JB VAN HOLLEN CHIEF LAW ENFORCER FOR WISCONSIN

Since 2006, Attorney General JB Van Hollen has been a one-man crime-fighting force in the State of Wisconsin and after 2010, he's hoping he will no longer have to fight alone. The long time District and US Attorney is not only running for reelection himself but is also looking forward to the distinct possibility of having a Republican Governor, a Republican Legislature, and a Republican Senate. After all, after having to fight the Doyle administration and the Wisconsin legislature for 4 years, the job can only get easier.

Born John Byron Van Hollen on February 19, 1966 (WIKIPEDIA) in the town of Chetek John C and Rosella Van Hollen. John C., a realtor and Korean War Veteran, also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1966 to 1970. J.B. grew up in Chetek and later in the Town of Delta in Bayfield County. A graduate of St Olaf's University (Northfield, Minnesota) in 1988 with an undergraduate degree in political science, he went on to obtain his law degree at the University of Wisconsin Law School 2 years later. According to his Website (biography) although he was courted by several law firms, J.B. actually began his career as an Assistant State Public Defender in Spooner, Wisconsin. In 1991 Van Hollen became a federal prosecutor as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. In 1993 Governor Tommy Thompson appointed Van Hollen to the position of District Attorney in Ashland County. He stepped down 6 years later to pursue other life interests, but a short time later Governor Thompson appointed him to serve as Bayfield County District Attorney. He was reelected with bipartisan support. He became well-known when President George W Bush appointed him US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin in 2002 and his reputation as a star law enforcement official climbed to new heights. As the US Attorney for 44 counties in Wisconsin, JB coordinated a massive sting operation in Hayward, using 100 members of law enforcement to crack down on gangs, drugs, and guns. Through multiple levels of agencies, dozens of search warrants were executed simultaneously and dozens were arrested with the average federal prosecution resulting in a several-year federal prison sentence. In turn, the evidence collected helped to solve a homicide case. He under-spent his budget during all three of his years as U.S. Attorney. The number of criminal cases filed by his office increased by 15% in 2002, 7% in 2003, and 23% in 2004 totaling a 53% increase during his tenure. He initiated Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal effort to reduce violent gun crime by enforcing the numerous laws already on the books. In its first year, Van Hollen worked in Rock County to prosecute individuals for gun crimes ranging from being a felon in possession of firearms or ammo to use of firearms during violent felonies, resulting in an average prison sentence of more than five years. Van Hollen later expanded the effort to Dane County and several multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement groups in rural Wisconsin. Firearms prosecutions nearly tripled during his tenure.

In 2006, he decided to run for State Attorney General. He overtook Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher and won the nomination. In the worst of circumstances for Republicans, he won the Attorney General election by beating Democrat Kathleen Falk was the only Republican in the nation that year to win a statewide seat held by a Democrat.

When not involved with the rigors of running the Attorney General's office, JB enjoys running, biking, hunting swimming, skiing, basketball and golf. He has run two marathons and completed the 2003 Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon. He is a member of Ducks Unlimited, Grouse Unlimited, National Rifle Association, Wisconsin Sporting Heritage, Inc., and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He also has been involved with the Freemasons for a large part of his life, becoming Master Mason in 1985 and Grand Master of Masons in 2007, serving in this capacity into 2008. JB and his wife, Lynn, live in Waunakee and have two children, Byron and Madelyn.

JB has been campaigning hard around Wisconsin. His Democratic challenger, Democrat Scott Hassett, has yet to be heard from. Determined to be a vital cog in the resurgence of conservative governing in 2011, JB talked to me about his campaign, the state of ObamaCare, and his experiences as Wisconsin Attorney General over the past 4 years.

1. YOU HAVE SERVED AS ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE STATE OF WISCONSIN UNDER DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP FOR 4 YEARS. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT HAS FRUSTRATED YOU THE MOST OVER THOSE 4 YEARS?

