiments to temporarily extend the lives of others.
Our Children are Going to Pay
by Curtis Coleman, Arkansas GOP candidate for US Senate
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) voted to borrow another $1.9 TRILLION this past week…and our children are going to pay. What kind of immorality is this that we are recklessly throwing away our children’s future? What happened to us that we care more about our comfort than their freedom?
Of course, Sen. Lincoln had little choice since she and her cohorts in Congress have been consistently spending more than is coming in. It’s called deficit spending. If it continues, it inevitably leads to bankruptcy. Which is where the U.S. is headed on a high-speed train.
There is a very important distinction between a deficit and the debt. Deficit spending means we’re spending more than we’re taking in. Debt is what results from deficit spending. The deficit is how much we are borrowing. The debt is how much we have already borrowed from lenders like China.
So, as a country we have already borrowed $12,400,000,000,000 to finance our deficit spending. That’s our debt. President Obama is now asking us to spend $1,700,000,000,000 more in 2010 than the federal government’s projected income. That amount will be our deficit this year. The result? We’ll have a new total debt of $14,100,000,000,000 at the end of year. Let me bring this closer to home. This debt is not the money somebody else owes. This is the money you owe. The only money the government has is your money.
Your portion is $45,000. Pay up, please! Don’t have it? Well, then we’ll have to borrow it from somebody (probably the Chinese if they’ll still lend it to us). So our children will have to pay it back – plus interest.
Is this really okay with you?
The POLR (Pelosi/Obama/Lincoln/Reid) Administration is now talking about reducing the deficit starting next year. (That’s kind of like me starting a diet- tomorrow.) All that means is that we’ll slow how fast we’re still borrowing money! We must stop deficit spending, but we must also attack the debt. Our country’s debt is a clear and present danger, an urgent matter of national security, and it must be attacked as our worst enemy.
What is the solution?
Well, let’s start with the profoundly obvious: Spend less than we have. When our outgo exceeds our income, our overhead will be our downfall. So, we can either increase our income or decrease our outgo. Or do both!
First, how do we increase our income? The liberals believe we do that by increasing taxes. That approach seems to make sense – but it doesn’t. Our economic history has consistently shown that when we increase taxes, we suppress growth in our economy and discourage initiative and achievement in our people. The government ends up taking a bigger piece of a shrinking pie. This process is a death spiral – and one the U.S. is on today.
What we must do is allow U.S. businesses and individuals to generate more income by (1) reducing taxes and (2) getting a stifling, smothering, anti-business bureaucracy out of our faces, out of our offices, and out of our pocketbooks. Our economic history has consistently shown that reducing taxes creates economic growth. The result is government can take a smaller piece of a much bigger pie and still increase its income. When Americans discover that they get to keep more of the income they generate, they’ll generate a lot more income – and the pie gets even bigger! But government’s intrusion into every aspect of our economy creates huge inefficiencies as businesses and individuals must deal with the demands placed upon them.
Increasing income is only ½ of the solution. We must also decrease our outgo. How do we do that?
The cost of government has gotten too big because the size of government has gotten too big. We reduce the cost of government by reducing the size of government. Easier said than done? You bet!
So where do we start? Well, you can poke the federal government just about anywhere and hit fat, so our choices are almost endless. Let’s start with eliminating some of these bloated, competitive, and duplicative bureaucracies. (I’ve been in the food safety business for the last decade. I’ve been told that there are as many as 17 different federal agencies that regulate food safety. That over-regulation could explain why we don’t have safer food – and a budget deficit!)
We must rein in some terribly out-of-bounds if not out-of-control federal agencies such as the EPA, which has become something like a 21st century American Gestapo. It recently told Congress that it will do by regulation what Congress refuses to do by legislation. When a federal agency blackmails Congress, it is time for that bureaucracy to have its wings clipped and its chain dramatically shortened.
But more fundamentally and much more importantly, we must make a multi-generational commitment to return and reshape the federal government to the original prescription of the Constitution.
The biggest challenge to reducing the size of the federal government is the inevitable battle over what we will be cut and what will be kept. Those decisions – though painful – are not as difficult as they are made to seem. We already have an adopted blueprint for the role of the federal government. It’s called the Constitution of the United States of America. It clearly defines what the federal government is supposed to do, and perhaps more importantly, what the federal government is not supposed to do.
