Content by Reagan
Posted at 4:43pm on Mar. 1, 2007 A Rudy Giuliani / Mike Pence ticket?
By Reagan
After hearing all the rumors recently that Rudy Giuliani is going to begin aggressively courting Mike Pence and that Pence is his first choice for VP, my initial reaction was to cringe. The more I think about it though, the more I think it could work.
Sadly, as of now, Pence is not running. No one who is conservative will win the nomination. I think Rudy has it locked up.
The only way for the conservative movement to survive is for us to force the establishment nominee to grant us concessions that are real and verifiable.
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Posted at 4:34pm on Jun. 14, 2006 Jim Gilchrist comments on the Mike Pence immigration plan
By Reagan
Founder of Minuteman Project comments on the Pence Plan
The founder of the Minuteman Project, Jim Gilchrist, commented on the Pence Plan Monday on KOGO AM in San Diego.
To listen to Gilchrist's comments and the Congressman's interview with Mark Larson, visit this site and scroll down to the section on the right side entitled "Mark Larson Podcast."
Here is a transcript of the show when Gilchrist called in:
Mark Larson: You never know who is listening to the program here. Jim Gilchrist just called in. He does once in awhile. He joins us here on KOGO. You're on with Mike Pence, welcome...
Jim Gilchrist: Hi, thank you for having me on. Mike, terrific, I really like what you're saying here, and I'm just elated that even representatives from Indiana are getting on this issue. My only question to you is that there is so much feeling out here of mistrust that any of these laws will be enforced, what assurance are we going to have as American citizens that these laws will be actually enforced?
Congressman Mike Pence: Well Jim, Mark just called me a national leader--that actually would accurately be applied to you on this.
Mark Larson: Ok, you're both national leaders...
Congressman Mike Pence: Jim, I think there's an essential element...Johnny Isakson came up with a proposal in the Senate that we included in my bill, which I hope that you will take a look at the bill and the executive summary that are on my web site, mikepence.house.gov. We posted the draft bill today. The assurance that we will have in my legislation is that we will have two years, while we are setting up these Ellis Island centers before one of them can open, we're going to have two years that is exclusively border security and setting up the apparatus for employer sanctions. At the end of that two-year period of time under my legislation, as Senator Johnny Isakson proposed, we're going to ask the secretary of Homeland Security to certify that the border security measures in the legislation have been substantially completed before a single new guest worker visa is issued at the new Ellis Island centers outside the United States. That's the assurance, that unless and until the Secretary of Homeland Security signs off that the border security measures in the legislation have been substantially completed, meaning the 700 miles of fence, the UAV's, the additional personnel, the additional incarceration facilities, then we just don't go forward with the program. To me, it's first things first, border security first, but that doesn't mean that in the legislation, Jim, we can't build a no amnesty guest worker program to meet the needs of the economy in an orderly way.
Jim Gilchrist: Thanks Mike. I agree, and the Minuteman Project has never been anti-immigrant or anti any guest workers. We know that there is a need for some, we just don't need 30 million here to pick strawberries. Meantime, until the Minuteman Project sees results Mr. Pence, and this is, I am commending you for what you've done I'm very impressed, I'm not trying to intimidate you with this comment, but until we see results, we're continuing to assemble on the border. We're going to have the largest and longest one launching on 9/11 and going all the way through November 7, Federal Election Day, at Laredo, Texas. We hope to get 10,000 volunteers on this one.
Congressman Mike Pence: Well, Jim thank you for founding the Minuteman Project, thank you for all of the decent, God-fearing, law-abiding, men and women who have participated in it and we appreciate you very much here on Capitol Hill.
Mark Larson: Jim, appreciate the call.
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Posted at 11:33am on May 25, 2006 Pence's immigaration plan works
By Reagan
Top Ten Actions Mike Pence's Immigration Bill Will Accomplish
1 Pass HR 4437
HR 4437 is the House Border security bill that was passed last December. It secures our border and issues tough new fines and sanctions against employers hiring illegal aliens. HR 4437 must be passed. The Pence plan is the only way to do that. The Senate simply will not vote on HR 4437 as it stands. Pence's plan would force them to vote on it totally intact. Sadly, politics, particularly in the Senate, dictates that Pence's plan is the only viable option. Politically, this is the only play for conservatives who want to solve the problem.
2 The border will be secured
Enough said. HR 4437 will help secure our Southern border and stop the incursion on our Southern border. "A Nation without Borders is not a nation" and that is why HR 4437 must be passed by the Senate.