I think basically 2 things: It is very frustrating to me when a liberal Governor like the one we have doesn't prioritize something as fundamental as public safety. Protecting our freedoms and liberties in this country is the most important thing that our government can do and yet overall spending during tough times went up and yet overall spending for public safety, law enforcement, and my Department of Justice budget went down and when we're trying to do so much good to help protect our citizens, having our spending priorities being so off-kilter is frustrating. And the other thing is the lack of respect for the Rule of Law. Politics, has, unfortunately played a role in our ability to do the best we could for the State of Wisconsin, whether it be our ability to join with Arizona to defend against the Federal Government in a lawsuit or to file briefs on the 2nd Amendment with the Supreme Court or a lawsuit on ObamaCare, the reality is that the Governor has let politics stand in the way of our doing our job to defend the state. Those two things are very frustrating.



JB is the chief law enforcement officer for the State of Wisconsin!

2. THERE IS ANTICIPATION FOR WISCONSIN TO HAVE THE FIRST REPUBLICAN-LED GOVERNMENT IN MANY YEARS. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH IN THAT SITUATION?

I'm hoping that we can accomplish what Republicans as a whole set out to do and that is to limit the size of Government but when we do limit the size of government, we have to make sure that we maintain our priorities as well. I have a great concern that Republicans may think that reducing the size of government may mean we make across-the-board cuts and reduce the size of every aspect of government. Well, that's not what we as conservatives, believe. We believe that we need to cut spending completely in some areas, considerably in other areas, and sometimes even increase spending in priority areas; areas where the government does need to be involved in our lives and I am hoping that when we get Republican control of the Governor's office, over the legislature, that we are going to be able to focus on government as a whole and make wholesale changes versus across-the-board cuts.

3. IN YOUR TIME AS STATE AG, WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING THING YOU'VE EXPERIENCED?

You know, there have been so many things that have been incredibly rewarding but I think that the most satisfying has been getting rid of the backlog of DNA evidence in our crime labs. Not only had every Attorney General candidate for decades run on the promise of getting rid of the backlog, every Attorney General had promised to get rid of the backlog and when I had inherited it, it was escalating horribly out of control and we needed to address it and we needed to address it promptly. We not only got rid of the backlog of DNA in the crime labs but we did it only partially by putting resources after the problem. A big part of what we did was by putting more efficiencies and technologies in the way we did business in the Department of Justice so that we got more bang for the taxpayer buck and so in the in process of helping law enforcement with perhaps the most significant law enforcement tool that has come along in our lifetimes, we were able to do it very efficiently economically, as well, and it is hard to not consider that to be the greatest success.



JB is out campaigning hard for this fall\'s election turnaround!

4. CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE STATE OF YOUR LEGAL CHALLENGE TO OBAMACARE? WHAT ELSE IS BEING DONE AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW TO COMBAT THIS LEGISLATION?

Well, we're in a holding pattern in Wisconsin right now, as most people I think, are now aware. As Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin, I have considerable power and authority but it is still limited. And as a conservative, I hold myself to those limits and I don't believe that government should grow beyond what the law entitles us to do. And, suing over ObamaCare is simply something that I have limits placed on me to do and it was necessary for me to get approval from either the governor or one of the bodies of the legislature to bring this lawsuit. We submitted an 8-page detailed memorandum of law indicating why we should bring this suit to all three of them. All three of them declined it and so now, as along as the Legislature and the Governor's office is controlled by their current leadership, we are out of luck when it comes to Wisconsin joining a lawsuit or initiating a lawsuit over the Federal Health Care law. However, when we get a new governor and at a time when we are going to have a new make-up in the Senate and a new make-up in the Assembly we are going to renew our requests, as long as I am Attorney General, and I would suspect that we would be able to get that request granted, in which we will be able to join an ongoing lawsuit or file a lawsuit ourselves. Otherwise there is a consortium of states whose Attorney's General have gotten together and brought a single lawsuit on the behalf of a multitude of states in the State of Florida and we actually could actually join that as well. Thus far, neither of these suits have progressed very far and there is certainly more than enough time to get involved.