We are far adrift from its prescription. If we’re going to survive this seemingly insoluble situation, we must make the commitment – an indisputable, multi-generational and solemn commitment – to reshape and restore the federal government according to the Constitution’s prescription.
This is the fundamental battle we must fight and win in Congress. We start now and we must not waver nor be deterred. We must put – not just politicians – but leaders in Congress; bulldogs instead of blue dogs; warriors who understand that nothing less than liberty and freedom for our children and their children are at stake.
If you agree that the battle to win the U.S. Senate seat in Arkansas will be nothing compared to the battle that must be fought after we win this seat, please stand with me by contributing your time and money. Please make the most generous contribution you possibly can today at www.CurtisColeman.com. This is the time to use every resource and leverage every relationship we have to carry this fight to Washington.
Thank you for standing with me in this fight for freedom!
Curtis Coleman: Money Bomb Today!
Earlier this month, we helped stop the Obama-Pelosi-Reid fast train to a government takeover of the US health care system. The battle that ground the Democrat engine to a halt took place in Massachusetts, but patriots from across America sacrificed their valuable time and hard-earned money to help make the victory possible. We can now expect more candidates to try to tap the cooperation and corroboration of Americans from coast-to-coast that helped MA Republican Scott Brown win the seat Democrats never thought they could lose.
One of Brown’s most successful tactics came in the form of an online “Money Bomb” that raised over $1.3 million in just one day! Thousands of individuals donated as little as $5 to help Brown become the Senator-elect who will soon take the seat so long occupied by the iconic liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy. Now, Arkansas Republican candidate for US Senate Curtis Coleman hopes to boost his campaign coffers utilizing the Brown model.
Coleman is one of four GOP candidates Rasmussen shows leading Senator Blanche Lincoln in this year’s race to represent Arkansas in the US Senate. But the conservative business owner lags behind the GOP establishment favorite in raising campaign cash for the race, and has announced he will be holding his own “Money Bomb” tomorrow.
Calling his event “10 for ’10“, Coleman has set a goal of 1,000 Facebook friends contributing $10 each to raise $10,000 on Saturday. His slogan, “Change America for $10“, implies that anyone (everyone?) in America can do a little to accomplish dramatic, real change for these United States.
Coleman was one of the first to commit to challenge the incumbent Lincoln, and he’s been working hard to establish an impressive grassroots network of supporters across the state. He’s been present at numerous Tea Party events across the state, working the crowd when he wasn’t addressing them. He’s used social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to a much greater extent than his competition. We’ve heard supporters state this extraordinary level of interaction during the campaign and his promise to continue to engage his constituents once elected are the reasons they’ve chosen to support Coleman.
Tomorrow we’ll find out just how effective his efforts have been. If his Money Bomb proves successful, Coleman’s grassroots efforts and extensive use of the internet and social networking may prove to be the tactic that turns the establishment GOP on its head. Members of the Republican hierarchy that call on Coleman and others to drop out and let their candidate run unopposed just might be silenced. And a real Republican primary, where the people of Arkansas choose their nominee, just might occur.
AR GOP Senate candidates hit the airwaves
Two of the GOP candidates for Arkansas’ Senate seat this year have launched the first TV ads of the campaign. Col. Conrad Reynolds and Curtis Coleman both claim to be the first of the nine announced candidates to take their message to the television.
Reynold’s ad announces his upcoming campaign tour featuring Sam Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, later this month. Coleman’s ad is titled “Conservative Comment” and takes on wasteful government spending. Both candidates keep their message positive without mentioning their Republican Challengers or Sen. Blanche Lincoln. (D-AR)
Here are the two 30 second ads followed by a poll where you can select which candidate’s ad is more effective.
You decide: Which ad is the most effective?
2010 Republican Senate Race Heats Up in Arkansas
Big things are happening in the Republican race for US Senate in Arkansas. Blanche Lincoln’s poll numbers are falling like a rock and even the liberal blog DailyKos is now calling on her to resign. According to The Tolbert Report though, Lincoln’s organization doesn’t seem to be making preparations to throw in the towel. Instead it appears to be digging in for what promises to be a difficult campaign. Even though three of her potential GOP challengers by double digits at this early stage, it appears Lincoln plans to gut it out.
Here’s a rundown on the GOP field as it currently stands.
