Roberta Combs's blog

Christian Coalition of America's grassroots put a tremendous amount of effort into getting President George W. Bush's "strict constructionist" judicial nominees through, especially the efforts expended to get Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito and circuit court of appeals nominees confirmed. 

Unfortunately, we were not always successful, in that some highly qualified judicial nominees actually asked President Bush to withdraw their nominations because they could not afford to have their lives put on hold for years after they were nominated by the president and with the Senate Democrats filibustering their nominations, even when the Democrats were in the minority, as they were before this current Congress. 

It was encouraging to see both the leaders of the Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate urging a bipartisan approach to the financial and auto crises facing America today.  What America does not need right now is for taxpayers to bail out yet another inefficient industry adding to the financial burdens of the American people. 

Indeed, the deficit for fiscal year 2009 has been estimated between one and one and a half trillion, that's trillion with a "T".  This has occurred only a few years since the Republican Congress passed budgets resulting in surpluses several years in a row; which Bill Clinton signed into law. 

One of the most puzzling aspects of the 2008 presidential campaign has been the media's hostility to the second woman who has pretty much reached the pinnacle of American power, a spot on a national party's presidential ticket.  One would think that the feminists in the media would at least commend the presidential standard-bearer of the Republican Party for selecting as his running mate the second woman in American history to be a vice presidential candidate following the pick by Vice President Walter Mondale of Geraldine Ferraro to be his running mate in 1984, some 24 years ago. 

It is interesting to note that some prominent supporters of Hillary Clinton and some state chapter leaders of the National Organization for Women (NOW) have come aboard the McCain/Palin campaign mainly because of the latter's place on the ticket.  Perhaps they admire the way Sarah Palin challenged the "Old Boys Network" time and time again in Alaska.  Besides being a mother of five and a member of the National Rifle Association, a basketball player, a hunter, she is the most popular governor in the United States and has the highest approval rating of any Alaska governor in state history.  There is a lot to like for feminists about Sarah Palin's record. 

I just received an email from the White House entitled: "GSE REFORM: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT" regarding the current financial crisis, and I thought about the financial prospects for my grandchild. Exactly one year ago today the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high of some 14,200 points. GSE stands for Government-sponsored enterprises such as the incompetent and greedy Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Today, the stock market suffered the 3rd worse loss in American history and the Dow Jones ended the day below 8,500 points. The politicians are pointing the blame at each other and everyone else. Even some conservatives have put some of the blame on the White House.

Despite efforts to reach out to the religious community "to expand their base," the Democrats in control of Congress continue to get it wrong. Yesterday, "The Washington Times" reported in an article entitled "Visitor Center said to slight religion," that more than 100 members of Congress are blasting the overseers (and hence the Democrats) of the soon-to-be-open Capitol Visitor Center for "censoring God, faith and religion."

Congressman J. Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia, and 107 other Members of the House of Representatives, sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol's Office protesting that the national motto "In God We Trust" appears nowhere in the new visitors center which is mostly underground. Some 15,000 daily visitors are expected once the visitors center opens in December, years late, and tens of millions of American tax dollars over budget.

These Republicans are upset that the Democrats who control Congress also have not allowed any photos of the annual National Day of Prayer or the March for Life events. However, the Democrats have found space for an AIDS rally and an Earth Day celebration.

The Republican Leader in the Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, delivered a statement on the Senate floor on Wednesday regarding the economy and the need for a bipartisan approach to financial security: