TalkGOP - Conservative Grass Roots Republican Talk

It's 2018 and that means it's time for a mid-term election.  Typically, the party in power loses seats and polling shows that the House might be in Jeopardy for Republicans. Recent special elections and polling shows that Republicans are not doing well with younger voters. Democratic voters are highly motivated and pressing hard.

In this podcast episode I present 8 suggestions to Republicans to present a positive face to independent and younger voters for the good of the party. Just click above to listen.

* Renew Reagan's 11th Commandment

* Accept Reality

* Stop yelling at people on social media

* Reject class warfare and racial warfare

* Hold media AND leadership accountable

* Connect with young people

* Volunteer in your community

* Let go of the irrelevant past

What's it like to run for Coroner? That's the topic of this episode.  My cousin, Andy Moore recently ran and won a race for Coroner against an incumbent in Butler County, Missouri.

We discuss what is like to run as a first time candidate and identified some lessons learned, including:

1. Some elected offices are a little unusual or less understood. Run on your merits and what you bring to the office.

2. Tell people you want the job.

3. Even for a small office campaign like you are running for a big office. (Campaign hard)

4. Some people (Democrats) will not vote for you no matter what.

5. Going door-to-door demonstrates your work ethic and commitment.

6. Think about how you present yourself.

7. Campaigning can be a family experience.

8. People want to know the person they are voting for.

9. Ask for help on how to file and run for your race.

10. Use past voter data! Don't waste your time with people who don't vote.

11. Form a budget of what you have to personally spend.

12. For a local race, have your friends share your posts on social media.

13. Even smaller elected offices give you access and influence in your community.

To listen to the episode, just click play above.

 

What does it mean to be a Republican today?

* Is a Republican a follower of President Trump?

* Is a Republican anyone who votes against Democrats?

* Is a Republican defined by a certain set of beliefs?

In the current environment, there is a lot of disagreement about what makes one a Republican.  This podcast episode won't end that discussion, but I present my thoughts on what a Republican is.

I argue that being a Republican is not just about following a leader.  I believe a Republican is about upholding liberty and promoting prosperity through free markets and personal resposibility.

What type of Republican are you?

* An Establishment Republican?

* A Reagan Republican?

* A Trump Republican?

* Others?

 

A few weeks ago the "March for Science" was held in Washington D.C. The purpose of the March was billed as an effort to stand up for science and protect science against ignorant politicians.  So of course the March was basically an Anti-Trump Protest.

Marchers hurled a lot of insults against Republicans in general.  This was a continuation from the Presidential campaign of attacking the right as being "anti-science." There have even been calls to arrest people who disagree with the consensus view on Global Warming.

In this episode I review the question: "Is the GOP Anti-Science?"

Or is this all just another exercise of the left portraying itself as the good guys and anyone on the right as "the bad guys?"

In this episode I discuss the Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. Topics include:

* The difference between health care and health insurance

* What is a Death Spiral anyway?

* Top Problems with Obamacare

* What are the improvements the new bill will make

* What's improvements are still missing.

To listen just click the play button above. Thanks for listening!

Hey Everyone!

It's the return of the TalkGOP Podcast!  Due to a health crisis with my wife and a long commute to work, I had to suspend the podcast for a while. But,... my wife is better (doing great actually) and a new job has eliminated my lengthy commute.

In this podcast I give a brief overview of my thoughts about the election.

* Things to celebrate

* Positive aspects of the elections

* Negative aspects of the elections

* Challenges for conservatives going forward.

[pullquote align="normal" cite="Esther 4:12, NKJV"]“Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.”[/pullquote]

Thus spoke Mordecai to his adopted daughter Esther, when he learned of a plot to kill all of the Jews in the Old Testament book of Esther. Mordecai worried that Esther, who was now queen, would feel she was immune to the coming persecution.

There is a coming persecution to Christians in America. It has already started with the harassment of florists and bakers who refuse to compromise their beliefs to endorse same-sex marriages. Perhaps you, like Esther, feel like this will not concern you. But the progressive left will make it your concern, as explained by Erick Erickson and Bill Blankschaen in their new book, “You Will Be Made To Care.”

“You Will Be Made To Care” (YWBMTC) is an outstanding primer on the topic of religious persecution in America that every lover of religious freedom would benefit from reading.

The book opens with the powerful and inspiring story of Kelvin Cochran, the nationally-recognized African-American fire chief of the city of Atlanta, who is also a devout Christian. A dedicated Bible student and teacher, Chief Cochran wrote a devotional book that encouraged Christian men to behave as Christian men and in one brief passage, admonished them to avoid sexual immorality outside of marriage, such as adultery and homosexuality. This was unacceptable to LGBT activists in Atlanta, who successfully pressured the mayor to fire Chief Cochran.