The already crowded field will take one more player next week when Jim Holt formally announces his candidacy. From Arkansas Watch
Former State Senator Jim Holt, who led the GOP ticket in the 2006 statewide elections, will announce his candidacy in the 2010 U.S. Senate race at a series of events to be held January 14th.
Holt took 44% of the vote in his 2004 loss to Sen. Blanche Lincoln the last time she ran for re-election. Some are tagging him the best chance to beat Lincoln after her vote for Harry Reid’s health care bill last month. That vote, combined with the general hostility to the Democrat Party, has many predicting Holt can fare much better in November than he did six years ago
Holt’s announcement may cause some Republicans in the state to rethink their positions. Many, like Bill Vickery, have been calling for other candidates to clear out and permit State Senator Gilbert Baker to preserve his cash and energy for a general election slug fest with Senator Lincoln. Vickery says “If the Republican Party doesn’t clear the field and make Gilbert Baker the lone nominee, then we are foolish.”
Most consider Baker the favorite in the race for now though. After his first place finish in the Republican Party of Arkansas’ straw poll last month, and his double-digit lead over Lincoln in the latest Rasmussen poll, Vickery’s not the only one who’s tagging Baker the man to beat in this race.
Though Vickery and others have placed their bets on Baker, central Arkansas businessman Curtis Coleman isn’t showing any signs of throwing in the towel. Coleman remains active on social networking sites and continues to travel the state meeting voters. He continues to hammer away at Lincoln and tackle issues on his blog and has recently added several new members to his campaign team.
Recently, Coleman announced the appointment of Matt Lagrone as his campaign’s statewide Political Director. “I am delighted to have Matt help direct our statewide grassroots efforts. He is an experienced political professional and committed conservative who wants to change the way things are done in Washington,” Coleman said. And today announced the addition of Mike Hudome as media consultant for the campaign.
Last month the campaign started with a flurry of press releases demanding Lincoln address several issues, including insulting comments by high ranking Democrats in Arkansas and union attack ads against Gilbert Baker which included the publicizing of his home phone number. Reynolds’ campaign demanded Lincoln abandon the secret negotiations to honor President Obama’s previous calls for transparency in the health care debate.
Then the campaign went almost silent the latter half of the month after his campaign manager, K. Ryan James, announced he was stepping down to pursue other interests. We’d seen little activity in the news and on social networking sites where Reynolds had been active.
But the Colonel informs us he simply took a little time off and has no intention of bowing out of the race. He assures us he has a busy January planned, including Joe the Plumber coming in later this month to campaign for him. Reynolds also says, “You will notice a slight shift in priorities over the next few weeks — a strategy that I believe will win me the primary.”
Fred Ramey continues to travel the state and says “We are finding that a blue-collar conservative candidate with a sincere desire to make a difference for all Arkansans is exactly what many people want.” Ramey remains convinced his blue-collar background and farming experience can beat Blanche Lincoln in the general election.
He admits he had hoped the candidate field would have narrowed by now, but says the campaign is making inroads. Not that he thinks the competition is a bad thing. In fact, he reiterates his committment to running a positive campaign and states that if the other candidates do likewise “this will strengthen the party’s hand now and in the future.”
Kim Hendren points to his lead over Lincoln in the latest Rasmussen poll and claims others show him leading the GOP primary. His committment to the race was recently demonstrated when he pumped $200,000 of his own money into the campaign. Pointing to the fact that some of the money his competition has raised cannot be used in the primary, Hendren says his campaign cash gives him the advantage.
Hendren states he’s developing a solid volunteer organization across the state, and says he’s “especially honored to have state party vice-chairman Duane Neal serving as one of my key supporters and advisers.”
He also tells us the campaign will soon announce upcoming fundraisers in Central Arkansas on February 4 and Northwest Arkansas on February 6.
Buddy Rogers tells us he has no plans of throwing in the towel either. He’s continuing to travel the state with upcoming events scheduled across the state. Rogers says his varied background in business, health care, and the military is resonating with voters. He says he’s “gratified by increased name recognition and support as I travel the state.”
We were unable to contact Tom Cox for this article, but will include an update on his campaign as soon as it’s available.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln can’t say Merry Christmas?
by John Allison III
Every Christmas season of late has been plagued by the controversy of how to appropriately greet one another during the season set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. According to a Rasmussen poll last month, 72% of Americans prefer the traditional “Merry Christmas” greeting and only 22% prefer “Happy Holidays.”