5. YOU ARE A HUGE 2ND AMENDMENT PROPONENT. CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF CONCEALED CARRY AND CLEAR UP ANY MISCONCEPTIONS PEOPLE MAY HAVE ABOUT IT?

First with regard to the 2nd Amendment, I'm a huge proponent of it for a number of reasons. First of all I believe in the Rule of Law and it's a significant part of our Constitution. Second of all, of course, when people lose the ability to defend themselves, we become subject to the whims of others who want to violate our freedoms and liberties and we become subject to the whims of government if they are going to abuse their power and authority and so the 2nd Amendment is vitally important to me and we've done a lot in my Administration to advance the cause of gun rights and 2nd Amendment rights in Wisconsin. And I am for concealed carry as well. And I think there's a bit of mis-perception out there that people are in greater danger but in the 48 States that permit law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons, there is absolutely no anecdotal evidence to suggest whatsoever that, that is the case. The opponents of concealed carry will be the first one's to tout examples of problems if there were any. The reality is that Government's role is to protect its citizens and if we have a law in the State of Wisconsin prohibiting law-abiding citizens from carrying concealed weapons, if that is not doing anything to protect citizens, if it's not necessary to protect citizens, then by all means Government should get out of our lives. So I'm a big fan of the 2nd Amendment but I'm also a big fan of making sure the Government doesn't interfere in our lives when they can find or show no legitimate reason to do so. With regards to the Concealed Carry law in Wisconsin right now, there is no justification for it existing.

Right Nation 2010

I was hoping that, at this Midwest-themed major event, I would be able to live-blog (I'm on Bloggers Row!) at this, plus two other weblogs.

The last time I was on a "Bloggers Row" - at the 2008 "Defending the American Dream" Summit - I was able to do so, at two blogs (my personal one, and at the UIS College Republicans one), with somewhat success... So I thought maybe, I could do this.



Who was I kidding? Not only did I get here late, and flustered, but just getting, on the Sears Centre wi-fi system was a chore.

I will post more here, but likely in the form of "recaps"... For live-blogging, I'll have to continue, at my personal blog (and on Twitter most likely, from the "interview room").

My U.S. Congressman, AARON SCHOCK (who's also just 1 month older than I), is speaking right now; They told us he will "be in the interview room 1 minute after" he finishes speaking; I hope to be in the front row! [Was in the back, when Andrew Breitbart was there, and I totally missed Herman Cain.]

Please follow updates, from the floor of the Convention, at my main blog [sorry in advance, if they seem garbled, unprofessional, and too stream-of-consciousness-like... I'm undercaffeinated, and mad at myself, for the aforementioned reasons, as well!], and perhaps some updates here, as well.

I will link to the posts of the others, who are here on Bloggers Row... I've noticed Bill Barr, right in front; recognized Emily Zanotti, when I first arrived.

From the interview room, it'll be live-Tweets! You can follow my stream (though for some reason, it's been VERY slow, with the mobile network); the hashtag for this event is #RN2010.

BTW: Four of the State Republican Parties, in our CRNC Midwest Caucus, are sponsors of Right Nation 2010: Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois.



Stay tuned, for more updates!

(I'd link to a live-stream, which I presume exists, but I'm going to get ready, to run to the interview room!)

SEAN DUFFY BUILT FOR THE RUGGED 7TH DISTRICT

Wisconsin 7th Congressional District Candidate Sean Duffy has a Christmastime YouTube video that he put on his campaign site in 2009 where he and his family are hunting for the perfect Christmas tree and the chainsaw ran out of gas. Sean broke the tree down with his bare hands, an act of bravado that isn't an anomaly for a family lineage extending back to four generations of pioneers and lumberjacks. He may be running for Congress and for the right to walk the polished, pristine halls of Capitol Hill but his roots have been cemented squarely in rural Wisconsin for longer than he's been alive.

