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With this year coming to a close, many conservatives have thought to themselves about the state of the conservative movement.  Where have the ideas and principles of Ronald Reagan, which once were the inspiration that strengthened our party and our nation, gone?  Why has our ruling majority succumbed to Big Government Republicanism?  Who will carry the Reagan mantle and lead our conservative movement in these trialing times?  These questions have been at the forefront of every conservative’s conscience. 

Ladies and gentleman, there is good news.  Conservatives this New Year can now be jolly and cheerful as a national voice has emerged this past year to lead the conservative movement with moral clarity and unwavering principles.  Indiana’s Mike Pence has provided Congress with conservative leadership that has garnered victories and led our ruling majority back to the right, earning him the honor of “Man of the Year” by Human Events.

Entering the House in 2000, Mike Pence’s conservative leadership made an immediate impact as he became one of only five freshmen in the past fifty years to chair a subcommittee.  As a freshman committed to downsizing the scope and influence of the federal government, Pence made a bold stand against the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001.  In only his second term, Mike Pence became a deputy majority whip, a feat that most politicians spend their entire career to achieve.  One primary responsibility of this new position was to gather votes among his Republican colleagues for legislation that the Republican majority had sponsored.  It was the Medicare Bill of 2003, the largest socialized medicine bill to ever pass through the halls of Congress, that became the last straw and the catalyst that would go on to form the character of the hero and statesman.

Mike Pence valiantly led the revolt against the Medicare Bill along with 24 other House conservatives.  Despite the band of rebels’ efforts, led by Pence, the longest vote in Congressional history went in favor of the GOP leadership and Big Government Republicanism.  Afterwards, the six founding members of the Republican Study Committee approached Pence to take charge of the conservative caucus.  Mike Pence is so humble that he demanded an election for the position.  Because of his humility and his effective leadership, Pence was unanimously selected by over 100 House conservatives to chair the caucus.  Immediately Pence went to the GOP leadership and willingly stepped down from his whip position while quoting scripture, “you can not serve two masters.”  Pence became the first person in fifty years to willingly step down from leadership position.

With Pence’s strong and determined leadership, the RSC immediately turned the tide in the House this session.  In March, Pence and his band of committed conservatives led the charge for budget reform.  This principled stance led to House leadership adopting their budget-process reform giving House members the opportunity to vote to defend the budget on the House floor.  This became a big victory for Pence and his colleagues as the RSC now became a viable and credible caucus for legislative authority.  GOP leadership soon recognized that all legislation must now come through Mike Pence and the RSC in order to pass.     

Immediately after Pence led a group of Congressman over to Iraq to build the morale among the troops, Hurricane Katrina hit our shores and our federal government responded.  Pence and his conservative caucus also responded by calling for a press conference to announce “Operation Offset,” their plan for federal spending cuts of over $900 billion to offset Katrina spending.  This bold move led to the chastisement of Pence by the House leadership.  Yet, in his calm and ever graceful presence, Pence’s moral stance eventually convicted House leadership and led them to adopt many of the RSC’s proposed spending cuts. 

Mike Pence does not only clearly and optimistically articulate our conservative message of limited government, fiscal discipline, strong national defense and traditional moral values, but his leadership effectively challenges his colleagues and GOP leadership to return to the principles in which our party and nation was founded upon.  Pence has rightfully emerged as the leader of the conservative movement as his message and his stances have caused the GOP to side with the principles of the conservative base that has elected our governing majority. 

Mike Pence boldly proclaimed in an article by Human Events, “I believe in my heart that this generation of Americans is going to produce leadership that will sit in the Oval Office and look the American people in the eye as adults, and say the party is over. We simply cannot continue to write hot checks on the backs of our children and grandchildren. We need to lay the problem out with moral and fiscal authority, to explain the truth of the matter, and treat the American people as the thoughtful and courageous people they are.”  We couldn’t agree with you more Mr. Pence.

Pence, who calls himself, “A Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order” has inspired our nation to build upon the ideas and principles of Reagan.  He has given hope to those of us who see our party being destroyed by careerism and Big Government Republicanism.  He has truly led the charge to rejuvenate our conservative principles in our nation’s capital and to renew conservatism in the hearts and minds of the American people.  And it shall be the efforts of this conservative leader that will strengthen our party and our nation once again, as we remain that shining city on a hill with 2008 on the horizon.    

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Fort Wayne based news station WANE-TV recently came out with an article whose headline read Pence Says Conservatives Have Suggested He Consider Presidential Bid. 

http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=4088321&" title="http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=4088321&" target="_blank"http://www.wane.com/Global/st...;nav=0RYb  This humbling article writes about the interview which was broadcasted on the news station at 6pm on Monday evening. 

When asked about G.O.P. leadership asking him about making a Presidential run, Pence candidly replied, “We've certainly been approached by people who represent significant constituencies in the Republican Party.  When you chair the House conservative caucus, there's a broad array of very credible, well-established conservative organizations that dot the landscape of Washington D.C. and the country.  Some people in that community have talked to us about maybe being a part of national leadership someday."

Although Pence has been receiving increasing media attention (Pence recently graced the cover of Congressional Quarterly Magazine and was featured on the Rush Limbaugh letter) he remains to stay humble and focused on passing conservative legislation in the House.  When pressed by the question of whether or not he would seek the 2008 Presidential nomination, Pence added with wit, “Probably one Hoosier running for president in 2008 is enough.” 

This is classic Pence.  His remarks are always filled with humor and intelligence, yet still sincere and genuine.  That is the beauty of Mike Pence which is why the American public continues to respond well to his messages.  Mike Pence is always amazing when it comes to handling the media.  This past May at one of Indiana’s largest and most popular events, the Indy 500, Pence was interviewed live during the race.  After the broadcaster asked Pence why so many people have been talking about him as a strong Presidential contender in 2008, Pence quickly responded by saying “Well, that is what happens when you get your mother a computer for Christmas.” 

