Please take note that our next event will be Tuesday, September 23rd. We’re planning on meeting around 5:30/6:00 again.
We are still working on a location and speaker(s). We’ll be sure to let everyone know the details as soon as possible.
-Jake
Apparently, people have questions. Here are some answers:
Q: Do I have to know much about politics to come to an event? Do people come to your social hours and talk serious politics?
A: You do not have to know a ton about politics to get an involved. About all you need is a sense that taxes are too high and that the government is too big. People who come are interested in politics, so they talk about politics, but it’s generally lighthearted and fun. They also talk about business, their friends, where they live, and other things, too.
Q: I’m 45. Am I welcome?
A: McCain’s VP choice, Sarah Palin, 44, is being criticized for being too young, but we would welcome her with open arms (Jake is sending the invite now). We’re inclusive and will go all the way down to age 21.
Q: I’m a Ron Paul supporter. Can I come?
A: Please do. We’re a broad, inclusive group. Beyond being adverse to taxes and big government, CYP doesn’t take positions.
Q: Great, how do I get information?
A: Send an email to [email protected] We’ll put you on the list and let you know what’s happening.
-Jason K.
Are you kidding me? If this doesn’t get you fired up, there is something wrong with you.
Could be one of the better conservative speeches in some time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLcc3C-80Hg
-Jake
Over the past few hours, the reaction regarding Sen. McCain’s choice has been nothing short of amazing. Everyone I have spoken with is now downright excited about the election. Imagine what the reaction would have been had the choice been Sen. Lieberman or someone along those lines?
Without getting into the complete political analysis regarding the choice, I think the best way to illustrate the impact is by describing a conversation I had in the past hour. A secretary I recently spoke with was unaware of the news.
She asked me who Sen. McCain had chosen. My political curiosity quickly kicked in. Having had several conversations with this woman recently, I was aware that she was not overly political. I wanted to quickly assess what her reaction was so I just told her to look it up online. Now I might be over analyzing this, but a close reading of the words she chose to describe the pick are telling of what Gov. Palin’s place on the ticket could do to the dynamics of this election.
She started out by simply stating “wow” (i.e. surprise), she then described the choice as “amazing” (really one of the best ways to describe it in light of the fact that there has only been one other female on a presidential ticket in this nation’s history, and I’m not sure how legitimate the ’84 ticket was), she then moved to describing the pick as “interesting” (i.e. maybe I can vote for this McCain guy), finally she described it as “exciting” (i.e. with Gov. Palin on the ticket, there is now a dynamic element to counter Obama).
Now, maybe the parentheticals are a bit over the top, but I think you get the point. This sort of thought process is probably taking place in the minds of many independent minded voters.
In addition, the Gov. Palin choice energizes the conservative base. As a true conservative reformer, Gov. Palin will add a unique voice to the ongoing debate over the direction of this country. She is a fiscal and social conservative who has had a “front seat” to the ongoing energy debate.
Noemie Emery from the Weekly Standard has a great list of of 14 things “Palin Does” for the ticket. Check it out: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/482nfeqo.asp
-Jake
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/mccain-to-name-running-mate-on-friday/
Brilliant pick. Sen. McCain could not have made a better choice.
Game on!
-Jake
It is Friday morning and here we sit awaiting Sen. McCain’s choice for his running mate. Last night Sen. Obama gave a stirring speech. While I disagreed with almost every policy position outlined by Sen. Obama, one cannot deny the fact that he is a moving speaker, albeit with no substance.
At this point, as Sen. McCain moves forward, he has a real opportunity to add a dynamic element to his ticket. From all accounts, Gov. Palin has governed conservatively. She is an able speaker. She has a compelling personal story. And most importantly, by adding a female to the ticket, Sen. McCain for the first time in the election would be able to steal attention from Sen. Obama, and for more than simply a day or two.
The media, which to this point has largely ignored Sen. McCain, would be forced to divert some attention from Sen. Obama to Sen. McCain and highlight the fact that now a Sen. McCain presidency would also add a fresh and dynamic element to American politics.
When was the last time you’ve heard “fresh” and “dynamic” used to describe a potential McCain presidency?
While Govs. Romney and Pawlenty would certainly each add certain strengths to the ticket, Gov. Palin would be the exciting and wise choice for Vice President.
-Jake
I would like to thank everyone for coming out last night and making the 1st ever CYP of Milwaukee Happy Hour a booming success. We had no idea what to expect.
At one point in the evening, according to my count, we had roughly 35 people in attendance! There were CPA’s, bankers, mortgage brokers, attorneys, political operatives, candidates for public office, non-profit organizers and art gallery professionals (yes, that is a shout-out to my wife).
