Prosper Group Think

A sneak peak...

We're finishing the new website for the Judicial Confirmation Network today.  Here's a sneak peak of the unfinished product:

Americans for Prosperity Patients United Now Campaign

I'm working on a very important project for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.  We all know that our health care system isn't perfect, but many in Congress think that greatere government involvement is the solution to the problem.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

If you live in Indiana, you'll be seeing commercials from AFP's Patient's United Now campaign starting tomorrow.

 

You can also attend our luncheon event to learn more about this issue and enjoy some free food.

Indianapolis, IN
Date: June 30th, 2009
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: Indiana Statehouse 2nd Floor North Atrium 

Rep. Goodlatte Videos

Check out this video player from one of our new clients, Rep. Bob Goodlatte:

Top 5 Reasons why I nominated Josh Gillespie for 5th District YR Vice Chair

5. He dresses well.

4. He has a part time job so he can do all my work.

3. If I died and could come back as anyone, it would be Josh Gillespie.

2. I want good coverage on his blog.

1. A thick beard like his is hard to do.

Kristen Elected

Continuing her streak of undefeated elected contests, including defeating me for Convention Delegate in 2008, Kristen was elected as Indiana YR Chair today.

It's a Small World

In April I posted THIS on my blog.  It was a look back at early 2006 political prognostications and an update to what had happened since.

One of the individiuals predicted to be a rising star was Kokomo Mayor Matt McKillip.  However, in 2007 he lost in his own Primary by a significant margin.  It was clear in my frequent visits that he was highly unpopular, thus my comment in the post that he was "one of the most unpopular men in Kokomo."

Now, my sister and brother in law live out in the middle of nowhere Montana near Glacier National Park.  The closest "big" city is Kalispell.  They forwarded me the article below last week.

The Kalispell City Council's choice for city manager has a reputation as a hard-charging, dynamic leader, but he was soundly defeated in his re-election bid as mayor of Kokomo, Ind., and called by an Indiana blogger "one of the most unpopular men in Kokomo."

That comment at prospergroupthink.com actually was a response to the irony of an earlier 2006 Hotline article that cited Matt McKillip as "a real up and comer" the year before he was ousted in a Republican primary.

McKillip became the first incumbent Kokomo mayor to lose a primary election in 32 years. McKillip was mayor of Kokomo, an industrial city of 50,000, from 2004 to 2007.

So it's an awfully small world.  I'm causing problems for Matt McKillip 30 hours from home, although I truly wish him well.

Burton Stops the Obama White House

I'm not usually one to simply post press releases from my clients but I am so excited about this particular development I am going to.  Basically the amendment would bar the Obama White House from taking over the US Census in order to skew the count in their favor.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 18, 2009

Burton Amendment Passes, Bars White House From Politicizing 2010 Census
White House Loses Ability To Revert To Unprecedented Census Takeover Policy 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) successfully pushed the U.S. House to adopt his amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Departments' Appropriations bill today by a vote of 251-168.  The Burton Amendment bars any appropriated funds in the bill from being used to transfer the Office of the Census or Commerce Department employees to the jurisdiction of the White House.  

The Burton Amendment was offered to reassert Congressional authority over the Census, and to reassure the American people that the White House could not revert to its original policy of taking over the 2010 Census.

After the passage of his amendment, Rep. Burton issued the following remarks:
"Earlier this year, the White House announced their intention to take over the 2010 Census and remove it from the hands of the Department of Commerce.  As public consternation grew over the idea of having political operatives run the 2010 Census, the Obama Administration backtracked and has since sought to play down their role.

"The House passed my amendment today in an effort to assure the American people that the Obama Administration can not revert back to its Census-takeover policy.  In doing so, the House has also reasserted the fact that the U.S. Constitution placed control of the Census in the hands of Congress, not political operatives.

"The experienced and talented professionals at the Census Bureau can now carry out their task without worrying about political or partisan interference."

Background:
VIDEO: Rep. Burton speaks about the Burton Amendment on the House floor.

TEXT:  The Burton Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010:

"None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to relocate the Office of the Census or employees from the Department of Commerce to the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of the President.”

New Burton Web Video

To Virginia and back again

As a Hoosier politcal hack, 2009 is not a great year.  There are no elections here.  So, like so many of my brethren from across the country, I've been growing my clientelle outside of Indiana- particularly in Virginia where there always is an election taking place.

We've put together a website and have been consulting with Rich Anderson, a top challenger who's campaign is being run by a former Hoosier.  They've been doing an excellent job getting out his message and raising money online, proving that event state legislators can succeed at that goal.  In addition, we'll be unveiling some work for another VA challenger and an incumbent.

However, we are most excited about a new client- the Republican Party of Virginia.  We're actually doing something a bit different for them that I'll have more of a chance to expand upon in the future.  

But I digress... My original intent with this post was to talk about the inevitable, unfortunate consequence of doing all this business in Virginia- the driving.  To save money, and because I am mad at the airlines for tacking on $15 fees for luggage (x4 because the fee is applicable for both Kristen and I both when we leave and when we return), I drive. I can generally get to Richmond in 8-9 hours, hopefully avoiding any speeding tickets (particularly in Ohio which must have a Highway Patrol larger than the entire Indiana National Guard).  

Now, I like parts of the driving.  It, at least, gives Kristen and I the chance to be alone and undistracted.  We get to talk, which seems more rare these days, and if we pick a scenic route we also get to enjoy something more than endless corn fields.

But the excitement of the travel is quickly wearing thin, particularly in Virginia where some of the highways appear to be in a perpetual traffic jam.  We've dragged Sarah from the office along, sometimes to help us drive through the night, and she seems more enthusiastic about the trips.  

Either way, I'm very thankful for the expanded business.  But perhaps it's time we change some things around here in Indiana so that we replicate the non-stop campaign cycle in Virginia.  Perhaps then the worst I'll have to experience is the lengthy drive to Evansville.

Not time to back down

About a month ago, I sat down in Richmond, VA with a potential client.  They were a decidedly web 1.0 organization with a desire to slowly build and implement a plan to improve their efforts online.

The client was The Judicial Confirmation Network and our 3-5 month program just turned into a 3-4 week program. With the announced retirement of Justice Souter, their issue of interest just went from the bottom of the list to the top.

We've started with a new microsite, ObamasFrontrunners.com.  Check it out and don't forget to help us pick the worst Obama nominee- the one most likely to be a liberal judicial activist.  HINT: There's no wrong answer, they all will be. 

Here's what I think we are doing right and I hope fellow conservatives will follow:

Now is not the time to back down.  In fact, now is the time to stand the strongest and to fight most aggressively.  With the media's slobbering love affair with President Obama continuing unabated, we have no choice but to outwork, outthink and outhustle the other side.  While many have been awaiting the President's announcement before paying attention to the Supreme Court nomination process, JCN has been working hard to present loads of evidence, research and analysis of each potential nominee.  There will be few things more important than this nomination this year.

We may lose this battle, but we have an opportunity to expand our team.  ObamasFrontrunners.com is about communicating a message, but it's also about building our team.  The Boston Globe reports that 72% of Americans are looking for a moderate or a conservative on the court- so our potential team is a lot larger than the number of individuals who voted Republican in 2008.

Move fast.  JCN quickly jumped into the fray the day after the Souter announcement.  Our web videos were live soon after.  Americans know that this decision by the President is important.  They are listening, they are watching and JCN will continue to creatively communicate it's message.

I'm encouraged that Americans are uncomfortable with the single party control that has resulted from the last two elections.  They are going to increasingly push back against any attempts to take great advantage of this dominance.  If we dont back down we'll be rewarded.