The lesson from Chief Cochran’s firing is stark. He was fired for simply stating his religious beliefs outside the workplace, in his personal life. If it could happen to him, it could happen to you.

When you think of religious persecution, you may think of Bible stories of being stoned, beaten, thrown in the lion’s den or cast into prison. It is hard for us today to visualize what modern persecution would look like.

“You Will Be Made to Care” provides a look at the future of persecution in the US with detailed examples of discrimination that are happening right now.

* Business owners fined by judges

* Non-profits forced out of providing adoption services and foster care

* Court ordered silence about religious beliefs

* Civil lawsuits against individual assets

* Fraud convictions

* Students expelled from universities or forced to change belief to obtain degrees

* Employees demoted at work or fired

* Pharmacists forced to provide abortion inducting drugs

Based on the actions and statements of anti-religious activists we can expect other consequences in the near future such a loss of tax exempt status for churches and religious organizations, or religious individuals being charged with hate crimes.

[pullquote align="normal"]People should be free to live and work according to their faith without fear of being punished by government. [/pullquote]

Historically, believers have been able to rely on constitutional protections in the First Amendment. YWBMTC contains a detailed discussion of the importance of the First Amendment and the freedom to think as you please.

Unfortunately secular progressives are seeking to redefine our interpretation of First Amendment religious protections. President Obama himself has begun to refer to the “Freedom of Woship” instead of “Freedom of Religion.” This subtle change in terms, the book explains, is intended to limit our expression of religion to the four walls of a chur...

It's a presidential election year.  Are you going to be active in politics this year?  Many people observe politics, but don't really get involved.  In this episode I want to encourage you to take action and make a difference in 2016

People Hate Politics.

* They think all politicians and most people involved in politics are liars.

* They think that politicians are hypocrites, they say one thing and do another.

* They don't believe that anything people can do will make any difference at all, that the game is rigged.

* They believe that their fellow citizens don't really care what happens so what's the point in trying to change things?

* They believe politics is too complicated, that the average person can never really understand the issues and the complications to make a good decision.

* They don't like the arguing. They just find debate distasteful, so they avoid it.

* They think it's too negative. Everything they hear in the news is gloom and doom, they tire of it and just stop paying attention.

It's true that politics can be distasteful.  But politics is also important.  Politics affects nearly every area of our lives, from taxes to defense to our toilets (yes, toilets). And liberals are using politics everyday to pull down our freedoms and way of life

This year, get involved. Volunteer, donate, or run for office.

Your country needs you to make a difference.

September 30th is International Podcast Day, a day to promote and share podcasting with the world. In honor of this event, here is a special episode featuring conservative podcasting.

In this episode I explain why you should be listening to conservative podcasts, how to find and subscribe to podcasts, and I even give you some tips on how you can start your own podcast.​

To get you started I feature 9 conservative podcasts in this episode that you can try. These podcasts represent a range of styles and sources to give you a good idea of the types of podcasts that are available for conservatives. Just click one of the links below to check them out.

 

* Need to Know

* Blunt Force Truth

* Matt Locke Show

* Coffee and Markets

* 3 Martini Lunch

* Rought.org

* The Weekly Standard

* Consider This

* Ricochet

Other Links Mentioned in the Show

​TalkGOP Podcast Directory

Blog Talk Radio

Newsmax List of Top 50 Conservative Podcasts

The Audacity to Podcast with Daniel J. Lewis

School of Podcasting with Dave Jackson

In this episode I discuss liberal political correctness run amok.  Liberals are using various forms of political correctness to suppress free speech and control what Americans say and think.

Political Correctness on Campus

* Microagressions - small discriminatory actions by the majority.  So small in fact, that you don't even know you are doing them?

* Safe Spaces - Locations where only certain people, words, and thoughts are allowed. Here's a hint: you are not invited.

* Trigger Warnings - Did you know college students are too frail to hear intellectual ideas that liberals disagree with?

* Gender-neutral language  - Never mind the grammar you were taught in school. You have to refer to everyone by their proper gender. If you can figure out which one they are without offending anyone.

Big problems with PC doctrine:

* It's opposed to free speech.

* It wields OFFENSE as a weapon.

* It's intentionally divisive.

* It's unforgiving and encourages hate.

The Conservative Response

* Call out the silliness.

* Turn the tables.

* Discuss and practice true tolerance,

* Encourage grace and good manners

* Speak out against true evil.

Other Notes From the Show

Facebook Group

Check out the TalkGOP facebook group.

Further reading:

If you would like to learn more about this topic I recommend the new book by  Mary Katharine Ham and Guy Benson (affiliate link) :End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun):