Carly Fiorina Eyes 2016 GOP Presidential Bid

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

UPDATE: It's official. See The New Carly For President Website Here

There is a renewed drive for women taking on leadership roles in both business and politics and one glaring example of this is Carly Fiorina. Fiorina previously served as chief executive officer of HP from 1999 to 2005 and was also an executive at AT&T and the company's equipment and technology spinoff Lucent and the first woman to lead a Fortune 500 company.

What makes this woman remarkable is the fact that during her time at HP Fiorina was considered one of the most powerful women in the business and was able to power through things like the collapse of the dot-com bubble and the merger with Compaq, making HP the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world.

In the world of politics Fiorina served as an adviser to 2008 Presidential hopeful John McCain and was also the Republican nominee for the United States Senate from California in 2010. In more recent political news, Fiorina is eyeing a run at the 2016 GOP Presidential candidacy.

Fiorina has been talking privately with potential donors, recruiting campaign staffers and mingling with grass-roots activists in early caucus and primary states and is also planning trips to states like Iowa and New Hampshire. However, there are some challenges the Fiorina faces moving forward.

Despite seeking public office before, Fiorina has never actually held the position. Some problems from her failed campaign for the California Senate could also cause problems and undercut her image as an effective manager. Fiorina still owes around $500,000 to consultants and staggers from her 2010 Senate run, which isn't sitting well with some folks.

Proponents of Fiorina speak highly of the Presidential hopeful. Top GOP Strategist David Carney says of Fiorina, "She's very articulate, she's very thoughtful and has a very positive message. She's got just as much of a record of accomplishment and a story and ideas as anybody else who's running."

In August 2013, conservative Newsmax magazine named Fiorina among the "25 Most Influential Women in the GOP".

For the latest news on Carly Fiorina visit her site entitled the "Up-Project".

Update - Carly Fiorina delivers a passionate speech at the Iowa Faith And Freedom Coalition’s Spring Kickoff 2015.

Karen Harrington - Keeping Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Down To Size

Growing up in Cleveland I learned many various lessons, none more important than when I would come across a challenge or crossroads. Such was the case, in what may seem silly now, at a time when I was 4 and standing in my yard.

I was no bigger then 3 feet tall and I wanted to climb an extremely large oak tree. I would jump repeatedly up and down trying with every last ounce of my energy to catch the first branch.

Exhausted and frustrated I let out a high piercing scream that generated panic in my mother who heard the scream from inside the house. Racing to my aid and thoroughly giving me the once over for possible fever, lacerations, or broken bones, she was perplexed when she discovered nothing was wrong.

“Why on earth are you screaming?” she said looking at me with her enormous brown eyes.

“Because I can’t climb it,” I sniffed, pointing to the dreaded slender old oak tree.

Laughing and relieved I wasn’t in immediate danger, she brushed my hair back off my face, straightened the beige knit hat on my head and kissed my forehead. “Maybe you will one day, but until then you may just want to stick with something smaller like the swing set.”

Disappointed and having climbed the swing set before due in part to the fact that there was a ladder which made it easy for me to get up the slide, I dried my eyes and scampered up to the top of the swing set from the slide refusing to use the ladder and never letting the behemoth tree disappear from my sights.

Now I am a smart girl, or my grandparents lied to me. But I should have been able to achieve the desired goal of my preschool self, hence the ladder from the swing set. I couldn’t see it because I could never push past the fact it was a BIG tree.

We would eventually move from that house and I would never have the chance to climb the daunting oak. However, I would climb other oaks and maples just as big and metaphorically face challenges throughout my life that would require me to overcome the BIG thought process.

Still, I used to think of that dumb oak from time to time until one day on a visit home I decided to drive past the old house. I remember being excited about seeing the forty-year-old domicile and couldn’t wait to see the huge front yard loaded with trees and the giant hill the aged split-level sat on.

Driving down the street, I felt a nervous pang in my heart at the excitement of seeing the memories of my youth. Filled with hundreds of snippets racing in my blurred memory, I pulled up slowly to the address.

“Wait a minute,” I thought. “This can’t be the house.” Yet it was.

I was stunned, and as I rubbed my eyes in disbelief I thought, the hill I had taken my sled down had to have been MUCH bigger! The yard was not nearly as vast and wide, and the final blow, the scourge of my 4-year-old existence was not as tall. Adding to further my heartbreak, if I used my current adult height (nearly double that of my 4-year-old self), I could reach up and touch the first branch!

As I grew up I came to the understanding that nothing in life is ever as big as it appears: not a tree, a hill, or a challenge. Visiting the house simply cemented that theory.

I know I am being long-winded getting to my point, but look at the current situation the country is in. Is it really as big as one may think? If it is change we want-- is it just the President we have to vote out?

I ask this question in order to present a challenge.

The other night I was watching Huckabee having a Q & A session with the people of South Carolina who were asking questions directed at the five candidates. In Newt Gingrich’s session the question of change came up. His message (as I paraphrase) “As the President I can do nothing alone. We have to create change at all levels, by voting change in the House and the Senate then and only then we will be able to give Americans the change that is needed.”

I looked deeper and I recalled a Twitter conversation with a South Floridian friend. He was telling me about a candidate in Florida’s 20th district he liked and I knew nothing about. I literally gasped when I saw who held the current congressional seat.

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

My immediate response was “Whoa! Un-uh, this isn’t happening! She’s everywhere! Who would take on such an enigmatic figure?”

My answer would come in the form of a woman who has been a small business owner and had moved to South Florida as a child. Searching through Karen Harrington’s website (KarenHarringtonForCongress) and plowing through YouTube videos available on her (just by searching name), I became impressed by her accomplishments.

I was mostly taken in by the campaign motto “Fire Debbie”. “Wow! How big is that?” I thought.

Well….Not really. Just like climbing trees and facing challenges, nothing is as big as it appears to be. What once may have looked too big to tackle eventually comes into focus, allowing the learning and growth it takes to go after the goal head on.

If Karen thought something was too big, then she and her sisters wouldn’t have taken the humble family-run restaurant Ricky’s and expanded to three locations employing hundreds of employees. If she thought raising a family was tough, she wouldn’t have gotten married and had three children. If Karen thought she wouldn’t survive, she wouldn’t have beaten cancer.

And if she thought challenging Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was too huge, she wouldn’t be running for Congress in a democratically saturated area again even after losing to Wasserman-Schultz in 2010, not to mention garnering the endorsement of Mark Levin.

Karen is standing up and taking what she has already accomplished in life and adding the fight for change in this country. Just imagine, if Karen were to take this seat away from Wasserman-Schultz, the impact it would have if at the same time the President were voted out of office. The reverberation would be huge. Wasserman-Schultz and the Democratic Party would receive a crushing blow.

