PAUL RYAN, TAXPAYER'S HERO

You don't have to be a conservative from Wisconsin to appreciate Congressman Paul Ryan. From his well-articulated opposition to the President's Government-run health care plan to his bold statements against both the TARP bailout and debt-inflating American Economic Recovery Act of 2009, Paul has positioned himself as a star-in-the-making in the Republican Party. Now a sixth-term congressman from the Wisconsin 1st District who is up for reelection in 2010, Paul has cemented his position in congress as a passionate advocate for fiscal responsibility. Already a ranking member of the Committee on The Budget, he is also a member the far-reaching House Ways and Means Committee, and belongs to the Subcomittees on Oversight and Health. Born on January 29, 1970. He was raised in Janesville, Wisconsin and graduated from Joseph A Craig high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Miami, Ohio in 1992 and was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. It was after this that Paul began to hone his political skills, first working as an aide to Senator Bob Kasten in 1992, then as a legislative director for Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas from 1995 to 1997. In between he also contributed as a speechwriter for the late Jack Kemp's vice presidency run in 1996, while writing additional speeches for former drug czar William Bennett. He finally staked his claim in the 1st congressional district in 1998 when he ran for the seat vacated by Republican conservative (now gubernatorial candidate) Mark Neumann when Neumann retired to run for a second time against Russ Feingold in the Wisconsin Senate race. Paul beat out Democrat challenger Lydia Spottswood that year for the congressional district seat and the rest has been history. He has beaten challenger Jeffery Thomas in the 4 terms since, Marge Krupp in the 2008 election; and the rest, as they say, is history! Paul currently lives with his wife, Janna, and their 3 children; Liza, Charlie, and Sam, at their residence in Janesville only a few blocks from the neighborhood where he grew up. This week, Paul was willing to give me some time out from his hectic schedule to give me a bit of an insider's perspective on the issues facing him in the House of Representatives through the 2010 election.





1. IF YOU WERE CHARGE OF AUTHORING THE FEDERAL BUDGET FOR THE COMING YEAR, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WOULD DO TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT AND BEGIN THE PROCESS TOWARD REDUCING AND ELIMINATING OUR NATIONAL DEBT?


Well, I’m currently the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee and one of the responsibilities I have is to offer an alternative budget to that proposed by the President. If the American people have their say, hopefully I will be authoring the federal budget in the next fiscal year as Chairman of the House Budget Committee. As I’ve done in the past, I would put forward a budget that reins in spending, gets our debt and deficits under control, and promotes policies which get companies hiring and the economy growing.

The budget for the federal government, just like for businesses and families, sets priorities and forces difficult – but critical – decisions. This year, for the first time in modern history, the Majority will fail to even propose a budget, which is a total abdication of responsibility and especially troubling given the enormity of our fiscal challenges.

Congress has failed to address the urgent need to control Federal spending, reform our entitlement programs, and spur job creation and economic growth. I’ve put forward a comprehensive reform plan – ROAD MAP FOR AMERICA – focused on tackling our generation’s greatest challenges: fulfill the mission of health and retirement security, lift our crushing burden of debt, and restart the American engine of growth and prosperity.




2. NOW THAT GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE REFORM HAS BEEN PASSED, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE REPUBLICANS DID A SATISFACTORY JOB OF STATING FREE MARKET ALTERNATIVES TO THE PLAN? COULD CERTAIN CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN STATED DIFFERENTLY?


I introduced one of the first comprehensive health care reform proposals this session called the Patients’ Choice Act, a free-market alternative to fix what’s truly broken in health care. The Patients’ Choice Act secures universal access to affordable health coverage, not by expanding government, but by reinforcing the role of consumers – patients – in a truly competitive marketplace.

Democrats control the White House and Congress – and decided early on to shut Republican and the American people out of the legislative process. The entire health care debacle was a missed opportunity for true patient-centered reforms that attacked the root-drivers of health inflation. Alternative reforms were rejected, the government-run overhaul was jammed into law, and the American people are already feeling the costly consequences of this deeply flawed law.