Sean's great-grandfather, Hugh, moved to Hayward in 1883 and was a founding settler of the community as well as a lumberjack. His grandfather, Walter Duffy, was Register of Deeds and county judge for Sawyer County, Wisconsin. His father, Tom Sr, is a lawyer in Hayward and his brother, Tom Jr, also opened his own law practice in Hayward and ran for Sawyer County judge last year. And then there's the logrolling angle: While Sean holds 2 speed-climbing titles, his brother Brian holds 5 logrolling titles, and an even younger Duffy niece Taylor is a multi-logboom running champion who won her first championship at the age of 15.

Born on October 3, 1971, to Thomas and Carol Duffy, (WIKIPEDIA) Sean is one of 11 children born and raised in Hayward. He began log rolling at age 5 and speed climbing (which involves sprinting up 60 and 90 foot poles) at age 13. As a teen, he competed in the National Lumberjack Championships and is a three-time world champion in the 90-foot speed climb. He has a marketing degree from St. Mary's University, and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. In 1997 during his first year at law school, he was cast for and starred in MTV's Real World Boston. He played a Republican on the show. In 1998, the alumni from previous Real World shows, were cast together in Road Rules: All Stars. On the set, he met his future wife, Rachel, (RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: MOTHER, STAY AT HOME ADVOCATE). They married on April 4, 1999 and the couple now has six kids Evita Pilar, Xavier Jack, Lucia-Belen, John-Paul, Paloma Pilar and MariaVictoria Margarita.

"My kids logroll in the summer," he told the MCLATCHY-TRIBUNE news agency in May of this year. "This is part of my family's tradition. I've traveled all over the country tree climbing and logrolling. You don't get more Wisconsin than me."

Hayward boasts one of the best logrolling training schools in the country and soon as his kids learn to walk, Sean takes them to logrolling school in the summer. They compete in the Youth division of the Lumberjack World Championships each summer. Evita has already placed 3rd in recent competition.

Here's my interview with Sean recently where he told me about his campaign approach and what he planned to do if he were fortunate enough to win the 7th District race and end up in Washington DC.

1. DAVID OBEY GAVE UP HIS BID FOR RE-ELECTION IN APRIL. HOW MUCH OF THIS DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO PRESSURE FROM YOUR CAMPAIGN?

You know some people have speculated that I had quite a bit to do with Dave leaving. They've said that he would have stayed there but for the fact that he had a serious challenge this year. I don't know what's in Dave's heart, I don't know what the reason is that Dave got out, only he and his family know that so it's pretty tough for me to speculate. I'll leave that to the bloggers and pundits like yourself!

2. HAVING RECENTLY STEPPED DOWN AS ASHLAND DA, CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TOUGH THIS DECISION WAS AND HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO FOCUS MORE ON THE TASK AT HAND?

I loved my job as Ashland DA. I loved to work representing the citizens of Ashland County. I love putting guys behind bars, the best job I've ever had, but I also think it's important that if you are going to take a step like this and run for Congress you have to be able to look at your life and acknowledge what you can and can't do. I was being a full time father, a full time husband, a full time District Attorney, and a full time candidate and I struggled to do everything well so I decided to give that job up and run full time here and I think it's important that with the problems we face in the country, it's imperative that we have a new direction and this seat is part of this new direction and I wanted to make sure I was giving it my all. So I pondered it for a long time and Rachel and I came to the conclusion that, that was probably the best move. I think to leave the citizens of Ashland County with a District Attorney who is fully engaged, especially as I look at how much it is going to take to win this campaign, is the right way to go, and to recognize that on my part I think is important and that's what it's all about. I'm less concerned about my old job and I am more concerned about the hard-working families here in Wisconsin in the 7th Congressional District and that is why I resigned as the Ashland County DA.