Karen is not spending her time looking up at a branch and trying to leap up to catch it. She is being smart by looking at the ground around her and then building a ladder to get to the next level. With each rung she places her foot on she is putting this race into focus and breaking down the unreachable branch of the behemoth in Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and slowly cutting her down to size.

Whether it is climbing trees or ladders of success, it is the steps we take to diminish the immense size of the desired outcome. Just like the tree I thought was too big, unseating Debbie Wasserman Schultz carried the same perception until I discovered a self-driven woman with love for God, family, friends, community and country. She is doing all this with little or no fanfare outside of the 20th district.

Karen, in her own way by taking on this challenge, is an inspiration that should cause us to look within ourselves and act as true patriots. This inspiration can inspire in us the courage to branch out and reclaim the country we so truly love. If she is not afraid to leap from branch to branch, then we shouldn’t be either.

Face it, the old adage is true. Perhaps that is why it is called old and not new. Nothing is ever really as big as it seems.

If you want to learn more about Karen Harrington, I suggested these websites:

http://www.publiusforum.com

http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/11/meet-the-woman-taking-on-debbie-wasserman-schultz/#ixzz1UjbCPXRo).

If you wish to support Karen Harrington:

http://www.karenforcongress.com/

http://www.FireDebbie.com/

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About the author: Beth Pepoy has written several published articles for Yahoo Voices and for Yahoo News. She has been featured on the website PolitiJim’s Rants for Reasonable People, and has been published on several on line newspapers including Redeye Daily.

She currently blogs on her own site: http://runinmystocking.wordpress.com and has been nominated for a Shorty Award.

Beth resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

You can follow Beth on twitter: https://twitter.com/Bpepoy

The author welcomes feedback and comments, and is not affiliated with Karen Harrington For Congress.

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NFRW: Year of the Republican Woman

Sandy Adams won her Representative Seat in the 34th District of Florida. Adams is a member of the Atlantic RW branch of the NFRW. Congratulations Sandy Adams, this is your year.

The National Federation of Republican Women is calling this, the Year of Republican Women. The organization is "Celebrating Victory as Voters Take Back America!"

From the NFRW website:

Republican Women Make Historic Election Gains Across Nation
Republican women enjoyed widespread success in the general election and made a significant contribution to the historic federal and state gains made by the GOP. Both incumbents and newcomers were popular with voters, and several milestones were crossed.

It truely is the year of the Republican woman as evidenced by a 75,000 member increase in the NFRE. In a press release dated November 17, 2010, the NFRW stated:

Lynch attributes the NFRW's membership gains to many factors, including improved dissemination of information, expanded public relations and outreach efforts which have included national media exposure, increased usage of new media such as Facebook and Twitter, and collaboration with like-minded groups. Lynch says the elections also played a role. Republican women were energized by the Republican message and by the quality of Republican candidates, particularly the distinguished group of Republican women running at the federal and state levels.

Key Statistics from the Recent Election

Every incumbent Republican woman running for federal or statewide office won reelection Tuesday, with the exception of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, whose race is still undecided.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), at least eight new Republican women won seats in the U.S. House, beating the previous record of seven Republican women newcomers in a single election. In addition, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire won her race for the U.S. Senate. Two additional Republican women are still waiting for final calls on their close House races.

At the state level, three new Republican women were elected governor: Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Nikki Haley of South Carolina. In addition, Jan Brewer won reelection as governor of Arizona, and at least a dozen Republican women were newly-elected to other statewide offices.

Republican women also made gains in state legislatures across the nation. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that preliminary data shows Republican women gained more than 100 seats in state legislatures, from 529 in 2010 to 633 in 2011.

Founded in 1938, the NFRW has thousands of active members in local clubs across the nation and in several U.S. territories, making it one of the largest women’s political organizations in the country. The grassroots organization works to promote the principles and objectives of the Republican Party, elect Republican candidates, inform the public through political education and activity, and increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government.

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Women in Elective Office

In 2010, 90 women serve in the U.S. Congress. A record 17 women serve in the Senate, and 73 women serve in the House. The number of women in statewide elective executive posts is 72, while the proportion of women in state legislatures is 24.4 percent.

It is expected that Women of the GOP will pickup many seats this November despite Emily's List Attack on Rebuplican Women.

Here is the most recent statistics regarding women in eletive offices in the US.

CONGRESS
Women hold 90, or 16.8%, of the 535 seats in the 111th U.S. Congress -- 17, or 17.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 73, or 16.8%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

• Seventeen women (4R,13D) serve in the Senate.
• Seventy-three women (17R, 56D) serve in the House.

STATEWIDE ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE OFFICES
In 2010, 72 women hold statewide elective executive offices across the country; women hold 22.9% of the 315 available positions. This is less than the number of women -- 88, or 27.4% -- serving in 2002.

Governor - 6 (3R, 3D)

Lieutenant Governor - 9 (3R, 6D)

Attorney General - 4 (4D)

Secretary of State - 12 (2R, 10D)

State Treasurer - 10 (2R, 8D)

State Comptroller - 4 (2R, 2D)

State Auditor - 8 (3R, 5D)

Chief State Education Official - 5 (1R, 3D, 1NP)

Commissioner of Insurance - 3 (1R, 2D)

Commissioner of Labor - 1R

Corporation Commissioner - 3 (2R, 1D)

Public Service Commissioner - 5 (5D)

Public Regulation Commissioner - 1D

Railroad Commissioner - 1R


STATE LEGISLATURES
In 2010, 1,799 (24.4%) of the 7,382 state legislators in the United States are women. Women currently hold 435 (22.1%) of the 1,971 state senate seats and 1,364 (25.2%) of the 5,411 state house seats. The number of women serving in state legislatures has increased more than four-fold since 1971.

The states with the highest percentages of women state legislators are:

New Hampshire – 37.5%
Vermont – 37.2%
Colorado – 37.0%
Minnesota – 34.8%
Hawaii – 32.9%
Washington – 32.7%
Nevada – 31.7%
Connecticut – 31.6%
Arizona – 31.1%
Maryland – 30.9%


MAYORS
As of February 2010, of the 100 largest cities in the United States, 7 had women mayors: Baltimore, Md.; Fresno, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; Stockton, Calif.; Glendale, Ariz.; Chula Vista, Calif.; and, Houston, Texas.

As of January 2010, of the 249 mayors of cities with populations over 100,000, 36 (14.5%) were women. Of the 1,158 mayors of cities with populations over 30,000, 204 (17.6%) were women.