Republicans must not tire in their effort to repeal this costly misstep and advance true reform.




Paul Ryan, "The taxpayer's hero"

3. THE SENATE MAY BE WORKING ON A PLAN TO PASS LEGISLATION THAT WILL ALLOW THE EPA TO IMPOSE CAP-AND-TRADE-STYLE ENERGY TAXES. IF SUCH LEGISLATION IS PROPOSED AND DEBATED IN THE HOUSE, WHAT KIND OF A PLAN DO YOU AND OTHER REPUBLICANS HAVE TO DEFEAT IT?


The cap and trade bill passed the House last year by a seven vote margin after the Speaker successfully twisted the arms of her fellow Democrats to support it. Since then, this national energy tax has stalled in the Senate.

The goal of cap and trade is to lower global temperatures by a fraction of a degree over the course of the century. The bill would kill manufacturing jobs here at home, while our competitors have made clear that they have no intention to unilaterally impose similar harm to their economies. Studies have shown that for every one ton of carbon we reduce in our economy, countries like China and India would increase theirs by about three tons. Economically and scientifically, the cost benefit analysis of cap and trade doesn’t add up. It will put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage and as a result, we will see higher taxes and energy costs, more manufacturing jobs heading overseas, and more emissions in the atmosphere.

The American people have clearly rejected this misguided proposal, and it has thankfully stalled in the Senate. Yet there have been troubling reports that the President may have the Environmental Protection Agency proceed with capping emissions without any Congressional consent. Earlier this month, the Senate voted down a resolution of disapproval from Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to stop the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases without Congress passing legislation by a vote of 47-53. Looking at how the Majority has rammed through the health care overhaul and legislation on financial services, it’s not out of the question.




4. ELENA KAGAN HAS BEEN NOMINATED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA TO TAKE JOHN PAUL STEVENS' SEAT ON THE SUPREME COURT. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF ELENA KAGAN AND IF THE HOUSE COULD HOLD CONFIRMATION HEARINGS, WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK HER?


As a member of the House, I won’t be taking part in the confirmation hearings of Elena Kagan so I don’t want to speculate too much. I am sure that my colleagues in the Senate will ask many of the questions I would. With any Supreme Court Justice, Senators should look at a nominee’s experience, knowledge, and body of work and I am sure that we’ll hear these questions asked in the weeks ahead.


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Paul's wife Janna and their 3 kids

5. FROM WHAT YOU SEE EVERY DAY, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY OF YOUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES ARE UNITED IN THEIR EFFORTS AND COMPREHEND THE HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY THEY MAY HAVE TO TURN THIS CONGRESS AROUND IN THE FALL?


Absolutely, I see the next few elections as realignment elections, where we have a clear choice of two futures. We can either choose to reclaim the American idea and restore the founding principles that made our nation the envy of the world, or we can continue down the path of a European style, cradle-to-grave social welfare state – where higher levels of government spending and debt leave future generations an inferior standard of living.

More and more of our leaders are recognizing the critical importance of the next few elections. In the House, you see the ascension of a younger class of reformers in the Republican Party. Individuals like Eric Cantor, Jeb Hensarling, Mike Pence – people who were back-benchers during President Bush’s Administration, who fought the decisions that were being made, but who have now ascended into positions of leadership, and they are going to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes if the American people entrust us with the Majority this fall.

It’s critical that we show people how we will be different from the current leaders in Washington, and that’s why we have to run on specific ideas. My experience with the Roadmap for America’s Future has taught me that the American people are ahead of the political class in Washington. They are ready to be talked to like adults. I feel that Republicans are returning to their core principles of limited government, individual freedom, free enterprise and if we present these ideas to the American people, I believe we can start restoring the American “idea” and get our country on the path to prosperity.