Pence has never ruled out anything although he is not actively pursuing or seeking a Presidential run.  This gain in a national sentiment to make Pence the conservative frontrunner for the Presidential nomination in 2008 has come from the millions of grassroots activists and dedicated Americans who have deemed now as the perfect time to right our ship.  It must be the American people who lift up Mike Pence.  It must be our tireless efforts and endless commitment to our cherished values and principles that will motivate us to ensure Mike Pence’s nomination and election to our nation’s highest office. 

In Pence’s stump speech titled “Another Time for Choosing” Pence boldly proclaims the lyrics of a Robert Frost poem:

“The woods are lovely dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”    

Ladies and Gentleman, Pence has vowed to go miles and miles to lead our conservative movement back to the promising American principles of limited government and traditional moral values.  It is now our time to make that vow, to carry that lovely burden, and to take that moral stance.  We must commit ourselves to dead reckon our ship that has strayed into the uncharted waters of Big Government Republicanism.  We must call upon our Captain, whose divine grace and sovereignty has always guided us, as we call upon each other to take courageous measures that will ensure that the state of our nation and our future will always be bright with hope as freedom rings and faith prevails.   

When the Lord Jesus Christ put on our heart for a nationwide movement to restore Christian Biblical values and principles within the hearts and minds of the American people, we did not know exactly what that looked like.  But as we continued in prayer and petition the Lord Jesus Christ continued to reveal His will for us and for America.  He put on our heart a great need to ensure that the next leader of our nation is a true Christian Conservative.  Granted, my brother and I had just recently become new believers and new conservatives, but we were willing to submit our entire lives to the obedience and calling of the Lord.  So as the Lord put on our heart to build a national movement to lift up our nation’s next leader, the Lord put on our heart the name of that leader: Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.

Immediately we said to ourselves there is no way that this third term congressman who has no national following and zero name identification outside of the state of Indiana can be elected to our nation’s highest office.  But then we suddenly remembered a sermon we had just recently heard.  Our dear friend Wes Neal spoke eloquently about how committed Christians need to find a battle worth fighting.  He told us that we need to find a battle, a cause, so great and so impossible, that there is no way for it to succeed unless the Lord Jesus Christ is at the center of it.  So we had found that great and noble cause.  And the Lord had called us to put total faith and trust in Him in order to show us that He is Lord of all things, both on Heaven and on earth.  So we prayed and told God that if you want Mike Pence to be President you have to put it all together, we will be your instruments, but ultimately you will be the Captain.

So the next day, lo and behold, Mike Pence was on the front page of the USA Today.  There was an article about conservatives in D.C. and it highlighted specifically Mike Pence.  It showed a picture of him and his wife on the campaign trail, and spoke about how he is a man of God and family.  It also told of how he is fighting for our conservative principles in Washington, D.C.  So it was a strong reaffirmation that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to lift up Mike Pence as the leader of the conservative movement and the leader for our great nation.  

Since then there has been many things that the Lord Jesus Christ has put together to continue to lift up Mike Pence, but the most striking has been all the media attention that this Indiana Congressman has received. 

Don Devine of the American Conservative Union wrote an article titled “Conservative Revival?” http://acuf.org/issues/issue21/040928 news.asp" title="http://acuf.org/issues/issue21/040928 news.asp" target="_blank"http://acuf.org/issues/issue2... where he specifically highlights Mike Pence’s bold stand to lead the revolt against the 2003 Medicare prescription drug benefits bill.   

Christopher Lee of the Washington Post wrote an article titled “Putting a New Face on Conservatism: Indiana Lawmaker Favors Polite Debate.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5494 0-2005Mar21.html" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5494 0-2005Mar21.html" target="_blank"http://www.washingtonpost.com...  This article was one of the first articles to come out to do a profile on Mike Pence.  In the article Lee wrote, "I occasionally got called the Rush Limbaugh of Indiana, but most people knew that my style was different," Pence said in an interview at his Capitol Hill office.  "I'd tell people, 'I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.' And my Christianity, first and foremost, governed the way that I tried to deal with people."  This was also a huge article because Stephen Moore, who many deem as the leader of the fiscal conservatives, clearly implied that Pence was the rightful heir to the Reagan legacy.

Stephan Dinan then wrote an article in The Washington Times titled “Medicare Bill Incites House Conservatives”

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highlighting Mike Pence’s effective and decisive leadership in the revolt against the 2003 Medicare bill.  In the article Dinan writes, "I'm like a minuteman who shows up 10 years late," Pence said. "I first ran for Congress before the revolution, and I arrived in Congress after it was over. But in that period of time, I never lost my belief in the principles — the Reagan principles — of limited government and traditional moral values that I ran on in the first place."  This article was also huge for Pence’s base as he boldly proclaims, "To me, I look at it and I say, 'I'm out, I'm all the way — I'm pro-life, I don't apologize for it.' My district knows what I stand for, and God bless them, and I give God the glory, 67 percent of my district said 'Keep doing it.' So look out."

These articles all came out right when the Lord put on our hearts to lift up this Godly man for principled leadership in our nation.  It clearly shows that Pence is a man who is after God’s heart and leads according to His personal faith in and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He stands on principle alone and does not do what is politically expedient for his career.  Because of his righteous stances on our conservative issues, Pence has steadily become the national figure for conservatism that the Lord has prepared him to be.  Now it is up to us to become the committed Christians and servants that God has called and prepared us to be.  Our nation is the one last hope of mankind for a free society where Christianity is able to flourish both at home and abroad.  Will we make the righteous stand to right our ship back to the American principles of limited government and traditional moral values or will we succumb to the apathy that has allowed our American system to veer off course to the unfriendly waters of Big Government Republicanism? 

My fellow Americans, we have come to another time for choosing.  And this decision will not only determine the direction and future of our nation, but also for the future of our children and our grandchildren.  Freedom must prevail, Christ must be glorified, and America must return to the principles that Ronald Reagan brought to Washington, D.C. and that our Founding Fathers brought to our shores.    

A dear colleague of mine brought to my attention a piece written on Human Events’ internet blog.  Human Events’ reporters have the distinct privilege and opportunity to report on the state of the conservative movement on a daily basis.  They not only report amidst the hustle and bustle that is known as “inside the beltway” but also live their personal lives there as well.  So it is of no surprise that one Human Events reporter took great notice in the personal character of Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.  Here is that article. 