Source: Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University (Updated: 04/10)

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Condoleezza Rice & Aretha Franklin Raise Money for Children

What do you get when you put a former Secretary of State together with the Queen of Soul? Apparently, you get beautiful music and lots of money raised for a good cause. Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin took the stage together at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia last week. Their goal was to raise money for music and arts awareness for children in Detroit and Philadelphia's inner city schools.
Before a crowd of over 8,000 people Franklin and Rice performed two songs together: "I Say a Little Prayer" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Earlier in the three-hour concert Rice also played a selection from Mozart's "Piano Concert No. 20 in D Minor." During her tenure as Secretary of State, many people were surprised to learn Rice was not only an important diplomat but a classically trained pianist as well.
Rice and Franklin first met at a White House event several years ago. The two were chatting when Franklin suggested they do a duet together. Franklin said she was surprised that Rice "really does play" and called her "formidable." According to the Associated Press, Rice said this particular night was born out of both women's desire to keep music accessible to children.

Music has always been close to the former Secretary's heart. Rice began taking piano lessons at the age of three and gave her first recital at the age of four. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice became known as a musical prodigy in the area and could often be found playing at community events and schools. When she was 15, she played at the Denver Symphony and though she does not play professionally, she does play regularly with a chamber music group in Washington, DC. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth and played alongside cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
She has stated that her favorite composer is Johannes Brahms because his music is "passionate but not sentimental." She has also said her favorite band is Led Zeppelin. Rice's name even has a musical background. Her mother, Angelena, a teacher and church organist, loved opera so much that she named her daughter after an Italian music term "con dolcezza." It means "to play with sweetness."

Suggested Read:
THE NEW NORMAL: DOING MORE WITH LESS IN EDUCATION

Most Hated Women of the GOP

When it comes to the American Left, negative feelings towards anyone on the other side, especially anyone who is successful, run rampant. And it's that kind of attitude that's prompted the editorial team at Townhall.com to compile a list of the "100 Americans the Left Hates Most." As you can imagine, many of our favorite GOP women made the list. Here is a look at the ones who did and how they manage to get under the skin of liberals.

#2: Sarah Palin - It's no surprise Sarah Palin tops the list at number two (just behind TV and radio host Glenn Beck). When GOP presidential nominee John McCain chose her as his running mate, the right immediately embraced her and the left immediately tried to find something wrong with her. They attacked her looks, her family, and her patriotism. They attacked her success in raising her family and success in her career. They attacked her Conservatism and they attacked her strong will. But in the end, Palin continues to be a start among Conservatives, Republicans, and Tea Partiers, and you can bet that really makes the Left mad.

#5: Ann Coulter - Love her or hate her, you have to respect her for saying what she thinks and not letting anyone or anything keep her from speaking her mind. Writer and political commentator Ann Coulter has been telling it like it is about liberals for years and causing controversy wherever she goes. Political correctness isn't something Coulter knows anything about and for that reason alone, the Left can't stand her.

#6: Michelle Malkin - Michelle Malkin has become a Conservative star in recent years. She blogs, she writes columns and best-selling books, and she appears on Fox News, exposing left-wing hate like no one else can. The victim of everything from racist remarks to personal threats, Malkin seems to get under the skin of every liberal she crosses.

#10: Michele Bachmann - Bachmann, a Conservative Congresswoman from Minnesota tops the list for many of the same reasons as Sarah Palin. She has made a name for herself as a woman with a family and a career, but she touts Conservative values verses wild left-wing feminist views. She's been a strong voice against Obama's health care plan and a strong voice for the tea party movement. This fall, she is up for re-election and the Left is doing everything it can to stop her.

#17: Laura Ingraham Anyone who listens to Laura Ingraham's radio show knows she's in a constant battle against the left to prevent the perversion of our culture by left-wingers who think their way is the only way. Whether she's debating politics or promoting conservatives in Hollywood, Ingraham is always on the lookout for liberals who want to ruin the country.

Other GOP women who made the list? Hannah Giles, the young journalist who posed as a prostitute and brought down ACORN; Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona who is doing what the federal government won't do: standing up to illegal immigration; Liz Cheney, co-founder of Keep America Safe and strong voice for American security; Condoleezza Rice former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush; Phyllis Schlafly, columnist and author; Peggy Noonan, columnist, author, and former assistant to President Ronald Reagan; and S.E. Cupp, author, commentator, and columnist.

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Women of the GOP In the News: Governors Race Edition

As election time draws closer, several Republican women are making headlines, all across the country. Here is a look at some who are running for governor and have been in the news this week:

- In January, we wondered if New Mexico would see a female governor. Tuesday, that prediction became a reality when prosecutor and Dona Ana County district attorney Susana Martinez won the Republican nomination for governor. Martinez, whose entry into the race was called a "game-changer" by the media, will face Democrat Diane Denish. There are a lot of "firsts" in this race. Either woman has the chance at becoming the first female governor in the state, while Martinez is also the first Hispanic woman of either party to be nominated for governor of any of the fifty states. Also, this is only the third time in United States history that two women will go head-to-head in a gubernatorial general election.

- Former Georgia Secretary of State and current gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel might have been pretty shocked when pro-life group Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) failed to endorse her this week, considering she has definitely established herself as a pro-life candidate. Handel, who has spoken publicly about her inability to have children of her own, disagrees with the group's desire to prohibit invitro fertilization and fertility treatments. She has also stated that, like many pro-lifer's, she believes abortion should be allowed in the case of rape or incest. Unfortunately, GRTL president Dan Becker chose to twist Handel's words, by saying, "...she does not believe that an embryonic human is a child,” something Handel immediately denied. Becker also used very insensitive language to describe women who are incapable of conceiving, which probably didn't help his case with several female voters in the Peach State.

- South Carolina's sweetheart, Nikki Haley, also found herself fighting false allegations this week, when blogger Will Folks decided to announce he'd had an affair with the gubernatorial candidate. Haley, with her husband by her side, immediately said the allegations were "totally false." Another Women of the GOP fave, Sarah Palin, stood up for Haley by saying, "for traditional media to rely on an accusation via some blog entry is almost laughable, but I know the seriousness of it because that's exactly what my family and colleagues have had to put up with, every single day, for the past couple of years." Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney also voices his support for Haley, who is hoping to replace South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.

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Linda Biamonte for New Jersey's 2nd

New Jersey's 2nd District is the largest in the entire state. It includes the entire Atlantic Coast, Cape May, Cumberland, County, Salem County, and parts of Gloucester, Burlington, and Camden Counties. All in all, it houses 82 municipalities. If New Jersey native Linda Biamonte gets her way, she'll be representing them all in Congress next year. As her website says, Biamonte wants to put "the 'represent' back in Representative."