Sean campaigning at the Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Cranberry festival

3. IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ARE ELECTED TO CONGRESS, WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU'D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE STATE OF WISCONSIN?

The first thing: Any unspent TARP money and unspent stimulus money should be sent back to pay down the deficit. I think this will send a resounding message to Americans and the rest of the World that the days of American bailouts and stimulus are over.

4. WHAT ISSUES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE 7TH DISTRICT AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO TACKLE THOSE ISSUES ONCE YOU ARE ELECTED

The economy and jobs, I think, are the most important. I feel that we have seen government try to borrow and spend our way to prosperity and sustainable job growth and the bottom line is that, that doesn't work and it's never worked. I think that economic growth and sustainable job growth comes from the private sector; people who invest in their vision and it is those folks who create jobs and create wealth, I mean the Bill Gates of the world are the ones who create prosperity and growth and not government spending and I think we need to put a focus back on the true job creators in the private sector, not government. Number 2, we have to start to reduce our debt and balance our budget. We have a 13.3 trillion dollar debt. That breaks down to more than $43,000 dollars for every man, woman, and child in this country and when my little Maria Victoria was born about 5 months ago, she came into the world owing about $43,000 in national debt. This is unacceptable. We are mortgaging our children's future and that is just unacceptable.




Sean hopes to be all smiles on November 3rd!

5. YOU'VE BEEN MARRIED TO RACHEL FOR 11 YEARS NOW. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE ROLE THAT FAITH PLAYS IN YOUR MARRIAGE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BOTH OF YOU IN YOUR ROLE AS PARENTS?

Rachel and I are both Catholics and it isn't just a commitment between the 2 of us, it is a commitment between us and God and that is, I think, a pretty powerful statement that you make with someone once you include Him in your vows and I think it's important that we raise our children within a sound Faith and that's what we've done in our home. Our kids go to Church every Sunday and they are very well educated in their Faith and I think that plays a huge part of our life and our parenting and I think that plays a huge part in our relationship.

6. RECENTLY RACHEL GAVE BIRTH TO YOUR SIXTH CHILD, MARIA VICTORIA, A PREGNANCY THAT WAS CONSIDERED "HIGH RISK". WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR'S AND RACHEL'S RESOLVE TO SEE THIS PREGNANCY THROUGH AND YOUR REASONS BEHIND IT?

Those I like to keep personal. We have had 2 of those pregnancies that were considered high risk and we chose life, you know, regardless of what hand we are dealt or our kids are dealt and so that's our belief and so the belief just isn't in words, the belief is in practice.

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL: THE CONSERVATIVES FIRST HOPE

BY SCOTT SCHNEIDER
Like any other conservative running in 2010, Christine O'Donnell hopes that a November 2 victory signals the end of a damaging era in American Politics. For Christine; however, there is an added weight to the occasion. . .she would be the winner of an open race that could throw the Democrat's plans for a lame-duck counteroffensive into a tailspin.

Christine is running for Vice President Joe Biden's open Senate seat in Delaware. Because Biden has vacated his term, her reign as Republican Senator would begin immediately on November 3 and the Senate make-up now at 59 Democrats, generally filibuster proof, would be reduced to 58, or only marginally filibuster-proof and the Democrat's plans for a late-session Cap-and-Trade, Card-Check, tax-hiking bonanza would be in shambles.

Contrasting that with Christine's Republican opponent, a RINO in Mike Castle, a career congressman who has generally voted with Democrats on just about every single major spending issue including being one of the infamous 8 who voted for the Waxman-Markey Cap-And-Trade bill, the ability for Christine to win the Sept 14, 2010 primary election makes her race particularly vital to the conservative cause this fall.

According to WIKIPEDIA and her Website CHRISTINE O'DONNELL Christine was born and raised in New Jersey to a mother of Italian-American descent and a father of Irish-American descent and was one of six children. She says she remembers sharing a bedroom with four sisters and her father worked three jobs to take care of the family.

She studied English and Communications at Fairleigh Dickinson University, but did not receive a degree. Afterward she began working for the Republican National Committee for several years in Washington where she began to hone her political arguments and understanding and is credited with helping to develop the marketing strategy that played a key role in the historic ’94 Republican Congressional sweep. She was awarded a 2002 Abraham Lincoln Graduate Fellowship in Constitutional Government from the Claremont Institute in Claremont, CA.

In 2003, Christine moved to Delaware to work for the conservative publisher Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) in Hockessin and also branched out into work as a marketing consultant for The Passion of the Christ and Natalia Tsarkova, the Vatican's first female portrait painter. In addition, she has put her political skills to work providing commentary on TV ratings bonanzas like "The O’Reilly Factor,” “Hannity & Colmes,” “The Glenn Beck Show,” and “Entertainment Tonight.” And is also a frequent radio talk show guest-host on WGMD in Rehoboth Beach and WDEL in Wilmington, DE.

She has recently been endorsed by Redstate's Erick Erickson REDSTATE, the TEA PARTY EXPRESS, GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA, THE FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL, and ONE NATION PAC.

Christine talked with me this week about her campaign and why she is perhaps the most vital component in the race to take back the House and Senate and stop the Obama/Reid/Pelosi train-wreck in 2010.

1. PEOPLE OUT OF DELAWARE MIGHT NOT KNOW WHY YOUR ELECTION IS SO SIGNIFICANT; CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHY THE RESULTS ON NOVEMBER 2 WILL AFFECT THE NATION?

It’s critical that Delaware elect a true Constitutionalist on Nov 2 for two reasons. First, this is a special election for the US Senate seat vacated by VP Biden, which means that the winner will be seated *immediately* after election day, rather than waiting until the start of the new Congress in January. That means that if elected, I could be one of the critical votes to help stop an outrageous Democrat Lame Duck bonanza, as Democrats voted out of office by the American people seek to have their final revenge. The second reason it’s critical to elect a conservative is that whether or not Republicans take back the Senate, the margin there will be very slim in either direction. This means that liberal Republicans who tend to vote with Harry Reid will have an incredible power to either thwart a Republican majority or side with a Democrat majority. In the past, liberal Republicans have seriously undermined the conservative agenda, including forcing the Bush tax cuts to be substantially less than they otherwise would have been. My primary opponent is the most liberal Republican serving in the House. As a Congressman, he has voted with Nancy Pelosi an astounding majority of his votes, including for the job-killing national energy tax known as “Cap and Trade.” He also was the Republican lead sponsor on the embryonic stem cell research bill and the first amendment-shredding DISCLOSE Act. Americans from every state, not just Delaware, should be very concerned about a liberal Republican being elected to this seat.

2. YOU COME FROM A LARGE FAMILY; CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE ROLE FAMILY HAS PLAYED IN YOUR CORE VALUES?

I'm one of six children whose parents taught us that while life can be hard, hard work makes life better. My father worked three jobs in order to put food on the table and clothes on our back. My mom's ability to make ends meet on such a tight budget taught me how to stretch a dollar. As adults, my siblings and I all hold different political beliefs, yet regardless, we support each other unconditionally. That dynamic around my mom's Sunday dinner table certainly has prepared me to hold my own in the political arena.

On a serious note, my family was always a rock and a refuge for me and fewer and fewer American children are growing up with that kind of support and unconditional love from a loving, two-parent family. I will fight hard for those values to be preserved in the U.S. Senate.



Christine with her suit jacket on and ready to go!

3. BP's OIL SPILL IN THE GULF HAS LED THE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD TO DISCUSS AMERICA'S ENERGY POLICIES AND QUEST FOR INDEPENDENCE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OBAMA'S DRILLING MORATORIUM AND THE FUTURE OF OFF-SHORE DRILLING IN AMERICA?