It's What You Do When No One Is Watching
By: Amanda B. Carpenter

I'll admit, I am biased. My college town of Muncie, Indiana is in Rep. Mike Pence's district and I had the pleasure of meeting with his campaign staff on one occasion last year.

Now that's out of the way, walking down First Street last night, in the middle of a drizzling rain, I passed the Congressman also walking in the rain with what appeared to be a younger staffer.

Mr. Pence, who Human Events voted the number one up and coming House conservative two weeks ago, was holding an umbrella for his companion leaving his own highly recognizable white head to soak.

I can't say I was surprised to see such an act of kindness, but it's certainly pleasant to see such a humble act by such a busy elected official unexpectedly.

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My dear friend Amanda understands that it is the personal character of an individual that produces principled leadership.  It is not what you do or say when your colleagues are around or when the television cameras are pointed at you.  But rather it is the little thoughtful things one does to consistently put others before themselves, regardless if anyone notices.  Mike Pence truly embodies the humble servant leader as he not only proclaims conservative values and principles in the public arena, but he lives them out on a daily basis.

One of the most common things that people say when describing Pence is that he is “The Real Deal.”  People who have met him personally or heard him speak can immediately sense his authenticity and sincerity.  Mike Pence is the genuine article of conservative leadership as he passionately proclaims and lives out his Christian conservative worldview. 

Ladies and Gentleman, like I constantly proclaim, our nation is no longer in need of a political leader, but rather in need of a spiritual leader.  We need a man of genuine faith who can lead our nation to restore and reclaim the American principles of limited government and traditional moral values that our Founding Fathers boldly laid as our nation’s foundation.  The Lord continues to lift up Mike Pence as he sacrifices daily to serve the great citizens of our nation.  And it is through this dedicated service that he has effectively advanced the conservative movement waving high the banner of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and sanctity of life. 

As Pence remains optimistic not only in our most cherished principles but also in the American people, we too must remain steadfast in our pursuit for freedom.  The American system is only as strong as her people.  We must be aware that our system is being weakened because it has been over-run by self-seeking career politicians.  Pence does not fit that mold as he only seeks to serve Jesus Christ and the American people.  We must not take for granted his brilliant service, but rather supplement his efforts with our own individual sacrifices to stand by his side in strengthening the conservative movement. 

When a man makes a principled stand, those who take notice and hear the calling, will too take that stance along side him.  My fellow Americans, it is time for us to take notice of Mike Pence, it is time for us to head to that calling, and it is time for us to take that stance along side of our heroic captain whose humble mission is to right our ship back to the promising principles of limited government and traditional moral values that have seen our country through and through. 

God Bless        

The conservative movement has an opportunity to achieve an important victory today as President Bush is expected to name his next Supreme Court nomination.  Following President Bush’s announcement of his first nominee, conservatives of all wings and factions of the Republican Party banded together in an assertive effort to force the nominee to withdraw due to their dissatisfaction of her conservative credentials.  This collective effort that was initially led by grassroots organizations and conservative pundits eventually led to gaining the support of politicians who were courageous enough to question the nominee’s qualifications.  This consortium of the right not only showed their influence and strength but also their effectiveness to push forward with the conservative agenda.    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp;   &nbs p;

I appreciate the willingness of the former nominee to make consistent sacrifices to attempt to serve on our nation’s highest court.  Despite harsh criticism, the nominee continued her attempt to fulfill the duty in which our President had called upon her for.  She deserves our full respect for her efforts to fulfill her duty as a Supreme Court nominee but more importantly for her courageous and selfless act to step down for another more qualified nominee. 

President Bush has a promising duty to fulfill today not only for those who voted him into office but also for the direction of our nation.  With the nomination of a justice with a true conservative judicial philosophy, integrity for constitutional law can be restored among our nation’s highest court.  There is a dire need for judicial restraint among those who wish to legislate from the bench rather than interpret laws with respect for the original intent of our Founding Fathers.  Our President’s decision today will prayerfully allow our nation to move in the right direction by restoring constitutional respect for limited government and traditional moral values. 

Mike Pence stresses that we need to stand with this administration where it is conservative and be respectfully critical of it where it does not adhere to our conservative principles.  The consortium of the right took a strong stand on Bush’s first nomination which has led to the opportunity to nominate a true judicial conservative.  The American people need to be encouraged that their voice and political grit does make a difference as it was grassroots activists and organizations that mounted the effort to provide a better qualified conservative nominee.  It is time that encouraged conservatives encourage our President to make the right choice in his next judicial nomination.

American conservatives should learn an important lesson from this development.  We no longer need to stand by and wait for the political establishment to put forth their nominees and agendas without regard to the conservative base.  It is the grassroots efforts that effectively push forward the conservative agenda.  Our victory in securing a true conservative judicial nominee for our nation’s highest court shall give us the courage to secure a true conservative nominee for our Party’s nomination in 2008.  It will again be up to the individual efforts of those who make up the consortium of the right to put into office the leader of the conservative movement, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.

God Bless

One for the Gipper
Indiana congressman, talk show darling and Reagan disciple Mike Pence is fast becoming the voice of small-government conservatives

By Mike Dorning
Washington Bureau
Published October 26, 2005

WASHINGTON -- With prematurely gray hair, soft features and chestnut-brown eyes, Mike Pence has the clean-cut, polished look of a television anchorman. He exudes a calm and relaxed presence characteristic of his native Midwest.

In other words, Mike Pence has a very presidential look.  Many people have commented on that fact.  Also, the Bible claims in Proverbs 16:31 “A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.” 

"Rush Limbaugh on decaf" is how he often describes himself.

And he leavens his points with humor. "I'm a conservative, but I'm not in a bad mood about it," he explains.

Mike Pence also describes himself as “A Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.”  Mike Pence is a true optimistic conservative who articulates our Christian conservative message with hope, sincerity, and genuine passion.  Not only are people who hear him immediately drawn to him and his character, but his message highly resonates with the American people. 

