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Senator-elect Mike Lee, an attorney, staged a successful upset against three-term incumbent Bob Bennett Mike Lee by tapping into Tea Party anger over the perceived excesses of the current members of government.
But what might surprise some of his supporters is that the staunch conservative is a family friend of one of the chief symbols of the Old Guard: Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was a member of Lee's Church of Latter-Day Saints congregation when he lived in Northern Virginia as his father served as the assistant attorney general under President Ford.
"The Reids were the first real Democrats that I spent a lot of time with," Lee told NBC News, "and I discovered fairly quickly that we didn't agree on almost anything. Any time I tried to defend the actions of the Reagan administration, they'd all jump all over me, so sometimes I like to say I cut my political teeth in the Reid household."
Lee added that Reid's son Josh has been a close friend of his since the sixth grade.
Just two months before Lee becomes a colleague of his family friend and sparring partner, he gave one of his first speeches in Washington D.C., in front of members of the Federalist society, a group for conservative and libertarian-minded lawyers.
Sticking to a Constitution-heavy pitch that so resonated to the Tea Party, Lee at times brandished a pocket version of the document as he spoke.
"I will not vote for a single piece of legislation that I can’t reconcile with the text and the original understanding of the U.S. Constitution," he said.
"Stated differently, if I can’t imagine myself explaining to James Madison with a straight face why what I was doing was consistent with the text and history of the constitution as it’s been amended all 27 times, I’ll vote no. I’ll do it every single time regardless of what the precedent says or can get away with," he continued to applause.
Watch an excerpt of Sen-elect Mike Lee's speech at the Federalist Society.
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In other words, "NO NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO!"
Stated differently, if I can’t imagine myself explaining to James Madison with a straight face why what I was doing was consistent with the text and history of the constitution as it’s been amended all 27 times, I’ll vote no; said Senator-elect Mike Lee?????
Senator-elect Mike Lee, let's put it in the truth perspective. If James Madison were talking to you, he would not know WTF you're babbling about. And he'd probably think you, Senator-elect Mike Lee, are a nut case.
Thank you, Beverly.
Thank you, Beverly in Chicago. Even here in Utah we are wary of this guy.
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”. Mark Twain
Please, for those of you who want to live in the 21st Century with real 21st Century problems, forget about the Constitution and think about humanity. Let the cowards hide behind the Constitution as an excuse to kick everyone to the curb.
If you all saw Keith's first segment this evening, you will have learned that death panels in our country do exist. And we're not talking about death panels for our grandparents.
I know it's a tough time for everyone financially. So this isn't meant for you. It's meant for those of us who are fortunate enough to have a job. There are people in this country being turned down for life saving operations. Parents with young children. If you can help them, please do, regardless of what you think of any politician. They're not worth it. It is us that don't have to settle for 18th Century thinking. We can do better, together, as one voice.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/
I don't have the info handy, so please check his website later this evening.
We can do better. The GOP want one country for the rich only. We the people deserve a better one. And we'll have it. Together.
Enough Gov. Brewer. Enough
Today Is The Day We Take Back Our County
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine, I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine. A million tomorrows shall all pass away, ere I forget all the joy that is mine - Today ...I can't be contented with yesterday's glory, I can't live on promises winter to spring; today is my moment and now is my story, I'll laugh and I'll cry and I'll sing....Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine...
The New Christy Minstrel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNFy1Yi0zcY&feature=related
The donation information: NTA.Fund.Org and the men are Francisco Felix and Randy Shepherd
http://www.ntafund.org/
Pat: I don't think we have to forget the Constitution to know what is right or wrong in the situation that was on Keith's show. In the Preamble of the document are these words 'Promote the General Welfare". The problem is not the Constitution it is the "teabaggers" bastardizing it for their own ends. "General Welfare" to the "teabaggers" means "I get mine, if you are poor, I get yours too." To the rest of us, it means that we help one another along life's way. What has happened in Arizona is shameful and ought not to be tolerated by a civil society. Those men, awaiting transplants, one of whom was actually prepped for surgery, and the surgery stopped due to the Governor's intransigence, may die. If they do, their deaths are on each and every one of you who support that Governor, and those Draconian policies.
Pat - I couldn't believe what I was watching last night on Keith and immediately sent a donation at then end of the segment!
Thank you for posting the link...
I had tears in my eyes that this is being allowed to happen all in the name of political games! And even as I type this morning my hands are shaking with ANGER!
WTF is GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?
THIS IS JUST PLAIN WRONG ON SOOO MANY LEVELS!
Sorry for shouting... but sometimes... shucky darn doesn't quite cut it!!!!!!!!!
Good to see you NDD!
You too, Feisty, time to rejoin the world.