6. GIVEN THE POLITICAL CLIMATE THIS YEAR, WHAT OTHER KINDS OF BOLD ACTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE TAKEN IN CONGRESS IF THE REPUBLICANS WIN HANDILY IN NOVEMBER?


There is still a long way to go between now and November, but the first thing we have to do is get a grip on our nation’s debt and deficits, which have been primarily driven by government spending. In this session of Congress, the Majority has approved $1.8 trillion in spending increases and $670 billion in new taxes. They are doing this at exactly the same time we are running record deficits and we are seeing European countries, which followed a similar borrow-and-spend approach, coming undone.

I will continue to advance bold proposals that actually cut government spending, reform our entitlement programs, and modernize our tax code. These three things would go a long way to show the American people, the world and the markets that we are not accelerating our lurch towards a European-style social welfare state.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) Delivers Weekly Republican Address June 2010



Rep. Ryan: “Talk about a recipe for disaster: Democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints – yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked.”



WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) says Washington Democrats’ unprecedented decision to cancel this year’s budget will wreak havoc on our economy and make it even harder to put people back to work. The House Budget Committee’s top Republican, Ryan says Democrats’ plan to continue their out-of-control ‘stimulus’ spending spree and raise taxes on middle-class families is a “recipe for disaster.” He also challenges President Obama and Washington Democrats to stop running out the clock and “make the tough choices they promised they would, put moral obligation before political expedience, and focus on what’s in the best interests of the next generation, not the next election.” With economists saying immediate fiscal discipline is needed to create jobs, Ryan notes that Republicans have already identified $1.3 trillion in specific spending cuts that could be implemented right now. Rep. Ryan is in his sixth term representing the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District. President Obama will visit Southeast Wisconsin next week to discuss the economy. Text of the address follows; audio of the address is available here [mp3] and video of the address will be available here once the embargo is lifted. You can download the Weekly Republican Address here.

“Hello – I’m Paul Ryan – I work for the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District and I serve as the top Republican on the House Budget Committee. Yes, Congress does have a budget committee, but I’m afraid it hasn’t been very busy this year.

“In fact, this week the House Majority Leader announced that Democrats are canceling this year’s budget. Instead of reining in out-of-control spending that has pushed our national debt past $13 trillion, Democrats have made clear their intention to raise taxes on middle-class families to fuel their continued spending spree.

“Talk about a recipe for disaster: Democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints – yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked.

“With this budget failure – a first in the modern era – Democrats are missing a critical opportunity to provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create private-sector jobs and boost our economy. This unprecedented budget collapse also sends a clear signal to American families struggling to meet their own budgets that Washington still doesn’t recognize the severity of its spending problem.

“Democrats say their decision is about what’s best for the future of our country. It’s not. With the political season upon us, Democratic leaders believe it’s better to take a pass than to pass a budget. While Americans ask ‘where are the jobs?,’ Democrats seem content to simply run out the clock and let their borrowing binge continue to drain resources from our economy.

“The debt is on track to exceed the size of our entire economy in the next 18 months. We have run out of road to kick the can down. If this is really about the future of our country, then leaders should make the tough choices they promised they would, put moral obligation before political expedience, and focus on what’s in the best interests of the next generation, not the next election.

“This is a time to make tough choices, not run from them. To that end, Republicans on the Budget Committee have already identified $1.3 trillion in specific spending cuts we would implement right now to make Washington do more with less and help small businesses put people back to work. These are specific, common-sense ideas, such as canceling unspent TARP bailout funds and ‘stimulus’ money, that would help us focus on creating more jobs, not more debt. We also propose reducing federal employment and freezing government pay. Instead of growing government, we need to restart the engine of economic growth.

“Of course, this is just a starting point. Much more needs to be done to set our nation on a sustainable economic course. We need to start reining in unnecessary spending now so that we can boost the economy and work together to address our nation’s long term fiscal challenges.

