RightOnLine - General Session 4

rough notes - apologies for typos:

Due to internet connection problems I missed Guy Benson from Townhall.com. Apparently, there are a lot of bloggers and reporters covering the event and internet connections are a bit slow this morning.

S.E. Cupp - author and Fox News commentator:

* I'll take any excuse to leave New York City because it's all Weiner all the time - too much Weiner...

* what the future looks like for new media and hope you'll be exited about it.

* in early '90s, we realized that the media had lost its way...they were starting to sound the same and subjective; picking winners and losers; by the time Lewinski broke, it was clear it was all liberal.

* the watchdogs decided that they didn't want to watch the state because defending the state was getting tricky. So instead, they started watching you.

* they started using their relationships with liberals and dems to tell you that your conservative values were backward, stupid and judgmental. The problem wasn't Clinton's actions - it was your attitude.

* eventually media because so unabashed and unapologetic that conservatives became first, frustrated, that they didn't have a voice that represented them. They then got motivated - and then took action - to fill the gap themselves.

* they didn't try to stifle the existing media with a fairness doctrine or regulations - they just offered an alternative. With no subsidies - just a free market response to liberal media ... not an attempt to restrict it.

* so now that we have this free market alternative, we have an obligation to protect it and grow it. Some ideas will fail as not all ideas will work...that's okay. We're trying to find ways to harness it and make the most of it. And ideas will succeed - new ways to produce news and consume news.

* believe that the future of news distribution and consumption will change to online.

* new media is democratizing news distribution and consumption and the old media is not going to be able to compete. News is customized now - you can choose what news you want to have and old media cannot compete with that.

* you are the news producer, the news editor - that's power and control.

* in the end, better alternatives always find a way to push themselves through to fill the gaps in the market. And only a free market is capable of developing the media platforms we deserve - and we deserve the best.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp - Kansas:

* come from a small town in Kansas...have an admission to make: I agree with John Edwards when he said 'there are two Americas': them and us.

* there is the Chicago elite and the rest of us, the insiders and the outsiders, the beltway elite and the rest of the nation.

* I wondered, on the floor of the House if they really believe what they're saying - and they do: that the stimulus didn't work because it was too small, that government can make better use of your money than you can, we need to pass Obamacare to find out what's in it, we need to redistribute the wealth, too many troops on one side of Guam might make the island tip...

* Washington is about them having one plan for themselves and the rest of us living under their rules - Obamacare is THE example. Asked about waivers - what we need is a waiver for all.

* if you want to talk about hypocrisy or want to identify the left, look at the labor unions who spent millions to elect Obama and push for Obamacare - why are they getting all the waivers? Over 4,000 waivers issued so far - but what about the millions of other Americans who also want a waiver?

* Process should be to go out and visit with real Americans...in one place, he hired a neighbor kid to mow the lawn...OSHA fined the company $6,000.

* Was in a hearing where administration was trying to regular coarse particulates...turns out, they wanted to regulate farm dust - if it blew too much on a farm, you'd have to shut down your equipment...they don't want to live under the rules they make.

* do you think the next generation of Americans will be better off than you are? This is the definition of the American dream and too many think this is in jeopardy. We have the opportunity of a lifetime - choice in direction between liberty and freedom or slavery and dependency.

* debt ceiling is the opportunity of a lifetime - this is the best chance to cut spending now and in the future and balance the budget in the long term. This is the time to restore America.

* Asked four economists in a committee hearing: 'How much time left as a nation if we don't address the debt?' Act like you have no time left is the answer from the first economist...all three then agreed.

* we need to restore the Constitution. The debt is a spending problem. It is a power problem. It is Washington trying to tell us what to do with our money. We are not far off from being like Greece.

* We have the ability to restore America to her greatness with the ideas of freedom and liberty.

* we need to astonish America and restore her to the principles that made her the greatness nation. We can restore America to her greatness. We can take back the nation from the left. We can restore America to the principles of freedom and prosperity. This is America and we are taking it back.