3 Interior laws will be enforced
Pence's plan will put strict new fines and penalties against employers hiring illegals as well as enforcing old ones. Offenders will face huge fines, loss of license and even prison if they violate Federal law. Pence envisions that around the third year that NO employer will risk prosecution when it will be so easy and cheap to hire legal Guest Workers.
This will dry up illegal jobs.
4 NO path to citizenship will be granted
A great part of Pence's plan is that it will not reward any of the 10 to 12 million illegal aliens who broke the law with a path to citizenship. Should an illegal alien return home and then be eligible for a guest worker card then he would have to learn English if he wants a renewal after two years. After six years if he wants to stay in the United States
he would have to enter a separate and unrelated process of permanent immigrant status or
citizenship. He would have to do so at the end of the line. His Guest Worker status would end after six years after which he would either go home or get in the back of the line for citizenship.
5 Anchor baby citizenship will end
Pence is a co sponsor of a provision to end anchor babies. Under the Pence plan a Guest Worker's newborn child would have no citizenship rights to the United States. That baby
would be a citizen of hisher home country rather than the U.S. where they would simply be a "guest."
6 Removes all 10 to 12 million illegal aliens for United States
The Pence plan says that all illegal aliens in the United States must go home. Pence's method is self deportation. Pence says self deportation will work in two ways.
First being the new enforcement standards combined with the old existing enforcement standards. Employers simply will not be able to continue to hire illegal aliens without facing huge fines, loss of license, andor prison. Jobs for illegals will dry up and they will go home because of that.
Second is the incentive to go home quickly and get right with the law. Pence predicts that the illegals will see that there will only be so many guest worker cards available and that staying here illegally is no longer viable. They will race home to get "right with the law" because no one wants to be late signing up when there are no slots available.
Once we enforce both existing law and the new law, illegal jobs will dry up.
Pence's plan will end catch and release .Those who do not self deport will be deported immediately once they cause an interior infraction.
7 There will no longer be "undocumented workers"
After the three year initial implementation phase there simply will be no such thing as "undocumented workers." At that point all of our guests will have proper fraud-proof documents (cards) or they will be sent home. Ending undocumented workers is a huge step.
8 Private Sector
The Pence plan uses the private sector without adding government bureaucracy. Pence uses private employment firms and uses private companies to issue the Guest worker cards which will be like your bank and credit cards, fraud proof. The Guest worker cards would be wallet sized like the cards endorsed by the President. Employers will swipe the cards to verify the Guest workers eligible status. Border patrol and Law enforcement will be able to swipe the cards and determine status. If a guest worker is fired or convicted of a crime the card will be cancelled terminating that guests legal status. Pence's free market ideas will end government bureaucracy at zero cost to taxpayers.
9 Secures the border first.
Pence's plan is great because it secures the border first. He realizes that this is the first step and all else comes after. We most stop the flow of illegals on our Southern border now. The President called for 6,000 more border patrol agents and the use of the National guard in the interim. Pence welcomes that call, but Pence says it is not enough. HR 4437
adds port of entry inspectors, ends catch and release, puts to use American technology and will build a barrier on at least 700 miles of our Southern border.
10 We will control our border
Pence provides the action plan that will bring a new day to our Southern border. Instead of "coyotes," drug runners and felons ruling the border, The United States of America will control the border. Seal the border, send the illegals home, then we will get to decide who we let back in the country. We will know who is in our country. National Security, for one, dictates that we must do it now. After the three year mark we will be in a different situation regarding our border in America from where we are now. The border will be secure, the flow of illegals on our Southern border will be stopped. Most illegals will have self deported and either stayed home or come back legally to a temporary job. Those who are still here illegally should be small enough in number that law enforcement can and will pursue. Those illegals here will certainly be jobless because employers at this point wouldn't be willing to face the risk associated with hiring illegals.
The one thing that is for sure in this tough debate is that the status quo is unacceptable.
We simply cannot abide by two years of illegal immigrant flow into our country. We must seal the border now. HR 4437 is the only way to do that. We must pass HR 4437.
The paleos say no bill is better than a bad bill. They are right. They say no bill is better than Pence's bill. They are wrong. They say Pence has compromised. They are right.
They say he has compromised law and order and advocated amnesty. They are dead wrong and they know it. The fact is Pence knows he would have to give up something to the Senate and that would have to be a guest worker program. So Pence came up with the most conservative guest worker program imaginable. They all have to go home and none will be on a path to citizenship. Some paleos call this Amnesty which proves they label everything they do not like amnesty. Paleos used to say they want HR 4437 passed, I am now not so sure. These people really want no bill at all and they want disaster in November.