“It is our shared responsibility to take on the challenges before us to make sure that our kids and our grandkids have a better life. Let’s begin this important work today. Let’s make certain we do not simply retreat to the same failed policies. Let’s make the tough, forward-looking choices that will restore the promise and prosperity of this exceptional nation - and let’s do it together.

“Thanks for listening.”

More on Paul's campaign:


RYAN FOR CONGRESS

Scott Walker for Governor of Wisconsin

Scott brings his brown bag lunch to the office every day and rolls up his sleeves, except the office is much bigger now and the stakes even higher. The leading Republican Gubernatorial candidate for the State of Wisconsin, he drives his 1998 Saturn from event to event, touting his proven record of fiscal conservatism through 8 years as the Executive of Milwaukee County, one of the bluest and most liberal Democratic strongholds in the State. Starting out in the State legislature as a representative for the 14th Assembly District (Waukesha), the seat currently held by recently featured conservative Leah Vukmir Leah Vukmir, Scott took a message of government reform and reduction to the County of Milwaukee when he ran for executive in 2002 and won. The rest was history:

•Reduced the county workforce by more than 20%
•Lowered the county debt by 10%
•Introduced 8 consecutive budgets without an increase to the property tax levy from the previous year.
•Improved the county's bond rating
•Milwaukee County Parks won the prestigious 2009 National Gold Medal for Excellence in the Park and Recreation Management Program
•Eliminated the waiting list for long-term care for older adults through the Family Care program.
•Milwaukee County's Mitchell International Airport received the Transportation Safety Administration's Partnership Award.
•Invested over $199 million dollars in renovations and improvements to General Mitchell International Airport without increasing the property tax levy
•Airport improvements helped attract nearly 1,000 jobs from Southwest, Air Tran and Republic airlines.
•Implemented a pension obligation plan to save Milwaukee County taxpayers $ 237 million.

Scott Walker grew up in the town of Delavan, Wisconsin just north of the Wisconsin border outside of Milwaukee. He comes from a financially modest background. His father is a retired preacher. As he makes his way around the State of Wisconsin, Scott brings a powerful campaign built largely on the social networking and grassroots efforts. He has an amazing Internet presence and uses the power of Facebook, Twitter, and bloggers to spread his message.




According to his campaign site:
Scott Walker

Scott's Brown Bag Guide to Government applies the same kind of small town values and common sense ideas he follows in his personal life:

1. Don't spend more than you have.
2. Smaller government is better government.
3. People create jobs, not government.

When it comes to serving the public, Scott Walker puts his money where his mouth is there too. From 2002 through 2010, Scott and Tonette Walker have given back over $370,000 of his salary to the county.

Scott Walker's government reform campaign helped sweep him into the Milwaukee County executive's office in 2002, after serving nearly nine years in the Wisconsin State Legislature. At the time, Milwaukee County was on the precipice of an organizational and financial meltdown; rocked by greedy politicians who had voted to allow themselves and hundreds of career bureaucrats to retire as millionaires at the taxpayers' expense

.

Sound familiar?

Here is my interview with Scott as he explains his philosophies and the direction of his campaign fresh off of his endorsement for Governor by the Republican Party of the State of Wisconsin:

1. NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ENDORSED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN, WHAT IS THE NEW FOCUS AND DIRECTION OF YOUR CAMPAIGN?




Well, its really about taking that support from literally thousands of conservative activists and applying it to getting our message out for the fall elections and our focus is really on 2 parts:

1) Being in the position to take that government back and put it in hands of the people.

2) In doing so enacting strategies to get government out of the way so that the people of this State can create more jobs.




2. WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR DIFFER, IF ANY, FROM YOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE:




In this case we have a larger audience and so from that standpoint, there is a lot more travel and I’ve been doing it for some time but I believe that’s important because I believe that people in one part of the state are not the same as others. There certainly are common themes, common values, common concerns of the economy but the Chippewa Valley is different than the Fox Valley and the Fox Valley is different from Delavan, down in Walworth County where I grew up, a town of 8,000; The Coulee Region down by La Crosse and you go down the line. Different parts of the State have very different issues and as the candidate for Governor, and ultimately as the Governor, I’ve tried to symbolize through my actions, not just my words, that I understand those differences and I am going to be here to work with people once I’m the governor.