Though a third-term congressman from central Indiana who is a relative newcomer to the political power centers in Washington, Pence, 46, already is a favored guest on television news talk shows, such as Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor" and "Hannity & Colmes," and CNN's now-canceled "Crossfire." That national exposure, in turn, enhances his influence inside the Capitol.

Though he is only a third term congressman, Pence was immediately lifted up into leadership position because of his effective conservative leadership.  In his second term he became Deputy Majority Whip with House Leadership.  After his second term, he was unanimously selected by one hundred of his conservative colleagues to chair the Republican Study Committee.    

"We liked having him on," said Debbie Berger, who was a producer for Crossfire. "He's smart. He's charming. He's nice. He's funny. He enjoys doing this stuff. He's got a lot of energy. He's not dry. He's good television. He's a good representative of the conservative perspective."

In addition, Lou Dobbs of CNN also had Pence on his show quite frequently.  One time Dobbs was so impressed, he told Pence that he had to have him on his show again, that the American people needed to see and hear his message. 

At a time when much of the Republican base is growing disenchanted with the direction of the party, Pence is emerging as an emphatic and effective conservative voice. Some believe it is only a matter of time before he achieves true national prominence.

"Mike is the tip of the spear for the small-government conservatives in Washington today," said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

His manner may be easy, but his views are unambiguous. He is a dedicated social conservative who publicly criticized the Senate's top Republican, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), when the former heart surgeon came out this summer in favor of relaxing the federal ban on stem-cell research. And he is a determined budget-cutter who has repeatedly clashed with his own Republican party leaders over federal spending levels.

Mike Pence also came out strong last summer during the Republican National Convention.  He started a petition and gathered one hundred and twenty-seven congressional signatures pleading for a true Christian Right to Life speaker during their national primetime of the convention.  Unfortunately the petition failed, but the message and principle behind it did not.  Many asked Pence if he was trying to split up the party before the election and Pence stated that he was just staying true to principle and the conservative base of the party.  The reason why it was not highly publicized was because nobody could say one word bad about Pence because he is so well respected and loved among his colleagues.    & nbsp;

He begins every day by reading the Bible. He works with a bronze bust of Ronald Reagan watching over him from across his office. And his vision of heaven, he said, is studying the free-market economist Adam Smith in the morning and riding horseback in the afternoon.

Pence's rising stature coincides with a confluence of events that have stoked conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, accelerating and intensifying an inevitable debate on the party's direction during the Bush administration's second term as the president moves closer to lame-duck status.

Mike Pence’s stump speech “Another Time for Choosing” addresses the crossroad that the GOP has come to.  In his speech he claims that it is another time for the American people to choose which direction our party and our nation will go.  Will we abandon our conservative convictions and follow the destructive path of Big Government Republicanism or will we right the ship back to the cherished American principles of limited government and traditional moral values? 

A former radio talk show host and one-time president of a conservative think tank, the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, he is a comfortable, confident messenger for the right with a fluent understanding of the movement's ideas and a well-developed sense of the passions swirling among the party faithful.

Just last month, with one well-chosen press conference, Pence upended the political debate over how to handle the huge costs of recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

The reigning Republican leaders had rapidly reached a consensus to handle the hurricane's costs as emergency spending, simply adding the tab to the budget deficit.

The powerful House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the "Hammer" who enforced discipline among Republicans, dismissed calls for spending cuts elsewhere to pay for the hurricane damage. DeLay, who has since resigned his post after being indicted in a campaign finance case, even boasted to reporters that Republicans already had pared down the fat in government "pretty good."

Bold move

Enter Pence. Within a day, he led a small band of like-minded conservatives out in front of a battery of television cameras, armed with a list of $24 billion in pet projects attached to a major transportation bill that Congress had recently passed. That would be a good place to start cutting, they argued. For good measure, they offered up a menu of additional cuts that they said could save tens of billions of dollars more.

Pence's audacity riled the party leadership. The politically sacrosanct transportation projects, of course, remain untouched. But House Republican leaders quickly reversed course and now are promoting a proposal to offset part of the cost of hurricane relief with across-the-board budget cuts, as well as cuts in some entitlement programs such as health care for the poor, food stamps and farm subsidies.

Former mentor of Pence’s Tom Delay, who at first strongly criticized and opposed Pence for his proposed budget cuts, finally came around.  He apologized to Pence adding that when times were tough for the GOP leadership, Pence stepped in and provided determined leadership.  That is the effective and humble leader that Pence is.  He stands on principle alone as he always promotes and fights for what’s right for conservatism to flourish in the House, even if it will get him in trouble with the GOP establishment.  But the way Pence handles every situation in a Christ-like manner (he never says one bad word about any of his colleagues or opponents) allows the conservative agenda to move forward.  God honors those who honor Him, and that is truly why Pence is so effective.      

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), a fellow conservative, described Pence's strategy in demanding the cuts as "a tremendous gamble."

"He clearly got called -- aggressively called -- on the carpet" by Republican leaders, Souder said. But, "he moved the system. Before he got up there, there wasn't even a discussion. It was just shovel the money out."

Over a lunch of salad and iced tea at the Republican party's Capitol Hill Club, Pence deflected questions about the response of top Republicans, whom other members of Congress said took him to the woodshed over the embarrassment he caused them.

"It is never easy to bring up the small matter of the bill in any social setting," Pence said.

Already, the budget cuts are in trouble, as some moderate Republicans refuse to go along with them. But Pence declared the fate of the spending cuts will be "a test of character" and warned he is ready to sound the alarm about a party he believes is drifting "into the dangerous waters of big-government Republicanism."

"The Republican party inside the Beltway may have changed, but out there Republicans still believe government's too big, we spend too much, we have to have a strong defense, we have to act on our ideals, the sanctity of life," Pence said.

Mike Pence boldly claimed this summer as a keynote speaker at the annual National Taxpayers Union conference that, “The conservative movement is NOT in Washington, D.C., but it is out there in America.”  And Pence knows that the conservative movement is growing stronger than ever.   

