On Taking Oath

Photo: Courtesy of Suzy Barnhart

Inauguration Day

On Thursday January 6th, 2010 Indiana's three constitutional officers, State Treasurer, Auditor, and Secretary of State, were inaugurated in State House. I was honored to be invited to attend this prestigious event in support of Indiana's State Treasurer. A true conservative, and true person, Richard Mourdock criss-crossed the state this past year, shaking more Hoosier hands than any other candidate. And as always, Mr. Mourdock's genuine and compassionate nature showed as he was sworn in, not by his wife who was ill, but by two young children with whom he had maintained correspondence with well after the campaign ended. Even more touching was his emotional and heart felt speech which capture the heart and mind of all who heard. It is my honor to bring this fantastic acceptance speech to the online world.

The American Decline?

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The Idea of East v. West 

Since the birth of our great nation, the naysayers and pundits have always claimed that the fall of the United States is just around the corner. The media and social elite have always identified an opponent and defined the world with an ‘us versus them’ mentality. Black vs. White, Democracy vs. Communism, East vs. West, Good vs. Evil; sound familiar? Throughout American history there has always been someone that was supposed to have toppled us, an ideology that was destined to one day replace our own. And historians and scholars have provided countless zombie theories speculating about the fall of the United States, always pointing for evidence to the great Empires of old like Rome and Han China. Yet with the rise of each new boogieman, America has always also arisen to meet the challenge. And just like waking from a bad dream, when Americans blink the sleep from their eyes and set to the task at hand, the great threat that once seemed to linger just beyond the horizon dissolves into nothing more than a faint, distant memory. Recently the website The Daily Beast published a review of the book, Why the West Rules – For Now. The author concludes that it is impossible to reverse the trend of America’s decline and the eventual rise of China as the world's super power. His reasoning, in a word is geography. Yet his concept of geography seems to lack a modern vantage point, thoroughly under appreciating the interconnectedness of the entire world. While It is true that the era of the singular super power has ended, it is also true that the age of coalitions and transgovernmentalism has only just begun. America may no longer be the sole super power, but it still has the strongest international coalition through which it will still take the lead in world governance.

The Cast and Crew of the Chicago Coup

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No Longer A 'Daley' Routine

With the shocking announcement that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will not run for reelection this year, the political scene in Chicago erupted into chaos after being dominated by the Daley machine since 1989. A man of nearly unlimited power in Chicago, Daley has not had a serious opponent in years. With this changing of the guards, the 'Daley' routine has ended and Chicago is wide open for a new power to lay siege to it. Soon after his announcement, a field of eighteen candidates flooded the election office with their forms and signatures in order to be on the ballot come election day. Some have already fallen to the way side like former Illinois Senator Roland Burris (D-IL) and US Representative Danny Davis, but the race is far from over. Chicago earned its nick name as the Windy City, not because of the Winds that blow across Lake Michigan, but because in Chicago politics, nothing is ever as it seems.

Midterm Election Results Spotlight

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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

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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.