What made the event a real success in my eyes was that one gentleman simply looked us up online and came not knowing a single person. He told me he had been looking for a group like ours for two years since he had moved to the area. He made my night.
That is the purpose of this group: to serve as a resource and networking tool for young professionals in the Milwaukee-area who are concerned about the direction of this state and nation.
Those of you who are active and have political/business connections need to continue spreading the word regarding our group. We need to reach those who are looking for a way to network with fellow conservatives here in SE Wisconsin.
Please look for an email/blog post/facebook event posting within the next week detailing the September Happy Hour event. The format is going to be exactly the same: pick a bar in the area, enjoy some drinks, talk politics and network. However, assuming there is interest, we hope to line up a speaker. It will definitely be someone worth coming to listen to.
Sorry, that’s all I can say regarding the speaker right now (I’m going to tease the group Barack Obama-style, just without the 3 am text message).
-Jake
Following the recent Supreme Court election between Gableman-Butler, many individuals involved in the Wisconsin legal community have been calling for a change in the way jurists are selected in the state. Unfortunately, instead of advancing a somewhat reasonable alternative of a nomination process similar to the federal government, many have been advocating a judicial selection process wherein nominees are “selected” for nomination by a “nonpartisan commission.” (sorry for all the quotes, but I just can’t help pretending those are neutral terms)
A recent WSJ article highlighted the problems which exist in such systems. Missouri and Florida both use a system where nominees to fill vacant seats are presented to the governor. If the governor refuses to select any of the options, the nominees are simply sent back to the committee. However, it is the committee that then chooses the judge.
As the WSJ noted, “though the Missouri Plan is supposed to keep politics out of the process, it has instead transferred power from voters to state bar associations and legal groups that control the judicial commission. The result is a system that’s contentious and opaque — and has tipped the state courts steadily to the left.”
At the end of the day, “merit selection states have already proven you can’t get politics out of the court system. The real issue is who does the choosing — voters through elections or their elected representatives, or lawyers working to help their own.”
The WSJ nailed it. If Wisconsin were to support a “nominating committee” it would simply turn into a tool for the state bar to elevate jurists they believe to have the proper judicial outlook. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be the individual to make that decision. If a change must take place, I would then much rather have elected officials make such decisions. There must be accountability. A “nonpartisan committee” will be answerable to no Wisconsinite.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121944715202565133.html
-Jake
Peggy Noonan had an interesting OpEd in the weekend edition of the WSJ (my analysis follows):
“I still think a one-term pledge could win it for him, because it would allow America to punt. It would make the 2008 choice seem less fateful. People don’t mind the chance to defer a choice when they’re not at all sure about the product. It would give bitter Democrats a chance to regroup, and it would give those who like Obama but consider him a little half-baked to vote against him guiltlessly while he becomes fully baked. (Imagine the Q&A when Sen. Obama announces his second presidential run in 2011: “Well, Brian, I think, looking back, there is something to be said for the idea that I will be a better president now than frankly I would have been four years ago. Experience, if you allow it, is still the best of all teachers.”) More, it would allow Mr. McCain to say he means to face the tough problems ahead with a uniquely bipartisan attitude and without having to care a fig for re-election. That itself would give him a new power, one that would make up for the lost juice of lame duckdom. It would also serve to separate him from the hyperpolitical operating styles of the Clinton-Bush years, from the constant campaign.
And Mr. McCain would still have what he always wanted, the presidency, perhaps a serious and respectable one that accrued special respect because it involved some sacrifice on his part.
A move that would help him win doubtful voters, win disaffected Democrats, allow some Republicans to not have to get drunk to vote for him, and that could possibly yield real results for his country. This seems to me such a potentially electrifying idea that he’d likely walk out of his convention as the future president.” http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html
I think she is right in that a one-term pledge would placate both hesitant Democrats/Independents and disaffected Republicans. Note, I would not go as far as her by stating it takes a couple cocktails before heading to the polling booth to vote for McCain.
However, there is one major caveat. The one-term pledge is only effective if Sen. McCain chooses a conservative running mate. If he were to choose a Tom Ridge or Sen. Lieberman, the entire concept of helping conservatives look toward the future is neutralized.
Furthermore, from recent polls it has become clear age will in fact end up playing a deciding role for some individuals in November.
I’m confident a one-term pledge would go a long way in helping Sen. McCain secure many of those voters on the proverbial fence.
-Jake
Mike Roman will be speaking this Thursday from 12:00 to 1:15 at the Milwaukee Athletic Club regarding the 2008 election. Mike is the National Election Day Operations Director for John McCain.
This is a great way to meet Republican lawyers and network with those involved in the Milwaukee legal community.
-Jake