Some Republican leaders believe Pence fails to appreciate the accommodations that must be made to hold together a fractious party with a slender majority in Congress, and he may be too determined to maintain ideological purity at the cost of winning national elections. One Republican lobbyist with close ties to the House leadership said Pence is considered "a burr under the saddle."

"Is it more important to be 100 percent right or more important to be in the majority to get you toward where you want to be?" said Mike Stokke, deputy chief of staff to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). "I think I know what Mike's answer would be. But I'm not sure."

That is the beauty and the brilliance behind Mike Pence.  Not only does he stay true to the conservative philosophy in his public policy decisions, but he understands the political arena in which he operates.  He is most effective because not only does he operate with a true Christian conservative worldview, but he is able to clearly articulate that message in a manner that motivates his colleagues to also push forward with the conservative agenda.  He understands the culture that works behind D.C. insiders while at the same time understands the timing in which to make principled stands.  

Since taking the lead of the Republican Study Committee at the beginning of the year, he has charted a more aggressive course for the 106-member group of House conservatives, first confronting party leaders over budget rules and now again on how to pay for hurricane-related spending.

After leading the revolt against the Medicare/Prescriptions Drug Bill in 2003, the six founding members of the RSC went up to Mike Pence and asked him to chair the conservative caucus.  Mike Pence is so humble that he candidly declined, stating that there is over one hundred congressman that represent the caucus and for him to serve there must be an election.  Because Pence is so humble and effective as a conservative leader, every single congressman in the caucus unanimously selected Mike Pence as their chairman.  As new chairman, Pence held two leadership positions with the House: Deputy Majority Whip and RSC Chair.  He understood that the GOP leadership was straying from their conservative principles and base so Pence willfully went to the leadership and relinquished his House leadership position while quoting scripture, “I cannot serve two masters.”  Pence became the first person in fifty years to willingly step down from leadership position.    

A spending machine

For many of the party's fiscally conservative supporters, the surge of spending for Katrina relief was the final straw from an administration that was spending at levels they considered unacceptable.

Even excluding spending on defense, homeland security and Katrina relief, discretionary federal spending has risen 33 percent since President Bush took office, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation. The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, reported that spending overall has grown faster under Bush than under Lyndon Johnson, who simultaneously waged the Vietnam War and launched the Great Society welfare programs.

Conservatives are nursing plenty of other grievances right now. Bush's recent nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court deeply disappointed social conservatives who expected a choice who would move the court unambiguously to the right. Illegal immigration has stirred a storm of criticism among grass-roots conservatives who blame the federal government for what they consider to be an out-of-control border. The botched response to Katrina sapped confidence in the Bush administration's competence. And, just like the rest of the country, conservatives are feeling the financial pinch of rising gasoline prices.

Meanwhile, a vacuum is opening in the Republican leadership. DeLay was forced to resign his leadership post after his indictment. Frist is under investigation for possible insider stock trading. White House political adviser Karl Rove is under investigation for perhaps leaking a CIA agent's identity. Bush's popularity has dropped to its lowest point ever, according to various national polls.

And the most recognizable potential candidates for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, are hardly standard-bearers for the right.

"While they're impressive people and they're conservative on some issues, none of them is really an obvious leader of the conservative movement," said Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard.

All of the talked about candidates for President in 2008 are flawed.  Not one can claim that they hold true to the American conservative convictions of limited government and traditional moral values.  Many are moderates, some are out right liberals.  Mike Pence has done more for the conservative movement in the past three months than many have done their entire career.  In fact many of the candidates are self-seeking career politicians who honestly believe that it is their turn to be President.  They believe they have earned our nation’s highest office simply because of their longevity as a part of the establishment and status quo.  But we believe that it is God who lifts up leaders, and as Reagan put it, the office seeks the man, not the man seeks the office.  Pence is that selfless, humble, honorable leader who stands for principle and righteousness.  Both God and our nation has long sought for the integrity and leadership that Pence exudes.  America is no longer in need of a political leader, but rather in need of a spiritual leader.  And Pence can fully provide that leadership.      

"The party faithful and the conservative grass roots have been searching for the next Ronald Reagan. And Mike Pence has been mentioned as someone who could fill the Gipper's shoes, even though he's still young and a relative political newcomer," said Stephen Moore, founder of the Free Enterprise Fund.

Rush Limbaugh during an interview with Sean Hannity on national television was asked about who would carry the Reagan Mantle for 2008.  Limbaugh mentioned Mike Pence and his excellence in the House, saying that he should be encouraged.  Also, after a Reagan panel at the Heritage Foundation, I asked Morton Blackwell if he thought the GOP would ever have another Reagan.  He shot at me this look of offense and disgust, and quickly claimed, “We have Indiana representative Mike Pence!”  There is a shear consensus within D.C. conservative circles that Mike Pence is clearly the next Ronald Reagan.  

A metamorphosis

Like Reagan, who was once a Democrat and an admirer of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Pence's beliefs changed over time. He started out a Catholic and a Democrat, whose interest in politics was stirred during his youth by John Kennedy, a hero to his Irish family. Pence still has a childhood memory box stuffed with Kennedy memorabilia, he said.

But as a freshman at Hanover College in Indiana, Pence was drawn to Christian evangelical beliefs and committed to the faith on a weekend retreat.

"I had a growing interest in my Christian faith," Pence said. "As I continued to grow and mature, I found I was a bit more challenged in the evangelical faith."

Like Pence, I too grew up as a liberal.  In the same manner as Pence, it wasn’t until after I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and trusted in Him that I became serious about my faith and became a conservative.  I received eternal salvation during my senior year of high school, but did not become a committed disciple of Jesus Christ until my senior year in college after my twin brother Travis also came to faith.  My dear friend John Stormer who was a big contributor to the Draft Goldwater movement back in 1964 had a similar story.  Once a devoted liberal activist, it wasn’t until he heard Goldwater speak that he vowed to do whatever it took to win him the Republican presidential nomination.  It was after Goldwater won the nomination that Stormer came to faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.  We pray that, in the same fashion, once Pence wins the Presidential nomination in 2008 many Americans will come to the saving faith that is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.    & nbsp;

Pence later met his wife, Karen, at an evangelical church service. She was playing guitar, and he caught up with her afterward.