Pence has admitted he has compromised on some points but he did not compromise on amnesty and his conservative principle. Where he did compromise is on the debate of whether we need a guest worker program at all and whether there are "jobs Americans will not do." He surrendered these points to the guest worker lobby for strategic reasons knowing that a stalemate on the bill was imminent. That was unacceptable.
Two more years of the status quo is unacceptable to Pence. Our sovereignty is in jeopardy as is our national Security. Pence also stepped up for reasons of patriotic loyalty to our nation. Pence knows that if our party does not keep its promise and secure our border then the American people simply will not re-elect Republican majorities in November. Pence knows what Democrat power and rule will mean to the War on terror. Pence knows that our party is divided and someone must step up and bridge the gap. Pence has stepped out on a limb by himself for all of us and we should be grateful. These are the selfless actions of a true statesman. Lord knows Pence doesn't need this kind of slander and could have easily kicked the can down the road.
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Posted at 2:30pm on Dec. 17, 2005 Who will be Man of the Year?
By Reagan
Human Events is expected to name their 2005 Man of the Year some time next week and I thought we would take a look at some of the possible contenders who helped shape the past year.2005 was very much a nascent turning point for the conservative movement and with 2008 seemingly getting closer everyday we must finsih what was started in 2005.Almost all of the candidates for Man Of the Year were part of the beginning stages of a revitalized conservative movement that was begun in 05 but will have to be finished in later years.
Henry Hyde
After thirty years of being a conservative Pro-Life hero in the House of Representatives, 2005 is Henry Hyde's swan song. He will leave on a high note as he was able to pass the Henry J. Hyde U.N. reform act. United Nations reform could be Hyde's lasting legacy. If the U.N. does not reform they will lose 50% of the funds annually appropriated to them from the Unites States.
Haley Barbour
In the aftermath of Katrina when everyone else was showing just how incompetent government truly is, Governor Barbour showed how to Govern during a crisis. There were Republicans and Democrats alike playing the blame game and trying to reach deep into the Taxpayer's pockets. Haley Barbour did none of that and showed why he is a statesman.
George W. Bush
2005 has been a tough year on our Commander in Chief, but he has not wavered on the War in Iraq despite the political pressures from both parties to "surrender". The President late in the year supported offsets for hurricane relief. Fiscal discipline could be a template for his political recovery.
Rush Limbaugh
What did Rush do different this year than any other year? Nothing. The fact is every year Rush is Man of the Year. We all owe Rush a debt of gratitude and let us not ever take him for granted.
Mike Pence
Pence has steadily become a national voice for conservative values and principles. With his proven conservative leadership, he has encouraged his House colleagues to pass conservative legislation while at the same time convicting House leadership to shift to the right. As Pence claims that Americans want fiscal discipline for Christmas, his Reagan-like demeanor has given every conservative household some warmth for the winter season. Pence has been talked abouut as House Leadership and Presidential material.
Tom Coburn
In 2005 Tom Coburn made a triumphant return to Washington D.C. and became the leading CONSERVATIVE voice in the Senate. He took on the entire political Establishment when he offered amendments rolling back funding for several Pork barrel projects including the infamous "bridge to no where".
Jeb Hensarling
In Congress, Hensarling played a key role as Chairman of the Budget task force of The Republican Study Committee. He started the year off with a bang as he garnered a victory over House leadership in March fighting for future Budget rules concerning point of orders on appropriations. He followed that up with a very successfully Operation Offset. Sky is the limit for Hensarling.
David Keene
In 2005, the ACU, under Keene's leadership, re-emerged as the leading voice for Conservatism over party and principle over politics. When the House leadership took conservative members to the woodshed over the Republican Study Committee's desire to cut spending, the ACU stepped up and went to bat for conservatives in the House. David Keene helped turn the tide in favor of fiscal discipline. This will soon not be forgotten by a grateful base who wonder where all the conservatives have gone.
Duncan Hunter
As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter has remained steadfast in staying the course in Iraq and ensuring the troops have what they need for victory. Recently he has led the fight for a fence to protect our border. In addition, he has stood against the McCain torture amendment to ensure that we can collect the intelligence necessary to protect ourselves from terrorist attacks.
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Posted at 11:29am on Jul. 12, 2005 Mike Pence in 2008
By Reagan
History has shown that conservatism works every time it is actually tried and that nothing else works at all. As a guide, we have the principles of Ronald Wilson Reagan. Yet, for ten years, Republicans have slowly moved away from limited government into a government-first, careerist, get-reelected at any cost mentality. The 2008 Presidential election will decide if we maintain our conservative convictions or abandon them for perceived political gain. Most of us realize that our party must nominate a Reagan conservative who can articulate the values and philosophy that made America what it is today. We must draft, nominate, and elect both a true fiscal and social conservative. In my mind there really is only one choice: Mike Pence of Indiana.