I think it’s probably safe to assume a conservative state like Arkansas, nestled snugly inside the Bible Belt, would lean more heavily in favor of “Merry Christmas.” But even if the poll accurately represents Arkansans’ thinking on this issue, an Arkansas politician who chooses to use the secular “Happy Holidays” is likely to offend more voters than one who uses the traditional Christmas greeting.
Today, Senator Blanche Lincoln demonstrated once again just how far out of touch she is with the people of Arkansas with her “Holiday Greeting.” Though 86% of Arkansans identify themselves as Christian, Lincoln doesn’t once recognize this as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. Perhaps she feels more comfortable with the “freethinking” Winter Solstice worshipers who recently won the right to adorn the Arkansas State Capitol with their pagan display.
Lincoln sent the following email to her constituents earlier today:
Dear Fellow Arkansan, As you gather together to celebrate with your family this holiday, I encourage you to embrace the spirit of the season. Remember our neighbors in need by volunteering your time and services or donating your financial resources to those less fortunate. We can all make a difference in someone’s life.
From my family to yours, have a joyous holiday and a very happy New Year.
With Arkansas Pride,
Not one mention of Christ, or Christmas. Just “holiday.”
Here’s her “Holiday Greeting” video:
Remember, 86% of Arkansans identify themselves as Christians. Still, Lincoln seems to have joined the left-wing group of radical Democrats who interpret the 1st Amendment’s Freedom “of” Religion to imply Freedom “from” Religion. This may prove to be just one more nail in the coffin of her political career as she faces a tough reelection campaign next year.
Already, Rasmussen has her trailing 4 of the 7 announced Republican candidates for her seat in 2010. One of those candidates, Curtis Coleman, has released his own Christmas message to Arkansas voters and (gasp!) he actually calls it Christmas!
I’m thinking Coleman’s message will play better with Arkansas voters, but tell us what you think.
GOP can take lesson from Arkansas Senate race
You’ve likely already read that a Rasmussen poll recently found more likely voters would choose a third party Tea Party candidate than a GOP candidate if given that opportunity in next year’s congressional election. When asked to assume the Tea Party organized as a political party, 36% said they’d choose the Democrat, 23% the would pick the Tea Party candidate, 18% would select the Republican, and 22% were undecided.
Liberals will see the results above and salivate, already tasting a split of the conservative vote. They can point to last month’s special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district as more evidence that 2010 will be a year of infighting that will temper the historical advantage of the opposition when one party holds the White House and both houses of Congress.
In NY-23, when the GOP threw its nomination to a candidate with virtually no conservative credentials, the Tea Party mobilized to support a true conservative running as an independent in the race. Even though the National Republican Congressional Committee spent nearly a million dollars promoting the liberal GOP candidate, she was forced from the race when polls showed her placing last in the three way race. Democrat Bill Owens won the traditionally Republican seat, with the conservative candidate Doug Hoffman coming in a close second.
So the question is, “How can the GOP avoid the mistakes of NY-23 and win the support of the 23% who would prefer a Tea Party candidate?”
Before we can answer that question, it’s important to understand the dependence of the Tea Party on the internet and social networking sites. The mainstream media largely ignored the protest movement as it grew and often understated the size of crowds who attended. The movement’s growth was made possible by news spread through non-traditional sources such as blogs, conservative online news organizations, and social networking sites. Its members work, play, socialize, and organize via the internet. So a candidate’s ability to win the support of the Tea Party voters will largely depend on his/her ability to function in this online environment.
In Arkansas, Republican candidates for US Senate are beginning to recognize that their chances for success may hinge on their ability to win the support of Tea Partiers in the state. This Saturday, Tea Parties across the state have teamed up with other conservative groups to sponsor a rally that will feature Michelle Malkin as keynote speaker. But, all seven announced 2010 GOP Senate candidates and an independent running for the seat will speak at the event as well.
Last week, the Republican Party of Arkansas held an Iowa-style Straw Poll for next year’s Senate race at its annual Winter Leadership Conference. The value of a strong Tea Party-GOP alliance was evidenced by the stronger than expected second place finish of Curtis Coleman. Some had already written Coleman off, declaring State Senator Gilbert Baker the front runner who would crush all his primary opponents.
Coleman is the founder and former CEO of Safe Foods, Inc. He’s not a politician, but a businessman who says “We are now suffering the greatest erosion of our personal liberties in history.” He promises to do everything he can to stop that erosion if he’s elected to represent Arkansas in the US Senate. And his message is resonating with the people of Arkansas.