Nice comments newdayDAWNING. Feisty, I knew you would be on this as soon as you saw Keith's reporting Friday evening. I would imagine Keith will give us an update tomorrow night (if he's working). Next week is a vacation week for many. I googled Keith and Death Panels and Brewer and it seems an awful lot of people wrote about Keith's work Friday night. I wasn't surprised.
Keith is such an inspiration to us all.
I don't know what we would do with out him Pat!
I'm also as angry this evening as I was Friday night about what is happening in America!
Hope to see you tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of the evening!
these canidates were using the bible last few years not to promote the bible ,but to enhance partisanship and their own selfish agenda{reminds me of when the money changers were trading in the temple,and Jesus over threw the table.Now its the constitution,any argument you have just quote the constitution even if it dont relate to what your argueing about.Now if the two above scenerios dont work' then you say it in the name of capitalism,and if that dont work call anyone who disagrees with you a communist. Anything except talking about the policy.Also keep repeating the same cliches over and over....Huxley wrote about the cliches many years ago.Things arent working exactly like he said,but there is similarities
This Day In History - November 22, 1963
Need I say any more? I remember being so proud of JFK as my president when I was a child. I remember it was MY president, President Kennedy, vs. Nikita Khrushchev. And the differences were easily apparent to me, as young as I was. My mother always insisted that we kids call him "President" Kennedy. Always.
It is said that the 1960's died with the death of RFK & MLK. I know for Democrats such as myself, their message has stayed with us, even to this day. This song hit us hard when it was released back in 1968. Very hard. And today in 2010, we have a man by the name of Barack Hussein Obama as our president. The marchers' work back then did not go in vain. My memory is this song was popular in the Fall of 1968, following the deaths of Martin and Bobby. It is why I am a Democrat and will always be a Democrat. Abraham, Martin & John & Bobby. And President Johnson. And Thurgood Marshall. And Harry Truman. And Rosa Parks. And Rep. Lewis. And the Freedom Riders. And to all those un-unamed civil rights marchers who, like Martin Luther King, Had A Dream.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUn0vvgEvBc
It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result. Gandhi
If you do nothing, evil will prevail. Demand unhindered, subpoena powered, security clearanced investigations into the JFK, MLK, RFK, JFK jr., and 9/11 murders. They all lead back to the Skull&Bones and the CIA.
I still tear up when I hear that song, Pat.
I'll second that NDD... it was before my time... but I vividly remember listening to it on the radio with my Mom! :0(
Ladies, crying is one thing. Doing nothing about which you cry is another. Support investigations. There is no statute of limitations on murder or mass murder. Stop fearing what you suspect is true.
Paul, the problem with the investigations that have happened is the limitations that govt. officials have put on them. Which is why there are always questions..they'd be far better off to do a no holds barred approach. But they won't.
NewdayDawning: Hello, dear. The limits that government puts on investigations of murder and mass murder are indications of "guilty demeanor" in the crimes being investigated.
It isn't a truth that secrets will be exposed to the world if we have an unhindered investigation. Unless of course the secret is that we are happy to kill our own if we feel that we have to in order to protect the status quo. Much testimony can be taken under oath and in secret so long as an anonymous Inspector General is empowered to observe and report to the public a redacted version of what he has seen and heard.
Saying that it won't happen is what empowers them to believe that they can make it NOT happen. The founding fathers knew that we had to be an INFORMED electorate, for American "democracy" to work. Secrecy and obstruction of investigations is anathema to the purpose of our great experiment.
Which is clear in what Jefferson and Madison wrote. It seems to be endemic to protect either one party or the other, or one government official or another. I did think the restrictions placed on the 9/11 Commission were particularly egregious, and designed to stymie real answers. There was no real outcry about that, which puzzles me. I am quite sure we will never know what really happened, and where the failures were.
By the way, Paul, if you do come back to read this, do you have an opinion on the new security measures at the airports? Are they helpful?
I am afraid that they have us chasing our own tails. It won't be long before we will be choosing between being irradiated or going to "disrobing" rooms. It will become more onerous for the general public to fly, and when security fails, in the aftermath, we will find that the suicide bomber was granted exceptions to the standard screening proceedures. Rightly or wrongly.
I love to travel, but am becoming less interested in flying as all this goes on. Not as worried about terrorists as I am about our procedures. Seems to me we would be wiser to do what Israel does.
Funny I was looking for a conservative voice on this subject and they are queit. I'd really like to hear their thoughts arguments or whatever. Especially about the Arizonia Medicare mess.
Mike Lee for President! A question for you all. Our country has a trillion dollar deficit (3 tril spending, 2 tril income), what do you propose we do about it?
What's wrong with returning to 2004 budget levels, we seemed to do just fine then.
None of you people have any concern for the future of our children and grandchildren. No one wants to put the country first. Its all 'me me me.'
Finally Mike Lee is a politician, like Reagan (love him or hate him), who is showing real leadership and going to change the country's path.
He is going to be president some day, its obvious to see.