Domestic oil and gas exploration is critical not only to our energy independence, but also our national security and our economic recovery. No one is disputing whether new appropriate safety regulations should be considered in order to prevent this disaster from occurring again. Yet, the Obama job-killing, judiciary-defying moratorium is a catastrophe for our ability to achieve all three of the above goals, especially for the already down-and-out working families of our hard-hit Gulf region. Either Barack Obama is too ignorant to understand the devastating effect of this outrageous policy, or he doesn’t care. My primary opponent is no friend to America’s energy workers either, since he voted for the cap-and-trade bill which would kill jobs and raise energy prices on every family.

4. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER "RESPONSIBLE SPENDING" AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SPEND RESPONSIBLY?

Responsible spending is spending which puts the next generation ahead of the next election. Responsible spending means that taxpayer money is treated as a precious trust and should be spent by politicians as if it were their own. It means we do not demand that Americans yet unborn pay for the government programs we want for ourselves. It means we don’t spend more than we have.

The way to achieve this is to replace career politicians with citizen politicians. When the job becomes more important than the people, career politicians betray their oath and spend for political expediency instead of out of good stewardship. Second, we need to elect fiscal conservatives to every branch of government. Mere party affiliation simply will not do, as we have seen from many past Congresses. I wouldn’t oppose forcing Members of Congress to take Econ 101 once or twice, either!




Christine announcing her candidacy in this photo by stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com


5. WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION, YOU ADVOCATE FOR PARENTS TO HAVE A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CHOICES TO INCLUDE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, PAROCHIAL, AND CHARTER SCHOOLS AS WELL AS HOMESCHOOLING. WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO GIVE THESE CHOICES TO PARENTS AND HOW WILL YOU OVERCOME OPPOSITION WITHIN THE BELTWAY?

We can only oppose opposition within the Beltway by massive support outside the Beltway. That means that Americans elect conservatives who are running on a platform that includes educational choice. It’s always difficult to change the Washington establishment, but let’s not forget that the Federal takeover of local education is a new development, not long-standing policy, and can and must be pushed back through big and small legislative measures.

6. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS TOWARD THE CONSTITUTION?

You know, unlike so many other nations throughout the world and throughout history, America was not founded along tribal, ethnic or religious lines. It was not an accident of geography or post-war map-making. America was born of ideas. Those ideas are enshrined in our Founding documents, most pre-eminently the Constitution, and the more we stray from the limits prescribed in that document, the less we remain America. I love America and I will fight tooth and nail to prevent that from happening in every branch of government.

7. DESCRIBE HOW GRASSROOTS NETWORKS SUCH AS SMARTGIRL POLITICS HAVE AFFECTED YOUR CAMPAIGN?

There would be no O’Donnell for US Senate campaign without the grassroots! We have run a bottom-up campaign from the beginning, unlike my primary opponent, who has relied on top-down party king-making out of Washington. If not for the bloggers, the web sites, the homeschoolers, the Tea Party, and the other grassroots communities outside of the Washington cocktail club, I would never have made it this far. So I am grateful, and in awe of the incredible technological changes over the past few years which have so empowered everyday Americans to be able to make such a difference.

The Lords of the Backroom have anointed my primary opponent as the next US Senator from Delaware. He has been the most liberal Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, almost always voting with Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat caucus over his 18 years in office. He has been on a government payroll longer than I’ve been alive. He’s been part of the Washington elite who have brought our economy, our national security, and our fiscal solvency to the absolute brink. Only a wave of common sense conservatives storming Capitol Hill will stand any chance of reversing the damage and restoring American greatness. This race is one that conservatives can win, and so I encourage all freedom-loving Americans to support us with prayer, volunteer hours, and financial giving at Christine2010.com. We can’t do it without you. But together, we can take back our country!

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See more of Scott's interviews at CONSERVATIVEFEATURES.COM