In August, polls already showed Arkansas’ Democrat Senator Blanche Lincoln trailing Coleman by one point. A December 3rd Rasmussen poll now has the businessman leading the Democrat politician by 4 percent! Though Baker was practically announced the winner of next May’s primary, Coleman finished only two points behind him in last week’s straw poll. In a press release following the straw poll, Coleman points out several reasons the two point loss was really a win for his team:
- The Baker campaign spent an estimated 5 times as much as our campaign did on the straw poll.
- There is an unconfirmed report that the Baker campaign bought more than twice as many delegate tickets as our campaign.
- About 40 of our delegates were not able to be in Hot Springs and vote in the straw poll and, based on the approximate number of total votes cast, we estimate that we placed second by only about 14 votes.
- Approximately 80 people voted for us who were not there as one of “our” delegates.
So how has Coleman, whose name recognition was virtually non-existent at the outset of the campaign, spread his message and connected with enough Arkansans that it now looks like he could defeat the incumbent Lincoln in November?
To start with, he’s attended Tea Party events since last spring. Coleman’s been seen shaking hands, introducing himself and telling people face-to-face what he plans to carry to Washington if elected. He’s spoken at several of these events and connects with this group of voters who identify themselves more as conservatives than as Republicans.
When asked whether he thought the Rasmussen poll mentioned earlier spelled a GOP-3rd party split of the Republican vote, Coleman says “I’ve found that members of the TEA Party and the foundation members of the GOP are looking for the same things in a candidate: principle, passion, conviction, courage, and commitment to do far more than just win the election. My message to the our TEA Party supporters is the same as to our Republican supporters: I am a conservative Republican. Conservative first, Republican second…Members of the TEA Party and the Republican Party agree on this: we are much stronger united than divided.”
Coleman is capitalizing on the fact that Tea Party and GOP voters can soundly defeat the Democrats next year, if they can become allies. Remember, a combined Tea Party/GOP candidate takes 41% vs. Democrats’ 36% in the Rasmussen poll. In fact Coleman states, “I think the TEA Party can strengthen the GOP, but– to a large degree – that’s up to the GOP.”
In other words, not just any GOP candidate is guaranteed the support of Tea Party voters. The NY-23 congressional race discussed above proves his point. The Republican Party can’t count on voters’ dissatisfaction with Democrats to win votes, but must enlist candidates who satisfy the demands of conservatism, responsibility, and accountability to bring Tea Party voters into the GOP camp.
Coleman also recognized, early on, the benefits of a strong internet presence. With the mainstream media fawning over every Socialist turn taken by the Obama administration, there was little airtime available for coverage of a largely unknown upstart candidate for US Senate in Arkansas. Coleman compensated by taking his campaign to the internet from the start. He says, “The internet and its related social media have certainly given us the opportunity to build state and national name ID that probably would not have been possible otherwise, and therefore have facilitated our critical grass-roots organizational efforts.”
His campaign was still in its exploratory committee stage when he made his first post on his blog. He’s diligently updated his blog since then, posting a total of 44 articles while maintaining a busy campaign schedule traveling to all corners of the state for the more traditional campaigning methods of stump speeches and handshakes. But his blog is only part of his online strategy.
He’s also discovered the tremendous value of social networking sites in today’s political campaign. He’s active on Facebook and Twitter, often posting into the wee hours of the morning. One young supporter who traveled to Hot Springs from Malvern for last week’s straw poll was heard saying, “The reason I’m supporting you is because you’re so accessible,” speaking of their Facebook correspondence. He responds to emails personally, and often at hours when most people are snugly tucked in their beds.
Though some of his GOP opponents have made use of the internet and Tea Party to a lesser degree, and most now seem to be ramping up their presence in these arenas, Curtis Coleman has been building his grassroots base on the internet nearly from day one. His strategy seems to be paying off after defying formiddable odds in the straw poll last week.
The Republican Party needs to pay attention to what’s happening in Arkansas. New York showed us what will happen if the GOP simply hopes to exploit the Tea Party and depend on a nominating process that has failed the party miserably. This Arkansas Senate race is showing what can happen if the party actually embraces the ideas of the movement, welcomes them into the fold, and uses the internet to get its message out in spite of a mainstream media hell bent on furthering the Democrat agenda.
