My memo to the movement

Yesterday a political reporter with a major national media outlet asked me if, having left the Rand Paul campaign, I still supported Rand's candidacy. I was a little surprised by the question because I thought I had made my position very clear. Then it occurred to me that my answer was not likely to wind up in print because it wasn't an explosive or damaging answer and so it was probably worth saying again and a little louder. Yes, yes, a million times yes, I will continue to support Rand Paul for the U.S. Senate and will very proudly vote for him on November 2.

It has been a wild year on the Randwagon. Wilder still has been the year and a half in the nascent Tea Party movement in Kentucky. For those of us who have poured our hearts and souls into promoting capitalism and constitutional government for years, I think the defining moment came just after enactment of the bank bailout when Congress tried and failed to pass a car bailout. When the Bush administration went ahead and gave billions of our dollars to GM and Chrysler anyway -- and out of the bank bailout bill so few people had read -- an important yet threadbare bond between government and people was irretrievably ripped apart.

And then Barack Obama came along and made it even worse.

Some of us who were there at the beginning of the Tea Party movement in Kentucky saw big opportunities right away. I don't claim any special insightfulness for having been there and for seeing in advance what could happen. There was a fundamental shift in the electorate and I didn't have any reason to pretend that it wasn't there, that's all. When I realized very few other people who were in a position to do something about it saw the opportunity, I joined others in working on a plan that will ultimately, I believe, help Kentucky achieve much more of its potential. Further, I think Kentucky will advance so quickly once it grasps correct principles and throws off forever the chains of corruption that have bound it for way too long, that the rest of the nation will take heed of our sudden restoration and want to follow along.

Rand Paul is a good man who came along at the right time with the right message. Waiting around for perfect people to run our federal government is a fool's errand and Rand has rightly campaigned on letting the U.S. Constitution bind them all down from their mischief. If we do that, there is no room for ObamaCare and no room for the wild spending Obama has already enacted or the even wilder tax increases and labor reforms he plans to enact. Rand's opponent Jack Conway largely supports Obama in his recklessness. As far as most Kentuckians are concerned, that's the end of the story. And then the Tea Party movement begins to become America's movement with the election of a few people like Rand to federal office.

That gets us to Kentucky's race for Governor. I'm going to have much more to say about this in the days and weeks ahead. For now, just let me say that those who yearn for restoration of America's guiding ideas will be emboldened by their successes in 2010 but -- and this is the key part -- they will be far from satisfied. In 2011, only three states will elect a governor. Kentucky's race will be a focal point for much of the nation and the race will go to those who best understand and can capitalize on the power of simple ideas like not obligating future taxpayers to pay future expenses they can't possibly afford to pay and knowing when government can best serve the people by getting out of their way. Kentucky will succeed when our leaders are less interested in building their own political power than they are in shrinking government's influence so the power resides with the people.

Nancy Pelosi would keep us in the weeds

Amid skyrocketing federal debt and looming Obama tax hikes, embattled Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be holding a telephone "Grassroots Strategy Call" tomorrow, apparently for anyone who contributes $5 to the Democratic Party today.

What on earth are they going to talk about: how to pretend people don't hate ObamaCare, how to say with a straight face that cap and trade won't dramatically increase energy costs, or that what this country really needs is bigger road signs proclaiming the efficacy of federal borrow-and-stimulate spending before they can get around to raising taxes next year?

In an email to supporters this afternoon, Pelosi said "Democrats will keep control of the House this year and prevent a return to the catastrophic Republican policies of the past, so long as you continue standing with me every step of the way."

This is funny because Republican primary voters have already made it clear to their candidates that there will be no return to the "catastrophic" bailout economy and reckless deficit spending that not only deflated enthusiasm for Republicans the last few years, but led directly to the catastrophic Democratic policies of the present. Also, given the growing lack of support for Democratic politicians, it's noteworthy that Pelosi qualifies her optimism by predicting Dem victories only if supporters stay on board "every step of the way." Fat chance.

It's shaping up to be a good November for Kentucky Republicans. And then in December, we get to turn our attention to Gov. Steve "Holiday Tree" Beshear.

Mark your calendars for Thursday

This Thursday, July 29, Kentucky's tea party movement takes its next big step in announcing a tea party candidate for Governor in 2011.

Everyone is invited to a press conference at Clear Channel Lexington studios at 2601 Nicholasville Rd at 3:30 pm on Thursday following an interview on the Leland Conway Show.

Anyone with questions may call David Adams at 859-537-5372 or sign up for email updates by clicking here.

The next battlefield is Kentucky 2011

You may have heard that I will be starting work on a new project very soon. This is an important time for the Tea Party movement. We have shared in some amazing success. In doing so, we have built a strong team of Americans sharing our message of smaller government operating within the limits of existing revenues and within constitutional boundaries.

Now is the time to spread the field.

There will only be three gubernatorial elections in the United States next year, so the eyes of the nation will be on Kentucky and how seriously we take our form of self-government. Building a large, national list of people who want to continue to help getting our country back on track is critical to this effort. All Kentuckians have a stake in electing a governor who believes in real reform, obviously, but people in other states do as well. That's because Kentucky gets more money from the federal government than it sends in, so all Americans depend on Kentucky to get off the dole as quickly as possible.

Now is the time to kick our efforts into a higher gear. Please spread the word to everyone you know to join us by clicking here.

Thanks,

David Adams
859-537-5372