I am a twenty three year old conservative living in Indiana and I have dedicated my political life to drafting Mike Pence for the Presidency of the United States of America . After only two months, a thousand others have joined to insure that we have a Reagan conservative as our nominee. I believe there is a Reagan wing of our party made up of two major halves, Social and Fiscal conservatives (along with an immigration and second amendment wing). If the Reagan wing of our party hopes to prevent Rudy Giuliani or John McCain from receiving the nomination, then we must have a candidate who is acceptable to all of the Reagan constituency. We must have a true Fiscal and Social conservative; otherwise we split the Reagan wing in half. Our goal is to unite the Club for Growths of the world and The Family Research Councils of the world behind the same candidate early on. This united front will allow us to advance our conservative agenda that we know is the real key to electoral success.
Mike Pence is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is the conservative caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives (and the largest caucus in government). He was elected to this position unanimously. He is one of the few (some say only) conservatives in Washington to actually fight for limited government. Pence has recently and repeatedly called for a roll back in our President's landmark (infamous) No Child Left Behind Act. Mike Pence voted against it at the time, and says we must roll it back now because Washington must have zero role in education; indeed we must abolish the Department Of Education. Now that is Reaganesque conservatism.
What even took more courage than this is when Mike Pence stood up to his President and his party leadership on the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill. He, in a Reagan-like way, went over his party's leadership and carefully articulated the dangers of socialized medicine and government interference in medical care. He, along with Pat Toomey, and John Shadegg led the revolt against the bill and came within two votes of defeating the largest increase in entitlement spending since the Great Society. To this day he calls for a immediate roll back of this expensive and irrational bill.
Mike Pence also has true Reagan ideas when it comes to United Nations reform, a line item veto, zero based budgeting, true immigration reform, right to life issues, abolishing the IRS for a consumption tax, Tort reform, etc etc.
Indeed, on every true Reagan style conservative reform, Mike Pence leads the way. When he came to Washington the GOP leadership so loved him they made him a part of the House leadership team by making him a deputy whip. Pence had instantly what most politicians take several terms to acquire and what did he do with this? He took on the leadership time after time on the side on conservatism and its principals. He doesn't care about his career, he cares about his country. This year, he resigned from the leadership saying "you can't serve two masters" How many so called conservatives these days would do that?
Ronald Reagan constant refrain was, "We must proclaim a banner of bold colors, no pale pastels." With this conservative platform we were able to limit government, strengthen families, and secure freedom. Republicans ran on a conservative Reagan platform in 1994 that would shock the world. Once in power we could finally complete the Reagan Revolution and get the Federal government off our backs and out of our daily lives, right? Apparently some Republicans had other ideas and thought a banner of bold colors would be politically dangerous.
Since 1996 the Federal budget has exploded and the Federal government has grown in every area. Just in the last four years we have seen from a "conservative" Congress and "conservative" President campaign finance reform, increases in funding for the NEA, proposed amnesty by another name for illegals, billions in dollars in aid to Africa that will not solve the problem, more of the same Sen. Ted Steven's pork. Wait a minute, it is not the same it is worse, a daisy cutter sized entitlement in Medicare that only makes things worse, a public takeover of airline security, Teddy Kennedy's NO Child Left Behind that only drags us further into educational socialism, steel tariffs that hurt our recovery, a 250 billion dollar farm bill, a proposed energy bill that even Nelson Rockefeller would think was extravagant and a highway bill that puts the P in Pork.
They say every great nation goes through the same cycle, from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, selfishness to complacency, complacency to apathy, apathy to dependency and dependency back to bondage. If we continue on the cycle toward big government dependency we only have ourselves to blame. In his 1975 Conservative Political Action Conference speech Ronald Reagan told us, "A political party cannot be all things to all men. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs, which must not be compromised to political expediency, or to simply swell its numbers. If there are those who cannot subscribe to these principals, THEN LET THEM BE ON THEIR WAY. In his keynote speech to the last year's CPAC, Pence said, "And conservatives know that if you reject these principles of limited government and urge others to reject them you can be my ally, you can be my friend but you cannot call yourself a conservative." Pence then added, "It's time for conservative Americans to do what Reagan did. It's time for conservative Americans to right the ship again."
The Gipper did his part, Pence is doing his, now it time we did ours. If we don't do it who will? If not now, when? If we don't right the ship and set it on the course away from big government and towards Faith, Family, and Freedom we might not ever get another chance. We must proclaim President Reagan's dream of an America that would always be a shining city on a hill and a beacon of freedom for the entire world. Now is the time to restart the Reagan Revolution.