"I told her I wanted to join the guitar group," Pence recalled. He never did, but they were engaged nine months later.

By the time he graduated college, Pence said, he had become a Republican, inspired by Reagan's hopeful economic message of self-reliance and concerned by the national Democratic Party's embrace of abortion rights and liberal social causes.

A few years after he graduated from the Indiana University Law School, he ran for Congress twice, losing in both 1988 and 1990. Beginning in 1994, he hosted a radio call-in show, eventually syndicated statewide, keeping Pence on the air three hours a day, six days a week. He was finally elected to Congress in 2000.

Even though Pence was a Christian once he received eternal salvation as a freshman in college, he was not living out his Christian faith in the public sphere.  He got crushed in 1988 and after running again in 1990 got crushed even more.  It was at this time that God humbled Pence and told him that what he was doing was wrong.  Pence was negative campaigning.  It was at this time that Pence repented and surrendered his life fully to the Lord Jesus Christ.  It was then that he lived out a true Christian Biblical worldview in both his private and public life.  It was not his time for leadership.  After Pence became polished as a messenger of the conservative platform through his talk show, God called Pence back to public life.  Pence was not looking to get back into public office, but he felt a strong calling from the Lord.  So as usual he was obedient and faithful to his calling.   

"To understand Mike Pence, you have to understand it took me 12 years to get to Congress," Pence said. "I try to get up every day and prayerfully approach my job in a way that people will say he did what he said he would do when he got here."

Mike Pence is the embodiment of a true Christian Statesman. 

He was also one of 33 Republicans to vote against Bush's signature No Child Left Behind Act, opposing it as an enlargement of the federal role in education. And he was one of only 25 in the party to vote against the administration-supported Medicare prescription drug benefit. Pence considered it too costly.

Mike Pence was actually the leader of the conservative revolt against the Medicare prescription drug benefit bill.  He effectively got 24 other congressman to follow him in his principled stand.  Afterwards, Pence says Republicans secretly went up to him and asked him for their forgiveness.  He said certain Republicans repented and told Pence that next time we are following you.  That is the greatness of Mike Pence.  When he takes a strong stand for righteousness, others are willing to stand along with him, even if they don’t at first.  Pence convicts the inner core of his colleagues in a way that none have been able to do since Reagan. 

Republican leaders held open the vote on the drug plan for three hours to twist arms to gain enough support. Pence likens those who withstood the pressure to the men at the Alamo.

Describing the current unrest among Republican conservatives, Pence said, "You can't look at that angst in a vacuum. . . . That angst has been building for four years."

Pence did vote for a farm bill that dramatically expanded subsidies for farmers, a key constituency in his largely rural district. But he now says he regrets the vote and would not support a new farm bill, unless costs were reduced and farmers exposed to greater market discipline.

He is willing to take on unconventional issues. While most conservatives are distrustful of the media, Pence has taken up the cause of a federal shield law to protect reporters' confidential sources, arguing that a vigorous press is a check on power in keeping with conservatives' goal of limited government. Pence argues that Republicans sacrifice their advantage as the party in control if they muddy their message.

Mike Pence has also made strong stances on the McCain-Feingold bill that limits individual campaign financial contributions.  Like most of Pence’s proposed legislation, Pence believes that Americans need more freedom and less regulation.  Pence introduced the Pence-Wynn bill that would repeal the McCain-Feingold bill and once again allow the freedom of political expression to all Americans.   

Strong words

"One more expansion of the Department of Education, one more big expansion of entitlements, and that [Republican] coalition will be shattered," Pence said. "If Republicans keep answering every problem with an expansion of big government, eventually people are going to get the professionals, [the Democrats] the guys who do big government."

And this may be the strongest argument for a Pence presidency.  If we nominate another establishment candidate who goes along with the status quo and continues down the road of Big Government Republicanism, our values and principles may be lost forever.  Government is not the answer, government is the problem.  Pence understands clearly the conventional wisdom that a government that governs least, governs best.  Many “conservatives” have lost this understanding.  Many Republicans today believe that big government is good government, as long as it is our government.  They opt for career security rather than cutting the role of the federal government in the lives of the American individual.  Pence not only articulates the conservative agenda, but he backs it up with principled decisions and stances.  His leadership is needed now more than ever if we are to right our ship back to the principles that Ronald Reagan brought to Washington, D.C. and that our Founding Fathers brought to our shores.

Unlike most Midwestern members of Congress, who typically keep their families back home and commute to Washington every week, Pence's family lives with him in Springfield, Va., while Congress is in session. His three children attend a suburban Virginia Christian school, where his wife also works as an art teacher.

Pence is a committed father and family man.  During the beginning of his time as a Congressman in D.C., the American Conservative Union held its 40^th annual conservative gala and Pence was to meet for the first time President Bush that night at the dinner.  His daughter also had a music recital at her school and Pence previously had promised his daughter that he would attend it.  So Pence, being a man of his word, went to his daughter’s recital.  Afterwards, he said that he was just living out the family values that the Republican Party stands for.  He always puts family first before his political career and that is the kind of man that is fit for our nation’s highest office.  

On a recent day, he was in his study at 6 a.m., reading the first chapter of the Book of Joshua, he said. The lesson recounts the commission that God gave the Old Testament prophet to lead the Jewish people out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.

"Be strong, be courageous and do the work" is the lesson he said he took from the reading.

"I'm not a supremely confident man, but I have faith in God and faith in these ideas," he added.

The conservative movement is truly in the wilderness and I wholeheartedly believe that Mike Pence is the chosen leader who has been called for this specific time to lead our people to the promise of freedom and liberty.  But the burden has not been placed solely on one man’s shoulders, but rather it is on the American people who have come to another time for choosing.  Will we put our trust and energy in the promise of liberty that will bring strength in faith, family and freedom or will we complacently slide further into the deep trenches of Big Government Republicanism whose only promise is to stifle the American economy, weaken the American family, and destroy the American system.  It is our time, our calling, our duty, our responsibility.  Pence consistently says that he is not discouraged, because it is His cause and His work in the making.  And it is times like these that Americans are at their finest.      