Linda Biamonte grew up with her single mother in Ocean City, New Jersey, where she attended public schools and participated in a number of sports. She lettered in basketball and softball, and enjoyed surfing and skating. But she was also a good student, excelling in English and history, who could often be found in the library, doing research. According to her website, her upbringing helped her develop the values she'd like to bring to Congress,

"Because she is an only child raised by a single parent she learned independence and responsibility at a young age. Naturally, she came to appreciate teamwork, the value of a dollar and the closeness of community."

Biamonte, who is currently an Egg Harbor resident, is a strong supporter of our military. She has been a member of the Gathering of Eagles for four years, a group who works to "thwart unjust attacks against our Military" from groups such as Code Pink. The group is non-partisan and compromised of many smaller groups, including Band of Mothers and vets for Freedom. As a matter of fact, one of the main issues Biamonte is campaigning on is support of troops and veterans, including providing health care funding for soldiers who are deployed or injured in the line of duty, and ensuring that troop and veteran funding is never cut.

Biamonte is also a member of many other groups and causes; these include Operation Baghdad Pups, the ASPCA, Toys for Tots, Just Give, We Are a Republic and the NRA. As an NRA member, she supports Second Amendment rights, firearm ownership, and the right to bear arms, stating that "people kill people, not firearms," and "the lawless don't care about gun control laws, only the law abiding citizens care about laws." She's also pro-life and says there is no distinction between the born and unborn. She believes current abortion laws are "poorly constructed."

With a strong desire for self-improvement, Biamonte started out as a boardwalk waitress and went on to work in the food and beverage field, where she held a Union position, public relations, computers, and advertising media. She current serves as Vice President of Sales Americas at Civolution, an advertising technology firm. She put herself through school, advanced her education by retaining a Project Management IS/IT at Villanova, and considers herself, a self-made woman.

So what does Biamonte want to do for the business world? A true fiscal Conservative, she believes in putting "more money in the hands of investors and small businesses through investment tax cuts," cutting payroll taxes, and giving an investment tax cut to small businesses within the first year. Biamonte recognizes that small business owners are the backbone of the country and create the majority of the nation's jobs, and does not believe that creating more government jobs is the answer.

To read more about Linda Biamonte, vist her website here. The New Jersey primaries will be held on June 8.

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Sandy Adams for Congress in Flordia's 24th

"I have devoted my life to my family, my profession, and a personal crusade on behalf of the citizens of Florida." - Sandy Adams

Sandy Adams is no stranger to serving her country or the people of Florida. As a deputy sheriff, member of the United States Air Force, and member of the Florida House of Representatives, Adams has been doing just that for years. In addition to taking care of her family, she sees it as a top priority and that's probably why she's decided to take her service to the United States Congress. Here is a look at a true Conservative, who is running for Congress in Florida's 24th Congressional District.

Sandy Adams was born in Wyandotte, Michigan in 1956 and moved to Florida eight years later. After serving in the United States Air Force, Adams became a Deputy Sheriff and Investigator for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. She worked in law enforcement for nearly two decades, dedicating her life to the people of Florida. During that time, she also served as the President of the Central Florida Chapter Concerns of Police Survivors Incorporated. According to her official website, Adams knows what it's like to struggle, as many Americans are now. As a young woman, she found herself a single mother of a daughter, attempting to finish college. Today, both she and her daughter are college graduates. She got her BA in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College in 2000.

In 2002, Adams decided to take a different route to serving the people of her state. She ran for office, hoping to become a member of the Florida House of Representatives. She was elected and has been serving ever since. Once she was elected, she was tapped to head the Homeland Security Workers’ Compensation work group and served as Chair of the Seminole County Legislative Delegation. She went on to serve as Chair of the Orange County Legislative Delegation and is currently the Chair of the Seminole County Legislative Delegation again. She also currently serves as Chair of the Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, Vice-Chair of the Criminal and Civil Justice Policy Council, Vice-Chair of the Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee and Vice-Chair of the Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review, and is a member of the Full Appropriations Council on General Government and Health Care and the Rules and Calendar Council.

As chair of the House Domestic Security Committee, Adams was a strong voice for security. She passed legislation that promoted security at seaports, general aviation airports, and hurricane preparedness and recovery. She helped schools receive adequate funding, helped promote sales tax relief, worked on getting tougher sentences for sexual predators, protecting victims and protecting personal information for concealed weapon permit holders. She also worked to ensure services for seniors and stood up against eminent domain laws. Recently, Adams has filed Enforcement of Immigration Laws legislation.

The Orlando Sentinel endorsed her runs for the Florida House and has called her, "an expert on public-safety issues and committed to the thankless but essential task of juvenile-justice reform." In 2006, the Sentinel printed, “Her success in that area and others, coupled with her ability to work across party lines, makes Ms. Adams the best…Her leadership skills are reflected in her ability to push successfully…Ms. Adams ‘ passion for public safety is understandable…But she’s branched beyond that expertise."

So, where does she stand on the issues? Adams has said that small businesses are what drives the Florida economy and believes the best thing the government can do for entrepreneurs is offer incentives for new technology and to attract businesses to areas where they are needed, not offer regulation and higher taxes that often drive small businesses away. She believes the tax code should be made simpler and people should not be penalized because they are married or own businesses. She has also proposed we remove the death tax.

Adams believes the nation should become energy independent. From her website,

"We need an energy policy that encourages all forms of energy including nuclear, clean coal, natural gas, wind, solar, geothermal, hydro power, and safe off shore oil drilling. I am opposed to the Cap and Trade legislation that would place a national energy tax on all American families and small businesses. If Cap and Trade passes, our local economy---more so than other states---will suffer. Families will pay higher utility rates and thousands will lose their jobs. We need an energy bill that saves jobs, improves our economy and promotes technology and innovation while moving our country towards energy independence."

Sandy Adams and her husband, John, live in Orlando. The couple has three children.

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Anna Little: From Mayor to Congresswoman

When it comes to immigration, Anna Little knows a thing or two about it. She's represented clients from several countries as an immigration lawyer. And with her experience as mayor of Highlands, New Jersey, she has experience managing a "fiscally responsible municipality by reducing the budget, and implementing an economic growth vision for her hometown." Now, Little wants to take those skills and that knowledge to Congress. Here is a look at her life, experience, and stances on the values important to Americans.

Anna Campbell Little was born at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, New Jersey. She grew up in Middletown, New Jersey, where she attended Harmony School, St. Catherine's, St. Mary's, Thompson Junior High School, and Middletown High School South. She attended Seton Hall University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages, as well as her Juris Doctor degree at Seton Hall's School of Law. She also studied at Sophia University in Tokyo.

It seems as though Little has always had a passion for the international, which may be why she ended up in private practice as an immigration attorney. In that capacity, she has represented clients from all the world, including Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Israel, Greece, India, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, and Thailand. Little is fluent in French and Spanish and has a "working knowledge" of Japanese and Russian.