COLEMAN DECLARES AS CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE
(LITTLE ROCK, AR – AUGUST 12, 2009) Little Rock businessman Curtis Coleman, CEO of Arkansas based Safe Foods Corporation, has formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. Coleman is seeking the Republican nomination to represent Arkansans in the U.S. Senate race for the seat currently held by Senator Blanche Lincoln.
“We desperately need experienced business men and women in the U.S. Senate who know what it’s like to make a payroll, provide health insurance for their employees, and who have lived under oppressive regulations created by people who’ve never had to function in the real world outside of Washington, D.C.,” Coleman said. “The critical issues facing Americans today—like healthcare reform—will have such a profound impact on our daily lives that we must replace career politicians with citizen statesmen,” he said.
Coleman’s company is helping to make food safer on three continents, with a fourth continent expected to be added this fall. “Developing a global market for our technologies has given me extraordinary experience in foreign trade issues,” Coleman said. “I understand we must not take actions such as those proposed in the current cap and trade legislation that will cripple Arkansas businesses and send even more Arkansas jobs overseas.”
Coleman managed Gov. Mike Huckabee’s first campaign for political office when Huckabee ran for the U.S. Senate in 1992. “I understand from experience the sheer enormity of effort a state-wide campaign requires,” Coleman said. “I don’t have any visions of glory or grandeur. I do have visions of my grandchildren gathering around me in 15-20 years and saying, ‘Granddad, tell us what America used to be like.’ With our government’s out-of-control spending, we’re mortgaging our country’s future and our children’s futures. I will not sit idly by and let that happen without a fight.”
“The number one issue facing us is the crippling national debt being created at the rate of over $5 billion per day. A lot of folks in Washington don’t seem to understand the simple truth that most Arkansans apply to their personal budgets: ‘You don’t spend your way out of a crisis that was created by overspending.’ I’ve already signed a pledge to oppose any increases in our taxes. I have the same intense commitment to stopping the federal government’s outrageous deficit spending. This disastrous debt is a matter of national security and a clear and present danger to the well-being of every Arkansan.”
Coleman also expressed concern over the current healthcare legislation, “We’ve first got to stop the government’s healthcare takeover, then we can start over to genuinely make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for every Arkansan. There are feasible and practical solutions to controlling healthcare costs while protecting the fundamental America freedom to control personal healthcare choices. The plans being proposed today are counterproductive to that ultimate goal. Congress is proposing that health savings accounts be taxed, when instead they should be expanded. A ‘public option’ is being touted that will ultimately destroy insurance competition, not improve it. The Washington proposal is that employers be required to provide health insurance for their employees, a requirement what will destroy even more jobs in Arkansas’ small businesses. Instead, employees need to be able to control their own portable insurance policies.”
“Although these Washington proposals are clearly not Arkansas values,” Coleman said, “they are the positions the incumbent has taken. It’s tragic that Sen. Lincoln isn’t listening to folks in Arkansas and it’s sad that she’s lost touch with the very people whose views and values she had pledged to represent. Perhaps even more disconcerting is the fact that we rarely ever know which side of an issue the Senator may take next.”
“The days when horrible bills that destroy jobs and put basic American liberties at risk are voted on without even being read must quickly come to an end,” Coleman said.
“I understand what it’s going to take to fund this campaign and this won’t be my first time around this block.” Coleman said that he had to raise over $20 million to keep his company viable through its first seven years of domestic and international regulatory roadblocks and hurdles. Coleman was winner of the 2005 Arkansas Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Coleman is a graduate of Conway High School and Central Baptist College in Conway, and Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. He describes himself as a conservative Republican. “I have always been pro-life, I do not support embryonic stem cell research, and I am a defender of the Constitution, traditional marriage and the Second Amendment.”
Coleman, 61, is married to Kathryn Rosenbaum Coleman, and has three children and seven grandchildren. Curtis and Kathryn are active members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, where they currently reside.
For more information, please visit the campaign’s website.
Now We’re Un-American?
According to Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), my US Senator anyway!
Is there any level so low Democrats in Washington won’t stoop to it? Are they so conceited they actually believe themselves as they outright lie to the American people? Do they really think the American people are so terribly stupid they can’t see through their childish, imbecilic responses to conservatives’ fact-based challenges to their agenda?