THE WALKER FAMILY


3. THE OBAMA/DOYLE/BARRETT MACHINE IS ALREADY CRANKING UP ITS ASSAULT AGAINST YOU. WHAT KINDS OF STRATEGIES WILL YOU DEPLOY AGAINST THEIR WELL-FUNDED RHETORIC?




We are going to 1) And I being elected in Milwaukee County, which is, you’re right under the gun all of the time; I like to say that used to coming to work with body armor on and a 2x4, so we’re used to being under attack and we don’t let anything sit long. We come out and we whack at it, we pile on it, and we beat back any mistruths, and so with a TV ad or a press release or anything else like that we’re going to come out and set the record straight immediately and we’ve done that already in a couple of episodes and we are going to be continuing to do that. 2) The other key thing is that we are going to, in the end, not let the Democrats to get us off of our message, which is the other 2 things I’ve previously mentioned:

Making it clear that we have a track record and we’ve got a strategy to take the government back and put it back on the side of the people again, combined with the fact that our strategy in getting government out of the way is ultimately what we need to get this State’s economy back going again. They are going to try to take us off message, they are going to try bring up other issues, but we’re going to answer them, bring up to the media and the public the errors of their attacks, and get to work on our election strategy which is really about making the State work again.




4. WHAT VITAL COMPONENTS OF YOUR UPBRINGING DO YOU BELIEVE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR LIFE AND VALUES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOUR LEADERSHIP?




Certainly, it starts with my faith and my family and I think my faith in Christ certainly has had a tremendous impact on where I am not just personally but professionally as well; how I treat people and how I like to be treated all comes out of that. Certainly a good chunk of what brought me into my faith are my parents. My dad is a now a long-since-retired minister and my mother, worked part-time, and she had a tremendous impact on who I am, a great role model. Along the way I was involved with a lot of things from school and sports and Scouts. I also am an Eagle Scout. Twenty-five years ago, in 1985 I went to the American Legion, Badger Boy’s State, and the Boy’s Nation programs and that had a great influence, not just from learning about government politics but ultimately learning from those veterans who put on a program called, “The Power of Public Service” and I found that be very impactful. And I think the good people I’ve worked with along the way and the constituents I’ve had in the Assembly, now as County Executive, and the people I’ve met around the State all have had a powerful influence on who I am and the ideas I have and how I choose to govern.




5. YOUR REPUBLICAN OPPONENT MARK NEUMANN HAS MADE REPEATED E-MAIL ATTACKS AGAINST YOUR CAMPAIGN. NOW THAT YOU ARE ENDORSED, DO YOU FEEL, IT AT ALL NECESSARY TO RESPOND TO THOSE ACCUSATIONS?




In the end these are the same distortions that the State Democrats are putting out, which is kind of unusual to have a Republican doing that and saying that, but the reality is if you look at the issues out there, there is just no basis to them. You look at the Harley rides (motorcycle rides around the region) and the fact that we’ve done 7 consecutive years of doing this and that everybody down the line has acknowledged that in each of these years the intent was to get out and promote tourism, not to do anything else out there, the fact that we go to 5 states and not just Wisconsin, we think everybody can see through that and it’s bad enough that the Democrats distort the facts on that and they are proven wrong every time but it is an unusual to have a Republican putting out those sorts of mistruths. It’s just unfortunate that they’ve decided to go to the State Democrats Web sites and the pick up the same false attacks but like I said, in the end we are going to keep on track, we are going to point out the errors in any attacks on us, and we are going to get back on a positive message to get the State working again.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2010
Contact: Jill Bader (414) 453-2010
Email: Jillb@scottwalker.org
Twitter: @JillBader

ICYMI: Rasmussen Poll Shows Walker 50%, Barrett 43%
Walker over 50% for first time, still the only candidate who can beat Tom Barrett in November

Wauwatosa – Keith Gilkes, campaign manager for Scott Walker, released the following statement on polling showing Scott Walker over 50% gaining ground on Tom Barrett.