Perhaps it is her work with legal immigrants that has helped build her ideas about illegal immigration. From her website,

The United States is a country of immigrants. A sincere and common sense immigration policy will help ensure a prosperous future. However, a country, which does not secure its borders, will cease to be a sovereign nation. Stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into our country is the first step in the process of regaining control of our Republic, and insuring our national security. Our borders need to be sealed to incoming illegals by all means necessary. In addition, all our systems and institutions must be reformed to prohibit illegals from receiving any public services. Having these services available to illegals becomes an incentive to illegally come here, or coming here on a visa and then illegally overstaying. We must not “allow” employers to hire illegals for the benefit of “cheap labor”, and laws must be enforced to sanction employers who hire them. I would not support legislation that grants “amnesty”.

Little says she would support the Border Fence Act of 2006 and vote to support funding it, as well as the E-verify System.

Little says she wants become a Congresswoman because she want "serve the people of the Congressional District according to the core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill Of Rights...," which is something many Americans are in search of this year. She believes that it is the individual's right to keep and decide how to spend what they earn and that government involvement in our lives should be limited. Little would also like to see the country return to the concept of free market principles.

Little is a supporter of the Enumerated Powers Act, which requires Congress to add a statement to any bill introduced, citing specifically how it fits under Constitutional Authority. She is also a supporter of the Fair Tax, saying it "would unleash the private economy... Companies from all over the world would relocate to the US instead of leaving our shores; domestic industry would likewise thrive." She is against the current government health care plan and feels the "public option" will destroy the industry as we know. She doesn't feel health care needs to be reformed, but instead, a few changes should be made, including tort reform, selling insurance across state lines to increase competition, removing anti-trust protection for insurance companies, and encouraging Health Savings Accounts. Little is pro-life when it comes to abortion, pro-choice when it comes to education, and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.

As mentioned, Little currently serves as the mayor of the Borough of Highlands, New Jersey. From 2006 to 2008, she served as a Monmouth County Freeholder, where she exercised her desires to create a more responsible government. She established the Continuous Budget Review Committee and hosted an Economic Development Summit. From 2002 to 2006 she served on the Highlands Borough Council.

Little and her husband have three children and in her spare time, she enjoys singing in the choir at her church. She is also a member of the Historical Society of Highlands, the Highlands Republican Club, the Highlands Community Singers, and the Baykeeper's Oyster Reseeding Project.

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Dr. Deborah Honeycutt for Congress in Georgia's 13th

Dr. Deborah Travis Honeycutt calls herself an "independent Frederick Douglass Republican." She says she's running for Congress because she's "angry" at what our government is doing. "Congresspersons are supposed to be leaders, servant leaders, serving the people and leading them toward solutions... I do believe that anyone in leadership must exhibit honest, integrity at the highest levels. Otherwise, we need to allow them the opportunity to do something else," she says on her website. And if Honeycutt has her way, Congressman David Scott of Georgia's 13th Congressional District will be allowed "the opportunity to do something else." Here is a look at Honeycutt's life and where she stands on the important issues facing Georgia and the United States.

Dr. Deborah Honeycutt was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois - Urbana, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Dance Education, Master's degree in Dance, and eventually attended the school's College of Medicine, where she became a doctor and laid the foundation for what would be a very extensive career in the medical profession.

She's worked as a faculty member at Atlanta Medical Center's Family Practice Residency Training Program and has also worked as an educator at Emory University's Family Practice Residency Training Program. She's worked as a family physician at Georgia Baptist; at her own private practice, Five Points Family Practice in Fairburn, Georgia; and Eagles Landing Family Practice in Hampton, Georgia.

In 2004, Dr. Honeycutt became the President of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians and later served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. She's been appointed to the American Academy of Family Physicians' Commission on Education and served twice as the Minority Constituency Delegate and twice as the Georgia State Delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians. In 2005, she was appointed Medical Director of Good Shepherd Clinic, a free clinic located in Morrow, Georgia and she worked in this position until her decision to run for Congress.

She has been instrumental in lobbying for better health care at both the state and federal level and is very involved with the community and health care-related activism. She often speaks on topics that often affect African Americans such as diabetes, obesity, and domestic violence, and has served on the board of the CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center of Atlanta, as well as the Board of Directors of the Georgia Partnership for Caring. Currently, she is a member of the Georgia Free Clinic Network Board of Directors and is co-chair of the Georgia Department of Community Health Minority Health Advisory Council.

With all of this experience in health care under her belt, Dr. Honeycutt strongly opposes nationwide, government sponsored health care, saying the issues failed in other countries, and "a government sponsored one size fits all solution won't fit anyone." Instead, she feels we should rely on "free markets and multi group efforts that allow government to do its part and citizens to do their part." She says that when she was working in her own private practice, she was not able to help the people who most needed help because of government restrictions in place that prevented her from doing so and feels people should be empowered to help themselves, not to be helpless.

Dr. Honeycutt is also a proponent of the Fair Tax system. From her website,

"I have examined alternatives and found the FairTax to offer the best hope of returning our tax system to our constitutional principles, providing both increased fairness and dramatic simplification, as well as positioning this country to continue to prosper in the increasingly competitive global marketplace of the 21st century. "

Even though she's currently campaigning, Honeycutt continues to work as a volunteer physicians at the Good Shepherd free clinic. She has also taken an active roll, becoming a voice for issues in her community, such as community values and public education. She attends school board meetings in Clayton County, as well as Clayton County Home Owners Association meetings, and regularly meets with elected officials.

Dr. Honeycutt is married to Dr. Andrew Honeycutt, a Distinguished Fellow of Business at Shorter College. They are members of the Word of Faith Family Cathedral in Austell, Georgia and reside in Fayetteville, Georgia.

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Angela McGlowan: From Fox News to Congress

If you watch Fox News, you've probably seen Angela McGlowan giving her sassy, conservative opinion on any number of programs. McGlowan, who has done everything from start her own business to write a book, certainly doesn't hesitate to share her opinion and now she's taking her tenacity and strong will to Congress, or so she hopes. Earlier this year, McGlowan announced she's running for Congress in her home state of Mississippi. Here is a look at the woman who feels she's ready to fight for Mississippi's First Congressional District.

McGlowan says she's running for office because she's "fed up [but] will never give up." She describes herself as a "conservative, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-small business Mississippi Republican" and says she will "fight for North Mississippians like no one has ever fought for them before."

McGlowan was born in Oxford, Mississippi to James Thompson McGlowan, a minister, who she says installed a many important values in her, just before his death that occurred when she was just twelve years old. She was educated in the public school system and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis in Criminal Justice and Political Science.