America not only has a glorious past but also has a limitless future.  America’s future became secure as great men of God wrote into existence our nation’s governing documents that created not only our nation but also granted us our freedoms.  As America became founded on the great Biblical principles of individual freedom, personal responsibility, sanctity of life, and a limited role of the federal government, her people became a moral people deeply rooted in the Christian faith.  With this intense loyalty to Jesus Christ wrought an unparalleled patriotism for a nation that quickly became a beacon of liberty for all who had the will and strength to reach her shores. 

Our Founding Fathers secured our freedoms as they proclaimed and clarified that our rights as American citizens are granted by God Almighty, and God alone.  In establishing our Constitutional Republic, our Founding Fathers knew that once the federal government began to surpass their constitutional obligations, the life of the American would decay.  In maintaining our liberties that were granted to all Americans, our nation became governed by a rule of law, a law that was founded upon Biblical law.  In maximizing the individual’s freedom and liberty, man’s greatness generated not only great ideas but also a great nation built on those ideas. 

The American’s creativity, ingenuity, grit and hard work that always thrive within a free market system developed a soaring economy that led to the strengthening of the American family.  As our nation’s greatness was passed down to our ensuing generations through the parental leadership of the mother and father, America’s future was always to be promising.  Values such as duty, honor, sacrifice, strength, and courage embodied the American as he not only found a way to pursue his God given abilities, but also found a way to ensure that those liberties remained a privilege for his children and his grandchildren. 

It was within the great environment of the family unit that strong leaders were born and produced.  It was through the guidance and direction of committed mothers and fathers that the courage of the soldier was formed, that the calling of the pastor was heard, and that the mind of the statesman was raised.  The American hero was born of the leadership that developed from the sense of calling that every American has on their life.  But greatness is not realized simply from the unique essence that is being American, but by seizing the opportunities that are afforded us through those liberties to achieve the impossible, to reach the unreachable, and to attain the unattainable.        

Greatness still pursues America to this day.  Americans are still born with that innate sense of duty, honor and greatness that led our Founding Fathers to sacrifice all they had to create this new nation.  It is that longing for freedom, that sense of loyalty to God who has upheld our nation, and the unwavering devotion to the principles and ideas that bore a great nation which continues to drive Americans.  But we must quickly realize that our American duty becomes not only a privilege, but a responsibility, a responsibility that must be shared and assumed among all of her people.  Through this shared responsibility, her people will once again maintain and strengthen this great beacon of liberty for all who are blessed with the privilege and duty of being American. 

September 14, 2005

Family News in Focus

Written by: Steve Jordahl

After a decade of looking the other way, the Justice Department is getting tough on child pornographers. The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 2005, introduced this week, will close loopholes in the law to allow the Attorney General to rigorously prosecute offenders and protect victims. Indiana Congressman Mike Pence authored the bill and says it will take on the predator down the street.

“We specifically close a loophole that exists in federal law today that allows pornographers who produce child pornography at home with digital cameras, Polaroid cameras, or video cameras, downloaded on their home computers, to actually escape prosecution.” 

Child pornographers stand to forfeit their movie and photography equipment as well as other business assets. Benjamin Bull of the Alliance Defense Fund says it goes after the corporate porn vendors as well by taking away the excuse that they thought their victims were over eighteen.

“It tightens up the record keeping requirements of it for sure, and it broadens the kind of material that record keeping requirements are applied to.”

Daniel Weiss of Focus on the Family Action says the provisions will give the Justice Department a large hammer to wield against the porn trade.

“Any one of those may not have immediate large impact, but when you take them together you’re seeing a significant strengthening of obscenity and child pornography laws. I think it’s going to pass Congress, I think the President will sign it into law, and I think it will immediately be challenged in the courts.”

Congressman Pence is linking the bill as an amendment to the Child Safety Act of 2005 to speed its passage and avoid a lengthy committee process.

The bill also protects the privacy of victims by sealing evidence in trials, makes it easier for the federal government to gather evidence, and makes even the intent to transport child porn across state lines a crime. Bull says as written, the bill can pass constitutional muster.

Support this effort to promote the family in the public policy arena.

    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   We are currently in Columbus, Indiana.  For the last several weeks we have been trying to solidify the Columbus base of Pence supporters.  We are only focusing on college-age conservatives.  We have been very successful thus far. 

One big boost in our campaign was meeting the Myers’ family.  They are a family of eight children.  Their father is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Columbus.  The oldest daughter works for a homeschool support center out of Chicago and is well connected with homeschool families throughout Indiana and Illinois.  The Myers are all strong Christian conservatives who are well informed about politics.  In fact their church has long been praying for political leaders while one daughter has specifically been praying for Mike Pence.  We spoke at their church two Sundays ago and their entire congregation was excited about a Pence Presidency. 

In addition, we also spoke at another small church north of Indianapolis.  They too all loved Mike Pence and were excited about a Pence Presidency.  One member has a son who will be attending Patrick Henry College in the fall and prayerfully he will be a big addition to our efforts.  We also have a student on the team from Pensacola College in Florida, one of the most conservative institutions in America.  We also just recently met a graduate from Hillsdale College in Michigan, which is a stalwart of conservative political thought and action.  She is very excited about this national grassroots effort as she has already launched a facebook group at Hillsdale. 

We also just recently went out to Washington, D.C. for the weekend.  We were there for a few conferences.  One conference was a Pro-Life event.  We met many people who were very adamant about the Pro-Life issue and many knew of Mike Pence’s heroic efforts in this important battle, particularly the petition he started last summer during the Republican National Convention where he gathered 127 congressional signatures saying we need a true Christian Right to Life speaker during national primetime.  Unfortunately, the GOP establishment were putting politicians who were not conservative and not articulating our conservative values, particularly the Pro-Life issue, during primetime.

One influential guy in particular began to choke on some crackers when he heard us ask him what he thought about Mike Pence.  As he finally cleared his throat he began to get really excited, saying that Pence is his boy.  Then we told him about Pence for 08, and he knew all about it and that we must continue to keep this information under the radar for the time being.  So we picked up a few allies and friends of the movement this past weekend. 

