Midterm Election Results Spotlight

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

Just Do the Wave

Election Day has come and gone and still some races have been left uncalled. In this historic election, truly every vote matters and being such, I wanted to wait until all of the races had been decided. Yet, now over two weeks after election day, we finally have concrete numbers for some of the last races. In the midterm election, that saw the turn over of the United States House of Representatives by a sixty-one seat swing, was truly a wave election that rippled around the entire country. This post will highlight the most important and interesting races that Center Right Nation has followed throughout the summer and fall.

Spotlight on the Otherside: Marcy Kaptur

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images

Why I Deeply Respect Marcy Kaptur

Marcy Kaptur (OH-D) is by far, my favorite Democrat in the United States House of Representatives. As the longest serving woman in the House, and the fourth longest serving woman in the entire congress, Marcy Kaptur has written the playbook on straddling party lines and being a champion of the people. As a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Kaptur has surprisingly been a moderate voice in within the nations largest Congressional Democratic Caucus. With moderate conservative votes on abortion, stem cell research, fiscal, and military policy, Kaptur has truly created a unique niche for herself in the direct middle of the American political spectrum and by doing so has allowed her to always be a reliable voice for the people in a city that seems to routinely forget they are beholden to anyone.

Let Freedom Ring

Photo: courtesy of the AP

Meet Aung San Suu Kyi

Today the world is celebrating the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, an icon of democracy in Southeast Asia, she has been under house arrest for much of the past 21 years. She has led the fight for democracy against the ruling junta in the country known as Burma (or Myanmar). The daughter of the general who led the county to its independence, Aung San Suu Kyi picked up the mantle of freedom and democracy after her mother's death. In 1989 she led her party, the National League of Democracy (NLD) to a landslide victory over the military junta, winning eighty-two percent of the seats in parliament all but insuring democratization of a country long denied self rule. Instead the elections were annulled by the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 21 years under house arrest. Her release marks a huge victory for democracy but must also remind everyone of how much is left to be done.

In Review: Give Us Liberty

Photo Credit: Official Picture

A Tea Party Manifesto

In 2008, grassroots networks across America thrust Barack Obama ahead in the polls and secured his election as the first black president in American history. In 2009 the American grassroot network cam alive again, but this time they railed against the very democratic agenda they had previously propelled into power. With massive protests such as the 9/12 March in Washington D.C. and the media frenzy that escalated the healthcare town hall debacles, America ha awoken from its long slumber, and America was fighting back. In the book Give us Liberty by Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe attempt to capture the history and energy of the Tea Party Movement and try to illustrate for the readers the necessity of this movement and the true power that we as voters and citizens truly hold.

In Review: Dirty Sexy Politics

(Photo Credit: Hyperion)

A Daughter's Prospective

The highly anticipated and much talked about book, Dirty Sexy Politics by Meghan McCain, the daughter of former Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain (R-AZ), has finally arrived. I was able to pick it up just a few days after its release and I am sorry It has taken me this long to write the review, but well I have had more pressing issues as of late, most notable helping Republicans take back America. Anyway, this book is written in a fun, yet emotional style that enthusiastically covers many of the biggest issues in the 2008 election, including: Sarah Palin (R-AK), the use of social media in a presidential election, and the state current state of Republican politics. Let's dive into the crazy, hectic world of this boisterous and funny 'daughter of', and relive one of the most historic elections our country has ever had.

The Countdown to Election Day Tour

And We're Off

At 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday night I was doing Spanish homework and checking my email. By 5:30 I was going on an adventure. A friend of mine, Diane Hubbard, had emailed me asking if I would like to join Richard Mourdock (R-IN), the Indiana State Treasurer, and herself on a two day van tour of northern Indiana. I had previously had the privilege to work with Mr. Mourdock on multiple occasions before hand so I immediately accepted. This one email set off a chain reaction that has since whisked me out of Bloomington, Indiana; through central and northeastern Indiana finally landing me in a beautiful bed-and-breakfast called the Oliver Inn, located in South Bend, Indiana. But I am getting ahead of myself, the end of Day 1 is not important; rather what is important is the journey we all took to get here.

A Lesson in Leadership

Hope on the Horizon

What does it mean to be a leader? A leader is someone who stands up for others, who takes responsibility on his or herself in order to help others, and who is ready to take the blame and share the credit for his or her policies. In Porter County, Indiana, incumbent Democrat Bob Harper is looking to retake his seat as a county commissioner; however, before one can go any further, one important question begs to be answered: Is Bob Harper a real leader? Is a leader someone who costs his county over $600,000 in fines for late taxes? Would a real leader idly sit by and watch as his constituents face financial hardships, all the while sitting upon $8.9 million dollars of unallocated funds earned from the interest of the sale of the hospital? The answer is simple: Bob Harper is not a leader. His policies have impeded the growth of Porter County as a whole and have led to increased financial burdens on its citizens when all along he had the ability (never mind the obligation and responsibility) to help. Porter County deserves a real leader, and fortunately it has one in the form of the Republican nominee for county commissioner, Nancy Adams.

Let's Go International, September 2010

Revelations and Relevance

The international world has been set on fire this past month with announcements of leadership changes, attempted coups, and bizarre acknowledgments by world leaders. In North Korea, Kim Jong Il promotes his heir apparent; in Ecuador the President is attacked during a coup; and Fidel Castro admits communism has failed. Let's dig deeper into these game changing and bizarre developments.