She is the founder and CEO of Political Strategies and Insights, a government affairs, political strategy, public relations, and advocacy consulting firm based in Washington, DC. McGlowan served as the Director of Governmental Affairs and Diversity Development for News Corporation from 1999-2005, where she developed and implemented diversity initiatives. She also worked as a Congressional advocate on News Corp's behalf. Public service is not new to McGlowan. She served as the Director of Outreach for the Better America Foundation, an organization founded by Senator Bob Dole aimed at promoting community empowerment and helped set the stage for the Senator's 1996 presidential run.

McGlowan served as Government and Public Affairs Manger for Steve Winn of Mirage Resorts, Inc, where she lobbied initiatives with the American Gaming Association, in an effort to help start Mirage Resorts gaming properties at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. She also worked as an aide to Congressman Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland and Representative John Ensign of Nevada, as well as serving as a publicist for Ensign's 1996 re-election campaign.

Perhaps most people know McGlowan as a political analyst for the Fox News Channel. But she has quite the television career under her belt. She worked as a host for Good Day Street Talk for New York's' Fox 5 WNYW, and has appeared on several other shows and networks, including PBS's To the Contrary, America's Black Forum, BET Tonight, This is America with Dennis Wholey, and ABC's Politically Incorrect. A seasoned writer, McGlowan's work has appeared in the Washington Times, Clarion Ledger, Athens-Banner Herald, Oxford Eagle, American Newspaper, Ebony Magazine, Jet Magazine, the Washington Post, Insight Magazine, New York Magazine, and her book, BAMBOOZLED: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda, was a national bestseller.

You can read more about Angela McGlowan at her website: www.mcglowanforcongress.com

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Delia Lopez Wants to Take Back the Country

Delia Lopez says she was watching a Republican debate during the last election cycle and was not very happy with what she saw. When one candidate suggested people follow the Constitution, the others laughed, and Lopez says it was at that moment she decided that, "We the people had to take our country back!" That's possibly why she is running for Congress in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.

On her website, DLopezForCongress.com, she writes,

"The Constitution is supposed to be the law by which our country is to be governed! It was written to restrain the power of the government and to protect the rights of the people. Our freedoms as spelled out in the Constitution, were given to us by our Creator, and are not to be denied us by any Government. There is no way permitted under the constitution for our rights to be suspended!"

Lopez says she is a Republican because she believes the "strength of the nation lies with the individual and that each person's dignity, freedom, ability, and responsibility must be honored. She is pro-life, because she feels the Constitution guarantees the right to life for everyone. A mother of three, and grandmother of three, she is against federal control of education. She would also like to see the United States leave Iraq immediately, leaving the rebuilding of the country to its people.

In 1989, Lopez and her husband (who have been married for 26 years) began investing in real estate. She created and manged the budget for their project. Her familiarity with the topic could be one reason why Lopez has strong feelings about property rights and why it's one of her top issues. She believes many people try to simplify the pro-property right argument by saying those who fall in line behind it are simply anti-environment. Lopez says this is not the case.

From her website,

"When one has a proper respect for property rights, environmental concerns go away. In a society that respects the property of others, it is cause for legal action if someone pollutes your land, or the water coming across your property, or the air which floats above it. With a proper respect for private property, people can and should be allowed to do whatever they would like with their land - barring any restrictions they agreed to when they purchased the land - up until the point that their actions physically affect their neighbors."

Lopez also has strong feelings about border security. She wants to physically secure the borders as soon as possible and feels that amnesty simply rewards people who have broken laws. She wants to enforce Visa rules and end birthright citizenship. She also feels that illegal aliens should not be allowed welfare and that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for illegal immigrant use of schools, hospitals, roads, and social services. Lopez would also like to see "true" immigration reform passed. She says currently, the system is "incoherent and unfair."

To read more about Delia Lopez, visit her website at DLopezForCongress.com.

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Cynthia Lummis: Wyoming's Congresswoman

Most people do not realize that the state of Wyoming has had only one Congressional District since Statehood. Wyoming's "at-large" district is the fourth largest in the country and is also the least populated. It has been held by notable people such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Craig L. Thomas and is currently the largest district in the country being represented by a female. That woman is Cynthia Lummis, who was elected to the seat in November 2008. Here is a look at Wyoming's only Congresswoman.

Cynthia Marie Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 and raised in Laramie County, Wyoming, on her family's ranch. She was active in 4-H as a child, raising Hereford calves for the annual county fair. In 1919, her great-grandfather started the Lummis Livestock company and Lummis still runs the ranch today, as well as ranches in Wheatland and Lincoln Counties.

After graduating from high school, Lumis attended the University of Wyoming, where she graduated with two bachelor of science degrees: one in animal science and one in biology. A year later, she entered politics at the age of 24, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Wyoming Legislature. She eventually returned to the University of Wyoming, graduating with a law degree in 1985.

Lummis was a member of the Wyoming Senate for twelve years and the Wyoming House of Representatives for three. She was the first woman to serve on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Board and became "Miss Frontier" in 1976. While serving in the Legislature, her main focuses were taxes and natural resources. She was a driving force behind Governor Jim Geringer's Open Spaces Initiative and edited Wyoming's Open Lands Guidebook, and she has served on the Board of the Institute for Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, as well as being the former interim director of the Office of State Lands and Investments.

Many people accredit Lummis with sharp increases in state revenue during her time in local office and in 1998, she was elected State Treasurer. She served two four-year terms. During that time, she, according to her website, "converted Wyoming’s primarily fixed income investment portfolio of $3.5 billion to a fully diversified portfolio of equities, real estate and fixed income investments, public and private, domestic and international, totaling $8.5 billion."

While serving as State Treasurer, she was named a "Women in Business Advocate of the Year 2005" by the Small Business Administration. She was also honored by the University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture as an "Outstanding Alumni." Lummi was affiliated with the American Women's Financial Education Foundation, the Center for the Rocky Mountain West Advisory Board, Cheyenne's Vision 2020, the Wyoming Business Alliance, and the Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust.

In 2007, upon the death of Senator Thomas, Lummis was just one of 31 Wyoming Republicans looking to replace him in the Senate. She was chosen as one of three finalists for the position but eventually lost to John Barrasso. Many believed she would challenge him in the 2008 special election but instead, she announced she'd be running for Congress. Despite not receiving report from the state's Governor and not having the same financial backing of her opponents, Lummis won the seat by 10%. She campaigned on a pro-life, fiscally conservative platform.

Though she's only been in Congress for a year, Lummis is already making her voice heard. She serves on the Committee on Agriculture, Committee on the Budget, and Committee on Natural Resources. She has been a critic of the current administration's excessive government spending and of health care reform. You can see more about what she has to say on health care and her constituents' concerns about their health care choices and lack of competition here:



Lummis is married to attorney and businessman Al Wiederspahn. Widerspahn, like his wife, is also a former member of the Wyoming legislature, but unlike his wife is a Democrat. The couple has one daughter, Annaliese. They are members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cheyenne.