Please continue to pray for us and our efforts, that they may never be in vain.      

    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   The conservative movement now stands at a crossroad as two camps vie for the leadership and direction of our party.  This battle is being waged between the loyal base of American conservatives who believe in limited government and traditional moral values and the emerging, yet ever-present, sect of careerist politicians and big government Republicanism.  The state of our movement now depends on the American people and the crucial choice that is before us.  Will we once again stand together to proclaim the strong values and principles that has made our nation so prosperous, or will we allow a small group of elites to dictate for us our party’s platform and outcome?  Will we succumb to apathy, moral decay, and other demoralizing effects that big government Republicanism has brought our nation, or will we as a people take it upon ourselves to strengthen the conservative movement by returning to our most cherished and flourishing principles?  Freedom must be our choice.  This is the battle cry of Indiana Congressman Mike Pence and must remain the mantra of the American people. 

Historically speaking, the conservative movement as we know it today is relatively young and in its infant stages.  With the Draft Goldwater movement in the early sixties, it was the American people, not the political establishment, who embraced the values and principles set forth by a conservative platform.  It was the American people who took it upon themselves to volunteer and get involved with American politics.  They knew that the future of their families, their communities and their country depended upon their efforts.  They could not wait for a political leader to emerge that upheld and promoted their value system, they had to work hard to ensure that the most conservative candidate won the nomination.  Although the Draft Goldwater movement strengthened conservatism by bringing it into the forefront of political thought and debate, our candidate was unsuccessful.  But through this movement emerged the most historic, effective and cherished leader of our time, Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan was not only the embodiment of the Republican Party but he was the personification of everything it meant to be American.  With his brilliance in leadership and his ability to inspire the nation towards greatness, the Great Communicator led our nation’s people into a time of prosperity and freedom.  As he urged us to raise a banner of bold colors, no pale pastels, we achieved peace through strength.  Reagan was fearless, yet humble, profound, yet modest, exceptional, yet common.  America resonated strongly with Reagan’s ideas, principles and values and through doing so became a people who cherished and strengthened the American system.  Reagan was not successful because of what he did, but because of what he inspired us, the American people, to do and believe. 

Every great movement is successful not because of one leader, but because of the individual efforts of a people who understand their times and take on the great responsibility and civic duty to fight for their freedoms, principles and values.  Such a time has come for Americans to once again rise to this higher calling by steering our conservative movement back on the right path.  Mike Pence, the leader of the conservative movement, is not discouraged as he knows trialing times bring out the best in Americans.  At the same time, Pence knows the importance of leading our nation into remembrance and calling us to rediscover the historic principles and values our great nation was founded upon.  But ultimately Pence knows that it will be God’s work, His cause, and His story in the making.  As a man of great character, one who describes himself as a “Christian, a Conservative and a Republican, in that order,” Pence always remains true to principle and maintains faith in the American people. 

The conservative movement began with Goldwater, was realized through Reagan, and must now be rekindled by Pence.  The conservative movement must not be about politics as usual, we must change the hearts, minds and lives of the American people.  And by doing so, we will remain that shining city on a hill.    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp;   &nbs p;  

Things are going great on the campaign trail.  We are currently here in the hometown of Mike Pence: Columbus, Indiana.  The people in his district absolutely love Mike Pence.

A good friend of mine told us that his mother was Mike Pence's favorite school teacher when he was younger.  Mike Pence loved her so much and gave her so much credit for helping him grow into a responsible American that years ago when he still had his radio talk show, he spoke about his teacher for two hours.  She then called into the station and told him that that was enough talk about her, now he needed to inspire his listeners to become great Americans.  Mike Pence humbly said yes mam.

We talked to another good friend of ours who went to high school with Mike Pence.  We told him about Mike Pence for President in 2008 and he said that he always liked Mike, ever since high school.  Even though Mike Pence was two years older, he said Mike Pence was one of the older guys who would be nice to the younger guys and not give them a hard time.  Then he said that he knew that Mike Pence was an honest man and that you could tell from just looking at the guy. 

I'm sure we will come across many more amazing stories just like these about Mike Pence on the campaign trail.  Pretty soon all of America will have their favorite story of our next American President.

God Bless 

It's official: Conservatism wins every time!!!! 

Our greatest and most chrerished American hero was voted Greatest American in a poll contest hosted by Discovery Channel.  Over 2.4 million Americans participated.  The people have spoken and Ronald Reagan has been found wanting. 

But what was so good about Reagan?  Around 95% of all college faculty in America will tell you that Reagan was the worst president ever and a menace to our society.  My family would all tell you that he was the Devil himself and that he single-handedly destroyed our country.  Yet, well-informed, red-blooded Americans will tell you otherwise.  So why do so many Americans love and cherish our Greatest American hero?

1. He defeated Communism/Leninism and ended the cold war without ever firing a shot.

2. He rekindled the American spirit, inspired millions of American workers&nbs p;and gave hope to American families.

3. He stimulated an economy that saw great economic prosperity while destroying inflation.

4. He strengthened the American military

5. Brought traditional moral values and principles to the forefront of our culture

America was great in the 80's and much of our nation's prosperity today is due to the efforts of Reagan and his policies during his administration.  Reagan changed the face of our country and the world.  And his life has a profound impact on us still to this day.  Reagan communicated great ideas and spoke with a sincerity, humility and genuineness that is all too rare in politics today. 

The American people have voted Reagan as our nation's Greatest American. Now let's vote for our next Great American Mike Pence and get him elected for President in 2008. 

You can go vote for Mike Pence for President 2008 online at:

http://www.voote.com/jsp/VoteServerPage.jsp?TransID=RVOTES00&" title="http://www.voote.com/jsp/VoteServerPage.jsp?TransID=RVOTES00&" target="_blank"http://www.voote.com/jsp/Vote...;VoteID=100

Ladies and Gentleman, let the Reagan Revolution begin!!!! ! 

Unfortunately we were unable to make it to th