Our first hint of things to come was the Department of Homeland Security report that warned law enforcement agencies of the danger posed by virtually every conservative in the country. Labeled “Right-Wing Extremists” in the report, conservative Republicans, Independents, and third party backers were pointed to as potential terrorists who deserved the scrutiny of local, state, and federal law enforcement officials. Even targeting the most patriotic among us, veterans of the US armed forces, it generated the first of several conservative uprisings to challenge Obama administration policies.
We thought it bad when we found out they didn’t read the $787 billion so-called “stimulus” bill. Then the arrogant Henry Waxman (D-CA) hired a speed reader to buzz through the Cap & Trade bill on the House Energy & Commerce committee at an unintelligible pace so that he could claim to have “read the bill.” The move was designed to undermine an attempt by Republicans to force them to fulfill their obligations to constituents by reading the bill to fully understand what the legislation would saddle the American people with. It was a classless, egotistical attempt by Democrats to ridicule both constituents and fellow members of the US House who demanded Democrats act responsibly and perform the duties for which they were hired.
The same Democratic legislators refused to read HR 3200, “Obamacare,” and are now paying the price. Now that conservatives have realized their representatives refuse to do their jobs, constituents are taking the task upon themselves. We now have a situation where ordinary citizens are taking the time to read legislation and explaining it to our elected officials. And the Democrats don’t like it.
Their lies and talking points are no longer holding water with the American people, because they understand it better than the Congress! Congressmen are walking into town halls and other public meetings armed with a single sheet of Pelosi-Reid talking points while their disgruntled constituents come armed with the actual text of the bill! Backed into a corner with facts, Democrats in Washington are lashing out in desperate attempts to denigrate their own constituents.
The Obama administration has now issued a mandate to his minions to turn in neighbors, friends, and family who write and forward communications critical of Obamacare. Not stopping there, the White House even demands “fishy” truths about Obama’s government-run health care program mentioned in casual conversations should be reported to the Propaganda Office in the White House. Ask yourself, when have we ever faced the prospect of an American President demanding citizens turn each other in to the government for disagreeing with policy? Never.
If that’s not enough to worry you, the President’s aides have now made direct threats to “punch back twice as hard” whenever the administration’s health care policies are challenged. We saw this put into practice when the administration sent in union thugs to physically assault protesters outside a St. Louis town hall. So now we have a President actively engaging in suppression of Americans’ ability to freely express their disagreement with their government.
And now we hear our own Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) has described us as un-American! It’s funny how Democrats have no problem with protesters who demonstrate against conservatives and their causes. According to Hillary Clinton, “we have a right to disagree with any administration.” But I guess she meant any Republican administration. Of course Lincoln is now backing away from her comment, but calling your constituents un-American doesn’t happen with a slip of the tongue.
She’s retreating because the heat from the fire she stoked is too hot! Though her Arkansas colleague didn’t even face a Republican challenger last year, the GOP field to run against Lincoln has already drawn a crowd. Arkansas State Senator Kim Hendren and Arkansas Tea Party organizer Tom Cox have already announced their intent to run, while central Arkansas businessman Curtis Coleman and State Senator Gilbert Baker are considering runs but have yet to announce. (Although I have it from a pretty reliable source that Coleman will announce soon.) A conservative Independent, Trevor Drown, has also announced his intent to run for Lincoln’s seat.
Lincoln’s opposition hopefuls wasted little time taking Arkansas’ senior Senator to task for her callous comment. The Cox campaign issued the following press release:
“Since the founding of the United States people have been exercising the freedom and responsibility to question their elected representatives. The current public political debate resembles the enthusiasm of our nation’s first 100 years. A U.S. Senator referring to The People as “disrespectful” and “un-American” for calling on their Representatives is appalling. Senator Lincoln’s statements are indicative of the elitist Washington D.C. arrogance and mentality that continues to dismiss the voice of Middle America. The citizens of this country deserve honest answers to their questions.”
Coleman, who’s made numerous posts on his blog enumerating the flaws in the Democrats’ health care plan, had this to say:
“What’s sad is that Senator Lincoln apparently doesn’t value the opinions of hard-working Arkansans who took time away from their busy schedules to express their concern over losing control of their healthcare to the government. Senator Lincoln’s description of these Arkansans as ‘un-American’ illustrates how deeply out of touch she is with the American people.”
Lincoln’s planning a series of public speaking events this week (not town halls) and we hope she gets an earful from some of us un-American Right-Wing-Extremists everywhere she goes!
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