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26 Year Old Princella Smith for Congress in Arkansas

Anyone who has ever called the GOP the "party of old white guys" has obviously never met Princella Smith. Not only is she a proud member of the GOP, but she's young, she's black, and she's a woman. Oh, and she's running for Congress in Arkansas. So just who is this young woman who's taking the "Natural State" by storm? Here is a look at her short life leading up to her not-so-typical run for Congress.

Princella Smith has been public speaking since she was four years old and by the age of nine, she and her brothers were in high demand as keynote speakers at a number of church and education-based events, where they were often asked to recite Martin Luther King's entire "I Have a Dream" speech. But that's not all she did at a young age. Smith was involved in a number of academic and civic groups as a child. According to her website, she came in first place at two county spelling bees, won awards for writing, won quiz bowls, and was involved with Girl Scouts, Key Club, and Boys 2 Men/Girls 2 Women.

Smith attributes her success at such a young age to being raised in a small town with a strong foundation. She grew up in Wynne, Arkansas, raised by her father John Smith, a former school board vice president and the minister at Christian Fellowship Church and her mother Sandra Smith, the vice principal at Wynne High School.

In high school, she developed a passion for politics when she was sponsored by the Wynne chapter of the Women’s American Legion Auxiliary to attend Arkansas Girls State. There, she was elected out of about 900 girls as the 2001 Girls State Governor. That summer, she was awarded an internship with the state's Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller. During that internship, she was part of a life-changing moment. The Lt. Governor asked her to write a speech for him to give a college graduation. She did and he read it word for word, something he usually didn't do with his staff. Smith has said of that moment, "To see your billionaire, world-famous, Lt. Governor quote your words verbatim is overwhelming. Do you know what that does to a kid from the Delta?" In high school, Smith went on to letter in women's basketball, leading the team to its first state playoff appearance in years. She was elected to the Arkansas All-Star Basketball team, was her class president, and graduated with honors.

She went on to college at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, where she majored in political science and minored in communications and history, and played for the school's women's basketball team. She is also a graduate of the Buckley School of Public Speaking. Smith went on to take part in internships with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, U.S. Congressman John Boozman of Arkansas, and served a clerkship at the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2004, she won a speech/essay contest sponsored by MTV called "Stand Up and Holla." That same year, she spoke at the Republican National Convention, just before First Lady Laura Bush addressed the nation.

In 2006, she served as the E-Campaign Director for then Maryland Lt. Governor and current Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. In that position, she managed all electronic communications for the campaign, including the official campaign website. She has also served as a Communications Director and as the National Spokesperson for American Solutions and has been a guest lecturer at the Leadership Institute, speaking on topics such as "New Media" and "Grassroots Activism." She is also a visiting fellow at the Independent Women's Forum and has worked as a political contributor for the following media outlets: FOX News, FOX Business News, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, BET, Bloomberg News, PBS, France 24, EuroAmerican News, Danish Broadcasting, NPR, the New York Times, USA Today, XM Satellite Radio, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Essence Magazine, YouTube News, XM Radio, AOL Radio/TV, Black America Web, RocktheVote.com, Huffington Post.

You can read more about what Smith stands for and why she's running for office at PrincellaSmith.com.

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Valerie Meyers: A Lifelong Republican for Georgia's 8th

Valerie Meyers describes herself as a "lifelong Republican." That's because she's always believed in limited government in our lives, as well Constitutional rule. She believes that current leadership and representatives are betraying the country's principles in the name of self-interest, and feels that the base of the GOP needs to reclaim the party. Above all, she feels it's important for citizens to be able to take advantage of their right to life and liberty as granted by the Constitution. From her website:

"Our personal liberties have gradually been eroded. The federal government has asserted that it has the authority to mine, collect, and store information on the personal matters of American citizens based on security or expediency, often in violation of our 4th Amendment guarantees against illegal search and seizure, and our 5th Amendment guarantees against self-incrimination.We can prosper and protect our national security without intruding into the personal lives of American citizens. I vow to fight on behalf of preserving our personal liberties."

Like many Republicans, Meyer is pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-free markets. She feels the country needs to return to its capitalistic roots to become prosperous again. Meyers feels this can be done by, "removing all government imposed barriers that impede or prevent business and industry from conducting business," including the corporate income tax. She also feels the 16th Amendment must be repealed and supports the proposed, much-talked-about Fair Tax system.

When it comes to education, she supports a parent's right to choose where and how their children are education. She attributes Georgia's 22% high school drop-out rate to federal government control and a malfunctioning statewide system. She is also in opposition to government-controlled health care, again feeling that an individual has the right to choose what kind of health care they receive and where they receive it.

She is an active member of the Georgia Republican Party and has served as vice chairman in her district, as well as serving as a delegate at the county, district and state conventions and as a precinct chairman. She has been campaigning and fundraising for GOP candidates for twenty years. In 2008, she served as the Houston County Coordinator and 8th Congressional District Coordinator for Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. She still remains active in Campaign for Liberty, a movement that began after Congressman Paul's presidential run. She is considered one of many "Liberty Candidates" running for office across the country.

A true Southerner, Meyers grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and graduated from the University of South Alabama. She currently attends Mercer University in Atlanta, where she is working on her Master's Degree. She also works as a technical writer and information technology business analyst for Computer Services Corporation. Her work there involves product development for United States Air Force bases around the world.

Meyers and her children, Isabel and Zane live in Bonaire, Georgia. She attends the Warner Robbins Church of Christ and runs in her spare time. She has participated in several marathons and triathlons.

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What Has Laura Bush Been Up To?

A few weeks ago, a billboard with a picture of former President George W. Bush that reads, "Miss me yet?" popped up in Wyoming, Minnesota. With the current president's approval ratings falling lower and lower, it's no surprise Americans are finding themselves longing for the former occupant of the White House. Aside from joining with former President Clinton to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief, President Bush has been fairly quiet lately, but his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush, has been popping up at a number of events over the last few weeks.

In early February, Mrs. Bush helped the Boy Scouts celebrate their 100th anniversary in Evansville, Indiana, by delivering the keynote address. A girl scout herself, the First Lady reminisced about her days hiking and canoeing and talked about how she still goes camping and hiking to this day. She even took the time to answer some questions about everything from what it was like to live in the White House to her favorite book.

Speaking of her love of reading, Mrs. Bush joined the NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan at a Texas school, earlier this month, to promote her infamous love of reading. She told students, "It's the most important skill you learn in school. If you can read, you can do well in every single subject." Mrs. Bush joined the Mavericks' Jason Terry and former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo to read a book to the students and told students they should read as much as they watch TV.