“Wisconsin voters continue to move away from the Tom Barrett-Jim Doyle agenda of big taxes and big spending and towards Scott Walker and his plan to create 250,000 jobs in his first term.”

Included in today’s poll:

• “Walker has consistently proven to be the slightly stronger GOP candidate against Barrett.”

• Among independents Walker leads Barrett 50% to 34%; does 5 points better than Neumann with this group.

• Walker has, by far, the highest favorable ratings and lowest unfavorable ratings of any candidate. His favorable ratings are 55 favorable to 36% unfavorable (32% very favorable) to Barrett’s 50-43% (23% very favorable). Meanwhile, Neumann is viewed favorably by 47% to 42% unfavorable (13% very favorable).

• Walker has the highest favorable ratings of any candidate with his own party. Walker is viewed favorably by 90% of GOP voters (65% very favorably), Neumann is viewed favorably by 73% of GOP voters (26% very favorably) and Barrett is viewed favorably by 84% of Democrat voters (41% very favorably).

Election 2010: Wisconsin Governor
Wisconsin Governor: Walker (R) 50%, Barrett (D) 43%

Republican Scott Walker for the first time earns 50% of the vote in the race to be the next governor of Wisconsin. It's his best showing to date.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the likely Democratic gubernatorial contender, gets 43% support against Walker, the country executive of Milwaukee County. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, while five percent (5%) are undecided.

Two weeks ago, Walker led Barrett 48% to 44%.

Barrett is now in a virtual tie - 45% to 44% - with the other top GOP hopeful, former Congressman Mark Neumann. Five percent (5%) favor another candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

The Democrat posted a narrow 45% to 43% lead over Neumann in the previous survey.

Walker has consistently proven to be the slightly stronger GOP candidate against Barrett, with support back to early February in the narrow range of 46% to 49%. In those same surveys, support for Barrett has ranged from 40% to 44%.

Neumann has picked up 43% to 47% of the vote against Barrett, who has earned 39% to 46% in those matchups.

Barrett has no strong opposition for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Voters in both parties will pick their nominees in September 14 primaries.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Wisconsin was conducted on July 27, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The Wisconsin Senate race is still a toss-up, with Republican Ron Johnson and incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold in a near tie.

Male voters in the state favor the Republican candidate in both gubernatorial match-ups. Women favor Barrett if Neumann is the Republican in the race but break even in a contest between Barrett and Walker. Among voters not affiliated with either political party, both GOP candidates hold double-digit leads over the Democrat.

Neumann is viewed Very Favorably by 13% of all Wisconsin voters and Very Unfavorably by 20%.

Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters in the state share a Very Favorable opinion of Walker, while 23% view him Very Unfavorably. For Barrett, Very Favorables total 23% and Very Unfavorables 27%.

All three candidates are well-known in the state. At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Forty-six percent (46%) of Wisconsin voters rate their personal finances as good or excellent, well above the national average. Just 15% give their finances a poor grade. Yet only 16% say their personal finances are getting better these days, while 51% feel they are getting worse.

Democratic Governor Jim Doyle is not standing for reelection. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Wisconsin voters now approve of the job he is doing as governor. Sixty percent (60%) disapprove.

Read more conservative profiles at conservativefeatures.com

Live-Tweeting Primary Election Night 2010

Live-Blogging (or Tweeting! :-) Primary Election Night

Since many CRs are directly involved in the important GOP primaries today, it may be hard to "live-blog" thoughts, analysis, and coverage (as has been done before), since everyone is at the "Victory Parties"!! However, live-Tweeting (which wasn't an option, in many elections past) is now the trend :-) ... and it appears to be what many will be doing tonight!