Rep. Michele Bachmann - Minnesota:

* our conservative ranks are big and growing - the conservative voice in MN has been found.

* thanks for everything you do - pulling back the curtain in DC and exposing the waste and the corruption...now we're able to join forces and voices with the power of the social media and these people can't run and can't hide.

* there was a debate earlier this week - CNN in New Hampshire - but I learned quite a lot during this debate: learned that Newt prefers American Idol, Ron Paul likes the Blackberry, Herman Cain likes deep dish and that I like both Johnny Cash and Elvis. I was prepared because I thought they'd ask boxers or briefs...

* in sharp contrast to the current occupant of the WH, there is leadership on the part of the Republican Party.

* honor for me to announce there that I filed my paperwork to see the office of President of the United States.

* will have formal announcement soon...in the last 5 years in Washington, I have tried fervently to bring a different voice to Washington and the halls of Congress - a voice that hadn't been heard in a long time...and that voice was heard and now I want to take that voice to the White House.

* adopt the 3-legged stool approach...add to our ranks. Have to have the strong peace-through-strength conservatives; the strong fiscal conservatives; the social conservatives. I'm one of each of these - we cannot kick them out of the tent.

* we need the tea party movement. the liberals are deathly afraid of this movement. They want you to think that the tea party is just the right-wing fringe of the GOP...It is an idea - and idea that is being embraced and the left is quaking in their boots.

* the tea party is made up of disaffected democrats, republicans, libertarians, people who've never been political in their life - they are gaining steam and will be take the nation by storm in 2012.

* Pres. Obama enjoying the lowest approval ratings of his presidency due to the tea party movement...they just want to take their government back. Obama will be a one-term president (crowd joined in yelling the last three words).

* second thing learned in debate - election will be about jobs and the economy. President has failed the nation miserably. We're two years into a recovery...can you believe that?

* approaching the Obama trench of a double-dip recession...that explains why people are worried today about their retirement. They see dreams for their children falling apart. These are the voters we can capture for 2012.

* Husband & I started a company and we like profit. We like people who like profit. We like prosperity - it's a powerful story - and Obama cannot tell it.

* sum up election in simple terms: price of gas was $1.79/gal when Obama took office - today it's over $3.50. President has failed us on keeping our currency sound.

* look at the national debt - numbers so large we can't get our arms around it. We have to pay this money back. Share of debt per person was $35,000 when Obama took office; today it's $46,000 per person - and increase of 35% on his watch.

* of course the president has failed us...maybe you'd like to join me in sending him change of address cards to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

* the signature issue of his presidency is Obamacare - you cannot talk about this enough; the government takeover of health care - the American version of socialized health care: this is the symbol of the left.

* Democrats are itching to get back to scaring the seniors over Medicare...but we need to be on offensive: our story needs to be told. Two weeks ago, in private closed-door meeting with President. He was asked three times - what is your plan for Medicare - it's going to be broke in a few years. He didn't want to give an answer even though the media wasn't present. He mumbled: but we have Obamacare.

* Clear he has no plan. But he wants people to think Medicare will continue as is if they stay in power. I believe Obama's plan is that Medicare won't be able to continue so seniors will be rolled into Obamacare. That is the future for senior citizens in this country.

* and who will be directing Obamacare? We know 16,500 IRS agents will be enforcing it. But what's worse is that seniors will lose control over what they get because an unelected board will make the decisions about what care we will get - and what care we won't. And if you don't like their decisions - your choice is to convince 2/3 of the members of both chambers to overturn those decisions.

* that's all?!?

* we need to tell story about Obama's plan not just for seniors, but for all of us.

* first member to introduce the full-scale repeal of Obamacare. (much applause)

* it's only 41 words long...and as president of the U.S., I will not rest until we repeal Obamacare.

* not only is Obamacare a killer for the health care industry, it's a job killer. CBO says it will kill over 800,000 jobs. What person would support this know that it's going to kill 800,000 jobs?