According to the Associated Press, the former First Lady has also signed on to serve on the advisory board of the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum is scheduled to open in 2015 and the board is currently working to raise money.

Next month, the former First Lady will take part in the United States -Afghan Women's Council Conference on Afghan literacy programs at the Bush Institute. The program will focus on literacy in both countries, for people of all ages. The session will be led by Mrs. Bush, who worked tirelessly with the women of Afghanistan during her time in the White House.

In addition to her many appearances, Mrs. Bush's memoirs will be published later this year, on May 4. Spoken From the Heart will be published by Scribner and has been described as "an intimate account of Mrs. Bush’s life experiences.” The book will tell of her life, growing up as an only child, her college years, how she met her husband and future President and tell of her family's life in the White House.

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Sarah Palin's Tea Party Convention Speech February 6, 2010

If you missed the speech Sarah Palin delivered to the Tea Party Convention on February 6, 2010, here it is in its entirety, including a Q&A sessions afterwards:

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Patricia Sullivan, a Mom on a Mission in Florida's 8th

It's no secret Sarah Palin has inspired thousands of Americans since becoming a part of the national political stage in 2008, but this year, it's becoming more apparent, as Conservative women across the nation are stepping up to the plate and speaking up for their values and political beliefs. Some are even taking things to the next level and running for political office. One such candidate is Patricia Sullivan, a self-described "Domestic Engineer," who is running for Congress in Florida 8th Congressional District.

In a November interview with Fox News' Gretchen Carlson, Sullivan said she is running for Congress because her children's futures have already been "mortgaged away" and because the current person representing Florida's 8th District, Congressman Alan Grayson, is not representing the people like he should. Sullivan, who had the opportunity to meet Governor Palin at a book signing before the interview, told Carlson that Palin is an inspiration because, "she's a real person, a mom who has a family, but she works hard for effective change."

According to Sullivan's website, she is campaigning on four main principal issues: fiscal responsibility, limited government, strong national defense, and free markets, but there are a number of other issues close to the Conservative's heart. She is a strong proponent of the 10th Amendment and states' rights and she believes that the current "spend the country into prosperity" politicians need to be replaced with a more responsible group of legislators. She believes energy solutions should be dictated by free markets and that regulatory policy that is meant to help the environment should be based only on proven sciences and even then should be monitored so that it does not burden people. In addition, Sullivan is pro-gun and Second Amendment, pro-life, pro-stronger border security and pro-educational choice.

Sullivan may not have a resume full of fancy positions or an extensive political background, but what she does have is passion and common sense. She calls herself a patriot, not a politician, and says she has a passion for people, not programs. Sullivan wants to take the government back and put it in the hands of the people and took her first step towards that goal last year on April 15th. Inspired by the passing of the Stimulus bill, Sullivan organized the North Lake Tea Party. She hoped at least 50 people would show up and was shocked when over 1,000 attended. Her second North Lake Tea Party, on July 4th, saw a similar turnout. Sullivan currently maintains the website for the North Lake Tea Party and continues in the movement with a leadership role.

In addition to being a longtime homeschooler, Sullivan is an active member in her church. She is a Precept Bible study leader, a 4-H leader at both the local and state level, and was named "Volunteer of the Year" in 2007 by the Florida State 4-H Youth Development Program. She even founded the Lake County 4-H Foundation and currently serves as President.

On a personal note, Sullivan was born in Alabama but her family moved to Seminole County, Florida in 1973. She received an Associate of Arts degree from Seminole Community College and has been married to her husband, Scott for eighteen years. They have four children, Jennifer, Danny, Ben and Emily, and currently reside in Lake County.

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Profile of Christine Todd Whitman

In 2004, Christine Todd Whitman became the first female Governor of New Jersey and only the second Republican female Governor (Kay Orr of Nebraska was the first) in the history of the United States to be elected to the post. Here is a look at her life and accomplishments.

Christine Todd Whitman was born in 1946 in New York City to Eleanor Prentice Schley Todd and Webster B. Todd. She grew up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and attended Far Hills Country Day School and the Chapin School in Manhattan. She also attended Wheaton College, earning a degree in government. She went on to marry John Whitman, a private equity investor. Whitman wasn't the first member of her family to enter politics. Her husband's grandfather, Charles S. Whitman, served as Governor of New York, and her maternal grandfather, Reeve Schley, was a member of Wolf's Head Society at Yale, vice president of Chase Bank, and president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce.

Upon graduation from college, Whitman worked on Nelson Rockefeller's presidential campaign and during the Nixon administration, she worked in the Office of Economic Opportunity, under Donald Rumsfeld. There, she was Deputy Director of the New York State Office in Washington. She was eventually appointed to the Board of Trustees of Somerset County College and served two terms on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, as well as serving as Deputy Director and Director of the Board. In 1988, she served as President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

In 1990, Whitman ran against Bill Bradley for a seat in the United States Senate. Even though she lost, the race was close, despite her being called a "longshot." During her campaign, she spoke out against James Florio's tax hikes, which may be why she chose to run against him in 1993. She won by one percentage point and went on to serve two terms, beating Jim McGreevey in 1997.

As Governor of New Jersey, Whitman lowered taxes in the state. Most notably, she reversed the one percent sales tax Governor Florio had imposed and lifted the excise tax on professional wrestling, which brought the World Wrestling Federation back to New Jersey. She worked to reform education. She even appeared in an episode of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." But perhaps her biggest accomplishments had to do with energy and clean air. Under her leadership, New Jersey's federal one-hour air quality standard ground level ozone violation dropped from 45 to four, allowing more beaches to stay open, and earning the state recognition from the Natural Resources Defense Council She also saw to it that New Jersey implemented a better watershed management program and opened shellfish beds for harvesting.

Whitman's work didn't stop when she left office. In January, 2001, President George W. Bush appointed her as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She later resigned. In 2005, she wrote the book It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Party... And Bringing the Country Together Again and formed the "It's My Party Too" political action committee, whose goal is to help elect more moderate Republicans. Whitman, herself, is considered a moderate Republican and has had this to say about Conservatism,

"The defining feature of the conservative viewpoint is a faith in the ability, and a respect for the right, of individuals to make their own decisions - economic, social, and spiritual - about their lives. The true conservative understands that government's track record in respecting individual rights is poor when it dictates individual choices."

Christine Todd Whitman and her husband have two children, Kate and Taylor. Following in her mother's footsteps, Kate ran for Congress in 2008. Whitman currently serves as director of Texas Instruments and United Technologies, is co-chair of CASEnergy Solutions, and has a lobbying group, Whitman Strategy Group, which specializes in matters of the environment and energy. Her dog, Coors, is the mother of former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush's dog, Barney.

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