I think the best #techgop move would be to use Twitter's improved embed ("Badge") service, in re: the key Midwest primaries today!

Update: I found an easier way to do it, with a Twitter-provided Widget.

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY

Rachel Campos-Duffy discovered the precious meaning of being involved in the home life of her children rather gradually at first.

"I was a finalist for co-host of ABC’s The View twice," Rachel explained in a May 7, 2010 interview for the NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE http://article.nationalreview.com/433755/a-real-housewife-of-wisconsin/kathryn-jean-lopez?page=1.The second time I narrowly lost out in the competition, it occurred to me that I was already doing what God was calling me to do — being home, taking care of my kids. Before that, I sort of thought I was “between gigs,” waiting for my next big break. My oldest was five at that time, and I was starting to see the fruits of my time at home with them — their manners and sense of compassion, the things that happen when you parent well. As I began to appreciate what I was doing as a mom, I simultaneously became aware of how little the culture values it."

But since she has found her true calling, she has embraced it with a fervor that only a dedicated stay-at-home mom would proudly advocate - so much so that she wrote about it:
Stay Home, Stay Happy - 10 Secrets to Loving At-Home Motherhood http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780451228079,00.html# was released in 2009. The celebrity mom and wife of 7th congressional candidate




She also is active in her own local politics. She is currently the Communications Director for the Wisconsin Federation of Republican Women http://www.wifrw.org/ohana/website/index.cfm?p=95575656375.

According to IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0133309/bio, Rachel, grew up in a military family with her father, Miguel, being a CM Sgt in the Air Force. Her mother Pili is from Spain. Born on October 22, 1971, she has 3 siblings; brothers, Joe and Patrick, and sister, Leah. She graduated from Desert High School at Edwards AFB, CA in 1989. Wikipedia states she graduated from Arizona State University in December 1993 with a degree in Economics. She tried out for and then was cast for the MTV Reality Show: Real World San Francisco in 1994 as a conservative. After her role in the series was over, she also appeared in Road Rules: All Stars in 1998, a reality show featuring alumni from all of the past Real World shows.

It is a well-known fact that Rachel met husband Sean Duffy on the Road Rules: All Stars set in 1998, but it is not as well known that union wouldn't have happened if during the filming of the 5th season of the Real World; 1997, Rachel's life took another, fateful turn. She was involved in a major car accident traveling at the time with her fiance, who was a producer for the Real World. Says Rachel in her PARENTDISH blog on September 9, 2009:

"Thirteen years ago, I survived a head-on collision after the driver of an oncoming vehicle fell asleep at the wheel. The accident was gruesome. My boyfriend and his friend, the driver of our rental car, died in the accident. I was ejected out of the passenger-side window and sustained very serious injuries to my right leg that still affect me today (I have arthritis, a limp and difficulty running)."

Afterward she got together with Sean and they were married on April 4, 1999. In the National Review Online article, Rachel recalls:

"We fell in love and married while I was auditioning for The View. The deal we made was if I got the job, we’d move to New York City. If I didn’t, I would move to Hayward, Wisconsin, his hometown. I didn’t get the job, and I moved from Beverly Hills to rural Wisconsin. I have fallen in love with the people of Wisconsin for the same reasons I fell in love with Sean. They are kind, unassuming, good-natured, and honest."

Rachel and Sean now have 6 children together: Evita Pilar, Xavier Jack, Lucia-Belen, John-Paul, Paloma Pilar and MariaVictoria Margarita. Her most recent, MariaVictoria was regarded as a high-risk pregnancy but the Duffy's didn't consider any other option but bringing the baby to full term.

Rachel was able to give me some of her thoughts about the decision to write her book, her activities, and her life as a dedicated stay-at-home mother and wife of a candidate in a major congressional race.


Read the rest at: http://conservativefeatures.com/?p=1868