* Seniors get the problems with Obamacare...they know that half a trillion dollars will be shifted from Medicare to help fund young people in Obamacare. This is the future of the president's plan for you: shift money from old to young.

* Obama's morbid obesity of spending... National debt has been identified by Joint Chiefs of Staff (retiree???) as the #1 threat to the U.S. Yet they want to borrow more money to keep on spending. Raised debt ceiling 10 times in 10 years.

* I've voted no on every single bill to raise the debt ceiling.

* Asking people to hold up dollar bill - look at it. Reason I voted no - every time Congress spends a dollar, 42 cents is borrowed. Could you live that way? Even for a month? I can't live that way; my business can't live that way and the government can't live that way.

* Quoted Obama's comments as a senator when he voted against raising the debt ceiling, calling it a failure of leadership. I would say, Mr. President, you have demonstrated a failure of leadership.

* In 2008, Congress was told we had to give a blank check of $700 billion to the Treasury Secretary or we'd see Armageddon in the U.S. If true, we needed to solve the problem...behind closed door, I couldn't get an answer to my question that if we gave a no-strings-attached $700 billion, what would happen? So I voted no - bucking my own party.

* voted against stimulus bills - not because I'm a constant nay-sayer, but because the policies won't work.

* we were told we couldn't afford a government slowdown, but I knew the American people would support us.

* So when are we going to say no - that we're listening to the people and not to the politicians who keep telling us we need to keep doing what doesn't work.

* As president, I'll get the budget in order so we never have to raise the debt ceiling again.

* Yes, I know it's going to be painful and Harry Reid will have to do without his cowboy poetry festival...but it has to be done.

* Likened Obama to the wizard behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz - printing money ... devaluing the dollar by 14% in two years. He has damaged our currency, but strangely, he finds this sort of amusing. Confronted with 9% unemployment, he called it a bump in the road. Mr. President, it's the Grand Canyon...

* asked about shovel-ready jobs and he said they weren't so shovel ready...Someone grab that shovel out of his hand before he digs us any deeper.

* president promised he'd make lives better - and we want that for everyone. Have 16% unemployment in black community, 12% in Hispanic community. He is failing the black community, the Hispanic community and all of us in every community.

* love that yesterday morning, the Russian president gave a speech - and even he has figured out that you have to have private industry. 'Russian economy ought to be dominated by private industry and private investors'...think about this - a Russian president calling for more of a private sector. Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear our American president calling for this? As president of the U.S., I will.

* explosive bureaucratic state in D.C.: worst of all is backdoor cap-and-trade. I am not convinced of the science that human activity is the cause of global warming. This terrible legislation will give Washington more unimaginable control over every aspect of our lives...

* introduced the light bulb freedom of choice act. With Pres. Bachmann, every American can buy any light bulb they want. EPA should be renamed the job-killing agency of America.

* if we're going to tell this great story, we need a different kind of leader - a leader who isn't afraid to tell the story of liberty. it's a great story.

* former tax attorney, business owner, proud wife and mother - foster mother, too.

* One thing we know from RightOnLine - we face nearly insurmountable odds, domestically and internationally. Never forget that there are people who wake up every day and try to think of ways to kill us.

* Most dangerous thing recently was when Obama called upon Isreal to shrink its borders. I stand with Isreal.

* We could go on like this all day, but I want to call to mind a hero of mine - from ancient Isreal, someone considered a bit inconsequential. His name was Jonathon and he was the son of King Saul. He faced a battle with the Philistines, who were up on a hill, far outnumbering and better armed than Isreal. But Saul was fearful of certain defeat. Jonathan made a secret pack with his armour bearer and said, let's climb to the outpost. Armour bearer said - go ahead - I am with you heart and soul. They not only defeated the Philistines at the outpost, they defeated the entire army...all because two men had courage, scaling the cliff, confronting the enemy and saving the day.

* Americans have this courage and are longing for a president who will lead from the front and not behind - who will scale the cliff...together we can turn this country around. And together we will.